LIBRARY(1) LIBRARY(1)
NAME
library - send information requests to appropriate
organization
SYNOPSIS
library [-1234567] [request string]
DESCRIPTION
library sends document/information requests to the appropri-
ate organization within the Library Network. It also han-
dles a variety of requests for other AT&T organizations
(e.g., Engineering Information Services). It requires the
user to discriminate between seven classes of requests as
indicated by the menu it displays:
1) Order by number - this includes nearly everything announced
by the AT&T Library Network (e.g. TMs, bulletin items) or handled
by the Engineering Information Services (e.g. J docs, CPSs).
2) Order item not announced by the AT&T Library Network. Available:
Buy a copy of a book; Address labels; Technical Reports;
Internal document by date (id unknown); Photocopies;
Subscribe to a journal; foreign language services.
3) Subscribe or unsubscribe to a bulletin (e.g. Mercury, CTP)
4) Submit a database search. Examples of available databases:
book catalog, internal documents, AT&T personnel, released papers
5) Request human assistance / interaction. Type(s) available:
General AT&T Library Network assistance; Reference question.
6) Request AT&T Library Network information/services. Examples:
LINUS info, products/services descriptions, loan/reserve status
7) Read AT&T Library Network email transmissions
Note that the first class includes anything announced by the
Library Network operated by AT&T Bell Laboratories.
The main menu level of library can be skipped by giving the
number of the desired option (1 - 7) as the first parameter
to the library.
The secondary menu levels in library (presently in options
2, 4, 5 and 6) can be bypassed by selecting the desired
option as the second parameter. For example, to do order a
photocopy, use the command
library -2 -p
Similarly, if you want to do a search of the personnel data-
base, you can do the command line
library -4 -p waldstein, r k
Requests for objects that can be meaningfully described with
one line can be entered on the command line. This includes
LIBRARY(1) LIBRARY(1)
the things orderable by options 1, 3, 4, and 6. Note that
library tries in this case to function with a minimum of
interaction. For example, if you request a TM this way, you
will not be given a chance to enter remarks connected with
the request.
When permitted, the command line requests can include more
than one item (presently only options 1 and 3 support this).
An example command line is
library -1 123456-851234-56tm 5d123 ad-123456
In options 2, 5, and 6, library will prompt for a variety of
information of varying complexity. A period (.) at any
point in this session will delete the request being entered.
Blank lines (just hit return) will cause optional informa-
tion to be left out of the request. A line consisting of
tilde e (~e) will, when a long response is permitted, put
you into an editor. This editor defaults to ed(1). How-
ever, if the environment variable EDITOR is set, the speci-
fied editor is used. A line consisting of tilde r (~r)
will, when a long response is permitted, read in the indi-
cated file.
Option 7 is a misfit, in that it is primarily a reader, not
a request transmitter; although it does allow requesting
items. This option is intended for reading electronic
transmissions from the library network: primarily responses
to option 4 search requests and ASAP (specialized searches
like electronic Mercury). A convenient way to use option 7
is to invoke it via a pipe from mail(1), mailx(1) or
post(1).
| 3 "library -7"
This assumes that mail message 3 consists of a search
result. The quote marks are required due to post(1) and
mailx(1) syntax.
Break causes library to exit without sending any requests.
In general for more information about what the library com-
mand can do, go into each option and enter a question mark.
This will cause a description of how the option works and
what it can request.
Several other pieces of information can be passed to library
to ease and improve its usage. This information is looked
up in a file called .lib (or the file indicated by the LIB-
FILE shell variable). It expects this file to contain lines
of the form:
ID: individual's PAN or Social Security Number
libname: individual's last name
liblog: name of log file
LIBRARY(1) LIBRARY(1)
libcntl: control information
reader: reader control information
liblocal: control information
If this file is not found or lines of this form are not
found, then library prompts for name and ID (PAN or SS#).
This information can also be passed to library as the shell
parameters: LIBID, LIBNAME, LIBLOG, LIBCNTL, and LIBLOCAL.
library keeps a log of requests sent via library if a line
in the .lib file exists giving a log file name, i.e., if you
have in your .lib file a line of the form
liblog: name of log file
library keeps a log of requests in that file. This file is
created in a form that can be read and manipulated by the
mail command. To read or modify the log file, type
mail -f name of log file
library creates the log file in your HOME directory unless
the file name given starts with a slash (/). library will
automatically check option 1 requests for duplicates in the
log file.
The libcntl information is sent with the request to the pro-
gram that receives the requests for the library networks.
Control information containing the letter ``a'' will cause
an acknowledgement to be mailed back to you that your
request has been received. Control information of the form
``mnumber''will determine the maximum number of items
retrieved by a search request. For example, a control line
of the form
libcntl: am100
will cause requests to be acknowledged and a maximum of 100
retrieved search items to be mailed back to you.
The reader control information is intended to let you per-
sonalize the way library option 7 works for you. Each let-
ter after the colon indicates a different option turned on
or off. Presently available are the following:
b causes library -7 to leave a blank line between
records when more than one is displayed on the
screen.
c causes library to confirm that you want the
entered requests transmitted. It does this at the
end of the session, before finishing.
LIBRARY(1) LIBRARY(1)
n is an interesting features causing no introductory
menu of available announcements to be displayed.
The reader then goes straight into the first
announcement to be read, and moves directly from
one announcement to the next, without displaying
the menu of those available at each stage.
The liblocal information is used to control the execution of
library. Presently the only meaningful control is x. This
causes library(1) to assume you are an expert and the
prompts are generally much shorter.
library also uses your .lib file to save various repetitious
responses for its own use. These will prevent you from hav-
ing to duplicate responses.
BUGS
library checks upon input whether the request is reasonable.
New styles of request numbers require program modification
before they are valid.
FILES
$HOME/.lib This optional file contains a PAN and name
for library to use.
/usr/lib/library/library.help
The help message displayed by library.
SEE ALSO
mail(1), post(1), mailx(1)