In this issue:

The Director's Report

The Scholarly Communication Crisis and UConn's Biomed Central Institutional Membership.

Household Products Database

Adding Content to your PDA.

Pubmed Update

New Look for the Library Homepage.

Web Watcher

Color Printing Now Available

E-Books: 3 New Significant Additions.

New Books in the Library.

Let us do it for you! Library services for users on the go.

Looking for material we don't own? Find it in Worldcat!

Stat-Ref!:New Features and New Look.

Update Archives

Adding Content to Your PDA by Evelyn Morgen, MLS Associate Director

PDAs can be so much more than calendars and contact lists. You can download drug databases, medical databases, medical calculators, and more. But how do you know what content you can add to your PDA – and how do you do it? You need to know four things: What operating system does your PDA use? How much memory is available on your PDA? How much memory does the resource you want need? Will you have to pay for this resource? Although there is no one answer to these questions, here are steps to take in figuring it out.

1. Log on to UConn Health Center’s Library PDA Page: http://library.uchc.edu/pda/

2. Check the list of resources available. Note whether it uses a Palm or a PocketPC operating system (OS) to see whether it’s compatible with your PDA. For example, a Tungsten uses a Palm OS, and an iPaq uses a Pocket PC OS. Look for the icons on the PDA page that tell you whether the resource is available for one or both.

3. Check your PDA to see how much memory you have available. If you don’t know how to do that, check the instruction manual that came with your PDA or the website for your PDA. You can purchase additional memory in the form of SD cards or other memory cards for many PDAs. The website for your particular PDA usually tells you how you can add memory.

4. Next you can click on the resource you want to download. Scroll around on the website for that resource looking for “system requirements.” That will tell you how much memory you need to download it. The resource’s web page will also tell you whether the item is free or how much it costs.

5. Once you’ve figured out that you have enough memory on your PDA, you can begin the download process. You will need to have your PDA's cradle connected to a computer. Part of the program is downloaded to your computer, and then it is installed on your PDA. You can follow the download instructions on the resource website.

You are also invited to come to our PDA user’s group that will start on Sep 17th, or attend my PDA class on Sep 23rd. See the Library’s PDA page for details. You can have the world at your fingertips – enjoy!