1. Double-click on the Durham file.
or: Open connection to
melib.dur.ac.uk
2. At login: prompt, press Command-1. and again for password.
or: Enter
melib both as login: and password.
3. On request, press Return for "Extended vt100 character set".
4. Select your search module. General is for a combination of bibliography + regional information, and is said to be slow. Single field or Regional/Subject is preferable. Full details is if you already know the accession number.
5. On the search screen, move from field to field with Tab and enter what you are looking for. In all text fields (Name, Title etc.), you must end the entry with * (the wildcard character).
In subject and region fields you must enter a number code. A list is given below.
6. When you have entered your request, press the Clear key (Clear is the top left key on numbers keypad). This moves the cursor to the command line at the bottom. Write s (for Search) and return. The database will tell you to wait.
7. Eventually, a list of items will appear in the form on screen, with the cursor on the top line. Move down or up the list with the arrow keys (notice that it reacts very slowly). To see further titles, move the last title on the list, and press the down arrow key, the list will scroll up (slowly) one title at a time.
When you are on the line of the title of interest, press Clear again to move to the command line, write v (View) and return. This gives you further detail of the book. If there is not enough room to display all the data on one screen, the bottom line will say something like XSubj: 1 Keywd: 0 XTitle: 0. This means that there is extra subject, but not title information. To get at it, move to the Command line (by pressing Clear) and Press Command-3 (Additional fields) or Command-4 (Full title), or type Addnlfields or Fulltitle respectively (and return).
8. To make a new search, move to the Command line (by Clear) and press Command 8, or type End and return. To quit, Type Command-9, or type Quit and return; again both at the command line.
This database is not friendly; it may close down on you suddenly or crash if you do something wrong. However, the process above has worked for me a few times now.
Within categories 24, subgroups (ca. 100) are by text (e.g. Hydrology / Political Parties / Elections / Communications / Health etc.) I have a full list, but trying natural language may give a useful answer.
Knut S. Vikør, 9.2.95
Archived 26.4.95