Sonny Software

I'm trying out Bookends as a replacement for Endnote: I'm tired of paying big prices for its annual updates. I like it, but am finding importing references from online databases harder.

I'm in the UK, and use COPAC for locating most book references. Endnote (where the connection is called 'U of Manchester') isn't perfect at this, but gets the reference type, author, year and date right, and often the publisher. The Bookends import filter is much worse: most references don't get the author or year. I know I could spend a lot of time refining the filter myself, but if I have to spend time doing this, it would encourage me back to Endnote. Am I missing something? Or has anyone else already improved the way this filter works? The British Library would be another option, but that doesn't perform any better.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Yours,

David Clough.

COPAC, like many UK libraries, is sui generis (perhaps idiopathic is a better word), and so some of the standard import features don't work as well for them as for others. Please contact me directly with examples of searches where the results of an import could be improved. I'm sure that we can make the filter better (not necessarily perfect).

Jon
Sonny Software

davidlclough wrote:I'm trying out Bookends as a replacement for Endnote: I'm tired of paying big prices for its annual updates. I like it, but am finding importing references from online databases harder.

I'm in the UK, and use COPAC for locating most book references. Endnote (where the connection is called 'U of Manchester') isn't perfect at this, but gets the reference type, author, year and date right, and often the publisher. ...................... Or has anyone else already improved the way this filter works? The British Library would be another option, but that doesn't perform any better.

David Clough.

One of the problems with COPAC is that it is a front end for a consortium of University libraries,one of which is Manchester - I believe Birmingham and Nottingham are also part of it. If Manchester is the main one you use you might be better constructing a filter for that alone, although given my experience with Nottingham I wouldn't hold my breath for getting much cooperation from them.

cheers,

Tacitus