United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Administration And
Resources Management
(PM-211B)
EPA220B-92-017
March 1992
vEPA
Public Access Online
Library System (OLS)
User's Guide
Printed on Recycled Paper
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Public Access
Online Library System (OLS)
User Guide
March 1992
National Library Network Program
Information Access Branch
Information Management and Services Division
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
> Printed on Recycled Paper
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For Further Assistance...
If you would like more information about the EPA Library Network
please contact your nearest EPA Library or contact Jonda Byrd,
National Library Program Manager at 513/569-7183.
Please call the Public Information Center at 202/260-2080 if
you wish to obtain OLS documentation.
If you have questions concerning how to search the OLS, please
contact your nearest EPA Library. For other technical questions
contact John Knight at 919/541-2794.
For assistance in establishing or maintaining a dial-up connection
or resolving other communications problems, please call 919-541-
4506 (FTS 629-4506).
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CONTENTS
About the Documentation ii
1.0 Information for First-Time Users 1
2.0 Starting Up the OLS 3
3.0 The Database Selection Menu 3
3.1 Requesting Help 3
3.2 Selecting a Database 3
4.0 Set Session Parameters 4
5.0 The Patron Menu 6
5.1 "Search by" Options 8
5.1-1 Search by Title 10
5.1-2 Search by Personal Author 10
5.1-3 Search by Corporate Source 11
5.1-4 Search by Keywords 13
5.1-5 Search by Call Number 13
5.1-6 Search by Year of Publication 14
5.1-7 Search by Report Number 16
5.2 Other Options 17
5.2-1 Help 17
5.2-2 Display/Combine 18
5.2-3 Clear Current Searches 25
5.2-4 Set Session Parameters 28
5.2-5 Quit this Database 28
6.0 Printing from OLS 29
Appendix Stopwords Used in Indexing Databases 30
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About The Documentation
The User's Guide is designed for all OLS users and contains an explanation of how to access
the OLS, a description of the options on the Patron Menu, and a discussion of searching by
various elements in the database.
The following documentation conventions pertain to system use:
1) After entering menu options or system commands, press the < RETURN > key (if you
are operating a VT100 terminal or a personal computer with VT100 emulation) or the
< ENTER > key (if you are operating an IBM 3270 terminal or a personal computer with
a 3270 emulation card, such as IRMA).
2) User input is shown in underlined upper-case type on pictures representing menus:
ENTER SELECTION —> Tl
Search for titles containing: WATER
and in upper-case type surrounded by double quotes (e.g., Enter "Q" to quit the OLS)
within the text of the document. Note: you should omit the double quotes when you
actually use the OLS. Also, you may enter information in any combination of upper and
lower case. The OLS ignores case (is "case-insensitive") on searches.
3) A single asterisk (*) is a "wildcard" character used to specify a group of data or items
that fit a certain pattern. Requesting data with the keyword HAZ* will retrieve
HAZARD, HAZARDOUS, HAZE, HAZEL, HAZY, etc. (i.e., "HAZ" followed by any other
characters).
4) Three asterisks (***) indicate that users who are operating IBM 3270 terminals or
using 3270 terminal emulation packages must press < ENTER > to view subsequent
screens. This situation only occurs on 3270 terminals, and for this reason, the screens
in this document are shown as complete screens rather than as a series of screens each
ending with three asterisks.
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1.0 Information for First-Time Users
What is the Online Library System?
The Online Library System (OLS) is a computerized list of bibliographic citations compiled by
the EPA library network. It consists of several related databases, and anyone may use this
system to search for books, documents, journals, and other materials.
The EPA Library Network has long needed instantaneous electronic access to the cumulative
Library catalog and to EPA report abstracts. Since the 1980's, EPA has been developing and
modifying TECHLIB software to meet the needs of the Library Network. This modified system
(menus, reports, and data) is known as the Online Library System (OLS). The Online Library
System is installed on the EPA National Computer Center (NCC) IBM ES9000 in Research
Triangle Park, N.C.
Who can use the OLS?
Anyone who has access to a terminal or a PC with a modem, can use the OLS.
EPA provides this menu-driven, user-friendly system at no cost to support public access to
environmental information. The only charges that will be incurred through use of the system
are telecommunications charges.
What databases are included in the OLS and what do they contain?
NCAT contains EPA report bibliographic data and abstracts from NTIS and
National Catalog and holdings information from OCLC. NTIS and OCLC
are professional cataloging services. NCAT is the most commonly used
database in the OLS. Approx. 150,000 entries.
HAZW contains references to key materials on hazardous waste in the EPA
Library Network. Approx. 5OOP entries
resource for obtaining information concerning lake management,
protection, and restoration. Approx. 2800 entries
LAKE
EHAL contains the holdings of the Region I library in Boston. Approx. 6100
entries
CHEM contains citations to microfiche copies of articles in the OTS Chemical
Collections System. Approx. 140,000 entries
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Why use the OLS?
CONVENIENCE: find out what materials are available
TIMELINESS: the information in the OLS is updated every two weeks
FLEXIBILITY: capture reports or search sets to disk files, which can be
downloaded to your PC
POWER: search by author, title, or subject; you can also search for part of a field
How can I get help or more information?
Online help is available for each menu option by typing "H", followed by a space, followed by
the menu option for which you want help.
How do I get started using the OLS?
Dialing into the system is easy. Use the following transmission and format settings on your
computer terminal and modem:
300 - 9600 baud rate {depending on your equipment)
Even Parity
7 Data Bits per character
One Stop Bit
Duplex Half
The telephone number for dial-in access to OLS is: (919) 549-0720.
Accessing OLS Through Internet
The system is also accessible through Internet, a network composed primarily of universities
and research institutions. To access the system through Internet, use EPA's Internet address:
EPAIBM.RTPNC.EPA.GOV
At the first menu select "Public Access."
At the second menu select "OLS."
Now you are ready to proceed to Section 2, Starting Up the OLS.
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2.0 Starting Up the OLS
Once the connection has been established, you will see the Mainframe Menu.
At that Menu type "IBMPSI" and press < ENTER>. At the next menu, the Public Access
Menu, select "F" for OLS and press < ENTER >. The Database Selection Menu will appear.
3.0 The Database Selection Menu
The Database Selection Menu allows you to select a database for searching. The Database
Selection Menu looks like this:
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM «DATABASE SELECTION MENU» US: DB:
DATABASES:
N NATIONAL CATALOG CH CHEMICAL COLL. SYSTEM
H HAZARDOUS WASTE 1 REGION 1
L CLEAN LAKES
OTHER OPTIONS:
? HELP
Q QUIT
ENTER SELECTION -->
3.1 Requesting Help
If you select "?" to request help on this screen, you will be shown information about the
meaning of each option listed on the Database Selection Menu.
3.2 Selecting a Database
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM «t)AT ABASE SELECTION M6NK» US: DB:
DATABASES:
It NATIONAL CATALOG CH CHEMICAL COLL. SYSTEM
« HAZARDOUS WASTE 1 REGION I
L CLEAN LAKES
OTHER OPTIONS:
? HELP
a N
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After correctly specifying a database you will be shown a welcome message, the date on
which this database was last updated, and the total number of records in this database. The
total number of records in the database is NOT necessarily the total number of items in the
catalog. This is because the database may contain records (such as borrower or circulation
records) that do not represent catalog items.
You will be asked what type of terminal you are using.
The welcome message and terminal type prompt will look something like this:
WELCOME TO THE EPA ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM
The Last Update Was on 920306
The Total Number of Records is 151553
Are you using a full-screen terminal or full-screen
terminal emulation software (Y/N)? Press ENTER ff unsure.
If you are using (1) an IBM 3270, (2) a 3270-type terminal, or (3) a personal computer that
contains a 3270 emulation card (such as an "IRMA" or "PCOX" card), answer "Y" in response
to the terminal type question. Otherwise, answer "N". You may also press < ENTER >
instead of "N". You will now be shown the opening menu for the database you selected.
4.0 Set Session Parameters
One of the screens you will see before starting an OLS search is the "Set Session Parameters"
screen. This screen shows you the defaults that are pre-set for certain search and display
parameters and gives you the option of changing any or all of them. These parameters will
be used until the current session is ended or until you reset them by selecting the "SP" option
from the Patron Menu.
The Set Session Parameters screen looks like this:
* SET SESSION PARAMETERS *
PARAMETERS: CURRENT SETTING:
Search Local Library holdings only N
Local Library Code:
Include NTIS reports in search results Y
Include Abstract field in search results N
Do you want to change any of these settings (Y/N)?
If you enter "Y", you will be prompted to enter new settings for each of the parameters, one
at a time; otherwise, the default settings will be used and the Patron Menu will be displayed
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next. If you do not wish to change a setting, you can press < ENTER > to go on to the next
parameter.
PARAMETERS:
* SET SESSION PARAMETERS *
CURRENT SETTING:
Search Local Library holdings only
Local Library Code:
Include NTIS reports in search results
Include Abstract field in search results
Do you want to change any of these settings Search Local Library holdings only (Y/N)? Y
--> Include NTIS reports in search results (Y/N)? N
--> Include Abstract field in search results (Y/N)? N
If you entered "Y" for the Search Local Library holdings only parameter, you will then be
shown a screen with the Library Codes of all the EPA Libraries. Enter the Local Library Code
for the Library you wish to limit your searches to at the prompt.
ERA
EHB
EIA
EIC
EJA
EJB
EJC
EJD
EJE
EKA
EKB
EKC
EKD
EKE
EKF
Enter
BOSTON, MA
NARRAGANSETT, RI
NEW YORK, NY
EDISON, NJ
PHILADELPHIA, PA
HQ (MAIN LIB.)
HQ (LAW)
ANNAPOLIS, MD
HQ (OTS)
ATLANTA, GA
RTP, NC (ERC)
GULF BREEZE, FL
ATHENS, GA
RTP, NC (OAQPS)
RTP, NC (MET)
your local library code: EJB
EPA
ELA
ELB
ELC
ELD
EMA
EHB
ENA
EOA
EOB
ERA
ERB
ESA
ESB
LIBRARY CODES
CHICAGO, IL
CINCINNATI, OH
ANN ARBOR, MI
DULUTH, MN
DALLAS, TX
ADA, QIC
KANSAS CITY, KS
DENVER, CO (REG.)
DENVER, CO (NEIC)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
LAS VEGAS, «V
SEATTLE, VIA
CORVALLIS, OR
After you have entered your local library code, you will be returned to the Set Session
Parameters screen, and the new settings will be displayed, including the library code you
selected. If an incorrect code was entered, this parameter will be reset to N for no. If you
are satisfied with the settings, enter "N" at the prompt to proceed to the Patron Menu.
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* SET SESSION PARAMETERS *
PARAMETERS: CURRENT SETTING:
Search Local library holdings only Y
Local Library Code: EJB
Include NTIS reports in search results N
Include Abstract field in search results N
Bo you want to change any of these settings
All subsequent searches in your session will be combined with these parameters, although
only the search request you enter from the Patron Menu will be displayed on the right side of
the screen. For example, if your search request with the above parameters set is for
Tl = WATER, the OLS will actually search for Tl = WATER AWOL LB = EJB*. However, if you
choose the "D" for Display option from the Patron Menu, the document list will show all these
parameters as part of the search results.
5.0 The Patron Menu
The Patron Menu allows you to search for library materials by title, personal author, corporate
source, keywords (titles, subjects and abstracts simultaneously),call number, year of
publication, and report number. Select one of these options by entering the two-character
code that corresponds to the selected search category.
The Patron Menu also offers online help for all menu options, lets you display and combine
search results, lets you clear current searches from the right side of the screen, lets you set
or change some search and display parameters for your current session, and provides the
standard BQ" to quit option.
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The Patron Menu looks like this:
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM «PATRON MENU» US: PATRON DB: NCAT
SEARCH BY:
TI
AU
CS
KY
CL
YR
RN
Titles
Authors (personal)
Corporate Sources
Keywords {Titles +
Subjects + Abstracts)
Call Number
Year of Publication
Report Number
OTHER OPTIONS:
H Help
P Display/Combine
C Clear Current Searches
SP Set Session Parameters
Q Quit this Database
SEARCH RESULTS:
ENTER SELECTION -->
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Results from searches performed from the Patron Menu are displayed in a list on the right side
of the screen. An entry in this list consists of the search request (such as "Tl = WATER") and
the number of items found for that request. The OLS has room to display a maximum of
sixteen document sets.
If you have created more than sixteen document sets and wish to see the complete list of
your document sets, select the "D" option from the Patron Menu. If you wish to delete all
your existing document sets, the "C" option will do this and then clear the right side of your
screen. Clearing document sets does not affect the data in the database. AM of the "Search
by" options are discussed in Section 3.3. All of the "Other Options" are discussed in Section
3.4.
5.1 "Search by" Options
In the OLS, the menus are designed to prompt you for the various parts of the search request.
An example of this prompting is shown on the next page. Also in the next example, note that
the results from the first search appear on the right side of the subsequent display of the
Patron Menu.
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM «PATRON MENU» US: PATRON DS: NCAT
SEARCH BY: j SEARCH RESULTS
i
TI Title* *
AU Authors (personal)
CS corporate Sources
KY Keywords (titles +
Subjects * Abstracts)
CL Call Ntvtef
YR rear of Publication
RN Report Ntaber
OTHER OPTIOISi
II Help
D Dfsplay/CcMbine
C Clear Current Searches
SP Set Session Parameters
O Holt this Database
ENTER SELECTION -->Tt
Search for titles containing: WATER
As you become more familiar with the OLS, you may want to start using shortcuts such as
entering "Tl = WATER" at the "Enter Selection" prompt.
8
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There are a few things you must know about constructing searches. If you are searching an
alphabetic or alphanumeric field such as title, author, keyword, call number, etc., you may
search for a single word, a phrase,or a complete entry. If you search for any string which
contains blanks, you must enclose the entire string in double quotes:
Tl = "ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY"
AU = "JOHN SMITH"
KY = "HAZARDOUS WASTE"
CL = "TD803.N34 1988"
You may also use the wildcard character ("*") to truncate a word or phrase. The wildcard
character may appear at the beginning, middle, or end of the word or phrase. Wildcard
characters and double quotes may be combined:
Tl = "ENV*AGENCY" (find all agencies with Env* in name)
AU = "SMITH, J*" (find all Smiths with initial J)
KY = "*HAZARD" (find biohazard, eco-hazard, etc.)
CL="TD803*1988"
Whenever you specify a phrase to be searched, OLS actually searches for each word of the
phrase separately. Therefore, you cannot specify the order of the words within the phrase.
The capability to search for words in a particular relationship to each other is known as
"proximity searching." You cannot do proximity searching through the menus.
As an example of "order insensitivity," if you request Tl = "Env*Agency" from OLS will
retrieve "Agency for Environmental Protection" as well as "Environmental Protection Agency."
In the author search for "Smith, J*", OLS will retrieve "John Smith," "Joan Quintana Smith,"
"Smith Jones III," "J.B. Smith," "Smith, J.R.," and so on. That is, any author with the name
"Smith" and the initial "J" somewhere in his/her name will match the search criterion "Smith
J*".
Another concept commonly used in literature searching is "stopwords." A list of common
words has been defined so that these words, when they appear in a phrase, do not get
indexed. You would never want to search for all titles containing the word "the", for
example. Also, when entering a search request, there is no need for you to have to specify
"The History of the World". Instead, since "of" and "the" are stopwords, you could simply
enter "History of the World", "History World", or even "World History" and still receive the
title "The History of the World." Refer to the Appendix for a complete list of stopwords used
in indexing OLS databases.
One final thing to know about alphanumeric searches is that they are not "case-sensitive."
You may enter your request in any combination of upper- and lower-case letters. For
example, if the author field of a document in the database contains "Wendy Nelson," you may
enter your search request as "WENDY NELSON", "wendy nelson", or even "WeNdY nEISoN",
and still retrieve the same document.
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When you are searching numeric fields, you may search for a single value, a range of values,
or a set of values defined with a logical operator such as Greater Than (GT), Less Than (LT),
Greater than or Equal to (GE), Less than or Equal to (LE), or Equal to (EQ). The only numeric
field which can be searched from the Patron Menu is the year of publication. Some examples
of year searches appear in Section 3.3.6.
The sections which follow briefly describe each "Search by" option available from the Patron
Menu, and give an example or two of each search. These examples are cumulative, so you
will see the results from each search displayed on the screen of the following search.
5.1-1 Search by Title
The Tl option allows searching for materials by title. Enter a word, phrase or complete title,
with or without articles such as "a" and "the." The Tl search searches ALL title fields
simultaneously, including main title, alternate title, series title, etc. This is an alphanumeric
search, and all rules explained in Section 5.1 apply. Examples of title searching are shown
in Section 5.1.
5.1-2 Search by Personal Author
The AU option allows searching by personal author (if you want to search by corporate
author, use the CS option). The fortnat of the name is irrelevant as the OLS will search for
all parts of the name separately. If the author's complete name is not available, users may
search with the surname, first name, or initials.
The AU search searches ALL personal author fields simultaneously, including perosnal, series
author, author added entry, and series author added entry. Most OLS databases only use the
personal author field, but OCLC data in the NCAT database may contain these additional
author fields. See the Database Field Cross-Reference in Appendix A to determine which
fields are appropriate for which databases.
10
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This is an alphanumeric search, and all rules explained in Section 5.1 apply. The search AU-
CARR* would result in the following display:
ONLINE UBRARY SYSTEM «PATRQN M£NU» US: PATRON DB: NCAT
SEARCH BY:
TI
AU
CS
KY
CL
YR
RN
Titles
Authors (personal)
Corporate sources
Keywords (Titles +
Subjects + Abstracts)
Call Number
Year of Publication
Report Number
OTHER OPTIONS:
H ttelp
t> Display/Combine
C Clear Current Searches
SP Set Session Parameters
Q Quit this Database
SEARCH RESULTS:
TI=UATER-9727
TI=WATER-9727 ITEM(S)
AU=CARR*-147 ITEMCS)
ENTER SELECTION -->
5.1-3 Search by Corporate Source
The CS option allows searching by corporate source (if you want to search by personal
author, use the AU option). The format of the name is irrelevant as the OLS will search for
all parts of the name separately. If the complete source name is not available, users may
search with a portion of the name.
The CS search searches ALL corporate source fields simultaneously, including corporate
author, thesaurus-controlled corporate author, corporate series author, corporate author added
entry, and corporate series author added entry. See the Database Field Cross-Reference in
Appendix A to determine which fields are appropriate for which databases.
11
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This is an alphanumeric search, and all rules explained in Section 5.1 apply.
CS = "SOLID WASTE" would result in the following display:
The search
OKLIK6 LIBRARY SYSTEM «PATRQN ME(iU» US: PATRON DBi N
RESULTS!
n«UAT£R-9727 ITEM
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5.1-4 Search by Keywords
The KY option allows searching by keywords or phrases within all title fields, all subject fields,
and the abstract field. Enter a keyword or phrase in these categories, with or without articles
such as "a" and "the."
This is an alphanumeric search, and all rules explained in Section 5.1 apply. The search
KY = "ACID RAIN" would result in the following display:
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM «PATRON MENU» US: PATRON
SEARCH BY:
TI
AU
CS
KY
CL
YR
RN
Titles
Authors (personal)
Corporate Sources
Keywords
5.1-5 Search by Call Number
The CL option allows searching for publications described by a particular call number. In most
of the OLS databases, there is only one call number associated with a single master catalog
record. However, in the OCLC data within the NCAT database, each holding attached to a
particular master record may have a distinct call number. The format of the call number
depends on the way it was originally entered into the data and will vary between libraries.
Call numbers may or may not have the year at the end. Due to these inconsistencies, it is
always wise to end the call number you are searching for with the wildcard character.
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This is an alphanumeric search, and all rules explained in Section 5.1 apply. The search
CL = TD803.N34* would result in the following display:
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM «PATRON HENU» US: PATRON DB: NCAT
SEARCH BY:
OTHER
ENTER
TI
AU
CS
KY
CL
YR
RN
Titles
Authors (personal)
Corporate Sources
Keywords {Titles +
Subjects + Abstracts)
Call Number
Year of Publication
Report Hunter
OPTIONS:
H
0
C
SP
Q
Help
0 i spl ay/CoB*>i ne
Clear Current Searches
Set Session Parameters
Quit this Database
SEARCH RESULTS:
TI=WATER-9727 ITEH(S)
TI=HATER-9727 ITEMCS)
AU=CARR*-U7 ITEMS)
CS^'SOLID WASTE»-590
ITEH(S)
KY="AC1D RAIN"-316 ITEM(S)
CL=T0803.»l34*-4 ITEhKS)
SELECTION -->
5.1-6 Search by Year of Publication
The YR option allows searching by year of publication. You must enter a four-digit publication
year to search for items published during a particular year.
To search for items published within a specific time span, enter two publication years in the
format BBBBrEEEE where BBBB is the four-digit beginning publication year and EEEE is the
four-digit ending publication year. Do not leave any spaces on either side of the colon. Range
searches include both endpoints in the resulting document set.
Another way to search a range of years is to specify a single year and a logical operator, such
as GT (greater than), LT (less than), GE (greater than or equal to), LE (less than or equal to),
or EQ (equal to).
Although the OLS will accept wildcard-truncated entries in this search category, the resulting
search will be extremely slow.
14
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Here are some example searches and their meanings:
YR=1985
YR = 1974:1976
YR EQ 1985
YR LT 1980
YR GE 1987
(everything published in 1985)
(everything published in 1974, 1975, or 1976)
(everything published in 1985)
(everything published before 1980)
(everything published in 1987 or later)
This is a numeric search, and all rules explained in Section 5.1 apply. The search YR
GT 1988 would result in the following display:
DHL I HE LIBRARY SYSTEM «PATRON MENU» US: PATRON
SEARCH 8Y:
TI
AU
CS
KY
CL
YR
RN
Titles
Authors (personal)
Corporate Sources
Keywords
15
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The search YR = 1989 would result in the following display:
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM «PATRON MENU» OS: PATRON DB: HCA
SEARCH BY:
TI Titles
AU Authors (personal)
CS Corporate Sources
KY Keywords
T
SEARCH RESULTS:
Tta«ATER-9727 ITEMS*
TI=HATEft-972r ITEM{S)
AU=CARR*-147 JTEK(S>
CS=»SOLID WASTEtt-590 £T£tt(S)
KY=*ACID RAW-316 JTEM(S>
Ct*Tt>8(J3.N34*-4 ITEM«)
YR GT 1988 - 48 ITEtKS)
YR^1989-48 ITE*|(S>
5.1-7 Search by Report Number
The RN option allows searching for items by a particular Report Number. Enter the entire
report number, if known, or enter only the beginning letters of the report for all reports of a
certain agency. Spaces and punctuation marks, such as dashes and slashes, may be omitted
from the search request. Because of the nature of report numbers having many possible
combinations of letters and numbers, it is always advisable to use the wildcard "*" character
as the last character in the search request.
16
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This is an alphanumeric search, and all rules explained in Section 5.1 apply. The search
RN = EPA54Q* would result in the following display:
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM «PATRON MENU» US: PATRON OB: NCAT
SEARCH BY:
TI
AU
CS
KY
CL
YR
RN
Titles
Authors (personal)
Corporate Sources
Keywords {Titles +
Subjects + Abstracts)
Call Number
Year of Publication
Report Number
OTHER OPTIONS:
H Help
D Display/Combine
C Clear Current Searches
SP Set Session Parameters
Q Quit this Database
ENTER SELECTION -->
SEARCH RESULTS:
TI=WATER-9727 ITEMCS)
TI=«ATER-9727 ITEM{S)
AU=CARR*-147 ITEH(S)
CS=«SOL1D WASTE«-590 ITEM(S)
KY="ACH> RAIN"-316 ITEM(S)
CL=TD803.N34*-4 ITEM(S)
YR GT 1988 - 48 ITEMCS)
YR=1989-48 ITEM(S)
RN+EPA540*-867 ITEM(S)
5.2 Other Options
The Patron Menu contains several "OTHER OPTIONS": Help, Display/Print/Combine, Clear
Current Searches, Set Session Parameter, and Quit this Database.
5.2-1 Help
Entering "H" at the selection prompt causes general information about Help facility to display
at the terminal. This general help will tell you how to get on the other menu options.
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5.2-2 Display/Combine
Entering "D" at the selection prompt displays search results in ever-increasing detail. First,
the OLS lists all document sets created since your OLS session began or since the previous
Clear. Assuming that you had performed the following sample searches:
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEK «PATRON M£NU» US: PATRON OB: NCAT
SEARCH BY;
TI
AU
CS
KY
CL
YR
RN
Titles
Authors (personal)
Corporate Sources
Keywords (Titles +
Subjects + Abstracts)
Call Munfcer
Year of Publication
Report Number
OTHER OPTIONS:
H Help
D Display/Combine
C Clear Current Searches
SP Set Session Parameters
Q Quit this Database
ENTER SELECTION -->D
SEARCH RESULTS:
TI=UATER-9727 ITEM
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Upon selecting the "D" option, the following screen would appear:
ID/list
.ITEMS.
9727
9727
147
590
316
4
48
48
867
LINE REQUEST
V TI=WATER
21 TI=WATER
3/ AU=CARR* ( 23 TERMS COMBINED)
4/ CS=SOLID WASTE
5/ KY=AC1D RAIN
6/ CL=TD8Q3.N34* ( 5 TERMS COMBINED)
It YR GT 1988
8/ YR=1989
9/ RN=EPA540*
Specify the document set you wish to display by its LINE NUMBER.
To combine document sets, use the connectors AWOL, OR or AWQl NOT.
AWOL stands for And Without Links. See Basic User Guide for more.
Ex: 1 AWOL 2
You may also use parentheses to help clarify the combining logic,
Ex: <1 OR 4) AWOL NOT 2
To return to the PATRON MENU, press ENTER.
Enter line number(s) --•>
To view the titles of the documents in a particular document set, specify the line number of
that document set at the "Enter line number(s)" prompt.
19
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For example, if you enter "6" at the "Enter line number(s)" prompt, the four items in
document set number 6 will be shown to you:
ITEM MAIN TITIE «TOTAU4»
1 Proceedings.
2 Proceedings.
3 Proceedings.
4 Resource recovery thru incineration; papers.
Press ENTER for more, T for Top of list, V to Vie* item(s>,
D to re-Display sets, W for Patron Menu -->
This screen is referred to as the Item Display.
To combine document sets, specify the document sets by line numbers and combine them
with connectors such as AWOL, OR, or AWOL NOT. Think of "AWOL" as a synonym for
"AND" and apply the normal rules of Boolean logic when constructing your combined search.
Use parentheses as necessary to make precedence explicit. If an item is part of two different
document sets, the union of those two document sets will only include one copy of the item.
20
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As an example, if you want to create a document set containing items with the word
"WATER" in the title, which were written by an author whose name begins with the letters
"CARR", you would type 1 AWOL 3 (or 3 AWOL 1) at the "Enter line number(s)" prompt.
11/list
.ITEMS. LINE REQUEST
* 9727 1/ TIsWATER
* 9727 2/ T1=WATER
* 147 3/ AU=CARR* ( 23 TERMS COM3INED)
* 590 4/ CS=SOLID WASTE
* 16 5/ KY=ACID RAIN
* 4 6/ CL=TD803.N34* < 5 TERMS COMBINED)
* 48 7/ YR GT 1988
* 48 8/ YR=!989
* 867 9/ RN=EPA540*
* 4 10/ 7
Specify the document set you wish to display by its LINE NUMBER,
To combine document sets, use the connectors AWOL, OR or AWOL NOT.
AUOL stands for And WithOut Links. See Basic User Guide for more.
Ex: 1 AWOL 2
You may also use parentheses to help clarify the combining logic.
Ex: (1 OR 4) AWOL NOT 2
To return to the PATRON MENU, press ENTER.
Enter line number(s) --> 1 AWOL 3
Note that the connectors do not have to be in capital letters.
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The resulting Item Display looks like this:
ITEM MAIN TITLE «TOTAL:20»
1 Introduction to the physical basis of soil phenomena
2 Correlative estimates of streamflow in the Upper Colorado Ri
3 Historical review of the International water-resources progra
4 Marine and fresh-water plankton.
5 Guide to the reptiles, amphibians and fresh-water fishes of
6 Guide to the reptiles, amphibians and fresh-water fishes of
7 Currents and water masses of Lake Huron (1954 synoptic surve
8 Currents and water masses of Lake Michigan.
9 Marine and fresh-water plankton.
10 Records of wells and water quality for the Garber-Wellington
11 Biological assessment methods to predict the impact of open-
12 Digital model for simulation of ground-water hydrology in th
13 Rainwater as a chemical agent of geologic processes: a revi
14 Adsorption of biochemically resistant materials from solutio
15 Adsorption of biochemically resistant materials from solutio
Press ENTER for more, T for Top of list, V to View item(s),
D to re-Display sets, M for Patron Menu -->
As you can see, the titles of the first 15 items in your document set are shown on the first
page of the Item Display. The total number of items in the document set is displayed on the
top line of each page of the Item Display. If you wish to see subsequent pages of this list of
items, press < ENTER >.
ITEH MAIH TITIE «rOTALj20»
16 Index of surface-water stations in Texas, January 1983
17 Fate of pathogenic micro-organisms during waste Mater treatm
18 Index of surface-water stations in Texas: January 1984
19 Index of surface-water stations in Texas: January 1985
20 Surviving proposition 65: a basic guidebook to the Safe Dri
Press 6»m for *»r«, T for Top of Ust, V to view item(s),
0 to re-Display sets, M for Patron Menu ">
To return to the first page of the list, enter "T" to redisplay the Top page of the list.
22
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To return to the list of document sets, enter "D"; to return to the Patron Menu, enter "M".
To view items on your terminal screen, enter "V". A sample View request is shown below:
ITEM
16
17
18
19
20
MAIN TITLE
«TOTALs20»
Index of surface-water stations in Texas, January 1983
Fate of pathogenic micro-organisms during waste water treatm
Index of surface-water stations in Texas: January 1984
Index of surface-water stations in Texas: January 1985
Surviving proposition 65: a basic guidebook to the Safe Dri
Press ENTER for more, T for Top of list, V to View item(s),
D to re-Display sets, M for Patron Menu --> V
Enter item number or range of items --> 20. 2-3
The item(s) you specify do not have to be on the page you are looking at. You can request
multiple items and/or a range of items. Separate items or ranges by commas, and separate
the endpoints of a range with a dash ("-"). Use the word "ALL" to refer to all items in the
document set. Do not leave any blank spaces in the item specification.
23
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The output from the above View request is as follows:
Item 20
Accession Number
Personal Author
Corporate Author
Main Title
Publisher
Year Published
OCLC Number
Holdings
Item 2
Accession number
OCtC Number
Personal Author
Main Title
Publisher
Year Published
Date Added
Holdings
Press ENTER to continue-->
74887
Carrick, Roger lane
Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliott,
Surviving proposition 65: a basic guidebook to the
Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986
Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliott,
1987
00020959
ERAM !! TD365.S97 1987
1391
00085178
Carroon, Lamar E.
Correlative estimates of streamflow in the Upper
Colorado River Basin,
U.S. Govt. Print. Off.,
1970
890220
ELBH j! TC801.U2 no. 1875
EMBD !{ USGSWSP-1875
24
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Pressing < ENTER > at the preceding prompt will return you to the page of the Item Display
you were looking at when you selected the V option:
ITEM MAIN TITLE «TOTAL:20»
16 Index of surface-water stations in Texas, January 1983
17 Fate of pathogenic micro-organisms during waste water treatm
18 Index of surface-water stations in Texas: January 1984
19 Index of surface-water stations in Texas; January 1985
20 Surviving proposition 65: a basic guidebook to the Safe Dri
Press ENTER for more, T for Top of list, V to View item(s),
D to re-Display sets, M for Patron Menu -->
Pressing "D" will return you to the list of document sets. Pressing "M" will return you to the
Patron Menu. All the previous searches you did will still be available, and will still be printed
on the right side of the Patron Menu.
5.2-3 Clear Current Searches
Entering "C" at the selection prompt allows you to clear your list of document sets. The "C"
option clears ALL the document sets you have created, whether you created them through
the Patron Menu or at the BASIS command level. The right side of the Patron Menu will be
cleared as well.
Clearing your searches does NOT affect the actual documents in the database. Once you
have cleared your document sets, they are no longer available for displaying or combining.
You might want to clear your searches because you wish to begin an entirely new search
strategy and you find the presence of your previous document sets distracting. Also, if you
no longer need any of the existing document sets, you may wish to have the right side of the
Patron Menu available to display your new search results.
25
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Before the Clear:
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM «PATRON M£NU» US: PATRON OB: NCAT
SEARCH BY:
TI
AU
CS
KY
CL
YR
RN
Titles
Authors (personal)
Corporate Sources
Keywords CTitles +
Subjects + Abstracts)
Call Number
Year of Publication
Report Hunter
OTHER OPTIONS:
H Help
D Display/Combine
C Clear Current Searches
SP Set Session parameters
0 Quit this Database
ENTER SELECTION -->£
SEARCH RESULTS:
TI=WATER-9727 ITEMCS)
Tt=WATER*9727 ITEMCS)
AU=CARR*-147 ITEM(S)
CS="SOLID WASTE"-590 ITEM(S)
KY=«ACID RAIN"-316 ITEMCS)
CL=TD803.N34*-4 ITEM(S)
YR GT 1988 - 48 ITEMCS)
YR=1989-48 ITEH(S)
RN=EPA540* - 867 ITEMCS)
26
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After the Clear:
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM «PATRON M£NU» US: PATRON DB: NCAT
SEARCK 8Y:
TI
AU
CS
KY
CL
YR
RN
Titles
Authors (personal)
Corporate Sources
Keywords {Titles +
Subjects + Abstracts)
CaU Number
Year of Publication
Report Number
OTHER OPTIONS:
H Help
D Display/Combine
C Clear Current Searches
SP
0
Set Session parameters
Quit this Database
SEARCH RESULTS:
ENTER SELECTION -->C
27
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If you select the Display option, there are no longer any document sets, and this message will
be displayed:
1/list
.ITEMS. LIME REQUEST
None of the document sets have been defined
Specify the document set you wish to display by its LINE NUMBER.
To combine document sets, use the connectors AWOL, OR or AWOL HOT.
AWOL stands for And Without Links, See Basic User Guide for more.
Ex: 1 AWOL 2
You may also use parentheses to help clarify the combining logic.
Ex: (1 OR 4) AWOL NOT 2
To return to the PATRON MENU, press ENTER.
Enter line number(s) -->
Press < ENTER > to return to the Patron Menu.
5.2-4 Set Session Parameters
Entering "SP" at the selection prompt allows you to reset the parameters for your current
session. Parameters you select stay in effect until the current session is ended or until they
are reset using this option. When you select this option, the same screen will appear that
came up when you began your session. See Section 3.1 to review setting parameters.
5.2-5 Quit this Database
Entering "Q" at the selection prompt returns you from the Patron Menu to the Database
Selection Menu (described in Section 2.1). You should see the following messsage:
**** YOU ARE HOW UEAVIM6 THE KCAT DATABASE ****
GOODBYE
28
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Then you will be returned to the Database Selection Menu.
ONLINE LIBRARY SYSTEM «DATABASE SELECTION MENU» US: DB:
DATABASES:
N NATIONAL CATALOG CH CHEMICAL COLL. SYSTEM
H HAZARDOUS WASTE 1 REGION 1
L CLEAN LAKES
OTHER OPTIONS:
? HELP
Q QUIT
ENTER SELECTION --> Q
6.0 Printing from OLS
There is no printing from OLS, except that which can be done through the user's
telecommunications software (e.g. Crosstalk or SmartCom), or at the terminal. Consult the
appropriate manual for directions on downloading and printing using the software available
in your office.
29
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APPENDIX
Stopwords Used in Indexing Databases
A A, ABOUT, AFFECT, AFFECTED, N
AFFECTING, AFFECTS, AFTER, AGAIN,
AGAINST, ALL, ALMOST, ALSO,
ALTHOUGH, ALWAYS, AMONG, AN, O
AND, ANOTHER, ANY, APPARENT,
ARE, ARISE, AS, ASIDE, AT, AWAY
B BE, BECAME, BECAUSE, BECOME, P
BECOMES, BEEN, BEFORE, BEING,
BETWEEN, BOTH, BRIEF, BUT, BY
Q
R
C CAME, CAN, CANNOT, CERTAIN,
COULD
D DID, DO, DOES, DONE, DUE, DURING
E EACH, ED, EITHER, ELSE, ENOUGH,
ESPECIALLY, ETC., ETC, EVER, EVERY
F FOLLOWING, FOR, FOUND, FROM,
FURTHER
G GAVE, GETS, GIVE, GIVEN, GIVING,
GONE, GOT
H HAD, HARDLY, HAS, HAVE, HAVING,
HERE, HOW, HOWEVER
I IF, IMMEDIATE, IMMEDIATELY,
IMPORTANT, IMPORTANTLY, U
IMPORTANCE, IN, INTO, IS, IT, IT'S,
ITSELF
J JUST V
K KEEP, KEPT W
L LARGELY, LIKE
M MADE, MAINLY, MAKE, MANY, MAY,
MIGHT, MORE, MOST, MOSTLY, Y
MUCH, MUST
NEARLY, NEITHER, NEXT, NO, NOr<
NOR, NORMALLY, NOT, NOTED, NO
OBTAIN, OBTAINED, OF, OFTEN, O
ONLY, OR, OTHER, OUGHT, OU
OUT, OVERALL, OWING
PAST, PERHAPS, POOR, PRESEN
PREVIOUS, PRIMARILY, PROMPT
QUICK, QUITE
RATHER, READILY, REALLY, RECEN
REGARDING, RESPECTIVE^
RESULTED, RESULTING
SAID, SAME, SEEM, SEEN, SEVERA
SHALL, SHOULD, SHOW, SHOWEI
SHOWN, SHOWS, SIMILAF
SIMILARLY, SINCE, SLIGHTLY, S(
SOME, SOMEWHAT, SOON, STATI
STRONGLY, SUCH
THAN, THAT, THE, THEIR, THEI\
THEN, THERE, THEREFORE, THESI
THEY, THIS, THOSE, THOUGh
THROUGH, TO, TOO, TOWARC
TOWARDS
UNDER, UNLESS, UNTIL, UP,
USE, USED, USEFUL, USEFULNESS
USING, USUALLY
VARIOUS, VERY
WAS, WERE, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE
WHETHER, WHICH, WHILE, WHOSE
WHY, WIDELY, WILL, WITH, WITHIN
WITHOUT, WOULD
YET
30
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Public Access to EPA's
Online Library System (OLS)
Books - Reports - Journals
Air Quality Global Issues Health Effects
Hazardous Waste Laboratory Methods
Pollution Prevention Toxic Substances Water Pollution
The Online Library System (OLS) is a computerized list of bibliographic citations compiled by the
EPA library network. EPA provides this menu-driven, user-friendly system at no cost to support
public access to environmental information. The only charges that will be incurred through use of
the system are telecommunications charges.
• OLS DATABASES •
OLS consists of several related databases that can be used to locate books, reports, and
articles on a variety of topics. The material in OLS is updated every two weeks, and can be
searched by numerous access points, such as title, author, and keyword.
National Catalog
Hazardous Waste
Clean Lakes
EPA Region 1
Chemical Collection
System
Citations and summaries on environmentally related topics
encompassing biology, chemistry, ecology, and other basic
sciences; and EPA reports distributed through the National
Technical Information Service.
Citations and summaries for key materials on hazardous waste.
Citations and summaries on topics relating to lake management,
protection, and restoration.
Selected items owned by the Region 1 Library.
Citations for items relating to chemicals.
For information about the Online Library System, please contact the nearest EPA Library.
A list of the libraries is available on the system's HELP Screen.
Dialing Into The System...
Number For Dial-In Access: (919) 549-0720
Use these transmission & format settings:
300-9600 baud rate Half Duplex Even Parity
7 data bits per character One Stop Bit
To Log-In: Dial into the system. At the first system
prompt, type IBMPSI. At the second system prompt,
type OLS.
To Print: Printing is only available through your
telecommunications software.
To Log-Out: Type Q or QUIT at the system prompt.
Access through Internet...
We encourage universities and institutions
with Internet connections to access OLS using
Internet links to EPA.
EPA's Internet address is:
EPAIBM.RTPNC.EPA.GOV
At the first menu, select "Public Access."
At the second menu, select "OLS."
USER SUPPORT:
/ Call EPA's National Computer Center for technical system assistance (help with anything that
happens before you type "OLS" at the system prompt) at 1-800-334-2405.
y Contact the EPA Public Information Center for the OLS User Guide and other system
documentation at (202) 260-2080. t
Information Access Branch, Information Management and Services Division
April 1992
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Search Options
The OLS search options correspond to fields in
the various databases. To search for items with
information in a particular field, use the follow-
ing two-letter options:
AU Enter the author's whole name, or if the
author's complete name is not known, users
may search with the surname, first name, or
initials. Format is irrelevant; OLS searches all
parts of the name separately.
CL The format of the call number depends
on the way it was originally entered; call num-
bers very from one database to another within
OLS. It is always wise to end the call number
search with a wildcard character "*".
CS Enter a whole or partial name. OLS
searches all corporate source fields.
KY Enter a keyword or phrase which will be
searched in all title, subject and abstract fields
simultaneously. Use quotation marks if the
phrase includes spaces.
RN Enter the entire number, if known. Enter
only the beginning letters of the report if
searching for all reports from a specific agency.
Spaces and punctuation may be omitted. It is
wise to use a wildcard character "*" at the end
of the search statement.
TI Enter a word, phrase or complete title,
without articles such as "a" or "the". Use quota-
tion marks if the phrase includes spaces.
YR Enter a four-digit publication year. It is
possible to use a wildcard character "*", but the
resulting search will be extremely slow.
Searching Tips & Tricks
A Use the wildcard character ""to
truncate a word or phrase.
Ex. TNenv* prot* agency or KY=*Hazard
A Search numbers without leading zeros.
Ex. FINDOCLO514174
A Search strings containing blanks MUST be
enclosed in double quotation marks.
Ex. "johnmuir" or "QH104.M85 1988"
A You may search for year of publication in
the format YYYY for a specific year, or
YYYYiYYYY for a range of years.
Ex. YR= 1990; YR= 1989:1991
A When searching numeric fields such as the
year of publication, you can search for
a set of values defined by the following
logical operators: Greater Than (GT); Less
Than (LT); Greater Than or Equal to (GE);
Less Than or Equal to (LE); or Equal to (EQ).
A You may "stack" some commands:
Ex. #1: H TI H AU - will provide information
on Title searching and then on author
searching without returning to the Patron
Menu in between.
Ex. #2: Tl="silent spring" - will begin the
search with one step.
A When searching using call numbers, it is
wise to end the search with a wildcard
"*",because not all call numbers include
the date. Ex. CL-QH104*
A When searching report numbers, spaces
and punctuation marks may be omitted
from the search request. It is wise to use
the wildcard """as the last character in
the request. Ex. RN=epa540*
Frequently Used Commands
C or CLEAR
H or HELP
M
Q or QUIT
to clear the space used to
display up to 16 searches.
to display a list of sets or
items;also used to combine
sets.
to get more information
about a particular option
on one of the system menus.
to return to Patron Menu.
to exit the system.
SP to set session parameters; limit
search to local library holdings
or view abstracts with citations.
T to go to the top of the Main
Title List (search results).
V or VIEW to look at a record.
NOTE: Users must use the print and capture
capabilities of their communications software
(for example, CROSSTALK, Smartcom, Procom,
etc.) to print or download information from OLS.
Consult your software manual for assistance.
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EPA Libraries
EHA Region 1, Boston MA
EHB ENV RES LAB, Narragansett, Rl
EIA Region 2, New York, NY
EIC Region 2, Field Office, Edison, NJ
EJA Region 3, Philadelphia, PA
EJB Headquarters, Washington, DC
EJC Law Library, Washington, DC
EJD Central REG LAB, Annapolis, MD
EJE OTS Library, Washington, DC
EKA Region 4, Atlanta, GA
EKB Library Services, RTP, NC
EKC ENV RES LAB, Gulf Breeze, FL
EKD ENV RES LAB, Athens, GA
EKE OAQPS Library, RTP, NC
EKF AREAL Library, RTP, NC
ELA Region 5, Chicago, IL
ELB AWBERC Library, Cincinnati, OH
ELC MVEL, Ann Arbor, Ml
ELD ENV RES LAB, Duluth, MN
EMA Region 6, Dallas, TX
EMB ENV RES LAB, Ada, OK
ENA Region 7, Kansas City, KS
EOA Region 8, Denver, CO
EOB NEIC, Denver, CO
ERA Region 9, San Francisco, CA
ERB EMSL Library, Las Vegas, NV
ESA Region 10, Seattle, WA
ESB ENV RES LAB, Corvallis, OR
(617)565-3298
(401)782-3025
(212)264-2881
(908)321-6762
(215)597-0580
(202)260-6922
(202)260-5919
(301)266-9180
(202)260-3944
(404)347-4216
(919)541-2777
(904)932-5311
(404)546-3324
(919)541-5514
(919)541-4536
(312)353-2022
(513)569-7707
(313)668-4311
(218)720-5538
(214)655-6444
(405)743-2256
(913)551-7358
(303)293-1444
(303)236-5122
(415)744-1510
(702)798-2648
(206)553-1289
(503)757-4731
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