ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

News from the Field

Mary Ellen Davis

Univ. of Va. explores future of rare books

The economics of electronic versions of rare books is the subject of a two-year study being undertaken by the Uni- versity of Virginia Library. Sponsored by a $400,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon foundation, the project will compare usage and costs between electronic texts and original printed editions of rare early Ameri- can fiction.

As part of the study, 582 first editions of important novels and short stories will be digi- tized and put on the World Wide Web. Called the Electronic Archive of Early American Fic- tion, the online collection will include books published between 1775 and 1850. The books chosen for the project range from the earliest American novels, such as Susanna Rowson’s Charlotte (1791) through James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans, Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter. All texts will be taken from rare first editions in the Barrett Collection and other collections in the Library’s Special Collections Department.

“This project is an exciting opportunity to investigate how rare materials can be distrib- uted widely through new computer technology,” said Karin Wittenborg, uni- versity librarian. She added that a major goal of the project is to see if rare research materials can be made available at a reason- able cost on the Web.

Two versions of each text will be made available on the Internet. According to David Seaman, coordinator of the Electronic Text Center in the Library, “We plan to have computer images of each page of each of the 582 volumes—125,000 pages altogether. More importantly, there will be searchable texts. Look up a word like ‘liberty’ and you will get a list of quotations showing how authors in the early Republic were using that word.” Seaman can be reached for further information at dms8f@ virginia.edu.

Spring football benefits LSU library

The spring football game for the Louisiana State Uni- versity (LSU) Tigers not only was the best attended spring game among the Southeastern Conference (SEC) universities, it was also a successful fundraiser for the LSU Libraries. The game in Tiger Stadium was free but sideline seats were sold with the proceeds—$34,000— going to the LSU Libraries. A pregame crawfish boil benefited scholarship funds. Jennifer Cargill, dean of LSU Libraries, said, “The game was a hoot. Next fall we are doing a fun run to start off the football season with 50% of the proceeds coming to the libraries. The rest of the money will be used to purchase comput- ers for the Academic Center for Athletes.”

Poster sessions sought for ACRL Nashville conference

Proposals for poster sessions are sought for ACRL’s 8th National Conference, “Choosing Our Futures,” April 11–14, 1997, in Nashville.

Poster sessions are informal presentations featuring successful solutions to problems and unique and innovative library-based projects with important lessons for the academic and research library commu- nity.

A screen image from the University of Virginia’s Electronic Archive of Early American Fiction.

Submit a 250-word abstract and a completed program application (available on the World Wide Web at http://ala. org.acrl.html or in the “Call for Participation” insert in the January 1996 C&RL News) by November 1, 1996, to: Janice Simmons-Welburn, Coordinator, Per- sonnel & Diversity Programs, Univer- sity of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, IA 52242-1420; e-mail: j-simmons- welburn@uiowa.edu.

Register for Nashville now and save!

The advance registration package for ACRL’s 8th National Conference in Nashville, April 11-14, 1997, has been mailed to all ACRL members as well as additional academic librarians. You should receive your copy this month. A copy of the brochure and registration form have also been mounted on the ACRL Conference homepage at http://www.ala org/acrl.html.

Southern Utah University’s new library features a two-story reading room that offers library users a 50-mile view of the valley.

Register by Janu- ary 8 and save nearly 30% off the onsite registration ι fee. Early-bird registration for ACRL members is $225; for ALA personal members, $275; for nonmembers, $350 and for students, $95.

Housing and airline reservations can also be made by calling ACRL’s official travel agent, Travel Technology, at (800) 355-8091 or (312) 527-7300. Don’t delay; regis- ter today and get your choice of hotels. To re- quest a brochure contact Darlena Davis at (800) 545-2433 ext. 2519 or e-mail: ddavis@ala.org.

Rader featured in info literacy telecast

Hannelore Rader, director of the Cleveland State University Library since 1987, will examine new models for developing information skills in the electronic age during the telecast of “Exploring Internet 7: Information Literacy: Restructuring Learning in an Electronic Environment.” The event will be telecast Thursday, November 7, from 1:00–3:00 p.m. (ET). To receive the telecast or purchase a video of it, phone or fax D & F Associates, Inc., at (317) 580-9393 or e-mail: dfassoc@tbcnet.com.

So. Utah Univ. dedicates new library

Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough gave the keynote address at the dedication of Southern Utah University’s new library last spring. The $10.4 million building has 80,500 square feet, 1,210 study stations, 44 bibliographic access stations, 10 group study rooms, an electronic classroom, and capacity for 260,000 books.

The building, designed by the architectural firm of Fowler, Ferguson, Kingston & Reuben, features a two-story, rotunda-like reading room that offers an unobstructed view of the valley. Diana Graff, dean of library services, said, “The grand reading room looks north over the valley and you can see for 50 miles.”

Also of interest is the garden-level Garden of Symbols, created by David Phillips of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and funded by the Utah 1% for Art Program. The

Garden depicts symbols as communi- cation through time. Water seeps from two sand- stone spires that are visible from the entry level.

Univ. of lowa opens Info Commons …

The University of Iowa’s Hardin Library for Health Sciences opened in late

August its Information Commons, a 5,000- square-foot multimedia teaching facility with an electronic classroom that seats 50 and in- cludes 25 workstations for students, faculty, and staff to use for class-related and independent projects.

The goals of the facility are to increase student literacy of electronic information, promote scholarly creativity through the use of new technologies and information resources for teaching and research, and to encourage the integration of innovative formation technologies in the curriculum.

The $1.5 million dollar Information Commons project is a cooperative project between University Libraries and the College of Medicine, with additional funding from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust.

. . . and puts its instruction program on the Web

The University of Iowa (UI) Libraries’ computer assisted instruction program, Library Explorer, is now available on the World Wide Web at http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/libexp/. Designed to engage UI students in independent, self-directed learning, Library Explorer on the Web helps people learn how to choose information sources, find appropriate tools, find books using the online catalog, and find periodicals using indexes. Library Explorer on the Web is hypertextual and can be perused like an electronic book; the program gives direct telnet access to the UI Libraries’ online catalog. For more information on using Library Explorer, contact Marsha Forys at (319) 335-5301 or at marshaforys@uiowa.edu.

Share your library’s news

C&RI Newswants to hear about your library’s activities. Information in the “News from the Field,” “Grants & Acquisitions," and “People in the News” columns is gathered from press releases and notices we receive. If you don’t share your ideas and activities with us we can’t share them with C&RL News readers. Be sure to put C&RL News on your mailing list today. Send notices to the Editor, C&RL News, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 606ll; or e-mail: medavis@ala.org.

ACRL’s Instruction Section wants your comments on strategic plan

ACRL’s Instruction Section (IS) is developing a new strategic plan that will provide direction for the section’s activities over the next several years. Like the recently adopted ACRL Strategic Plan on which it is modeled, the IS plan will be a dynamic document that will meet the changing needs of library instruction. At meetings held in New York City during the ALA Annual Conference last June, the section's executive committee and advisory council reviewed and approved a draft for general circulation among ACRL members.

The draft is available at http://www2. colgate.edu/instruction/. Please take time to review it and let the IS Advisory Council know what you think. There is still time to share your ideas on what you feel should be included in the new IS strategic plan and what direction IS should be taking over the next five years.

Send your suggestions (by e-mail if possible) to Karen Williams, Social Sciences Team, University of Arizona Library, Tucson, AZ 85721- 0055; e-mail: kwilliam@bird.library.arizona.edu; phone: (520) 621-4865; fax: (520) 621-9733.

OCLC introduces Bib Notification service

OCLC has introduced Bib Notification, a service that automatically delivers upgraded, full- level OCLC-MARC records to libraries that have previously attached their symbol to less-than- full bibliographic records. Bib Notification is available for all types of libraries.

“The University of Maryland at College Park Libraries is excited to be among the first to use OCLC’s Bib Notification service,” said John

Cal Poly drew attention to its disposal of the card catalog through a “Guess the Number of Cards” contest and fundraising events.

Schalow, head, Cataloging Department, UMCPL. “We are seeking ways to use our limited staff resources most efficiently while striv- ing to get the books to the shelves faster and a bib- liographic record into our local system sooner. By us- ing Bib Notification, we can accept less-than-full cataloging records with the understanding that these records will be automati- cally upgraded.”

OCLC will scan the On- line Union Catalog nightly to locate records that have been upgraded from minimal to full level through the Enhance or CONSER programs, tape updates from the Library of Congress or other national libraries, or the merging of records. Minimal-level records that have been updated to full level will be moved to the Bib Notifica- tion candidate file. OCLC will examine the can- didate records to determine which Bib Notifi- cation users currently hold a copy of these records and will deliver to each user a file of upgraded MARC records.

Bib Notification will be offered free of charge to libraries through the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 1997.

Editor sought for College Libraries newsletter

Applications and nominations are invited for the position of editor of the CLS Newsletter. A publication of the College Libraries Section (CLS), the newsletter is issued, printed, and distributed twice yearly by ACRL.

Responsibilities:The editor solicits, edits, and writes news announcements and longer articles of interest to the members of the section. The incoming editor will assume full responsibility for the Newsletter after the 1997 ALA Annual Conference. The appointment is for a two-year term with the possibility of one two-year renewal.

Requirements:ACRL/CLS membership is required. The successful applicant will have previous editing experience, access to and knowledge of appropriate word processing or desktop publishing software, and must attend the ALA Annual Conferences and Midwinter Meetings. He or she will serve as an ex officio member of the CLS Communications Committee and attend its meetings.

How to apply:The deadline for receipt of applications is December 16, 1996. Nominations, letters of application relating experience to the duties of the position, and resumes should be sent to: Larry R. Oberg, CLS Chair-elect, Mark O. Hatfield Library, Willamette University, 900 State St., Salem, OR 97301; (503) 370- 6561; fax: (503) 370-6141; e-mail: loberg@ willamette.edu.

Applications will be reviewed by the CLS Communications Committee at the Midwinter Meeting in February 1997, and the successful candidate will be announced thereafter.

Cal Poly retires card catalog with contest

The Kennedy Library at California Polytechnic State University celebrated the end of an era as it disposed of its card catalogs last spring. Although the library automated its catalog and stopped filing cards in the drawers in 1989, the card catalogs were kept as a backup.

To highlight the change to total dependence on its online system, PolyCat, the library filled an exhibit case with catalog cards and offered a $100 gift certificate from the university’s bookstore to the one submitting the closest estimate. The winning guess was 28,813 cards—only 400 more than the actual 28,413 cards displayed.

Other events included a card catalog building contest, a silent auction of the catalog cabinets, and construction of a permanent wall of recognition on which the names of donors will be displayed on the front of catalog drawers. ■