ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

News from the Field

Crismond resigns ALA post

As C&RL News went to press we learned that Linda Crismond had resigned as executive director of the American Library Association effective May 12, 1992. Rea- sons for the resignation were not known at deadline.

ALA President Patricia Glass Schuman and Presi- dent-elect Marilyn Miller flew to Chicago to address the ALA staff on May 14 and announced that an interim executive director will be appointed as soon as possible, preferably before Annual Conference in June. Schuman said the in- terim executive director will serve a maximum of 18-24 months and that the Board will for- mulate and conduct a search for an executive director at that time.

Linda Crismond

In response to staff questions about the in- terim director, Schuman and Miller indicated that the Board is looking for a senior librarian who is a respected, credible member of the profession, close to retirement, and who would not be interested in the permanent position. Neither members of the ALA staff nor the ALA Executive Board are being considered for the interim position.

Crismond, the first woman to serve as ALA executive director, was appointed on September 5, 1989. Schuman said the Board is grateful for Crismond’s service and wishes her success in future endeavors.

LC opens high-tech lab

The Library of Congress opened a new multi- million-dollar demonstration center for multi- media information and educational technologies. The National Demonstration Center for Interactive Information Technologies (NDL) is expected to make LC’s collections more widely available and accessible. The NDL, which is supported by private funding, will enable the public to experience and evaluate the latest educational and information systems which combine the attractions of video images with the power of comput- ers. The center includes a “virtual reality” station which transports the user into an interactive video en- vironment, a talking audio- visual mannequin, and a voice-activated “video pa- tient” which teaches diag- nostic techniques to medi- cal students.

Electronic imaging lab opens at LSU

Louisiana State University’s (LSU) Hill Memo- rial Library opened an electronic imaging labo- ratory on May 1. The lab includes computers that optically scan printed materials, maps, and photographs into databases with indexes and keyword searching capabilities. The databases will be transferred to CD-ROMs for use by li- brary patrons and will be shared with other libraries in Louisiana.

A pilot project will produce an electronic copy of Historical Collections of Louisiana, Em- bracing Translation of Many Rare and Valu- able Documents Relating to the Natural, Civil and Political History of that State. The CD-ROM edition (which will be edited and include pho- tographs) will be searchable by key word providing broader access to the unindexed five- volume set. A facsimile of each page will also be included for researchers who wish to compare the original to the newly edited text. The conversion of texts to CD-ROM should reduce the wear and tear on rare books and manuscripts. Proposals for using the lab are invited. Contact Faye Phillips, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSU, (504) 388-6551.

A large-screen monitor allows the user to view a page of original text with the scanned, edited copy, side by side. Shown here is a page from the journal of Louisiana explorer Henri Joutel from Historical Collections of Louisiana.

Successful fundraising by parents …

The Parents Fund Phonothon at Rutgers raised $151,411 to support the libraries. The money, the largest amount ever raised by the Phonothon, will be used to support the book acquisitions fund.

… and staff

The staff at Pasadena (California) City College (PCC) donated $310,000 toward the new campus library currently under construction. “Two separate staff campaigns have been conducted,” said Dr. Grover Goyne, dean of Institutional Advancement at PCC. “In the first campaign 42 staff members pledged $5,000 each.” The second campaign included a challenge grant from the Berger Foundation in which they would match funds if $100,000 were raised; 100 staff members pledged $1,000 each. Between staff contributions and foundation and corporate gifts, over $1.5 million has been raised for the new library.

75,000 callers say YES

“There’s no greater thing than libraries. I couldn’t live without them. I go there all the time and I am never disappointed,” was a sentiment given by one of the over 75,000 callers who registered their support for libraries in the “Call for America’s Libraries” campaign sponsored by ALA and the Friends of Libraries USA.

Names and addresses of supporters were collected and will be presented to Congress and made available to local libraries to use as a show of public support for library funding. “Many callers expressed their outrage at library funding cuts as well as their heartfelt support— and they want to do more,” said ALA President Patricia Glass Schuman. Funding for the toll- free number ran out on April 11 but Schuman announced a petition drive to keep the momentum going.

Millionth-volume celebrations

Both the University of Delaware (UD) and the University of Washington Libraries (UW) are celebrating collection milestones. UW joined with the UW Press to celebrate the acquisition of the Libraries’ 5-millionth volume. Professor W. T. Edmondson’s The Uses of Ecology, Lake Washington and Beyond, a UW Press publication, was chosen as the 5 millionth volume in recognition of its critical importance and because it represents the quality of the working collection of the UW Libraries.

UD celebrated its two-millionth volume with the acquisition of a Shakespeare Second Folio. UDs 1,999,999th volume was a scholarly analysis of Shakespeare published by the UD Press and its 2,000,001st volume was the user’s guide to the CD-ROM edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. The three items were selected to show the interdependence of traditional and electronic formats and the relationship between creativity, original sources, scholarship, technology, and access to information.

Wise one comes to U of Arizona

The University of Arizona officially named its new online Campus Information System “Sabio” from the Spanish word for wise one or sage. The entry, selected from over 400 contest entries, was chosen to reflect the function of the Campus Information System in transmitting information and knowledge as well as to reflect the Southwestern community and environment.

NEH reference awards available

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Reference Materials Program is offering support to projects preparing reference works that will improve access to information and resources. Support is available for the creation of dictionaries, atlases, encyclopedias, concordances, reference grammars, databases, text bases, and scholarly guides such as bibliographies, indexes, catalogs, union lists, and other guides to materials in the humanities. The application deadline is September 1, 1992, for projects beginning after July 1, 1993. Contact: Reference Materials, Room 318, NEH, Washington, DC 20506.

New womens studies book published

ACRL has just published Women’s Studies Collection Development Policies. This unique tool identifies issues and provides models of existing policies. Complete policy statements from 16 university libraries illustrate the range of issues and provide a variety of models. The RLG Conspectus: Women’s Studies supplemental guideline, included as an appendix, identifies issues unique to women’s studies and describes materials and sources. This publication was prepared by the Collection Development and Bibliography Committee, Women’s Studies Section, ACRL.

Women’s Studies Collection Development Policiesis available for $29-95 for ACRL members and $35-95 for nonmembers. To order please contact: Order Department, ALA Publishing Services, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; 1-(800) 545-2433; fax: (312) 944-2641. For additional information contact Mary C. Taylor, (312) 280-2515.

Win a "knowledgeable" mousepad for your computer

Stop by ACRL’s membership booth in San Francisco and enter a drawing to win a mousepad—featuring a quotation from Samuel Johnson and a tree-of-knowledge graphic— for your computer. Royal blue with white print, the pads sell for $10. To order call ALA Graphics at l-(800) 535-2433, press 8, or ext. 5046, 5048, 5049; or call: (312) 944-6780; or fax: (312) 440-9374. ■

The new ACRL mousepad available from ALA.