ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

News from the Field

Maureen Gleason

Reed Elsevier sells Bowker to Cambridge Scientific Abstracts

Information Today, Inc. (ITI) has entered into a joint agreement with Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA) to buy R. R. Bowker from Reed Elsevier. Cambridge is purchasing the major portion of Bowker, and ITI is acquiring the publishing rights to about ten reference books.

Cambridge is acquiring the entire Books in Print family of products; Ulrich’s Periodical Directory, Magazines for Libraries-, a number of abstracts and indexes, including British Humanities Index and Library and Information Science Abstracts-, a number of journals and newsletters, such as Business Information Review and Journal of Information Science, and miscellaneous other products.

In addition, Cambridge retains the contract for Bowker, LLC (newly formed) to have the exclusive right to operate the U.S. office of the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) agency.

Joint Conference on Digital Libraries calls for papers

The Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL) will be held July 14-18, 2002, in Portland, Oregon. It is sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery and its Special Interest Groups on Information Retrieval and on Hypertext, Hypermedia, and the Web; the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers; IEEE Computer Society; and the Technical Committee on Digital Libraries.

By digital libraries JCDL means new forms of information institutions; operational information systems with all manner of digital content; new means of selecting, collecting, organizing, and distributing digital content; and theoretical models of information media, including document genres and electronic publishing. Both full (approximately 5,000 words) and short (up to two pages) papers are sought, as are panel and poster proposals.

Additional information and details on requirements for submission may be found on the conference Web site at http://www. jcdl2002.org.

RLG-OCLC joint repository report released

The second RLG-OCLC report intended to advance long-term retention of digital research materials is now available for review and comment. “Attributes of a Trusted Digital Repository: Meeting the Needs of Research Resources” may be found at http://www.rlg.org/longterm/ attributes01.pdf.

Intended primarily for research institutions and specifically for libraries and archives, the report highlights some key strategic issues as it focuses on practical assistance to administrators and implementers of digital archiving services.

Comments to robin.dale@notes.rlg.org by October 12, 2001, are encouraged.

Swets Blackwell to acquire Martinus Nijhoff International

Swets Blackwell has acquired Martinus Nijhoff International, the Dutch subscription agent and book dealer.

All activities currently handled from Nijhoff s head office in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands, will continue until the April 2002 integration of their subscription data into Swets Blackwell’s system. Swets Blackwell services Dutch libraries and informa- tion centers from their office in Lisse, the Netherlands. Business currently ser- viced from Nijhoff s local offices in the United States, Brazil, Thailand, Bulgaria, and Russia will be gradually integrated into the Swets Blackwell system over the next eight months.

Waseda University Library adds records to WorldCat

Waseda University Library added 277,481 new records to WorldCat (the OCLC Online Union Catalog), the second in a two- phase OCLC batchload project to enrich the world’s largest bibliographic database with Japanese language records from one of the most prestigious research universities in Japan.

National Library of New Zealand chooses ENCompass

The National Library of New Zealand (NLNZ) is the first library outside the United States to select the ENCompass digital library navigation, organization, and linking tool. Implementation of ENCompass will begin immediately at NLNZ, the eighth library to select ENCompass, commercially released in March 2001.

Heritage Health Index launched

The Heritage Health Index, which will for the first time measure the condition of the nation’s collections, is being launched by Heritage Preservation, Inc. in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and with major funding from the Getty Grant Program.

The index will measure the condition of collections in the nation’s museums, libraries, archives, and historical societies every four years. It is endorsed by prominent conservation professionals and national organizations who will participate in its development and implementation.

The purpose of the index is to assist long-range planning, fundraising, and education in the field of preservation and conservation.

Pitt's School of Information Sciences wins affirmative action award

The 2001 Chancellor’s Affirmative Action Award honoring the “outstanding University of Pittsburgh program area or individual that has made a significant contribution in affirmative action” has been awarded to the Affirmative Action Committee of the School of Information Sciences (SIS).

SIS was cited for its recruitment efforts; the role of professor emeritus E. J. Josey as SIS Minority Council advisor; reinstatement of the Minority Resource Office; ongoing support of ALA’s Spectrum Scholars; and establishment of the SIS/University Library System minority fellows program. ■