ACRL College & Researc Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Library Cooperative Developments

The following appeared in theAcquainter 1, no. 2 (Feb. 1974).

ACM PERIODICAL BANK

Since its inception in 1968 the Periodical Bank of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest has increased the number of libraries served from those of the ten member colleges to a nation-wide user group of 44. The 34 associate members now include library systems and community libraries. Several have received services on a trial membership basis before making a membership commitment.

The number of periodicals to which members have access has increased even more spectacularly than the membership—from the 2,000 titles in the bank’s own files to the more than 50,000 in the periodical collections of six major Chicago libraries (John Crerar, Newberry, University of Chicago, University of Illinois- Chicago Circle, and Central Serials Service of the North Suburban Library System). A daily courier from the Newberry headquarters ensures the bank’s emphasis on speed of service.

All photocopies are sent by first class mail. Articles available in the bank’s own collection are mailed within 24 hours after a request by teletype, mail, or telephone (the bank has recently installed a 24-hour message recorder); those obtained by courier may take slightly longer. Of the 20,750 requests received in 1972-73, 90 percent were filled. For further information, contact Irma M. Lucht, Director, ACM Periodical Bank, 60 West Walton, Chicago, Illinois 60610.

PRLC GRANT FOR PERIODICALS STUDY

The Hillman Foundation has granted the Pittsburgh Regional Library Center $15,000 for its Pilot Project to Maximize Periodical Budgets. Member libraries will develop a method for sharing expensive periodicals and coordinating complete runs. Eventually, PRLC members hope to maximize periodicals budgets. Virginia Sternberg, PRLC executive director, will conduct the project.

VERMONT STATE COLLEGES CONSORTIUM

In order to make the best use of limited funds, the Vermont State Colleges Consortium of Libraries and Media Departments has been formed to implement standardization, to obtain the lowest possible duplication, and to achieve the maximum level of sharing of all non-print media and related materials and equipment. A federal grant has been received and Paulena Hollenbach has been employed as media coordinator. Member institutions are Castleton, Johnson, Lyndon, and Vermont Technical. The first objective is a computer- produced instructional resources catalog for non-print materials. Inquiries should be sent to Hollenbach at Vermont State Colleges, 322 Prospect Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401.

SERIALS COOPERATION IN THE CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA CONSORTIUM

Librarians from the four CPC member institutions and faculty from five departments (chemistry, philosophy, physics, religion, and psychology) have established procedures to make the best use of existing journal resources. They have determined which journals to keep on a given campus, which to keep within the consortium, and which to discontinue. Arrangements have been made for the sharing of journal information under certain circumstances. Monetary “savings” have been realized through better utilization of funds and access to greater resources. Member institutions are Dickinson College, Franklin and Marshall College, Gettysburg College, and Wilson College.

ASSOCIATION OF COOPERATIVE LIBRARY ORGANIZATIONS

The semi-annual meeting of the association was held on January 24 in Chicago. E. J. Josey, chief of the Bureau of Academic and Research Libraries, New York State Education Department, was selected vice-chairperson/chairperson-elect and Virgil F. Massman, director of the James J. Hill Reference Library, St. Paul, Minnesota, was chosen as 1974 secretary/treasurer. After a business meeting, Roderick Swartz, deputy director of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, provided an update on the recent commission proposal for a national program of library and information service. The next meeting of the association will be held during the July American Library Association Conference in New York City. A profile of the association appears in the November-December issue of Information 1: News • Sources • Profiles. Membership inquiries should be sent to Massman at the Hill Reference Library, 4th and Market Streets, St. Paul, Minnesota 55012.

IN BRIEF

… The Library Council of the Consortium of Universities of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. observed ten years of library cooperation on January 9…. FEDNET members are in the process of installing Ohio College Library Center terminals. The experiment will test both the Tymshare Network and conditioned line communication of OCLC…. The New York State Library has initiated plans for a statewide union list of New York State newspapers…. The Rochester Regional Research Library Council’s Media Center has an operational Regional Film Collection. Brief information is included in the January 2 RRRLC Newsletter…. The Kansas City Regional Council for Higher Education’s Joint Periodicals Bank has increased its current subscriptions to more than 900 titles indexed in the five indexes most widely held by the 18 member libraries.