ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Touring the libraries of Pittsburgh

Marcia Duncan Lowry is reference librarian at Robert Morris College, Pittsburgh; e-mail: lowry@Srmcnet.robert-morris.edu

When ACRL’s 7th National Conference rolls into Pittsburgh in March 1995, attendees should feel right at home. Pittsburgh is the site of 31 colleges and universities, attended by more than 100,000 students. Therefore, there are many fine libraries in the area for visitors to explore independently or as part of several planned tours. The local arrangements com- mittee has scheduled visits that will not inter- fere with any conference programs. Here’s a snapshot of what’s on the agenda.

The University of Pittsburgh

Established in 1787, the University of Pittsburgh is a state-related public research institution situ- ated three miles from downtown in Oakland, the city’s medical and cultural center. The Ca- thedral of Learning, a 42-story Gothic sky- scraper, marks the center of campus and houses administrative offices and classrooms.

The Darlington Memorial Library,also housed in the Cathedral of Learning, maintains collections of approximately 17,000 volumes of books and journals, and an extensive collec- tion of pamphlets, early atlases and maps, and over 45 linear feet of manuscripts, letters, and journal books. Donated by the Darlington fam- ily in 1918, the library is especially rich in Ameri- can history of the colonial period, the French and Indian War, the Revolution, and the War of 1812, and focuses on Western Pennsylvania and the Ohio valley. The library is scheduled for touring in groups of 12 to provide an inti- mate look at this special collection.

The Stephen Collins Foster Memorialbuilding, designed by Charles Klauder in the Gothic style, harmonizes architecturally with the adjacent Cathedral of Learning. The structure houses a concert hall, museum, and library devoted to the American composer. Foster was a native of Pittsburgh and wrote most of his songs here. Much of the library collection was donated by Josiah Kirby Lilly, an Indianapolis pharmaceutical manufacturer. It contains manuscripts, first editions of sheet music, rare books, letters, and personal possessions of the composer.

The University Library System(ULS) will host demonstrations of its electronic course reserves and its Electronic Text Project. In the fall of 1994 the ULS, in conjunction with the Computing and Information Service Department (CIS), initiated a pilot project to put a cross section of the university’s course reserve materials into a form that is accessible from the campus computer network. Software developed inhouse is used to place materials into the electronic repository. Materials can be viewed from workstations using Mosaic software in the departmental libraries, in the public computing labs, in dorms, or from any other location on the campus network.

A second joint project of the ULS and CIS was undertaken in late 1994 investigating the production, storage, and use of electronic text in the academic library environment. The primary goal of the Electronic Text Project is to identify the technological and operational problems with research texts marked up with SGML (Standard Generalized Mark-Up Language). To understand the problems first hand, the project is creating electronic editions of important early Latin American texts, encoded in SGML. The electronic editions developed by the project will contain graphic images, hypertext linking, and will be accessed using Mosaic. The Latin American Studies Collection is a core resource of the university and this project will lead to a series of electronic edi- tions developed at Pitt.

The Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh campus.

The University of Pitts- burgh’s School of Library and Information Science(SLIS) will open its doors to conference at- tendees as well. This will be an opportunity to tour one of the top library schools in the coun- try and the largest of its kind in North America with ten degree programs and more than 700 stu- dents. Join a tour of the school and its well-equipped computer labs; attend a demonstration of Promenade, an image database of bonsai trees and other flora developed in cooperation with the National Agricultural Library; learn about continuing education opportunities; and meet some of the distinguished students enrolled in the program.

Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is located within walking distance of the University of Pittsburgh. A private coeducational university, CMU was formed in 1967 when Carnegie Institute of Technology (founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie) and Mellon Institute (founded in 1913 by A. W. and R. B. Mellon) merged. The university ranks among the world’s leading research centers.

CMU has played a pivotal role in the development and implementation of distributed computing. In 1992 the University Libraries’ Project Mercury released the world’s first distributed electronic Library Information System (LIS). The libraries have continued to serve as a developmental test bed for distributed information retrieval tools and techniques. These include reference servers, page-image distribution, and, perhaps most importantly, the application of graphical user interfaces. CMU is also pioneering the development of natural language processing (NLP), which is the centerpiece technology of the next decade. Information retrieval (IR) using NLP overcomes the problems of key- word-Boolean retrieval in full-text databases.

The University Librarieswill conduct demonstrations during the conference to highlight recent and future work in distributed information retrieval and the management of full text. The demonstrations will feature: 1) Mercury/LIS interface and da- tabases; 2) HELIOS Digital Ar- chives of congressional papers; 3) full-text retrieval using natu- ral language IR; and 4) image retrieval of full-text journal pages. These services are available on the campus network and are managed generally through the common user interface of LIS.

The Hunt Institute for Bo- tanical Documentationwill welcome visitors for a behind- the-scenes view of this interna- tionally recognized botanical in- stitution, along with an exhibit and presentation on the institute’s collections and programs. The in- stitute focuses on all aspects of botanical history and includes a library of over 23,000 titles including many rare works published between 1550 and 1850; an art collection of over 30,000 watercolors, drawings, and original prints; and a portrait collection of 21,000 prints, paintings, drawings, and photographs representing some 18,000 botanists, botanical artists, and horticulturists.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

“Free to the public” reads the inscription over the entrance to the Carnegie Library, a gift to the people of Pittsburgh by Andrew Carnegie in 1895. The Carnegie is a public trust and includes the Main Library, 18 branch libraries, the Bookmobile Center, the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and the District Film Center. The ACRL Conference will provide a unique opportunity to view “what’s going on at the Carnegie” during the All Conference Reception. Guided tours will be conducted by staff and advance registration information will be forthcoming.

Come join us!

ACRL’s 7th National Conference in Pittsburgh offers something for everyone. From historical archives and special collections to cutting-edge information technology—it’s here. It’s a ‘Burgh Thing! See you in Pittsburgh!