ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

News from the field

Columbias stolen materials recovered

A cache of rare Russian ma- terials stolen from the Lehman Social Sciences Li- brary at Columbia University has been recovered and the alleged thief has been ar- rested. The materials, valued in excess of $1 million, were recovered after Eugene Beshenkovsky, Columbia University Libraries’ bibliog- rapher for Slavic and East Central Europe, provided detectives with timely information. The theft, reported to police on June 26, included rare newspapers reporting the Russian Civil War, Russian-emigre periodi- cals, and Russian-language journals of dis- placed-persons camps. Many of the materials were kept in a locked, gated enclosure within the library. The Columbia materials are now in police custody; some are known to have been damaged in the theft. Arrested and charged with the theft was Vyacheslav Nekrasov, 60, who had been doing research in the library for a book about the literary treatment of author Aleksander Pushkin by Russian emigres.

KSU needs mentors

Kent State University’s (KSU) School of Library and Information Science needs academic librarians to serve as mentors for its students. Mentors must be willing to help library science students become more familiar with the profession. Librarians may choose the amount of time they would be available to volunteer—from answering questions over the phone to serving as a practicum supervisor. Students will select their mentors from a database of volunteers. To become a mentor contact: Martha Nagy, Mentor Program coordinator, at (216) 579-0300, ext. 6301.

Wanted: Active learning strategies

The Teaching Methods Committee of ACRL’s Bibliographic Instruction Section wants to help BI practitioners expand their teaching repertoire to include a variety of active learning approaches and interactive instructional techniques. The committee plans to compile and disseminate a list of alternative BI strategies and wants to include your ideas. Active learning involves students in discussion, writing, conducting experiments, solv- ing problems, and a range of other activities which help them assume responsibility for their own learning. To submit an idea please send a description of the active learning strategies that in- clude: 1) the instructional goal of the activity; 2) the time allotted to the activity; and 3) a complete descrip- tion of the activity includ- ing any handouts. Send these by January 4, 1993, to: Alphonse Vin, Yale University Library, P.O. Box 1603A Yale Station, New Haven, CT 06520; e-mail: vinh@yalevm.bitnet.

OCLC issues linking strategy for Internet and NREN

OCLC issued a three-page document, “OCLC’s Linking Strategy: Internet and NREN,” describing OCLC’s plans with respect to linking with the Internet and the NREN. In a letter to directors of OCLC libraries that accompanied the report, OCLC’s president and CEO K. Wayne Smith stated: “OCLC is committed to linking with both the Internet and the NREN. Indeed, OCLC is already linked to the Internet for Reference Services—EPIC and First Search, and soon the new Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials. In 1993, we will test Cataloging on the Internet. We have been strong supporters of the NREN from the beginning and are closely watching its development. …” To obtain a copy of the report write: Internet White Paper, OCLC, MC 204, 6565 Frantz Rd., Dublin, OH 43017-3395.

New discussion list for collection development

COLLDV-L is a moderated discussion list directed to librarians involved with collection development. Representative topics appropriate for the list include access/ownership issues, approval plans, collection assessment, budgeting, cooperation, organization, planning, pricing, publisher/vendor relations, resource sharing, selection, storage, etc. To subscribe, send the following command to LISTSERV@USCVM via mail or interactive message: SUBSCRIBE COLLDV-L your_full_name. For example: SUBSCRIBE COLLDV-L Joe Shmoe.

Name your favorite "listserv"

C&RL Newsis preparing some articles on the use of the Internet. If you have a favorite listserv that would be of interest to other academic librarians, send the name of the listserv, how to subscribe, and a one-sentence description to C&RL News ListServ, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 606ll. C&RL News will compile a print list of the favorites for a future issue.

Libraries change lives

“Libraries change lives” is the theme for National Library Week (NLW) April 18-24,1993, and April 17-23, 1994 (see logo at left). Cop- ies of the NLW tip sheet are available from ALA’s Public Information Of- fice. The complete NLW Campaign Book will be available in the fall ALA Graphics Catalog.

Papers needed

The Sixth Off-Campus Library Services Conference is seeking presentation proposals for its meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, October 6-8, 1993. Proposals for papers, panel discussions, workshops, forums, and audiovisual demonstrations are sought for topics such as program planning, services, information access and delivery, library user education, uses of technology, copyright, etc. A titled proposal with a 500-word abstract and its delivery format, and a 50-word biographical statement for the presenter should be sent by December 1, 1992, to: Anne Casey, OCLS Conference Coordinator, Park Library 315, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859; phone (517) 774-6080.

The American Antiquarian Society seeks proposals for papers to be given at a conference on education and the commerce of art in 19th-century America. The conference will examine such areas as the company climate in graphic arts firms and will be held in Worcester, Massachusetts, April 30-May 1,1993. Proposals for presentations should be accompanied by a current vitae and sent by January 15, 1993, to: Georgia Barnhill, American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609.

Africana Librarians Council to meet

The Africana Librarians Council (formerly Archives Libraries Committee) of the African Studies Association will hold its fall meeting at the Westin Hotel in Seattle on Friday, November 20. For details contact: Onuma Ezera, chair, Africana Librarians Council, at (517) 355- 2366.

AACR2 to be made into machine- readable form

The publishers and copyright holders of the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd edition, revised (AACR2R), have agreed to prepare a machine-readable and searchable version of the book. ALA, one of the three publishers of AACR2R, expects to release the electronic edition in early 1993. Two consultants will work with the authors and publishers of AACR2R to develop the document type definition and text-tagging scheme required to create a Standard Generalized Mark-up Language (SGML) version.

53 libraries adopt code of ethics

Fifty-three academic libraries have adopted ALA’s Code of Ethics into their “policies and procedures” documentation. ALA’s Committee on Professional Ethics has asked that all college and research libraries adopt the code before the end of 1992. To add your library to the list of those adopting the code (which is printed on the back of the ALA membership card) contact: Judith F. Krug, Office for Intellectual Freedom, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4223.