ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

News from the Field

Mary Ellen Davis

Florida's LINCC joins 28 community colleges …

Florida’s Edison Community College was connected to the Library Information Network for Community Colleges (LINCC) in February in a spe- cial ribbon-cutting ceremony at the College Center for Li- brary Automation (CCLA) in Tallahassee. LINCC provides Florida’s one million commu- nity college students with access to the resources of the state’s 28 community colleges; a user-friendly link with LUIS, the State University System's automated library system; and a gateway connection to the Internet, on- line encyclopedia, and other databases. The li- brary automation project, being implemented by CCLA, is an initial five-year $15 million ef- fort mandated by the Florida Legislature in 1989. State Board of Community Colleges chair Rich- ard W. D’Alemberte estimated that LINCC has saved the state of Florida $45 million over what it would have cost to automate the community colleges’ campus libraries individually. When fully operational, LINCC will support circula- tion, acquisitions, serials control, and audiovi- sual material booking.

… and LINCC security withstands challenge

Staff at the College Center for Library Automaton (CCLA) in Tallahassee, Florida, identified a system performance problem in January that was traced to a Library Information Network for Community Colleges (LINCC) public computer terminal at St. Petersburg Junior College. The next day college staff apprehended two students who have been charged with responsibility for the incident. CCLA director J. Richard Madaus said that “While the incident caused momentary inconvenience to staff using LINCC, at no time was LINCC system security breached. CCLA staff quickly activated standard system troubleshooting and security procedures, avoiding significant interruption of service.” The situation was generated by a search in LINCC’s online library catalog that was performed repeatedly in conjunction with a little-known system file creation capability. CCLA staff immediately alerted campus library staff at St.

Petersburg and worked cooperatively with them to resolve the problem. CCLA has taken technical measures to prevent a recurrence of the incident. Accessing computer services in a manner that causes denial of services to other users is deemed an offense under Florida law and the incident is being pursued by authorities.

Clinton's community service idea becomes reality

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a new federal entity created by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. CNCS will administer AmeriCorps, President Clinton's national service initiative to address the nation’s critical education, human, public safety, and environmental needs through service that provides a direct benefit to the community in which it is performed. Grant applications may be submitted by not-for-profit organizations; local, state, and federal government entities; institutions of higher education; local school and police districts; Native American tribes; and by partnership among any of the above. Regulations are printed in the January 7 Federal Register (45 CFR Part 2510). For more information, contact the corporation at 1100 Vermont Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20525; (202) 606-4949.

OhioLINK installs online borrowing system

The Ohio Library and Information Network (OhioLINK) completed in January installation of its patron-initiated online borrowing system that, according to Tom Sanville, OhioLINK director, “eliminates the cumbersome intermediate steps of traditional interlibrary loan, both for patron and library. In many cases a patron can have an item in 48 hours.” Users execute a search against the statewide central catalog. If a desired item is found available, a keystroke sends a request for the item to the owning library. Loans are shipped to the patron’s library within several days. The online borrowing function was developed by Innovative Interfaces, Inc., for OhioLINK’s INNOPAC system and automates the requesting and lending functions for interinstitutional borrowing. Patrons are automatically validated against their local library system and approved for borrowing before the request is completed. With 10 of the 18 members fully loaded in the central catalog, 60% of the collection is uniquely held. OhioLINK will offer more than 20 million items by fall 1995. OhioLINK is a state-funded library network offering a central catalog, reference databases, and Internet services for students, faculty, and other researchers at institutions of higher education in Ohio.

Iowa completes automation study

Library staff at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa, with the help of a $40,000 grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, recently completed a feasibility study of linking the online catalogs of the state’s library.

The study, which included surveys of existing networks, 18 libraries, and information from several Iowa software companies, found that about 21 Iowa libraries could link their systems with software currently on the market; other libraries could be linked using software currently in the developmental stages at several of the Iowa companies. The study estimated that costs to join the network for Iowa’s smaller libraries would average around $10,000, while larger libraries with mainframes would require about $133,000. Many Iowa libraries have already received funding for the project through grants and private sources. A pilot ver- sion of the network, the next step in the pro- cess, will be handled by the Iowa Research and Education Network, an organization with nearly 60 member institutions that assists schools in gaining access to the Internet. When completed, the computer network project, called the Iowa Library Information Project, will enable library users from one library to locate materials in other libraries instantly.

Two-millionth book celebrates women in science

A rare two-volume book by 18th-century Ital- ian mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi is the two-millionth volume selected for the Iowa State University (ISU) Library. Agnesi’s book, Instituzioni Analitiche (Analytical Institutions), looks at the mathematical concepts that were new at the time it was published in 1748. The book won immediate acclaim in academic circles all over Europe and established Agnesi as the first female mathematician in the West- ern World. The Agnesi work was purchased with a $20,000 gift from Evelyn Weber, a bio- chemist at the University of Illinois at Urbana who received her doctorate in biochemistry from ISU in 1961. Agnesi’s work also comple- ments ISU’s new Archives of Women in Sci- ence and Engineering which will document the lives, careers, and contributions of women scientists and engi- neers. During a public ceremony on April 16, the Iowa State com- munity will celebrate the addi- tion of its two-millionth volume and inaugurate the new archives.

BIS seeks editor

ACRL’s Bibliographic Instruction Section (BIS) is seeking candidates for the editorship of its newsletter. The candidate selected should be a member of BIS and have experience with bibliographic instruction and newsletters. The editor should plan on: attending ALA Annual Conferences and Midwinter Meetings during his/her term as editor (1994-96), serving as a member of the BIS Communication Committee and as ex officio member of the BIS Advisory Council, and at- tending ACRL Section Newsletter Editors meet- ings. Candidates should submit samples of their work as part of the application and must de- scribe the equipment they have available for use. (Desktop publishing experience is a plus and an electronic mail account will expedite communication with BIS members. The news- letter may be published in an electronic form in the future.) The new editor will be chosen at the 1994 Annual Conference in Miami and will work with the current editor on the fall 1994 issue. Applications should be sent by May 20th to: Beth S. Woodard, BIS Communication Committee Chair, Central Information Services Librarian, 300 Library, University of Illinois Li- brary, 1408 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL 61801.

This quilt was handmade by Karen High, a former member of the North Carolina State University Libraries’ staff. It is based on the libraries’ logo created by Burney Design of Raleigh and introduced at the libraries’ centennial in 1989. It hangs in the libraries’ Reading Room.

Staff development is topic of new ACRL CLIP Note

Library administrators can find guidance for developing policies on staff development in the latest CLIP (College Library Information Packet) Note Series from ACRL: Staff Devel- opment and Continu- ing Education, CLIP Note #18. In an era of rapid technological change coupled with budget constraints, staff development and con- tinuing education are crucial for librarians.

This book surveys practices in college libraries to further staff education and training. It covers a range of concerns for the adminis- trator desiring to establish or revise a formal development program, such as policy devel- opment, budgets, orientation programs, and re- gional cooperation. Examples are given from both library and collegewide staff development policy statements, as well as other areas of edu- cation and training, such as needs assessments, survey forms, and orientation and mentoring programs.

Staff Development and Continuing Educationwas compiled by Elizabeth A. Suddith, head of library technical services at Randolph-Macon College, and Lynn W. Livingston, information services librarian at Rider College, under the auspices of the ACRL College Libraries Sections’ CLIP Notes Committee. It is available for $22.95 ($19.95 to ACRL members) from the

American Library Association, Order Depart- ment, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. ISBN 0-8389-7710-3. For faster service, orders may be telephoned to (800) 545-2433, press 7, or faxed to (312) 440-9374.

Creative ideas and research sought

ACRL seeks creative paper, program, preconference, and poster session proposals for its 7th National Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 29-April 1, 1995. Letters of intent to submit a pro- posal are due May 1, 1994; full proposals are due July 1, 1994. Complete details on submitting proposals may be found in the “Call for Papers” insert in the January 1994 C&RL News or contact the ACRL office at (800) 545-2433 ext. 2514 or by e-mail: Mary.Ellen.Davis@ala.org to have a “Call for Papers” sent to you.

Represent ACRL in Miami Beach

Greet old friends, meet new people, and have fun in Miami Beach. Volunteer to staff ACRL’s membership booth at the ALA Annual Conference in Miami Beach, Florida, June 25-28,1994. Interested ACRL members should contact Arlene Luchsinger, Science Library, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605-7412; e-mail: aluchsin® uga.cc.uga.edu; fax: (706) 542-6523; voice: (706) 542-0691.

UC-Berkeley approves information management school

The Academic Planning Board of the University of California at Berkeley has approved a proposal to establish a School of Information Management and Systems. The new school will meet the needs associated with the rapid development of information capabilities and technologies.

Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien enthusiastically endorsed the Board’s recommendation to create the new school, which would replace the School of Library and Information Studies. Admissions into the school were suspended last fall pending an in-depth review of the emerging field of information management systems. The proposal must now be presented to the UC Regents for approval.

Nancy Van House, acting dean of the School of Library and Information Studies, praised the proposal saying, “We now move into implementing a new research and educational program to meet the changing information environment and the needs of California. The impact of networked information has been compared to Gutenberg in changing how we use information.” The mission of the new program will be to advance the understanding of the organization, management and use of information and information technology, and the impact of information on individuals and institutions. The school will have a technical component, addressing the design of information systems and a social sciences component, concerned with the people who create and use information.