ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

News from the Field

Get news from UC campuses and labs

Would your library patrons be interested in research on such diverse topics as: why oven-cooked and microwaved foods taste different; how ground up broccoli can kill soil-borne diseases; how red wine may protect against heart disease; how an ATF miscalculation fueled the Waco cult tragedy? If so, look into the UC NewsWire.

The University of California has established the UC NewsWire to give individuals access to the scientific discoveries and research underway at the nine UC campuses and laboratories. The NewsWire is free and available 24 hours a day. Use your communications software, to call (800) 395-5266. Once connected you complete a simple registration and then are granted access to the wire serve. Stories are available in 35 different categories, such as education, astronomy, medicine, and computers. If you need assistance call Mark Aydelotte, regional public affairs director, at (209) 225-5611.

Univ. of South Alabama celebrates NLW

Here are some ideas you might use to celebrate National Library Week (NLW) next year. Displays, games, prizes, and workshops were used by the University of South Alabama Biomedical Libraiy to celebrate the 1993 NLW. Simple games such as “guess the weight of the 1990 Cumulative Index Medicus” gave students the opportunity to win photocopy service for five articles, and matching 10 individuals to their self-descriptions (their favorite book, favorite leisure activity, and a single-word self-description) brought a prize of a free computer search. Workshops on searching indexes were offered daily during the week and wordsearch and crossword puzzles were prepared and distributed to patrons.

FirstSearch users can now enter ILL requests

Libraries providing the FirstSearch Catalog now have the option of letting patrons enter interlibrary loan requests into an online review file processed by library staff. The newly installed link from FirstSearch to PRISM Interlibrary Loan can help users who find items in WorldCat or in OCLC’s ArticleFirst serials database to borrow materials from OCLC member libraries. Bibliographic information will transfer automatically to the online ILL request forms. The FirstSearch/ILL Link is optional and can be made available, via separate FirstSearch authorizations, to some users and not to others. There is no charge for using the link but libraries must be OCLC members to participate in PRISM ILL.

EBSCO establishes scholarship fund

EBSCO Subscription Services and the ALA have created the EBSCO ALA Conference Scholarship Award to provide resources for librarians to attend ALA conferences. Awards of up to $1,000 for travel and conference-related expenses will be given to ALA members who would otherwise be unable to attend. EBSCO’s contributions to the scholarship fund will be made in lieu of the company hosting receptions for conference attendees during ALA’s Annual Conferences and Mdwinter Meetings. The award will be administered by ALA; for applications contact Judy Hambrick at (800) 545-2433 ext. 3247.

Architectural drawings from Columbia on videodisc

AVIADOR, an interactive videodisc system linking images of architectural drawings from Columbia University’s Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library to their online catalog descriptions on RLIN, is now available from the Research Libraries Group (RLG). AVIADOR (Avery Videodisc Index of Architectural Drawings on RLIN) enables users to browse through 41,000 architectural images and upon finding an image of interest, to simultaneously display the RLIN catalog record describing the drawing. The system is designed for a PC workstation capable of running Windows 3.x or higher, a monitor, mouse, printer, analog videodisc player, and videodisc monitor. DynaComm asynchronous communications software connects the system to the RLIN database; an RLIN search account is required. The system (containing the videodisc of architectural images, RLIN LaserLink Software and user’s manual costs $650 (plus tax, shipping, and handling). Contact the RLIN Information Center at voice: (800) 537-7546; e-mail: bl.ric@rlg.stanford.edu.

VTLS and Princeton to create image database of card catalog

Princeton University Libraries, Princeton’s Computing and Information Technology Department, and VTLS Inc. are working on a joint project to scan the libraries’ public union card catalog, containing 6.5 million 3x5 catalog cards, to create a database of digitized images. The database represents 1.75 million titles acquired and cataloged before 1980, predating Princeton’s automation and online catalog.

Initially, the image database will not be integrated with the libraries’ online catalog, but in a later phase of the project plans call for optical character recognition to convert the digital image of each card to fully tagged and indexed records of text in standard MARC format. The deteriorating condition of the catalog cards, the extensive editing of the cards required by Princeton library staff, and the delay it would create in cataloging current acquisitions were all factors in deciding to scan the catalog rather than follow the traditional retrospective conversion model. A recent estimate suggested that a retrospective conversion would cost $18 million and would take 11 years to complete; the image database project will be completed in nine months at a cost of less than $1 million.

Free NEH Media Log available

A newly revised edition of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Media Log, a comprehensive guide to over 800 film, TV, and radio programs funded by the NEH is now available free while supplies last. The programs may be used as learning tools in colleges and libraries. Each entry in the Log includes a brief description of each production, along with information on how to obtain the specific programs. For a complimentary copy write: Media Log, NEH Public Information Office, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room 407, Washington, DC 20506.

Remote access to LC computer files available

More than 26 million Library of Congress records in 35 different files are now available to the general public on the Internet. The host address for telnet access to the Library of Congress Information System (LOCIS) is locis.loc.gov. LOCIS includes more than 15 million catalog records for books, microforms, music, audiovisuals, manuscripts, software, serials, maps, and in-process items. LOCIS also includes citations to federal legislation (1973- ), copyright registrations and legal documents (1978-), braille and recorded materials, selected foreign legislation (1976-), foreign legal references (1989-), and a listing of 13,000 organizations that provide information, arranged by subject. Except for national holidays, LOCIS will be available for searching at the following times (Eastern time): Monday-Friday 6:30 a.m.- 9:30 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., and Sunday 1:00-5:00 p.m.

Access ALA via the Internet

Now you can reach about 100 of the ALA Chicago office staff electronically via the Internet. To obtain a listing of staff e-mail addresses use the following Bitnet or Internet commands: tell listserv@uicvm.bitnet send ala idlist, or tell listserv@uicvm.uic.edu send ala idlist.

ALA staff are also posting files in a new ALA FILELIST. Including a directory of officers, ALA news releases, and the Library Bill of Rights, a complete list of what is available can be had by using one of the following commands: tell listserv@uicvm.bitnet send ala filelist, or tell listserv@uicvm.uic.edu send ala filelist. The ALA Washington Office is also available electronically at alawash@alawash.org. Washington Office staff also have individual addresses; contact their office for details.

Access the ACRL and Choice staff electronically

Send e-mail messages to the ACRL and Choice staff using the following addresses:

Althea Jenkins: U55385@uicvm.uic.edu

Mary Ellen Davis: U38398@uicvm.uic.edu

Mary Taylor: U55380@uicvm.uic.edu

Jack Helbig: U21808@uicvm.uic.edu

Patricia Sabosik: Sabosik@choice.jvnc.net (Other Choice editors will be establishing e-mail addresses in the near future; contact Sabosik for details.)

Popular culture papers needed

The Popular Culture Association is seeking papers for its April 6-9, 1994, meeting in Chicago. If you are interested in presenting a paper on popular culture and libraries send an abstract of not more than 250 words by September 15, 1993, to Allen Ellis, Northern Kentucky University Library, Highland Heights, KY 41099-6101; voice: (606) 572-5527; fax: (606) 572-5390.

Ellis is also interested in papers on comic books and libraries for an upcoming special issue of Popular Culture in Libraries. Manuscripts should be submitted by June 30, 1994; contact Ellis for details.

Univ. of Wyoming endowment for librarianship and libraries

Agnes Milstead, University of Wyoming (UW) professor emeritus of education and library science, established an endowment to support an award for distinguished librarianship. The award recognizes contributions to the UW Libraries in scholarship, program development, teaching, and fundraising. The endowment is structured to initiate three programs as it grows. The distinguished librarianship award is the first to be funded. The second program will provide funds to purchase books and other library materials, and the third will enable UW librarians to study at other libraries, as well as provide support for library scholars from elsewhere to come to UW to share their experiences and expertise. ■

E-mail—oops

If you sent an electronic message to the editor between May 12 and June 2 and have not had a reply, please resend your message. A number of messages were accidentally deleted before being read due to having a full hard disk. The editor regrets the error and apologizes for the inconvenience.