ACRL College & Researc Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

News from the Field

Stephanie Orphan

GPO and NARA support permanent online access

The Government Printing Office (GPO) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) signed an agreement on August 12 that will ensure that the documents available today on GPO Access (www.gpoaccess.gov) will remain available permanently. Librarians have long been concerned about the need to ensure permanent public access to and preservation of electronic government information. The GPO-NARA agreement covers the content on GPO Access, including the online versions of the Congressional Record, the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, and other electronic publications distributed by the superintendent of documents. GPO Access provides free online public access to more than 250,000 federal government files.

According to the agreement, NARA will assume legal custody of the records as part of the official Archives of the United States, and GPO will retain physical custody and be responsible for permanent public access and preservation of the records.

USF Libraries help Addis Ababa University Library

The University of South Florida (USF) Libraries have facilitated the establishment of an online, open-source catalog for Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa University. The catalog, the first of a multiphase project that will establish an Ethiopian National Research database, accommodates browsing, searching, and uploading capabilities for researchers wishing to contribute digital materials.

Dynix celebrates 20th anniversary

August 2003 marked the 20th year of operation for Dynix, a provider of automation technologies, solutions, and services for libraries. Over the past 20 years, the company developed the Horizon Information Management System and other advances in library technology, such as Windows- and Web-based catalogs, single interface to multiple databases, electronic ordering/receiving interface, user interface with self- service checkout, and telephone messaging systems for libraries with automatic renewals.

As part of its anniversary celebration, Dynix announced that 426 new library sites selected Horizon Information Management System between January and July 2003. Official celebrations of the 20th anniversary will be a major theme at this year’s joint conference of Customers of Dynix Inc. and the Horizon Users’ Group in November.

Serials Solutions to freeze pricing schedule

Serials Solutions, Inc. is freezing its 2003 price schedule and offering additional breaks to keep services accessible for all libraries. Through January 1, 2005, the company’s price schedule will not increase for its A-to-Z title list reports, full MARC records for e-journals, and Article Linker, its full-featured OpenURL link resolver. In addition to the price schedule freeze, Serials Solutions is offering community and junior colleges an additional 25 percent discount on all services and eliminating a $150 fee that was charged for hosted reports.

Columbia establishes digital program

Columbia University’s Libraries and Information Services has established a new digital program division to advance digital technology tools and resources at the libraries. The division consists of seven staff members, bringing together programmers and specialists already working on digital projects elsewhere in the libraries’ organization and creating three additional positions.

In the near term, the program will focus on developing new tools to improve access to and enhance the use of published electronic resources required for university teaching and scholarship, creating innovative scholarly tools and new digital presentations from libraries and institutions where appropriate; and implementing a plan for the long-term archiving and preservation of Columbia’s digital content. A key goal of the program is to acquire or develop a manageable, scalable, and robust software systems platform to deliver digital library resources to the university and scholarly community.

Call for papers: Popular Culture Association 2004

The Libraries, Archives, and Popular Culture Research Area of the Popular Culture Association is soliciting papers for the association’s joint meeting with the American Culture Association, to be held April 7- 10, 2004. Papers dealing with any aspect of popular culture as it pertains to libraries, librarians, archives, museums, or research will be considered. In the past this has included descriptions of research collections, studies of popular images of libraries or librarians, or reports on development in technical services for collecting popular culture materials. Prospective presenters should send a one-page abstract with full contact information by November 15, preferably by e-mail, to: Allen Ellis, professor of library services, W. Frank Steely Library, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099-6101; e-mail: ellisa@nku.edu; phone: (859) 572- 5527; fax: (859) 572-5390.

Swets Blackwell to change name

Subscription agent Swets Blackwell has announced that it plans to change its company name to Swets Information Services in December 2003. As part of the agreement with Blackwell concerning the purchase of shares from the Swets Blackwell joint venture, the Blackwell trade name will no longer be used for subscription activities. The Blackwell name will continue to be used for the chain of Blackwell bookstores.

Join WESS in Paris in March 2004

Join members of the Western European Studies Section (WESS), the Association des Bibliothécaires Français, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and European and American colleagues at the WESS European Conference, “Migrations in Society, Culture, and the Library,” in Paris, France, March 22-26, 2004.

Conference programs will address opportunities and tensions that migrations—demographic, technological, cultural, intellectual, and literary—bring to Western Europe and libraries supporting Western European studies. Keynote speakers include: Roger Chartier, École des Hautes Études, Paris, and the University of Pennsylvania; Jean-Claude Guédon, Université de Montréal, Canada; Friedrich Heckmann, University of Bamberg and director of the European Forum for Migration Studies; Hans- Jürgen Lüsebrink, University of Saarbrücken; and David Seaman, director of the Digital Library Federation in Washington, D.C. The conference also includes a program at the French book fair, Salon du Livre.

Complete details about the conference, including registration information and forms, are online at http://www.library.jhu.edu/rsd/ other/wess2004/wess2004.html. Space is limited to 200 participants, so submit your registration as soon as possible. Conference registration includes all conference programs, events at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, entry to the Salon du Livre, and receptions. Questions? Contact acrl@ala.org.

LexisNexis to create digital U.S. Congressional Serial Set

LexisNexis U.S. has begun a project to digitize the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, which, upon completion, will allow users to access content from 1789-1969. The Serial Set is a historical resource that contains an ongoing collection of U.S. government publications compiled under the directive of Congress. Items include 325.0 documents drawn from nearly 13.0 volumes, 52,000 maps, and the American State Papers. The set traces virtually all aspects of American history, including trade and commerce, military history, geography, scientific exploration, and anthropology.

Congressional Information Services, which later became part of LexisNexis, released the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, along with a companion index, on microfiche in the 1970s. The new digitization project will create opportunities for full-text searching and online retrieval of images, including statistical tables, illustrations, photographs, lithographs, and maps. The Serial Set will be released through monthly updates within a two-year period beginning in December 2003-

IAA to push for revised analysis of publisher mergers

The Information Access Alliance (IAA), a group of seven library organizations that includes ALA and ACRL, will continue to push for revised analysis of publisher mergers despite the recent announcement that the Department of Justice has approved the sale of BertelsmannSpringer to Cinven and Candover. Cinven and Candover previously acquired Kluwer Academic Publishers (KAP) in January 2003. IAA urged the Department of Justice to block the acquisition and subsequent merger of KAP and BertelsmannSpringer because of its concerns that the transaction will result in reduced access to critical research information due to heightened journal costs. Analysis by the alliance suggests that mergers have played a significant role in journal price increases over the past two decades. IAA will continue to support research and analysis of past mergers and their effects on consumers and small publishers.

Correction

In the September 2003 issue of C&RL News the photo caption on page 541 incorrectly identified Scott Bard of Thompson ISI as Marc Truitt of the University of Notre Dame. The editors regret the error.

Gale introduces virtual reference database

Gale has announced a new program that integrates e-reference books with a database interface. Gale Virtual Reference LibrarySM, scheduled for release this month, will offer libraries the opportunity to select from an initial collection of more than 50 reference sources, such as encyclopedias, almanacs, and series, and to create a customized, completely integrated online information service.

WilsonWeb databases now link to JSTOR

WilsonWeb’s WilsonLink service now includes access to JSTOR, an archive of more than 320 scholarly journals in 26 disciplines. Customers who subscribe to WilsonWeb and who are JSTOR participants will be able to link directly to the full-text articles in the JSTOR archive via WilsonWeb’s open-URL linking technology. WilsonWeb enables libraries to integrate their open- URL compliant resources, without the expense of installing or maintaining their own link server. If the full text of a cited article isn’t available on the WilsonWeb database searched, users may click on the WilsonLink icon for an automatic search of all open-URL compliant databases to which the library subscribes, regardless of the vendor.

Institute of International Bankers donating copies of study to libraries

The Institute of International Bankers, an association of over 200 banking organizations operating in the United States and headquartered in other countries, is donating copies of its 71-page study Economic Benefits to the United States from the Activities of International Banks: Financial Services in a Global Economy to interested libraries. The institute asks that libraries submit $3.00 per copy to cover the costs of shipping and handling. For complete information, contact the Institute of International Bankers, 299 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10171; phone: (212) 421-1611; fax: (212) 421-1119; Web: www.iib.org.

OhioLINK updates catalog, introduces pick-up feature

OhioLINK, a consortium of 83 Ohio college and university libraries, plus the State Library of Ohio, has renamed and redesigned its library catalog and enhanced it with a new pick-up feature. “Pick up @ any library,” is a new option in the catalog that lets users pick up requested materials in any participating OhioLINK libraiy. In the past, users could only pick up requested items at one of their own campus library locations, limiting the service’s usefulness to students in distance learning classes, weekend programs, and other nontraditional learning options. The new pick-up option supports OhioLink’s goal of providing the most efficient and effective means of delivering information to users, regardless of format.

The catalog has also been redesigned to offer a search box on the first screen, allowing users to instantly conduct a keyword, author, title, or subject heading search. A redesigned OhioLINK Web site has also made its debut, offering a new Quick and Simple Search option that allows users to search for articles and books across several broad databases simultaneously.

ACRL sponsoring LearningTimes Library Online Conference: Members receive $50 registration discount

The 2003 LearningTimes Library Online Conference: Innovations by Information Professionals (LTLOC) will take place completely online over five days in October (20-24). LTLOC is the first online forum to address in depth the practical issues in today’s libraries, historical societies, archives, and museums.

ACRL is a “Platinum Level Sponsor” of LTLOC, which entitles ACRL members to a $50 registration discount.

“We are very pleased to partner with the LearningTimes team on this unique event,” said Tyrone H. Cannon, president of the ACRL. “Sponsoring LTLOC 2003 is another step in our mission to enhance the effectiveness of academic and research librarians to advance learning, teaching, and research in higher education.

“The online conference will address the role of the library in the academic enterprise and the impact of information technology on library services. These crucial activities are a key part of the foundation for the partnerships and connections we must establish to ensure the success of learning communities and knowledge building.”

Keynote speakers include:

• Steven M. Cohen, the creator of Library Stuff, a library weblog dedicated to resources for keeping current and professional development, is also the Internet Spotlight columnist for Public Libraries Magazine.

• Dr. Siva Vaidhyanathan, a cultural historian and media scholar, is the author of Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Rise of Intellectual Property and How it Threatens Creativity and The Anarchist in the Library: How Peer-to-Peer Networks are Transforming Politics, Culture, and Information.

• Mark Weitzman, director of the Task Force Against Hate and Terrorism at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, coordinates the SWC’s research and activities on extremism, intergroup relations, the Internet, and hate crimes.

A complete list of presenters and schedule of events is available on the LTLOC Web site at www.libraryconference.com. For more information, registration, or sponsorship opportunities please visit the conference Web site at www.libraryconference.com, write to library@learningtimes.net or call John Walber at (215) 884-7321.

To register as an ACRL member and receive the $50 discount, visit the ACRL Web site (www.acrl.org) and click on the “Library Online Conference” logo in the Spotlight section.