ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

PUBLICATION

• The Automation Inventory of Research Libraries 1985, edited by Maxine K. Sitts (78 pages, August 1985), summarizes the status of automated systems in 92 member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries as of March 1985. Libraries may use the inventory to locate colleagues to contact for comparative information, to analyze trends for research and planning efforts, to provide background material for automation proposals, to identify bellwether institutions, or to locate libraries with specific hardware and software to prepare RFPs or deal with vendors. The data is arranged both by library and by automation function. Copies may be ordered for $40 ($20 to ARL members) from the ARL Office of Management Studies, 1527 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036.

• Books in My Life, by Robert B. Downs(19 pages, 1985), has been published as Pamphlet number 14 in the Center for the Book’s Viewpoint series. Downs, former director of libraries at the University of Illinois, reflects on the impact that books have had on his career and on civilization in general. Copies are free on request from the Central Services Division, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540.

• Careers in Other Fields for Librarians, byRhoda and Andrew Garoogian (192 pages, December 1985), analyzes numerous job opportunities in business, government, and education in terms of transferable library skills. It also tells how to identify information-related jobs among all those being advertised and how to present oneself to an employer who is unfamiliar with a librarian’s professional preparation and expertise. Copies are available for $12.95 from ALA Order Department, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. ISBN 0-8389- 0431-9.

• Catalog Maintenance Online in ARL Libraries, SPEC Kit #119 (122 pages, December 1985), details the results of an Office of Management Studies survey of 23 ARL institutions representing several stages of automation, from preliminary planning to nearly fully integrated status. The kit includes ten examples of catalog maintenance procedures, job descriptions and organization charts from five institutions, and a selected bibliography. SPEC kits are available by subscription from the SPEC Center, ARL/OMS, 1527 New Hampshire Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20036. Individual kits are available for $20 each, prepayment required.

• Chinese Newspapers in the Library of Congress, compiled by Han-chu Huang and Hseo-chin Jen (206 pages, 1985), describes 1,200 Chinese newspapers dating from the 1870s to the present. The entries are arranged alphabetically, with the titles romanized according to the modified Wade- Giles system. National, regional, and local government newspapers are included, as are specialized trade and technical publications. Copies may be purchased for $13 from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Stock no. 030-005-00014-7.

•The Corporate 1000, edited by Teri Carabrese(639 pages, September 1985), is a directory of officers, management personnel, and boards of directors of the top 1000 U.S. corporations. Besides names and titles, the directory provides a brief business description for each company and an approximation of sales or assets. Direct dial phone numbers are given for individuals when available. There are four indexes: a name index, a company index, an index of companies by industry classification, and a geographical index by state. Copies may be ordered for $59.95 from The Washington Monitor, Inc., 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004. ISSN 0882- 3227.

• Early Motion Pictures: The Paper Print Collec-

tion in the Library of Congress, by Kemp R. Niver (509 pages, 1985), is a complete catalog and description of over 3,000 motion pictures representing the earliest years of the film industry. The author, who received an Oscar in 1954 for his work in preserving this collection, devised special equipment to reproduce the paper prints frame by frame so that they could be restored, projected, and used once again by film scholars. This is a completely revised edition of Niver’s original 1967 catalog, with augmented annotations, illustrations, and coverage of films up to 1915. An index contains entries for subjects, company names, and the names of actors, actresses, and production personnel. The collection includes the early works of D.W. Griffith, Mack Sennett, Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, and other cinema pioneers, as well as documentary footage of the Boer and Spanish-American Wars, the San Francisco Earthquake, and the first motion picture given legal status by copyright acceptance, Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze, January 7, 1894. The cost is $24. Order from Dept. 36-PE, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, DC 20402. Stock no. 030-001-00110-5; ISBN 0-8444- 0463-2.

• Guidelines for Selecting Automated Systems, by Joseph R. Matthews (20 pages, November 1985), has been published by the ALA Library and Information Technology Association. The pamphlet is intended for librarians who are faced with selecting a turnkey automation system, but do not know where to start. Sections on how to begin, needs analysis, considering alternatives, the selection process, the RFP, the contract, installing the computer, implementing the system, a consultants list, and additional readings are included. To order send $4.50 to ALA/LITA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611.

•An Information Packet on Library Technical

Standards has been developed by the ALA Library and Information Technology Association’s Education Committee. The packet provides information about standards to educators in library and information science, staff development personnel, and other interested individuals. Included are a selected annotated bibliography of recent articles from the professional literature dealing with standards, brochures and other printed information about standards-making bodies and organizations, and a selected list of standards of interest to librarians. Copies are $2.50 each from ALA/LITA, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611.

• The Library of Congress Network Advisory

Committee: Its Lirst Decade (48 pages, 1985), has been published as number 11 in LC’s Network Planning Paper series. The paper chronicles the major issues, events, individuals, and contributions of the Committee’s first 10 years from 1975 to the present, and traces its involvement in such library networking issues as network architecture, message delivery systems, communication protocols, ownership and distribution of bibliographic data, network governance, resource sharing, document delivery, and telecommunications. A copy may be ordered from the Cataloging Distribution Service, Customer Services Section, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20541.

• The Lonely Africanist: A Guide to Selected U.S.

Africana Libraries for Researchers provides a list, arranged by region, of libraries with large collections of information about Africa. It is a useful reference for interlibrary loan, reference questions, and requests for material or research trips. Copies are $2.50 from Crossroads Press, African Studies Association, 255 Kinsey Hall, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

•The second edition of The Micro Software Directory published by the Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians (an ACRL chapter) is now available. It provides over 200 pages of information on the various software packages and microcomputers used for library applications in Wisconsin’s academic libraries. The primary arrangement is by application, and entries range from accounting and acquisitions to telecommunications and word processing. There are also sections on micros and software packages. The directory costs $10, plus 5 % tax for Wisconsin residents. Make check or money order payable to the Wisconsin Library Association, 1922 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706.

•Notes from the Nervous Breakdown Lane, byKen Brown (92 pages, 1985), might appear to be just another mass-market cartoon book, but in reality it is an amazing blend of classic surrealism and 1950s kitsch. Brown, whose artwork appears primarily on post cards and rubber stamps, has captured American popular culture in this subtly satirical album of vignettes populated with toaster ovens, lime jello, and the atomic bomb. Especially memorable are “Lifestyles of the Rank and Feral” and “The Sea God Tangaroa Gives Birth to Gods and Men on the Robinsons’ Rug.” The cost is $7.95, from Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-096014-0.

• An Open Lorum on the Provision of Electronic Lederal Information to Depository Libraries is the second report of the Congressional Joint Committee on Printing’s Ad Hoc Committee on Depository Access to Federal Automated Data. More than 150 agency representatives, congressional staffers, librarians, and private sector representatives attended the forum to discuss the Committee’s first report, which cited findings based on an investigation of Federal information programs, electronic distribution systems, automated databases, and available techcnology. This report contains comments on the Committee’s recommendations by forum participants, and letters and statements to the Committee from various members of the library community who are interesting in participating in a pilot program. Copies are available for $3.75 (stock no. 052-070-06066-2) from Dept. 36-RA, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, DC 20402.

• Selection of Materials in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Sciences, edited by Patricia A. McClung (419 pages, December 1985), surveys sources and techniques for identifying, evaluating, and acquiring library materials in 20 academic disciplines. Written by experienced subject bibliographers, the book is designed for librarians with acquisitions and collection development responsibilities in academic and public libraries. The first section of the book covers the basic principles of collection development, serials selection, and the acquisition of out-of-print materials. Later sections treat the literature, current research, and selection tools in 16 academic disciplines and 5 special formats. Copies may be ordered for $49 from the ALA Order Department, 50 East Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. ISBN 0-8389-3305-X.

• Teachers and Librarians: Partners in Learning was the title of a recent colloquium that brought together high school and college librarians and teachers to discuss preparing high school students to use the academic library and become effective information consumers. The colloquium, sponsored by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Library, and the Knoxville City and Knox County School Systems, attracted 70 librarians and teachers from Knoxville and East Tennessee. Sections included presentations by high school teachers and librarians of assignments which make effective use of library resources, and discussions of bibliographic instruction and the most important information skills for high school students to acquire. A videocassette of the proceedings is available from the LOEX Clearinghouse, Center of Educational Resources, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI 48197; and from the Southeastern Bibliographic Instruction Clearinghouse, Crisman Memorial Library, David Lipscomb College, Nashville, TN 37203. ■■