ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

News from the Field

ACRL publishes statistics

ACRL University Library Sta- tistics, 1990-91,a report of data gathered from 106 par- ticipating academic libraries in the U.S. and Canada, has been published by ACRL. Data were collected on col- lections, personnel, expen- ditures and interlibrary loans. Together these academic libraries expended $410,011,197 and em- ployed 10,477 individuals. They held 87,313,088 volumes, lent 939,507, and borrowed 628,514 in the 1990-91 academic year. The report (ISBN: 0-8389-7587-9), compiled at the Library Re- search Center, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is available for $39-95 to ACRL members (list price $69.95) from ALA’s Order Services Department, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 606ll; toll-free (800) 545-2433; fax (312) 944-2641. Purchasers of the print copy may request a free copy of the data in machine readable form.

Resources at Texas Tech cast doubt on JFK movie

The release of Oliver Stone’s movie JFK has revived the long-standing controversy over the Warren Commission’s report of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Archivists at Texas Tech University’s Southwest Collection invite individuals interested in pursuing research about the Kennedy assassination to consult the materials in their collection, which contain eyewitness accounts by George Mahon, the late congressman from West Texas, as well as the investigative papers compiled by then Texas attorney general Waggoner Carr. Carr’s papers, which number approximately 10,000 items, include biographical data on Lee Harvey Oswald, witness statements taken by the Dallas Police Department, transcripts of Dallas police radio transmissions, and correspondence between Carr and federal authorities involved in the investigation. In a recent interview Carr, who now resides in Austin, said of the controversial movie, “I thought it was a disservice to the general public. It was based largely on innuendo, suspicion, rumors, … and circumstantial evi- dence.” Stone’s movie fo- cuses on the theory that Kennedy’s assassination was orchestrated by a combina- tion of groups including military contractors, the FBI, CIA, the military high com- mand, and anti-Castro extremists.

ERIC holds focus groups

Leslie Bjorncrantz, education-psychology bibliographer at Northwestern University Library, participated in an ERIC Focus Group held by the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Educational Research and Improvement in Washington, D.C., on February 20. The purpose of the meeting, according to Robert Stonehill, ERIC director, was to propose ideas for improving ERIC’S ability to respond to present and future information needs. Ann Latta, assistant head of the Cubberley Education Library at Stanford, and Monica Metz-Wiseman, director of public services at the University of South Florida, also joined twelve other educators representing education networks, state departments of education, EDUCOM, the Library of Congress, university education departments, and several school districts in discussion of ERIC in the information age. Topics receiving special attention included the quality and coverage of the ERIC database, full-text delivery of education materials, coverage and delivery of nonprintmaterials, networked information access and delivery, and a possible new role for the Education Department’s Research Library.

Silence key to improved study

Faced with a chronically noisy library used as much for socializing as for studying, Stetson University library director Sims Kline founded the Stetson Quiet Library Society to involve students in solving the problem. The tongue-in- cheek organization has no officers, dues, meetings or bylaws—just members who agree the library should be a place to study, an official society t-shirt, and a mime for a recruiter. David Alvin, a sophomore education major from Georgetown, Florida, paints his face white; dons white gloves, a green hat, and the society’s green t-shirt; and strolls around the library silently re- cruiting members. He carries a notebook out- lining information about the society and uses his mime abilities to in- vite students and faculty members to join. When he finishes with each candidate he puts his finger to his lips, bows politely, and walks away. In just three eve- nings last semester, Alvin recmited 70 mem- bers.

David Alvin recruits members to the Stetson University Quiet Library Society

April 15 deadline for library/book fellows

Fifteen positions in the field of library and information science are available under the 1992-93 Library/Book Fellows Program sponsored by ALA and the United States Information Agency (USIA). Positions are available in Africa, the American republics, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Stipends for the fellows are $30,000 per year plus travel expenses. Application deadline is April 15, 1992. For details contact Robert P. Doyle, Director, Library Book/Fellows Program, ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 6O6ll; (800) 545-2433 ext. 3200.

1993-94 Fulbright competition opens

The Fulbright Scholar Program for 1993-94 includes some 1,000 grants for research, combined research and lecturing, or lecturing in over 120 countries. Opportunities range from two months to a full academic year and are available in virtually all disciplines and subfields. The basic eligibility requirements for a Fulbright award are U.S. citizenship and Ph.D. or comparable professional qualifications. Application materials are available from the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, 3007 Tilden St., N.W., Suite 5M, Box NEWS, Washington, DC 20008-3009; (202) 686-7877.

New BI book published by ACRL

The Evolving Educational Mission of the Library,edited by Betsy Baker and Mary Ellen Litzinger, has been published by ACRL. The book identifies strategic issues which challenge the development of instructional programs in academic libraries and suggests roles for librarians in the educational processes of their parent institu- tions. Topics first identified during ACRL’s Bibliographic Instruction Section’s Think Tank in 1989 include infor- mation literacy, the impact of the informa- tion explosion on in- formation organiza- tion and access in the curriculum, user demography, and the impact of changes in academic libraries on information science curricula. The Evolving Educational Mission of the Library (ISBN 0- 8389-7584-4) is available to ACRL members for $19-95 (list price $29-95) from ALA’s Order Services Dept., 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 606ll; (800) 545- 2433; fax (312) 944-2641.

WSS compiles list of publishing opportunities

ACRL’s Women’s Studies Section’s (WSS) Publications Committee has compiled a ten-page listing of library and women’s studies periodicals that offer publishing opportunities related to library collections and services in women’s studies. Entitled Publishing Opportunities for Women’s Studies Librarianship, copies of the guide may be obtained from compiler Susan Williamson, Annenberg School for Communication, 3620 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104- 6220. WSS has also completed Women’s Studies Section Publication Policy and Procedures Manual, a guide to the association’s publishing procedures. Copies of the manual are available upon request from Cindy Fades, E108 Pattee Library, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801; e-mail: csf@ psulias.bitnet.

1992 INFORMA Conference

“Campus-Wide Information Systems: Leadership Roles for Libraries” is the theme of the 1992 INFORMA conference to be held May 10-12 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The conference will explore the library’s role in developing, implementing, and managing campuswide information systems. INFORMA is an effort of the IBM Corporation Academic Information System Division to provide a forum for libraries to explore, develop, and implement new information technologies. For details contact the conference hotline at (203) 783-7334 or the INFORMA secretariat at (310) 985-4035.

Machine-readable access to 19th- century collection of texts

Chadwyck-Healy announced that it will convert the classic texts edited by ecclesiastical publisher Jacques-Paul Migne into machine- readable form for the Patrologia Latina Database. The 221 volumes covering more than a thousand years of Western history, theology, philosophy, and literature from 200 A.D. through 1216 will be available on CD-ROM or magnetic tape. Plans call for boolean, word, phrase, and proximity searches to be possible.

St. Bernwardus is one of the figures represented in the Patrologia Latina Database being prepared by Chadwyck-Healey

Preconference on Americans with Disabilities Act

ALA’s Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies is hosting a preconference to ALA’s Annual Conference on June 26, 1992, that examines the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act on libraries of all types. A U.S. Department of Justice attorney, an advocate for rights of persons with disabilities, and a state librarian will address the law and its regulations. A consumer expert will discuss attitudi- nal changes necessary in employment of the disabled and a former library administrator will provide information about programs and services available. For details contact: Joanne Crispen, ASCLA Deputy Executive Director, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; (800) 545-2433 ext. 4396 or 4399.

Whole Person Catalog 2available from ALA

The Whole Person Catalog 2,a noncompre- hensive guide to sources of humanities discussion programs and exhibitions for libraries, is now available from ALA by calling (800) 545- 2433 ext. 5055 or 5053. The catalog, published with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), provides librarians with information about acquiring free brochures and other materials to aid program planning. Included in the catalog are tips on getting grants and a letter from Thomas C. Phelps, senior program officer at NEH, inviting librarians to call him at (202) 786-0271 to talk over an idea for an NEH grant.