ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Letter

Extended Campus Guidelines

To the Editor:

In the March 1982 issue of C&RL News, the ACRL Standards and Accreditation Committee published the "Guidelines for Extended Campus Library Services.” After having worked with these guidelines for the past eight months and having had the opportunity to compare their effectiveness to the “Guidelines for Library Services to Extension/Noncampus Students: Draft of Proposed Revisions (Cù-RL News. October 1980). I can confirm my disappointment. The present guidelines lack the impact that the draft guidelines had: the evaluative checklist in the draft provided my library with concrete items that were readily presentable to the college administration. Their quantitative measurement of the quality of extended campus library service spoke directly to the administrators on the crucial topics of finances, personnel, facilities, resources, and services.

At a time when state and regional accrediting agencies are scrutinizing more closely extended campus programs, librarians must possess a strong evaluation tool that allow's accurate measurements of a program’s quality, yet is easily understandable to non-librarians. Although the draft guidelines were by no means perfect, they were certainly pointed in the right direction. The revised guidelines lack the cogency needed by the library profession and program evaluators to judge extended campus library services.—Manuel Sanudo. Extension Services Librarian. College of New Rochelle. New York. ■ ■

OCLC COPYRIGHTED

The OCLC Board of Trustees authorized OCLC management on December 15 to register the OCLC database under federal copyright law. The step was taken, according to OCLC president Rowland C. W. Brown, as part of a "broad, educational program being undertaken by OCLC and the members to ensure the integrity of the database as well as its appropriate and responsible use in keeping with the mutual rights and obligations of its members.”

Beginning the week of December 27. 1982, copyright notices have appeared on the online system’s log-on message and on various OCLC products derived from the database including OCLC- MARC Subscription Service Tapes, Accession Lists, and Union Lists of Serials. Under the federal copyright law databases are equally entitled to copyright protection whether they are in printed hard copy form or fixed in an electromagnetic medium.

The OCLC Users Council Task Force on Responsible Use of the OCLC System has identified a number of practices by some members and third parties that are detrimental to the continuing value of the database. The Task Force recommended the development of tightened contractual provisions and new pricing mechanisms as a partial remedy.

All contracts now in effect between OCLC and the networks, members, and users will be deemed to include licenses under the copyright as necessary to permit the exercise of all rights granted under such contracts. Other practices not currently authorized either by contract or the fair use doctrine will be considered for licensing by OCLC on terms to be negotiated from case to case including the grant of royalty-free rights when appropriate. ■ ■