ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries November 1 99 4 /6 2 7 Register for support staff teleconferences ACRL is c o sp o n so rin g the National Institute for Library P e rs o n n e l te le c o n fe re n c e produced by the College of D u P a g e (C O D ) in G le n Ellyn, Illinois. “Soaring for Excellence” will deliver ten live, interactive, satellite tele­ conferences and train 30,000 lib r a r y a s s is ta n ts a t 300 viewer sites. The programs, w hich will provide special­ ized training for support staff in library and inform ation services, will be broadcast beginning on February 14, 1995, and th e n o n th e first T uesday o f each m o n th th ro u g h J u n e 1995. COD w as a w a rd e d a $125,000 grant by the U.S. Departm ent of Edu­ cation to produce the teleconferences. The programs— covering topics such as “Li­ braries Then and Now: What Does the Future Hold,” “Individualized Library Service for a Di­ verse Population,” and “Technology and the Library Staff,”—form a core framework for d e­ veloping skills in working as a member of the library team. Continuing education and college credits will be offered for the teleconferences. B ernard Fradkin, dean of the Learning Re­ sources Center at COD is codirecting the project with Linda Slusar, coordinator of COD’s Library Technical Assistant program. Site registration for the teleconference se­ ries is $295 before November 15, 1994, and $395 after that date. Individuals wishing to par­ ticipate in the teleconferences should contact local academic institutions to determine po s­ sible locations. For more information call the teleconference hotline at (708) 738-3583 o r fax (708) 858-0499. Carnegie Mellon selects SIRSI system C arnegie M ellon University (CMU) has se ­ lected SIRSI’s U nicorn Inform ation M anage­ m ent System to replace the LS2000 library system it’s b e e n runn in g for ten years. CMU had b e e n the “alp h a test site” for th e NOTIS H orizon system , until d ev elo p m en t o f the system w as abruptly d iscontinued a n d the NOTIS S ystem s d iv is io n c o m b in e d w ith Dynix as part o f A m eritech Library Services (C&RL News, Septem ber 1994). N ew s f r o m th e f i e l d M a ry Ellen Davis C h a rle s L ow ry, CMU un iv ersity lib rarian , said that “U nicorn is d esig n ed to m eet o u r requirem ents for a seco n d g eneration li­ brary system. It is a UNIX- b a s e d o p e n system th at v ig o ro u s ly e x p lo its th e o p p o r tu n itie s p r e s e n te d by c lien t/serv er architec­ tures in highly n etw o rk ed e n v i r o n m e n t s . ” L o w ry a d d e d th at a lth o u g h fol­ lo w in g a n a c c e l e r a t e d pace to replace the system th e search w as no less rigorous. Imaging initiative launched by Getty The Getty Art History Inform ation Program (AHIP) has form ed an international Imaging Initiative to address issues related to the use o f digital images in the arts and humanities. The initiative will foster the developm ent of standards necessary to ensure that scholars, teachers, students, and the general public have access to images of art and cultural objects o v er electronic co m m unications netw orks. “The ‘inform ation superh ig h w ay ’ offers the possibility for im proved access to our artistic and cultural heritage,” said Eleanor Fink, di­ rector o f AHIP. “This potential can only be realized, however, if com m on approaches are developed for the recording, storage, and dis­ tribution of electronic visual information.” Con­ cerns addressed by the initiative will include standards, intellectual p roperty rights, and developing a com m on vision of image access. Jennifer Trant, a specialist in arts information m anagem ent, will manage AHIP’s Imaging Ini­ tiative. Trant can by reached by p h o n e at (310) 451-6381, or e-mail at jtrant@getty.edu. ACRL poster session deadline extended Share your latest creative thinking with your colleagues through a poster session at ACRL’s 7th National Conference in Pittsburgh, March 29-April 1, 1995. You now have until D ecem ­ b e r 15 to submit your poster session proposal. Poster sessions are information presentations featuring successful solutions to problems, and u nique and innovative library-based projects w ith im portant lessons to share w ith the larger academ ic an d research library com m unity. mailto:jtrant@getty.edu 628/ C&RL News R a d io a c tiv ity in b o o ks a n d jo u rn a ls couraging. The studies estimate that for indi­ viduals working in library settings, the radio­ activity from books and journals effectively increases the background radiation rate by b etw een three and ten percent. To p ut this in perspective, a set of dental x-rays results in a dose of about 9 millirems, w hich is roughly equivalent to the total annual in­ creases projected for book-related exposure. Rather than being unduly concerned about our “radioactive” collections, it may be more productive to work with paper manufactur­ ers and publishers towards using different ad­ ditives which could lower the radionuclide content of high-quality paper?— Thomas U7 Conkling, Pennsylvania State University Notes 1. H. W. Taylor and B. Singh, “Radioactiv­ ity in Fine Papers,”.fo u m a l o f Environmental Radioactivity 21 (1993): 177-87. 2. B. Y. Lalit, V. K. Shukla, and T. V. Ramachandran, “The Radioactivity Content of Books,” Health Physics 40 (May 1981): 735-39. 3. B. Y. Lalit and V. K. Shukla, “Radioac­ tivity in Books Produced During the Last 50 Years,” Health Physics 41 (Sept. 1984): 447-51. 4. Taylor and Singh, “Radioactivity in Fine Papers,” p. 185. A relatively surprising phenomena that li brarians should be aware of has been docu mented in recent years: radioactivity in the paper used in books and journals. Fortunately, however, the amount of radiation in question is modest and produces only a small increase in the natural background radiation. The most recent study on this topic1 ana lyzed the radioactive emissions from journal containing high-quality paper. The volume sam pled contained varying amounts of ra dium-226, thorium-232, potassium-40, cesium 137, and other radionuclides. The authors de termined that many of these radionuclides were introduced into the paper-making pro cess as part of the clays and other additives used to produce the white color and gloss finish of fine paper. Two earlier studies2,3 measured the radio activity in several hundred books published since the late 1800s in various countries and continents. The books displayed wide varia tions in radioactive content which was attrib uted to differences in the types of pulp, the production processes, and the additives used, as well as the year in which the paper was produced. The bottom line for those of us who work with these materials on a daily basis is en ­ ­ ­ s s ­ - ­ ­ y ­ ­ ­ ­ Submit your proposal to Thomas M. Peischl, chair, P oster Sessions Subcom m ittee, c /o M ankato State University Library, Box 19, Mankato, MN 56002-8400. Detailed instructions may be found in the “Call for Papers” p u b ­ lished as an insert in the January 1994 C&RL News. Questions? Contact Peischl by e-mail at tpeischl@nmu.edu or phone: (906) 227-1117. CJCLS seeks authors ACRL’s Community & Junior College Libraries Section (CJCLS) is actively looking for publi­ cation proposals to enrich the literature of com­ munity college librarianship. To aid their ef­ fort CJCLS has e s ta b lis h e d a p e rm a n e n t Research and Publications Committee. Those interested in developing a research or publi­ cation project should request a copy of the section’s “Research and Publications G uide­ lines” from the com m ittee’s chair, Beverley G ass, D ean, L earning R eso u rces C enter, Guilford Technical Community College, P.O. Box 309, Jamestown, NC 27282; phone: (910) 454-1126, x2434. Internet teleconference to be aired “Exploring Internet 3: Business and Commer­ cial Applications,” sponsored by D & F Asso­ ciates, Inc., will be telecast on Thursday, De­ cember 1 from noon to 2:00 p.m. (EST). The teleconference will feature Mary J. Cronin, pro­ fessor of management and university librarian at Boston College and author of Doing Busi­ ness on the Internet: How the Electronic High­ way Is Transforming American Companies; and Paul Christy, director, Information Lab, STAT- USA, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Arrangements to view the teleconference can be made by call­ ing (815) 756-2530 or faxing (815) 756-1126. mailto:tpeischl@nmu.edu November 1994 / 629 USC opens $ 2 7 .5 M Leavey Library T h e U n iv e r s ity o f S o u t h e r n California’s (USC) Leavey Library, d esig n ed from th e g ro u n d u p as a “teaching library” o p e n e d this fall. Packed w ith electronics, the Leavey Library w as “d esig n ed to p re p a re th ese students to m ake critical judgm ents ab o u t this flood o f electronic inform ation a n d to control an d use it,” said univer­ sity librarian P eter Lyman. “We say ‘Login an d learn,”’ said L eav ey L ib rary d ir e c to r C hris F e rg u so n . “U sers n e e d to feel T h e I n f o r com fortable w ith this technology, w a s d e s ig n o t just to use th e libraries o f to ­ day a n d tom orrow , b ut to function in an in­ creasingly digital w o rld .” T he Leavey Library’s features include: a 24- h our-a-day Inform ation C om m ons furnished w ith 100 single an d g ro u p w orkstations w ith p ie-sh ap ed tables (see p h o to ) to facilitate stu­ d en t interaction an d cooperation; a 50-seat au ­ ditorium e q u ip p e d w ith m o d ern m ultim edia p ro jectio n capabilities; 21 ro o m s for g ro u p study an d special classes; tw o learning room s— o n e w ith 15 w orkstations an d o n e w ith 25— for training in library skills, database search­ ing, a n d the use o f th e Internet; seating for 1,475 patrons; tou ch screen interactive infor­ m ation kiosks; a com puting “D iscovery Cen- n C o m m o n s a t USC’s n e w L ea v ey L ibrary e n c o u r a g e s tu d e n t c o lla b o r a t io n . ” w h e re students an d faculty can explore e latest in h ard w are an d software; an initial llection o f m ore th an 65,000 volum es w ith o m to grow to m ore th an 120,000; a tradi­ nal reading ro o m offering reserve services, periodical reading ro o m w ith study carrels, m fortable lounges, an d tables, an d a co p y n ter—all d esig n ed for 24-hour use. T he T hom as a n d D orothy Leavey F o u n d a­ n d o n a te d $9 m illion for th e project. O ther ajor contributions included $4.5 million from e A hm anson F o u n d atio n an d $2.5 million m th e W eingart Foundation. The library was sig n ed by th e architectural firm o f Shepley lfinch Richardson a n d Abbott. ■ n e d to te r th co ro tio a co ce tio m th fro d e Bu C & R L e d it o r s o u g h t Applications an d nom inations are invited for the position o f editor o f College & Research Libraries, the bim onthly, scholarly research journal o f the A ssociation o f College an d Re­ search Libraries (ACRL). T he e d ito r is a p ­ p o in ted for a three-year term w hich may be re n e w e d for an additional three years. Ap­ plicants m ust b e m em bers o f ALA an d ACRL. Q ualifications inclu d e p ro fessio n al e x p e ri­ en ce in academ ic libraries, a record o f sch o l­ arly publication, editing experience, an u n ­ derstanding o f the scholarly com m unication process, an d a b ro a d k n o w led g e o f th e is­ sues confronting academ ic libraries. Some funding for editorial assistance is available, an d th ere is a small honorarium for the editor. A ppointm ent will b e m ade by th e ACRL oard o f Directors at the 1995 A nnual C on­ rence, u p o n the recom m endation o f the arch com m ittee an d o f th e ACRL Publica­ ons Committee. The incom ing ed ito r will ssum e full responsibility for C&RL in July 996, after a year o f w orking w ith the o u t­ oing editor. N om inations, or resum es and letters o f pplication including the nam es o f three ref­ e n c e s, sh o u ld b e se n t to: C&RL Search om m ittee, c /o H ugh T hom pson, Program fficer, ACRL/ALA, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, 6 0 6 ll. The d eadline for receipt o f appli­ tions is D ecem ber 15, 1994. Finalists will e interview ed at the M idw inter M eeting in ebruary 1995. ■ B fe se ti a 1 g a er C O IL ca b F