ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


627

New s 
f r o m  th e 

F ield

Univ. of Minn, scores at 
football gam e
The University of Minnesota 
Library, Minneapolis, received 
its five-miilionth volume dur­
ing halftime o f the football 
gam e with Indiana Univer­
sity, O cto b er 2. A m erica n  
H unger, R ichard W rig h t’s 
continuation o f his autobio­
graphical Black Boy, will join 
the Archie Givens Sr. Collec­
tion of African-American Lit­
erature and Life. A football 
game was chosen for the pre
sentation to emphasize the connection betw een 
academics and athletics; the men’s athletic di­
rector is committed to academics and has a new  
study initiative for student athletes. The occa­
sion also kicked off a campaign to establish a 
$5 million University Library Endowment Fund 
to support acquisitions and new  technologies.

Triangle Research Libraries mount 
online catalog
An integrated online automated catalog and cir­
culation system w ent up in September at the 
Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN). 
The system, a goal of the consortium since its 
1979 founding, connects the libraries o f net­
work members at the University of North Caro­
lina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North 
Carolina State University. Network holdings 
comprise more than 109 million volumes. A 
softw are and com m unications package, d e ­
signed by Data Research Associates (DRA) and 
funded by a $1.4 million grant from the Tri­
angle Universities Center for Advanced Stud­
ies, Inc. (TUCASI), links the libraries online cat­
alogs and provides access to national databases, 
journal indexes, and the Internet. The software 
also combines the libraries’ catalogs and circu­
lation systems, so patrons can determine instant­
ly whether desired books are available.

Louisiana to im prove netw orks
Louisiana State University (LSU) and the Agri­
cultural and Mechanical College were awarded 
$2,480,000 by the U.S. Department of Educa­
tion to improve the existing Louisiana library 
networks. The grant will provide funds to ex­
tend and improve the academic library network 
in Louisiana, know n as LOUIS (Louisiana O nline

 University Information 
System ) w h ich  p ro v id es 
higher ed u catio n  patrons 
with electronic access to li­
brary databases. The result 
will be a statewide multi­
type library netw ork over 
the statew ide fiber optic 
te le c o m m u n ic a tio n  n e t­
w o rk  m a n a g e d  b y  th e  
state’s Office o f Telecom­
munications Management. 
This grant will also make 
available the funds to pro­
vide electronic information 

access to citizens and school children w ho use 
the State Library of Louisiana, the 64 parish li­
braries, and some of the state’s larger K-12 pro­
grams. Library patrons will be able to access 
library materials ow ned by every Louisiana li­
brary connected to the network and they will 
be able— through the Internet—to view infor­
mation available in libraries and electronic da­
tabases throughout the world. This grant pre­
pares Louisiana to b e a full partner in the 
Clinton/Gore initiatives to build an electronic 
data highway.

Book Center an d  lib rary team  up
The Book Center and the University Library 
teamed up at the University of Pittsburgh to 
provide students and faculty with computer­
ized access to R. R. Bowker’s Books in Print 
database. The database can be accessed through 
com puter terminals in any o f the university’s 
libraries and the Book Center through PittNet 
Plus, the universitywide electronic network, by 
dialing into the network via the modem of the 
Internet. Users can conduct author, subject, and 
title searches, verify bibliographic information, 
learn about forthcoming titles, and find out 
whether or not the titles are available in the 
library.

W right State outsources cataloging
Wright State University (WSU), Dayton, Ohio, 
began contracting with the OCLC Online Com­
puter Library Center, Inc., in Dublin, Ohio, for 
cataloging services, effective October 1. The 
ch an g e will save th e university $200,000-
$250,000 p er year, but this m oney will remain 
in the library’s budget and be “reinvested into 
direct public services for materials, subscriptions,



6 2 8

 public workstations, and hardware and 
software,” according to Arnold Hirshon, univer­
sity librarian at WSU. “To the best of our knowl­
edge, we are the first major academic library in 
the U.S. to outsource all of our cataloging ser­
vices. Reengineering through outsourcing will 
enable us to invest significant funds to provide 
critical services for our library users.”

The savings com es primarily from the elimi­
n atio n  o f 11 p o sitio n s. W hen a sk ed  w h at 
prom pted the move to outsourcing, Hirshon 
said that productivity studies indicated there 
was an opportunity for a substantial increase 
in productivity by switching to outsourcing. 
When asked w hether or not he saw outsourcing 
of cataloging as a trend, Hirshon said that he 
had other inquiries from libraries in Ohio but 
that each w ould have to assess their individual 
conditions in making that decision. “It was the 
right decision for Wright State with the condi­
tions w e had at the time,” Hirshon commented.

WSU intends to contract authority control 
separately and is currently reviewing bids. The 
university catalogs 21,000 titles each year with 
about 75% o f the cataloging copy coming from 
the Library o f Congress or the National Library 
of Medicine, 20% from m em ber libraries, and 
5% original cataloging.

Call for p a p e rs: Art an d  Bl
Both LOEX and the IFLA Section o f Art Librar­
ies are seeking proposals for their 1994 confer­
ences.

The International Federation of Library As­
sociations and Institutions (IFLA) invites pro­
posals for p ap e rs o r reco m m en d atio n s for 
speakers for the art section w orkshop and ses­
sion to be held during the 60th general IFLA 
conference which will be held in Havana, Cuba, 
August 21-28, 1994. Papers should address ei­
ther of these two themes: “Libraries as a bridge 
betw een the artist and society” and “Library col­
lections o f Latin American and Caribbean ma­
terials b oth inside and outside the region.” 
Details are available from Jan van der Wateren, 
chairman, IFLA Section of Art Libraries, c/o  
National Art Library, Victoria and Albert Mu­
seum, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL, En­
gland; phone: (071) 938-8303; fax: (071) 938-
8461. Proposals are due to van der W ateren by 
January 31, 1994.

LOEX seeks abstracts for short (hour-long) 
instructive or poster sessions for its May 13-14, 
1994, conference in Ypsilanti, Michigan, which 
will deal with the relationship betw een reference

 and BI and the new  dem ands placed on 
both. LOEX also invites proposals covering BI 
in specific subject areas (e.g., science, health 
sciences, arts, education) or on special topics 
such as teaching Internet use. O ne-page ab­
stracts are due to LOEX by January 19, 1994. 
For details contact LOEX at (313) 487-0168; e-
mail: lib_shirato@emunix.emich.edu.

H a ve academ ic statu s? Contact 
committee
The ACRL Academic Status Committee is seek­
ing input from librarians w ho have academic 
rather than faculty status. The committee w ould 
like to know  w hat use you and your colleagues 
may have made o f the “ACRL Guidelines for 
College and University Libraries,” which w ere 
approved in 1990 and published in the March 
1990 issue of C&RL News. Please forward your 
comments to W. Bede Mitchell, Belk Library, 
Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608. 
Comments may also be sent electronically to 
mitchell wb@ appstate.

ALA self-study audit completed
“The association must invest more in the long 
term, for everything from its chief staff officer 
and future leadership to its vision and long­
term mission. It must make the ultimate choice 
betw een unlimited democracy and effectiveness, 
efficiency and identy.” These are am ong the 
conclusions drawn by the Consensus Manage­
ment Group (CMG) in its “structure and gover­
nance audit” presented to the ALA Executive Board 
in October. CMG was selected by ALA’s Self-study 
Committee, chaired by William Summers.

Among the 14 areas CMG cited as needing 
attention are: better clarity of the roles, rights, 
and responsibilities of the executive director, 
president, and executive committee (“Instead 
of the president working for ALA, leading the 
organization to achieve its stated goals …  ‚ it 
appears as if ALA is now  expected to work for 
the president. This produces an annual rush to 
accomplishment of presidential initiatives, with 
little or no assurance of long-term interest or 
impact.”); not enough attention given to the big 
picture; too few people participate in the gov­
ernance of ALA (“there appears to be a cadre of 
no more than 100 people …  in the decision­
making loop”); the budget drives priorities in­
stead of priorities driving the budget, making 
COPES the most significant governing body; lack 
of orientation or training for elected leaders or 
staff; and lots of duplication of effort.

mailto:lib_shirato@emunix.emich.edu


629

Am ong CM G’s recommendations to correct
these areas are: make the executive board the
executive committee o f ALA Council; make the
council the primary governance body o f ALA;
make the president’s role one o f stewardship
(w h ere the president helps the organization
achieve its goals) rather than proprietary (where
the president sets the agenda causing there to
be significant swings in focus from administra­
tion to administration); make the executive direc­
tor responsible for the administration o f ALA. “In
other words, the governing bodies determine what
ALA should be doing, but the Executive Director
and staff should be given both authority and re­
sponsibility for deciding how it should be done.”

CMG noted that among ALA’s strengths are:
a strong commitment from member-leaders and
staff to “d o g o o d ”; a high member retention
rate— an important indicator o f member satisfti

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

acon;

 and a sound fiscal condition. Hearings 
on the report w ill be held on February 6 from 
1:00– 3:00 p.m. during the 1994 Midwinter Meet­
ing in Los Angeles. Copies o f the report are 
available from Emily Melton, Executive Office, 
ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 6 0 6 ll.

Cornell developing virtual lib rary
Cornell University w ill digitize material from 
its collections that document the developm ent 
o f  Am erica’s infrastructure— transportation, 
communications, and the built environment—  
between 1860 and 1960 in a project called “The 
Making o f America.” The project’s leaders plan 
to enlist the support o f other institutions to digi­
tize, over time 100,000 volumes.

“W e want to find out h o w  a virtual library 
o f thematically related material can affect teach­
ing and scholarship,” said Anne Kenney, associate

1 5  o verseas opportunities a v a ila b le
Applications are being accepted through 

March 15 for the 1994-95 Library Fellows Pro­
gram. The joint program o f ALA and the USIA 
(United States Information A gen cy) w ill place 
approximately 15 U.S. library and informa
tion science pro­
fessionals o v e r­
seas beginning in 
September 1994.

Opportunities 
in c lu d e  p la c e ­
ments in Africa, 
East Asia or the 
Pacific, and Eu­
r o p e  w ith  a 
range o f assign­
ments including, 
but not lim ited 
to, developing li­
brary science cur­
riculum, install­
ing OPACs, d e­
v e lo p in g  a u to­
m a tio n  plan s,
training staff in public and technical services 
and online databases, and collection acquisi­
tion and evaluation.

Stipends for library fellow s are $33,000 per 
year. Travel expenses for the fellow  and one 
dependent to and from the host country will

ACRL members participating in the 1993-94 Library 
Fellows program are: Back row: Catherine Hutton, 
David Nelson, Mary Hong Loe, John Hostage, D. Whit­
ney Coe; front row: Paul Frantz, Barbara Beil, Jac
qeline McGrady, Sheila Milam, and Ketty Rodriguez.

be reimbursed; health insurance and a small 
housing subsidy are provided.

Eligibility requirements are: U.S. citizenship; 
language skills o f the host country (desired and 
sometimes required); education and experi

ence in library or 
information sci­
e n c e  o r o th e r 
fields directly re­
lated to the inter­
ests and needs 
o f specific pro­
jects with dem ­
onstrated com ­
p e te n c y  as re­
quired.

For a detailed 
d e s c r ip tio n  o f  
the positions or 
to apply contact: 
R o b e rt D o y le , 
Director, Library 
F e llo w s  P r o ­
gram, ALA, 50 E. 

Huron, Chicago, IL 60611; phone: (800) 545-
2433, ext. 3200. Applications should include 
resume with cover letter stating desired posi­
tion, foreign-language skills, subject exper­
tise, and maximum placement service length 
(n o  application forms are available). ■



630

 director o f preservation at Cornell Univer­
sity Library. A virtual library refers to the exist­
ence of a library across the global electronic 
network, free from the confines o f printed mat­
ter available only at particular locations.

The project, a joint venture b etw een  the 
Cornell Library and Cornell Information Tech­
nologies, with support from the Culpeper Foun­
dation, is also intended to advance the technol­
ogy of electronic preservation and access. In 
collaboration with Xerox, Cornell has developed 
digital imaging technology and demonstrated its 
usefulness in preserving embrittled library books.

This project will ad d re ss issues su c h  as 
defining standards o f quality, im plem enting 
procedures to ensure digital images are avail­
able long-term , an d  d e v e lo p in g  tech n iq u es 
to guarantee materials are easily an d  w idely 
available. Cornell is inviting other institutions 
to participate in the project.

W ooster revives M um m ers’ p la y
College of Wooster library director Damon Hick­
ey has rev iv e d  th e M u m m ers’ Play o f St. 
G eorge— an  a n c ie n t m id w in ter com ic folk 
drama of death and resurrection—as a w ay to 
relieve the students’ tension during those fran­
tic December days o f exam preparation. Dressed 
as Father Christmas, H ickey accosts “Saint” 
George— a student w ho has com e to the library 
to study for exams—and a ten-minute play en­
sues with many deaths and resurrections. Hickey 
closes the play with “And now  all you students, 
return to your studies; These books are your 
friends, your comrades, your buddies …  The 
dangers you fear are all in your head, so read 
now, and study, an d  then get to b ed .”

“Father C h ristm as,” p la y e d  b y  d ir ec to r  o f  th e  
lib rary D a m o n  H ick ey, a p p ea ls to  t h e  a u d ien ce  
in  th e  C o lleg e  o f  W ooster’s  M um m ers’ Play.

RLG begins digital im age access 
project
Eight Research Libraries G roup (RLG) libraries 
will w ork together to explore the capabilities 
o f digital image technology for managing ac­
cess to photographic collections. The institu­
tions will investigate ways to streamline index­
ing m ethods and capitalize on the online digital 
environm ent for improving access to collections, 
for local projects an d  shared netw orked access.

In total, 8,000 photographs from the collec­
tions o f these RLG members will be digitized, 
an d  image access software created. The project 
will develop, test, an d  evaluate a digital image 
access system consisting o f databases, image 
bases, and software for searching, retrieving, 
an d  displaying images. Participating in this 
project are: Amon Carter Museum, Columbia 
University, Duke University, Getty Center for 
the History o f Art and the Humanities, Harvard 
University (Frances Loeb Library), New York 
Public Library, Northwestern University, and the 
University o f California at Berkeley.

Stanford gets n e w  m edia center
The Stanford Media Integration Lab for Educa­
tion (SMILE) was selected as the first New Me­
dia Center by a consortium w hich includes Ado­
b e Systems, A pple Com puter, FWB, Macro­
m edia, Prentice Hall, Sony Electronics, an d  
SuperMac. As a New Media Center, SMILE will 
have access to state-of-the-art multimedia d e­
velopm ent and production equipm ent supplied 
at low  cost by leading com panies in the indus­
try. This new  facility will help the libraries re­
sp o n d  to an increasing faculty dem and for these 
facilities and services.

Located o n  the second floor o f the Meyer 
Library, SMILE will provide multimedia instruc­
tion for faculty, students, and staff and support 
the developm ent o f m edia-based curriculum 
materials. SMILE m akes use o f Meyer’s com ­
p u ter classroom and cluster and its curriculum 
developm ent lab. In the com puter classroom, 
instructors dem onstrate com puter usage o n  a 
large, projected screen display w hile students 
w ork at individual com puter stations. Students 
can w o rk  w ith m ultim edia applications an d  
p ro d u c e  projects o f their o w n in th e co m p u t­
er cluster. The curriculum  d ev elo p m en t lab 
allow s faculty an d  students to create instruc­
tional m ultim edia applications using text, au­
dio, still image, an d  video digitizers, authoring 
sy stem s, an d  CD-ROM p r o d u c tio n  e q u ip ­
m ent. ■



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