ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C & R L N e w s ■ A p ril 2 0 0 1 / 3 8 1 N e w s f r o m t h e F i e l d Mary Ellen Davis ASERL launches Kudzu T h e A s s o c ia tio n o f S o u th e a s te r n R e s e a r c h L i­ b r a r ie s ( A S E R L ) la u n c h e d K u d z u , a s y s te m o f lin k e d o n lin e c a ta lo g s a t 1 3 r e s e a r c h li­ b r a r ie s a c r o s s th e S o u th e a s t, c o n n e c tin g m o r e th a n 1 8 0 ,0 0 0 s tu d e n ts a n d f a c u lty to m o r e th a n 2 3 m illio n v o lu m e s . T h e s y s te m a llo w s u s e r s to b r o w s e th e c a ta lo g s o f p a r tic ip a tin g lib r a r ie s u s in g a s in g le in te r f a c e , a n d to s u b ­ m it in te r lib r a r y lo a n r e q u e s ts d ir e c tly to th e s o u r c e lib r a r y . U s in g e x is tin g s y s te m s a t e a c h p a r tic ip a tin g s ite , m o s t d o c u m e n ts c a n b e d e ­ liv e r e d w ith in tw o d a y s . P r e v ie w K u d z u a t w w w .a s e r l.o r g . P a u l G h e r m a n , A S E R L ’s b o a r d p r e s id e n t a n d u n iv e r s ity lib r a r ia n a t V a n d e r b ilt U n iv e r ­ s ity , s a id , “ T h is is o n e o f th e la r g e s t s h a r e d c a ta lo g s y s te m s in th e r e g io n , a n d s o m e th in g f o r w h ic h w e a r e tr u ly p r o u d .” P a r tic ip a tin g in s titu tio n s a r e W a k e F o r e s t U n iv e r s ity , T u la n e U n iv e r s ity , C le m s o n U n i­ v e r s ity , A u b u r n U n iv e r s ity , V ir g in ia C o m m o n ­ w e a lth U n iv e r s ity , V a n d e r b ilt U n iv e r s ity , M is ­ s is s ip p i S ta te U n iv e r s ity , a n d th e U n iv e r s itie s o f M is s is s ip p i, S o u th C a r o lin a , K e n tu c k y , T e n ­ n e s s e e - K n o x v ille , A la b a m a -B ir m in g h a m , a n d L o u is v ille . LC and OCLC collaborate on digital reference T h e L ib r a r y o f C o n g r e s s ( L C ) a n d O C L C s ig n e d a c o o p e r a tiv e a g r e e m e n t to d e v e lo p a p r o to ty p e f o r a n e w r e f e r e n c e s e r v ic e b a s e d o n th e C o lla b o r a ­ tiv e D ig ita l R e f e r e n c e S e r ­ v ic e ( C D R S ) p ilo t, b e g u n in 2 0 0 0 b y L C a n d 1 6 p a r ­ tic ip a tin g lib r a r ie s . N o w in its th ir d p h a s e , th e p i­ lo t p r o je c t h a s e x p a n d e d to in c lu d e m o r e th a n 6 0 lib r a r ie s a n d o th e r in s ti­ tu tio n s in te r n a tio n a lly . T h e g o a l o f C D R S is to p r o v id e p r o f e s s io n a l r e f e r e n c e s e r v ic e to r e ­ s e a r c h e r s a n y tim e , a n y w h e r e , th r o u g h a n in ­ te r n a tio n a l, d ig ita l n e tw o r k o f lib r a r ie s a n d r e la te d in s titu tio n s . T h e 2 4 / 7 s e r v ic e w ill d e ­ liv e r th e d ir e c t b e n e f its o f q u a lity r e f e r e n c e s e r v ic e to a b r o a d s p e c tr u m o f u s e r s : a r e li­ a b le a n d a u th o r ita tiv e k n o w le d g e n a v ig a tio n s e r v ic e , a la r g e s e a r c h a b le a r c h iv e o f a u th o r i­ ta tiv e a n s w e r s , a n d in c r e a s e d v is ib ility a n d s u p p o r t f o r lib r a r ie s . D ia n e N e s te r K r e s h , d ir e c to r f o r P u b lic S e r ­ v ic e C o lle c tio n s a t L C , s a id , “ B y lin k in g li­ b r a r ie s f o r r e f e r e n c e s e r v ic e s , th e C D R S w o u ld c o m b in e th e p o w e r o f lo c a l c o lle c tio n s a n d s ta f f s tr e n g th s w ith th e d iv e r s ity a n d a v a il­ a b ility o f lib r a r ie s a n d lib r a r ia n s e v e r y w h e r e , 2 4 h o u r s a d a y , 7 d a y s a w e e k . T h e r e w o u ld a lw a y s b e a lib r a r ia n a v a ila b le to p r o v id e to u s e r s lo c a te d a n y w h e r e th e in te r c h a n g e a n d e x p e r ie n c e o f tr a in e d a s s is ta n c e in p r o v id in g a c c e s s to c o lle c tio n s a n d r e s o u r c e s b o th a n a ­ lo g a n d d ig ita l.” Univ. of Nevada opens new library A f te r tw o y e a r s o f c o n s tr u c tio n , th e U n iv e r ­ s ity o f N e v a d a , L a s V e g a s ( U N L V ) , o p e n e d its n e w m a in lib r a r y , L ie d L ib r a r y , a $ 5 5 .3 m illio n , 3 0 2 ,0 0 0 - s q u a r e - fo o t f a c ility . The University of Nevada recently opened Lied Library, a $55.3 m illion, 302,000-square-foot facility. The technologically advanced library manages its collection with the 3M Digital Identification System . http://www.aserl.org