ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ July/August 2002 / 487 N e w s f r o m t h e F i e l d Stephanie Orphan L ib ra ry o f Congress an d OCLC re le a s e re fe re n c e service The Library of Congress’s (LC) Public Service Collections Directorate and OCLC have d e ­ veloped a new collaborative online reference service, QuestionPoint. The service, which is available at ww w .questionpoint.org, provides libraries with access to a growing collabora­ tive netw ork of reference librarians in the United States and around the world. The subscription service enables reference librarians to share their resources and exper­ tise with each other and with their patrons free of charge. Library patrons can submit questions through the library’s Web site. The questions will be answ ered online by quali­ fied library staff from the patron’s ow n library or forw arded to a participating library around the world. B ran d eis selects Ex L ib ris' D ig iT o o l Brandeis University has aw arded a contract to Ex Libris fo r th e im p le m e n ta tio n o f D igiTool as th e u n iv ersity ’s digital asset m an a g e m e n t system . DigiTool offers a for­ m at- a n d p r o to c o l- in d e p e n d e n t d e sig n , uniform search interface for all collections, a n d p o lic y -b ase d a u th e n tic a tio n m ethods. T he im p lem e n ta tio n o f th e D igiTool soft­ w a re m o d u le is p art o f an Institute o f Mu­ seu m a n d Library Services G rant Project u n d e rw a y at B randeis. U n iv e rs ity o f L o u is ville b eco m es n e w e s t ARL m e m b e r At its 2002 Spring Membership Meet­ ing, the Association of Research Librar­ ies CARL) m em bership voted to invite the University of Louisville (UL) Library to join th e association as its 124th m em ber. Established in 1798, UL was included in the Doctoral/Research Ex­ tensive classification by the Carnegie C orporation, th e category n o w re ­ quired for ARL membership. Hannelore B. Rader, university librarian, accepted ARL’s invitation on behalf of the library. The m em bership vote followed an exten­ sive review of qualitative and quantitative docum entation and a site visit. A visiting com­ mittee considering the eligibility of UL re­ view ed the breadth and dep th of collections, uniqueness of research resources, potential contributions to scholarship, and leadership in the library and information science profes­ sion. UL enrolls approxim ately 14,500 under­ graduates, 4,500 graduate students, and 1,800 professional school students. The university is consistently strengthening its research p ro­ grams and resources, and the library is a top strategic priority of the university. UNC C h ap el H ill o ffe r s b a c h e lo r's d e g re e in in fo r m a tio n science The University o f North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) will begin offering a bach elo r’s d e ­ gree in inform ation science this fall. Build­ ing on the undergraduate m inor in the field that UNC has offered since 1997, the major will integrate the study of the creation and m an a g e m e n t of inform ation c o n te n t, the characteristics and needs of the p eo p le w h o create and use information, and the tech­ nologies used to su p p o rt the creation and m anipulation of information. The new m a­ jor will be taught in UNC’s School of Infor­ m ation and Library Science and will consist of ten courses. WHO'S WHO ON CD Lynn Jane, b. 1945, Thermal, CA. BA Radcliffe 1966 ; MLS Simmons, 1994. Has stored her entire long distance Record on CD-ROM. David Fishlow, b. 1943, Toana, VA. BA William & Mary 1969; MBA Berkeley 1972. CD "The Sounds of Silence," offering 2 hours of silence, recorded at spots of great physical beauty. A cult classic since 1994. BobbieSue Dinwiddie, b. unknown, NYC. CEO of C-D Seating, a company constructing Furniture from CDs . K. Waugh________________________________ http://www.questionpoint.org 488 / C&RL News ■ July/August 2002 U n iv e rs ity o f M isso u ri-K an sas C ity In fo C o m m o n s w in s d e sig n a w a rd s T he U n iv e rsity o f M isso u ri-K an sas City (UMKC) Miller Nichols Library Information Commons has received an International Illu­ m ination Design Award “in recognition of professionalism, ingenuity, and originality in lighting design” from the Heart of America section of the Illumination Engineering Soci­ ety of North America. The Information Com­ m ons has also b e e n recognized for educa­ tional interior design excellence in A m erican School & University magazine. In the com pe­ tition that has b e e n held since 1983, the In­ formation Commons was recognized for O ut­ standing Design in the category of Libraries/ Media Centers. Pictures and information about the UMKC Inform ation C om m ons can be fo u n d at h ttp ://w w w .u m k c .e d u /lib /M N L / About/info-com m ons, htm . Call f o r p o p u la r c u ltu re p a p ers The Libraries, Archives, and Popular Culture Research Area of the Popular Culture Asso­ ciation is soliciting papers dealing with any aspect of popular culture as it pertains to li- Digital Diamond sparkles at Temple The w o rd d ia m o n d a b o u n d s at Tem ple University— a constant rem inder of founder Russell Conwell’s stirring speech to prospec­ tive donors, retelling the tale of acres of un ­ discovered diam onds that a prosperous Per­ sian farm er overlooked on his ow n land. Temple Libraries recently launched Digi­ tal Diam ond, an archive containing thou­ sands o f digitized images, including histori­ cal photographs of Philadelphia and the region, international w ar posters (one of w hich appears on this issue’s cover), sheet music, architectural slides and photographs, and other archival materials. It is being developed with financial su p ­ port totaling m ore than $800,000, com prised of a gift from a generous d o n o r and two congressionally directed grants administered by the Institute of M useum and Library Ser­ vices. True to Conwell’s vision of bringing hidden treasures to light, Digital D iam ond provides electronic access to selected col­ lections previously available only to on-site users. The archive is accessible at h ttp :// diam ond.tem ple.edu. Digital D iam ond is an im plem entation of the Archival Reference D atabase com po­ nent of Tem ple’s online library system by Innovative Interfaces and runs parallel to the online catalog. All search features found in the online catalog are available, includ­ ing keyw ord and advanced searching, su b ­ ject searching, and scoped searches. Unlike a typical library catalog, with ar­ chival holdings represented by a single sum­ mary statem ent describing an entire collec­ tion, Digital Diam ond features a com plete MARC record for each image. Scholars w ho have identified useful LC subject headings w hile searching for materials in the online catalog can use the same headings to search in Digital D iam ond for related images of interest. M A R C c a ta lo g in g The decision to do MARC cataloging for each image presented challenging issues. Tem ­ plates w ere devised so staff scanning photo­ graphs and other materials could create brief cataloging records, later to be revised by li­ brarian catalogers, once the images are linked in the database. Despite efforts to streamline workflow and keep pace with scanned im­ ages w aiting to b e linked, a backlog of scanned images developed and continues to be a challenge. A database was created to record and track the num bers of images and bibliographic records and to help alert staff members about growing bottlenecks that can be eased by adjusting w ork assignments. W a te rm a rk s Maintaining o ur copyright on the vast col­ lection of photographs from the George D. M cDowell P hiladelphia E vening B ulletin Collection is imperative. While providing access to the images, w e also m aintain the right to sell photographic reprints u p o n re­ quest. O ur digital imaging specialist devel­ o p e d a w aterm ark that appears o n each copyrighted image, and each bibliographic record provides instructions on how to re- http://www.umkc.edu/lib/MNL/ diamond.temple.edu C&RL News ■ July/August 2002 / 489 braries, archives, museums, or research. Particu­ larly welcome are papers responding to Nicholson Baker’s book, Double Fold: Libraries a n d the As­ sault on Paper. Prospective presenters should send a one-page abstract by September 15 to: Allen Ellis, W. Frank Steely Library, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY, 41099-6101, e- mail: ellisa@nku.edu. CNI a n d D a r tm o u th o f f e r " C o lla b o r a tiv e F a c ilitie s " W e b s ite T he C oalition for N etw o rk ed Inform ation (CNI) a n d D artm outh College have created a quest a reprint. Watermarks, as well as other considerations, including cataloging issues and workflow tracking, are all detailed in Collection M anagem ent (July 2002), which also includes a bibliography on digital initia­ tives. E le c tro n ic course reserves A nother com ponent of the Digital Diam ond project included using scanned im ages in our im plem entation of Innovative Interfaces’ Course Reserves Module. The first images to b e offered w ere horticultural slides regu­ larly u se d for classes in landscape architec­ ture a n d horticulture. Following that, other reserve materials, such as past exam s and assigned articles, w ere gradually a d d e d to the e-reserve offerings. These items are avail­ able only to Tem ple users because of copy­ right restrictions. A com plete discussion of early findings in this course reserves project, including copyright issues and further c o n ­ siderations, w as published in The Bottom Line: M an a g in g Library Finances (volum e 14, nu m b er 2, 2001). N e x t steps Progress during every part of the first grant, com pleted in March 2002, was slow er than originally anticipated. The pace gradually increased as staff m em bers becam e familiar with scanning procedures and cataloging issues a n d the w orkflow becam e m ore stan­ dardized. Building on the experience gained from the com pleted projects, the libraries are now new W eb site, “Collaborative Facilities,” d e ­ signed to collect, organize, a n d dissem inate inform ation abo u t m odel collaborative facili­ ties on college and university cam puses. This in cludes inform ation com m ons; teaching, learning, and technology training facilities; and m ultim edia facilities. All higher education institutions are invited to subm it m aterials on collaborative facilities for inclusion on the Web site. The materials will be review ed to determ ine that they m eet the prim ary criteria of the Collaborative Fa­ cilities project, nam ely that the facilities m ust using a se co n d çongressionally directed grant to increase the d e p th and breadth of the existing collections a n d to add m ore u nique collections o w n e d by the libraries to Digital Diam ond. In addition, outcom es assessm ent instrum ents for various grant projects will b e d e v elo p ed in collaboration w ith som e professors w h o will use selected images in their lectures a n d assignments. A nother major com p o n en t of the second grant is the developm ent of online exhibi­ tions to create new opportunities for out­ reach to the university, the scholarly com ­ munity, school groups, a n d the public. Using lessons learned during the first grant about h o w easy it is to underestim ate the tim e investm ent in such a project, m ore robust staffing is no w in place for the cur­ rent endeavor. Rather than relying solely on e x is t in g s ta f f w h o a lr e a d y h a v e fu ll workloads, a separate full-time staff has been recru ited a n d hired, in cluding a project m anager with a library degree and m useum experience, a project assistan t/curator, a scanning supervisor, and a bibliographic assistant. Part-time student assistants also w ork on th e project. Digital D iam ond is still very m uch a w ork in progress, with m ore to b e learned as w e continue to a d d new materials and collec­ tions at an increasingly stream lined pace, develop outcom es assessm ent instruments, and use exhibition software to creatively dis­ play o ur image collections and tell their sto­ ries.— Carol Lang, Temple University Librar­ ies, carol@temple.edu mailto:ellisa@nku.edu mailto:carol@temple.edu 490 / C&RL News ■ July/August 2002 be physical spaces, involve m ore th an one unit of the institution, a n d involve th e use of inform ation technology. The Web site, w hich in clu d e s a su b m issio n form , is at h t t p : / / w w w .d artm o u th .ed u /~ co llab /in d ex .h tm l. C o lu m b ia U t o p re s e rv e S cho ol o f L ib ra ry S ervices c o lle c tio n Colum bia University Libraries has started a project to preserve, rehouse, a n d en h an ce access to th e School of Library Service (SLS) library collection. The SLS collection is the strongest historical collection in the w orld for materials relating to libraries and librarianship. The collection w as started in 1887 w ith “prac­ tice b o o k s” u se d by th e first class of students in th e first library sch o o l in th e country, fo u n d ed by Melvil D ew ey at Colum bia Uni­ versity. O ver the course of its 100-year his­ tory, the SLS collection grew in size and scope to include all m an n er of m aterial d o cu m en t­ ing every aspect of librarianship. O ver the next three years, catalog records for th e collection’s 110,000 volum es will be c o n v e rte d to m a c h in e -re a d a b le form a n d m ade accessible in CLIO, the libraries’ online catalog, as w ell as th ro u g h OCLC and RLIN. The collection will be inventoried and m oved to the Research Collections a n d Preservation C onsortium ’s Shelving Facility, w ith fragile items receiving preservation treatm ent. V illa g e V o ic e Pubs a d d e d t o A lt - Press W a tc h Proquest Com pany’s Information and Learning unit has added seven publications from Village Voice Media Publications to its Alt-Press Watch Database. The database offers full-text content from new spapers, magazines, and journals of the alternative and independent press. Titles from Village Voice Media include the Village Voice, LA Weekly, Seattle Weekly, City Pages, Cleveland Free Times, OC Weekly, and Nash­ ville Scene. Coverage for the w eekly new spa­ pers begins with January 2002 and continues foiward. In addition, Proquest is adding Vil­ lage Voice articles back to the first issue in 1955, with full text and com plete indexing. ■ Toronto, 2003: It's closer than you think Toronto is a world-class city and a great location for next year’s ALA Annual Confer­ ence. In addition to th e fact that th e U.S. dollar goes a long way in Canada, Toronto offers a central convention center, in w alk­ ing distance to the ballpark a n d theater dis­ trict, a n d is very family friendly. Many of the m ajor hotels are co n n e cte d to an u n d e r­ g round netw ork that includes a variety of stores a n d access to the subway, so th ere ’s always time to sneak in a little sh opping on the w ay to your next m eeting. Despite these pluses, w e know that there are som e concerns over the fact that attend­ ing the conference requires crossing the bor­ der into another country. If you start planning now using th e following tips, you should be all set for a m em orable conference • B r in g a p p r o p r ia t e id e n t if ic a t io n . A passport is the best form of identification. Alternatives are a birth certificate and a pic­ ture ID, such as a driver’s licence or a state- issued picture ID. • Y ou d o n o t n e e d e m p lo y m e n t au th o­ r iz a t io n t o a tte n d t h is c o n f e r e n c e . The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency pro­ d u c e s a g u id e b o o k for a sso ciatio n s a n d groups that are bringing conventions, m eet­ ings, a n d trade show s across the Canadian border, “W elcome to Canada: Your G uide to Bringing a Convention, Meeting, Trade Show, or Exhibition Across the C anadian Border.” The b o o k states: “Professional organizers or planners con­ tracted to a foreign organization holding an event in Canada, or p erm an en t em ployees or m em bers o f a foreign organization, do not n e e d em ploym ent authorization” and “Invited foreign speakers do not need em ­ ploym ent authorization, even if they receive funds in addition to expenses o r an h o n o ­ rarium .” Next year’s ALA Annual Conference in Toronto m ay seem like a long w ay off, but it’s n ever too early to start m aking your plans for a visit to o ur nearest neighbor. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~collab/index.html C&RL News ■ July/A ugust 2002 / 491