ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 334 / C&RL News again next year. The current version will be ex­ panded in order to keep more accurate track of stu­ dent use. At present, we are designing a complete bibliographic instruction program for use on the Macintosh. W ith recent technological advances, particularly in the area of multi-user file servers, we foresee in the near future the ability of anyone on campus to access our library instruction and in­ form ation programs from any term inal at any hour. For further information about the Mac-assisted library orientation program, please contact: Jeff C haffin, M iller L ib rary , W ashington College, Chestertown, MD 21620; (301) 778-2800. ■ ■ G ive–a w a y softw are: A p rim er By Jim Fow ler Head of Reference Services Lindsey Wilson College How to m ake use o f freeware/shareware in your library. W i t h the rapid expansion of personal computer use the last few years, libraries have begun to hold and loan information in a magnetic floppy-disk format. Many have also m ade public-access per­ sonal computers available to their patrons. These public-use PCs in the library are a logical addition to a PC software collection, rather like providing good lighting and seating for students and faculty who want to read in the library rather than going elsewhere. Thus, libraries have tended to do for the electronic medium w hat is done for the paper me­ dium. However, magnetic disk-encoded information for a PC has many characteristics th at render it dif­ ferent from paper and make it easy to do things th at are awkward, expensive, or impossible to do with paper-based information. Two differences of p ar­ ticular pertinence are: 1) it is cheap, easy, and quick to copy information on a floppy disk; and 2) there is a large (relative to the extant total) body of good public-domain material available for PCs, and other uncopyrighted material is proliferating rapidly due to the “freeware/shareware” move­ ment. These characteristics allow the library to maintain absolute file integrity by holding an ar­ chival master, and also allow the library to give away duplicate copies, w ritten to the patron’s disk, much cheaper and easier than it can loan the m ate­ rial. W hen one further considers th at college and uni­ versity libraries have a higher percentage of p a­ trons who own, work, and play w ith personal com­ puters than other types of libraries do, it follows that a natural adjunct to loaning commercial soft­ w are and m aintaining public-access microcom­ puters is the acquisition of an appropriate self- service co llectio n of p u b lic -d o m a in an d user-supported software which patrons can copy and keep. The benefits of such a collection, which is easy and inexpensive to acquire, include: 1) The distribution of useful software to students (and faculty) who can’t afford to spend hundreds, or thousands, of dollars on commercial software, but can afford the price of a disk to copy the generic version. 2) The provision of access to special-interest pro­ grams th at are not available in the commercial sec­ tor, but are often of great interest to the academic community. 3) The development of an awareness of, and ap- June 1987 / 335 preciation for, public-domain and user-supported software. Many (probably most) novice computer users are not aw are th a t there are thousands of good, free or very inexpensive programs available to them. 4) G reat promotion for the library, particularly its public-access computers and loaner software, as well as the public domain material itself. 5) A high-traffic, high-visibility feature th at is easy to implement and m aintain, since the m aterial is inexpensive to collect, it is a self-service activity, and there are no circulation costs. The following observations may prove useful in establishing a public-domain software collection: Operating System. Initially, collect only public- domain software th at can be used w ith existing or proposed public-access hardw are, which is over­ whelmingly likely to be Apple II or IBM PC com­ patible.1 The self-service, copy–and-keep savings is lost if it becomes loaner m aterial, which it would necessarily be w ithout library copying equipment. If there appears to be a substantial local demand for software for other operating environments, this m aterial m ight be added later on a check-out basis. Collection Development. Approach the collec­ tion development process as carefully and system­ atically as if it were a big-dollar project. Identify specific patron groups, determine their needs, and select programs th a t fill those needs.2 Otherwise the tem ptation to take everything th a t looks inter­ esting because it is inexpensive and available may leave the library awash in unused floppy disks. This overkill problem is compounded by the eager­ ness of m any faculty members and students to plow through public-domain software catalogs compil­ ing lists of recommendations. Such recommenda­ tions are useful and should be sought and utilized, but they invariably need to be reviewed and culled by the skeptical eye of a librarian or collection de­ velopment committee. It is also desirable to en­ courage direct contributions from patrons. These programs will be pre-screened and often come w ith some user support from the contributor. Ignore the preceding “overkill” caveat if the price is right. Collections are often available at prices th at make it cost effective to buy the entire collection even if p a rt of it is never used. For example, the entire PC- SIG collection (16,000+ files, a compilation of 1R o b e rt Burgin, “Patron Access Microcomputers in Libraries: Trends in Software and H ardw are,” Public C om p uting, S ep t./O ct. 1986, p p .7 -1 2 ; sources of m aterial for other operating systems can be obtained from the Glossbrenner book cited be­ low. 2Almost any collection will include the following basics: w ord processor, spreadsheet, database manager/filer, Hayes-compatible telecommunica­ tions software, graphics and printer utilities, a va­ riety of educational/tutorial program s, games, general business and home management software such as interest and depreciation calculators, and program ming utilities. over 700 disks) is available on a CD-ROM disk for $195, or about 28 cents per floppy disk.3 The price is $6 per disk otherwise. A corollary to pure public-domain software is another category of uncopyrighted material vari­ ously labeled as “freew are,” “sharew are,” user- supported software, and such.4 Its authors urge us­ ers to copy the m aterial and give it to others as a means of distribution, in a kind of user-level net­ work. Documentation is usually on the disk, like public-domain m aterial, but is more extensive and the programs themselves are often much more so­ phisticated. Users who like the programs are en­ couraged to send a donation or user fee of $15-$ 100 to the author, which entitles the user to additional documentation, updates, and/or user support via telephone or electronic bulletin board. Most of these programs are still a bargain at that. As an eth­ ical m atter the library has an obligation to ensure th a t patrons understand the difference between public-domain and shareware material; usually a posted notice (like the copyright notice by the pho­ tocopier) is considered sufficient. However, as an intermediary, the library is not obligated to submit user fees unless the program will be used internally by the library. Unless there is a staff member who is already privy to the PC subculture of public-domain and user-supported software, user groups, and PC- SIGs, it m ight be prudent to approach free soft­ w are collecting w ith a core collection of public- dom ain m aterial th a t has been p rep ared by a commercial vendor.5 This approach avoids prob­ lems in collecting “buggy” programs, coping with variations in form at and documentation, and pick­ ing up software “worm s.”6 Cost. Public-domain software isn’t completely free. The least it will cost is the price of a disk (al­ ways buy the generic, bulk ones at 25-30 cents each). This miniscule cost will only apply to pro­ grams obtained locally. Those th a t are ordered from one of the groups th at collect, catalog, and distribute public-domain m aterial will cost from 3This example is the numerical extreme, and eco­ nomically applicable only if the library already has a CD-ROM reader. 4Douglas Kass, “I Rode Shotgun w ith Jim But­ ton: P art I ,” PC–SIG News, Nov. 1986, pp.9-12; p ro v id es a sh o rt h is to ric a l o verview of th e freeware/shareware movement and the major per­ sonalities behind it. 5Facts on File, Inc., 460 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, has a good 200 + program starter collection for under $200. 6Public-domain is no more problem-laden than commercial software, but you can’t “go back to the sto re” except on sh are w are m a te ria l. So fa r, “worms” or “viruses” (programs produced by van­ dals th a t include code to damage your computer’s operation) have only been reported in a few pro­ grams downloaded from public bulletin boards. However, this may be an incentive to stay away from downloading just now. 336 / C&RL News $3-$15 per disk, sufficient to cover the organiza­ tion’s expenses. Processing. The simplest and least expensive ap­ proach to processing public-dom ain software is to make an archival copy and place a public copy in a browsing collection somewhat like “Take O ne— Leave One” paperback racks; only it is a “Copy It and Take I t” collection. This is entirely satisfactory as long as the collection is small. It is not desirable to try to catalog the collection at first because its content will change constantly the first year or so as the library and the patrons explore w hat will actu­ ally be used in this relatively new form at and an en­ tirely new “copy and keep” context. A simple paper index prepared on a word processor, so th at addi­ tions and deletions are easy, is adequate for a col­ lection th a t remains under 500 titles. Programs can be listed under broad subject headings such as “Music,” “E ducation,” and “Utilities” and should include a one or two sentence description, as the program s sometimes have no title other th a n a filename. As the collection grows, an online index file th at can be searched by subject, DOS, RAM require­ ments, source, and/or title can replace or supple­ m ent the paper index. An online file also makes user statistics easy to track. At this point, the real h eav y w eig h ts, like P C –W rite and Q –M odem , probably should go into the public catalog. How­ ever, it is not desirable to clutter the catalog w ith little print-buffer utilities and such th at come five or six to a disk and are prim arily of interest to h a rd ­ core com puter aficionados. Security. Security for the collection is not w orth the trouble or cost. At 25-30 cents per disk, it is no great loss if someone swipes one. There appears to be little inclination to steal or dam age this type of software. In fact, students tend to treat it as if it were their own more than the loaner m aterial; an interesting reaction and probably an appropriate one. Staff Training. Much staff tim e can be saved if good disk copying instructions are posted by the public-access machines. It is, however, im portant th a t the library staff all be taught to copy a disk, as there will always be someone who can’t or won’t follow the posted directions and will need help. BI book table The ACRL B ibliographic Instruction Sec­ tion’s Clearinghouse Com m ittee and the LOEX National Clearinghouse for Library Instruction will host a joint book table, #T30, at ALA An­ nual Conference in San Francisco. S am ple in s tru c tio n a l m a te ria ls an d free h andouts from regional clearinghouses and LOEX will be on display. ACRL encourages conference participants to stop by the table to learn how BI clearinghouses can help you be a better BI librarian. F lau n t It. Anytime a librarian can look so much like Santa Claus is a good tim e to call attention to the fact. In addition to in-house prom otion, notice of a public-dom ain software collection can be sent to campus com puter user groups, posted on com­ puter bulletin boards and in local com puter stores (many encourage this sort of thing). Copies of the public-dom ain listing, or at least an announcem ent of the collection if a complete listing is too long, should be sent to academ ic division offices and listed w ith the student press and in public notice a r­ eas. “Free” anything gets people’s attention, and an electronic m edium makes it easy to give away. Additional information sources The American Software Publishing Company, P.O . Box 57221, W ashington, DC 20037. This firm has over 10,000 public-dom ain programs for all makes of PCs. The Apple Avocation Alliance, 1803 W arren A ve., C h ey en n e, WY 82001. M arkets p u b lic- dom ain programs for Apples, along w ith com m er­ cial software and hardw are. T he Boston C o m p u te r Society, O ne C en ter Plaza, Boston, MA 02108. If you can only belong to one PC users group, this should be it; it’s the pre­ mier users group and has extensive collections of public-dom ain softw are for all brands of com ­ puters. C all–A .P .P .L .E ., 21246 68th Avenue South, Kent WA 98032. In addition to free software, the group offers discounts on everything else related to com puting w ith an Apple. C a p ita l PC U ser G ro u p , P .0 . Box 3189, G aithersburg, MD 20878. Probably the best IBM PC users group in the country; good software col­ lection and all the usual frills, plus a hotline for be­ ginners. Glossbrenner, Alfred, How to G et Free Soft­ ware (New York: St. M artins, 1984). The best sin­ gle source of usable inform ation on public-dom ain and user-supported software; however, some of the inform ation is now out-of-date and the emphasis is on CPM operating systems (a dead turkey). International Apple Core, 908 George S t., Santa C lara, CA 95050. Super Apple users group th at is a blanket organization for other users groups; has over 12,000 disks of programs for the Apple. Online Computer Telephone Directory, q u a r­ terly from O LC TD , P.O . Box 10005, Kansas City, MO 64111. Lists several hundred bulletin board numbers if you w ant to download public-dom ain m aterial directly. PC Software Interest G roup (PC–SIG), 1030 E ast D u an e Avenue, Suite D , Sunnyvale, CA 94086. Publishes The PC–SIG Library: A Directory o f Public-Domain and User Supported Software fo r the IBM-PC, PC Jr., and Compatibles, which lists the contents of about half of the SIG’s 700 + disk collection (but all the most popular ones); also publishes PC-SIG N ew s, a m onthly newsletter; 338 / C&RL News and has its entire collection available on on a single CD-ROM disk, Scholastech Inc., P.O. Box 1768, Cambridge, MA 02238. A clearinghouse for MS DOS (PC DOS) public-domain software; send for their catalog. If your library is already connected to Compu­ Serve or The Source, both have substantial collec­ tions of public-dom ain softw are th a t can be downloaded. ■ ■ B am berg to Brown: A library exch an ge By Florence K. Doksansky AUL for Public Services and Collection Development Brown University The merits and drawbacks of an overseas exchange. F or many years Brown University and the Un- iversität Bamberg, West Germany, have had an ex­ change involving faculty and students. This was fostered by two academic professors who knew each other and who had research interests in com­ mon. The professors were also very interested in supporting an exchange for university staff. Some difficulties were encountered concerning the ex­ change of teaching staff; consequently it was de­ cided to offer the opportunity to the professional li­ brary staff. In November 1983 Professor Klaus Peter Jochum of Bamberg wrote to Brown’s university librarian to describe a projected exchange which the univer­ sity librarian, Merrily Taylor, agreed to pursue. In September 1984 another letter from Bamberg de­ scribed the progress made in making arrangements within the German bureaucracy: “The President, the Chancellor and the Library Director of the University are in favor of the ex­ change, and what is more important, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs [for Bavaria] has agreed in prin­ ciple. The librarian in question will be permitted to retain her salary while on official leave of absence of up to six months.” Professor Jochum went on to describe the indi­ vidual, Regina Krepulat, and noted that it would be advantageous to have a Brown librarian go to Bamberg in exchange. Many letters and arrange­ ments were necessary before Regina actually came to Brown two years after the initial request. Regina herself was instrumental in obtaining a leave from the Bavarian government, and also in successfully applying for a Fulbright grant to support her travel expenses. As it turned out, it was almost as difficult to make the necessary arrangements in the United States as it had been in Germany. It was estab­ lished that the German librarian’s salary would not be enough to keep her afloat in the United States without an adjustment. Thanks to the cooperation of two professors at Brown’s Office of International Studies, a sum was found to supplement the Ger­ man salary. At approximately the same time that the above negotiations were taking place, the Brown Univer­ sity Library had put in place a new program for professional librarians. This program includes a two–track promotional system, which encourages professional activities above high quality job per­ formance as a means to promotion beyond the ca­ reer rank. Research leaves as a means to facilitate professional activity were now in place. Librarians with the higher professional ranks are eligible to request research leaves. These leaves provide up to six months of time for concentrated