ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 59 Establishing a library publications p rogram B y R a c h a e l N aism ith Reference Librarian and Publications Coordinator Carnegie-Mellon University How to orchestrate the publication of your library’s guides and brochures. T rue or false? There is nothing new about library subject of lib ra ry publications is nonexistent. I therefore tu rn ed to the resources at hand in my a t­ t tem p t to structure the program . These can be seen ­ as falling into tw o categories—technical resources . and people resources. T ech n ica l resources. N o t ev ery s tu d e n t a t Carnegie-M ellon University owns a com puter, but every student has access to one on cam pus. Stu­ dents are as likely to ask the reference lib rarian for . the use of a PC as they are for a piece of paper. The ­ technical resources available at CMU include a n u m b e r of m a in fra m e co m p u ters w h ich offer strong and flexible text editing and text form atting ­ p ro g ra m s c a lle d , re s p e c tiv e ly , EM A C S a n d SCRIBE. T he SCRIBE program uses com mands th a t are entered w ith the text. These com mands , specify the typeface, margins, tabs, and so on th a t f the program should im plem ent. Docum ents can be f typed into files, edited, form atted on the Univer­­ sity D EC-20s an d p roduced on a Xerox X9700 ­ p rin te r.3 Docum ents can also be typed and edited ­ b r a r y G u i d e ,” C & R L N e w s 45 (O c to b e r 1984):468-71. 3For a m ore detailed description of the Libraries’ use of central com puting facilities, including elec­ ­ tronic m ail, see Thom as J. M ichalak, “T he Appli­ cation of Centralized Text E diting and Electronic Mail Systems in Libraries: The CMU Experience,” Library Hi Tech 1 (Spring 1984):35-41. publications. True or false? As soon as you finish a handou you always acquire an absolutely essential encyclo pedia and have to type the whole thing over again True or false? Everyone in your library writes in a com pletely unique style, and all your guides look totally different, and th a t’s just the w ay life is. The answ er to all of the above is: not necessarily This article describes a successful attem p t to m a n age the production of high-quality publications in a painless and even enjoyable way. Carnegie-M ellon University L ibraries’ Publica tions Program was created in the fall of 1983. The prim ary purpose of a form alized program was “to ensure a uniform approach to w ritin g , editing p r o d u c in g , a n d d i s tr i b u tin g se v e ra l ty p e s o public-use d o cu m en ts...to reinforce the im age o the Libraries as a dynam ic, professional organiza tion w ithin an equally dynam ic university com m u n ity .”1 I had recently joined the reference staff, and was asked by Tom M ichalak, the director, to as sume the role of Publications Coordinator. W ith a few exceptions2 recent literature on the C arnegie-M ellon University Libraries, Publica tions G uidelines (P ittsb u rg h : C arnegie-M ellon University, 1983). 2W illiam J. Jackson, “T he U ser-Friendly Li- 60 on an IBM PC microcomputer and uploaded to the mainfram e for formatting. People resources. The “people resources” avail­ able to me included a group of creative librarians who are subject specialists, all of whom had w rit­ ten handouts and guides in their subject areas. A num ber of service and policy announcements al­ ready existed. Furtherm ore, the library director Every aspect of production is accomplished within the library. saw the development of the program as a high pri­ ority, and was ready to allocate time and money as needed. An Editorial Board was appointed, con­ sisting of library professional and non-professional staff members from both public and technical ser­ vices. In addition to the resources present within the library, the university was replete with expert consultants, from computer analysts to public rela­ tions personnel and an English departm ent whose programs focus on rhetoric and w ritten composi­ tion. Structuring the program A Publications Ad Hoc Committee was estab­ lished 1) to w rite publications guidelines to be used by authors and editors and 2) to decide upon an a t­ tractive publication design. The first steps taken by the Committee can again be seen in terms of tech­ nical aspects and people aspects. Technical aspects. The Publications Committee worked out the document design in a way that would take advantage of SCRIBE options. After consultations w ith the University C om putation Center, a sans serif typeface font, Univers 10, was chosen and a SCRIBE form at was selected. The form at specified such details as use of bold type or italics, am ount of space following a subheading, and placement of the author’s name. A graphic design student was commissioned to design the library logo—a book, the pages of which resemble a bar code. This simple linear design was selected in p art because of its suitability for digitiz­ ing. This allows the image to be read by the com­ puter and translated into the printed equivalent on a Xerox laser printer, thus enabling CMU Libraries to produce the final document in one step, without p h o to stattin g , pasting, or w aitin g for cam pus printers to complete the job. People aspects. The usefulness of EMACS and SCRIBE in th e p ro d u c tio n of th e docum ents seemed obvious. The delineation of an editing mechanism seemed less so. After a lot of brain­ storm ing, supplem ented by consultations w ith other librarians, w ith faculty members in the E n­ glish D epartm ent, and w ith the Chicago Manual of Style, the Publications Committee composed the eleven-page Publications Guidelines. Library pro­ fessionals can obtain copies of the guidelines by w riting to Rachael Naismith, Publications Coordi­ n a to r, C arnegie-M ellon U niversity L ib ra rie s, Pittsburgh, PA 15207. Content of the Guidelines The guidelines tell authors (almost) everything they need to know about docum ent style. The guidelines begin by describing the need for library publications. Publications overseen by the E dito­ rial Board are classified into these types: bibliogra­ phies, “how to” guides, service guides, special pu b ­ lications (e.g. a library handbook), online tutorials and help systems. Bibliographies are generally an­ notated and focus on specific subject areas. “How to” guides on the other hand are pathfinders or “point of use” handouts. They serve as narrative guides to research in a subject area, or as guides to the use of complex reference sources, such as cita­ tion indexes. Service guides are brief descriptions of library services, such as interlibrary loan. Projects such as a library handbook or brochure fall into the category of special publications. Finally, online tu ­ torial and help systems are being printed. These will require editorial decisions similar to print pu b ­ lications, and yet have specific contingencies re­ lated to their non-print nature. The Publications Guidelines address document content, discussing the introduction to the hand­ out, the arrangem ent of sections w ithin the body, and so on. The guidelines are not so specific that in­ dividual style is crimped. They do, however, pro­ vide authors w ith a set of standards which can be extremely helpful in document design. The guidelines also review CMU Libraries’ edi­ torial procedure. They define the roles and respon­ sibilities of the Publications Coordinator, the E di­ torial Board, and the authors. The authors, subject specialists, and other members of the library staff who are experienced in an area of library resources are responsible for: O H n M i icr s ofi t lm o … r fro y m R es o ear f ch Pu blications P Fr h om i o ts be to auty as g an r art f a orm p to it h s im y pact as a visual information medium, the history of photography is documented in this collection from Research Publications. Compiled primarily from the holdings of the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House, this exceptionally informative source presents over 2,100 mono­ graphs and periodicals published between 1830 and the early 1900s. The year-by-year development of photographic style and tech­ nique is traced through the works and personal accounts of well-known photographers. Finest Quality Detail The subtle shadings and delicate contrasts of the { photographs are captured in this collection through the utilization of ultrasensitive equipment, various develop­ ment emulsions, and innovative microfilm processing techniques. A bibliographic guide is provided with each order. For only $16,500. this exceptional, comprehensive 489-reel collection can become a permanent picture in your resource album. Prices slightly higher outside the E.S. and Canada. To order, or for more information on H is to r y o f P h o to g r a p h y , call or write: Research Publications Outside North and South America 12 Lunar Drive/Drawer AB P.O. Box 45 Woodbridge, CT 06525 Reading, RG1 8HF England (203) 397-2600 TEL: 0734-583247 TWX: 710-465-6345 TELEX: 848336 NADL G FAX: 203-397-3893 research publications : 62 • providing accurate content, including correct citations, call numbers, and book locations; • giving the manuscript to the Editorial Board within a reasonable amount of time and in a read­ able form at—preferably on a diskette or as an EMACS file; • adhering to these Publications Guidelines in the areas of procedure, content, and style. The Publication Coordinator’s responsibilities include: • chairing the Editorial Board; • overseeing publications policies; • coordinating production. The Editorial Board is responsible for: • editing publications for format and content; • meeting with authors to suggest changes when needed; • commissioning publications to fill gaps in the publications collection. The last section of the guidelines deals with cita­ tion format. Authors are asked to follow the Chi­ cago Manual o f Style, unless they prefer a style spe­ cific to the discipline discussed in the handout. The editorial procedure The Publications C om m ittee was disbanded when the publications guidelines and document design were completed. The Editorial Board took over and met weekly for several months, editing the core of handouts, mostly subject bibliogra­ phies, that already existed in typewritten form. T he first h a n d o u t th a t was e d ite d , in p u t on EMACS, and produced was a bibliography on arti­ ficial intelligence, a subject close to the hearts of CMU researchers. To date, sixteen guides have been produced and twelve others are in progress. Subject areas covered include census data, cogni­ tive psychology, computer graphics, grants, musi­ cal theatre, and survival skills for the artist. A special thanks to library newsletter editors Many of the announcements that appear in C&RL News have come to my attention in newsletters published by various academic li­ braries. I wish to thank all of you for keeping C&RL News on the mailing list, and please be assured, I do read every one of them. I also ap­ preciate the cartoons and humorous comments that enliven some of them (the University of Ar­ izona and the University of California, Davis, among others). If your library has a newsletter that contains notices of appointments, acquisitions, grants, awards, workshops, or other library activities that might be worth a mention in C&RL News, please add us to your mailing list. Send issues to: Editor, C&RL News, 50 E. Huron St., Chi­ cago, IL 60611-2795.—George M. Eberhart, Editor. The process of editing and production occurs in the following way. The author writes a handout for use in library instruction or perhaps w ritten specifically for use in the Reference Area. The au­ thor or a work-study student enters the handout into a machine-readable file using the EMACS text editor or a similar program running on a personal computer. The author sends the file to me as Publi­ cations Coordinator and it is adapted to the de­ signed SCRIBE format. After the citations and book locations are veri­ fied on the online catalog (LS/2000), one member of the Editorial Board takes responsibility for the editing of the document. The editor marks up the copy, noting format and grammatical questions, and checking the form of the citation against the Chicago Manual o f Style. She also makes com­ ments about writing style. The editor then gives copies of the handout, complete with corrections, to the Editorial Board. The Board reviews one or two handouts at a meeting, with the editor of each handout leading a discussion of her suggestions. Frequently, other members of the Editorial Board will pick up prob­ lems which the person responsible for the handout missed. The editor meets with the author and ex­ plains the suggestions of the Editorial Board. The author accepts or rejects the ideas, and the result­ ing document is usually the product of compro­ mise. A student assistant then re-edits the document, m aking th e c itatio n or co n ten t changes. The SCRIBE commands which produce the masthead (including the logo) are added. The document is produced on the Xerox printer and is shown to the author for final approval. The document is then copied on the libraries’ copiers. Copies of the hand­ out are displayed in Reference, Circulation, or whatever area is helpful to the library user. Copies are also sent to Project LOEX in Michigan, for lending to other libraries. Finally, the document file is “migrated” offline, easily available for up­ dating and reproduction. Beyond the printed page A recent development in the publications pro­ gram has been the loading of the existing computer files into an information subsystem of the online catalog. When a student or professor calls up this subsystem, she will be presented with a menu of options, including library hours, announcements, online catalog tips, and library publications. Upon selecting “Library Publications,” the individual will be provided with a list of the available publica­ tions. By choosing one, the person can call up the document and page through it screen by screen. This system is now being tested and will be avail­ able in the spring of 1985. Conclusion The result of our efforts has been an increasingly diverse selection of attractive library publications 63 which are well-w ritten and well-edited. The Li­ braries are making good use of the text processing resources available at Carnegie-Mellon University, and yet we are not spending a great deal of money on our products. We are using our own copiers and have work-study students doing the online editing, the copying, and the collating. Publications are printed on relatively inexpensive ivory bond paper. Every aspect of production is accomplished w ithin the library. Best of all, revisions of publications can be accomplished in minutes. While many universi­ ties do not have the centralized com puter facilities th at we have available at CMU, microcomputers do present alternatives for text editing. Aside from the technical points to consider, any library can benefit from the establishment of an editing proce­ dure in writing. Often library publications are the byproduct of other library activities, such as a BI session or a detailed assignment on census m ateri­ als. If a publication mechanism exists, even hand­ outs which arise from a hasty assignment or class­ room presentation can be of high quality. ■ ■ ACRL list of materials available A complete checklist of ACRL publications in print. S ingle copies of ACRL standards and guidelines News, April 1979). ACRL/ARL. are free. O ther publications are priced as listed. • Standards fo r College L ibraries. (C & R L ALA members are eligible for a 10 % discount on News, October 1975). all ACRL publications. ACRL members receive an • The Use and Effectiveness o f the 1975 Stan­ additional discount of 20-30 % as noted. To receive dards fo r College Libraries (1981). L arry H a r­ the discount, give your membership num ber and desty, C hair, Ad Hoc Committee on Standards and deduct the discount when preparing your orders. Guidelines, College Libraries Section, ACRL. Institutions may order on account, plus postage •A n Evaluative Checklist fo r Reviewing a Col­ and handling. Individuals may order on account, lege Library Program, Based on the 1975 Stan­ plus postage and handling, except th a t prepaym ent dards fo r College Libraries. (C&RL News, No­ should accompany individuals’ orders of $15 or vember 1979). less. No postage and handling charges are added to • Guidelines fo r Two-Year College Learning prepaid orders (check, money order, credit card). Resources Programs. (C&RL News, January and All prices are payable in U.S. funds. All materials February 1982). ACRL/AECT. sent outside the U.S. will be mailed surface rates • S ta te m e n t on Q u a n tita tiv e Standards fo r unless airmail postage is prepaid. Two-Year Learning Resources Programs (1979). Q uantity discounts are available when five or (Draft available in CÒR.L News, March 1979). more copies of the same title are ordered to be • Guidelines fo r Bibliographic Instruction in shipped to the same address. Inquire for prices on Academic Libraries. (C&RL News, April 1977). specific titles. • Access Policy Guidelines. (C&RL News, No­ Send o rd e rs to: P u b lic a tio n s D e p t., vember 1975). ACRL/ALA, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611- • Guidelines fo r Branch Libraries in Colleges 2795; (312) 944-6780. ACRL publications can also and Universities. (Cò-RL News, October 1975). be ordered from ALA Publishing Services at the • Guidelines fo r Extended Campus Library Ser­ same address. vices. (C U RL News, March 1982). Standards and guidelines • The Mission o f an Undergraduate Library (M odel S ta tem en t). (C & R L N ew s, N ovem ber • Standards fo r University Libraries. (C&RL 1979).