july07a.indd Stephanie Orphan N e w s f r o m t h e F i e l d UT-Austin database provides access to literary copyright information The University of Texas­Austin’s Harry Ran­ som Humanities Research Center and the Reading University Library have created Firms Out of Business (FOB), an online da­ tabase containing the names and address­ es of copyright holders or contact persons for out­of­business printing and publishing firms, magazines, literary agencies, and simi­ lar organizations that have archives housed in libraries and archives in North America and the United Kingdom. FOB is a compan­ ion project to the Writers, Artists and Their Copyright Holders (WATCH), an online da­ tabase containing the names and addresses of copyright holders or contact persons for authors and artists. The objective of both projects is to provide information to scholars and researchers about whom to contact for permission to publish text and images that have copyright protection. FOB can be accessed at www.fob­fi le. com; the WATCH file is accessible at www. watch­fi le.com. SPARC partners with AgEcon Search repository SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academ­ ic Resources Coalition) has aligned with AgEcon Search: Research in Agricultural and Applied Economics, a free Web­based re­ pository at the University of Minnesota that collects, indexes, and electronically distrib­ utes full­text copies of scholarly research. This SPARC Scientific Communities partner­ ship recognizes how the creators of AgEcon Search have developed a model subject­spe­ cific repository that is innovative, collabora­ tive, and successful as a focal resource for studies in the field. The AgEcon Search col­ lection includes current and archival work­ ing papers, journal articles, and conference papers that focus on agricultural economics and subdisciplines. The project is a collaboration of the Uni­ versity of Minnesota Libraries, the university Department of Applied Economics, and the American Agricultural Economics Associa­ tion. Special projects have been funded by grants from the Farm Foundation, the USDA Economics Research Service, the American Agricultural Economics Association Founda­ tion, and the National Agricultural Library. Al­ though launched ten years ago as a repository for current working papers, AgEcon Search now includes 13 journals and is expected to grow in this area in the coming year. AgEcon is available online at agecon.lib.umn.edu/. LexisNexis, Univ. of Maryland provide access to serial set maps LexisNexis has partnered with the Univer­ sity of Maryland to provide access to maps found in the U.S. Serial Set. The maps are available through LexisNexis’ U.S. Serial Set Maps Digital Collection. The U.S. Serial Set is considered by many to be the single most valuable collection of American historical documents in existence. The Serial Set maps are widely owned, but physically and biblio­ graphically diffi cult to access. This new digi­ tal collection makes available government maps that will be of use to biologists, bota­ nists, meteorologists, political scientists, and others. More than 56,000 maps are available through the service. Harvard completes manuscript catalog conversion Harvard University’s Houghton Library suc­ cessfully completed the migration of its manuscript card catalog to electronic form in December. The library’s cataloged manu­ script collections are now fully Web­accessi­ ble through Harvard’s online catalog (hollis. harvard.edu), with the finding aids available in Harvard’s finding aids database (oasis. harvard.edu) and RLG’s ArchivesGrid. The five­year project was funded by Harvard University’s Library Digital Initiative, with matching funds from the Harvard College Library. “This project was essential to bring the library into the modern digital research environment, and to provide easy access to Houghton’s unique manuscripts world­ wide,” commented project director Leslie A. Morris, Houghton’s curator of modern books and manuscripts. The retrospective conver­ sion project focused on material in Western C&RL News July/August 2007 414 http:harvard.edu http:harvard.edu http:agecon.lib.umn.edu www.fob-fi languages, for which at least minimal de­ scriptive information existed. For all mate­ rials, scope and content notes were added where needed; each single­item manuscript was examined and its physical description verified; old subject headings were stan­ dardized to conform to Library of Congress forms; and standard genre and form head­ ings (such as diaries, galley proofs, seals, etc.) were added. Brown launches digital archive of military Brown University Library has launched a digital archive of more than 6,200 prints drawn from the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection. The resource vividly documents all aspects of military and naval history and uniforms and offers a vast array of portraits, caricatures, military genre, and posters. Ul­ timately, the Web­based collection will in­ clude more than 15,000 digital images. The collection, curated by Peter Harrington, is the foremost collection in North America of material devoted to the history and iconog­ raphy of soldiers and soldiering and one of the world’s largest collections devoted to the study of military and naval uniforms. Formed over a period of 40 years by the late Mrs. John Nicholas Brown (1906–85), the collection contains approximately 14,000 printed books; 18,000 sketchbooks, scrapbooks, and portfolios; more than 15,000 individual prints, drawings, and wa­ tercolors; and 6,000 miniature lead soldiers. The collection is available at dl.lib.brown. edu/askb/. Wayne State to off er graduate certificate in information management Wayne State University Board of Governors recently approved the establishment of a graduate certificate in information man­ agement for librarians for the Library and Information Science Program. The Informa­ tion Management for Librarians Certifi cate Program seeks to provide students with the tools needed to use technology effi ciently and effectively in gathering, storing, and disseminating information. Students com­ pleting the certificate will be information professionals who will be able to manage integrated library system implementations and radio frequency identifi cation installa­ tions, develop Web sites containing multi­ media content, and create and develop da­ tabases as well as other Web content. The certificate program is open to students with advanced degrees in related fi elds, students enrolled in a Wayne State graduate program, and, in certain circumstances, students with bachelor’s degrees from accredited univer­ sities who possess the appropriate back­ ground and experience. ABC-CLIO partners with EBSCO ABC­CLIO and EBSCO Publishing have formed a new alliance. As part of the un­ dertaking, EBSCO has acquired two of ABC­ CLIO’s databases: Historical Abstracts (HA) and America: History and Life (AHL), and will distribute eight additional award­win­ ning history databases in addition to ABC­ CLIO’s online history eBook collection, History Reference Online. The partnership leverages ABC­CLIO’s expertise in the area of history with EBSCO’s signifi cant content licensing, digitization, and distribution ca­ pabilities. ABC­CLIO editorial staff will con­ tinue producing content for the databases, and HA and AHL will be made available via EBSCOhost. The partnership will allow li­ braries to work with their EBSCO represen­ tatives to consolidate orders for ABC­CLIO databases with orders for EBSCOhost data­ bases. The databases will continue to be ac­ cessed via ABC­CLIO platforms. The Call for Participation for ACRL’s 14th National Conference will be issued this fall. Watch www.acrl.org/seattle for details! July/August 2007 415 C&RL News www.acrl.org/seattle Getty Trust awarded Computerworld innovation award The 2007 Computerworld Honors Program awarded the J. Paul Getty Trust its 21st Cen­ tury Award in the media, arts, and entertain­ ment category for Getty Vocabularies, an online research tool. The Getty’s electronic resources include three vocabulary data­ bases: the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names, and the Union List of Artist Names. Collectively they contain searchable links containing in­ formation relating to one­and­a­half million people, places, objects, and concepts that span from antiquity to modern day. The development and publication of the Getty Vocabularies required the combined expertise of the Getty Vocabulary Program’s expert team of art historians and informa­ tion scientists, as well as technical, project management, and Web publishing skills from Getty Information Technology Services and the Getty Web Group. The Getty was nominated for the award by Unisys Corporation, a member of the Computerworld Honors Program Chairman’s Committee, which identifies the organiza­ tions whose use of information technol­ ogy has been especially noteworthy for the originality of its conception, the breadth of its vision, and the significance of its benefit to society. More information on the Getty Vocabularies is available at www. getty.edu/research/conducting_research /vocabularies/. Trinity Univ. adopts initiative to enhance info lit and student learning In order to help incoming students hone their skills at fi nding information that is both useful and relevant, Trinity University has adopted an initiative called Expanding Hori­ zons: Using Information in the Twenty­fi rst Century Knowledge Economy. The concept of achieving information literacy was proposed by staff members of the Elizabeth Huth Coates Library af­ ter consulting with various professors on campus. The goal of the initiative is to develop the critical thinking skills, research capabilities, and writing profi ciencies of students so that they can master learning objectives and strategies in the classroom as well as within the library’s walls. Known as the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), the initiative is a component of the reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It has been ten years since Trinity went through the accreditation process, and the university, along with all schools seeking SACS accreditation, will now have to develop a QEP that involves trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Implementation of Trinity’s QEP plan will begin in fall 2008. ACRL’s Global Evolution available in print and online ACRL has recently published Global Evo­ lution: A Chronological Annotated Bibli­ ography of International Students in U.S. Academic Libraries by Kaetrena D. Davis of Georgia State University. This is the fi rst of a series of publications to be offered both online and in print form. Current literature brings up new questions about what international students expect from their American academic library and what kind of library skills they have (research or otherwise). This chronological, anno­ tated bibliography shows the evolution of the issues concerning undergraduate and graduate international students in Ameri­ can academic libraries and contains many possible guidelines and ideas for meeting the basic and advanced information needs of an increasingly diverse patron group. From library orientation and information literacy to programming and outreach, the gathered information covers more than 40 years of articles, dissertations, theses, book chapters, books, other bibliographies, and multimedia. To order a print copy, visit the ACRL Web site at www.ala.org/acrl (Click on Publica­ tions/Books and Monographs). ACRL mem­ bers receive a 10 percent discount on any purchase. The book is also freely available in PDF at www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs /downloadables/downloads.htm. IMLS awards librarian recruitment and education grants The federal Institute of Museum and Li­ brary Services announced grants of almost $28 million under the 2007 Laura Bush 21st C&RL News July/August 2007 416 www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs www.ala.org/acrl Century Librarian Program. The multifaceted grant program sup­ ports tuition assistance, curriculum development, service expectations, job placement, recruitment of non­ traditional library students, and support for doctoral candidates to teach library science and research. Forty­three awards will go to uni­ versities, libraries, and library orga­ nizations across the country today to recruit and educate librarians. The grants will benefit 29 doctoral, 689 master’s, 1,439 continuing edu­ cation, and 150 pre­professional students. For a list of recipients, see www.imls.gov/news/2007/061907 _list.shtm. Mellon Foundation increases funding for HBCU leadership program The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded a second grant, an additional $600,000, to the HBCU Library Alliance for the continua­ tion of its Leadership Institute, which began with a pilot institute in 2005. The primary objectives of the Leadership Institute are to provide theoretical and prac­ tical instruction and useful resources to en­ courage the development of leadership skills within the HBCU library community. The 2007–2008 Leadership Institute, facilitated by KTA Global Partners, is scheduled for August 11­15. Eleven librar­ ies will participate in the institute: Hinds Community College in Mississippi; Jackson State University in Mississippi; Johnson C. Smith in North Carolina; Mississippi Val­ ley State University; Morehouse School of Medicine in Georgia; North Carolina Central; Southern University in Louisiana; St. Augustine’s College in North Carolina; Tougaloo College in Alabama; Tuskegee University in Alabama; and Wiley College in Texas. The HBCU Library Alliance will also be­ gin its inaugural mentor development pilot program. This program will be facilitated by The Human Resource Department–At­ lanta. Six directors of HBCU libraries who have previously participated in the Leader­ ship Institute will serve as mentors for the program during 2007–2008. I can’t live without . . . Every Friday I receive an e­mail [from the Scout Report] highlighting excellent Web re­ sources in a variety of categories: Research and Education, General Interest, Network Tools, and “In the News.” Each entry has a brief descrip­ tion/annotation. It is an extremely useful tool for keeping current on exceptional Web resources. I frequently alert my colleagues and campus faculty about the resources mentioned. They have been providing this service since 1994.—Ron Fark, Brown University . . . The Scout Report scout.wisc.edu/index.php Univ. of California Libraries collaborate with OCLC on next generation Melvyl catalog The University of California (UC) Libraries are working in collaboration with OCLC Online Computer Library Center to pilot a next gen­ eration Melvyl Catalog supported by OCLC’s WorldCat Local system. Working with OCLC gives UC the opportunity to provide users a single search and request service that begins with materials held in the UC Libraries and expands to collections in libraries around the world in the WorldCat system, as well as a selection of article citations. Other features will initially include a single search box, relevancy ranking of search results, result sets that bring multiple versions of a work together, faceted browsing, citation formatting options, and cover art. The Melvyl Catalog has been the union catalog of the UC Libraries since 1981. The next generation Melvyl Catalog is scheduled for launch in early 2008. Through a locally branded Melvyl Catalog interface, as well as interfaces for the ten UC campuses, the service will provide libraries with the ability to search the entire WorldCat database while giving users the ability to effortlessly narrow down a search to the local level. WorldCat Local interoperates with locally maintained services like circulation, resource sharing, and resolution to full text to create a seamless experience for the end user. July/August 2007 417 C&RL News www.imls.gov/news/2007/061907