ACQNET v4n022 (April 13, 1994) URL = http://www.infomotions.com/serials/acqnet/acqnet-v4n022 ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 4, No. 22, April 13, 1994 ====================================== (1) FROM: Richard Jasper SUBJECT: Whither the acquisitions profession, Pt. I (90 lines) (2) FROM: Maggie Rioux SUBJECT: ANSI or ISO standards online (15 lines) (3) FROM: Howard Bybee SUBJECT: Library gifts programs (25 lines) (4) FROM: Meredith Smith SUBJECT: European book prices (26 lines) (5) FROM: Peter Stevens SUBJECT: _New Yorker_ article (13 lines) (1)------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Richard Jasper (Emory University) Subject: Whither the Profession, Part I Date: Wed, 13 Apr 1994 14:31:54 -0400 I want to comment on the "Whither Acquisitions?" topic but I must warn you of a couple of things. First is that I haven't been paying close attention to the discussion. Second is that the reason for my inattention is that I'm no longer currently working in Acquisitions (more on this in a subsequent posting) and my views on such topics are beginning to shift. In other words, I'm in transition, so don't expect me to say "normal" (or even "normal for Richard"!) kinds of things. My remarks, which are really more oriented toward the profession of librarianship than acquisitions per se, will explore two sides of the topic, which for convenience I will call REASONS TO FEEL GLOOMY and REASONS TO FEEL OPTIMISTIC. Today I'll address: REASONS TO FEEL GLOOMY 1. Victory of Market Forces Mindset The news about UC-Berkeley was very depressing, from my point of view, but then I have a hard time seeing it other than a victory for the "market forces mindset" in higher education. Now what do I mean by the "market forces mindset"? Quite simply, it's the idea that every activity in a university setting either needs to be "profitable" (i.e., generating revenue, as do academic programs) or capable of showing a direct link between costs and activities (as in the case of most academic computing endeavors). This mindset, in my view, is a direct outgrowth of Reaganism, which promoted the idea that value was strictly monetary (if it makes money it's good, if it doesn't make money it should die) and actively, aggressively sought to impose a state of fiscal austerity in higher education--one which has now lasted for more than 10 years. Many university administrators, with shrinking or stagnant budgets, elected to begin evaluating all higher education activities on a cost basis. In this regard, academic computing centers have a clear advantage over libraries, in that their funding from the very beginning has been predicated on a costs/services/activities basis. The only way they could get the money to do the things they needed to do was to operate in a cost recovery mode. Libraries have done so only in extraordinarily rare instances, as in the development of online database searching in the 1970s and early 1980s. As a result, academic computing folks have always been able to say to librarians "well, if you can't really quantify the costs of all of your activities (the way we can!), how do you really know whether they're worth anything? We *know* the benefits we bring to the university--we have the sales receipts to prove it!" In my mind, closing the library school at Berkeley and reconstituting it in a computer services mold means that we were unsuccessful in articulating what we bring to the university and the public at large. 2. Marginalization of Librarianship and Acquisitions To the extent that university administrators actively disdain or, worse still, just plain overlook our opinions, I believe that libraries have been marginalized in the operations of large academic institutions. Moreover, I will go out on a limb and suggest that we have been further victimized by sexist thinking at senior university administrative levels--thinking which may be responsive to ideas originating in male-dominated sub-organizations (computer services) and, for reasons of sexism, apt to be disdainful of ideas originating in female-dominated sub-organizations such as libraries. It is extremely irritating to find out that senior members of the university hierarchy are making a priori assumptions about what we're interested in and capable of doing. Likewise, I've been further gloomy because I'm apt to believe that acquisitions may be a marginalized area within the library itself. I'm not sure we've done the best job of articulating what it is WE do to our fellow librarians. As a result, we're not included in decisions that have a direct bearing on acquisitions work, decisions which affect the life of the library as a whole and to which we could make a meaningful contribution--if our colleagues had a broader conception of what constitutes our work than they do. As it is, I see us being shut out of the decision making process because folks have made an a priori assumption--based on their imperfect knowledge of what it is we do--that we have nothing to contribute. Sigh. I don't know about you, but I think just this is plenty enough reason to be depressed. But I think there's hope and I'll write more on that tomorrow... (2)------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Maggie Rioux (Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst. Subject: Looking for online standards catalogs Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 08:13:24 -0400 Does anyone know of online versions (preferably gopher) of the catalog of ANSI standards and the catalog of ISO standards? We occasionally buy some of these for our scientists and engineers, or they need to find out if they have the current version. Both ISO and ANSI want $$ for their printed catalogs, which are immediately obsolete. It sure would be nice just to point a gopher at them. Or perhaps there's a library out there which has all the standards whose catalog is available online. Thanks for any help you are able to give. (3)------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Howard Bybee (Brigham Young University) Subject: Library Gift Programs Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 11:39:36 -0400 I currently chair a committee charged with examining our gifts operation. One of our discussions has considered eliminating gifts acceptance programs in order to focus on new technologies, that will provide electronic access to retrospective works in due time thus avoiding physical facilities expansion, repair, theft, circulation and other attendant costs associated with hard copy acquisition and maintenance. >From a strictly economic view it may be better to focus on current publications and advertising for old titles than to rely on gifts to fill in gaps and replace worn or lost titles. Managing a vigorous gifts program is very satisfying but does it serve the library well? I would like to know the names and E-mail addresses of gift librarians or acquisitions personnel who accept gifts in research libraries. In addition I would like to read some library gift policies. Thirdly I am interested in any library gift cost benefit studies that could be shared. (4)------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Meredith Smith (University of Illinois) Subject: Average book prices by subject for European countries Date: Wed, 13 Apr 1994 09:56:59 -0400 We are seeking information to assist us in reviewing our European blanket order plans. We hope to increase the number of countries covered, as well as expand the subject coverage. To achieve these objectives we are looking for information in two areas: 1) the number of titles published in different subject areas in various European countries; and 2) the average book prices for different subject areas in various European countries. I have been able to find information regarding the number of titles published by various countries in different subject areas, but have not been able to find current listings of average European book prices by subject. We are interested in establishing average book prices by subject areas for the countries of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. I have found average prices by subject area for Germany, but not for other countries. Is anyone aware of any sources that would give us the current average book price by subject areas for the European countries we are interested in? Thank you for any assistance you can give us. (5)------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Peter Stevens (University of Washington) Subject: _New Yorker_ article on card catalogs Date: Wed, 13 Apr 1994 17:04:13 -0400 I hope we in the ACQNET community can avoid the discussions that other lists have paraded about Nicholson Baker's laughable article on card catalogs in a recent _New Yorker_. Folks who have not read that article should skip it entirely--and instead read the proceedings of the ALA midwinter symposium on the future of technical services. I'll be happy to provide an electronic copy to those who request one (though copies are also available from OCLC in print, on e-mail and via ftp). The Arnold Hirschon speech is definitely worth reading, considering and discussing. ****** END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 4, No. 22 ****** END OF FILE ******