ACQNET v7n041 (December 7, 1997) URL = http://www.infomotions.com/serials/acqnet/acqnet-v7n041 ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 7, No. 41, December 7, 1997 ========================================== (1) FROM: A. Leiserson SUBJECT: Charleston Conference report (108 lines) (2) FROM: S. Lillard SUBJECT: Charleston Conference report (56 lines) ED. NOTE: This and the next issue will be reports from the 17th Annual Charleston Conference: Issues in Book and Serial Acquisition. The conference was held Nov. 5-8, 1997. These reports are what I was able to cajole and plead out of colleagues; I do not guarantee complete or unbiased coverage here. It is very difficult to get reliable reporters -- however, if YOU attended the Charleston Conference and was impressed by a session not covered here, please send me a report. More formal reports will be published later in _Library Acquisitions: Practice & Theory_. (1)---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 14:52:31 +0600 From: Anna Belle Leiserson (Vanderbilt U. Law) Subject: Charleston Conference Report: Keynotes and E-journals KEYNOTE TALKS In the words of Katina Strauch, the leading light of the Charleston Conference, who sets its wonderfully unique tone of hospitality, easy communication and substantial information, the four keynote speakers were "awesome." Just to have Nora Rawlinson, Editor-in-Chief of _Publishers Weekly_, there was awesome enough, but she gave an engaging talk, focusing on the perception that there is a crisis in trade publishing. She noted that there are a number of critical issues at the moment, among them the flattening of sales (where it is difficult to distinguish if consumers have lost interest or if the issue is more an inventory shakeout from the high returns coming in the wake of the 1995 spread of chain super stores), the pressures on publicly held companies, and the cost of talent. The results of these pressures, she predicted, will be fewer titles coming out, mid-list authors being better off in smaller houses, and the continuing rise of niche publishers such as Foghorn Press. The Internet, publishers hope, will result in the increasing elimination of catalogs and fewer out-of-print titles. The Internet and electronically driven change in library bookselling were also a focus of Fred Phillips, President and CEO of Blackwell's. He noted the need for vendors to be able to work with a library's OPAC software. By his count, there are currently 27 major systems being used in libraries. He also wondered aloud if the issue of "buying around," which has gone on for 30 or 40 years, will come to a head with "the Amazons," referring to the rise of Web bookstores such as Amazon.com. Bill Hannay, attorney at Schiff Hardin & Waite in Chicago, is not only deft at explaining legal technicalities, he is also most entertaining. His subject was "A Look at Plagiarism," in which he discussed the rise of term-paper mills on the Web (e.g. "Cheat.com" and "Schoolsucks.com"), with a detailed analysis of the Boston University lawsuit. The issue, he explained, is "the integrity of the academic process and the ease with which it can be distorted" -- as term-paper mills corrupt the process that we librarians are part of. The final keynote speaker was Ward Shaw of CARL, who stimulated both thought and appetite with a "Brief Essay on Omelets." The whole egg, he said, was the traditional chain of author, publisher, vendor, library, bookstore. What broke it is technology and economics. So, he queried, who will make the omelet and is it any good? He said that the academic elite has lost control of the Internet, while publishers, academic institutions and libraries no longer control information distribution. This shift in control has resulted in a predictable set of reactions. First is the "Luddite," i.e. total denial. Next comes preservation behavior, where we try to make the world look as it did before. He believes we are currently nearing the end of this stage. Finally comes inventing and establishing new forms. Coping strategies for this shift include following the money, watching the underlying characteristics of distribution and noticing the effects on society. In response to his own question of "who will make it?" [the omelet] he thinks there are many omelets to be made. ELECTRONIC JOURNALS (CONCURRENT SESSIONS) Access to electronic journals (e-journals) is currently high on my priority list of issues to untangle, and it seems I am one of many. The two concurrent sessions on this topic were among the most well-attended. Sharon McKay of Blackwell's and Pamela Pavliscak of Rice University spoke on "Implementing Access to Electronic Journals." Ms. McKay drew a clear picture of what the intermediary or aggregator services can and will be doing, and their advantages (such as help with licensing, validating subscriptions, search capabilities, and production of usage reports). While her focus was naturally on subscription agents, she pointed out the variety of aggregators, which range from secondary publishers to library consortia to automated library systems. Ms. Pavliscak spoke about hands-on experience implementing these services in a library. After highlighting key issues, such as whether to include free e-journals in the mix and how to cope with password-protected sites, she showed their current Web page solution. You can access this at: http://riceinfo.rice.edu/Fondren/Electronic/ejournals.html Their experience, however, indicates that it is preferable to have links to e-journals in the OPAC. Having done this as well, they are currently grappling with assigning call numbers, since their users browse the OPAC by call number. In the second session, Laura Hudson and Laura Windsor of Ohio University spoke on the "Intricacies of Providing Access to Electronic Journals." As part of a large consortium (OhioLink), they had to address how an individual library optimizes access for their patrons. Echoing Ms. Pavliscak, they think cataloging is key. They pointed to the need to train catalogers to cope with the nuances of 856 fields in imported records, which may or may not be to the best URL or may point to a variation from the paper copy. Three points they stressed were archiving concerns (a common theme throughout the conference), training for staff and faculty, and a strong preference for IP validation over password access. (2)---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 14:51:15 -0500 From: Stewart Lillard (UNC-Charlotte) Subject: Review of Charleston Conference, Thursday 1:45-2:45 pm SHORT REVIEW OF THURSDAY, NOV. 6, 1:45-2:45 pm WHAT COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT LIBRARIANS NEED TO KNOW TODAY "From Field of Dreams to The Godfather: Collection Development Today," with Robin Lent (U. of New Hampshire), Maureen Pastine (Temple U.), Genevieve Owens (Williamsburg Reg. Lib.), and Curt Holleman (Southern Methodist U.). LENT: Librarians must understand the institution's budget, since about 80% of budget is committed as the fiscal year begins; librarians must also appreciate local faculty politics and the needs of individual scholars. Within the library, CD librarians must evaluate collections, understand serials and ILL, and the potential value of gift items. CD librarians must be generalists with experience in grant writing, approval plan monitoring, serials projections, and knowledge of new and trendy subjects. The list of "needs to know" includes electronic formats, price increases, OP ordering on the WEB, accreditation standards, building and space issues, and even e-mail reading. PASTINE: CD Librarians need to be visible on a campus to justify their own jobs. Although there is a great need for "quality" information, the users generally want [or settle for] the "speed" and "ease" of information. With so many demands on academic campuses these days, libraries need to fight for their place. In fact, it has been predicted that 50% of learners may be "distance learners" by the year 2000. OWENS: In serials reductions/cancellations, diplomacy matters greatly. Today we have an explosion of uses for CD-ROMs and the World Wide Web. How can we determine what expense goes to which individual department? HOLLEMAN: Libraries no longer use volume count for size comparison with other institutions. Today, they use numbers and comments on "full-text" documents "on-line" and the heavy amount of documents delivered to users. In old days CD librarians sought balance of collections; today, access is the key as opposed to ownership. Today's librarians are being offered "consortia deals" which they cannot refuse. Pay less, get more! Find a consortia and join it - - take advantage of discounts and access. Stewart Lillard, Technical Services email rslillar@email.uncc.edu J. Murrey Atkins Library FAX (704)-547-2322 UNC Charlotte phone (704)-547-3589 9201 University City Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28223 ****** END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 7, No. 41 ****** END OF FILE ******