ALCTS Network News v11n03 (March 6, 1996) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/ann/ann-v11n03 ISSN: 1056-6694 ALCTS NETWORK NEWS An electronic publication of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services Volume 11, Number 3 March 6, 1996 In this issue MIDWINTER MEETING DISCUSSION GROUP SUMMARIES DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TOPIC OF ALCTS PRESIDENT'S PROGRAM IN NEW YORK HAWORTH ANNOUNCES NEW EDITOR OF COLLECTION MANAGEMENT CLR MAKES SMALL GRANTS AVAILABLE ************************************************************************** MIDWINTER MEETING DISCUSSION GROUP SUMMARIES As space permits, we will publish summaries of your discussion group topics from the Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio. We will accept e-mail transmissions only and reserve the right to edit for length. Send your summaries to alcts@ala.org. Creative Ideas in Technical Services Approximately 95 persons attended the ALCTS Creative Ideas in Technical Services Discussion Group meeting. The four topics discussed included "Cross-Training," "Electronic Journals: Their Acquisition and Retention," "The Interface between Technical Services and Library Systems," and "The Impact of Electronic Resources on Technical Services." Nearly half the attendees participated in the discussion on electronic resources. Following is a summary of each discussion. The participants in the discussion on "Cross-training" noted several highlights, including the fact that many different types and methods of cross-training exist and that many efforts labeled as "cross-training" would more appropriately be called "cross-staffing." They felt it was a more important concept now than in previous years due to downsizing of library staff. They also noted the fact that both interdepartmental and intradepartmental cross-training are equally important. Participants also noted the importance of documented procedures to aid in the training process. That process could be a very formal one or could be established in an informal mode. The groups divided on their opinion of method of implementing cross-training. One group stressed the need to build consensus for a cross-training program within the staff, while the other group felt that it was important, and perhaps necessary, to mandate the implementation of cross-training. Such diversion in opinion might reflect more on specific situations, rather than a rule to apply to all cross-training. The groups that discussed "Acquisition and Retention Issues of Electronic Journals" felt the question of how to make the electronic journals accessible to the library's patrons a very important one. Both groups agreed that the Web seemed the most logical site for those journals. Most librarians reported that they used the same procedures for electronic titles as they did for print titles. They also noted, however, the constraints placed on access by publishers. Sometimes the form of access can differ by the publisher offering the source. Additionally, they indicated that licensing, with its unique problems, makes the purchasing process more problematic. Many of the librarians discussing the retention questions have just begun to grapple with that problem and very few could report decisions made. The question of archiving, the method to use, the person/s with the responsibility for archiving, and many other questions related to retention still remain to resolve. Participants also noted that the question of weeding will not go away in an electronic environment and that new methods will have to be devised to monitor usage of electronic journals to aid in deciding what to weed. Those groups which discussed "The Interface Between Technical Services and Library Systems" stated that the interface and relationship between these two departments can vary depending upon the library's online system. It can also depend upon how "savvy" the technical services staff are in respect to systems issues and how much systems staff know of bibliographic formats and technical services processes. Participants also determined that communication between the departments should be improved and formalized in order to achieve success. The systems staff need help in developing priorities because their work is often driven by software releases and upgrades. There is also a need for improved documentation. The interface between technical services and systems staff continues to be devleoped and shaped as libraries begin to build and increase their systems staff. Those groups which discussed "Impact of Electronic Resources on Technical Services" determined that libraries are at different stages in the process of cataloging electronic resources, in deciding what to catalog, and in maintaining URLs for World Wide Web sources. The selection responsibilities are being handled by teams, by committees, or by bibliographers. Only a few libraries are currently maintaining URLs in the local catalogs. This work is being done by various library staff members and some libraries are using link checking software. Most of the participants' libraries had WWW home pages established. Again the staff involved in the process varies among the libraries. Libraries are at a transitional stage in terms of cataloging electronic resources because traditional cataloging does not fit with the new electronic resources. Cataloging practices and MARC standards are evolving to accommodate these new resources. Electronic resources will continue to have an impact on technical services in the future. The organization and service of these resources will continue to become more developed as libraries have an opportunity to study them further. --Submitted by Cynthia Coulter and Marilyn Mercado, Co-Chairs ************************************************************************* DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TOPIC OF ALCTS PRESIDENT'S PROGRAM IN NEW YORK "Librarians on the Edge: Preparing for the Digital Future" is the theme of the 1996 ALCTS President's Program hosted by David Farrell on Monday, July 8. The program, sponsored by Blackwell North America, will follow the ALCTS Awards Ceremony from 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. during the ALA Annual Conference in New York. Pete Leyden, senior editor at _Wired_ magazine in San Francisco, will present a vision of what the Digital Age will be like. He will explore consequences for society, education, and government as we move from the Industrial Age, an era organized around the motor, to the Digital Age, an era defined by the microprocessor. A panel of library educators and library trend watchers will react to Leyden's presentation and suggest implications for library education and practice. Leyden is responsible for the feature-length articles that form the backbone of _Wired_ magazine every month. He has master's degrees in journalism and comparative politics from Columbia University and a degree in intellectual history from Georgetown University. He has worked as a special correspondent in Asia for _Newsweek_ and several newspapers and as a reporter at the Hartford (Conn.) Courant, Birmingham (Ala.) Post-Herald, and Minneapolis Star-Tribune where he created and covered the Information Technologies beat, which focused on the impact of digital technologies on all aspects of our lives. The reactor panel includes Anne Woodsworth, dean, Palmer School of Library and Information Science, Long Island University; Deanna Marcum, president, Council on Library Resources and the Commission for Preservation; and Karen Drabenstott, associate professor, School of Information and Library Studies, University of Michigan. The ALCTS Awards Program will be held from 9:30 to 10:00. ************************************************************************* HAWORTH ANNOUNCES NEW EDITOR OF COLLECTION MANAGEMENT Sul H. Lee, Dean of the University Libraries, University, University of Oklahoma, will assume the editorship of the quarterly journal _Collection Management_, beginning with Volume 22. Sul H. Lee is an internationally recognized leader and consultant in the library administration and management field. Lee is a past member of the Board of Directors Association of Research Libraries and the ARL Office of Management Services Advisory Committee. Under the editorship of Lee, _Collection Management_ will continue to focus on the tasks of collection management and development. The journal examines the developments in the field and their implications for college, university, and research libraries of all types. Prospective authors are invited to request an "Instruction for Authors" brochure from the editor: Sul H. Lee, University Libraries, University of Oklahoma, 401 E. Brooks, Norman, OK 73019. Phone: 405/325-2611; Fax: 405/325-7550. ************************************************************************* CLR MAKES SMALL GRANTS AVAILABLE The Council on Library Resources will make available, through support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, small grants of up to $25,000 to stimulate research, encourage the collection of badly needed data, and promote the analysis of library operations in the electronic and traditional spheres. The Council invites applications to submit grant proposals for its consideration. "This new small grants program," said William N. Hubbard Jr., chairman of the Council's Board of Directors, "will enable us to look at the costs of providing information so that we have a clearer idea of what the library of tomorrow will look like and how much it will cost to operate it." In short supply, Hubbard said, are models of economic decision-making in libraries, case studies of library investments in new technologies, cost-benefit analysis of information delivery systems and options. There is little information available on the values and costs of traditional library services and modes of operation. For electronic libraries, which are quickly becoming a reality in the world of digital technology, information about costs and operations is even harder to find. Guidelines for submitting proposals are available from Glenn W. LaFantasie, Council on Library Resources, 1400 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 202/939-3370, or e-mail gwlafant@cpa.org. ************************************************************************* ************************************************************************* ALCTS NETWORK NEWS (ISSN 1056-6694) is published irregularly by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association. Editorial offices: ALCTS, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; David Farrell, President; Karen Muller, Executive Director. Editor: Karen Whittlesey (u34261@uicvm); Editorial Assistance: Karen Muller, Shonda Russell. ALCTS NETWORK NEWS is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the division. News items should be sent to the editor at the e-mail address above. To subscribe, issue the network command "tell listserv@uicvm sub alcts [your name]." Back issues of AN2 are available through the listserver. To find out what's available, send the following command to LISTSERV@UICVM: send alcts filelist Send questions about membership in ALCTS to the ALCTS Office, alcts.office@ ala.org All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or education advancement. For other reprinting or redistribution or translations, address requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. *************************************************************************