ALCTS Network News v5n17 (March 19, 1993) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/ann/ann-v5n17 ISSN: 1056-6694 ALCTS NETWORK NEWS An electronic publication of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services Volume 5, Number 17 March 19, 1993 In this issue LETTER TO EDITOR DEWEY TURNS 120 AND GOES HIGH TECH SPRINGER JOURNALS PREVIEW SERVICE OCLC USERS COUNCIL DISCUSSES ECONOMIC CONCERNS OF THE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION COMMUNITY ************************************************************************** LETTER TO EDITOR While the enthusiasm of the write-up about my talk [in AN2, vol 5, no. 15] at ALA was gratifying, I was somewhat disturbed that the report appeared to capture a number of the details (some were not captured correctly) but tended to miss the overarching principles and themes in the talk. If I were to pick the prime principle, it is that one should have an immense respect for copyright. Copyright respects *others'* property, and, importantly the Copyright Act provides for generating the revenue that supports the publishing system. It is right and fair that when authors or consumers are unhappy with some of the practices of some publishers, they should find useful and constructive ways to improve the situation, and one of those ways might be in assigning more limited rights than currently is the prevailing practice. But we must take care. Changing copyright transfer traditions is not fun and frolic. It requires thought and cooperation, for we do not know what the consequences of such change could be and whether we might not leave ourselves without the kind of publishing we have become accustomed to or and depend upon. If possible, would you add this correction to a subsequent issue of the electronic-alcts and to any derivative or printed version you may produce? Yours sincerely, Ann Okerson Association of Research Libraries ************************************************************************* DEWEY TURNS 120 AND GOES HIGH TECH One hundred and twenty years after Melvil Dewey introduced his decimal classification system at Amherst College, OCLC Forest Press will publish a high-tech version of the Dewey Decimal Classification--ELECTRONIC DEWEY, a CD-ROM version of DDC 20. "The Dewey Decimal Classification will be the first major classification system in the world to be available in interactive electronic format," said Peter J. Paulson, executive director of Forest Press. "ELECTRONIC DEWEY enables users to search DDC quickly and efficiently and offers new ways for classifiers to access Dewey numbers." ELECTRONIC DEWEY features advanced online search and windowing techniques, full-text indexing, a personal notepad, LC subject headings linked to DDC numbers, and a database that includes all the latest DDC changes. Users can view and browse headings displayed in the context of the DDC hierarchy and see a sample cataloging record for the most frequently occurring subject heading associated with a classification number. Along with the compact disc and system software, the ELECTRONIC DEWEY package contains a user guide, which explains and illustrates the use of the software in the context of Dewey. A set of hands-on exercises teaches three basic approaches to using ELECTRONIC DEWEY. Also included are a setup guide, which provides information on installation and setup, and a quick reference guide. The ELECTRONIC DEWEY package is available for $400. The hardware needed to run ELECTRONIC DEWEY is an IBM-compatible microcomputer with MS-DOS 3.1 or higher, 640K RAM minimum, hard disk drive, and CD-ROM drive. A printer and color monitor are recommended. For libraries which do not have the necessary equipment, an ELECTRONIC DEWEY workstation will be available at a special price of $2,450. The workstation includes ELECTRONIC DEWEY plus a stand-alone Wyse 386sx/25 personal computer, an internal Hitachi CD-ROM drive, and a color monitor. It was during his junior year in college, in 1873, that Dewey conceived the idea of numbering decimally a collection of books, a concept that would revolutionize library classification and introduce standardization into librarianship. Dewey and several members of the Amherst faculty provided the 889 headings (of the available 1,000 headings) that comprised the first DDC. On May 8, 1873, Dewey submitted his classification plan to the Library Committee of Amherst College, where it was adopted for use. The Dewey Decimal Classification was first published in 1876. Today it is used by an estimated 200,000 libraries in more than 135 countries worldwide. Editions have appeared in over 30 languages. For more information call: Peter Paulson, 518-489-8549; or Nita Dean, 614-761-5002. ************************************************************************* SPRINGER JOURNALS PREVIEW SERVICE Following the request of a great number of scientists (working in the fields of medicine and life sciences) and librarians, Springer-Verlag will offer the tables of contents and BiblioAbstracts of 30 important scientific journals via e-mail before publication of the new issue. This service will be accessible as of March 1, 1993. Tables of contents are free of charge and BiblioAbstracts are available for an annual token fee. The files supplied are in ASCII format, structured in accordance with accepted standards. They can be read on any computer without further processing and can easily be integrated into local data bases. For details, please send an e-mail message containing the word help to our mailserver svjps@dhdspri6.bitnet or contact: Springer-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, New Technologies / Product Development, P.O. Box 10 52 80, W-6900 Heidelberg, Germany; e-mail: springer@dhdspri6.bitnet; fax: +49 6221 487 648 -- Holger Wendt, Manager, New Technologies / Product Development; e-mail: wendt@dhdspri6.bitnet ************************************************************************* OCLC USERS COUNCIL DISCUSSES ECONOMIC CONCERNS OF THE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION COMMUNITY Economic issues facing electronic information users and providers was the focus of the OCLC Users Council meeting, Feb. 7-9, in Dublin. Topics ranged from general concepts of networked electronic information to the pricing of specific OCLC products and services. "Economic Aspects of the Electronic Information Community" was the second in a three-part series with the theme, "Transforming Technologies: Reconstructing Libraries for the New Information Community." Last October, delegates discussed the changing telecommunications infrastructure and its impact on the future of libraries. Czeslaw Jan Grycz, chair of the Scholarship and Technology Study Project, Division of Library Automation, University of California, spoke about concepts of economics for networked information. He said there is a rapid, enthusiastic, global expansion of the electronic network as a means of two-way communication, but "the economics are still uncertain." Grycz encouraged as much experimentation as possible in the expanding new field, and said writers should be encouraged to contribute to non-traditional electronic publications to help make the medium more accepted in some circles. Alison Brown, director, Ohio Academic Resources Network, discussed the economics of being an Internet services provider--a job she says has changed dramatically in recent years. OARnet started out as a supercomputer network but has branched out to provide commercial and educational services through dial-up and leased-line connections. Brown said that Internet services are in an "embryonic" stage and will start to reach maturity around the turn of the century. She suggested that a successful regional network in the "new world" of the Internet service industry must invest in increasing reliability at the same pace the market demands; build the best engineering, user support, and sales staff possible; develop technology to reduce operating costs; and provide security solutions. Richard W. Meyer, director of the library, Trinity University, presented his work on a matrix model for selecting the most cost-effective way to provide reference services for library patrons. His focus was largely on locally mounted files. He noted that, under certain circumstances, switching from mediated to CD-ROM searching will increase searching by 50 to 100 times and switching from mediated to locally mounted searching will increase searching by 150 to 200 times. K. Wayne Smith, OCLC president and CEO, told the Users Council that 1992 was an especially productive year for OCLC. Dr. Smith said 1993 is off to a good start with exciting new products and services, and OCLC board members and managers are getting ready to set more challenging goals for the years ahead. "We intend to keep our momentum, to keep our promises, to keep improving our services, to keep our member libraries on the leading edge of information automation, and to keep working hard to make the age-old dreams of librarianship a reality," Dr. Smith said. Delegates heard reports from OCLC staff on research, support, pricing, reference and member services. Interest groups convened for discussions on technical services, resource sharing, reference services/electronic publishing, and communication and access. Group leaders reported highlights from the discussions to the full council. The next Users Council meeting will be held May 23-25. The Users Council comprises delegates from networks and service centers whose use of the OCLC System and contribution to the OCLC database qualify them for Users Council membership. Delegates represent the various interests of the General Members of OCLC and ratify amendments to the Articles of Incorporation and Code of Regulations of OCLC. The Users Council also elects six trustees to the OCLC Board of Trustees. The six Users Council-elected trustees and three other members of the library profession elected by the Board assure a majority of librarians on the OCLC Board. The Board possesses powers similar to those of university trustees. ************************************************************************* ************************************************************************* 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; Liz Bishoff, President; Karen Muller, Executive Director. Editor: Karen Muller (u34261@uicvm); Editorial Advisory Board: Liz Bishoff, Jennifer Younger, Arnold Hirshon; Editorial Assistance: Alex Bloss, Yvonne McLean, Beatrice Calvin. 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 Bitnet address u34261@uicvm. 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 The ALCTS FILELIST contains the list of files with the EXACT filename and filetype. To get a particular file, issue this command to the LISTSERV@UICVM: send filename filetype. Send questions about membership in ALCTS to the ALCTS Office, u34261@uicvm. 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 granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. For other reprinting or redistribution or translations, address requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. *************************************************************************