ALCTS Network News v7n09 (May 16, 1994) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/ann/ann-v7n09 ISSN: 1056-6694 ALCTS NETWORK NEWS An electronic publication of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services Volume 7, Number 9 May 16, 1994 In this issue MAGERT TO PRESENT BASIC MAP CATALOGING PROGRAM CHRZASTOWSKI AND SCHMIDT RECEIVE LAPT RESEARCH AWARD CONFERENCE REPORT: TECHNICAL SERVICES 2000 ALCTS OFFICE CLOSED FOR TWO DAYS ************************************************************************** MAGERT TO PRESENT BASIC MAP CATALOGING PROGRAM The ALA Map and Geography Round Table (MAGERT) will be presenting a program titled Basic Map Cataloging for Non-Map Librarians from 2:00 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 26th, at the ALA annual conference in Miami. This introduction to the cataloging of maps will focus on the aspects of maps which differ from other forms of material, having no title page, etc. The program will cover descriptive cataloging of maps, subject analysis, how to compute scale, applying the _Library of Congress Classification: Schedule G_, and the impact of format integration on maps. The speakers are Mary L. Larsgaard, Map and Imagery Lab, University of California-Santa Barbara; and Elizabeth U. Mangan, Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress. ************************************************************************* CHRZASTOWSKI AND SCHMIDT RECEIVE LAPT RESEARCH AWARD Library Acquisitions: Practice & Theory (LAPT) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 1994 Research Award, Tina E. Chrzastowski and Karen A. Schmidt. Chrzastowski is Chemistry Librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Schmidt is Acquisitions Librarian at the same institution. Their proposal, "The Serials Cancellation Crisis: Determining Recent National Trends in Academic Library Serial Collections Through the Use of Commercial Vendor Subscription Records," has been funded as the 1994 Library Acquisitions: Practice & Theory Research Award. The study "will determine how recent rounds of serial cancellations have affected academic research collections nationwide. It will identify national trends in serials collections by analyzing serial cancellations and serial orders over three years (1991-1993) from ten academic research libraries located throughout the United States." This study builds on the earlier work of the researchers, "Surveying the Damage: Academic Library Serial Cancellations 1987-88 through 1989-90," which appeared in _College and Research Libraries_, volume 54, no. 2 (March 1993) 93-102. To quote one of LAPT's reviewers, "the proposal has great promise for giving us insight into the actual behavior and trends in the ongoing serials cancellation crisis." The citation and cash award will be presented to Chrzastowski and Schmidt at the Editorial Board's Meeting at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Miami on June 25, 1994. ************************************************************************* CONFERENCE REPORT: TECHNICAL SERVICES 2000 The New England Technical Services Librarians (NETSL) Spring 1994 program (held in Worcester, Mass., on April 22) was inspired by the recent upheavals in technical services management options and philosophies, from contracting-out and Total Quality Management, to cataloging simplification and enhanced access (and is there a contradiction between them?), to electronic collection development, automated authority control and more. The one-day program included an array of presentations centered on the challenges, opportunities and difficulties facing both technical services managers and those "in the trenches." The tone was optimistic overall, although complacency is clearly an attitude of the past. Liz Bishoff, Director of Member Relations, OCLC, spoke about "Changes in Technical Services." Her talk centered on the imperative need for librarians to be assertive in creating future scenarios, in order to retain control over our place among information providers. Quoting author Joel Barker, she impressed on the audience that "You can and should shape your own future. Because, if you don't, someone else surely will." Bishoff discussed scenarios for the years 2004 and 2024, for both the general information environment and the technical services environment. The scenarios showed a movement toward environments characterized by a cross-institutional, even global, outlook, with an emphasis on systems and generalists rather than the narrow "functional silo" approach of the Industrial Age. Funding and staffing levels were seen to stabilize, and alliances between libraries and other information providers will proliferate. In the year 2024, libraries will be "purveyors of universal access," a crucial function which we will be best positioned to provide. The most important aspect of Bishoff's scenarios was not whether or not they actually predict a specific future, but rather that they represent the kind of paradigm-shifting, information-gathering activity which will increase our likelihood of success in a dynamic, competitive environment. Bishoff then discussed OCLC's Cataloging Strategic Plan. OCLC intends to reduce overall cataloging costs through three main initiatives: 1) improve productivity by further automating the cataloging process, 2) facilitate links between OCLC and local systems, and 3) provide enhanced authority control services. Under the first heading, she detailed plans for PromptCat, which is intended to provide quality cataloging records based on approval plans or firm orders placed with jobbers. PromptCat will be profile-driven; customers will be able to select the level or type of records they wish to receive. Breakout sessions provided some attendees with difficult choices between distinct but equally compelling topics. Jane Ouderkirk, Bruce Trumble, and Bill Hays, of Harvard's Widener Library, discussed a variety of management techniques, from organizational restructuring and managing change to using system data for workflow planning and analysis. These were presented in the context of a radical transformation of Widener's cataloging activity, but are applicable to general problems, such as eliminating wasteful effort in cataloging departments and raising departmental morale. Christine Donohue and Marilyn Ottone, of The Donohue Group, Inc., outlined procedures and practices to follow in pursuing contract cataloging with a vendor. They discussed the difference between one-time projects and ongoing contract services, the elements of a contract, and the respective responsibilities of the client and contractor. Fay Zipkowitz of the University of Rhode Island GSLIS and Joanna Walsh, of Walsh Associates and Adjunct Faculty at URI/GSLIS, detailed training and career development issues. Included in their presentation were current trends directly affecting technical services librarians and a discussion of skills needed both now and in ten years. They distinguished staff development from both continuing education and training, and presented the elements of an ideal training model. Finally, Marilyn Geller of MIT and Bonnie Postlethwaite of Tufts University gave a presentation on factors to consider for providing library access to electronic information. These include, among others, the availability and reliability, authority and completeness of remote sources; staffing, training, and support skills and documentation; whether or not remote materials will be cataloged, and how; and the tools needed to help library users navigate and filter enormous quantities of information. Sarah Thomas, Director for Cataloging at the Library of Congress, closed the day with an overview of current developments at LC. She impressed the audience immediately by stating that LC will have no book backlog by the year 2000! She then went on to discuss the Program for Cooperative Cataloging, the Bibliographic Enrichment Advisory Team (BEAT), and the Electronic Cataloging-In-Publication (CIP) initiative. The Program for Cooperative Cataloging grew out of the recent Cooperative Cataloging Council, itself the result of a reexamination of the National Coordinated Cataloging Program. Difficulties with the NCCP led eventually to the formation of a series of task forces, with the common aim of increasing the timeliness and availability of catalog records which could be broadly used with little or no modification. The Program's strategic plan is now available on LC MARVEL. BEAT was formed as the result of a one-million dollar grant received by LC from the Edward Lowe Foundation. Its three activities are adding table-of-contents data to selected business monographs, automating Library of Congress Classification areas of most interest to business, and enhancing Library of Congress Subject Headings with terms drawn from business thesauri. Thomas noted that, although these projects are aimed at the business community, they are generating ripple effects that will provide broader benefits. Electronic CIP includes the submission of CIP applications, transmission of galleys, and transmission of CIP data to publishers over the Internet. It is now being tested with a set of publishers, including the University of New Mexico Press. This program promises to reduce publishers' costs and cut down the turnaround time for production of CIP records; future possibilities include adding author's abstracts, received electronically, into catalog records. Thomas concluded with her own speculations about "Technical Services 2000." We will probably see reduced demand for professional book catalogers, but shouldn't conclude from that catalogers' jobs will disappear. Catalogers will become system designers, knowledge navigators who add value to masses of data, trainers in principles of knowledge organization. At LC, the substantial special collections areas are new territories for technical processing, paralleling the many undone projects in libraries all over the world, waiting for "some day when we have time." Thomas's optimism has been recently echoed by Glen Holt, Director of the St. Louis Public Library, who sees a "bright future for technical services managers and leaders," although we may be performing unaccustomed functions. (See his presentation in the _The Future is Now_, OCLC's program from ALA Midwinter 1994.) In order to realize this future, however, we will need to be flexible, willing to explore, and to value cooperation. --David Miller NETSL Board Member-At-Large dpmiller@world.std.com ************************************************************************* ALCTS OFFICE CLOSED FOR TWO DAYS Peggy Sullivan, ALA Executive Director, has declared the week of May 15 "Organization and Clean-up Days" at headquarters. Consequently on Wednesday and Thursday (May 17 and 18) ALCTS and LAMA staff will be "sequestered" in order to devote time and energy to organizing, improving and arranging office space, files and materials in order to serve you better. Phone and email messages will be returned on Friday, May 19. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause you, but we hope the result will be more efficient and effective service. ************************************************************************* ************************************************************************* 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; Jennifer Younger, President; Karen Muller, Executive Director. Editor: Karen Whittlesey (u34261@uicvm); Editorial Advisory Board: Liz Bishoff, Jennifer Younger, Robert P. Holley; Editorial Assistance: Karen Muller 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, 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. For other reprinting or redistribution or translations, address requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. *************************************************************************