From: "Sally Loken" <loken_at_wln.com>
WLN Conspectus Users Group Meeting Notes
ALA Midwinter, New Orleans
January 11, 1998
WLN Report
Sally Loken reported that <Using the Conspectus Method: A Collection
Assessment Handbook>, by Mary Bushing, Burns Davis and Nancy Powell,
has become an academic best seller! Other projects completed
include updating the LC Conspectus and revising the Dewey Conspectus
to incorporate the changes in 21st Dewey. An NLM Conspectus has also
been prepared and is available for medical libraries and any library
that uses NLM classification. An enhancement release of the WLN
Conspectus Software, version 6.3, will be distributed this spring. It
will include an updated conspectus file and will allow use of the
revised language codes for collection assessment, as published in the
Handbook. Use of the conspectus structure for automated analyses is
increasing and is the prevaling trend this year.
Acceptance of WLN LC Conspectus revisions
The Users Group accepted the additions and changes in the conspectus
structure and approved it for distribution in the upcoming release of
the software. The new Medicine division, created by June
Pinnell-Stephens, is to be preferred to the revised previous Medicine
division. To distinguish between them, the lines in the new division
will have the abbreviation MDD. The optional Nursing division, also
prepared by June, will be distributed in the conspectus file.
Open forum: What if vendors added conspectus line numbers to approval
plan records and reports?
Guests: Celia Wagner, Academic Book Center, Bob Nardini, Yankee Book
Peddler, Charles Wittenberg and Eric Redman, Blackwells.
Sharon West, WLN, provided introductory remarks, including the
benefits anticipated from having conspectus numbers in the vendor's
bibliographic record. The hard part comes when books dealing with
multiple subjects are classified in one subject area - however, this
is always an issue. The discussion covered the possible use of the
conspectus methodology to profile with the use of levels; the
difference between profiling a book and evaluating or assessing a
whole collection; and the use of existing conspectus data to create
(or adjust) an approval plan profile.
Discussion topic: "Is the Conspectus flexible enough to handle
assessment of metadocuments?" was postponed due to lack of time.
ALA/ALCTS/CMDS Chair, Patricia Bril, brought up the issue of the
intellectual oversight of the Conspectus, which was discussed at
the first CMDS Executive Committee meeting during Midwinter. The
Executive Committee would like to have a liaison appointed from the
WLN Conspectus UG who would be the point of contact and communication
between the two groups. We hope to develop a "sounding board"
between us and convey feedback on issues of mutual interest. Sally
Loken agreed to be named the liaison, and she or her designated
representative will attend CMDS Executive Committee meetings when the
need arises. Chair Biblarz will write a letter to Pat Bril
indicating this information.
This subject also led to the question of what will happen to
historical RLG data; Sally Loken will contact RLG to see how it will
be available to members and suggest consideration of sending the files
to WLN where they will reside in a safe place and may be consulted in
the future.
Updates on projects: Nebraska has formed a six-library consortium.
Australia is very interested in Web access to conspectus information,
which they will install as soon as available.
Submitted by Dora Biblarz, Chair
Received on Wed Apr 15 1998 - 18:21:57 EDT