Curating the Library Exhibit “Russian Revolution: Actors and Witnesses” at Harvard University: A Collaborative Experience

ABSTRACT

Tasked with organizing and promoting an exhibit of Russian Revolution-related materials from Harvard University’s vast library holdings in a relatively small space, the curators faced both advantages and challenges. This article describes the curatorial choices and logistical solutions reached via a collaboration between staff at several units across the university: Houghton, Widener, and Fung Libraries, the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, and the Weissman Preservation Center.     

A Review of “The Kovacs Guide to Electronic Library Collection Development”

This article describes a computer program developed by the author to extract subject-level usage and inventory data from Aleph system reports and to track usage trends by subject over time. Two implementations of the program are detailed, at the Institute of Fine Arts Library and the East Asian collection at Bobst Library, both at New York University. Use of the program in processing inventory, in-house usage, and circulation data in greater detail is demonstrated. Information about usage trends within major Library of Congress subject areas provides collection managers with more precise data for use in a variety of collection management decisions. The article shows that the program offers significant new functionality for collection assessment.     

The Origins of the Russian Collection at the Library of Congress (1800–1906)

This article traces the development of the Russian collection at the Library of Congress during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Library of Congress, which was intended to be a small legislative library, initially added books about Russia in English translation and on limited subjects. The purchase of the Jefferson library brought the first Russian-language books to the collection, but the Russian collection would not truly begin to grow until the 1866 Smithsonian Deposit and the development of international exchanges in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The author made heavy use of the many printed Library of Congress catalogs and supplements, as well as archival sources, in the course of this research.     

Pop-Up Library at the University of Birmingham: Extending the Reach of an Academic Library by Taking “The Library” to the Students

ABSTRACT

Aligning with student engagement and promotional strategies, a Pop-Up Library project was initiated at the University of Birmingham. This involved setting up temporary, staffed stalls in different locations across campus in order to informally communicate with students and effectively take “the Library” to them. This article discusses the planning and implementation of the Pop-Up Library, including the rationale for the initiative. Details are given of the stalls themselves, the wide range of staff involved, the many locations trialed, the promotional materials used, and the ways in which the venture was advertised and subsequently evaluated. Results of a questionnaire used on the stalls are presented. Conclusions are drawn as to the effectiveness of the Pop-Up Library as a communication tool, with particular emphasis on breaking down barriers between students and library staff, and proactively raising students' awareness of the many ways Library Services can enhance their learning.     

The Prokudin-Gorskii Collection of Early 20th Century Color Photographs of Russia at the Library of Congress: Unexpected Consequences of the Digitization of the Collection, 2000–2017

The article describes activities in Russia related to the Library of Congress’ Prokudin-Gorskii collection of early 20th century color photographs. The collection was digitized in 1999/2000 and is freely available on the Internet. Russian interest in the photographs has resulted in websites, blogs, documentary films, dissertations, exhibitions, and books about the collection and the photographer and his work.     

The Archival and Library Viewpoints of a Collection in a Digital Environment: Is There Any Room for Compromise?

ABSTRACT

This article explores the archivists' and librarians' definition of a collection, and how they respectively arrange their collections in the context of collection development and collection management issues in a digital library. It centers on possible cooperative solutions and highlights, as a case study, the efforts of the Auburn University Digital Projects Committee to meet these challenging collection issues.     

The Importance of “Focusness”: Focus Groups as a Means of Collection Management Assessment

ABSTRACT

In order to assess the Library's collection, the Collection Development Assessment Team at Cleveland State University used focus groups to complement the information gathered in LibQUAL+?. Groups of undergraduates, graduates, and faculty participated in four separate focus groups. All groups reported they were essentially satisfied with the collection but also wanted better local collections and used OhioLINK to supplement their research; fewer users also utilized the rich resources of the public library systems. In keeping with previous surveys, all groups wanted more full-text available electronically, faster access to materials, and a more navigable website. It appeared that the more sophisticated the user, the more satisfied they were with the collection. The Special Collections focus group would like to have more materials digitized, improved accessibility to the collection and website, and increased interaction with the community to heighten awareness of the collection and in order to gather more primary materials for the collection.     

Finno‐Ugric‐Language Books and Periodicals in the “Soviet Literature in Minor Languages” Collection of the Slavic and Baltic Division of The New York Public Library

The New York Public Library's collection of rare Finno‐Ugric books and periodicals from the Russian Federation date to the early1920s. The unique holdings include materials in the Mari, Komi and Udmurt languages, Estonian, Finnish, and several Finno‐Ugric dialects. These materials are of particular value to linguists, who wish to trace the process of Sovietization on the minority languages of Russia's autonomous regions.     

Measuring Effectiveness and Efficiency of an Academic Library's Collection and Services of the Central Library,Allahabad University: Users’ Point of View

The main purpose of this study is to know the users opinion regarding the adequacy of the library's collection and to analyze the level of users’ satisfaction about the library collection, organization, facilities, and services. A well-structured survey was administered to the faculty members, research scholars, and students of the Allahabad University Library to collect data. Data show that the majority of the respondents believess that not only does the library possess an average collection, but the overall library's function, i.e., library collection, organization of collection, attitude of library staff, services, and IT-based services, is also rated average.