Politics by Other Media

Abstract

Librarians have long relied on printed directories and ephemera stored in vertical files to provide access to national political information. The Internet seems an ideal medium for evanescent political information because it allows for continuous updating of information directly by political organizations, enables the creation of large collections of diverse materials, frees librarians from the labor of ordering and updating materials, and permits remote access. There follows a list of political Internet resources that have proved to be valuable for reference in academic and public libraries.     

Of sentimental value: collecting personal diaries from the First World War

ABSTRACT

Weeks after the Armistice was declared, Principal Librarian William Ifould of the Public Library of New South Wales recommended to Library Trustees that the institution begin to collect ‘private and official documents’ produced during the war. By early December 1918, advertisements began to appear in Australian and New Zealand newspapers, encouraging returning soldiers to sell their personal diaries to the Library. Known as the European War Collecting Project, this acquisition program was the first of its kind in Australia. This paper explores the Library’s acquisition of personal diaries written by those who served and analyses the appraisal methodologies carried out by State Library staff. This case study underscores the recent archival debate which has re-assessed the role of archivists in assessment, appraisal, preservation (and privileging) of some collections over others and argues that archivists mediate and consequently shape the collections in their institutions.     

The historian activist and the Gift to the Nation project: preserving the records of the Australian Red Cross

ABSTRACT

In 2014, as part of their centenary celebrations, the Australian Red Cross initiated a project in which it transferred archives to various national, state and territory institutions across Australia including the University of Melbourne Archives and the State Library of New South Wales. The transfer of this voluminous (but not complete) collection built on earlier transfers of archives to the State Library of South Australia and the Australian War Memorial. This paper charts the origins of the plan to donate the records to public repositories. It interrogates the societal provenance of those collections, recognising that the pluralising of records is an historical process, in which the agency of archivists, historians and administrators must be understood. An investigation of Red Cross records in Australia exposes that process in its contingency, inertia and, ultimately, enthusiasm. The paper also reveals the challenges faced by voluntary organisations in preserving their records, and how historians and archivists both can benefit from assisting such organisations. Finally, this paper argues that the ‘Gift to the Nation’ project, with its national and international significance, reflects a shift in our understanding of the First World War to a transnational paradigm that recognises the important role of voluntary organisations.     

Discovering Indigenous Australian Culture: Building Trusted Engagement in Online Environments

ABSTRACT

Promoting and facilitating access to historical collections for Indigenous communities has recently increased across Australia. Such activities have been integrated into the practices of archives and libraries seeking to reunite Indigenous people with materials that not only document their past but also inform their future. Challenges in accessing these materials go beyond retrieval and include concerns about their emotional content. The State Library of New South Wales is working to create trusted environments for Indigenous peoples and collections with both physical and digital spaces. Through the presentation of work undertaken at the State Library, this article explores how the digital environment can be an effective extension of the physical site in which cultural collections are held. In addition, this article looks at issues that must be addressed to ensure the success and ongoing viability of Web spaces, specifically, the long-standing power dynamics that often dominate interactions with Indigenous collections and that have displaced power from the traditional owners of Indigenous knowledge.     

An Opportunity for Change: College Accreditation and the New Library Manager

Abstract

Administering special collections within an academic branch library presents challenges in the areas of public services, collection management, facilities planning, and staffing. In art and architecture libraries, special collections can include a variety of materials such as rare books, trade catalogs, builder's guides, graphic and visual materials, artists' books, archival records in many formats, and files of ephemera. Public service issues relating to the administration of special collections housed in an architecture branch library (and its off-site repositories) will be addressed. Collection care and access services will be examined in light of recent technologies.     

Australia's Declining Serials Resources and the Future Role of Its University Libraries

The major serials collections in Australia have been seriously affected by adverse economic trends and changing collection development policies. The university libraries now have a crucial role to play in preserving and improving the quality of Australia's serials resources. In the midst of major changes to higher education encouraging competition among universities and emphasizing specific national priorities in research, the university libraries must promote a national perspective on serials collections, if Australia's resources are not to deteriorate further.     

Not Fade Away

Abstract

Visual ephemera is everyday materials of a transitory nature, rarely saved, which have a significant visual component. Postcards, movie posters, music concert posters, calendars, and illustrated brochures are examples of visual ephemera. Preservation issues related to visual ephemera include paper hydrolysis, clay coatings, chemically aggressive inks, photographic disintegration, and damage by mold, photo-oxidation, air pollutants, and improper handling. Conservation issues related to visual ephemera include paper repair, cleaning and stain removal, deacidification, and funding for conservation work.     

Library and information services in the pacific islands

Abstract

The article deals with changes in the reading habits of Estonians in recent years. It includes overviews of studies conducted since the 1960’s and discusses the impact of the printed word on Estonian national culture. Factors influencing this impact include the Lutheran cultural heritage and the Estonians' ethnic homogeneity. The article’s main emphasis is on changes since the transition to the market economy. Under the impact of mass media, reading has become more casual and less frequent. The number of traditionally large Estonian home libraries is diminishing, giving to public libraries a more significant role in the delivery of printed materials.     

国内外文信息资源建设状况分析

外文信息资源对科研创新活动支撑作用明显,是我国信息资源建设的一个重要组成部分。文章通过实地调研重点研究了我国图书情报机构的印本期刊采购政策以及数字信息资源（商业数据库、自建资源、开放获取资源）建设现状,结果表明外文数字信息资源建设比重正在逐渐加大。结合外部信息环境变化,文章认为我国当前外文信息资源建设存在采集方式单一、加工深度不够等问题,并指出在用户需求和国家战略保障双重使命下,我国的外文信息资源建设应合理处理印本与数字信息资源关系,通过建立协同保障机制和全国资源发现系统,促进外文信息资源共建共享。     

Applying Traditional Librarianship to New Roles for Special Librarians

ABSTRACT

Public and academic libraries continue to have a vital role in providing reference services. As more and more information is only available in electronic form, reference librarians need to reaffirm their core values. Some of the changes happening in reference include smaller reference collections, the disposition of printed reference books, and the increased use of electronic tools. Other topics include different service models for the reference desk, the changing nature of reference questions, and changes in staffing at the reference desk. Finally, the authors speculate about the future of reference services.     

From the ACRL 13th National Conference: Collaborative Solutions to Digitization for College Library Special Collections

ABSTRACT

While much has been written on individual digital project planning, little has been discussed in the area of collaborative digital projects, especially at the college library level. The aim of this article is to examine a variety of collaborative solutions that have been implemented by Franklin and Marshall College at the institutional, local, regional, and national levels. With the assistance of an analytical questionnaire, readers will learn to evaluate their college library collections for successful digitization and identify collaborative opportunities at various levels.     

A study on Africana collections in UK libraries: present state and future scenarios

A questionnaire survey combined with interviews involving 70 libraries and two suppliers of Africana materials in the UK was conducted in order to understand the acquisition situation with respect to the demand, acquisition policies, extent and adequacy of Africana acquisitions, sources and factors limiting acquisition of such materials. The study revealed that 41% of the surveyed academic libraries were actively acquiring Africana. It was found that limited use of relevant bibliographical tools, budgetary constraints, delays and non-response to orders, relative smallness in demand, inaccessibility to sources of the publications and the unsatisfactory state of national bibliographies for most of the African countries south of the Sahara were among the factors that limited Africana acquisitions. The cooperative venture by some of the African-based publishers in publicizing their publications abroad was considered a useful step in building Africana collections in the UK. It is suggested that wide utilization of electronic media for sources of information for such materials could be a further improvement on this matter.     

What Would You Like Earth's Largest Library to Be?

Abstract

A college librarian reflects on the role of libraries and how they address local needs in the age of electronic library collections. He explores the question of whether a conglomeration of all books ever published can replace collections developed by librarians who know their patron base.     

Dissemination and Discovery of Diverse Data: Do Libraries Promote Their Unique Research Data Collections?

ABSTRACT

Academic libraries acquire and steward numeric datasets as well as large collections of image files, audio archives, digital texts, and other non-numeric resources. This article considers how a sample of libraries in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom present these collections and make them available for discovery. And, importantly, the article examines whether these non-numeric collections are positioned on the library Website as research datasets, rather than as artifacts of limited local and/or historical interest. Findings from this analysis may help collection managers and Web designers as libraries define their role in connecting users to research data.     

Frog Voices,Whispers, and Silences: Problems and Issues in Collecting for an African Studies Library in Africa

SUMMARY

This article is an attempt to respond to two questions about discrete special African studies collections in African university libraries. First, do we need to have such collections at all? Second, if we do, how can we write collection development policies that make sense, given the present turmoil in African studies and indeed in the social sciences in general? Librarians have a responsibility to recognise that their practice cannot be value-free, and that their collections are biased by the choices made by writers, by publishers, and by themselves. Their duty, especially in Africa, may simply be to ensure that African voices are not drowned out in their collections.     

All Holdings Are Local: Archivists and Local Government Archives

ABSTRACT

Archivists working in repositories that contain local government records play an integral role within the local community. Unlike their colleagues in state, regional, or national repositories, the local government archivist concentrates on a small geographic region and demonstrates knowledge of the politics, history, and socio-economics of the region. More importantly, they understand how municipal and county government operates. This article explores the unique features and problems associated with the identification, appraisal, and preservation of local government records.