The Harvard and Yale university library rowing collections: A checklist evaluation and semi-availability study

After reviewing the historical significance of competitive rowing at Harvard and Yale universities and the literature dealing with rowing as a competitive sport, this article describes and reports the results of a checklist evaluation and simulated semi-availability study of the rowing collections of the Harvard and Yale University library systems. The results indicate, contrary to what might be expected, that major academic libraries can have noteworthy holdings in a specialized sports area. Harvard has a stronger rowing collection with a higher overall availability rate than does Yale. Comparison with a previous evaluation of the Free Library of Philadelphia's (FLP) rowing collection, based on the identical checklist, indicated its holdings are a bit stronger than Harvard's and considerably better than Yale's, but not as strong as the combined holdings of both Harvard and Yale.     

VERSO Graphic Interface to Reference Sources: A Project of Quinnipiac University's Arnold Bernhard Library

ABSTRACT

Librarians at the Arnold Bernhard Library of Quinnipiac University were concerned with the usage levels of their electronic reference titles. They added the titles to the library's Web page, made individual records in the online catalog, and even established links between an OPAC keyword search and a search through electronic reference titles. It was still felt that the collection was underutilized. In 2007, the Automation Librarian began a project to add one more level of access to these titles—a graphic interface that simulated the process of walking into a reference room and picking out a title. A preliminary version was loaded in the Fall of 2007, and early results indicate that it has found an audience.     

Enhancing Bibliographic Records with Tables of Contents Derived from OCR Technologies at the American Museum of Natural History Library

ABSTRACT

This paper reports on a project undertaken at the American Museum of Natural History Library in 1997 and intended to enhance access to materials in the library's collection by using scanning and OCR software to digitize and add monograph tables of contents to the OPAC bibliographic records. Initially, conference proceedings already in the collection were used, but, as the project developed, other types of materials were also used. The rationale for the project is explained, the procedure developed is described, and the lessons learned from using this particular technology are outlined.     

Outsourcing Copy Cataloging at Adelphi University Libraries

ABSTRACT

Adelphi University Libraries contracted to outsource copy cataloging and physical processing with Blackwell's Book Services in 1995. Since May 1996, 17,000 shelf-ready titles and over 16,000 catalog records have been received and loaded to our Innovative Interfaces OPAC. Costs, implementation, workflow, and benefits are discussed in this article. The outsourcing program, although hampered by staff shortages in the Libraries, has been highly successful in achieving enhanced cataloging and improved processing at reasonable costs.     

Offering Assistance at the OPACs

Summary

As technology races forward, public library OPACs have established a barrier to access. Computer literacy is required of the patron to access the collection through the OPAC. This barrier may be addressed with more active service. Rather than the librarian at the reference desk waiting to be asked, go to the patron. But will the patron accept? This study looks at who did accept and how often. Patrons heading towards the OPAC were greeted by an individual and offered assistance. Conducted at the Guilderland Public Library, a suburb of Albany, NY, in the fall of 1996, this study compares the responses of these patrons grouped by sex and approximate age. In 20 hours over five consecutive days, 189 patrons were recorded. Additionally the study touches upon other factors such as sex, race, dress, and more effective wording for the approach and offer.     

The Citation Cloud of a biomedical article: a free,public, web-based tool enabling citation analysis

Background:An article''s citations are useful for finding related articles that may not be readily found by keyword searches or textual similarity. Citation analysis is also important for analyzing scientific innovation and the structure of the biomedical literature. We wanted to facilitate citation analysis for the broad community by providing a user-friendly interface for accessing and analyzing citation data for biomedical articles.Case Presentation:We seeded the Citation Cloud dataset with over 465 million open access citations culled from six different sources: PubMed Central, Microsoft Academic Graph, ArnetMiner, Semantic Scholar, Open Citations, and the NIH iCite dataset. We implemented a free, public extension to PubMed that allows any user to visualize and analyze the entire citation cloud around any paper of interest A: the set of articles cited by A, those which cite A, those which are co-cited with A, and those which are bibliographically coupled to A.Conclusions:Citation Cloud greatly enables the study of citations by the scientific community, including relatively advanced analyses (co-citations and bibliographic coupling) that cannot be undertaken using other available tools. The tool can be accessed by running any PubMed query on the Anne O''Tate value-added search interface and clicking on the Citations button next to any retrieved article.     

Twentieth Annual Colorado Interlibrary Loan Workshop

ABSTRACT

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is intended to supplement a library's collection, but often patrons submit requests for items already owned. An analysis of a large academic library's ILL requests shows that in most cases the cataloging of bibliographic records is correct, but patrons need instruction in bibliographic searches and ILL policies and procedures. An unexpected result of the study was a realization that patrons are confused by the way items are shelved in the various branches.     

Serials Report

Abstract

An exploratory study of the information-seeking experiences of women's studies faculty provided interesting insights into their use and collection of periodical literature. Using in-depth interviews and observations, as well as postings from a listserv, the study identified problems, influences, and expectations involved in faculty's daily work with magazines and journals.     

Lost is Found

Abstract

A study conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Library examines data from unfilled ILL requests to determine the status of materials housed in the Main Bookstacks of the library's collection. This study follows the research that was started in the original study conducted in 2002, “Needles in a Haystack: Using Interlibrary Loan Data to Identify Materials Missing from a Library's Collection.” The results of the second study indicate that the use of a high-density storage facility had a positive impact on the retrieval rate of ILL materials from the Main Bookstacks. It also indicated that fill rates increased when over 770,000 items were removed from the Main Book-stacks resulting in improved shelving conditions for the library's collection.     

History of the Film (General)

Robert M. Honderson's D. W. Griffith: The Years at Biograph (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $7.50)

Martin Levin's edited collection, Hollywood and the Great Fan Magazines (Arbor House/ World, $10.00)

Kalton C. Lahue and Sam Gill's Clown Princes and Court Jesters (A.S. Barnes, $8.50)

Collecting Classic Films (Hastings House, $6.95)

Sheilah Graham's The Garden of Allah (Crown, $5.95)

Hugo Munsterberg's The Film: A Psychological Study (sub-titled The Silent Photoplay in 1916) (Dover Paperbacks, $2.00)

Sergei Eisenstein's Notes of a Film Director (Dover Paperbacks, $3.00)

Jay Leyda's Film Essays and a Lecture (Praeger Paperbacks, $2.95)

George P. Garrett, O.B. Hardison Jr., and Jane R. Gelfman, Film Scripts One (Appleton-Century-Crofts, price to be set)

Peter Noble's The Negro in Films (Port Washington, NY: Konnihat Press, $10.00)

Eileen Bowser's edited collection, Film Notes (Museum of Modern Art, $5.00)     

Link It or Lump It

Abstract

Mounting digital images of art objects on a Web site is only the first step in providing patron access to such materials. Libraries and museums have a responsibility to provide not only high-quality digital reproductions but also high-quality access from an integrated library catalog with controlled vocabulary and consistent access points. While some digital collections may have excellent internal searchability and require no more than collection level cataloging in a library's OPAC, others may demand cataloging of individual components of the collection. A particular collection's significance, its potential audience, the types of access required, as well as factors such as its size and cohesiveness need to be considered before becoming locked into a specific Web designespecially when it is that of another institution.

This paper examines several online library catalogs in which records for art objects as well as historical objects and natural history specimens have been merged, with varying degrees of success, and briefly addresses a modest proposal to catalog ceramic objects at the Ohio State University Libraries. The importance of consistent subject access in a merged catalog, regardless of the thesaurus or thesauri used, is stressed. Library consortia and bibliographic utilities may offer an economically appealing alternative for libraries that cannot design and construct their own digital libraries but these external organizations often have limited capability for-or interest in-modifying the design for a particular library and even less interest in cataloging the collections. Libraries, too, must be faulted for simply listing available electronic resources, either alphabetically or in broad subject categories, on a separate portion of their Web page and failing to provide full catalog records in their catalog. Finally, it is emphasized that the current debate over the viability of MARC 21 versus other metadata standards remains largely irrelevant to the importance of continuing to cultivate a monolithic online catalog, maintaining cataloging standards, and not mindlessly developing what amounts to a separate, rudimentary catalog solely for electronic resources.     

The Real World of Integrating Electronic Resources into a Web OPAC

Summary

For the researcher, there has been an increase in the availability of electronic resources that includes electronic journals, databases and full-text resources. A Web OPAC is a powerful tool that links all of these electronic resources for easy access. Workshop presenters described their experience with establishing a Web OPAC and how systems, serials cataloging and reference dealt with it.     

Introduction

ABSTRACT

The authors discuss their experience in organizing a library for a community of Benedictine monks in central Italy. An initial assessment of the monastery's resources suggested that both global and immediate access to bibliographic records was feasible and that the librarians could begin cataloging offsite. Decisions about classification schemes and software were made with sensitivity to the international makeup of the community, historical and national library practices, financial limitations, and perceived computer literacy within the community. Unanticipated problems emerged with respect to classification, human resources, time lags and distances, yet overall access to the collection has been enhanced by addressing these problems.     

Barriers and Enablers in Access Services

Abstract

The JUBILEE project (JISC User Behaviour in Information Seeking: Longitudinal Evaluation of EIS) was set up at the University of Northumbria in response to a Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) call for a qualitative longitudinal monitoring of Electronic Information Services (EIS) in the United Kingdom. The issue of EIS performancein support of Higher Education (HE) is of growing concern today. Because HE institutions commit more revenue to systems and services, there is a need to find ways by which to assess the value of EIS. One of the most valid measures is user satisfaction. An importantattribute of JUBILEE's holistic method is that it affords a formal approach to the collection and presentation of users' opinions of EIS. JUBILEE will be collecting and collating data on user information-seeking behaviour over a period of time and in a variety of disciplines. The longitudinal tracking of users in JUBILEE will highlight success criteria for information seeking from the users' viewpoint. This article describes early results and background information from the first cycle of the project.     

Evolution of a State Periodical Index: Converting an In-House Index to a MARC-Based Database on the Web

This article describes the process of transforming the Arkansas Periodical Index, which began as a card file index in the University of Arkansas (U. of A.) Libraries, to an online database. As in many other states, in-house indexes were compiled to cover local history journals and subject-related magazines. A variety of software now exists to mount locally created databases, one option being the choice to use the same turnkey software that runs the library's online catalog. We began by converting our card files to a local Inmagic DB/Textworks database. The U. of A. received the 1991 Gale Research Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services for that design. We later mapped the database structure to MARC fields and mounted it as a Web-accessible database through our library OPAC vendor, Innovative Interfaces, Inc. (III). The authors begin with a brief history of periodical indexing, the reasons for choosing MARC formatting, and the field mapping required. The article explains the development of the database to include other publication formats, such as material from biographical compendiums, newspaper indexing, and university publications. The mapping incorporates indexing several publication formats in the same database. It also provides fields for linking citations back to the OPAC records, where users may find call numbers for journals or books, be connected to the full text of articles when available, or to an association's own website when applicable. We address some of the concerns for libraries in developing indexing projects. The article offers a mapping table of migrated fields that can be used by others wanting to encourage the rediscovery of local print periodicals and to expand access to the various materials otherwise buried in the library's special collections. The Arkansas Publications Index was released in April 2005 and is available free at http://arkindex.uark.edu/.     

A selected review of the literature on library co-operation

Abstract

A study of broadcasting libraries in Nigeria was carried out using the social survey method. Questionnaire, observation, and interview techniques were used to generate data from a representative sample of the nation's broadcast media stations (radio and television) located in the Bauchi and Plateau States of Nigeria. A general underdevelopment of the libraries was revealed. Staffing is inadequate in number and is also non-specialized. Preservation and conservation practices are virtually non-existent. Whereas the content of the modest collection shows a rich resource base, collection development is near-crippled while mediagraphic control is done more by common-sense than by any system. State stations generally fared better than federal ones. Poor funding was identified as the major constraint in the general development of the libraries. Suggestions were offered towards revenue generation and the need for professional leadership in the country's broadcasting libraries.     

Pathfinders On-Line

Abstract

For decades, print pathfinders have complemented card catalogs and been useful reference tools. They're overlooked as components of on-line catalogs, even though they can extend the depth of the catalog. To encourage librarians to consider integrating pathfinders into on-line catalogs, the authors discuss problems in OPAC searching, describe the value and styles of pathfinders, and illustrate how to include them in a NOTIS system.     

Periodizations and History of Science

Abstract

The significance of historical periodizations is explored for the purpose of collection development. As historians often rely upon utilizing historical periods for discussion and research in their scholarship, an understanding of the nature of historical periods as a collection perspective and approach can be useful for the subject librarian engaged in or responsible for the history of science collections. An examination of the last 20 years of ISIS bibliographies using historical periods as a chronological tool provides useful framework and knowledge for research, scholarship, and collection management, especially selection for library collections, of the history of science. Data revealed periodizations and their emphases, evolution over time, and possible scholarly directions, pertinent for collection purposes. Informed knowledge of periodizations and how they may affect collections, acquisitions, and instruction enables librarians to effectively interact with the specialists in the history of science.     

Measuring Law Library Catalog Web Site Usability: A Web Analytic Approach

ABSTRACT

Although there is a proliferation of information available on the Web, and law professors, students, and other users have a variety of channels to locate information and complete their research activities, the law library catalog still remains an important source for offering users access to information that has been evaluated and cataloged by experts. The usability of the catalog needs to be effectively measured before any necessary improvements can be made. This study was undertaken to investigate the information retrieval patterns of users of the Rutgers Law Library Online Public Access Catalog and to develop the catalog into a more effective search tool for these users. This study used an experimental approach to measure the usability of our catalog by analyzing the transaction logs from the OPAC system and the results from Google Analytics. The findings provided not only important information on user demographics and their computer systems, but also more insight on the search behaviors of users. The specific findings included the following:

1. As a Web-analytic tool Google Analytics provided extensive information on the OPAC and the navigational behaviors of users.

2. Fifty-eight percent of our users visited the Web site regularly.

3. The most popular search method, which was employed by 37% of our users, was by title.

4. Most patrons used computer systems with a high resolution and color depth monitor and visited the catalog Web site with a high-speed Internet connection.

5. Suggestions were made by the authors to improve the users’ search experience of the catalog Web site.

This study is significant to libraries with Web catalogs because it demonstrates the potential value of using Google Analytics as a Web analytics tool in combination with the OPAC transaction logs to measure catalog usability.     

The New Books

Raymond Spottiswoode's Focal Encyclopedia of Film and Television: Techniques (Hastings House, $37.50)

Eli L. Levitan's An Alphabetical Guide to Motion Picture, Television, and Videotape Production (McGraw-Hill, $24.50)

Ronald Brown's Telecommunications: The Booming Technology (Doubleday, $5.95)

Peter Hillson's Photography: A Study in Versatility (Doubleday, $6.95)

Dale Minor's The Information War (Hawthorne, $6.95)

Nicholas Johnson's, How to Talk Back to Your Television Set (Atlantic, $5.95)

Allen E. Koenig's Broadcasting and Bargaining (University of Wisconsin Press, $8.00)

Verne Edwards' Journalism in a Free Society (W.C. Brown, $6.95)