New and Noteworthy

Citation

(1999), "New and Noteworthy", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 16 No. 11. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.1999.23916kab.002

New and Noteworthy

Association of Research LibrariesEndorses E-Bioscience

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) voted unanimously to endorse the development of E-Bioscience at its Board of Directors meeting held in Washington, DC, 26-27 July 1999. E-Bioscience (formerly called E-biomed) has been proposed by Harold Varmus, Director of the National Institutes of Health, "to meet the needs of life science researchers fed up with the current system of scientific journals publishing", according to a release from ARL. "ARL has long spoken out against the high prices and limited access created by the current system. E-Bioscience is intended to create a centralized electronic server that includes both peer-reviewed and pre-print research reports available freely to the scientific community as well as to the public", the release continued.

"E-Bioscience embodies the values that the library community has been espousing for years", stated Betty Bengtson, President of the Association of Research Libraries. "The broad access to the results of biomedical research that E-Bioscience will provide is critical to future discoveries and is the only responsible means of sharing publicly funded research".

"We congratulate Dr Varmus for his courage in pursuing E-Bioscience in the face of strong opposition from vested stakeholders", states Mary M. Case, Director of ARL's Office of Scholarly Communication. "E-Bioscience will empower not only scientists, but the public, increasingly sophisticated in the use of Web information resources, by providing them with free online access to the results of cutting-edge research".

ARL has initiated its own activities to address the crisis in scientific journals publishing. In 1998, ARL established SPARC (see below), the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, to promote competition with high-priced commercial titles. "E-Bioscience is an important complement to SPARC's efforts", notes Richard Johnson, SPARC Enterprise Director. "E-Bioscience recognizes the need to restore science to scientists. We look forward to working with E-Bioscience in our life sciences projects".

Association of Research Libraries: (202) 296-2296, fax (202) 872-0884, http://www.arl.org/, http://www.nih.gov/welcome/director/ebiomed/ebiomed.htm

Releases Four New SPEC Series Titles

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Office of Leadership and Management Services (OLMS) has recently released the results of four new survey studies of ARL libraries in its SPEC series. The titles follow, along with brief descriptions:

1. 1.

   #242 Library Storage Facilities, Management, and Services. The majority of ARL libraries use secondary storage facilities to cope with space crises, but they have other important advantages as well. This 193-page survey study, including step-by-step documentation, highlights current trends in remote storage design, environmental conditions, and services. Written by Jan Merrill-Oldham and Jutta Reed-Scott. Published May 1999.

2. 2.

   #243 Issues and Innovations in Service to Users with Disabilities (Transforming Libraries no. 8). Today's disabled library user population includes more than those with obvious physical disabilities. The library must also serve those with invisible learning disabilities. This 31-page issue of Transforming Libraries reviews how a few leading libraries use current assistive and adaptive technologies to help those who are sometimes unwilling to seek help. Written by GraceAnne A. DeCandido, with Julia Blixrud as editorial advisor. Published April 1999.

3. 3.

   #244 Issues and Innovations in Library Buildings: Renovation and Reconfiguration (Trans-forming Libraries no. 9). Renovation, restoration, refurbishment, remodeling, redesign ­ whatever it might be ­ is happening at many libraries, yet administrators remain skeptical about how far into the future building needs can be determined because of technological change. Libraries reported, however, that renovated buildings attract users like magnets. This 31-page survey reveals what they did and how they did it. Written by William G. Jones, with George Soete as editorial advisor. Published April 1999.

4. 4.

   #245 Electronic Reserves Operations in ARL Libraries. Because electronic reserves systems greatly extend access to reserve materials, save time for both users and staff, and prevent damage to materials, they have been popular at the libraries where they were implemented. This 89-page SPEC Kit, the first to assess the status of this recently developed technological tool in ARL libraries, shows how a little investment can pay off and warns libraries what they should watch for. Written by Cindy Kristof. Published May 1999.

Designed to examine current research library practices and policies and serve as resource guides for libraries, each SPEC Kit contains a summary analysis and suggestions, survey questions with tallies, pertinent documentation from participating libraries, and a reading list or references for further information. Transforming Libraries, a sub-series of SPEC, guides libraries through available tools and technology to transform operations and services.

Individual SPEC Kits cost $40 to non-ARL members and $25 to ARL members. Individual Transforming Libraries issues cost $28. Shipping and handling are extra.

Association of Research Libraries: c/o Distribution Center, PO Box 531, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0531; (301) 362-8196; Fax (301) 206-9789, pubs@arl.org http://www.arl.org/pubscat/index.html

SPARCAppoints Blixrud to Public Programs Role

SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources has appointed Julia Blixrud as Assistant Director, Public Programs. In this part-time role, Blixrud will represent SPARC at conferences, association meetings, and university programs, and in a number of other forums, speaking out about SPARC initiatives and the scholarly communications industry.

Blixrud comes to SPARC following nearly three years as Director of Information Services and program officer for the Association of Research Libraries, of which SPARC is an initiative. Her 20-year career in the library community has also included positions at the CAPCON and MINITEX library networks, the Council on Library Resources, and the Library of Congress.

"Julia's broad and deep understanding of scholarly communications issues, and her long-term commitment to helping solve issues that most trouble libraries, make her the natural choice to represent SPARC", said Rick Johnson, SPARC Enterprise Director. "During the past year, SPARC has assumed a major role in the global conversation on solutions to the journals crisis. Julia's keynote speeches, participation in panel discussions, and addresses to faculty groups will help clarify appropriate courses of action".

In addition to SPARC's Alternatives program, in which it partners with publishers to create high-quality, economically responsible alternatives to high-priced science journals, SPARC's ventures include the Scientific Communities Initiative and BioOne (created in collaboration with the American Institute of Biological Sciences, the University of Kansas, the Big 12 Plus Libraries Consortium, and Allen Press).

SPARC is an alliance of universities and research libraries that support increased competition in scientific journal publishing. Its membership currently numbers about 170 institutions and library consortia in North America and the UK SPARC is also affiliated with major library organizations in Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Denmark, and the United States. SPARC is an initiative of the Association of Research Libraries.

Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition: c/o Alison Buckholtz, Communications Manager, 21 Dupont Circle Ste., 800 Washington, DC 20036; (202) 296-2296 x115, Fax (202) 872-0884, alison@arl.org, http://www.arl.org/sparc

Carl CorporationInstalls Automation System in Singapore

CARL Corporation has installed its next-generation library automation system ­ the CARL Information Management and Delivery System (IMDS) ­ in the National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore's 58 public library branches. The installation, on 8 July, consists of a total of five user-friendly interfaces for circulation as well as Everybody's Catalog, CARLweb, and switch-on-the-fly multilingual OPAC interfaces.

During the first week of use in the NLB libraries (8-14 July 1999), CARL's IMDS reportedly processed nearly 1.5 million total transactions. These included 661,682 loans and 852,840 returns. At this rate of circulation, the CARL system in the NLB libraries is projected to process 30 million annual loans, surpassing the previous year's record of 25 million.

The implementation at NLB includes a range of end-user service options, according to the release:

• •

  The IMDS graphical circulation interface is used by library staff for all functions.

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  End-users have access to 150 self-service circulation stations, including 3M SelfCheck? and RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier systems that employ a chip embedded in the library material).

• •

  CARL's multilingual Phone Circulation system allows users to place holds and renew items online.

• •

  Borrower Enquiry (BNQ) stations allow users to consult their records and pay fines and fees using cash card technology.

The NLB's new library system is using a mix of Everybody's Catalog and CARLweb stations, with English and Malay available throughout the system in the live database, and Chinese available through the Web in a mirror database which contains Unicode-based bibliographic records for all of NLB's Chinese holdings. The National Library Board is doing focused usability testing with several Chinese input devices. The Tamil interface and database will be available at the end of 1999. Across languages, CARLweb allows the user to switch "on the fly" to another language without losing the context of the search.

According to CARL president Patricia Culkin, this implementation was the first phase of a multiple phase effort.

The National Library Board serves the 3.7 million people of Singapore through its three-tier hierarchy of libraries ­ regional, community, and community children's libraries.

The NLB replaced a 12-year-old system with the CARL IMDS. The conversion processed 730,000 bibliographic records, 6.3 million holdings records, 2.3 million user records, 3.4 million transactions, and 716 holds.

The NLB system is being supported by a facilities management contract from CARL East, Pte Ltd. The facilities management group consists of ten full-time staff working in Operations, Application Support, and Programming Support (for special projects and peripheral products). CARL East, Pte Ltd was formed in October 1998 to facilitate delivery of CARL's technology solutions to libraries in Singapore and other nations in Southeast Asia. It will also provide local support to the National Library Board of Singapore, and the Singapore Ministry of Education, and will provide a laboratory for continued development of multilingual database options.

The CARL Information Management and Delivery System in the Singapore NLB runs on Compaq's Tandem S7000 Himalaya server. The 12 CPU system will provide reliability and scalability for round the clock access.

Appoints Sara Johnson COO

CARL Corporation has appointed Sara Johnson to the office of Chief Operating Officer. She will assume responsibility for business, finance, and administrative functions within the company.

According to CARL CEO June Garcia, "Sara Johnson is a strong manager, and is gifted in planning and organization. She has proven to be invaluable in planning and resource management for this company."

Johnson joined CARL Corporation in August 1993 as Director of Corporate Planning. In addition to her planning responsibilities, she served as project director for the implementation of the CARL System at Chicago Public Library and Los Angeles Public Library, and headed the client support and implementation groups.

Prior to joining CARL Corporation, Johnson held managerial and technical positions in marketing and product development at CLSI, Inc. for over 14 years. Johnson's experience in library systems marketing at CLSI spanned nine years and included strategic planning, product management, product support, and sales support. She also served in programming and project leader positions within CLSI's product development group for five years. Johnson holds a degree from Bennington College.

CARL Corporation: c/o Jeff Holland, Marketing Communications Manager; (303) 758-3030 #140, jholland@carl.org, http://www.carl.org

Johns Hopkins University PressExpands Project MUSE

Beginning with the year 2000, Project MUSE, the online journals database published by the Johns Hopkins University Press (JHUP), will expand to include full-text, online access to titles from other university presses. As of 27 June, nine other presses had committed 62 titles to joining Muse, bringing the total to 110 and more than doubling the size of the collection. The publishers involved are Carnegie Mellon University Press, Duke University Press, Indiana University Press, MIT Press, Oxford University Press, Pennsylvania State University Press, University of Hawaii Press, University of Texas Press, and the University of Wisconsin Press.

The main thrust of Project MUSE's initial expansion will be in the subject areas in which a number of university presses have established strong reputations, such as literary theory and criticism, history, cultural studies, philosophy, social sciences, and performing arts. The new titles represent a broad array of interests, including African-American literature, gender studies, medieval studies, higher education, health policy, political science, and Asian culture and history. Over the next year, science, technical, and medical periodicals will also be added to the collection.

According to a recent release, the new titles will come with flexible subscription options to institutions wishing to access either all or a selection of the journals offered. Details will be forthcoming but the library price for all 100 titles is expected to be in the range of $8,500 to $10,000.

According to Marc Hansen, director of Project MUSE, "We expect to eventually offer several hundred titles from a group of publishers comprising university presses, scholarly societies, and other not-for-profit institutions. We believe we can successfully provide a competitive model to those offered by commercial publishers, while enhancing MUSE's commitment to partnerships as already evidenced by our relationships with library consortia, aggregators, and third-party vendors".

Project MUSE was launched in 1995 by the Johns Hopkins University Press, in collaboration with Milton S. Eisenhower Library at Johns Hopkins University, to offer the full text of JHUP scholarly journals via the World Wide Web.

Johns Hopkins University Press: c/o Melanie Vandermark, Journals Publishing Division, 2715 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218-4363; (410) 516-3846, melanie@jhupress.jhu.edu, http://muse.jhu.edu.

Ameritech Library ServicesChosen by San Jose and Westchester Libraries

Ameritech Library Services (ALS) has been chosen by the San Jose (California) Public Library and Westchester Library System (WLS, New York) to install library automation products, according to recent releases from ALS.

According to the first release, the San Jose Public Library has gone live with ALS' Horizon system and WebPAC, enabling patrons to access the library's collections via the Internet for the first time. San Jose is the largest public library in North America to install the Horizon system.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the San Jose Public Library http://www.sjpl.lib.ca.us has a main library, 17 branches, and an annual circulation of more than seven million items. It serves a culturally diverse and high-tech population of 900,000.

The Westchester Library System (WLS) http://www.wls.lib.ny.us is a state-chartered, cooperative library system that serves all 38 Westchester County public libraries and their users. WLS utilizes state-of-the-art online library services through WESTLYNX, the online circulation and catalog system. The member public libraries of WLS underwrite almost the entire cost of WESTLYNX operations, which is managed and operated by WLS.

WLS will migrate from its current CARL system to ALS' Dynix system to offer patrons additional services, including greater access to their personal library records and WLS' library catalog via the Internet. Dynix will also enable patrons to use a touch-tone phone to renew books

WLS has an annual circulation of more than 7 million, serves a population of 870,000, and has 720,000 bibliographic records.

Ameritech Library Services: c/o Ron Passmore, 519 883-6900, rhp@amlibs.ca