Search

The article features the Ray and Pat Browne Library for Popular Culture Studies, also known as Browne Pop Culture Library (BPCL), located on the main campus of Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Bowling Green, Ohio. Topics include the creation of the BPCL in 1969 to support the study of popular culture at BGSU, collections available at the library, and databases that are invaluable when describing rather uncommon materials such as Grand Comics Database, Fanlore, and Romance Wiki.

The article offers tips to libraries on making their collections and programs more visible and available on the web through the use of search engines. Libraries are advised to adopt preferred methods for allowing their data to be consumed by search engines and ranked in search results, including keeping websites unblocked from crawlers and providing updates. Following the rules of the semantic web is also suggested.

Discusses compact discs (CDs) and how to successfully integrate them into a library collection. Sources and tools available in selection of CDs; "Schwann CD"; "CD Guide"; CD reviews; Indexes to CD reviews; Alternatives to CDs; Lists resources for the CD collection builder.

The article reports that the collections of the New York State Library in Albany will be available to all New York residents. In a six-month pilot project, all residents of New York State will now have access to the collections of the New York State Library in Albany. Previously, access was available only to state officials and employees, legislators, members of the state bar, state licensed physicians, and local government historians. With the project, announced by New York education commissioner Richard Mills, all New Yorkers 18 and older can borrow directly from the library's circulating collection, as well as getting remote access to the library's NOVEL online databases, New York's statewide virtual library. NOVEL includes a range of resources, including full-text electronic-collections of national and international newspapers and magazines. The policy addresses a 2000 New York State Regents Commission on Library Services report that outlined ten recommendations to improve library services in New York State, which included improving access to the collections of the state library.

Suggests how a library might approach building a collection of books on wildlife gardening. The common features of the books available; Why books published ten years prior to 1996 can be useful; Discarding of titles that promote the use of biocides and other chemicals; Listing of recommended books. INSET: The developing schedule..

The article reports that an alumnus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York has sued the university over an old article that has been made available in the university library's digital collections. According to the "Cornell Daily Sun," Kevin Vanginderen filed a $1 million libel suit against the university.

Describes how the Saint Louis Municipal Library Cooperative employed an integrated computer package for the Missouri library. Courses and workshops attended by library staff and officers; Barcoding the collection; Effort to make computer available by appointment for use by individuals of the community; Vendor support for the Book Trak program; Funding for the computers.

The article discusses the use of data-driven decisions in the collection development of libraries and the data tools available to make such decisions as of May 2014. Topics include the need for human review of circulation data to determine whether a title should be remove or promoted in a new way, the data collection tool collectionHQ from Baker & Taylor, and the use of supplemental information-gathering techniques to reflect the needs of a library's community.

The article reports that Columbia University has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Microsoft to digitize books from Columbia University Libraries. Under the agreement, Microsoft will digitize some of the libraries' public domain collections in U.S. history, literature, and the humanities. Columbia's collections will be available through Microsoft's Live Search Books.

This article profiles Chip Nilges, an executive director at the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). Nilges has been creating change at OCLC since he arrived in 1994. Every innovation OCLC has introduced in the past few years has his fingerprints all over it. At first Nilges was somewhat embarrassed about not being a librarian (though he now feels like he's earned an honorary MLS). But he felt very good bringing business acumen and an entrepreneurial drive to an organization that needed both. Watching people flock to search engines for information, he realized libraries had to offer equally seamless, convenient access to their specialized information. One of his first projects at OCLC was linking FirstSearch databases with full-text articles in its Electronic Collections Online. Nilges understood that if libraries were to compete, they needed to be available wherever people were. That led to QuestionPoint, which took librarians to the researchers. But library content also needed to be searchable. Nilges knew that one library couldn't go to Google and make the case. "But libraries, with a capital L, could." He convinced Google and Yahoo!, which feed on content, that OCLC offered a wealth of it. In return, Yahoo! and Google offered its users a way to find that content in libraries near them.

The article focuses on the use of collection development database tools available from library acquisitions vendors. It notes that these tools can help streamline the collection development process through their organization, access points, and bibliographic suggestions. It cautions against basing all collection development on vendor products as their evaluation criteria may be unclear.

Reports that the nation's major research libraries have until November 20, 1992 to apply for monies under the US Department of Education's (DOE) Strengthening Research Library Resources Program. Grants for research libraries; Maintaining and enhancing collections; Deadline dates; Award amounts available; Contact information.

This article discusses the factors which may contribute to campus literacy programs in the U.S. as of March 1, 1991. The Federal Student Literacy Corps provides funding over two years to institutions of higher learning for developing courses that address literacy and include a volunteer component for students to become involved in field service work. The second edition of the book Literacy Action: A Resource Book for Colleges and Universities written by Louisa B. Meacham, covers all the major issues involved in establishing and running a campus literacy program. College and university librarians support student literacy initiatives or the literacy efforts of their local public libraries by providing office/meeting space for student literacy coalitions, space for tutoring/student training sessions and access to bulletin boards and campuswide publications. They can also develop professional collections of literacy materials for program coordinators, tutors and trainers. Support may also be given through the creation of a demonstration collection for tutors to review literacy materials. If there are children's titles in education or library science collection, it should be made available to student tutors to use in family literacy activities.

This section presents information on several computer software and CD-ROM packages for U.S. libraries. Get-A-Ref version 4.0 is a tool for researchers, scientists, physicians, graduate students, or anyone else who must access and update personal libraries of reprints. The Third College Edition of Webster's New World Dictionary database holds approximately 30 megabytes of standard dictionary data including 140,000 lexemes, 180,000 definitions, 51,000 etymologies, and 50,000 classification descriptors. Utlas International has released a CD-ROM containing over 460,000 full MARC serials records to complement its CD-CATSS cataloging system. The records consist of the pre-1987 authenticated CONSER files from the Library of Congress and the National Library of Canada as well as original serials records from selected Utlas customers. The Unisys Corp. has completed negotiations with the University of North Dakota for the implementation of a PALS Library Management system to serve libraries statewide. The network will allow the Grand Forks Public Library and the North Dakota State Library to make their combined 1.7 million-volume collection available to any library system.

Focuses on biography collection management in school libraries. Problems associated with available biographies, including an overabundance of unimportant detail and the author's failure to flesh out facts which would otherwise improve the material and be of interest to a reader; Citations which illustrate these limitations; Role of librarians in seeking out biographies worthy of collection for readers.

Describes the online exhibits available on the Library of Congress' American Memory Historical Collections Web site. Other information provided by the Web site.

Reports that the vast majority of Americans see public libraries as a key educational institution that should be well-supported. New American Library Association publication `America's Libraries; New Views in the '90s'; Latest available research and statistics, drawn from a variety of sources, on circulation, collections, usage, and public attitudes about libraries; Contact point for copies; Details.