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Purpose – The purpose of this article is to document the acquisition and processing of an important Native American pictorial archive, the Lee Marmon Pictorial Collection, and to elucidate some of its research and cultural value. Design/methodology/approach – This paper combines research into archival and secondary sources with documentation of professional procedures relating to the acquisition, processing, and digitizing, as well as the content of the Lee Marmon Pictorial Collection. Findings – The paper finds that working directly with the creator of the archive increased its value significantly by both improving the archive's organization and enriching the identifying information accompanying the items. It also shows the broad scope and valuable content of the Lee Marmon Pictorial Collection. Research limitations/implications – The collaborative efforts of the archive's creator and its processors made available to the public an archive that will undoubtedly contribute to scholarship in a number of fields, including Native American Studies, American Studies, and historical and cultural studies of the Southwest. Originality/value – The paper discusses the unique vision of photographer Lee Marmon and his professional legacy. While the paper gives an overview of Marmon's work, it focuses on two distinct groupings, photographs of Pueblo elders and celebrities in show business and politics, and explains how Marmon's ability to serve as a conduit between these groups and the public makes the collection so valuable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to examine usage trends during the first four years of the implementation of the Springer Book Archives (SBA) at the University of Melbourne. The paper assesses the benefits of the SBA against perceptions at the time of purchase and seeks to evaluate the long-term value of the purchase. Design/methodology/approach -- The methodology included a literature search to identify issues in the adoption of large backlists of ebooks, examination of detailed usage data supplied in COUNTER complaint spreadsheets and tables by Springer, validating findings with librarians and academics and positing next steps. Findings -- Usage of ebooks, like other electronic resources, is difficult to predict. Resources expected to be used, may not be and vice versa. Access to large aggregations of electronic content creates new opportunities for teaching and research, additional economies and benefits, as well as unexpected outcomes. Research limitations/implications -- Detailed data on user profiles were not available and an evaluation of user perceptions was not possible at this time. Originality/value -- The literature review suggests that this is the only published study of institutional usage of the SBA at this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper sets out to discuss the importance of collecting alternative press materials, particularly zines, in libraries and presents case studies of zine collections; Barnard College Library and the New York Public Library. Design/methodology/approach – This paper builds on work presented by the authors and others at the 12th National ACRL conference in Minneapolis, where zine collections in different types of academic and research libraries were discussed. Findings – Zines document contemporary culture in the same way newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and movies as, but from a much different point-of-view. It is important for libraries to collect zines, and all alternative press materials, to ensure balanced and diverse collections, as well as securing primary source material for scholars today and in the future. Originality/value – This paper provides concrete examples of how two libraries are handling collections of zines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses broadly electronic publishing and types of electronic publications. An attempt has been made to group the select electronic resources of chemical information into portals, patents and dissertations, full-text files with backfiles and e-books, abstracting and indexing services, encyclopaedias and handbooks, periodic tables, property databases and specialty databases. The paper concludes that in delivering electronic information two major developments are gaining momentum as archives from major publishers and preprints from academic circles are used as alternative methods of accessing research information. Also, scholarly publication of chemical information in electronic form will continue to grow, adapting to meet changing needs of authors and readers alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The “build it and they will come approach” is a largely accepted proposition in the library community, particularly in the area of special collections. There is, at times, little critical analysis given to collection development, digitization efforts or information literacy instruction in regard to how these hard-to-serve but research-rich materials might be used in the classroom. Instead, there exists a benevolent know-it-all expert determining which collections warrant preservation, digitization, acquisition and, ultimately, attention. At California State University (CSU) Channel Islands (CI), the user – teachers and students – is the focus of all special collection activities, and we have devised innovative ways to both encourage students and faculty to engage these materials as well as foster their appreciation, awareness and use on campus. Design/methodology/approach – This paper explores three ways that librarians at the John Spoor Broome Library encourage and facilitate the use of primary documents housed in unique collections to support undergraduate student research. Findings – The use of high-impact teaching practices, like undergraduate research, is an important tool in promoting retention and increasing graduation rates, particularly for underrepresented minorities. At CSU CI and the John Spoor Broome Library, engaging students with primary documents is a focus of unique collections work that benefits both students and the Library alike. Originality/value – Digitization is a key component of most special collections work in the library world today, but perhaps efforts focused on promoting use are lacking. At CI, use is the primary focus of all unique collections work and, thus, could be a model for other libraries and archive departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southeast Missouri is prosperous today as a rich, agricultural center partly because of the Little River Drainage District (LRDD), the body responsible for digging the levees, channels, and canals during the early twentieth century that drained the swampland which covered much of Southeast Missouri. The LRDD collected all the records related to the engineering project and to various aspects of people's lives during that time, including tax records, plats, maps, catalogs, field reports, etc., and asked Southeast Missouri State University's Kent Library to house them. Because of space considerations, the collection has been placed at the Bootheel Center, in Malden, Missouri. This article gives a brief history of Southeast Missouri and the LRDD, describes the collection, and highlights why these papers are of fundamental importance to the citizens of Southeast Missouri. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - To launch the University of Chicago Library's study break program for undergraduate students which introduces them to rare book and manuscript collections. Design/methodology/approach - Two study breaks, Love in the Stacks and Things that Go Bump in the Stacks' are described in detail, including selecting material for viewing, marketing the event and basic logistics. In addition the authors discuss the educational materials they created for distribution at the event, attendance, the feedback and comments they received and finally what they learned. Findings - Provides information about the events, and looks towards future events. Discusses how book and manuscript collections can be intimidating to undergraduate students, who often believe the materials are for the use of faculty or other "serious" scholars. Originality/value - This paper describes an innovative program that has successfully introduced undergraduate students to Special Collections, and provides information which would allow others to offer a similar program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]