Volume 25, No. 3, Fall 2008
Co-Editors: Marlys Brunsting, UW-Green Bay and Karen Dunn, UW-Madison
Thoughts from the WAAL Chair
--Louise Diodato
Welcome back to school! September and October are the months we look forward to with anticipation and dread. Our students are back on campus and back in the library. Some have forgotten everything they learned last year and some are confused because our library home page looks different. We give out the same information over and over and hope the annoyance doesn’t sound in our voices. I wish you all eager and enthusiastic students!
I hope you all have voted in the WLA election and I encourage you to vote on November 4th. I’m not going to pitch a candidate to you—just vote. If you don’t know who to vote for, then, follow Robert A. Heinlein’s advice: “There may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for ... but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong."
Be sure to vote early and then hop over to Middleton for the WLA conference November 4th through 7th. Tuesday is a light day with conference check-in starting at 3:00 PM and the vendor reception at 4:00 PM.
The keynote speaker on Wednesday, November 5, holds special interest for me. As you can guess from my picture this issue, I spend a lot of time outside. This picture was taken at the Milwaukee Urban Ecology Center where about 50 of my SWITCH colleagues spent the day learning about how to care for our planet in an urban area. Don’t miss the talk by Dr. John J. Magnuson!
WAAL is sponsoring some very good programming. Three programs that popped out at me include a presentation (Wednesday) from one of the members of the Library of Congress Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control, a panel on Information Literacy (Thursday), and a presentation on electronic resource management (also Thursday). And don’t miss the Book Cart Drill Team on Friday and the President’s Luncheon with Unshelved creators Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum. It will be a great conference! See you there!
Call for Conference Proposals, Library DIY: Create, Collaborate, Innovate
--Ane Carriveau, Co-Chair, WAAL 2009 Conference Planning Committee
The 2009 WAAL Conference Planning Committee invites proposals for sessions to be held at the Heidel House Resort in Green Lake, Wisconsin. Proposals and recommendations for presentations, panels, workshops, and poster sessions are welcome. Whether you’re a returning WAAL conference attendee or a new WAAL member please consider the opportunity to discover everything that WAAL 2009 offers by being an active participant!
The 2009 conference theme is Library DIY: Create, Collaborate, Innovate. As libraries continue to face new challenges and opportunities, librarians are doing more themselves. How have you created, collaborated or innovated what you do to improve your situation? What can others learn from your experiences? What do you wish you had known? Your experiences can inspire many great topics for a WAAL presentation, panel, workshop, or poster session.
Below are just a few topic area ideas:
Web2.0
Information policy (copyright, depositories, repositories, etc)
Information literacy and library instruction
Technical services issues
Redesigning / re-designating library space
Marketing your library
Creative budgeting
Fundraising
Staff development/encouragement
Methods in training and engaging student workers and staff
Discovering new partnerships and methods of outreach
Identifying trends in collection development and acquisitions
Mentoring programs that engage staff and/or students
If you are interested in planning or presenting a program related to these suggested topics or another topic of your choice, please draft a brief proposal which details:
1. Abstract of the program (300 words or less)
2. Presenter names(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact information
3. Format (presentation, panel discussion, poster session, etc.)
4. Equipment needs
Send your programming ideas and suggested speaker names to Kyle Neugebauer by November 14, 2008.
Call for Poster Sessions, Library DIY: Create, Collaborate, Innovate
The Conference Planning Committee invites proposals for poster sessions.
Poster sessions are an excellent way to share interesting and innovative projects, programs, and ideas. Presenters and participants will have an opportunity to connect with each other and to engage in discussions about the showcased topics.
The poster sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, 5:30 - 7:30 PM.
To submit a poster session proposal, please forward the following information:
1. Abstract of the poster content (150 words or less). This will appear in the conference program.
2. Presenter name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact information.
3. Type of equipment you will be bringing.
All poster presenters will be given skirted table space. No other equipment will be provided. If you chose to bring your own laptop, wireless Internet access will be available.
Send all questions and completed proposals to Anne Rauh by January 31, 2009.
WAAL 2008-2009 Information Literacy Award: Call for Nominations
The WAAL Information Literacy Committee is pleased to announce the Sixth Annual WAAL Information Literacy Award.
This award recognizes a librarian or librarian-led team from any Wisconsin academic institution who has made innovative contributions in recent years to advance information literacy. This can be exemplified by the successful development and implementation of a special project or program, librarian/faculty collaboration that advances information literacy, or integration of information literacy into a non-library course and/or campus objectives. There are no restrictions as to the size of the instructional effort, discipline, target audience, or techniques employed. Self nominations, as well as nominations of colleagues, are encouraged. Prior nominees are also encouraged to apply.
The award winner will present his/her winning information literacy contribution at the 2009 WAAL Conference in Green Lake, April 21-24. The winner will receive one free registration for the WAAL conference and its Wednesday luncheon and will be recognized there for his/her achievement. The deadline for submission is December 31, 2008.
To find out more about award criteria and to access the online nomination form, please see the WAAL Information Literacy Committee web page.
WAAL 2008-2009 Information Literacy Award Committee members:
Steven Baumgart, UW-Madison
Erika Behling, UW-Parkside
Renee Ettinger, UW-Green Bay
Lisa Killips, UW-Richland
What's new at the UWDCC!
--Leah Ujda, Metadata Librarian, University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center
We are also collaborating with the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the UW-Madison Archives on an innovative digital archives project. The Aldo Leopold Archives have a descriptive finding aid available online which serves as a searchable access point to the collection. Thanks to a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, we are digitizing the contents of the collection and creating links to the materials in the online finding aid. This connection allows users to search the finding aid, and with just one click, move in to the boxes and folders to see images of the materials.
New projects that are going live this fall cover a broad range of subjects and areas of research. The UW Board of Regents meeting minutes dating from 1921-1991 will be available through the UWDCC in December 2008. UW-Whitewater’s collection of ratified and unratified Indian treaties from the early to mid 19th century will be added to the UWDCC History collection during the fall semester.
In addition to our projects with UW System schools, we are working on local history projects with public libraries in Kenosha, La Crosse, Sheboygan, Janesville, Waterford, and the Nicolet Federated Library System. Watch for new collections from your hometown in the coming months!
Archival Resources in Wisconsin: Descriptive Finding Aids
For more information about proposing a UWDCC project please visit our website.
Alternative Fuels: Technologies for a Healthy Planet
Report from Special Libraries Association Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington, June 17, 2008
--Barbara J. Arnold, UW-Madison SLIS, Emeritus Student Services Coordinator
The Alternative Fuels session was organized by several SLA Divisions including Transportation, Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, Science-Technology, and Chemistry and sponsored by Thomson Scientific and CAS. Richard G. Nelson, Director, Engineering Extension, Kansas State University, and an expert on biodiesel, addressed the potentials of biofuels as a solution to rising energy costs. Alvetta Pindell, Head, National Agricultural Library (NAL), Informational Research Services Branch shared information on web resources and “Alternative Fuels/Renewable Energy - an emerging area of national concern.” The handouts are available on the SLA conference web site (PowerPoint slide presentations and PDF file).
Nelson explained that his presentation Biodiesel: Benefits, Issues, & Opportunities was based upon a number of presentations he has made to engineering and other professional organizations looking to lower their dependence on petroleum. He tracks information on sustainable energy, bioenergy, biodiesel; and the challenges and opportunities in alternative fuels. He has served on the Western Governors’ Conference and the National Biodiesel Board. Biofuels can be defined as mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. They are designated B100 and should meet the requirements of the ASTM D 6751 standards. They can be used in all existing diesel engines with little or no modifications. These fuels are not raw vegetable oil and feedstocks but are a blend of methanol and a catalyst to meet the cetane number for efficient engine operation and emissions levels. Potential sources of biodiesel: beef tallow (free fatty acids removed), palm, canola, and soybean oils which do not have to have the free fatty acids removed. Two problem issues with biodiesel are the fact the methanol is a hazardous substance and in cold climates, like school districts in Minnesota, fuel cells can get “jelled up.” On the pro side, biodiesel can be used in most engines -- “pour and go”-- and has better combustion properties, high lubricity and virtually zero sulfur emissions. The current open markets for these fuels include urban trucking, school buses, and some small blends in home heating. There is not as much application yet in marine engine environments.
Nelson went on to indicate problems associated with governmental mandates and the 2001 Bio Energy Program tax incentives. The push to increase the volume of fuels led to many junk fuel producers interested in making money but not understanding the reasons for the ASTM standards. Increased crop production demands have put pressure on food, water, prices and marginal lands. America’s grasslands are important for sequestering emissions. Nelson feels that rather than worldwide mandates, we need to step back and assess food, fuel and feed requirements in light of supply, demand and pricing. Feed stock prices really shot up because of these pressures and at this time it still takes energy to create biodiesel and diesel fuels. The cellulose market is around the corner, but how far off is that corner? There is a lot of potential for positive health benefits, but large transportation fleet managers have real concerns about biodiesel’s fuel quality, engine warranties, storage, pricing, filter problems, stability, and issues of cold temperatures. ASTM has developed nineteen specifications that must be met for engine manufacturers to be willing to provide warranties on the use of these fuels. Supply chain managements must be implemented to assure the quality of finished fuels. The industry also needs a program of accredited producers, certified marketers and distributers.
Some sources of additional information include the National Biodiesel Board website, The Jacobsen, and the Economist. His recommendation to future governmental administrations is to review and modify the governmental mandates until research, production and industry standards catch up with the goal of sustainable alternative fuels.
Alvetta Pindell had copies of a webography and her PowerPoint slides for distribution at the session. Starting with a brief history and description of the National Agricultural Library (NAL), Pindell indicated that the library and partner institutions have had to be creative in meeting their roles and responsibilities because of the challenging federal budget environment. The 2007 Farm Bill Proposal has six very ambitious program initiatives: Ag-Bioenergy and Bio-based Products Research, Biomass Research and Development Act, Forest Wood-to-Energy, Cellulosic Bioenergy, Biomass Reserve, and Renewable Energy Supply and Energy Efficiency Improvements. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) energy goals ensure balance in production of food, feed, fiber, and fuels through sustainable agriculture and natural resource-based energy production, sustainable bioeconomies for rural communities, efficient use of energy and energy conservation, and workforce development for the bioeconomy. To reach these goals the USDA uses multidisciplinary data-driven research within the challenges of exponentially increased content prices and globalization of the information. Bioenergy research locations are distributed among eighteen states including Regional Research Centers in Beltsville, Maryland, Peoria, Illinois, Houma, Louisiana, and Albany, California. On-farm research is the main focus for the research center in Madison, Wisconsin. Ethanol from citrus waste is the key topic for the center in Winter Haven, Florida. These centers are funded by grants to state components through the Land Grant Universities and Extension. One of NAL’s creative responses to these responsibilities is the National Digital Library for Agriculture (NDLA) seen as a dynamic system built on multi-institutional collaborations. Building blocks for the NDLA include AGNIC, USDA’s Digital Desktop Library (DigiTop), AgSpace: NAL Digital Repository, AGRICOLA - NAL’s database, USAIN, and the Land Grant Colleges and Universities.
Pindell went on to describe the services and resources the NAL can provide, emphasizing its trusted, non-biased, science-based information. Challenges in this effort include how federal investments are dispersed, a lack of tools for handling and preserving large scale data sets, new energy industry interests to be met, globalization and the realities of interdisciplinary research. The NAL is proposing the development of a Biofuels Information Center to draw attention to USDA’s accomplishments in biofuels research, to enhance the visibility of its current research efforts, to connect with partners more, to deliver customized alerting services, to provide outreach and training, to serve as an information gateway and to respond to consumer questions. She closed by asking all present to be vigilant regarding federal library agency budget cuts. There isn’t any way to fund the Biofuels Information Portal with a 15% budget cut. Use the NAL resources, teach your users how to use them and inform Congress about their value. Visit the NAL web site.
Adventures in Acquisitions...
The Dispersion of the Institute of Paper Science and Technology Library
--Julie Blankenburg, Supervisory Librarian, Forest Products Laboratory Library
Many people in our facility (the Forest Products Laboratory) have wondered what has been going on with the pallets and pallets of books. Our library has been busy sorting, selecting, and recycling the discarded materials from the Institute of Paper Science and Technology Library that closed in 2003.
In 2003, the Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) closed as a separate organization and became a department of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The IPST Library was closed and pieces of it were transferred to the Georgia Tech Library. In 2005, the library space at IPST was needed for other purposes so what remained of the collection was boxed and sent to Wisconsin where the Paper Discovery Center agreed to take it. After reviewing the 68 pallets of boxes, they decided to keep about 400 books. The library collection then sat in storage for two years during which discussions ensued as to what to do with the rest of this collection. It was decided that the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) would sort through the materials and distribute items to other pulp and paper research institutes in the United States and Canada. FPL began the process in 2008 with a trip to the storage warehouse in Neenah, Wisconsin to evaluate what was there. A second trip by the FPL library staff and two researchers was made to sort through the items. We were able to weed the materials to 50 pallets of 12 boxes each.
The first 25 pallets were delivered to the Forest Products Laboratory in early June. (We did not have enough space to bring everything to Madison at one time). Two people were hired to open the boxes and to document the items onto excess lists. They made great progress and the last 25 pallets were delivered in July. The FPL Library was granted "first pick" to keep items for its collection with the excess lists distributed to approximately 20 other libraries to make their selections. The last excess lists were emailed in September.
The end result was that many items were sent to be recycled. The journals were often duplicates of what the libraries already owned or were items that are now available electronically in full text. There were more requests for the books and the 20 libraries were able to fill gaps in their collections.
The FPL Library acquired items that it never would have been able to purchase. Next, will be the long process of getting the materials that FPL selected cataloged and accessioned. We expect this to take a number of years, but everything will eventually be listed as owned by the FPL Library on the OCLC WorldCat database. Now, we need to find storage space to keep this wonderful collection accessible. Our temporary help did an amazing job of organizing and listing materials so that we could finish up a piece of this project by the end of September.
The next phase of this project, integrating the items we kept into the FPL Library collection, will take much longer. We are currently cataloging items that scientists want on calendar-year-loan first. We do not have space to shelve additional items at this time so the rest of the items will remain in our storage for a while. We also need to hire additional staff to help with the cataloging and processing of these books. This has been an exciting acquisition for the Forest Products Laboratory and has been well worth the effort. The library looks forward to providing access to these materials to the FPL research staff and to others as the project progresses.
Arabic Manuscripts in Mali
--Patricia Kuntz, SLIS Alumna
During the summer, Patricia Kuntz explored library collections in Mali. Here are her reflections...
It had been my dream to visit the historical city of Timbuktu (Timbuctu,Tombouctou) on the edge of the Saharan Desert in Mali. When Mansa Musa, king of the Mali Empire, went on pilgrimage to Mecca in the year 1324, he collected Arabic texts and returned with a substantial library. Being on the trade routes from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, the Moroccan traveler, Ibn Battuta, visited Timbuktu in 1352 to confer with scholars at the Sankore University/Mosque and to consult its library. In the 16th century, this university was one of the largest in the Muslim world with a student enrollment of 25,000 at a time when the city population was recorded as 100,000. Timbuktu attracted European explorers beginning in 1494 with Leo Africanus (born Granada, el-Hasan ben Muhammad el-Wazzan ez-Zayyati) who confirmed the importance of the city in his writings. Because the city was closed to non-Muslims, Christian European explorers only began coming to the city in the early 19th century. These included Mungo Park, Gordon Laing, Rene-Auguste Caillie, Heinrich Barth, and Oskar Lenz. D.W. Berky, leader of the first American expedition, arrived in 1912 for a several month visit.
Libraries
Recently, family manuscripts stashed in attics or forgotten in trunks have been located, processed, and shared with scholars. These documents underscore the importance of the towns of Timbuktu, Segou, and Djenne as centers of learning dating to the 14th century at a time when Europe was languishing in disease and ignorance.
Institut Ahmed Baba
Timbuktu has the largest and most organized collection of Malian manuscripts. The 15th century intelligentsia, judges, doctors, imams, and professors required a reference collection for practicing their profession. Ahmed Baba, who wrote 56 books, was an ancestor of the prominent Aqit family who promoted literacy.
Today, the director at the Institut Ahmed Baba collaborates with many organizations to catalog, preserve, conserve, digitize, and promote the manuscripts of local families. The South African government is financing the building of a new library. President Gadaffi (Libya) has also donated funds (Gadaffi Prize for Peace) to maintain and protect manuscripts.
The collection is ever growing as more families donate their treasures. The texts include those in law, history, science, medicine, poetry and theology. In July 2008, the Institut held a workshop for catalogers of Arabic manuscripts. Many of the most famous texts are on display, and include the Tarikh es-Sudan and several Qurans. Some of these texts are written in various African languages including Arabic using Arabic script. The medieval form of the languages requires a lengthy process of translation into contemporary major languages.
SAVAMA-DCI
The Association de Sauvegarde des Manuscrits et la Defense de la Culture Islamique (SAVAMA-DCI), an NGO (non-governmental organization), has provided members with resources to digitize 600 manuscripts from the Mamma Haidara Library, the Imam Essayouti Library, al-Wangari Library, Library of Cheick Zayni Baye, and the Fondo Kati Library. The digitized texts will be “housed” on the Aluka database so that researchers worldwide may have access to the resources. This process also provides visual representation of the calligraphy, ink color, and gold leaf. Unfortunately, this process has yet to capture the odor and texture of the leather covers, parchment or velum! In 2007, Northwestern University staff installed a digital photography studio and trained member technicians with funding from the Andrew Mellon Foundation.
To earn money to cover some costs, these family libraries charge admission for tourists to view manuscripts or copies. The Heinrich Barth house is converted into a museum of calligraphy while the Imam Essayouti Library staff sells postcards of manuscripts. This library also sells reproductions of texts as well as books and articles about the preservation process. The libraries also provide an Internet café for tourists as an incentive to visit the collections. Funds have supported the renovation of the library at Djenne and Boujbeiha (a suburb of Timbuktu).
Djenne
Djenne is Timbuktu’s younger sister city located south on an island in the Niger delta. It was founded in the 13th century as a commercial and intellectual center. After the fall of the Mali and Songhai empires, Djenne experienced successive invasions and pillages. The city suffered 300 years of exploitation by regimes without authority or legitimacy. When the French invaded in 1893, Colonel Archinard lost interest in the historic city and moved his headquarters to Mopti. Fortunately, for the preservation of family libraries, the town was not destroyed or modernized.
The Djenne library is directly behind the mosque. Funds from the European Union, the U.S. Embassy, and UNESCO have contributed to the building and administration of the facility. It is located in a two-story building. Several rooms display manuscripts while others are used for the collection and storage of trunks of books. The staff is comprised of a director and a technician. At the time of my visit, the technician was in Timbuktu at the cataloging workshop.
These libraries and their collections of manuscripts dispel a notion held by many Europeans that West Africa did not enjoy a literary tradition. Westerners can benefit from the content of the manuscripts in terms of law, economics, social mores, medicinal practices, history, astronomy, mathematics, and literature. In addition to the need for preservation and conservation of the manuscripts, there is a need for scholars knowledgeable of the culture and languages (Arabic, Hebrew, Fulani among other languages) to translate the materials. Consequently, these materials are a window to a world that has been gravely misunderstood and regrettably referred to with derision.
Webography
Aluka (Building a digital library of scholarly resources from and about Africa)
Arabic Manuscripts (Library of Congress)
Libraries of Timbuktu for the preservation and promotion of African Literary Heritage
Northwestern University Herskovits Library of African Studies
SAVAMA-DCI
Timbuktu Educational Foundation
UW-Milwaukee Libraries Staff Open Georgian Exhibition, Then Escape As War Erupts
--Steven Burnham, Editor, UWM Libraries Administration
It was an extraordinary trip to the Republic of Georgia even before UW-Milwaukee Libraries Director Ewa Barczyk and American Geographical Society Library Curator Christopher Baruth had to abruptly flee the nation suddenly at war.
Barczyk, her husband UWM Associate Prof. Neal Pease, Baruth, and his wife, former UW-Parkside Library Director Barbara Baruth, traveled to the remote Caucasus Mountain town of Mestia in early August to attend the opening of an exhibit of digitized historic photographs of the Svanetia region.
The original images, taken by geographer and glaciologist William O. Field in 1929, are part of the collection of the AGS Library and can be found in the UW-Milwaukee Libraries digital collection, Images of Russia and Caucasus Region 1929-1933.
Dr. Irakli Iakobashvili, Archivist of the Georgian Parliament, had studied the photographs at UW-Milwaukee with an AGS Library McColl research fellowship in 2006. Virtually unknown in Georgia, the images were regarded as a treasure-trove by Iakobashvili, who was anxious to introduce them to the Svanetians as vital documentation of their history, showing how their parents and grandparents had lived and worked.
He arranged and curated the exhibition, and invited the two UW-Milwaukee Libraries administrators to Mestia. Their trip was underwritten by the U.S. Embassy in Georgia.
"The UW-Milwaukee Libraries are honored to be able to contribute to this exhibit that highlights the fascinating history and culture of Georgia,” Barczyk said, “all the more so in this dramatic moment when that nation's welfare and heritage are under attack from outside forces.”
Baruth said that the photographs “depict traditional, and in many respects, enduring Georgian landscapes. They were made on the cusp of Sovietization, still within the memory of some of the oldest inhabitants.”
He said that while clothing styles have changed and cell phone towers have appeared, the unique architecture, harvest by scythe, and animal power are still dominant elements in a landscape framed by majestic glacier-capped mountains, the highest in Europe.
The Milwaukee group first toured Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, and its environs and then journeyed by car to Mestia on roads that narrowed vertiginously, with evidence of recent landslides, as they ascended the mountain range.
Before the opening, they accompanied Iakobashvili as he drove to a nearby village with a laptop and showed the images to local inhabitants, who were able to provide information about people pictured.
The opening on August 7 in the assembly hall of Mestia’s modern museum attracted a capacity audience, including the Archbishop of Svanetia, the region’s Governor, and Georgia’s National Museums director.
Following speeches and presentations, a film made by Field while in Svanetia was screened. “Although everyone was standing and the room was warm, all were rapt, even the children,” Baruth said. “The overall response to the film and photographs was clearly emotional.”
Plans to return to Tbilisi and fly back to Milwaukee were disrupted by the outbreak of war. Instead, the group was escorted by U.S. Embassy personnel on an anxious journey that zig-zagged south through Georgia.
Frequently calling ahead and sometimes changing routes to avoid potential danger, they eventually reached the Turkish border and, after several more adventures, arrived home safely.
A Visit to the Bodleian Library
--Regina Pauly, Curriculum Librarian, UW-Platteville
This summer I had the opportunity to go to Oxford, England. I wasn’t there long, but I did attempt to get into the Bodleian Library, the great library of the University of Oxford, It doesn’t sound like a difficult task, but experience proves how different this library is from any university I had been in. Their library is treated with such reverence that few have the privilege of entering or viewing it. Let me tell you about my experience.
I chose to go to the Bodleian Library in the afternoon. I was hoping to take a tour as they offer half hour and hour tours of their library. Just this alone, that one would pay money to tour a library, set them apart from other libraries I have experienced. However all tours were already booked since they limit the number, and as the young woman at the ticket counter explained, I should have booked earlier in the week because in the summer all tours are usually booked about a week in advance. I then proceeded to the gift shop where I purchased some post cards. A large number of items were for sale, from things costing less than a dollar to several hundred dollars. I decided to become more resolute and try to obtain a library card since I was studying that week at Oxford. So off I proceeded to the admissions office.
First I had to take a seat. The office is staffed by a receptionist, two staff members, and a supervisor. As I waited, I heard one woman reading the rules, stating she would not smoke, bring fire into the library, deface materials, bring in food or drink, etc. I can't remember it all but they made her read the rules out loud. Then it was another young woman’s turn, but the staff members told her she did not have sufficient research interest to use their library and should try the public library instead. Then it was my turn to be quizzed.
For about fifteen minutes they grilled me about my type of research, what collection at the Bodleian I was interested in, how much time did I have, couldn't I do most of my research online, etc. I said I was a librarian and indicated I could search fast. I really didn’t know what else to say because I realized my position was weak. The supervisor was called over. Basically they did not think I was suitable, not on the basis of my research (child abuse in children’s fiction books), but because most of the materials would be off-site and so could not be retrieved in a day. The supervisor also asked for my faculty I.D. and with which university I was connected. Fortunately I had the I.D. with me, however I must have looked disappointed because the supervisor finally relented and said I could use the library until Saturday although she didn't think it would really be useful to me. Since my plan was basically to see the library, I felt I could at least get my foot in the door.
Now, I had to fill out a four page application, listing my research interest, giving an address and a reference, etc. The fourth page was for those wanting to use a special collection, and in that event one had to attach a formal reference letter written by someone in the college. I had previously been informed that children’s books in the Bodleian are not in a separate collection, even those given by the Opies, but are spread over a couple of towns. So I didn’t need to use a special collection.
Next, I had my picture taken, they examined and copied down information from my passport, and I had to pay five pounds (about ten dollars). The staff person even noticed that my passport would be expiring in November, on which no one in customs had bothered to comment. Before I was given my Bodleian Library card, I had to read the rules out loud and to say I understood them and agreed to them. The card was good for three days, one of which had only a few hours left.
By this time I had spent over an hour in the library and had yet to see a book. I was directed to the entrance of the library, through two court yards and to the right. I had to show my card to two people and agree to use only the reading rooms if I was to keep my purse. No bags of any kind are allowed beyond the reading rooms. The reading room was up a flight of stairs and through a very small door. I’m only a little over five feet tall, and I had to stoop to enter the room. Now I was in.
It looked quite ordinary and I thought a bit sad. There are signs all over the library, and even outside in the courtyard that said, "Be Silent”. There were signs warning people not to bring bottled water into the library. More than half the computers in the inquiry room (there was a librarian in this room) had "This computer does not print" signs on them. All the signage seemed negative to me and many were quite large.
I decided to try a little research on my topic. Most of the materials I found were at an off-site location and so not able to be retrieved for several days. I was told the materials were in another town, not just another building down the road. I was hopeful when I found two titles that reportedly were in the “Bod Stacks” but that turned to be out stacks underground that only the staff could get to, and since it was now after four o’clock they had left. I was assured I could have the materials by the afternoon on the next day. They gave me directions for how to order materials. This could also be done online.
The librarian informed me that only materials which said “reading room” were available for viewing. I saw sources such as the Dictionary of Literary Biography and other familiar resources. Somehow these materials look much older in the Bodleian than they do at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where I work.
From my vantage point of that first room, the library looked quite small although I knew it to be huge. I decided to ask for directions to the bathroom just to have an excuse to walk through the library more. I was told to go straight through several reading rooms and then left, basically outdoors around a side courtyard, and when I couldn't go any further I should go down the steps and the women's bathroom would be there. Everywhere people were quietly reading books. I didn't hear one person talking, but then it seemed like each person was there by herself or himself. I had to go through numerous rooms but they all rather looked the same with floor to ceiling bookshelves along the outside wall and reading tables in the inner part of the room. The floors were very old and warped. Twenty-year-olds to ninety-year-olds were quietly reading books. However no one looked happy to me except one lady on a computer that was off to the side. It appeared to me about sixty unhappy people to every happy one.
I then found a door with a big WARNING sign on it saying no books may be taken further. It looked a little ominous as if bells might sound if I opened it, but I couldn't see any other way out so I proceeded through and saw the steps to take me down a flight. At the bottom I almost missed the bathroom as there was a door up a few stairs that read Women Readers. I thought by the description from the librarian that this must be it, and I figured I was a woman and a reader so I ventured through. Sure enough it was the bathroom. The sinks all had warning signs "Do not drink this water”. There was a drinking fountain that had a small purifier on it. The bathroom also supplied a utility sink which seemed like it could be used to do one's laundry--a function hardly likely to be accommodated in this library!
I then started to leave the library as I was near the entrance again but my purse and bag needed to be searched. It was now nearly 6:00 PM and the library was only open until 7:00 PM that night. The sign on the bathroom door had also stated that it would be locked promptly at 6:45.
I have pondered what a different experience this visit was compared with visiting our campus library, or even the private libraries I know in America. The books are revered in the Bodleian Library, but are not easily obtainable. It would take many days to complete any form of research there. Their reading room collection, while larger than many libraries need for current materials, seemed only to resemble a large reference area, and to be about the size of most small public school libraries. The signage was rather negative, and I didn’t see people smiling. No one was allowed to speak except in the inquiry room. Even though I saw students studying there, I have trouble picturing 21st century students wanting to use the Bodleian. There was a staff of four just to stop or permit people to use the library, and several guards and staff to allow or prevent people from actually visiting the library. As I watch people enter and leave the library I am currently in, I feel fortunate that our students have such ease of access. However, maybe the ease decreases the desire, because I look around and see empty tables and chairs and wonder where all the students on this campus are?
Purchase on Demand, Pilot Project
--Aaron Nichols, Access Services Librarian, UW-Stevens Point
In July of 2008 the Interlibrary Loan, Acquisitions, and Cataloging departments at UW-Stevens Point began pilot-testing a new collaborative initiative called Purchase on Demand. Purchase on Demand uses Interlibrary Loan as a tool for collection development. We hope that this pilot will enhance collection development, improve the speed of book/item delivery, and cut overall costs. The concept is quite simple: When a faculty member or student requests a book through Interlibrary Loan, we purchase the item and add it to our collection rather than borrow it.
Two distinct advantages emerge from this sort of program:
1. The requestor’s immediate need is quickly satisfied.
2. The Library acquires materials that are useful and relevant.
The pilot-test will run until the end of June 2009 and will be evaluated for user satisfaction, speed of delivery, overall cost effectiveness, and the frequency of circulation of books purchased through the pilot. Since we are running on a small annual budget of $2000, we decided that only recently-published, scholarly books should be eligible for purchase through the pilot-test.
For questions about the Purchase on Demand project please contact, Aaron Nichols.
BadgerBytes
--Ulrike Dieterle, Distance Services & Outreach Coordinator, Ebling Library
On September 3, 2008 the Wednesday Nite@the Lab (WN@TL) program at UW-Madison featured BadgerBytes, an exploration of information resources found in BadgerLink.
BadgerLink is a project of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI); Division for Libraries, Technology and Community Learning. Its goal is to provide access to quality online information resources for Wisconsin residents in cooperation with the state's public, school, academic and special libraries and Internet Service Providers. It covers a wide spectrum of topics, formats and lots of full-text documents, e.g., periodical titles, 700 newspapers (including Wisconsin newspapers), children’s and adult literature, business information, medical databases and a bounty of education resources.
WN@TL takes place fifty Wednesdays a year and covers a full range of topics related to science, engineering and technology research at UW-Madison--from astronomy to zoology and from bioethics to biomedical engineering. The program is sponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Association and is promoted to the general public. Admission is free.
Three area librarians guided forty participants through business, health and news information resources. The audience checked off the information covered on their “Bucky Bingo” scorecards and were asked to shout out “BadgerLink” when they filled a line.
Even Bucky Badger joined in the action to welcome guests and to warm up the crowd with gymnastics and a bit of badger play. It was an information-packed evening with a good time to be had by participants.
The librarians presenting this outreach program included:
Ulrike Dieterle, Distance Services & Outreach Coordinator, Ebling Health Sciences Library
Karen Dunn, Information Services Librarian, Steenbock Agricultural Library
Betsy Vogel, Librarian, Rayovac Remington
People & Places in the News
Beloit College
Megan Fitch was named Director of Information Services and Resources, July 2008. She comes to Morse Library from Kenyon College, Ohio. She received her master’s degrees in International Relations from the University of Virginia and Library and Information Services from the University of Michigan.
Lawrence University
The Mudd staff welcomed more than 100 new students to the library for its Welcome Week Open House. Students received free gifts, tours, library information, and a chance at the grand prize--a gift certificate to a local bookstore. View Flickr photostream.
As part of the Open House, students made recycled-paper notebooks with cool cereal box covers.
And, of course, it was Talk Like a Pirate Day, which we celebrated with piratey fun. Arrr!
The library is delighted to welcome two new staff members, RaeAnn Blom, Secretary, and Marissa Keller, Circulation Assistant/Night Supervisor.
Marquette University
The Libraries’ fall newsletter is online, including upcoming events, notable acquisitions, and the newest READ poster.
Ann Hanlon has been appointed Digital Projects Librarian; she will manage the institutional repository and develop standards and practices for digitization projects. Hanlon was previously Digital Collection Librarian at the University of Maryland Libraries.
Archivist Mark Thiel accepted the Sister M. Claude Lane, O.P., Memorial Award at the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists in August. The award recognized Thiel’s exhaustive work, Guide to Catholic-Related Records About Native Americans, which is available in digital format.
The Libraries’ Funding Information Center announces publication of the 2008 Foundations in Wisconsin. The directory, which is available in both paper and electronic subscription formats, includes current information on 1,275 foundations responsible for a total of $475 million in grants. Pricing information and an order form are online.
Two new digital collections are accessible on the Libraries’ CONTENTdm site: Service at Marquette, 150 images representing 15 student service projects from the late 1960s to the present; and Ralph Metcalfe: the Olympic Years 1932-36, documenting the 1936 alumnus' successful track and field career in which he equaled or bettered 13 world records.
With the University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the Libraries co-sponsored the 5th Annual Research Institute for Faculty, a half-day workshop on September 26. Five nationally prominent speakers addressed topics related to scholarly communication, including open access, copyright, and academic publishing.
Ripon College
Jeanne Chaney, Circulation Manager, retired from Lane Library in June 2008. Jeanne plans to spend her retirement pursuing some activities such as painting, volunteering, and visiting with family and friends.
Valerie Viers, User Services Librarian, left Lane Library in June for Peace Corps service in Jordan.
Elizabeth Hunt joins the Lane Library staff this fall as Resource Services Librarian. Elizabeth is a recent graduate of the UW-Milwaukee School of Information Studies and has worked as an intern at the Milwaukee Public Library. Elizabeth says of her decision to come to Ripon, “I am very excited to build relationships within the community and work with students.”
Andrew Prellwitz began his tenure as User Services Librarian in July. Andrew graduated from the University of Kentucky with masters degrees in Library and Information Science and German. His most recent experience is at Ripon College where he has served as Adjunct Instructor of German and Librarian (part-time).
SLIS
UW-Madison SLIS will hold a reunion in conjunction with the 2008 WLA Conference on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton. All SLIS alumni and students are encouraged to attend. No RSVP is required. If you have questions, contact SLIS Alumni Association Board Member Peter Gilbert or phone (920) 832-7353.
Barbara J. Arnold, UW-Madison SLIS, Emeritus Student Services Coordinator is happily enjoying her new status as a retired member of the UW-Madison Academic Staff. She did attend the SLA Annual Conference in Seattle in June. She and her husband had a great road trip and she has written up three conference session reports for publication. The first has just been published in the September 2008 issue of The One Person Library, (v. 25, no. 5), "Embedded Librarianship: Background and Overview, " p. 5. The second will appear in the next WHSLA Newsletter, "Nanomaterials and the Environment – Summary of a Session.". The third is from a session on alternative fuels found in this issue of the WAAL Newsletter. In addition to traveling, Barbara continues to serve on COLAND, the Governor's Council on Library and Network Development and she volunteers as a racial equity discussion facilitator for the Madison YWCA.
UW-Eau Claire
Leslie Foster, long time head of the Government Publications Department, has retired after a career of almost 40 years. Leslie enjoyed helping countless students, faculty and community patrons unravel the mysteries of government documents. She taught classes in all fields, but especially American Indian Studies, history, environmental issues and legislative history. She was also active in state and national library organizations and served on many committees related to government documents.
Betsy Richmond, Reference and Instruction Librarian for nineteen years at McIntyre Library, retired in July. Throughout Betsy’s career at UW-Eau Claire, she was concerned with making the library a highly service-oriented organization. She often spoke at library conferences throughout the state and nationally on issues of assessment, business resources and information literacy. She also served in leadership roles of regional and national organizations.
Chris Cox, Assistant Director for four years, accepted a position as Dean of Libraries at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.
Bryan Vogh is the new Systems Librarian. He came to McIntyre Library from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region, where he was Technology Coordinator.
Hans Kishel and Eric Jennings moved to Eau Claire to accept reference and instruction librarian positions. Hans is looking forward to milder winters than he experienced as Coordinator of Library Instruction at Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan. Eric will enjoy snow, as he moved north from Charleston Southern University.
Bob Butterfield has been hired as Collection Development Assistant. Bob worked most recently as a books buyer and personnel manager for Borders Books in Minnesota.
Joy Hopkins is our new Reference and Instruction Assistant, and comes to us from the William Mitchell College of Law Library in St. Paul, Minnesota.
UW-Green Bay
Sandy Bohman, Library Services Assistant was this year’s recipient of the UW-Green Bay Founder’s Award: Classified Staff Award for Excellence. Sandy’s primary responsibility is as the acquisitions supervisor. She was cited for her ability and dedication in tracking down and ordering books, videos and a variety of materials for use by professors, staff and students in their research and coursework. Colleagues praised her technical mastery in using the latest electronic search tools to locate rare, out-of-print or highly obscure works, navigating UW-Green Bay and the UW System collections as well as resources around the world. Bohman has been with the University’s library for 38 years. Since 1993, she has also managed the library’s Federal Depository Library Program.
Mary Braun has moved on in her library career and left the UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library for a position with the Brown County Library (Green Bay). Mary worked in Cataloging, Electronic Resource Management and Reference. She will be doing some of the same things for the Brown County Libraries multiple branches as well as overseeing computer type issues and the library’s web site.
The Cofrin Library has expanded its Zine collection with the donation of over 120 Zines that were part of a recent Zine exhibit on the UW-Green Bay campus. Professors Sarah Detweiler and Stephen Perkins have been instrumental in starting and adding to this fantastic collection.
UW-La Crosse
William Doering and Galadriel Chilton had their article, “A Locally Created ERM: How and Why We Did It,” published in the September 2008 issue of Computers and Libraries.
John Jax presented, "Buy the ticket, take the ride: The Relevance of the American Academic Library in a Carnival of Information,” at the annual meeting of the Association of Swiss Librarians and Libraries (BBS) in Bern, Switzerland, August 28, 2008.
UW-Madison
Sarah Calcese celebrated her retirement in early August. She worked as Librarian for the Wisconsin Department of Local Affairs and Development, as Special Librarian for the Water Resources Institute and as Librarian for Wendt Library, since 1991, specializing in technical reports and patents. In addition to serving as a “patent guru” to her colleagues, Sarah served as Head of Collections and Technical Services leading the library in its transition from print to electronic resource collections.
Tom Caw will be joining the staff with the Mills Music Library in October as the Music Public Services Librarian. He comes to Mills from the University of Hartford where he has served as a Public Services Librarian for the Allen Memorial Library. He earned his MLIS and MM from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, MFA from the University of Pittsburgh and BA from DePauw University. He is an active member of the Music Library Association and the International Association for the Study of Popular Music.
Ryan Engel has joined the staff of the Lawrence Jacobsen Library at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center as the new Special Collections Librarian. He received his MLS from the UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies in 2004 and worked most recently as a news librarian with CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta.
Natalee Hattig has been hired as Electronic Resources Acquisitions Librarian in the Acquisition Department’s Licensed Resources Unit (LRU). She holds a BA from Luther College and a MLIS from Florida State University.
Memorial Library has hired Stephanie Harris as its Access Services Research Intern. She will divide her time between departments within Access Services and contribute to reference services at College Library.
Maria Hernandez has accepted the position of Circulation Desk Supervisor in the Access Services Department of Memorial Library. She is a recent SLIS graduate.
Patricia H laughs at
Steenbock parting gift.
Patricia Herrling celebrated her retirement, July 4, after 23 years with the General Library System. Since the early 1990s, she served as Instruction Coordinator for Steenbock Library, a position for which she was well recognized on campus and honored as a leader and mentor. She plans to enjoy more time with family and to explore using library resources as a “patron."
Wendt Library has hired Lia Vellardita as its Research Intern for Library Instruction. Lia is a 2007 graduate from the School of Library and Information Studies, UW-Madison. Since earning her MA-LIS, Lia has worked at the Middleton Public Library and more recently for WCATY, the Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth, where she was a Media and Resources Librarian and Program Director for an online instruction program.
Amanda Werhane has joined the staff with Steenbock Library as its new Instruction and Information Services Librarian. She comes to Steenbock with experience at Wendt Library in instruction, marketing and reference services. She earned her master's degree in Library and Information Science from UW-Madison SLIS in 2005 and completed earlier degree work in Biological Aspects of Conservation and Non-Profit Management.
UW-Manitowoc
Margaret (Peggy) Turnbull is the new Director of Library Services at UW-Manitowoc as of August 1, 2008. A native of Manitowoc, she returns to Wisconsin after serving for twelve years as Public Services Librarian and Archivist at Bluefield State College in West Virginia. Peggy holds a BA from UW-Madison and a MLIS from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently working on an online professional certificate in management.
Cheryl Nessman, who ably served as Interim Library Director for approximately eighteen months prior to Peggy’s hire, has returned to her former position as Senior Library Services Assistant. Cheryl is currently working on her master’s degree through the UW-Milwaukee School of Information Studies.
UW-Marathon County
Judy M. Palmateer retired as Director of the Library and Technology Services at UW-Marathon County, July 31, 2008. Judy began her career in Wausau in 1972. She plans on remaining in the city and supporting UW-Marathon within the community.
David M. Dettman will replace Judy as Director of Library & IT Services on November 1, 2008. He comes to Wausau from UW-Green Bay where he served as the Coordinator of Information Literacy and Outreach and, prior to that, as Head of Instruction and Reference Librarian since September, 2000. He also spent a year at UW-Milwaukee as the Reference and Evening/Weekend Instructional Librarian before moving to Green Bay. David received his BA in English and Humanistic Studies from UW-Green Bay, a MA in English from UW-Eau Claire, and a MLIS from UW-Milwaukee.
UW-Milwaukee
The Archives Department has acquired the historical records of the Pabst Theater, Milwaukee's oldest continuing operating theater. The archive consists of programs and playbills, photographs, architectural records, and textual records documenting the theater's illustrious history from the mid-1890s to the present.
Kristen Hewitt, Head of Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access, has been named Director of the Whitefish Bay (Wisconsin) Public Library. Kristen joined the UW-Milwaukee Libraries in 2007.
Liz Miller has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at New Mexico State as the Cataloging Unit Head. At the Libraries, Liz led the American Geographical Society Library recataloging project, and also served as Co-Interim Head of Monographs.
The UWM Libraries complete fall newsletter is available online.
UW-Platteville
John-Leonard Berg, Senior Academic Librarian, presented a paper at the Midwest Interlibrary Loan Conference (MILC) at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. The annual spring conference brings librarians together from both the United States and Canada. His presentation detailed evolution, implementation policies and procedures associated with Universal Borrowing, an innovative borrowing and loaning service within the University of Wisconsin System.
John-Leonard was also the keynote speaker at the August meeting of the German Interest Group of Wisconsin. The German Interest Group is headquartered in Janesville and claims membership from around the entire State of Wisconsin. His presentation was entitled, “Causes & Patterns of 19th Century German Emigration from Bremerhaven." The purpose of the group is to encourage the study of culture, folklore, genealogy and language of German people in North America.
Jessica Donahoe, Academic Librarian, was recently appointed to the position of Cataloging Coordinator. She is now responsible for all cataloging operations in the Karrmann Library and supervises a staff of three. She continues on as the Library Web Manager. Jessica previously served as a librarian in the Reference Department.
UW-Richland
James A. Gollata retired as Library Director at the UW-Richland Miller Memorial Library, July 16, 2008 after twenty-plus years of service in the UW Colleges. In his usual “James” way, he reminds us that, “retired librarians don't fade away, they just lose their circulation....”
Todd Roll replaced James as Miller Memorial Library Director on August 11, 2008. Todd comes to Richland Center after numerous years as Associate Academic Librarian at UW-Marathon County in Wausau.
UW-Washington County
Michelle Harrell Washington became the Library Director at UW-Washington County in West Bend on July 28, 2008. Michelle comes to the UW Colleges from UW-Milwaukee, where she served as Multicultural Services Librarian.
WLA Support Staff Section
Jane Roisum, Library Specialist at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) in Appleton, Wisconsin, is running uncontested for Chair-Elect of the WLA Support Staff Section. She began her library career at Oklahoma State University Library in the Government Documents Department. Since 1996, she has been at FVTC. Prior to that, she spent five years at Lawrence University as support staff for periodicals and Wisconsin documents. She has a BS degree in Home Economics from UW-Madison, an associate degree in Mechanical Drafting from Blackhawk Technical College and nine credits from UW-Milwaukee’s School of Information Science.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Peter Gottlieb, Director of the Library-Archives Division at the Wisconsin Historical Society and State Archivist of Wisconsin, has been elected Vice President/President Elect of the Society of American Archivists. The Society of American Archivists is North America's oldest and largest national archival professional association.
Calendar of Meetings & Events
| WLA Annual Conference | November 4-8, 2008, Madison Marriott West, Middleton |
| ACRL 14th National Conference | March 12-15, 2009, Seattle |
Education & Enrichment Opportunities
| CCBC Calendar & Events | SOIS Podcasts |
| e-Learning from ACRL | SOIS Professional Development Institute |
| SLIS Continuing Education, Online Short Courses | Wisconsin State Law Library Classes and Tours |
The WAAL Newsletter welcomes articles of interest to academic librarians. Please consider sharing summaries of research or research in progress, announcements/results of meetings or conferences, and news of staff changes and/or accomplishments.
Deadline for the next issue: January 16, 2009
Material should be sent to:
Karen Dunn
Steenbock Memorial Library
550 Babcock Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1293
(608) 890-2666
WAAL Publications Committee:
Peter Gilbert (Chair), Marlys Brunsting, Karen Dunn (Newsletter Co-Editors)
© 2008 Wisconsin Library Association. ISSN 0743-3468
Portions may be quoted or copied if credit is given. Contact the WLA Executive Director when quoting or reproducing extensively. WLA Phone: (608) 245-3640; Fax: (608) 245-3646
Send questions or comments regarding these newsletter pages to Karen Dunn
Page revised: October 13, 2008