NEWS FROM THE FIELD
C&RL News, January 2000
Vol. 61 No. 1
by Mary Ellen Davis
Kentucky launches statewide digital library
The Kentucky Commonwealth Virtual Library (KCVL) launched its comprehensive information resources and services to support the Kentucky Commonwealth Virtual University (KCVU) in November 1999. As one of his initiatives to improve higher education in Kentucky, Governor Paul Patton and the 1997 legislature provided funding for the “anytime, anywhere” access to postsecondary education opportunities, and to information resources and services needed to support such an endeavor. Although KCVU students are its primary audience, KCVL was constructed to support lifelong learning for all Kentuckians.
KCVL (located at www.kcvl.org) includes Endeavor Voyager online library catalogs for all 8 public universities and the 28 community and technical colleges in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System; 32 electronic databases, of which 15 are available from EBSCO, 16 from OCLC, and the Encyclopedia Britannica (available to all 8 public universities, 28 community and technical colleges, 19 independent colleges and universities, 116 public libraries, 1,392 public K–12 schools, and 16 special libraries); a Kentuckiana Digital Library that will digitize unique Kentuckiana collections; government information with emphasis on Kentucky-oriented information; an online self-paced tutorial that helps students and citizens learn how to use the Web; and a virtual reference desk, which is a gateway to non-governmental Web resources, that is organized by subject, annotated by librarians, and has a heavy emphasis on Kentucky-oriented resources. For details about this project, contact Ling-yuh W. (Miko) Pattie, director, KCVL, at miko.pattie@mail.state.ky.us.
Fireworks at dedication of Siena’s new library
Siena College formally opened its new J. Spencer and Patricia Standish Library on Oct. 2 with a sound and light show that included a champagne reception and fireworks. The front of the library was bathed in a palette of varied colors as celebratory music filled the night. The festivities included remarks by the library’s namesake, J. Spencer Standish, who with his wife, Patricia, donated $3 million toward the $12 million cost of construction.
The 72,000 square foot structure on three floors, designed by Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbott, has a 400,000 volume capacity and includes study spaces for 700, a majority of which are wired to allow patrons to plug into the campus network. Many of the dataports incorporate broad-band fiber-optic cable that will enable the college to take advantage of new technologies as they become available. Clusters of networked workstations are on each floor and a 24-hour PC lab with 25 networked computers allow insomniacs to burn the midnight oil.
There are nine group study rooms, plus two audiovisual group work rooms. For library instruction classes there is a hands-on PC lab with eighteen, two-person workstations, a lecture style room with a video projector, and an AV screening room.
The new facility has brought together for the first time the college’s audiovisual department, the curriculum materials collection, and the library, which had been in separate buildings.
ACRL program: Celebrating Our Successes, Confronting Our Challenges
ACRL President Larry Hardesty leads academic librarians into the new century by inviting you to examine your successes over the past quarter century, your contemporary challenges, and the issues you’ll face in the new millennium.
This program will be held during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, Monday, July 10, 2000, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. A distinguished panel of leaders will share their perspectives. Evan Farber, librarian emeritus, Earlham College, will recap the past 25 years of academic librarianship. Carla Stoffle, dean of libraries at the University of Arizona, will speak from her perspective as an innovator of contemporary models for academic library administration. Emily Mobley, dean of libraries at Purdue University, will speak to the complex future we face. A prominent leader in higher education will respond to the ideas presented.
New NIST devise turns e-books into Braille
Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a Braille reader that can transform the text of e-books into Braille. NIST researchers developed the Braille prototype as a possible low-cost alternative to conventional electronic Braille readers. NIST spent about $200 on materials for the machine, while Braille readers typically can range from $10,000–$15,000. Much of the cost savings results from a new design approach that uses only 12 actuators—the mechanical devices that form Braille letters—rather than the hundreds of actuators used in the commercial machines. NIST is seeking a way to transfer the technology to the private sector for further development.
Valdosta State to offer MLS
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has authorized Valdosta State University (VSU) to offer an MLS degree beginning fall semester 2000. The program is deigned to be primarily Web-based, composed of courses developed at VSU and accredited library and information science programs throughout the United States and Canada. The program is aimed at those who cannot leave jobs and families to return to a campus for an extended period of time. A typical program would include 40 credits: a three-credit foundations course at VSU, up to 24 credit hours of Web-based instruction; 10 face-to-face credits; and a three-credit capstone course at VSU. Eighteen of the 24 credit hours available on the Internet may be courses generated from other ALA-accredited programs. VSU intends to seek accreditation from ALA.
Alibris launches Internet services
Alibris, an Emeryville, California, company that specializes in finding hard-to-find and out-of-print books, has launched an Internet service (http://library.alibris.com), which centralizes inventory information on millions of books available through its dealer network and its own inventory. Librarians can search for books they need and/or leave a list they want to acquire and Alibris will manage the process. Michael Keller, Stanford University librarian, has joined the Alibris Board of Directors.
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Celebrating African American History Month |
| Each year, the African American Celebration Month Committee (AACMC) of Oakland University plans a month-long festival highlighting the richness of African American history and culture. The theme for 1999 was “Artistic Expressions of African American Life and History.”
In keeping with the university mission to capture “students where they are” and help “them to focus, understand, and enhance their culture by incorporating the past into the present and future,” the Educational Resources Laboratory (ERL) with the AACMC sponsored a presentation by the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African Americans to fly combat missions for the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. Working closely with Karen Lloyd, assistant dean of students, they invited high school students with their teachers and Oakland University students, faculty, and staff to attend. Seven Tuskegee Airmen were present, four of whom spoke to the audience—Major General Lucius Theus, Captain Richard Macon, Flight Instructor James Hayes, and Staff Sergeant Clarence “Jack” Jackson. The presentation took place in Dodge Hall Auditorium on February 4, 1999. Memorabilia of the Tuskegee Airmen were displayed and monitored by the other four airmen in the lobby. They included Washington D. Ross, Theodore Washington, and Charlie Bray. The airmen were available for conversation and autograph signing both before and after the session. More than 300 people came to see these great American heroes, who provide a precious legacy for our youth, especially at times like these when heroes are in short supply. They did more, however, than remind us of our history. They also challenged our youth to use that knowledge to create the future they want. They reminded their young audience that they are leaders and that there is no excuse for ignorance. Oakland University School of Education and Human Services Educational Resources Laboratory was proud to sponsor these important contributors to American history.—Adelaide Phelps, Educational Resources Laboratory, Oakland University, amphelps@oakland.edu Ed. note: C&RL News would like to publish accounts of how your institution celebrates African American History month. Send your news and photos to Mary Ellen Davis, C&RL News, ACRL/ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611 or e-mail medavis@ala.org. |