ALCTS Annual Reports for 2002-2003

The reports below summarize the accomplishments of the five ALCTS sections and CRG during the year ending with ALA Annual Conference in Toronto. The division report will appear in the October issue of the Newsletter.

• Acquisitions Section
• Council of Regional Groups
• Cataloging and Classification Section
• Collection Management and Development Section
• Preservation and Reformatting Section
• Serials Section

   Acquisitions Section

Rosann Bazirjian, Acquisitions Section Chair, 2002 - 2003

The Acquisitions Section (AS) is charged with "contributing to library services and librarianship through encouragement, promotion of, and responsibility for these activities of ALCTS relating to the acquisition of all formats of information resources through purchase, lease and other access methods, in all types of institutions; and to plan and monitor activities using the Association's Strategic and Tactical Plan as a framework". AS took many steps to fulfill its charge during 2002 - 2003.

The Policy and Planning Committee (Karl Debus-Lopez, chair) continued its work to evaluate the effectiveness of the various committees and discussion groups of the section. They completed a review of the Section's three discussion groups: Acquisitions Administrators; Acquisitions Librarians/Vendors of Library Materials; and Gifts and Exchange.

The Acquisitions Organization and Management Committee (Lesley O'Brien, chair) planned a successful program for Toronto titled "What's the Big Deal" focusing on big deal licensing. They also posted survey results from the 2001 Survey of Acquisitions Librarians to the ALCTS Web site.

The Technology Committee (Jim Dooley, chair) is planning either a program or pre-conference for 2004 Annual Conference in Orlando on the "Redesigning of Technical Services." The program will focus on the long-term effects of technology on acquisitions processes and on the role of technical organizations within libraries (Scott Perry, program chair). The Vendor Research and Development Subcommittee has created a searchable database that provides contact information and services available from participating materials and systems vendors. They are working with the ALCTS Publications Committee. The plans are to move this to the ALCTS Web site after the search engine is completed.

Nominating Committee (Nancy Stanley, chair) presented a full slate of candidates. A vice chair/chair elect and two members-at-large were elected.

The Education Committee (Patrick Steele, chair) is updating the Acquisitions Bibliography that is on the ALA Website. They plan to complete this by Annual 2003. They are also exploring core competencies for acquisitions librarians. They focused discussion on core competencies at the Acquisition Administrators Discussion Group meeting in Toronto, and will continue the discussion during Midwinter 2004 in San Diego. The Committee then will gather and summarize these discussions for a possible written document. Their program planning group successfully staged the Business of Acquisitions pre-conference (Christa Easton and Rhonda Glazier, co-chairs) in Toronto. The theme was Working Together to Get It Done: Acquisitions Librarians as Collaborators.

The Publications Committee (Jessica Marshall, chair) usually does the majority of its work within subcommittees. The committee is working on two publications, Guide to Licensing and Electronic Information and The Guide to Out-of-Print Materials, 3rd Ed. The AS Executive Committee approved a motion to disband the Guides Subcommittee, as it is redundant to the AS Publications Committee

The Research and Statistics Committee (Scott Wicks, chair) presented a program in Toronto titled "Why Can't Johnny and Jane Get Published". This was an interactive program on research basics.

The Leadership in Acquisitions Award for 2003 was presented to Julie Gammon from the University of Akron.

The AS Discussion Groups conducted a number of lively and well-attended sessions at the Midwinter and Annual conferences. The Acquisitions Librarians/Vendors of Library Materials Discussion Group (Lorry Zeugner and Keith Powell, chairpersons) discussed two topics at Midwinter: "Traditional Vendors Versus Going through Local Major Retailers" and "The Role of Blanket Discount Arrangement". The Gifts and Exchange Discussion Group (Lynda Fuller Clendenning and Maria Silva Kuhn, chairpersons) discussed the importance of gift policies for guiding discussions with donors, selection or rejection of titles for the collection and the disposition of rejected gifts at Midwinter. At Annual they discussed the use of on-line sources for the disposal of gifts. The Acquisitions Administrators Discussion Group (Julie Gammon and Trisha Davis, chairpersons) discussed the topic "Ordering Electronic Products from Non-Traditional Vendors" at Midwinter.

The AS Executive Committee discussed the Acquisitions Syllabus and determined that this will be referred to the AS Education Committee for a decision on how it might be split up into possible workshops, programs or Web courses. We will ask the AS Education Committee to submit a recommendation in Toronto. We also discussed possible topics for a 2004 pre-conference.

We will structure the roles of the AS Executive Committee Members-at-Large by assigning them as "resource persons" to our AS Committees and Discussion Groups.

We discussed the issues of fundraising, interest groups, defined the need for revisions to the tactical plan and discussed the Rowecom issue. We will report back to the AS representative to CC:DA about acquisitions needs in the bibliographical record.

This was a very successful year for AS and thanks go to all of the AS committees, their chairs and members, the AS discussion group chairs and the AS representatives to ALCTS for their dedication and hard work during the past year. Of course, thanks go out to all AS members for continuing to support and participate in our pre-conferences, programs and discussion groups.

Back to Top

   Council of Regional Groups

Sharon Roberts, Council of Regional Groups Chair, 2002-2003

The ALCTS Council of Regional Groups (CRG) exists to encourage and facilitate the activities of state and regional groups having a collections or technical services focus, and to provide a forum for discussing common interests and concerns among the regional groups and between them and ALCTS. As part of fulfilling its mission, CRG maintains online directories of affiliated groups with their officers (CRG Directory) and of ALCTS members who are willing to serve as speakers for CRG affiliates without reimbursement other than expenses (Speakers Bureau). There is also a CRG Web site and listserv.

Key activities this year revolved around the ALCTS tactical plan and the CRG Web site. Several revisions, mainly progress updates and terminology, were made to the CRG initiatives in the tactical plan, and a new initiative aimed at determining ALCTS membership in the affiliated groups was added. Discussions of the CRG Web site early in the year resulted in ideas for updating content, improving online forms and achieving greater consistency among pages; however, action on most of these suggestions had to be postponed until after the ALCTS Web site redesign. Implementation of the new ALA/ALCTS Web site, in fact, resulted in information on the CRG pages being outdated or inaccessible for much of the year. Links to both CRG directories remain deactivated at year's end. The bright spot is that CRG Secretary Susan Mueller received training in the new Content Management System and will be able to assist ALCTS Office staff with updating CRG information in the future.

A highlight of the year was CRG's participation in the 3rd Congress on Professional Education (COPE III), held May 16-17 at the College of DuPage. The focus of this congress was library support staff, a topic of increasing interest for CRG and the affiliate groups as support staff assume increasing responsibilities in libraries and require greater continuing education opportunities.

The Affiliate Relations Committee (Janet Lee-Smeltzer, chair) performed its annual updating of affiliate officers for inclusion in the online directory and developed a mechanism for surveying the affiliated groups regarding the types of continuing education programs they are offering in their areas. This survey, designed with input from the ALCTS Office and the chairs of the ALCTS Program and Education committees, fulfils objective 3.2.65 of the ALCTS Strategic and Tactical Plan. The actual survey and report of results (objective 3.1.62) will be completed by January 2004.

The Speakers Bureau Committee (Elaine Yontz, chair) recognized the need for a complete review of entries in the Speakers' Bureau directory to verify continued willingness to serve and currency of contact information. Implementation was delayed, however, when the link to the directory was deactivated in the process of migrating the ALA Web site. The committee also discussed ways to standardize and streamline the speakers' form and move it to more flexible software. The CRG secretary will investigate options for doing this in the coming year. A notice to publicize the Speakers' Bureau service and to solicit new speakers was placed in the ALCTS Newsletter, vol. 13, no. 4 (Winter 2002). The committee also invited members of the ALCTS Education Committee and the LRTS Board to participate in the directory. Eight members of the LRTS Board have volunteered.

Back to Top

   Cataloging and Classification Section

Mary Dabney Wilson, Cataloging and Classification Section Chair, 2002-2003

During 2002/2003, the Cataloging and Classification Section of ALCTS continued to make progress in fulfilling its charge "to contribute to library service and librarianship through encouragement, promotion of, and responsibility for those activities of ALCTS relating to cataloging and classification of library materials in all types of institutions; and to plan and monitor activities using the Association's Strategic and Tactical Plan as a framework." CCS committees spent time at both Midwinter and Annual working on the Section's portion of the ALCTS Tactical Plan in order to keep it current and accurate. The CCS plan includes items that cover continuing education, preconferences and institutes, publications, and programs, as well as continuing review of standards relating to cataloging and classification.

In Toronto, CCS Subject Analysis Committee sponsored a successful preconference, "Dewey Decimal Classification 22 and Beyond". There also were three programs produced: "Getting the Most Out of Subject Reference Structures in the Online Catalog: Better Than It Used to Be?" (SAC), "Don't Be Dysfunctional: How to Put the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) in Your Future" (CC:DA), and "Training for Effective Subject Cataloging" (SAC). One preconference, "Knowledge Without Boundaries," and one program, "Growing Our Own, Mentoring Library Science Students for Cataloging" were cancelled. Both are rerescheduled for Orlando in 2004, with major restructuring of "Knowledge Without Boundaries" into a one-day preconference. CCS co-sponsored two other Toronto programs: "ISBDs: Do We Still Need Them?" and "What's New in Cartographic Materials Cataloging?"

One of the emerging themes during 2002/2003 was collaboration with the Program for Cooperative Cataloging. Two CCS initiatives (to develop training in subject cataloging, and to develop name authorities training) were considered and approved for joint sponsorship with the PCC. The end results of these two initiatives will be structured training programs that will be available as continuing education offerings for cataloging staff around the country, similar to the Serials Cataloging Cooperative Training Program model.

The Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access (Kristin Lindlan, Chair) had several task forces working during the year, including the Task Force on the Appendix of Major and Minor Changes, the Task Force on Consistency across Part I of AACR2, the Task Force on ISO Harmonization, the Subcommittee on the Rule of Three, the Task Force on Specific Characteristics of Electronic Resources, and the Subcommittee on Uniform Resource Identifiers and AACR2. CC:DA is planning a preconference on FRBR for 2004 in Orlando. CC:DA approved the Task Force on Major and Minor Changes' manuscript entitled "Differences Between, Changes Within: Guidelines on When to Create a New Record," which is beginning its progress through the publication process.

The Subject Analysis Committee (David Miller, Chair) also had subcommittees working during the year including the Subcommittee on Fiction Guidelines, the Subcommittee on Subject Analysis Training Materials, the Subcommittee on Semantic Interoperability, and the Subcommittee on Subject Reference Structures in Automated Systems. The Subcommittee on Subject Analysis Training Materials is working on a preconference for 2004. SAC is also planning a program for 2004 on issues in subject analysis and classification for Spanish-speaking users, and another program on semantic interoperability. The Subcommittee on Reference Structures is planning on submitting their recommendations as a journal article to LRTS.

The Committee on Cataloging: Asian and African Materials (Selina Lin, Chair) alerted CCS Executive that there was a mistake made when its charge was recently revised. Unfortunately, the ALCTS Board approved the mistake and so the Board had to vote on the correction. The portion of the charge now reads "To consider all aspects of problems in the bibliographic organization of materials issued in or dealing with Africa and Asia, with the exception of Asiatic Russia." CC:AAM is also planning a program for Orlando in 2004 entitled "Library Catalogs and Non-Roman Scripts: Development and Implementation of UNICODE for Cataloging and Public Access."

The Committee on Cataloging of Children's Materials (Gabriele I. Kupitz, Chair) continued work on a new (fourth) edition of Cataloging Correctly for Kids. However, the Committee decided not to meet in Toronto.

The Committee on Education, Training, and Recruitment for Cataloging (Beth Picknally-Camden, Chair) postponed until 2004 their program originally slated for Toronto entitled "Growing Our Own: Mentoring for Cataloging." They are continuing with their mentoring activities.

The Policy and Research Committee (Norm Medeiros, Chair) conducted review of three committees during the year: Subject Analysis Committee; Cataloging Children's Materials; and Education, Training and Recruitment for Cataloging. As a result of this review, the CCS Executive Committee approved a change in the SAC charge. One of the most significant changes in CCS this year affected PRC. CCS recognized the need to have a committee whose charge would include review and oversight of the publications process, and it was also recognized that the planning process required a significant amount of oversight. As a result, it was decided to split the Policy and Research Committee into two new committees: Research and Publications Committee and Policy and Planning Committee. PRC and its members were quite amenable to this change, and current committee members selected the area of strongest interest to each of them. Jennifer Bowen, CCS Vice Chair/Chair Elect, filled out the rosters with new appointees. CCS Executive approved the new charges during the spring, and the committees came into existence effective immediately after Toronto. Diane Dates Casey will chair PPC and Norm Medeiros will chair RPC.

CCS discussion groups conducted a number of very lively and well-attended sessions at both Midwinter and annual meetings. In Toronto, the Catalog Management Discussion Group (Linda Ballinger, chair) discussed "Control Locally, Change Globally: Library Management Systems Take (Authority) Control." The Heads of Cataloging Discussion Group (Betsy Simpson, chair) discussed cataloging trends to watch. The Copy Cataloging Discussion Group (J. Michael Thompson, chair) discussed training of copy catalogers. The Cataloging and Classification Research Discussion Group (Janet Lee-Smelter, chair) had presentations and discussion of two research projects: one on corporate name authorities and information from corporate Web sites, and the other on word association testing and thesaurus construction. The Cataloging Norms Discussion Group (Tatiana Barr, co-chair) discussed the topics of multipart item fictional series and the bibliographic record as well as collation for remote electronic resources. The ALCTS-CCS/MAGERT Map Cataloging Discussion Group (Scott McEathron) discussed topics of interest to map catalogers present.

It was particularly significant that in 2003 when ALA and CLA met jointly in Toronto, the Margaret Mann Citation was presented to Thomas J. Delsey of the National Library of Canada. CCS nominated John Attig to receive an ALCTS Presidential Citation for all he has done to facilitate and contribute to the work of CC:DA. And finally, CCS submitted to the ALCTS Board a memorial resolution honoring Seymour Lubetzky, who passed away at the age of 104 on April 5, 2003. ALA Council passed the resolution in Toronto.

Incoming CCS Chair, Jennifer Bowen, made a special effort this year to appoint committee members who had volunteered before but had not yet been appointed to a CCS committee. We look forward to their contributions and energy in advancing the goals of CCS.

This was a very successful year for CCS and thanks go to all of the CCS committees, their chairs and members, to the CCS discussion group chairs, and to the CCS representatives to ALCTS and other ALA committees for their hard work.

Back to Top

   Collection Management and Development Section

Bonnie MacEwan, Collection Management and Development Section Chair, 2002-2003

In keeping with its stated mission to be responsible for "those activities of ALCTS relating to collection management and development, selection, and evaluation of library materials in all types of institutions," CMDS made it a priority to increase its efforts on many fronts during 2002-2003. The ALCTS Strategic Plan remains central to shaping CMDS priorities, many of which are cross-divisional.

CMDS Executive Committee members, recognizing that increased mentoring and clarity of purpose are essential to advancing the work of the section, continued to focus on the role and function of the section in all meetings. We were especially pleased with the new option to form SIGs. Several committees and discussion groups are considering using this option to better serve their members:

• The chair and the Executive Committee worked together to further refine the new plan for meeting times at Midwinter and Annual, with an eye toward making more efficient use of committee members' time at conference while placing greater emphasis on formal and regularly scheduled communication between conferences. It was decided to continue to have shorter meetings on Sunday mornings and to eliminate the Monday meeting time. Additionally the plan to hold all committee meetings on Sunday was refined to include a plan for additional space.
  
  
• The CMDS leadership worked on visioning and incorporating the ideas from the three-hour visioning session under the leadership of Louella Wetherbee, an outside consultant, in June of 2002. As a follow-up and continuation of the visioning session during each meeting this year we addressed and discussed strategic issues.

The following programs or initiatives began or came to fruition in 2002-2003:

• The Administration of Collection Development Committee completed an e-resources survey. The results will be published in the ALCTS Newsletter, perhaps in multiple installments. Karen Schmidt will write an article based on the results, possibly for LRTS. They have also completed a survey of how collection management is organized in libraries. The survey is based on information gathered from focus groups at the 2003 Midwinter meeting. Mary Munroe, the primary author of the survey, presented her findings at the Collection Development Librarians of Academic Libraries Discussion Group in Toronto. Twenty-one people participated in the focus groups, and Mary identified nine organizational models. The Committee will develop a publication on problems and issues related to these models. The findings revealed a major concern about a lack of training for collection development. The Committee's future plans include a proposal to co-sponsor a one-day preconference on this topic with the CMDS Education Committee.
  
  
• The Collection Development and Electronic Media Committee has proposed and planned a program for the Orlando Annual Conference on collection development and electronic resources. The program will address the kinds of electronic products that libraries and their users would like vendors to develop.
  
  
• The Quantitative Measures Committee celebrated the completion of the National Shelf List Count and conducted a mini self-study. They have proposed a revised charge. The committee desires to develop a liaison with the ALCTS Committee on Research and Statistics, which has recently become an interest group. They would also like to develop a working relationship with the ALA Committee on Research and Statistics. The chair will investigate how Quantitative Measures can establish paths for information to pass among these groups. They have proposed a program for Orlando "Best Practices: Collection Management and the Application of New Measures for Library Assessment." This is a follow-up to last year's successful program on new measures.
  
  
• Although orientation and training of new leadership remains a high priority for CMDS we were unable to schedule our annual orientation session this year. The incoming chair has identified updating the information for members and leadership and orientation as a priority.

Back to Top

   Preservation and Reformatting Section

Julian Stam, Preservation and Reformatting Section Chair, 2002-2003

The Preservation and Reformatting Section has a membership that is always active, involved, and effective. This year has been no different in that regard. Publications, programs, and instruction continue to be emphasized through the organizational cornerstones of communication and cooperation. These are highlighted within the organization by excellent attendance and participation at conference discussion group and committee meetings, as well as on a very active listserv.

Formal section work was also very active this year. The ALCTS Strategic Plan continued to be integrated into the ongoing section planning and development; we have investigated ways to make the transitions into leadership roles smooth; and extensive discussion focused on the new Interest Group option and whether current committees or discussion groups would be better served using this format. Streamlining the conference schedule a bit, the Binding Automation DG has been folded into the Binding DG, and Micropublishing discussions will now occur at the Reformatting DG.

Strong conference program development also continued to be a strength of the section this year. The program "Hands-On, Over, and Across: Preservation Education Abroad," held during the annual Toronto conference, illustrated perfectly the membership's commitment to education both locally and on the world stage. Logistical complications delayed several programs slated for Toronto, but development was completed for "Hybrid Preservation Reformatting Options," "Options for Circulating and Reference Collections" and an expanded and always popular "Two Thumbs Up: Preservation Film Festival." Look for these in the coming year. Several years' worth of programming has, in fact, been identified and incorporated into the ALCTS Strategic Plan.

What is the result of all of our association activity? Our mission provides the goal, "To contribute to library service and librarianship through encouragement, promotion of, and responsibility for those activities of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services of the American Library Association relating to the preservation and reformatting of library materials in all types of institutions, and to provide leadership in the application of new technologies to assure continued access to library collections. To plan and monitor activities using the Association's Strategic and Tactical Plan as a framework." Once again we have succeeded this year. Preservation awareness continues to expand, training opportunities continue to be available, section members offer their services locally and around the globe, and techniques, materials, and the use of new technologies continue to improve!

Back to Top

   Serials Section

Carolynne Myall, Serials Section Chair, 2002-2003

During 2002/2003, the Serials Section was active in a number of areas:

• Programming and Continuing Education.
  A primary objective of the section is to address the educational needs of the serials community; and several groups presented sessions or planned future programs and discussions (greater detail, below). At Midwinter, the section sponsored a stimulating, well-attended symposium, "Managing Electronic-Resources: Meeting the Challenge"; a new "edition" of this symposium will be staged during Midwinter 2004 in San Diego. The Education Committee began its regular revision of the three serials syllabi posted on the section Web site.
  
  
• Setting the Stage for Collaboration with Other Organizations.
  This time around, the Education Committee won't be working on the syllabi alone: we're embarking on a new level of cooperation with the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG), starting with joint revision of the serials syllabi. To explore further avenues of collaboration in education and programming, the section has proposed the appointment of a joint Serials Section/NASIG task force. Working with other organizations, the Serials Section will, we hope, be able to offer programs and services that we could not create alone. The new ALCTS Web site policy, which recognizes that joint products may appear on the Web sites of both organizations, will facilitate heightened cooperation with NASIG.
  
  
• Improving Our Organizational Structure.
  For the section to serve its members effectively, we need an organizational structure that recognizes the distinctive interests of our specialty while providing a smooth interface with the rest of ALCTS. In recognition of ALCTS' increased emphasis on publications, we approved creation of a section Publications Committee. Correspondingly, we changed the title and charge of the Policy, Research, and Publications Committee to Policy, Research, and Planning Committee (note that the committee's initials remain the same!) We also made appointment changes intended to enhance section participation in ALCTS, and recommended that the two section discussion groups consider the new organizational possibilities in ALCTS, perhaps by merging to form a single interest group.
  
  
• Honoring Our Members.
  The Serials Section is proud to offer two annual awards. This year, the Bowker/Ulrich's Serials Librarianship Award was presented to Frieda Rosenberg (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) for her outstanding contributions, particularly with regard to serials holdings. Dianne Ford (Elon University) received the First Step Award, presented to a serials librarian of promise. Sadly, two members who contributed significantly to our Section passed away in 2003. The Section approved memorial resolutions for Marilyn Norstedt and Ellen Rappaport. We will miss them.

A few committees were unable to achieve a quorum at Toronto, and consequently had to defer completion of their business. Nevertheless, the year's accomplishments are impressive. Here are brief reports of activities of committees and discussion groups:

The Acquisitions Committee continued work on the "Serials Acquisitions Glossary Supplement" to be mounted on the ALCTS Web site; glossary work promises to be a continuing focus in the coming year. Under consideration is a program for 2005.

In addition to its review of the serials syllabi, the Education Committee is sponsoring a program about LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe), a project intended to address archiving issues of electronic journals. This program is scheduled for 2004.

Also scheduled for 2004 is a program sponsored by the Committee to Study Serials Cataloging: "After Revised Chapter 12: Where Do We Go From Here?" Following its usual practice, CSSC presented update-and-discussions at both Midwinter and Annual. The Toronto meeting included presentations on implementation of AACR Revised Chapter 12 in Canada, and on CONSER's decision to consolidate the cataloging of electronic journals presented through several aggregators into one record covering all aggregations.

The Committee to Study Serials Standards has stepped up review of its "Serials Standards Bibliography," with updates now scheduled to appear every six months. CSSS continues to coordinate section response to proposed changes in standards affecting serials practice, and is working on a program tentatively titled "A Serials Standards Overview."

Congratulations to the Policy, Research, and Publications Committee for its successful 2003 program, "The Serials Pig in the Aggregators' Poke III"! There were about 250 attendees, and evaluations were strong. This year's PRPC also reviewed its (too) wide-ranging charge, and made sensible recommendations that the Executive Committee adopted.

The Committee on Union Lists of Serials plans to co-sponsor the CSSS program on serials standards, and is exploring the possibility of liaison members from major union listing vendors/groups.

At Annual conference, the Journal Costs in Libraries DG held a panel presentation and discussion about a subject of interest to many serials librarians: the impact of the Rowecom collapse. At Midwinter, Research Libraries DG considered the topic of serial reviews.

What's the funniest part of the ALCTS Annual Membership Meeting? Presentation of the Worst Serial Title Change of the Year Awards, of course! This year's clever citations included a special award to AACR itself, for its changes in terminology for serial publications. For the complete list of award "winners," see the article in this Newsletter issue.

At both Midwinter and Annual, we continued our tradition of holding a social event for our Executive Committee members, chairs, and liaisons.

As Chair, I've had a wonderful time working with my section colleagues. My thanks to all who answered my calls and emails, planned events, and helped in so many ways; special thanks to Susan Davis (past chair and chief source of information), members of the Executive Committee, and Charles Wilt at ALCTS.

Back to Top