New Training Resource Available from the Committee on Education, Training and Recruitment for Cataloging

The Committee on Education, Training and Recruitment for Cataloging (CETRC) of the ALCTS Cataloging and Classification Section (CCS) has revised and updated the online resource Training Catalogers in the Electronic Era. The new edition is titled Training Catalogers: a Checklist for Managers and Trainers and is now available.

The new version includes links to freely available cataloging tools and information. It has been updated to incorporate concepts such as Functional Requirements of Bibliographic Records (FRBR) and non-MARC metadata. The bibliography has also been fully revised and updated. Contact Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Chair, CETRC, with comments or suggestions regarding this resource.
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Library Binding Institute Awards Assistance Grants in Support of ALCTS Library Binding Preconference Workshops

The following individuals were selected to receive assistance grants from the Library Binding Institute (LBI), to support their attendance at the ALA ALCTS preconference workshops on library binding which will take place during the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans: Rebecca Bealer, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans, Ische Library; Hannah Kwasik, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Division of Libraries; and Maletta Payne, University of New Orleans, Earl K. Long Library. The grants were awarded to librarians whose responsibilities include working with library bound materials and whose institutions were affected by Hurricanes Katrina and/or Rita.

The workshops include a morning module entitled "Advocacy, Budgets, and Contracts: The ABC’s of Library Binding for Senior Level Professionals" and an afternoon module, "What, When and How to Bind: The Decision Making Process and Factors to Consider." They will take place on Friday, June 23. See the ALCTS Web site for more information on the binding institutes.

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Outcomes of the April 2006 meeting of the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR Now Available

The outcomes of the April 2006 meeting of the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) for Revision of AACR are now available on the JSC Web site.

A major outcome from the meeting was the decision to structure RDA into two parts, rather than three as had been originally proposed. JSC is working to make available for review the chapters on relationships in mid-June.

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ALA Nominating Committee Seeks Candidates for 2007 Election

The ALA 2007 Nominating Committee is soliciting nominees to run on the 2007 spring ballot for the offices of ALA President-elect, ALA Treasurer and Councilor-At-Large. The Nominating Committee will select two candidates to run for President-elect, two candidates to run for Treasurer and no fewer than 50 candidates for the 33 at-large Council seats to be filled in the 2007 spring election.

The President-elect will serve a three-year term: as President-elect in 2007-2008, as President in 2008-2009, and as Immediate Past President in 2009-2010. The Treasurer and Councilors-At-Large will serve three-year terms, beginning after the 2007 ALA Annual Conference and ending at the adjournment of the 2010 Annual Conference.

The ALA President, Treasurer and Councilors also serve in corresponding roles in the ALA-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA). Individuals considering ALA-APA office are encouraged to consult with their employer regarding any restrictions regarding lobbying activities or service on the governing body of a 501(c)6 organization.

The following information is required for nominations: nominee name; present position; institution; address; telephone; fax; and e-mail address. Self-nominations are encouraged. All potential nominees must complete the Potential Candidate Biographical Form. Nominations and forms must be received no later than September 1, 2006. Charles E. Kratz, Jr., is the Chair of the Nominating Committee. Nominations may be sent to any member of the 2007 Nominating Committee.

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Nominees Sought for the 2006 Joint Conference of Librarians of Color Awards and Scholarships

Nominees are sought for the 2006 Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) awards and scholarships. The deadline for nominations is June 30. The awards and scholarships are funded by the National Library or Medicine. The conference is sponsored by ALA’s five ethnic caucuses: AILA, APALA, BCALA, CALA and Reforma, and will take place October 11-15 in Dallas.

There are also ten JCLC Travel Scholarships of up to $500 are available to enable applicants to attend the conference. To qualify, applicants must be an ethnic caucus member, and currently enrolled in an ALA-accredited master’s or doctoral program of library and information science at an institution of higher education in North America. Application information is available on the JCLC Web site.

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National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) Issues Report from May 10, 2006 Symposium on Mass Digitization

A report from the symposium “Scholarship and Libraries in Transition: A Dialogue about the Impacts of Mass Digitization Projects” held at the University of Michigan on March 10-11, 2006 has been issued. Find the twenty-four-page report (in PDF) on the NCLIS Web site. Print copies are available by an email request to info@nclis.gov.

The symposium was inspired by the announcement in December 2004 of a partnership between Google, Inc. and five major research libraries to digitize over 10 million unique titles. The symposium, available via Webcast, brought together scholars, librarians, publishers, government leaders to discuss concerns and issues.

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Library of Congress Survey on the Cataloging in Publication Program

The Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication (CIP) Division is conducting a nationwide survey of libraries to determine the future of the CIP program. The survey will close on August 18, 2006. All responses are confidential, and findings will be reported in the aggregate. Additionally, initial survey findings will be reported on Saturday, June 24, 2006, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., in the W New Orleans, Great Room 1.

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Library of Congress Web Capture Program

The Library of Congress has launched a new Web site providing information about its Web Capture Program, which aims to capture and preserve Web sites with historic significance. The Web Capture team was established in 2004, and was an outgrowth of LC’s Office to Strategic Initiatives’ goal to manage and sustain at-risk digital content.

The Web Capture Program site contains a project FAQ, a listing of projects, and project partners. The Web Capture team is establishing best practices and developing tools to collect and preserve Web content.

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Carnegie-Whitney Awards Available

Carnegie-Whitney Awards provide grants that are based on a special fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1902. The Carnegie Fund was subsequently enhanced by a merger with a fund established by James Lyman Whitney in 1910. The ALA Publishing Committee administers the awards.

The Carnegie-Whitney Awards have been established to provide grants for the preparation and publication of popular or scholarly reading lists, indexes and other guides to library resources that will be useful to users of all types of libraries. The grants may be used for print or electronic projects. Grants may be awarded to individuals, official ALA units (including committees), and other groups affiliated with ALA. Grants of up to $5,000 each are awarded annually. The grants are intended to cover preparation costs appropriate to the development of a useful product, including the cost of research and compilation. The grant does not cover the purchase of equipment, or production or manufacturing costs. The deadline for consideration is November 6, 2006.

The Publishing Committee will make a selection at the ALA Midwinter meeting in January 2007. Proposals are accepted at any time prior to November 6, 2006. Applications received after this date will be evaluated at the next Midwinter meeting. Applicants will be notified of the Committee's decision by the end of February. See the ALA Web site for more information.

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RDA and ONIX Launch Joint Initiative

The organizations that oversee Resource for Description and Access ( RDA) and ONIX, an international standard for representing publishing industry product information in electronic form, are undertaking a joint initiative to develop a common framework for resource categorization that will support the needs of both libraries and the publishing industry, and will facilitate the transfer and use of resource description data across the two communities. See the Joint Steering Committee’s Web site for additional information.

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Survey on Use of Subject Authority Data

Kent State University Professor Marcia Zeng and Assistant Professor Athena Salaba are conducting research on the use of subject authority data. The goal of their study is to benchmark recommendations for the functional requirements for subject authority records, within the framework developed by IFLA Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) final report. The survey will be available for responses until July 2.