Research & Collection Services – Library & Information Technology Services http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis Middlebury College Fri, 02 Dec 2016 21:20:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1 4785360 What’s an Approval Profile, and Why Does the Library Want to Change Ours? http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2016/04/20/whats-an-approval-profile-and-why-does-the-library-want-to-change-ours/ http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2016/04/20/whats-an-approval-profile-and-why-does-the-library-want-to-change-ours/#respond Wed, 20 Apr 2016 19:56:41 +0000 http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=36529 A brown-bag lunch will be held on May 3 at 12:30 pm, in the Crest Room of the McCullough Student Center, to explore the subject of the library’s approval profile. Douglas Black, the library’s Head of Collections Management, will be presenting, with some sweets and coffee to augment your own lunch. He’ll give some history of the approval program in library acquisitions over the years and lead discussion on its role in the academic library collection of the 21st century.

For context, the library selects, acquires, and provides access to materials in many different ways:

  • upon request by students, faculty, and staff
  • automatic purchase of e-books and streaming media based on usage
  • subscriptions
  • package deals on journal subscriptions and purchased journal archives (“backfiles”)
  • one-time purchases of electronic databases, which often require annual maintenance fees
  • gifts/donations
  • and through automatic purchase via an “approval profile.”

Under the approval model, the library utilizes a library vendor (in our case, YBP Library Services) to purchase automatically books that meet certain criteria (e.g., subject, hardbound only, no workbooks, scholarly publishers only, within a certain price range, etc.).  Middlebury typically purchases about 3,000 volumes/year this way, at an average annual cost of $97,000 in the last few years. We recently conducted a thorough analysis of the program’s effectiveness, finding that print books purchased through the approval profile are used much less than those specifically requested. The library believes some of that money could be spent more effectively and would like to gather input from members of the campus community on reshaping the profile.

Please feel welcome to contact your liaison or Douglas Black (dblack@middlebury.edu or x3635) with any questions (whether or not you can attend the meeting), or comment here in the blog.

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Are you reading this post via a feed reader? If so, read on… http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/05/25/are-you-reading-this-post-via-a-feed-reader-if-so-read-on/ http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/05/25/are-you-reading-this-post-via-a-feed-reader-if-so-read-on/#comments Wed, 25 May 2011 14:27:44 +0000 http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=25705 On Tuesday May 31st we’re going to change the categories on this blog, so if by any chance you’re using a feed of a specific category, that’s going to break. We suggest subscribing to the whole blog for maximum enjoyment! If you’re not a LIS staff member & would like to filter out the more staff related posts, you can subscribe to the new “Middlebury Community Interest” category after May 31st. The other categories will be “LIS Staff Interest”, and “Post for MiddPoints” which will cause the post to be added to the MiddPoints blog too. All the old categories except “The Essentials” will be converted to tags for easy searching.
The LIS Web team developed this new scheme, following recommendations that came out of the open meeting about the future of the LIS Blog (including a call for simplified categories). The AD Team reviewed and approved these changes. We welcome your comments.

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Cataloging for Non-Catalogers http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/05/17/cataloging-for-non-catalogers/ http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/05/17/cataloging-for-non-catalogers/#respond Tue, 17 May 2011 16:55:36 +0000 http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=25651 From Carrie:  This morning, I attended a Lyrasis webinar called “Cataloging for Non-Catalogers.”  Since I supervise a few librarians who do cataloging, I figured I could use a refresher.  Many years have passed since I took the required cataloging class in library school!

The instructor was enthusiastic (“We can catalog a-ny-thing!  Even the Dr Pepper I’m drinking right now!”).  The content was elementary (purpose of cataloging, cataloging terminology, examples of catalog records).  I’m glad to have a renewed familiarity with the work that our fine catalogers do.

From Rachel:  Also sitting in on the Cataloging for Non-Catalogers class, and learning to speak Cataloger.  I found the resources and links the presenter provided very helpful.  It’s great to have so much of this information easily accessible on-line.

From Carrie:  I’ve added these two sites to my delicious bookmark collection:

And of course, there’s lots of documentation for catalogers on the Cataloging page of the LIS Wiki.

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Liaison Discussion Section – Summon http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/05/09/liaison-discussion-section-summon/ http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/05/09/liaison-discussion-section-summon/#respond Mon, 09 May 2011 17:05:17 +0000 http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=25613 You’re invited!  (Who?  All LIS liaisons and anyone else who might be interested.) 

Liaison Discussion Section
Thursday 5/19,  10-11 am in Lib 105
Topic: Summon, the greatest library research tool ever to be invented!  And I might not even be exaggerating.  Bryan Carson will do a quick demo, then we all can try it and share what we figure out.  It’s in Beta testing now (look for it on the library home page), but it’ll be live by the time summer school starts.
RSVP:  Liaisons have received and responded to an Outlook invite.  All others don’t need to respond.  Just come if you’re interested!

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“Liaison Discussion Section” meetings address topics of interest to liaisons: research and/or technology. They can be conversations, or presentations, or both.  They take place most often in the 3rd week of the month.  Anyone in LIS or beyond is welcome to attend.

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Update: collection rearrangement in Davis Family Library http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/05/05/update-collection-rearrangment-in-davis-family-library/ http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/05/05/update-collection-rearrangment-in-davis-family-library/#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 20:41:12 +0000 http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=25584 The book collections on the Main and Lower Levels of Davis Family Library have been rearranged in order to create room for the Music Library collections that will be moving later this month.  Updated paper copies of the building guide are available at the Circulation and Info Desks, and you may see updated plans online at go/davismap

New compact shelving was installed in the SE corner of the lower level, and all of the books in the “stacks” (aka general collection shelves) were shifted toward Z.   Therefor, if you’re used to finding your favorite PQ books in a specific spot, to find them now, keep following the alphabet toward Z until you run into them.

The Vermont Collection was moved to the middle of the lower level, as were the Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese Collections.   The VHS collection was moved to open shelves in the center of the Main Lvl just east of the Government Documents.


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Open House for the Rutland Railroad Archives http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/05/03/open-house-for-the-rutland-railroad-archives/ http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/05/03/open-house-for-the-rutland-railroad-archives/#respond Tue, 03 May 2011 17:25:49 +0000 http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=25542 On Saturday afternoon, April 30 our Special Collections hosted an Open House for members of the Rutland Railroad Historical Society as part of the 25th annual convention of the group.  The Open House provided an opportunity for society members to see some of the most interesting material that has been acquired for the archives in the past decade.

Rutland Railroad Archives Open House

Rutland Railroad Archives Open House on April 30, 2010

A two page summary of material in the Rutland Railroad Archives can be found at http://midddigital.middlebury.edu/rutland_railroad/Summary%20of%20holdings%20of%20the%20Rutland%20Railroad%20Archives.doc and a more detailed 25 page listing of holdings can be found at http://midddigital.middlebury.edu/rutland_railroad/RRAGuide.htm.  A two page gateway to other resources relating to the Rutland Railroad Archives can be found at http://midddigital.middlebury.edu/rutland_railroad/RutlandRailroadArchivesHandout.htm.

Hans Raum served as co-chair of the two day convention held at the Middlebury Inn, which drew attendees from as far away as California.  Greg Pahl, an expert on the Beldens Falls Branch Railroad (and Joy Pile’s partner) spoke about the railroad at a program on Saturday, in preparation for a field trip on Sunday morning to visit traces of the short-lived railroad which ran from Beldens Falls, north of Middlebury, to a marble quarry about four miles away, east of Middlebury.

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Shared Shelf is Launched! http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/04/08/shared-shelf-is-launched/ http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/04/08/shared-shelf-is-launched/#respond Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:19:34 +0000 http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=25282 Megan Battey, Visual Resources Curator, reports that as of February 2011 Middlebury’s Visual Resources Collection is now accessible through ARTstor’s SharedShelf system. Shared Shelf is an on-line, cloud-based image management system for cataloging, accessing and using our local image collection seamlessly through the ARTstor interface. This offers many advantages – user-friendly cataloging tools, one-stop-shopping for our image users and reduced need for local infrastructure as our collection is now securely housed in “the cloud.” This represents the culmination of two years of work collaborating closely with ARTstor, LIS and eight other institutional partners (Colby, Cornell, Harvard, NYU, Society of Architectural Historians, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Miami and Yale University).

Middlebury’s is one of the first collections to go live in Shared Shelf, which will be released worldwide in July 2011. There are currently 3,143 images in the Middlebury collection, and the collection is growing as we continually add images to support the curriculum.

For more information about Shared Shelf, go to: http://www.artstor.org/shared-shelf/s-html/shared-shelf-home.shtml. To access our collection:

Users can search all ARTstor collections together, or just our local collection. Faculty and students are already enthusiastically using the system and Megan looks forward to demonstrating Shared Shelf’s features at upcoming LIS meetings.

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More on the New York Times subscription plan http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/04/05/more-on-the-new-york-times-subscription-plan/ http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/04/05/more-on-the-new-york-times-subscription-plan/#respond Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:49:38 +0000 http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=25248 In addition to the alternate ways of accessing formerly free NY Times content pointed out by Carrie Macfarlane in a previous blog post, I’d like to provide a bit of additional information about this popular resource.

Currently, the NYTimes does not have a group plan in place that covers institutions such as libraries.  This was mentioned in a brief comment at the end of an article on Mar. 23, 2011 in the Talk To The Times section discussing the new digital subscription.  Apparently, such plans are in the works, however, and LIS will continue to monitor developments in this area.  Hopefully, at some point, we will be able to subscribe to the Times online as an institution.

Until then, please do be aware that Middlebury College community members who wish to purchase individual subscriptions may be eligible for a discount.  Please see this page for details and this page to sign up.  You must be registered with the Times with a valid middlebury.edu email address in order to qualify, so you’ll need to change your default email address to your Midd address if it isn’t already set up that way.

When the NYTimes announces their institutional subscription plan, LIS will investigate pricing and make a decision about subscribing.  Much depends on pricing, of course — our budget for library resources has remained flat or even decreased over the last 5 years, even as journal prices continue to increase and the number of quality online resources has exploded.  If we do subscribe, we will be sure to shout it from the proverbial rooftops, so stay tuned.

Thanks,

Terry

Terry Simpkins (tsimpkin)
Director of Research and Collection Services/Interim Collection Development Librarian
x5045

 

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We Have Your New York Times http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/04/01/we-have-your-new-york-times/ http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/04/01/we-have-your-new-york-times/#comments Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:03:15 +0000 http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=25208 Alarmed by the prospect of a paywall at the New York Times (“The Times Announces Digital Subscription Plan”)?  We’ve got you covered!  Paper copies of recent issues are in Current Periodicals (Davis Family Library, lower level).  Of course what you really want is online, and you can find that here in ProQuest National Newspapers

ProQuest National Newspapers doesn’t include images, but ProQuest Historical Newspapers does (1857-1922 is here, and 1923-2007 is here).

How did I know all of that?  I’m a librarian!  But even if I didn’t have super powers, I could have just typed New York Times into the “Journals A-Z” tab on the library home page.  For a few more tips about the library page, watch Go/lib (now what?) or consult our Quick-Start Guide to Library Research [pdf].

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Scholarly Communication Seminar http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/03/18/scholarly-communication-seminar/ http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/2011/03/18/scholarly-communication-seminar/#respond Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:54:40 +0000 http://sites.middlebury.edu/lis/?p=25129 I attended an online ISIS (Information Service Instructional Support) seminar on scholarly communication this afternoon.  It was led by Marilyn Billings, Scholarly Communication & Special Initiatives Librarian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  Marilyn provided an overview of the current scholarly communication landscape.

Benefits of open access journals:

  • no cost to end-user
  • downloaded more, cited more
  • more opportunities for collaboration, interdisciplinary studies

Challenges of open access journals:

  • may or may not include peer-review
  • perception of faculty members (impact on promotion and tenure, concern about author-pays model)
  • during this transition period, Marilyn generally recommends new faculty publish in traditional venues til they have tenure

Reasons for library involvement:

  • advocate new form of scholarship
  • provide repository space
  • offer copyright advice
  • showcase student work in a place where community can see it; this is valued especially by service-learning projects

In general, the other institutions represented at this seminar seem to be in a situation similar to Midd:  they host an institutional repository and as yet, it has minimal participation.

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