Library Juice 3:17

Library Juice 3:17 - May 3, 2000 Contents: 1. One-stop guide to online etexts 2. Manifestoes web site 3. Librarians vs. Intelligent Software Agents 4. Online articles at _Progressive Librarian_ 5. AOL's "youth filters" protect kids from Democrats 6. Complete List of MLS Schools at About.com 7. MANDATORY FILTERING LEGISLATION IN CONGRESS 8. Children's Internet Privacy Law Goes Into Effect 9. New Books from the Electronic Privacy Information Center 10. Search Engines (LIBREF-L Query) 11. Search Engine Meeting Report 12. An interview with Jeeves (of "AskJeeves.com") 13. Big Tetris game redux 14. Online Audio Recordings 15. Zen Centers of the World 16. Medterms.com 17. May 11, 2000 is Equal Pay Day 18. The Other 90 Percent: What Your MLS Didn't Teach You Quote for the week: "What seemed to me to be at stake at this time was a kind of censorship by effect, at the very source, where decisions are made as to what is identified as news, what information is chosen for dissemination, what ideas and views are considered acceptable, or desireable, to publish and disseminate. And the source was shrinking. Open censorship can be fought openly, and often successfully. But, how can librarians assure the broadest representation of information, opinions, and creative expression in the face of the growing concentration of ownership of communication channels?" -Zioa Horn, _Zioa! Memoirs of Zoia Horn, Battler for the People's Right to Know_, McFarland, 1995 Home page of the week: Tony Calvo http://www.sirius.com/~tocal/ ___________________________________________________________________________top 1. One-stop guide to online etexts Comprehensive guide to free online etexts at Robotwisdom http://www.robotwisdom.com/web/etexts.html Jorn Barger, March 20000 After much Web-floundering, trying to track down available etexts by a wide range of authors, I'm compiling this 'etext finder' that should make the process less random. Some of these tricks require you have Javascript on, but if you can't use Javascript, basic alternatives are always included. ___________________________________________________________________________top 2. Manifestoes web site Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 13:19:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Dan Tsang <dtsang[at]sun1.lib.uci.edu> To: PLGNET-L <PLGNet-L[at]listproc.sjsu.edu> Subject: manifestos web site Here is a website for manifestos: alt.usenet.manifestoes Archive Index http://www.emf.net/~estephen/manifesto.html The Unabomber manifesto website is there: FC's Manifesto http://www.emf.net/~estephen/manifesto/unabetoc.html Also many others' manifestos... (my WORD spell checker gives both spellings as permissible) Daniel C. Tsang ___________________________________________________________________________top 3. Librarians vs. Intelligent Software Agents Date: Mon, 1 May 2000 17:08:35 -0400 From: librefed <librefed[at]kent.edu> Subject: A Comparison of Librarians and Intelligent Software Agents MIME-Version: 1.0 ===== Original Message From "Sloan, Bernie" <bernies[at]uillinois.edu> ===== FYI.....some of you might be interested in this new article from FirstMonday: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue5_5/zick/index.html The abstract reads: "In this paper, the author examines the characteristics of information agency, the work of librarians and of intelligent agents as information mediators, the differences between human and software agents, the possible tasks for software agents in libraries, and speculates on the future of human and software agency. A typical medical library-based information need is presented and the attendant information processes are examined. The author describes the future of information mediation as based on efficient interaction between human and software agents and provides examples of possible collaborative information tasks." Bernie Sloan Senior Library Information Systems Consultant University of Illinois Office for Planning and Budgeting 338 Henry Administration Building 506 S. Wright Street Urbana, IL 61801 Phone: (217) 333-4895 Fax: (217) 333-6355 E-mail: bernies[at]uillinois.edu ___________________________________________________________________________top 4. Online articles at _Progressive Librarian_ http://www.libr.org/PL/contentsFT.html Progressive Librarian's web site now has a page that pulls together all of the articles that are online in full-text, so you don't have to visit each issue's table of contents to find the article you want. Very convenient for users who just want the articles. The articles online at the present time are as follows: No. 16, Fall 1999 Agnes Inglis: Anarchist Librarian, by Julie Herrada and Tom Hyry The School and the Barricade, by Marianne Enckell No. 15, Winter 1998/1999 A Few Gates: An Examination of the Social Responsibilities Debate in the Early 1970s and '90s, by Steven Joyce, Librarianship and Resistance, by Sandy Iverson, The Cuba Poster Project, by Lincoln Cushing, Librarianship and Legitimacy: The Ideology of the Public Library Inquiry, by Douglas Raber, Book review by Patti Clayton, Letter Against Bombing of Iraq, 12/16/98 No. 14, Spring 1998 Editorial: "Institutionalizing silence within ALA?" Garlic, Vodka, and the Politics of Gender: Anti-intellectualism in American Librarianship, by Michael Winter, The "Invisibles" - Lesbian Women as Library Users, by Heike Seidel, "Lesbians & Libraries" Resource List Librarians Against War: an open letter, by Mark Rosenzweig Nos.12/13, Spring/Summer 1997 The End of Information and the Future of Libraries, by Phil Agre A House Divided Against Itself: ACRL leadership, Academic Freedom & Electronic Resources, by John Buschman A Primer on WIPO & Database Extraction Rights, by James Love Corporate Inroads & Librarianship: The Fight for the Soul of the Profession in the New Millennium, by Peter Mcdonald GII: Global Power Grab, by Vigdor Schreibman Speech by the Superintendent of Documents at ALA Statement of Robert L. Oakley on the GPO Budget Notes from the Front Lines at SFPL, by Melissa Riley >From France: Libraries Losing their Reason William F. Birdsall's The Myth of the Electronic Library, reviewed by Mark Rosenzweig Nos.10/11, Winter, 1995/96 Editorial: A Blaise with Indignation Service Undermined by Technology: Gender Relations, Economics and Ideology, by Roma Harris Information Technology and the Future of Work, by Stan A. Hannah and Michael H. Harris No.9, Spring 1995 Superhighways, Work and Infrastructure in the Information Age, a symposium with John Buschman, Barbara Garson and Lance Rose Nos.6/7, Winter/Spring 1993 Politics of Information and the Fate of the Earth, by Theodore Roszak Information Technology, Power Structures, and the Fate of Librarianship, by John Buschman No.4, Winter 1991/92 Politically Controversial Monographs, by Charles Willett No. 3, Summer, 1991 Politics and Anti-Politics in Librarianship ___________________________________________________________________________top 5. AOL's "youth filters" protect kids from Democrats http://www.news.com/Perspectives/Column/0,176,421,00.html "America Online provides "youth filters" that are supposed to keep kids out of dangerous Web sites--but they seem designed to eliminate creeping liberalism." _________________________ Don Wood American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom http://www.ala.org/oif.html ___________________________________________________________________________top 6. Complete List of MLS Schools at About.com I was guilty of having an incomplete list of ALA accredited schools posted on my (old) webpage. In part, it was a conscious decision to showcase each school with a link on the homepage, and gradually add schools to the list one by one. Well, now all the schools are showcased, all the time, in two webpages. I went over all the schools. Now, they all (except the University of Puerto Rico) have their own webpage. For each, I added that bit of uniqueness that came through their website in the annotation. Considering the Lifelong Learning Tax Credit from the USA Federal Income Tax, prices for many of use are now 20% off for an MLS course. Might be time to shop around for a program. For schools A thru M - http://librarians.about.com/msubschl.htm For schools N thru Z - http://librarians.about.com/msubschl2.htm ___________________________________________________________________________top 7. MANDATORY FILTERING LEGISLATION IN CONGRESS [ From Center for Democracy and Technology - http://www.cdt.org ] For several years, on different bills, Congress has come close to adopting amendments that would require schools or librarires to use filtering software. CDT opposes mandatory filtering legislation. Another battle over filtering is now shaping up. The House Education and the Workforce Committee is expected soon to consider draft bills to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Although at present there is no mandatory filtering language in these bills, it is likely that such language will be offered as amendments, probably on the House floor. The language offered could be as extreme as the language offered last fall by Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK). Or it could be more moderate language requiring either a stringent acceptable use policy or mandatory use of filtering, blocking or monitoring software (modeled on Sen. Rick Santorum's (R-PA) bill S. 1545). A third proposed alternative is to require schools to adopt Internet use policies. For the text of S. 1545, see http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:s.01545: For more details on the Istook mandatory filtering language last fall, see http://www.cdt.org/publications/pp_5.23.shtml In this debate, it is worth noting how earlier this spring the town of Holland, Michigan voted to reject mandatory filtering of Internet access in the public library. The election demonstrated how local communities can work together to develop children's online safety measure that best fit their own needs, without imposing filtering on all library patrons. The Holland community met shortly after the election to develop an Internet use policy that will effectively address the community's interests in both access to information on the Internet and children's safety, without federal mandates or a straitjacket approach. For more information on the post-election decisionmaking process in Holland, Michigan, see http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/022500/new_net.html ___________________________________________________________________________top 8. Children's Internet Privacy Law Goes Into Effect From EPIC: On April 21, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) will go into effect. The law requires website operators to obtain parental consent before the collection and use of personal information of children up to the age of 13. The type of parental consent necessary is governed by a sliding scale depending on the use of that data. For example, if personal information collected from children is not passed on to third parties, website operators will only have to receive an email from parents allowing that use. If similar personal information is passed on to a third party, more reliable means of verification such as a letter or credit card number will need to be supplied. In related Internet privacy news, a new survey conducted by Odyssey, a market research firm, reveals wide public mistrust of the Internet companies with their personal information. Eighty-two percent of households surveyed agreed with the statement "the government needs to step in and regulate how companies use personal information." An even more convincing 92 percent agreed that "I don't trust companies to keep personal information about me confidential, no matter what they promise." The final rules implementing COPPA are available from the Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/os/1999/9910/childrensprivacy.pdf A more general guide to COPPA is online at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/coppa.htm ___________________________________________________________________________top 9. New Books from the Electronic Privacy Information Center "The Privacy Law Sourcebook: United States Law, International Law, and Recent Developments," Marc Rotenberg, editor (EPIC 1999). Price: $50. http://www.epic.org/pls/ The "Physicians Desk Reference of the privacy world." An invaluable resource for students, attorneys, researchers and journalists who need an up-to-date collection of U.S. and International privacy law, as well as a comprehensive listing of privacy resources. ================================ "Filters and Freedom - Free Speech Perspectives on Internet Content Controls," David Sobel, editor (EPIC 1999). Price: $20. http://www.epic.org/filters&freedom/ A collection of essays, studies, and critiques of Internet content filtering. These papers are instrumental in explaining why filtering threatens free expression. ================================ "Privacy and Human Rights 1999: An International Survey of Privacy Laws and Developments," David Banisar, Simon Davies, editors, (EPIC 1999). Price: $15. http://www.epic.org/privacy&humanrights99/ An international survey of the privacy and data protection laws found in 50 countries around the globe. This report outlines the constitutional and legal conditions of privacy protection, and summarizes important issues and events relating to privacy and surveillance. ================================ Additional titles on privacy, open government, free expression, computer security, and crypto, as well as films and DVDs can be ordered through the EPIC Bookstore: http://www.epic.org/bookstore/ ___________________________________________________________________________top 10. Search Engines (LIBREF-L Query) From: librefed <librefed[at]kent.edu> Subject: Search Engines MIME-Version: 1.0 ===== Original Message From marc[at]tiar.reno.nv.us ===== Hello all...I'm doing a workshop next month for fellow library staff on Search Engines. I have my own favorites and stand-bys, but I'm curious what others use and reasons why. What are you favorites? What features make them your favorite? Any good recommendations and insight would be appreciated. I've already looked at some statistical analyses re: # of pages indexed, pertinent hits, dead links, etc. (at http://www.searchengineshowdown.com if you're interested), so I'm looking for personal preferences, more than just "by the numbers". Regards, Marc Tiar Washoe County Library, Reno NV .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2000 14:21:26 -0400 From: librefed <librefed[at]kent.edu> Subject: Search Engine responses MIME-Version: 1.0 ===== Original Message From Marc Tiar <marc[at]tiar.reno.nv.us> ===== First of all, a huge THANKS to all those who responded...I was deluged with email today, both on and off list with all your valuable opinions. I naively tried to give a personal reply to the first handful this morning, but after that, the dam broke and the futility of that effort became clear. There are probably more replies coming through the moderator, but some clear favorites emerged: -Google was the overwhelming favorite, mentioned by 13 replies -Hotbot was 2nd, with 6 mentions -Fast Search (alltheweb) and AltaVista were mentioned 5 times each -Northern Lights and Yahoo! were both mentioned 4 times The following received only one or two mentions: Dogpile, Mamma, AskJeeves, Librarians' Index to the Internet (lii.org), Webtop, Topclick, Webferret (?). Some comments: Most replies mentioned at least 2 favorites, some up to 4. My impression, before counting them up, was that FastSearch and Google were the favorites; maybe FastSearch users are just more passionate about it and made a stronger impression on me (and I agree with them!) -- marc t .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ===== Message From Gary Price <gprice[at]gwis2.circ.gwu.edu> ===== Marc: Hello from D.C. A couple of comments about "general" search tools. While "general" search tools (Alta Vista, Google, Hotbot) are crucial as resources to tap a large amount of useful information "on the Internet", (a favorite of mine is Alta Vista, advanced mode only, allowing use of the adjacency oprerator, near (10 words in either direction). it is also important to realize that these same tools do not index a great deal of useful information. Several issues are at play as reasons to why and how this issue exists. A few of them include: 1) Material in dynamic databases or other "interactive" formats can not be crawled by the search spider. 2) The indexing spider may not know that the page exists. 3) The spider my not crawl to the depth of where the page exists. Additionally, even if a page that can guide you to this "hidden" information exists in a "general" search tool, you need to ask how long will it take find it and navigate to it? Where much of this "hidden" info resides is now being termed the "invisible web" and thousands of resources exist to assist in tapping it. The challenge for information professionals is to know (as we know our print reference collections) some of what exists PRIOR to it being needed. In many cases the web can not be best utilized as an "on-demand" reference tool. Over the past couple of years I have been assembling a resource a directory of several thousand of these resources. Many use the compilation as directory as well as an acquisition resource. I am constantly adding new or newly discovered material. Please feel free to take a look. The urls are: Main Page: http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/direct.htm U.S. State and City Page (Several hundred searchable/interactive dbases) http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/state.htm Searchable Bibliographies and other Library Tools http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/bibs.htm -------------- Finally, here are a few additional references of articles that discuss the invisible web. An article I wrote for Searcher about common Internet myths. http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/jan00/price.htm Chris Sherman, "The Invisible Web" http://websearch.about.com/internet/websearch/library/weekly/aa061199.htm Danny Sullivan, "Invisible Web Revealed" http://searchenginewatch.internet.com/sereport/99/07-invisible.html Diana Botluk, "Exposing the Invisible Web" http://www.llrx.com/columns/exposing.htm ------- cheers, gary Gary D. Price, MLIS George Washington University Virginia Campus Library Gelman Library Ashburn, VA and Washington, D.C. gprice[at]gwu.edu 703-726-8235 703-726-8237 (fax) ___________________________________________________________________________top 11. Search Engine Meeting Report http://websearch.about.com/internet/websearch/library/blsem.htm The Fifth Annual Search Engine Meeting was held in Boston, April 10-11, and Chris Sherman, author of the About.com Guide to Web Search (see the December 3, 1999 _Scout Report_), was in attendance. His detailed, five-part report covers the most important presentations and panel discussions featured at the conference, including Danny Sullivan's State of the Search Engines Report, a talk by Inktomi co-founder Eric Brewer, reports on MSN Search and FAST, a look into the future of intelligent agents, and a spirited panel presentation and open discussion between the chief technologists of the major engines and members of the audience. [MD] > From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2000. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ ___________________________________________________________________________top 12. An interview with Jeeves (of "AskJeeves.com") http://www.fnwire.com/features/satire-jeevesinterview.html ___________________________________________________________________________top 13. Big Tetris game redux In last week's Library Juice I published a link to a story on the world's largest tetris game, made out of 10,000 little lights strung up on the side of the science library at Brown University. Well, as many of you discovered, the story was not on that website anymore. Here are some links to the story that are still good: A BBC news story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_718000/718009.stm Story in the Brown Daily Herald: http://www.browndailyherald.com/stories.cfm?ID=2122 Project's homepage: http://bastilleweb.techhouse.org/ Thanks to http://librarian.net and http://www.lisnews.com ___________________________________________________________________________top 14. Online Audio Recordings http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/audiofiles.html Not just sound bites! The University of California at Berkeley has made available dozens of hours of sound file records at various lectures and events at UCB. With either RealAudio or StreamWorks, you can listen to speeches and lectures by Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Noam Chomsky, Umberto Eco, Michel Foucault, Carlos Fuentes, Aldous Huxley, Alfred L. Kroeber, Claude Lvi-Strauss, Margaret Mead, and Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer; and poetry readings from Robert Creeley, Robert Frost, Czeslaw Milosz, Robert Hass, Robert Pinsky, Gary Snyder, and Ted Joans. - cl From Librarian's Index to the Internet - http://lii.org ___________________________________________________________________________top 15. Zen Centers of the World http://www.iijnet.or.jp/iriz/zen_centers/country_list_e.html Directory of an impressive number of Zen masters, centers, and sitting groups. It includes listings in over 60 countries and most of the states in the United States. Listings includes: address, contact name, denomination, lineage, and teacher. From the International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism (IRIZ) in Kyoto, Japan. - ml From Librarian's Index to the Internet - http://lii.org ___________________________________________________________________________top 16. Medterms.com http://www.medterms.com/ MedicineNet.com http://www.medicinenet.com Created by MedicineNet.com, this free and constantly revised encylopedic dictionary of classic and contemporary medical terms contains over 9,000 entries. Written entirely by physicians for both professional and non-professional readers, the dictionary also includes "pertinent scientific items, abbreviations, acronyms, jargon, institutions, projects, symptoms, syndromes, eponyms, medical history -- all having to do with medicine and the biomedical sciences, particularly anything of value and of interest." Users can browse the dictionary by alphabetical entry or conduct a keyword search. The length of dictionary entries vary widely, and some are quite brief. Some, however (mostly conditions or diseases), include links to detailed articles and related forums at the MedicineNet main site. While new medical information sites seem to pop up every day, the depth of Medterms, the frequent updates, and its doctor-only editors mark it as a notable resource. [MD] > From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2000. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ ___________________________________________________________________________top 17. May 11, 2000 is Equal Pay Day The American Library Association's (ALA) Committee on Pay Equity urges libraries and library workers to observe Equal Pay Day on May 11, 2000. Equal Pay Day is an event organized by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) to symbolize the day that a woman's wages "catch up" to men's wages from the previous calendar year. The average working woman makes only 73 cents for every dollar earned by her male counterparts. According to a national study of the wage gap done by the AFL-CIO and the Institute for Women's Policy Research using data from the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women who work in traditional "women's professions," such as librarianship, lose an average of $3,446 a year. The Equal Pay Day campaign is designed to raise awareness of this wage gap in America. Libraries as well as individuals can participate by sponsoring activities on May 11. NCPE coordinates this nationwide effort by supplying kits with handouts, sample press releases, buttons, planning tips, and more. Libraries can also complete a self-audit to examine their own pay practices. Visit the Department of Labor's web site at: http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/public/regs/compliance/ofccp/compdata.htm to find more information on how to conduct such an audit. Individuals can also contact their congressional representatives to tell them how important fair pay is. Visist http://clerkweb.house.gov/mbrcmtee/mbrcmtee.htm to find a list of representatives. Ask your representative to cosponsor current bills in Congress that would help achieve fair pay. Visit http://www.feminist.com/fairpay/legislation.htm to see a list of these bills. The NCPE is a non-profit coalition of over 180 organizations of which ALA is a charter member and has representation on the board of directors. For more information about Equal Pay Day, contact Michele Leber (vmleber[at]leo.vsla.edu), the current ALA representative and NCPE treasurer. You may also contact NCPE, 1126 Sixteenth St., NW, Suite 411, Washington, DC 20036; phone: 202/331-7343; e-mail: fairpay[at]aol.com; or visit their web site at: http://www.feminist.com/fairpay/about.htm. ___________________________________________________________________________top 18. The Other 90 Percent: What Your MLS Didn't Teach You by Byron Anderson, Head of Reference, Northern Ilinois University Libraries [Published originally in _Counterpoise_ Vol. 3, No. 3/4, July/October 1999 and republished with permission.] This paper is based on participation in the panel discussion, Alternative Press and Intellectual Freedom," sponsored by the Alternatives in Print Task Force and presented June 27, 1999 as part of the American Library Association's Annual Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana. In order to understand today's book publishing industry, it is helpful to understand some statistics and definitions that go along with the industry. All figures presented are approximate and gathered from reliable sources. More than 600 mergers and acquisitions have been reported in the U. S. book industry since the 1960s, a long-term trend expected to continue. Each year during the 1990s, approximately 65,000 titles were published in the United States. Eighty percent of all trade titles came from the five largest publishing conglomerates. The term trade books" is imprecise and generally taken to mean adult fiction and nonfiction, paperbacks and children's books intended for the general public and marketed through bookstores, including online sales and libraries. They are distinct from textbooks, subscription books, book clubs, etc. The 1990s had some revolving at the top among the five largest publishing conglomerates but generally included Bertelsmann AG, S. I. Newhouse (Advance Publications), Viacom, von Holtzbrink, and Pearson. With the purchase of Random House from the Newhouse family, the Bertelsmann Group alone is responsible for more than 30 percent of the U. S. trade books and close to 40 percent of the best sellers. There are several terms used to describe the small press, and these are often used interchangeably. The term independent press" has gained in popularity and is commonly used in lieu of small press." Independent publishers are independent of corporate ownership and make up more than 53,000 presses in the United States. Independent presses are not necessarily small, for example, Grove Atlantic and W. W. Norton publish more than one hundred titles per year. Publications from independent presses cover a wider range of subjects than publications from corporate-controlled presses. The publications come from a greater variety of places than do mainstream publications and include academic institutions, associations, literary groups, home-based and one-person operations, hobbyist or collector's clubs and think tanks. A subset of the independent press is called the alternative or progressive press. Though difficult to define, the uniqueness of progressive presses lies in giving voice to marginalized groups, emerging writers and poets, thought-provoking and sometimes thought-disturbing ideas and translations of international writers. Unless aggressively pursued, librarians would be fortunate to be aware of even 10 percent of the publishers publishing today. The other 90 percent remain obscure. Library collections represent only a fraction of the true diversity of books available. While a library cannot collect everything, most librarians are not even aware of many publications available in their effort to build a collection. Examples of alternative publications generally absent from library collections include: Translated works about the Third World by indigenous writers. Topics of anarchism, poverty, labor, erotica, human rights, and peace studies. Most books of poetry. The writings of many new and lesser known authors. There is a persistent myth that publications from small presses are the leftovers or rejects screened out by the rigorous" editorial standards set by editors at mainstream presses. If a manuscript can't cut it with the big houses, the authors submit to the smaller houses. With some exception, this is simply not true. In mainstream presses, decisions to print are market-based, that is, books are based on profit potential. In independent presses, especially progressive presses, decisions to print are topic-based or based on literary merit, that is, books are mission-driven or have something to say. Inadequacies of standard library and information science textbooks The failure of librarians to consider the independent press as an entity worthy of collecting begins in the curricula for library and information science (LIS). In collection development coursework, students are introduced to basic tools used in building a collection. The critique here is not in what students are taught, but in what they're not taught. Textbooks used in collection development classes, such as Elizabeth Futas' Collection Development Policies and Procedures, 3rd ed. (1995), lack certain headings in the subject index: for example, Small press, Independent press, Alternative press and Progressive press. More surprisingly, the index has no listing for publishers, presses, vendors, distributors or wholesalers. There is only one page devoted to approval plans. This strongly indicates that students are not introduced to the publishing industry, including how publishers and librarians should interact with each other. G. Edward Evans' Developing Library and Information Centers, 3rd ed. (1995), presents a number of guidelines to use when developing collections. First, "Select items useful to clients." But there is no explanation of what is useful." It would be better to teach librarians how to develop a diverse collection and let patrons decide what is of use to them. Second, "Select only items of lasting, literary or social value." But without exposure to alternative presses, librarians are likely to select materials that reflect mainstream values. Third, "Select based on the demand for the material." But reader preferences can be rigged to create demand; for example consider the Princess Di publication industry. Librarians need to realize that there will be little or no demand for small press items. It's up to librarians to make these publications available. Inadequacies of collection development policies For libraries maintaining collection development policies, criteria for selection usually include components that do not fit the alternative press. First, "Suitability of subject and style for intended audience." Progressive publications are rarely targeted to suit reader tastes, but rather are challenging and thought disturbing. Second, "Collect based on the reputation or significance of the author and publisher." Small presses will rarely have a reputation," and most of the authors will be unknown. Third, "Collect based on popular appeal." Alternative press publications are not trying to compete with popular best sellers. The writing and content are not trying to suit mass market mentalities. Finally, "Collect based on the number and nature of requests from patrons." Patrons will not request what they don't know, and most will be unaware of small press publications. Collection development policies can contain criteria worthy of consideration in any library: First, collect based on insight into human and social conditions. Second, collect based on relevance to the experience and contributions of diverse populations. Third, collect based on representation of a minority point of view. Finally, this statement from the Greenville County (SC) Public Library: The library does not act as an agent for or against a particular issue. The disapproval of materials by one individual or group should not be the means of denying those materials to all groups if, by library selection standards, they belong in the collection. These criteria form a basis for the consideration and purchase of progressive publications. Inadequacies of collection development textbooks Collection development textbooks recommend bibliographic tools that leave out many alternative materials. These tools often begin with Books in Print. While expansive, this title misses many small presses and their publications. Even Len Fulton's International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses, while significant for building collections, lists approximately 6,000 presses, a small fraction of worldwide presses. Second, textbooks will typically recommend that librarians "follow through on publishers' catalogs, flyers and advertisements." Independent presses cannot afford to market heavily, if at all, and corporate publishing houses are prolific mailers and advertisers. Often, they set out with a marketing plan in mind designed to create a demand for their materials. Third, textbooks state that an item being considered for selection "should have been favorably reviewed in two or more sources." Of the 65,000 or so items published in the United States each year, approximately 10 percent are reviewed, and most of these books are published by fewer than 200 presses. Finally, textbooks state that recommended" or best" lists should be used in developing a collection because the leg work" has been done in singling out worthwhile titles. The compilation of these lists rarely reviews titles published by progressive presses. For example, the Best Books of 1998" list in the Bowkers Annual Library and Book Trade (1999), put together by the Notable Books Council of the Reference and User Services Division of ALA, has five categories, covering areas from fiction to children's books, totaling 159 titles. Of these, only four titles�all children's books�were from two alternative presses that were profiled in the Alternative Publishers of Books in North America, 4th ed. (1999). This directory profiles 148 significant alternative presses which total hundreds of titles published during 1998. Surely, many titles worthy of consideration were missed as part of the "Best Books" recommendations. Views of library educators To examine what library and information educators say about the current state of their profession, one can turn to the Congress on Professional Education, co-sponsored by the American Library Association, held April 30 to May 1, 1999 in Washington, D.C. <www.ala.org/congress/lis-ed.html>. Keywords and phrases taken from the "Statement on LIS Curricula" for the Congress include "leadership and management skills," "recognizing the fluidity of information channels," "marketing," "entrepreneurship," "grant writing," "multitasking," "strong technical abilities," "webmasters," "digital preservation," and "systems design." New topics for LIS course development were also identified in the five-year study funded by Kellogg and conducted by the Association for Library and Information Science Education, 1996-2000. Courses identified were Advanced Information Technology Design and Analysis; Advanced Studies in Intranet and Internet Design and Development; Data Mining; Digital Libraries; Electronic Commerce; and Information Policy. While the profession is headed in many of these directions, what's interesting is in what's missing. Besides lacking the word service (a separate concern), there is no mention of publishers or the publishing industry - print, online or otherwise. LIS curricula should include instruction in the publishing industry. Students should know something about the marketing techniques of the publishing industry and the distribution channels for books. A book chapter by Patricia Glass Schuman and Charles Harmon titled "The Business of Book Publishing" in the ALA publication, Understanding the Business of Library Acquisitions, 2nd ed. (1999), Karen A. Schmidt, editor, lists the following concerns: Librarians and publishers as professions are frequently unaware of the methodologies, economics, impacts and policies of the other. There are few formal education programs for those in the publishing industry. Few library education programs offer courses about the publishing industry. Libraries are somewhat of an invisible market for many publishers, since a majority of libraries purchase books and journals through wholesalers rather than directly from publishers. The Importance of learning about publishers and booksellers A key to diverse library collections is publisher relations. Get to know who's publishing what and how to seek out small presses. Understand a library's acquisition process, including approval plans and standing orders, and the process used to add a particular item to a collection. Know how to order publications from small publishing houses, especially those with no distributor. Realize that most small presses will never find a library or bookstore market for their publications, nor are they trying to. Ensure by policy that small press material is represented in the collection. These ideas should be taught in the classroom and put to work in every library. What you can do to link libraries and the independent press Actions can be taken to create links between libraries and the independent press. First, become aware of organizations working to get small press materials into libraries and bookstores, such as the Independent Press Association <www.indypress.org>, Small Press Distribution <www.spdbooks.org>, the Alternative Press Center <www.altpress.org/api.html> and the Women's Presses Library Project <www.litwomen.org/wplp.html>. Second, join ALA committees committed to creating an awareness of the independent press and promoting its use in libraries. Especially valid is the Social Responsibilities Round Table's Alternatives in Print Task Force <libr.org/AIP>. Third, advocate issues surrounding progressive literature, particularly intellectual freedom, the freedom to read and the right to access. Read through ALA's "An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights" <www.ala.org/work/freedom/interprt.html>. Finally, advocate library collections that reflect the true diversity of society. ___________________________________________________________________________top L I B R A R Y J U I C E | http://libr.org/Juice/ | | Library Juice is supported by a voluntary subscription | fee of $10 per year, variable based on ability and | desire to pay. You may send a check payable in US funds | to Rory Litwin, at PO Box 720511, San Jose, CA 95172 | | Original material and added value in Library Juice | is copyright-free; beyond that the publisher makes | no guarantees. Library Juice is a free weekly | publication edited and published by Rory Litwin. | Original senders are credited wherever possible; | opinions are theirs. If you are the author of some | email in Library Juice which you want removed from | the web, please write to me and I will remove it. | | Your comments and suggestions are welcome. | | Rory[at]libr.org This page was created by SimpleText2Html 1.0.3 on 2-May-100. ay-100.