ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 9 From Inside the DLSEF By Dr. Katharine M. Stokes College and University Library Specialist, Library Planning and Development Branch, Di­ vision of Library Services and Educational Facilities, U.S. Office of Education, Washing­ ton, D.C. 20202. A few weeks ago some sixty or seventy libraries which had received supplemental or special purpose grants under Title II-A of the Higher Education Act of 1965 were called from this office or by the newly appointed Library Services Program officers in the regions. It must have been a surprise to the librarians of those institutions suddenly to be asked what they had done with their award funds, for they had already reported statistically in September. The callers were really searching for human interest or success stories. DLSEF staff often needs information, other than statistics, for a Congressman who wants to know what’s hap­ pening in the area he represents; or for a government official who wants to be brought up to date on a program under his adminis­ tration. For a busy man, a brief and uncompli­ cated story is more helpful than several pages of figures. Some of the librarians, in answering the query, said, “Oh, we threw our grant funds into the general pot.” Further questioning brought out that a grant awarded to one library equaled one-fourth of its “pot” for the current academic year. In other words, this library would show a 25 per cent increase in books funds for the year in addition to the 5 to 10 per cent increase to which its administration is committed. Now the call to that library didn’t produce a human interest story. But what was discovered will please a Congressman from the western state that is trying to provide higher education opportunities comparable to those offered in wealthier and more densely populated States. Another librarian reported a grant expended for materials for double use in the teacher- education curriculum and in supporting the Youth Corps and Upward Bound programs on the campus. This story may catch the interest of a high-level official in the Office of Educa­ The Advisory Council on College Library Resources, provided for under Title II-A, Higher Education Act of 1965, met in Washington, D.C., on December 27-28, to review the revised criteria for Title II grants. tion, especially when he has to allocate scarce federal dollars for administering many more appealing programs than taken-for-granted aca­ demic libraries. Distant visits are expensive in time and money, but telephone conversations can be “a window on the world,” as one DLSEF official suggested. The Library Services Program offi­ cers considered the telephone conversations an opportunity to become better acquainted with the activities of their regions. Hopefully, library program officers will soon be appointed to all nine Office of Education regions, and you will find them good people to know. Your Annual Reports are read with great interest as they come into this office. Many of you mention the amount of your federal grants, but we’re especially pleased to find an occasional paragraph telling what the grants have enabled you to accomplish. ■ ■ JOURNAL OF LIBRARY AUTOMATION The first issue of ISAD’s quarterly journal will appear in the Spring of 1968. Originally announced as the Journal of Information Science and Library Automation, its title was contracted to avoid ambiguity with the anticipated new title of American Documentation, which will become the journal of the newly entitled Amer­ ican Society for Information Science. The Journal of Library Automation will pub­ lish original contributions in all fields of re­ search and development in library automation including interlibrary communications, in re­ search in information sciences directly related to library activities, and in the history and teaching of these subjects. Authors should send manuscripts to Frederick G. Kilgour, Editor, Journal of Library Automation, 1415 Kirkley Road, Columbus, Ohio 43221. A one-page guide to the preparation of manuscripts entitled “In­ structions to Authors” may be obtained from the editor. Members of the Editorial Board are Susan Artandi, Joseph Becker, Verner W. Clapp, A. J. Goldwyn, and Frederick H. Ruecking, Jr. The Council on Library Resources, Inc., Washington, D.C., has generously given ALA a grant in the amount of $21,009 to assist the Journal for the first three years. It is hoped that the Journal of Library Auto­ mation will be the principal vehicle for library research and development workers to use to put the results of their investigations before their colleagues. Thereby it will be the major publication reporting advances of the new li- brarianship. ■ ■ 10 CHOICE’S “ Opening Day C ollection” Now Reprinted as a Special Supplement C H O IC E 'S "O p e n in g D ay C o lle c tio n "— a list of 1,776 books the editors of C H O IC E feel should be on the shelves of every academ ic library when it opens its doors— is now being reprinted as a Special Supplem ent. D eveloped with the help of W illiam A. Pease and Richard J. Lietz of the University of North Carolina, the list was first published serially in 4 issues of C H O IC E in late 1965. The enthusiasm and co n tin uing demand w hich the list has since enjoyed prompts its reissue as a convenient s e p a ra te s u p p le m e n t to C H O I C E 'S re g u la r m onthly issues. The list is intended to be used as the essential starting point for a library's further acquisition and specialization. It has been particularly valuable to libraries in new colleges and ju nior colleges. Typical of com m ents received from users was the appreciation expressed by a ju n ­ ior college librarian confronted with the need to create seven "instant libraries" for a new system. "Thanks to C H O IC E , we w ill have books for several thousand students when we open next fall." The price of the "O p e n in g D ay C o lle ctio n " Supplem ent is $5.00 per copy. Copies may be ordered directly from C H O IC E by fillin g out and r e t u r n in g the c o u p o n b e lo w . C h e c k s should be made payable to the American Library Association. C H O I C E , a m o n th ly p u b lic a tio n o f the A sso c ia tio n o f C o lle g e s and R e ­ search Lib rarie s, review s an d evaluates m o re than 5,000 new b o o ks o f im p o rtan ce to a c a d e m ic lib ra ries every year. A n an nu al su b scrip tio n is $ 20.00; sin gle c o p ie s are $2.00. O rd e rs for s u b scrip tio n s an d sin gle c o p ies s h o u ld be sent to the Su b scrip tio n D ep artm en t, A m e rica n Lib rary A s s o c ia ­ tio n , 50 East H u ro n Street, C h ic a g o , Illin o is 60611. If you are not yet a cq u a in te d w ith C H O I C E , a sam ple c o p y and o ther in ­ fo rm atio n m ay be o b tain ed by w ritin g o u r Ed itorial O ffic e s, 100 Rive rview C e n te r, M id d le to w n , C o n n e c tic u t 06457. To order copies ot the "O p e n in g Day C o lle c tio n ,” clip and m ail this c o u p o n :