ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


Septem ber 1 9 9 2 / 5 0 1

Budgets s ta y  sm all 
a n d  serials prices 
increase
The F axon P la n n in g  Report 
1993, a com prehensive re­
view  o f serials bu d g et trends 
and library an d  publisher at­
titudes an d  opinions, finds 
that the 1992 average b u d ­
get funding increase is only 
3.1 percent, the smallest in­
crease re c o rd e d  in several 
years. Faxon surveys its cli­
ents in all types o f libraries 
an d  com piles profiles com ­
paring requested funding w ith actual funding 
received.

While library budgets are barely keeping up 
w ith inflation, EBSCO Subscription Services pro­
jected a 10-15 percent increase in subscription 
rates for 1993 due to publisher price increases. 
These projections are based o n  general eco­
nom ic indicators in the U.S. an d  Europe as well 
as d isc u ssio n s w ith  p u b lish e rs w o rld w id e . 
EBSCO exam ined pricing trends over the last 
five years an d  found that a typical academ ic 
library list of 6,254 titles that cost $1,190,824.69 
this year cost $787,155.07 in 1988— an increase 
of 51.03 percent. The cost of the list increased 
an average 8-9.5 percent annually since 1988, 
except for 1991 w h en  prices jum ped 17 p e r­
cent due to the decline of the dollar. The Faxon 
report is available for $40 (free to Faxon cli­
ents) by calling (617) 329-3350, ext. 282.

ALA Council th a n k s  Crism ond but 
accepts B oard action
A special information and question-and-answ er 
session at the beginning o f the ALA A nnual 
C onference led by ALA President Patricia Glass 
Schum an an d  ALA’S attorney Bruce Ennis qui­
eted  the m em bership’s and Council’s concerns 
that any w rong-doing h ad  occurred relating to 
the dismissal o f form er ALA Executive Director 
Linda Crismond (see C&RL News, Ju n e 1992, 
page 373 and July 1992, page 437). Schuman 
indicated that the ALA Executive B oard w as 
u n a n im o u s  in  its d e c is io n  to  te r m i n a te  
Crism ond’s em ploym ent an d  that “w e follow ed 
elaborate procedures. Three Boards, three presi­
dents, an d  three president-elect w ere involved 
in the process. T hese procedures and processes 
in clu d ed  su b stan tial discussion an d  w ritten

News 
f r o m  th e 

f i e l d

evaluation over a period o f 
years.” Schuman explained 
that the B oard voted to  ter­
m inate C rism ond’s em ploy­
m ent at an April 29 m eet­
ing offering her six m onths 
s e v e r a n c e  p a y  w ith  th e  
characterization of the d e­
p a rtu re  as a resig n atio n . 
C r is m o n d , r e s p o n d i n g  
through h er attorney, asked 
fo r a $200,000 sev eran ce 
package and threatened to 
s u e  ALA. O n  May 7 th e  
B oard placed Crismond on 

paid leave o f absence, an d  o n  May 12 she re­
signed. Schum an w arn ed  that there is still the 
possibility o f litigation. At its first meeting, the 
Council w ithdrew  a m otion to censure the Ex­
ecutive B oard for its actions regarding Crismond 
a n d  p a s s e d  a re so lu tio n  (CD#51) th an k in g  
Crismond “for h e r contribution to the profes­
sion” an d  for projecting “a positive im age of 
librarians to the profession, to her colleagues 
in association m anagem ent, an d  to the public 
at large.”

Crism ond accepts n e w  position
Professional Media Services Corp., the Gardena, 
California, supplier of prerecorded audio and 
v id eo  m aterials to  libraries, a n n o u n c e d  that 
Linda C rism ond has accepted the position of 
vice-president o f public relations. She will be 
responsible for enhancing client relations and 
expanding the market for the company’s services.

ALA W a s h in g to n  O ffice offers 
electronic n e w s le tte r
Find out ab o u t GPO W IN D O /G atew ay Bills, 
appropriations for libraries, an d  hearings and 
legislation affecting libraries by subscribing to 
the ALA W ashington Office Newsline. This elec­
tronic new sletter is distributed through the Uni­
versity o f Illinois List Server an d  is available to 
a n y o n e  w h o  can  receiv e B itnet m essages. 
Newsline is similar to th e publication previously 
o ffe re d  o n  ALANET a n d  s u p p le m e n ts  the 
p rin ted  ALA W ashington Newsletter. To sub­
scribe, sen d  an  e-m ail m essage to  the Bitnet 
address LISTSERV@UICVM. Leave the subject 
line blank and p u t as the only line in the body 
o f  th e  m e s s a g e  “SUBSCRIBE ALA-WO 
FirstName LastN ame.” For exam ple, Melvil



5 0 2  /  C&RL N e w s

Books are for use: Ranganathan centennial year

R an g a n a th a n

D uring the 19th an d  20th centuries, tw o 
great librarians— Melvil D ew ey (1851-1931) 
o f the U nited States an d  S. R. Ranganathan 
(1892-1972) o f India— w ere responsible for 
th e developm ent o f library an d  inform ation 
science. In this centennial year of 
R anganathan’s birth it is im por­
tan t to  recall his m any contribu­
tions.

B o r n  o n  A u g u s t 9, 1892, 
R a n g a n a th a n  m ay  m o s t c o m ­
m only be rem em bered for his for­
m ulation of laws. In 1929 he felt 
that librarianship lacked a set of 
unifying, guiding principles and 
set do w n  the following: books are 
for use; every reader has his book, 
every b o o k  its reader; save the
time of the reader, save the time o f library 
staff; an d  the library is a grow ing organism.

In 1925 he introduced the C olon Classifi­
cation, a radical departure from the D ew ey 
D ecimal an d  Library o f Congress Classifica­
tion systems. In 1934 he published the Clas­
sified Catalogue code w hich sh o w ed  that an 
analytico-synthetic approach is useful irrespec­
tive o f w h at schem e for classification is u sed  
for developing a structured subject index.

D ew ey w o u ld  subscribe by sending the follow ­
ing m e ssa g e : SUBSCRIBE ALA-WO M elvil 
D ewey. N ewsline is available through Internet, 
CompuServe, MCI Mail, an d  any o th er e-mail 
service that can receive Internet messages. Note 
that this is a new sletter and not a discussion 
group. Q uestions or com m ents should b e sent 
to  NU_ALAWASH@CUA o r NU_ALAWASH@ 
CUAVAX.DNET.CUA.EDU.

Proposals in BI and preservation sought
Proposals are n e e d e d  for the p o ste r  s e s s io n s  
at ACRL’s  B ib lio g ra p h ic In stru ctio n  S ectio n  
C o n fe r e n c e  P rogram , o n  Sunday, Ju n e 27, 
1993, in New O rleans. The program , entitled 
“C oping w ith  C haos, T hriving o n  C hange," 
n e e d s p o ste r sessions dealing w ith practical 
suggestions for successful an d  innovative re­
sponses to change. For exam ple, h o w  has the 
BI p ro g ra m  a d a p te d  to  n e w  te c h n o lo g ie s , 
ch an g in g  stu d e n t p o p u la tio n s , b u d g e t con-

After spreading his reforms th roughout In­
dia, R anganathan w as active in international 
librarianship from 1948 until his death o n  Sep­
tem ber 27, 1972. A visionary, h e predicted in 
the 1950s that com puters w ould play an im­

portant p art in libraries an d  that 
online catalogs w ould replace the 
card catalog in all types o f librar­
ies. H e c o in e d  s u c h  te rm s as 
“f a c e t , ” “p h a s e , ” “i s o l a t e , ” 
“libram etrics,” an d  “chain pro ce­
d u r e ” a n d  his id eas o n  b ib lio ­
graphic instruction, faculty status, 
an d  internships for librarians have 
becom e popular in W estern coun­
tries. D uring his lifetime he wrote 
62 books an d  over 2,000 articles 
o n  all aspects o f library science.

At its 1992 M idwinter Meeting, the Coun­
cil of the American Library Association passed 
tw o resolutions in ho n o r of Ranganathan. O ne 
said “that the ALA o n  the birth centennial of 
an international giant, S. R. R anganathan, ex­
presses the gratitude o f its m em bers to him 
for his contributions, m any years o f dedica­
tion an d  outstanding services to the prom o­
tio n  o f in tern atio n al lib rarian sh ip .”— R. N. 
Sharm a, University o f  Evansville ■

straints, staffing changes, new  teaching m eth­
ods, n ew  instructional media. Proposals co n ­
sisting o f a 250-word abstract describing your 
project o r research an d  h o w  you will com m u­
nicate your ideas should b e  subm itted by Jan u ­
ary 8, 1993, to: Susan Miller, C oordinator of 
Library Instruction, Milner Library, Illinois State 
University, Normal, IL 61761.

Proposals for contributions to volum e 2 of 
A d v a n c e s  in P r e s e r v a t i o n  a n d  A c c e s s , a 
M eck ler p u b lic a tio n , are  b e in g  s o u g h t by 
editor B arbra B uckner H igginbotham. Papers 
are w an ted  o n  current topics in library preser­
vation, conservation, a n d  related access issues, 
particularly in the areas o f special m aterials 
and disciplines (music, theatre, dance, film, re­
co rd ed  sound), cu rato r/co n serv ato r relation­
ships, education and training, preventive m ea­
sures, surveys an d  collection assessm ent, mass 
deacidification, international efforts, an d  auto­
m ation applications for program  m anagem ent.

CUAVAX.DNET.CUA.EDU


Include name, address, phone and fax num ­
bers, e-mail address, brief biographical data, 
and a 250-word abstract. Proposals are due 
N o v e m b e r 1, 1992, to: B a rb ra  B u c k n e r 
Higginbotham, The Library, Brooklyn College, 
Brooklyn, NY 11210; (718) 951-5342; fax: (718) 
951-7277; bxhbc@cunym.

Banned Books W e e k : Septem ber 2 6 -  
O ctober 3
“Censorship: O ld Sins in New W orlds” is the 
them e of the 1992 Banned Books Week, Sep­
tem b er 2 6 -O cto b er 3, co sp o n so re d  by the

American Library Association, the American 
Booksellers Association, and other groups. Now 
in its eleventh year, the w eek  com m em or­
ates the freedom to read and the First A mend­
m ent which specifies that “Congress shall make 
no law  abridging the freedom  of speech, or 
of the press.” An annual list of “Books Some 
People Consider D angerous” is published in 
conjunction with the observance and is avail­
able from the ALA Office of Intellectual Free­
dom. A Banned Books W eek Kit which includes 
a Resource Guide, four posters, and 100 b ook­
marks is available for $20 from ALA Graphics,

ALA seeks libraries for Arthurian exhibits
Two opportunities await academic librar­

ies interested in exploring developm ent of 
an exhibition on the King Arthur legend, “The 
Many Realms of King Arthur.”

Four large urban public o r academ ic li­
braries are sought by ALA, the Newberry Li­
brary, and the New York 
Public Library to develop 
an exhibition using their 
ow n or other local collec­
tions in conjunction w ith a 
traveling panel exhibition. 
A d d itio n a l lib ra rie s  are 
sought to host the travel­
ing panel exhibition in con­
junction w ith public pro­
grams. (ALA will help host 
libraries develop such p ro ­
gramming.)

ALA and the Newberry 
and New York Public Li­
braries will ap p ly  to the 
N ational E ndow m ent for 
the Hum anities (NEH) in 

An illu stra tio n  b y  H ow ard  Pyle 
fo r  th e  b o o k  The L a d y  o f  
S h a ío tt b y  A lfred Lord 
T e n n y s o n  (N e wMarch 1993 for a grant to

develop the freestanding panel exhibition and 
related items. If funded, the project will be 
available for touring in 1995.

E xhibit c u ra to r R uth H am ilto n  o f the 
Newberry Library will w ork w ith the four host 
libraries to develop each exhibit.

The story of King Arthur, his knights, and 
Q ueen G uinevere addresses issues such as 
love, loyalty, and duty and raises questions 
about just warfare, codes of morality, ideal­

 York, 1881). o f this type commonly re­
quire from 60-100 feet of floor space (they do 
not have to be in a straight line).

Libraries interested in displaying the free­
standing panel exhibition are also request­
e d  to w rite to the address above w ith infor­
m ation o n  the program s they could offer 
an d  exhibition space available in their li­
braries.

F o r m o re  in f o r m a tio n  c o n ta c t: D eb  
Robertson at 1 (800) 545-2433, x5057. ■

P
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ism, and other subjects that have been  de­
bated throughout history and will be o f inter­
est to a diverse m odern audience.

Academic libraries interested in collabo­
rating w ith an o th er institution for a King 
Arthur exhibition should send a 1-2-page pro­

posal to  D eb R obertson, 
Public Programs, ALA, 50 E. 
H u ro n  St., C h ic a g o , IL 
6 0 6 l l ,  b y  D e c e m b e r 1, 
1992. Proposals should de­
scribe: 1) the institution you 
plan to w ork w ith on the 
exhibition, 2) w hat objects 
related to the King Arthur 
them e are available in the 
collaborating institutions, 3) 
w hy you w ould like to host 
such an exhibition, 4) w hat 
programs your library could 
offer in conjunction w ith 
the exhibition, and 5) w hat 
space you have available 
for exhibitions. Exhibitions 



5 0 4  /  C&RL N ew s

50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611; (800) 545- 
2433, press 8. Orders under $30 must be pre­
paid.

A uburn joins ARL
Auburn University Library w as invited to join 
the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) as 
its 120th mem ber after a successful vote at ARL’s 
spring meeting. The membership vote followed 
an extensive multiyear review of qualitative and 
quantitative documentation, and a two-day site 
visit that reviewed library services, resources, 
preservation, automation, and special collec­
tions. William C. Highfill is the university li­
brarian at Auburn and has overseen the library’s 
developm ent since 1973. Auburn is the first new 
ARL m em ber since 1988 w hen the University 
o f Illinois at Chicago w as admitted.

UIC hosts electronic e x h ib it of Soviet 
archives
The University of Illinois at Chicago Library 
(UIC) participated in the Library of Congress' 
(LC) electronic exhibit of former Soviet Union 
archives. D uring June, LC released o n  the 
Internet 25 digitized images of documents, trans­
lations, and a handbook from their exhibit “Rev­

elations from the Russian Archives.” UIC dow n­
loaded the files and set them  up on public 
M acintosh w o rk statio n s. O ver 100 p e o p le  
stopped by to see the exhibit or participate in 
the forum and indicated their interest in future 
electronic exhibits. UIC has m ounted the ex­
hibit on a mainframe for further use.

M ichigan Research libraries triangle 
form ed
Hiram Davis, director of the Michigan State 
University Libraries; D onald Riggs, dean of the 
University of Michigan Libraries; and Peter 
Spyers-Duran, dean of the Wayne State Uni­
versity Libraries, announced on July 9, 1992, 
the formation of a consortium for research li­
brary cooperation. Called the Michigan Research 
Libraries Triangle, the consortium’s objectives 
are to avoid higher costs, improve the quality 
o f service to the campuses, and support re­
search. The consortium will focus on coopera­
tive collection development, docum ent deliv­
ery an d  interlibrary loan, an d  autom ation. 
Combined, the three libraries have collections 
totaling 12 million volum es, budgets in the 
range of $50 million, and staffs of 1,200 all in a 
computerized environment. ■