ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 156 / C&RL News Conference Circuit P artn ersh ip s and convergence By Laverna M. Saunders The 1995 CAUSE Conference in New Orleans F ollowing the theme “Realizing the Poten­tial o f Information Resources,” programs and contributed presentations at the recent CAUSE Conference in New Orleans addressed issues and case studies relevant to academic libraries. At the opening session, CAUSE Presi­ dent Jan e Ryland announced that the organiza­ tion had a new breadth o f focus which now includes information resources. This emphasis is highlighted in the new CAUSE mission state­ ment: “to enable the transformational changes occurring in higher education through the ef­ fective management and use of information re­ sources— technology, services, and information.” Synergy and collaboration Certainly these elements dominated the discus­ sion of the Library/IT Partnerships constituent group. Libraries no longer have a monopoly on resources, and concurrently Information Technology (IT) no longer controls the tech­ nology. The group examined a number o f ar­ eas in which libraries and IT differ. For ex­ ample, IT has a tradition o f charging back for usage but libraries have free access; IT focuses on tools and libraries are more user-oriented. Despite the differences, there is synergy and collaboration out o f need. Nonetheless, turf is­ sues continue at many institutions due to cam­ pus politics and personalities. The realm o f greatest interface is training, with an increasing number o f patrons who want to use computers to search for information on the Internet. Other commonalities between the two sectors include the shared vision of campus networks, the short­ age o f staff and funds, and the struggle to cre­ ate or adapt flexible facilities with adequate infrastructure. Information, technology, and services were recurrent subthemes throughout the conference. According to Ann Rhodes, the first keynote speaker and vice-president o f human resources for Doubletree Hotels, “culture and attitude have as much effect on service as skill.” One tech­ nique used by Doubletree to improve service is “care committees” in which staff discuss or­ ganizational culture and how to implement policies. Rhodes advocated an employee-cen­ tered cu ltu re as o p p o sed to a cu stom er- centered one because happy employees will produce satisfied customers. She also spoke of a passion for service and an environment where “not all people are treated equally, just fairly.” In the seco n d k ey n o te ad dress, Ja m e s Johnson (Emory University) outlined the dream o f IT as “to use computer technology to solve problems, to access information, to enhance le a rn in g .” T h e cu rren t d igital age is the confluence o f computers, communications, and in fo rm atio n (c o n te n t). Jo h n s o n d ecla re d Netscape to be a breakthrough technology b e­ cause it is changing the way people think and making it possible for the global community to use the information that we have created. In­ formation has no value unless it is communi­ cated and shared. Producing a vision Participant presentations were clustered into eight tracks, including user services, client/ server, policies and standards, new technolo­ gies, networking and telecommunications, pro­ fessional development, and academic comput­ ing and libraries. Carolyn Snyder (Southern Illinois University) illustrated joint library/IT projects with an excellent video. Librarians from Vanderbilt University and Western Michigan Laverna M. Saunders is dean o f the library, instructional and learning support at Salem State College, Massachusetts; e-mail: saunders@noble.mass.edu mailto:saunders@noble.mass.edu M arch 1 9 9 6 / 1 5 7 Rhodes advocated an employee- centered culture . . . because happy em ployees w ill produce satisfied customers. University showcased their collaborative efforts with computing to develop discipline-specific Internet training. At Vanderbilt, librarians now provide the campus W eb pages, and the IT consultant becam e the library’s liaison to the computer center. Lance Query (Western Michi­ gan) expressed his vision for training as pro­ viding “every student equal access to resources on the Internet.” In the strategic planning track, Maureen Sullivan (ARL) and Patrick Calhoun (University o f South Carolina) gave a case study. As a re­ sult o f severe financial constraints, the Univer­ sity o f South Carolina com bined central com ­ puting, libraries, distance education, and media production prior to beginning formal strategic planning. Broad staff participation in the plan­ ning process produced a vision, clarified val­ ues, and new unit objectives. A popular topic—the Web O ne o f the most popular topics at the confer­ ence was the World Wide Web. Several pre­ conferences provided tutorials about the Web and how specific institutions are using it. The implementation o f campus Web sites and the development o f homepages was yet another model o f library and IT collaboration. Rob Aken (University o f Kentucky) said that users expect to find relevant material quickly on the Web. Librarians know the needs o f users and are well suited to compile information and establish links to Web sites. New roles for subject specialists include searching, evaluating, and organizing W eb information, making presentations to user groups, and maintaining local site content. A synthesis o f the presentations indicates that libraries, as an integral part o f campus infor­ mation systems, are part o f a new paradigm which includes many elements and challenges. Client-server technology is necessitating system migration from mainframes. The Web allows the expansion of information services in broader ways. To support the new environment, we need multimedia facilities and electronic class­ rooms that incorporate a cable infrastructure that facilitates data, voice, and video. Politically, networks belong to the whole cam­ pus, not just computing or the library. A knowledge organization Institutions are continuing to make large capital investments in technol­ ogy, and the technology changes constantly. Strategic planning is es­ sential to manage change and guide organiza­ tions that are expected to deliver services on demand anywhere, anytime, to anyone, with a minimum o f staff. The partnership o f libraries and computing (IT) produces a “knowledge or­ ganization” which better serves the institution. CAUSE is the professional association for managing and using information technology in higher education. It concentrates on adminis­ trative computing and offers programs and pub­ lications relevant to academic librarians. One service is C a m p u s W atch‚ a free electronic newsletter covering campus IT innovations. Subscribe by sending e-mail to: mailserv@cause. colorad o .ed u with the m essage: su b scrib e campuswatch. Back issues and other informa­ tion are available on the CAUSE servers: http: //cause-ww w.colorado.edu/ and gopher:// cause-gopher.colorado.edu/. The 1996 confer­ ence will be held in San Francisco. Program proposals supporting the theme “Broadening Our Horizons: Technology, Services, Informa­ tion” may be sent to Linda A. Chiappe, Emory University, islac@emory.edu. ■ Internet compilers sought C&RL News seeks compilers for subject lists o f Internet resources. Since 1993 the News has published lists of Internet resources by subject area to serve as a handy guide to Net users. Articles have covered a variety of topics in areas such as religion, politics, and engineering. While listservs dominated the articles in 1993, today lists are a com pen­ dium of World Wide Web sites, electronic journals, and listservs. Eleven compilers are sought for articles to be published from Sep­ tember 1996 through July/August 1997. If you’re interested in compiling an In­ ternet resource list for C&RL News‚ send an e-m ail m essage to Mary Ellen Davis at m ary.ellen.davis@ ala.org describing your suggested subject and your expertise in the area by April 22, 1996. http://www.colorado.edu/ mailto:islac@emory.edu mailto:mary.ellen.davis@ala.org