ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 796 / C& RL News tio n in to o n e ’s re s e a rc h is still view ed by m any as th e resp o n sib ility o f th e individual r e s e a rc h e r or rese a rc h team . W ith som e n o tab le exceptions, r e ­ se a rc h e rs m ake u se o f th e services o f re fe re n c e librarians only occasionally, in my opinion, because o f rese a rc h e rs’ p ercep tio n s about th e ir own central role in th e e n tire research process. T h e established faculty re s e a rc h e r is, in tu rn , th e te a c h e r o f th e fu tu re re s e a rc h e r, p e rp e tu a tin g in m any cases th e value o f se lf-re lia n ce in th e re s e a rc h p ro cess, d e ­ spite its growing complexity and scope o f m astery.7 O ne m ig h t sp e c u la te th a t d e s p ite th e lack o f c le a r re s e a rc h e r d e m a n d o r ex p e cta tio n , th e a c a ­ d e m ic re s e a rc h lib rary m u st a c c e p t th e m ajo r r e ­ sponsibility for m anaging th e in creasing com plex­ ity o f th e re s e a rc h process. R a th e r, I se e th e aca­ d em ic re s e a rc h lib rary playing a s h a re d role in a d d re ssin g th e g r e a te r in tric a c ie s o f in fo rm a tio n n e e d s fo r re se a rc h . I believe th a t g ra d u a te a n d professional school program s in all academ ic disci­ p lin e s m u st sh are in th is resp o n sib ility as w ell, th ro u g h refo rm in th e ir c u rricu la in o rd e r to b e tte r p r e p a r e s tu d e n ts to b e c o m e effectiv e a n d a d a p t­ able r e s e a rc h e rs . I believe th a t th e c o m p u te r c e n ­ te rs on u n iv ersity cam puses m u st also play an 7See M iksa’s discussion o f g r e a te r r e s e a rc h e r se lf-re lia n ce w h ich o c c u rre d in th e la te 19th c e n ­ tu ry as a re s u lt o f significant lib rary changes. im p o rta n t s h a re d role, c o lla b o ra tin g w ith th e r e ­ se arc h lib ra ry a n d th e various a c ad e m ic d e p a r t­ m en ts in tailo rin g tec h n o lo g y to sp ecialized r e ­ se arc h n e e d s a n d p a rtic ip a tin g in th e p re p a ra tio n o f advanced stu d e n ts to acq u ire th e m ore in -d e p th re se a rc h a n d tec h n ic a l skills th e y will need. In conclu sio n , I b e lie v e o n e m u st e x p an d th e “p a ra d ig m o f th e a c ad em ic lib ra ry o rg a n iz a tio n ” w h ich M iksa discusses in his p a p e r to th e b ro a d e r vision o f th e r e s e a rc h university. In m y view th e academ ic research library should be one im portant p a rticip a n t in addressing th e grow ing com plexities o f th e re s e a rc h p ro c e ss— w o rk in g closely w ith o th e r c a m p u s o rg an izatio n s a n d a c ad e m ic p r o ­ gram s, sharing expertise an d reso u rces, building on th e stre n g th s o f th e p a rtic ip a n ts (in clu d in g th e library’s collection), and, as ag ro u p , develo p in g th e a d d e d services a n d p ro g ram s to m e e t th e e x p an d ­ ing re s e a rc h re q u ire m e n ts .8 M oreover, librarians m u st th o ro u g h ly u n d e rs ta n d r e s e a rc h e r e x p e cta ­ tions reg a rd in g re s e a rc h su p p o rt from th e library, n o t c o n fu sin g o u r p e rc e p tio n s o f w h a t th e r e ­ s e a rc h e r n e e d s w ith w h at th e r e s e a rc h e r values m ost a b o u t th e library. 8D avid W. Lewis provides an ex cellent analysis o f th e ch an g in g a c ad em ic re s e a rc h lib ra ry in c o n ­ tex t in his “In v e n tin g th e E le c tro n ic U n iv ersity ,” College a n d R esearch L ib ra rie s 49 (July 1988): 291-304. The future o f reference II: Discussion summary By William Kopplin Reference Librarian U niversity o f Texas at A u stin T h e d e b a te following th e p a n e l’s p re s e n ta tio n s seem ed to keep retu rn in g to th re e cen tral concerns abo u t th e new p arad ig m . O ne, is th e p ro p o se d new p a ra d ig m valid? Tw o, if valid, how do th e service im plicatio n s o f th e n e w m odel c h a n g e th e tra d i­ tio n al lib rary in fra stru c tu re in such te rm s o f staff­ ing, access, and funding? And th re e , if th e re are two valid m odels o f academ ic librarianship, one collec­ tio n -b a se d a n d o n e u se r-b a se d , w h e re a re w e now in re la tio n to th e tw o m o d els? W h ile th e d e b a te flow ed b a c k an d fo rth b e tw e e n th e s e p o in ts, th e following sum m ary p re s e n ts th e c o m m e n ts in th e ­ m atic ord er. Where are we now? T h e first re sp o n se from th e a u d ie n c e im m e d i­ ately le n t w eig h t to th e validity o f th e p ro p o se d m odel. H a ro ld Billings, d ire c to r o f th e G e n e ral L ib ra rie s, n o te d th a t th e tw o m o d els w e re not necessarily in opposition b u t only th e c u rre n t e n d ­ p o in ts along a c o n tin u u m . O n a m ap, th e G e n e ral L ib ra rie s w o u ld b e b e tw e e n th e tw o p o in ts. T he c u rr e n t m ap is o n e “fre e z e -fra m e ” in an ongoing a n d endless series o f “sn a p sh o ts-in -tim e .” In a c tu ­ ality, th e library resid e s in a very dynam ic e n v iro n ­ m e n t c o n sta n tly in a sta te o f tran sitio n . T h e library October 1989 / 797 is m oving to w a r d s th e n e w p a ra d ig m , b u t n o t m ovingío it. As w e a p p ro a c h th e m o d e l, th e m o d e l will resh a p e a n d c h a n g e . A key e le m e n t o f th e u s e r - d e m a n d p a ra d ig m is its tran sfo rm atio n al q u a litie s. I t is v e ry d iffic u lt fo r th e lib rary to p u t in p la c e a s y ste m w h ic h in e f f e c t requires a u se r to c o m e a n d u s e w h a t w e v isualize as new re q u ire m e n ts fro m th e m o n u s in g th e lib ra ry . This is rem in isc en t o f t h e sto ry o f le a d in g a h o r s e to w a te r w ith a r e s is ta n t h o rs e a n d u n d e f in e d w a te r. Billings c o n tin u e d b y n o tin g t h a t t h e n e w m odel’s tra n s fo rm a tio n a l n a tu r e p la c e s c ritic a l dem ands o n m a n a g e m e n t. A m a n a g e m e n t s y ste m m ust be p u t in to p lace th a t c a n h a n d le th e c h a n g in g conditions o f b o th e n d -p o in ts . W h ile th e lib ra ry is tra n sfo rm in g in its m o v e m e n t to w a rd s t h e m o d e l, th e library will n e v e r give u p t h e c o lle c tio n . T h e new m a n a g e m e n t s tr u c tu r e w ill lik e ly r e c a ll t h e C o lu m b ia lib ra ry m o d e l o f t h e la te 1960s o f f u n c ­ tional b u re a u c ra c y . I t w ill d e f in ite ly n o t b e a fla t- p a p e r o rg a n iz a tio n a l sy ste m . T h e c u r r e n t s tr a in and conflicts are a lre a d y m o v in g u s aw ay fro m a h i ­ erarchical stru c tu re . What are the implications? A fter d isc u ssin g w h e r e a c a d e m ic lib r a rie s a re currently, q u ite a few a u d ie n c e m e m b e rs h a d s p e ­ cific questions a b o u t p r e s e n t p ra c tic e s a n d p olicies. O ne lib ra ria n w a n te d to k n o w a b o u t t h e M A R C form ats a n d w h y th e y w e r e a th in g o f t h e p a s t. Miksa re s p o n d e d th a t M A R C w as n o t a th in g o f th e past, b u t it w as c le a rly i n a d e q u a te t o m e e t t h e needs o f th e fu tu r e . M iksa r e m in d e d th e a u d ie n c e that M ARC was d e v ise d u n d e r lim ite d g o a ls. I t w as largely a sp in -o ff fro m a m a n u a l system . M A R C w as definitely n o t a d e q u a te fo r s u b je c t se arc h in g , o r fo r pulling u p p a rts o f w h o le th in g s, su c h as c o n fe re n c e p ro ce e d in g s a n d m u lti-w o rk ite m s . M ik sa d id n o t know w h a t w o u ld ta k e t h e p la c e o f M A R C , b u t h e stated t h a t w e t o le r a t e it b e c a u s e w e h a v e t h e collections a v a ila b le in -h o u s e . W e c a n go to t h e shelves a n d b ro w s e to f in d s o m e th in g . T h is b r o w s ­ ing b a ck u p c u r r e n tly co v e rs th e d e fic ie n c ie s in o u r p re s e n t c a ta lo g s. As w e m o v e to a m o re c o m p le x and s o p h is tic a te d s y s te m w h ic h is n o t l im ite d b y location, w e f in d a g ro w in g n e e d t o in v e n t a n e le c tro n ic b ro w s in g e q u iv a le n t t h a t w ill l e t u s search r e m o te r e s o u r c e s . W e n e e d a n e le c tr o n ic su rro g a te b ro w s in g s y ste m t h a t allow s fo r t h e equivalent o f d ir e c te d w a n d e rin g . H istorically, o u r public c a r d c a ta lo g s a n d e a rly e le c tr o n ic c a ta lo g s have n o t b e e n a d e q u a te to a c co m p lish t h is . As so o n as we have tra n slo c a l c o llectio n s, a c o n d itio n w e a re already a p p ro a c h in g , w e w ill n e e d g r e a tly im ­ proved s e a rc h a n d re tr ie v a l c a p a b ilitie s. O ne lib ra rian su g g e ste d th a t if th e r e is m o re th a n one m o d e l o f o rg a n iz a tio n , t h e r e is p r o b a b ly m o re than o n e e le c tr o n ic s y s te m t h a t w ill c o m e a b o u t to a n s w e r th e s e n e e d s. M iksa a g re e d . J u s t as t h e r e a re n o w a n d w ill always b e a g re a t v a rie ty o f c o lle ctio n s, t h e r e w ill b e a v a rie ty o f e le c tr o n ic sy s te m s i n t e r ­ c o n n e c tin g a n d sy n e rg iz in g r e s o u r c e s . O n e a u d ie n c e m e m b e r w a n t e d to k n o w a b o u t t h e p h y sic a l lo c a tio n o f r e f e r e n c e lib ra ria n s u n d e r th e n e w p a ra d ig m . M iksa s u g g e ste d t h a t t h e r e m ay w e ll b e n e w w o rk p a t t e r n s c o r r e s p o n d in g t o th e n e w u s e r - d r iv e n lib ra ry . L ib ra r ia n s w o u ld h a v e to b e m u c h m o re a g g re s s iv e in le a r n in g a b o u t t h e u s e r. L ib ra r ia n s w o u ld c e rta in ly n e e d to w o rk in c lo s e r p h y s ic a l p ro x im ity to r e s e a r c h e r s . P e r h a p s th e y w o u ld b e a s s ig n e d to d o r m s , to a c a d e m ic d e ­ p a r t m e n t s , o r to la b s o r r e s e a r c h c e n te r s . T h e y m ig h t b e a s sig n e d to a g e o g ra p h ic a l te r r ito ry , t e r r i ­ to rie s w h ic h w o u ld in all lik e lih o o d lay c o m p le te ly o u ts id e t h e d o m a in o f t h e lib r a ry its e lf. T h e s e r e m o t e lib r a ria n s w o u ld a c t lik e i n d e p e n d e n t a g e n ts , p a r tic ip a tin g in t h e a c tiv itie s o f t h e i r a s ­ s ig n e d t e r r it o r i e s o n a d a ily b asis. M ik sa a d m itte d th is d e c e n tra liz a tio n o f s ta ff m ay r e q u ir e a s u b s ta n ­ tia l in c re a s e in p e rs o n n e l. H e a r in g th is , s e v e ra l m e m b e r s o f t h e a u d ie n c e im m e d ia te ly b e g a n to q u e s tio n t h e fu n d in g im p li­ c a tio n s w h ic h u n d e rla y th e n e w m o d e l .T h e r e w e re q u ite a few su g g estio n s th a t c u r r e n t lib ra ry f u n d in g w as in c a p a b le o f p r o v id in g s u ff ic ie n t r e s o u r c e s to h a n d le t h e d e m a n d s o f t h e o ld m o d e l, m u c h less a n y o f th e m o re e x p e n siv e d e m a n d s m a d e b y su c h lu x u rie s as r e m o t e lib r a ria n s . T h e n e w m o d e l s e e m e d to c o n ta in a n u m b e r o f n e w im p lie d s e r v ­ ice s t h a t e x p e rie n c e w o u ld in d ic a te t o b e costly. W h ile m e m b e rs o f th e p a n e l r e m in d e d th e a u d i­ e n c e t h a t ta k in g m o n e y aw ay fro m th e c o lle c tio n in o r d e r to im p r o v e u s e r a c c e ss a n d s a tis fa c tio n was n o t h e re tic a l, M iksa a g re e d t h a t u s e r - c e n te r e d a c a ­ d e m ic lib ra rie s w o u ld r e q u ir e in n o v a tio n s in f u n d ­ in g as w e ll as n e w p a tt e r n s o f e x p e n d itu r e s . O n e o f t h e p a n e l m e m b e r s m e n t io n e d t h a t li­ b r a r ie s a re to a larg e d e g re e lo c k e d in to th e p r e s e n t e c o n o m ic s t r u c t u r e . F a c u ity m e m b e r s a re anxious to b e p u b l is h e d a n d p u b lis h e r s a r e a n x io u s to b e b o u g h t. T h e s tr a te g y o f a c a d e m ic s u b s c r ip tio n s le a d s to a v e s te d i n te r e s t in c o lle c tin g . T h e lib ra ry w ill n e v e r b e a b le to c h a n g e its c o lle c tio n -b u ild in g h a b its u n til t h e e c o n o m ic f o u n d a tio n o f s c h o la rly p u b lis h in g is m o d if ie d to a c c e p t n e w p a t t e r n s o f u s e r d e m a n d . T h e a u d ie n c e w as r e m i n d e d t h a t t h e r e is n o j u s tif ic a tio n fo r d o in g s o m e th in g j u s t b e c a u s e w e h a v e alw ays d o n e it t h a t way. M iksa a d d e d t h a t o n e a lte r n a tiv e to th is e n v ir o n m e n t o f s c h o la rly c o m ­ m u n ic a tio n w as e le c tr o n ic p u b lis h in g . T w o a u d i­ e n c e m e m b e r s q u ic k ly s ta t e d t h a t f a c u lty re s is t e le c tr o n ic p u b lis h in g a n d p re v io u s a tte m p ts in th is a re a hav e failed. M iksa a d m itte d th is w as a te c h n o l­ o gy t h a t w as still o n th e h o riz o n . A d isc u ssio n e n s u e d c o n c e rn in g M ik sa ’s su g g e s­ tio n f o r r e g io n a l c o lle c tio n s as a n a lte r n a tiv e o r 798 / C &R L News s u p p le m e n t to c u r r e n t a c a d e m ic lib ra ry c o lle c ­ tions. O ne o f th e paraprofessionals w a n te d to know if th e r e w e re any ad v a n ta g e s to e x p a n d in g th e system o f reg io n a l sto ra g e as p ro p o s e d in th e m odel. W o u ld n ’t c e n tra liz e d w a reh o u ses have th e sam e draw backs as th o se im p lie d in th e collection- b ased m odel already in o p eratio n in m any larg e r in ­ stitu tio n s? M iksa r e p lie d th a t p a rt o f th e fu n d in g p ressu res c u rre n tly b e in g felt by o u r re se a rc h insti­ tu tio n s ste m fro m th e fact th a t a c a d e m ic lib ra rie s serve as th e c h ie f c o lle ctio n agency for all o f soci­ ety. I f w e w e re to tra d e o ff c o lle ctio n em p h a sis for u s e r e m p h a sis, w e c o u ld fin a n c e th e im p ro v e d services o f th e n e w m o d el. I t m ay b e m o re e c o ­ nom ical to b u y a copy o f e so te ric m aterials n e e d e d by rese a rc h e rs and give it to th e m ra th e r th a n trying to h o ld o n to th e s e d iffic u lt-to -c o n tro l m ate ria ls in e v e r m o re ex p en siv e c o llectio n s. W h e re w as th e efficiency in th e re p e a te d collecting a n d cataloging o f n ev er-ask ed -fo r m aterial? T h e to p ic o f sto ra g e b ro u g h t u p th e s u b je c t o f w eeding. A udience m em b ers w a n te d to k now w hat was th e c u to ff age in d e te rm in in g w h e th e r m aterial sh o u ld b e r e ta in e d in a local collection. T h e r e was clearly a g re a t v ariety o f o p in io n on this p o in t. T h e p ro b le m s e e m e d to b e a lack o f a g re e m e n t in th e definition o f use. O n e o f th e p a n e l m e m b e rs sta te d th a t th e n e w p a ra d ig m m ight b e m o re applicable to p u b lic o r sp ecial lib ra rie s th a n to larg e r e s e a rc h libraries. O n e o f th e special lib rarian s quickly q u e s tio n e d th e access to reg io n a l co llectio n s. I f a c a d e m ic li­ b ra rie s w e re to b e c o m e th e m id d le m a n in a s u p ­ p lie r fo rm u la lin k in g re g io n a l s to re h o u s e s to r e ­ se a rc h e rs , w ho w o u ld b e re s p o n s ib le fo r th e sys­ tem s n e c e s s a ry to e n s u re a c c u ra te a n d tim e ly a c ­ cess? T h e e le c tro n ic system s fo r se a rc h in g a n d re trie v a l a lre ad y d isc u sse d at several p o in ts in th e d e b a te w ould n e e d to b e a d m in iste re d a n d h o u se d in som e fashion. W h e re w ould th e y re sid e ? W o u ld fu tu re academ ic libraries b e a collection o f system s in ste a d o f p a p e r? T h e q u e s tio n o f “r e s id e n c e ” o f o u r c u r r e n t d e ­ v e lo p in g in fo rm a tio n system s as w ell as th e m o re so p h istic a te d ones re q u ir e d by th e p ro p o se d u se r- c e n te r e d m o d e l was obviously a th o rn y o n e for b o th th e a u d ie n c e a n d th e p a n e l. T h e system s analysts p a rtic ip a tin g in th e d e b a te cle a rly h a d an a d v a n ta g e o v e r th e o th e r a u d ie n c e m e m b e rs in visualizing th e p ro b ab le functions a n d p o ten tia ls o f fu tu re system s. T h e difficu lties o f c re d ita b ly a n a ­ lyzing th e u n fo re s e e n fu tu re w e re su bstantial. T h e p o ssib le a n d v isionary system s o f to m o rro w w e re left som ew hat u n d e fin e d . Is it valid? T h e s h a rp e s t c ritic ism o f th e p r o p o s e d m o d el s te m m e d fro m th e re m a rk s o f o n e o f th e b ra n c h lib ra ria n s w ho d re w an analogy fro m a c u rr e n t a c a d e m ic lib ra ry to a biological o rganism . T o live, o r to fu n c tio n , a system , w h e th e r it is biological or in fo rm a tio n a l, m u st have d iv ersity a n d r e d u n ­ dancy. L ibrary.users n e e d th a t sam e d iv ersity a n d r e d u n d a n c y w h e n c re a tin g n e w id ea s th ro u g h th e p u r s u it o f re s e a rc h . In bio logical te rm s , th a t m ay m e a n a re s e rv o ir o f g e n e tic tra its w h ich can b e r e c o m b in e d in re s p o n s e to th e n e e d s o f th e e n v i­ r o n m e n t in an e n d le ss strin g o f p h ysical e x p re s ­ sions. In in fo rm a tio n a l te rm s, it w o u ld follow th a t p a tro n s w ould n e e d a reserv o ir o f m aterials to draw u p o n in re s p o n s e to th e ir n e e d s — a re se rv o ir, or c o lle c tio n , w h ic h w o u ld n ’t p re s u p p o s e th e n e e d b u t w o u ld r a th e r rely on th e s tre n g th a n d a s su re d ­ n ess th a t c o m e s fro m h av in g th e d e p th o f b a c k ­ g ro u n d to re sp o n d to any situation. Just as an excess o f g e n e tic po ssib ility m ay c o n fe r an advantage to a biological o rg an ism , an excess o f c o lle ctio n m ay a ssu re th e success o f an in te lle c tu a l in q u iry . T h e e le m en ts o f ch a n ce a n d se re n d ip ity m ay well play a p iv o ta l ro le in d e te r m in in g th e o u tc o m e o f an in fo rm atio n al exploration, p a rticu la rly w h e n q u a l­ ity is m e a s u re d as w ell as q u a n tity . In tr o d u c in g th e to p ic o f s e re n d ip ity in to th e d iscu ssio n c a u se d a few m e m b e rs o f th e a u d ie n c e to re la te p e rs o n a l e x p e rie n c e s th e y have h a d w ith patro n s. A n o th e r b ra n c h lib ra rian sk e tc h e d o u t for th e a u d ie n c e th e locally p r o d u c e d n e w serials list w h ich h e lp e d k e e p th e heavy b ro w se rs in th a t co l­ le c tio n fro m o v e r-b ro w sin g . O n e m e m b e r n o te d th a t b row sing was an im p o rta n t to o l in th e arsen al o f re fe re n c e skills, a tool th a t can certain ly c o n trib ­ u te to th e c o n fid e n c e level o f th e re fe re n c e lib ra r­ ian. C o n tin u in g th e g e n etic analogy, m em b e rs o f th e a u d ie n c e s u g g e ste d th a t if so m e o f th e th re a d s o f th e p ro p o se d m o d el w e re follow ed, u s e r-c e n te re d lib ra ries w o u ld all b e clones o f ea ch o th e r. Sim ple, flat, u s e -d riv e n n e e d w o u ld re s u lt in lin e a r c o lle c ­ tions o f n o n -in te rre la tin g m aterials. T h e re su ltin g collections w ould b e u n a b le to pro v id e th e sense o f u n e a rth in g n e w in sig h ts. T h e lack o f d iversity w o u ld stifle discovery a n d c reativ e thinking. V oid­ ing th is p u rp o s e w o u ld se rio u sly q u e s tio n th e role o f th e larg e c o llectio n . T h e s e d im e n sio n le ss u se r- collections w ould n o t have th e necessary biological “viability” fo r lo n g -te rm survival. M iksa c o n c lu d e d b y r e m in d in g th e a u d ie n c e th a t h e w asn ’t p ro p o sin g to g e t rid o f th e collection. H is p a ra d ig m o f o rg an izatio n only s ta rte d its focus from th e p e rsp e c tiv e o f u s e rs ’ needs. I t was b u ilt on filling th o se n e e d s in th e fu lle st m e a n in g o f th e te rm . U s e r sa tisfa c tio n w o u ld b e th e u ltim a te m e a s u re o f a lib ra ry ’s success. I f th e te n e ts o f th e n e w p a r a d ig m w e re follow ed, t h e r e m a y b e m o re e ffic ie n t a n d m o re e c o n o m ic a l lib ra ry services. S ervices w ith fa s te r d e liv e ry tim e s a n d th u s m o re satisfied users. O ctober 1989 / 799 It was p e rh a p s to b e e x p e c te d in a ro o m full o f bibliographers and o th e r a c a d e m ic lib ra ria n s th a t an open b roadside against m an y o f th e m o st tr a d i­ tional suppositions b e h in d th e classical co llectio n - based m odel w ould b e rigorously exam ined. I t w as. The debate c o n tin u e d w ell a fte r th e sc h e d u le d e n d of th e program . It w as a tr ib u te to th e s u b s ta n tiv e n a tu r e o f th e p r e s e n ta tio n s t h a t th e d e b a te was ively a n d c o n tin u in g . T h e n e w p a ra d ig m c h a l­ e n g e d th e a u d ie n c e ’s e s ta b lis h e d n o tio n s o f p u r ­ o se . W ith o u t p r o v id in g th e u ltim a te co n c lu sio n , h e p a rtic ip a n ts w e re in a g re e m e n t th a t th e explo­ a tio n was v a lu a b le in itself. T h e a u d ie n c e le ft eju v en ated . ■ ■ l l p t r r Letters College library leaders To th e E ditor: I read w ith a g re a t d e a l o f in te r e s t th e r e c o m ­ mendations on h o w to d evelop college lib ra ry le a d ­ ers o f tom orrow (C& R L N e w s, Ju ly /A u g u st 1989, pp. 573-74). Tve long b e e n i n te r e s t e d in ways to stren g th en lib ra ry le a d e rs h ip . D e s p ite th e a t t e n ­ tion that has b e e n fo cu sed on lea d e rsh ip , o n e o f th e most fre q u e n tly h e a r d la m e n ts a t c o n fe r e n c e s is, “W here will th e le a d e rs o f th e n e x t g e n e ra tio n come from ?” T h e a n s w e r is, if w e a re to su c c e e d , they will com e fro m w ith in th e c u r r e n t ran k s o f practitioners. W e all have a stak e in th e f u tu r e an d therefore we m u st all c o n tin u e o u r c o m m itm e n t to career developm ent, p a rtic u la rly o f th o se w ho will someday assum e th e re ig n s o f le a d e rs h ip . W ith reg a rd to th e sp e c ific stra te g ie s in c lu d e d am ongthe re c o m m e n d a tio n s, such as in te rn sh ip s , program s for n e w d ire c to r s , c re a tin g an e n v iro n ­ m ent for grow th a n d p ro v id in g p ra c titio n e rs w ith a broader p ersp ectiv e, I w o u ld like to e m p h a siz e th e im portance a n d b e n e fits o f k e e p in g a b re a s t o f n e w developm ents in th e l ite r a tu r e . A n in fo r m e d p r o ­ fessional is m o re v a lu a b le to an o rg a n iz a tio n th a n one who is n o t in fo rm e d . Some libraries a re a lre ad y h e lp fu l in this re g a rd , but m any do v irtu a lly n o th in g . M y ow n c a re e r, particularly in th e e a r lie r y e a rs, b e n e f ite d g re a tly by being in fo r m e d a b o u t w h a t w as h a p p e n in g in technical services an d lib rary a u to m atio n . K eeping track of review s h e lp e d m e to p in p o in t books th a t I might w an t to scan m o re th o ro u g h ly , e v e n if t h e r e was not tim e to r e a d th e m m etic u lo u sly . M y p o in t is that a w ell-in fo rm ed p ro fessio n al is b e tt e r able to interact w ith o t h e r p r a c titio n e r s as w ell as w ith officials o u tsid e t h e lib ra ry p ro fe s s io n . O v e r tim e readers will b u ild a solid fo u n d a tio n th a t w ill serve them well w h e n th e o p p o r tu n ity to a ssu m e a p o s i­ tion of le a d e rs h ip arises. The costs o f p u r c h a s in g p ro fe s s io n a l lite r a tu r e can becom e a financial b u r d e n fo r so m e o n e n e w to the profession. T h a t is w hy I su g g e st lib ra rie s h e lp their staffs b y ta k in g a m o re d ire c t ro le. L ib ra rie s will be served by such an in v e stm e n t.— R ic h a rd M. Dougherty, E dito r, Jo u rn a l o f A cadem ic L ibrarian- ship, U niversity o f M ichigan. Bravo for booksellers T o th e E d ito r: I w a n t to e x p re ss m y a p p re c ia tio n to a lovely g e n tle m a n a n d b o o k s e lle r, Jo h n W . T o d d o f S horey’s in S eattle. A few w eek s ago, th e U niversity o f M ic h ig a n G r a d u a te L ib ra r y ’s C irc u la tio n D e ­ p a r t m e n t r e c e iv e d a call fro m M r. T o d d ’s shop. S o m e o n e h a d in q u ir e d w h e th e r S h o rey ’s m ig h t b e i n te r e s t e d in o ld l e a t h e r b o o k s fro m a f a th e r ’s e s ta te . U p o n e x a m in a tio n , th e y p ro v e d to have b e lo n g e d , o n c e u p o n a tim e , to t h e U n iv e rs ity o f M ichigan L ib ra ry a n d it was n o t c le a r fro m th e way th e v o lu m e s h a d b e e n h a n d le d t h a t th e y h a d b e e n w ith d ra w n by us. T h e s h o rt, s w e e t e n d in g to th is slig h tly c o n v o ­ lu te d ta le is th e rec o v e ry o f 50 v o lu m e s, all h a n d ­ so m ely b o u n d , so m e scarce, o n e q u ite ra re . In th is age o f f in g e r p o in tin g a n d n a m e c a llin g a m o n g p u b lis h e rs a n d b o o k sellers a n d v e n d o rs a n d lib ra r­ ies, I w a n te d to o ffe r a p u b lic w o rd o f a p p re c ia tio n fo r th e p ro fe s s io n a l a n d c a re fu l w ay in w h ic h M r. T o d d a n d his s ta ff a t S h o re y ’s h a n d le d th is m a t­ te r .— L. Y v o n n e W u lff, A s s is ta n t D ir e c to r /o r C ol­ lection M a n a g em en t, U n iversity o f M ichigan. B etter hum or through chem istry T o th e E d ito r: N o rm a n S te v en s in C & R L N e w s, J u n e 1989, p. 4 8 2 , asks fo r m o re e v id e n c e t h a t c h e m is ts a n d c h e m is tr y lib ra ria n s h a v e a g o o d s e n se o f h u m o r. T h e classic w o rk on th is im p o r ta n t s u b je c t is Jo h n R e a d ’s H u m o u r a n d H u m a n is m in C h e m is tr y (L o n d o n : G. Bell, 1947).— Philip J. W eim e rsk irc h , S p e c ia l C o llec tio n s L ib r a r ia n , P ro v id e n c e ( R .L ) Public L ibrary. T o th e E d ito r: I w o u ld like to r e s p o n d to N o rm a n S te v e n s ’s c h a llen g e to scien ce lib rarian s. I am a firm b e lie v er th a t h u m o r is i m p o rta n t for all w o rk p lac e s, n o t j u st lib ra ries. I have 13 y ears o f m ed ic al a n d 2 72 y ears o f m a rin e sc ie n c e p ro fe ssio n a l lib ra ry e x p e rien c e , w h ic h c e rta in ly q u a lifie s m e to b e id e n tif ie d as a sc ie n c e lib ra ria n . I h o p e M r. S te v en s a n d o th e r C & R L N e w s r e a d e r s g o t a sm ile, o r m ay b e e v e n a October 1989 / 801 laugh, from my a rticle on th e applications o f M u rp h y ’s Law in lib raries, “M urphy, P arkinson, andP eter: Laws for Libraries,’’L ib ra ry Journal 113 (O cto b er 15,1988): 3 7 -4 1 . T hose colleagues w ho w rote to m e a fte r th e a rticle was p u b lish e d c e r ­ tainly c o m m e n te d on th e h u m o r, a n d tru th , o f th e article.—J e a n E . C om pton, H ead L ibrarian, H a n ­ cock L ib ra ry o f B iology a n d O c e a n o g ra p h y, Uni­ versity o f Southern California. ■ ■ Microcomputer software for bibliographic instruction statistics By Candace R. Benefi el H um anities Reference Librarian Texas A & M U niversity and Joe Jaros Instructional Services Librarian Texas A & M U niversity How to streamline your procedures fo r keeping B I records using spreadsheet software. W hile b ib lio g rap h ic in stru ctio n (BI) is a m ajor p ro je c t at m ost academ ic libraries, statistics g a th e re d c o n c e rn in g BI p ro g usually m anually com piled, a tim e-c o n su m in g process w hich o fte n yields only basic to ta ls . M ore co m p le te statistical o utlines o f BI activities are essential in providing a clear p ic tu re to library and university adm inistrations n o t only o f th e q u a n tity of BI activities, b u t also, o v e rtim e , o f th e quality o f th ese activities. Statistical rec o rd s a n d analyses may b e u se d to indicate quality in a variety o f ways, such as ongoing requests for specific p rese n tatio n s. Even a sim ple com pilation o f a BI program ’s activi­ ties, such as a listing o f th e classes receiving library in stru ctio n , will show th e n u m b e r and type o f classes and students being reached through varying m ethods o f form al p rese n tatio n . Statistics will also e n a b le th e lib rarian to c h a rt more accurately th e grow th and developm ent o f an instructional program and should suggest areas for ra fu tu re c o n c e n tra tio n o f e ffo rt. In a d d itio n , th e s e records reveal w h e th e r th e program is g eared m ore mtso waraer d basic in stru ctio n a l sessions such as to u rs a n d classroom le c tu re s, d e m o n s tra tio n s o f new services, p a rtic u la rly th o se re la tin g to a u to m a te d access to library m aterials, o r individual sessions. A d e ta ile d know ledge o f th e p ro g ra m ’s c u rr e n t c o n ­ te n t will aid in c o rre c tin g p r e s e n t p ro b le m s or im balances and in determ ining future needs, direc­ tions a n d e m p h ases. S taffing d ecisions, always a m ajo r a re a o f c o n c e rn in p la n n in g any pro g ram , should b e aided by verifiable charting o f peak tim es o f activity over an e x te n d e d perio d . A lthough m any o f th e basic p a tte rn s o f usage are self-ev id en t, especially to th e e x p e rie n c e d BI li­ b ra ria n , w ho has o b se rv e d a n d c o o rd in a te d BI activities over several years o r m ore, o fte n th e se tre n d s are n o t as a p p a re n t to a d m in istra to rs, p a r ­ ticularly those outside th e library. It n e e d hardly be s ta te d th a t an a d m in istra to r, w h e th e r at lib ra ry o r