ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ February 1998 / 97 Making collections work Remote access and browsing by Dan C. Hazen Many library pundits e x p e c t an in ­creasingly electronic future as print ac­ quisitions wither away and existing hold­ ings are digitized. However, the grandiose schem es through which we would leapfrog from our paper-based collections to a vir­ tual future assume an unrealistically mas­ sive deployment o f digitizing resources. The thoughtful utilization o f scanning and digi­ tal technology, in conjunction with improved subject access and better management tools for interlibrary loan, could more plausibly provide the bibliographic and technical in­ frastructure that will allow large-scale c o ­ operation at last to take shape. The results will include revitalized hardcopy collections, more efficient and effective library opera­ tions, and enhanced services focused directly upon users and their needs. The dysfunctions of print Print-based library collections are purpose­ ful constructions w hose contents reflect a particular topic or theme. By bringing to­ gether related items, they foster a cumula­ tive coherence beyond what each work can provide on its own. Most users, however, do not pore over every document potentially relevant to their topic. Researchers instead rely on browsing, through which they first see what there is and then make very quick assessments to decide what to inspect more carefully. Collections’ cooperation, however, pre­ sumes rem ote access. Reduced acquisitions budgets enforce the same result, with addi­ tional com plications due to the lack o f a coordinated approach. From the user’s per­ spective, all off-site resources are similar in that they must be chosen sight unseen, re­ quested in accord with special procedures, and received only after a wait. The frustra­ tions are least when researchers can easily identify every item o f potential utility and then choose the books that they really want. But current trends leave users even less able to browse through the collections that they need. The pieces of the puzzle As direct access to collections subsides, cata­ log records are more and more crucial in guiding users to relevant library materials. The identification and browsing processes formerly supported by physically accessible collections must now be provided through improved bibliographic records. This requires two complementary approaches. In the first place, catalog records should be as complete as possible. Libraries use clas­ sification systems and call numbers to co n ­ struct brow sable collections. However, “less than full” bibliographic records are com m on­ place. Many materials, prom inent am ong them those sent to off-site storage facilities, receive only cursory cataloging. Classifica­ tion nu m bers and s u b je c t h ead in g s are among the first casualties as records are sim­ plified. Known item searches suffer few ef­ fects, but the omissions can stymie research­ Dan C. Hazen is librarian for Latin America, Spain, and PortuorhAbout the aut gal at Harvard University; e-mail:dchazen@fas.harvard.edu mailto:dchazen@fas.harvard.edu 98 C&RL News February 1998 / ■ ers seeking to identify larger sets o f materi­ als. More complete catalog records will help com pensate for the difficulties that arise when materials are housed beyond easy reach. Only when all bibliographic records carry organizing information like call num­ bers or subject headings can they be ar­ ranged in the seq u en ces that a brow ser would expect. There are other benefits, as well. In the first place, the consistent inclu­ sion o f classification numbers or subject headings will provide our users with access to a complete roster of relevant materials, not just those that happen to be on the shelves at a particular moment. Our “virtual stacks” will always be in order and com ­ plete. Perhaps more important, any library’s holdings can be shelved in but a single physical arrangement, to which stack-bound browsers must adjust. More complete and consistent cataloging will permit users to exploit all the sequencing flexibility that our cataloging formats and online systems can provide. E n h an ced catalogin g, in oth er words, will allow our users to generate “vir­ tual collections” of their own design. Online catalogs that permit researchers to create their own collections, however, will not address their subsequent need to “browse” these holdings and isolate the materials that they really want to see. For many years, tech­ nological limitations restricted catalog listings to database records comprised of elaborately formatted character strings, machine-readable codes, and brief snatches of text. Digital technology, as it offers new ways to present and represent information, also enables our second approach to improved bibliographic access. Electronic images that com p lem ent and en h an ce bib lio g rap h ic records may allow users seeking remote holdings to approximate and in some cases improve upon the sorts of quick inspections that they have traditionally conducted at the shelf. These image files could be limited to the title page, the table of contents, and per­ haps a page or two o f the introduction. The goal is to convey the flavor and a bit of the substance of a document, so that users can quickly inspect works online and decide what to retrieve. Our scanning resources are finite, and their deployment requires careful consider­ ation. Only very narrow coverage will be possible if we exhaust our digital energies in scanning entire works. Moreover, large- scale, full-text scanning assumes relation­ ships between research routines, extended electronic texts, and digital delivery m echa­ nisms that are still uncertain: on-screen study is tedious, massive printouts are expensive, fully searchable texts are costly and often unnecessary. Limited scanning to enhance bibliographic records, by contrast, could sig­ nificantly improve access to the bulk o f our collections. This approach also makes sense in terms of technology, econom ics, and user needs. Benefits of selective scanning Digitizing front matter is an activity that can be pursued on its own. The same holds for en su rin g m ore c o m p le te b ib lio g ra p h ic records. In each case, the advantages will affect libraries as well as users. Even greater benefits will result from a com bined ap­ proach. The possibilities include the follow­ ing: • Simplified cataloging. Cataloging could becom e quicker and cheaper if elements like long contents notes were replaced by digi­ tal images o f tables o f contents. Some of the difficulties associated with non-Roman scripts might likewise be reduced. Rare book cataloging can also bog down in painstak­ ing transcriptions o f complicated title pages. A digital picture could, literally, be worth a thousand words. • Collection management. Effective elec­ tronic browsing should enable library hold­ ings to generate the demand they truly de­ serve, without artificial distortions due to physical inaccessibility or because catalog records do not fully suggest their intellec­ tual content. Librarians can then employ ac­ curate measures of interest and use as they locate materials on-site or in remote stor­ age, decide on multiple copies or withdraw­ als, and set preservation priorities. • Cost control. It is expensive for librar­ ies to retrieve materials from remote stor­ age, and even co stlier to order a book through interlibrary loan. Online browsing will not necessarily reduce either storage retrievals or ILL activity. It will, however, encourage informed requests in which ma­ terials are used as productively as possible. C&RL News ■ February 1998 / 99 Keeping track o f all these retrievals will al­ low us to conceptualize more adequately the potential nature, role, and costs o f dis­ tributed collections. Levels o f demand for remote materials will likewise inform our efforts to improve delivery systems. • Cooperation. Scanning and improved bibliographic control are linked operations appropriate for all our libraries. But repeti­ tive scanning makes no more sense than duplicative cataloging. A coordinated ap­ proach is essential. Enhanced records, when incorporated in (and perhaps sponsored by) the bibliographic utilities, will also enable scholars to “brow se” the fullest possible uni­ verse o f materials appropriate to their re­ search. Better online catalogs and virtual brows­ ing will renew the bases for cooperative col­ lection development. Librarians will be able to associate levels o f demand with individual items, categories o f material, and entire co l­ lections. Appropriate joint strategies can then be devised for collection development, pres­ ervation, and cataloging. • The role o f technical services. Targeted s c a n n in g w ith im p ro v ed b ib lio g r a p h ic records will have a direct impact on cata­ loging. Catalogers, too often beleaguered and too easily ignored, are cartographers o f the world o f learning.1 Digital technology could substantially en h a n ce their m aps, thereby helping cataloging to fulfill its po­ tential as libraries’ quintessential user ser­ vice. • Building the digital library. The en ­ hanced catalog records and digital images proposed here should b e com plem ented with mechanisms to track interlibrary loan requests on a national level as well as within individual libraries. Items generating heavy interlibrary loan traffic will often be strong candidates for digitization. The research li­ brary community has not yet devised a com ­ pelling strategy for digitizing hardcopy hold­ ings, though our limited resources mean that any efforts must be small. A system that re­ flects informed user demand will serve us well. Conclusion Digital images can be particularly useful in conveying a sense of materials not readily at (M aking collection s w ork cont. o n p a g e 113) ACRL seeks Editor for RBML Rare Books & M anuscripts Librarianship The A ssociation of C o llege and Research Libraries (ACRL) is seeking an e dito r for the rare books journal Rare Books & M anu scrip ts L¡brariansh¡p (RBML). The RBML e d ito r is responsible for the e dito rial content of the journal and is assisted by an e d ito ria l board , p rim a rily in refereeing submissions. The editor, w h o is the c h a ir o f the RBML Editorial Board, receives submissions and sends them out to board members for their review. The editor makes the final decision on all items a p p e a rin g in the journal. The position o f editor of RBML is voluntary. The editor is app o in ted fo r a three- y e a r term and may serve a maximum of three such terms. The e d ito r recom ­ mends to the ACRL Publications Committee for their a p p ro va l w h o shall be on the jo u rn a l’s e d ito ria l boa rd and also w ho shall be book re view editor. Produc­ tion o f the journal is handled by the production m anager at ACRL Publications in C h ica g o, w ith whom the RBML edito r w orks closely. A pp o in tm e nt w ill be made by the ACRL Board o f Directors at the 1 9 9 8 ALA A nnual M eeting . The incom ing e d ito r w ill assume full responsibilities in July 1 9 9 9 after w o rk in g a ye a r w ith the outgoing editor. A p p lica n ts must be a mem ber o f ALA and ACRL. A p p lica tio n s fo r the position of e d ito r of RBML should be sent to: Hugh Thompson Director o f Publications ACRL, 5 0 East Huron St., C h ica g o, IL 606 11 Deadline for receipt of applications extended to March 1, 1998. Finalists w ill be interviewed at the ALA Annual Meeting in June 1998. C&RL News ■ February 1998 / 113 Section 2. Board of Directors. Mail or elec­ tronic votes of the Board of Directors may be taken provided they are authorized by the officers of the Association and all voting Board members are canvassed sim ulta­ neously. An affirmative vote of a simple ma­ jority of the voting Board members shall be required to pass a motion. On each mail or electronic vote, each voting Board member shall have the option of voting for or against the motion, to abstain, or to hold for discus­ sion at the next regularly scheduled meet­ ing. Time limits shall be the same as stated above in Section 1 of this article. Actions shall be confirmed at the next regular meeting of the Board. Section 3. Committees. Mail or electronic votes of duly constituted committees may be taken by the chair of such committees. An af­ firmative vote of a simple majority of the com­ mittee members shall be required to pass the motion. Voting option and time limits shall be the same as stated above in Section 2 of this article. Section XXI: Parliam entary a u th o rity The parliamentary authority used by this As­ sociation shall be the same as that used by the American Library Association. Article XXII: Am endm ent of bylaws Section 1. Proposals. Amendments to the bylaws may be proposed by the Board of Directors; by any standing committee of the Association in writing to the Board of Direc­ tors; or by a petition signed by 25 or more members of the Association. Section 2. Board action. A proposed amendment to the bylaws shall be voted upon by Association members after it has been approved by a majority of the Board members present and voting at two consecu­ tive meetings held not less than two months apart. Section 3 . Notice. Written notice of the text of the amendment shall be provided to mem­ bers at least one month before consideration. Section 4. Voting. Amendments may be voted upon by members either by mail bal­ lot or at a public membership meeting. a) If by mail ballot, the bylaws amend­ ment is accepted if a majority of those mem­ bers participating vote in favor of the amend­ ment. b) If at a public membership meeting, the bylaws amendment is accepted if a ma­ jority vote of the members, present and vot­ ing, vote in favor of the amendment. Section 5. Adoption. If not otherwise specified, a proposed amendment becomes effective as soon as it has been approved as described above. (NASULGC cont. from page 101) American Universities. The upshot of the stimu­ lating, wide-ranging conversation was twofold. First, it became clear that at least some pro­ vosts now realize that many “library” issues, such as the spiraling cost of serials or the li­ censing difficulties of digital information, are really systemic issues for the whole academy to grapple with. The second result was an invitation for librarian participation in a half­ day program at the Council on Academic Af­ fairs’ summer meeting, and consequent op­ portunity to bring these matters to the attention of many more of the member chief academic officers. There will also be a separate summer meeting of the Commission on Information Technology in conjunction with the Com­ missions on Outreach and Technology Trans­ fer and on Extension, Continuing Education, and P u blic Service on the theme: “Cyberpartners: Will It Change the Way We Collaborate?” It will be held June 3-5 at the Chicago Hilton and Towers. While only 15 or so librarians participated in the NASULGC Annual Meeting, it is hoped that more will attend and form a visible presence at this summer program. NASULGC is comprised of some 180 land- grant and public colleges and universities, all of whose librarians fall under that member­ ship eligibility. It is an influential organization whose attention is increasingly riveted on all the issues of importance, both to individual libraries and to ACRL. More participation by librarians can only benefit us all. (Making collections work cont. from page 99) hand. Catalog records that routinely include subject access will enable our users to ex­ ploit the full promise of automated systems and the MARC format, at the very moment when on-site browsing takes a back seat to remote access and the associated reliance on online records. Measures to track more pre­ cisely interlibrary loan traffic will open the way both to new strategies for cooperative collection development and to the creation of a shared, cost-effective “digital library.” N ote 1. My colleague Barbara Halporn intro­ duced me to this happy phrase.