ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 982 / C&RL N e w s ■ N o vem b er 2001 C o l l e g e & R e s e a r c h L i b r a r i e s News Getting a handle on library publications Balancing creativity and consistency— the University of Iowa Libraries’ publication guidelines by Hope Barton and Michael Levine-Clark L ib raries re g u la rly p u b lis h a w id e ra n g e o f m aterials fo r a v a r ie ty o f reason s: to in stru c t a b o u t th e u s e o f p a rtic u la r r e ­ s o u r c e s , to in fo rm a b o u t lib rary se rv ice s, to a n n o u n c e p ro gra m s, a n d to re p o rt o n g o a ls a n d a ctiv ities. B e c a u s e su c h p u b li­ catio n s are vita l to o ls fo r r e a c h in g a n d in ­ fo rm in g u sers, it is im p orta n t that th e y b e r e a d ily id e n tifia b le a n d re fle c t w e ll u p o n the lib rary system . T h e U n iversity o f Io w a L ibraries’ E x e c u ­ tive C om m ittee, a lo n g w ith an a d h o c c o m ­ m ittee fo rm e d to in v e s tig a te the lib r a r ie s ’ p u b lic a tio n s , d e te rm in e d that the p u b lic a ­ tion s c re a te d b y th e v a rio u s units o f the Libraries h a d d e v e lo p e d d isp a ra te styles a n d w e r e o fte n n o t d is tin g u is h a b le as b e ­ in g issu e d b y the sam e o v e r a r c h in g o r g a ­ nization. B e ca u se the n u m b er o f th ese p u b ­ lic a tio n s w a s in c r e a s in g in step w ith the lib ra rie s ’ g r o w in g lib rary in stru ction , o u t­ reach , a n d e le c tr o n ic in itiativ es, this b e ­ c a m e a m atter o f c o n c e rn . W ith this p roblem in mind, the P ublica­ tions Review Advisory Committee (PRAC) w as established to d e v e lo p a form al set o f p ub li­ cations guidelines for materials p ro d u ce d b y the libraries. (PRAC is currently b e in g reco n ­ stituted to b e c o m e the Public Relations A d v i­ sory Com m ittee and w ill h ave a subcom m it­ tee for m aintaining the guidelines.) G o als of p ub licatio n g u id e lin e s From th e b e g in n in g , PRAC w a n te d to e n ­ su re c o n s is te n c y a cro ss all o f the lib r a r ie s ’ p u b lic a tio n s w ith o u t s a c r ific in g a u th o r s ’ fle x ib ility o r crea tivity . W h ile it w o u ld b e n e c e s s a r y fo r th e g u id e lin e s to in c lu d e r e ­ q u ire m e n ts, th e g ro u p w a n te d th e g u id e ­ lin es to p r o v id e s ta ff w ith a “to o lk it” to assist th e m in cre a tin g and r e v is in g p u b li­ c atio n s. In a d d itio n , it w a s im p o rtan t that p u b lica tio n s, e s p e c ia lly th o se p ro d u c e d on short n o tice for u p c o m in g classes, n o t n e e d a p p r o v a l p rio r to p r o d u c tio n . PRAC m e m ­ b e rs e m p h a tic a lly d id n o t w a n t to p o lic e p u b lic a t io n s . H o w e v e r , to m o n ito r th e g u id e lin e s ’ s u c c e s s a n d to re v is e th em a c ­ c o r d in g ly , PRAC d id d e c id e that all p u b li­ c a tio n s s h o u ld b e su b m itte d to PRAC after th e y h a d b e e n w ritten a n d d istrib u ted. D evelo p ing p ub licatio n le v e ls T h e first step in d e v e lo p in g g u id e lin e s w as About the authors Hope Barton is coordinator o f Collection Management and Materials Processing, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences‚ University o f Iowa, e-mail: hope-barton@uiowa.edu; Michael Levine-Clark, formerly state and international documents librarian, University o f Iowa, is now reference librarian/liaison for Non-Traditional Programs, Penrose Library, University o f Denver, e-mail: midark@du.edu mailto:hope-barton@uiowa.edu mailto:miclark@du.edu C&RL News ■ November 2 0 0 1 / 983 to review the literature and publication guidelines developed by other institutions. This w as helpful but still left the group w ithout a m odel that em braced the high level o f flexibility it felt was crucial given the wide range o f publications produced w ith in th e lib ra ry sy ste m . PR A C th en looked at the m odel that had unofficially come to govern the U niversity o f Iowa Li­ braries W eb site. Web oriented though it was, this model met the goals PRAC was striving for. The ba­ sic scheme was hierarchical but allowed a great deal of flexibility in terms of style and content. The top level (that is, the topmost pages of the site) was the most stringent in terms o f requirements (though still not very), with the stringency decreasing rapidly as one moved toward “lower” levels. Realizing it w ould be difficult to define levels w ithout first exam ining the librar­ ie s ’ p u b lish in g o u tp u t, PRAC g ath ered about 100 publications o f various types from all units. These publications w ere re­ view ed in light o f both style and content and grouped into categories (e.g., class handouts, announcements o f events or ser­ vices, guides, official policies). U ltim ately more than 20 categories were identified. Although the categories were very use­ ful in helping the group focus on w hat was needed to cover all situations, they were not p recise enough to d ifferen tia te the variations and com binations o f docum ent types. After much brainstorm ing, two variables were identified to help differentiate the publications into levels: the intended m ag­ nitude o f distribution; and the degree o f perm anence. Using these criteria, a grid was created plotting degree o f permanence on the y-axis and intended m agnitude o f distribution on the x-axis. All publication categories were then m apped on the grid. W hen the categories had been plotted, the levels becam e obvious. Four levels emerged, as follows: • L e v e l 1: Publications that tended to be ephemeral in nature and that were gen­ erally not for w ide distribution. Included were print and electronic internal policies, class handouts, and handouts for confer­ ence sessions created by individual staff members. • L e v e l 2: Publications that were som e­ w hat perm anent in nature, w ith a wide dis­ tribution beyond the libraries on campus or else external to the campus. Included were print and electronic service forms, an­ nouncem ents o f events and program s, and conference handouts created by the librar­ ie s’ units. • L evel 3: Publications that were rather perm anent in nature, w ith generally cam ­ pus-w ide or wide off-cam pus distribution. Included were print and electronic guides to b ib lio g ra p h ic and n o n b ib lio g ra p h ic tools, service guides, maps, and announce­ ments aim ed prim arily off-cam pus. • L e v e l 4: Publications having a high level o f perm anence, w ith w ide off-cam - pus distribution. Included w ere print and electronic official policies and guidelines (e.g., collection developm ent policies, in ­ form ation for donors o f gifts-in-kind, cir­ culation policies), promotional publications w ith an em phasis on services, publicity for recurring events (e.g., exhibitions), and the libraries hom e-page. G u id e lin e e le m e n ts W ith the levels established, PRAC began to identify required and optional elem ents (e.g., the lib raries’ full name and logo) to be included on publications in each level. D epending on the level, these elements w ould be required (generally the case for the higher levels); optional (generally the case for the low est level); or “as appropri­ ate.” The guidelines do not specify where the elem ents are to be placed in the pub­ lication, allow ing authors to tailor the fo r­ mat o f the docum ent to its content and audience. The elem ents that were defined are: • U niversity o f Iowa Libraries name • Contact inform ation • Date • A uthor • Unit name • Libraries’ logo • URL (for electronic publications) D o c u m e n ta tio n a n d p re s e n ta tio n to s ta ff W ith the guidelines created, PR A C ’s next challenge was to develop docum entation that w ould incorporate the levels, defined 984 / C&RL News ■ November 2001 Glossary of terms A. C o lu m n H eadings 1. “UI Libs’ name”: This should appear on the first page o f a print publication or near the top of an electronic publication as a heading, or a label, or in some other way that clearly indicated the UI Libraries’ prov­ enance. 2. “Contact info”: Provide the means by which the creator (or another person or unit, if appropriate) can be contacted. 3. “Date”: Date of creation, revision, or modification as most appropriate. 4. “Author": Person, department, or unit responsible for creating the document. 5. “Unit name”: Branch library, depart­ ment, and/or unit within a branch library or department. 6. “Logo”: The logo will be provided on stationery and templates, and in electronic format. The logo consists of a graphic and te x t. 7. “Refer to style sheet”: A style sheet is provided to assist with preferred formats for citations, locations with call numbers, typ­ ing instructions, and use o f branch libraries names. B. Levels 1. “Levels”: Refers to extent that specific formats and/or information are required. The “level” is ordinarily predicated on the mag­ nitude o f distribution and the degree of permanence of the publication. 2. “Scale”: Level 1 (lowest) = fewest num­ ber o f requirements; Level 4 (highest) = greatest number o f requirements. C. K e y to Q u ick G uide Table 1. “Required”: Must be used unless there are special circumstances (in purpose or design) as determined by the author’s su­ pervisor with approval from Libraries ad­ ministration (director’s level). 2. “Optional”: A t the discretion of the author and/or supervisor of the publication. 3. “As Appropriate”: To be determined by the author and/or supervisor of the pub­ lication. elem en ts, and p e rm an e n ce /d istrib u tio n concept, and also be user-friendly and ac­ commodate a variety o f learning styles. The guidelines w ould be successful only if they could be used efficiently and effectively. As the group discussed how to present this inform ation clearly and logically, it be­ cam e ap p aren t th at sev e ral su p p o rtin g pieces o f inform ation were needed to con­ vey the various aspects o f the guidelines. As a result, a sectional approach was cho­ sen for the docum entation. • In tr o d u c tio n : The introduction ex­ plains the purpose o f the guidelines and how they are to be used, em phasizing their dynamic nature and “unpoliced” nature and also encouraging questions and sugges­ tions. • Q u ic k G u id e: In table form at, the quick guide maps the type o f publication by level and the defined elem ents (UI Li­ braries name, contact info, date, etc.). Each cell in the table contains a code indicating w hether the elem ent is required (R), op­ tional (O), or used “as ap p ro p riate” (A). • G lo s s a r y o f T erm s: This section de­ fines the elem ents, levels, and other term s c o n ta in e d in th e d o c u m e n ta tio n (see sidebar above). • S tyle Sheet: The style sheet contains requirem ents for levels two through four as w ell as conventions for citation form a­ tion, call num bers, keyboard conventions, an d n am es o f th e lib r a r ie s ’ u n its (see sidebar on page 985). • D e ta ile d H e lp C hart: This chart con­ sists o f the original grid used to chart all publication types and to define publica­ tio n levels. It m aps publication types/lev- els by degree o f perm anence and m agni­ tude o f distribution/readership. • D e ta ile d H e lp E x a m p le s : The ex­ am ples contained here show the lib raries’ com m on publication types, m apping them into the four publication levels. The documentation, still considered a draft, was developed in both print and electronic versions. The print version was distributed to managers o f all of the libraries’ units and the electronic version was posted on the Web. C&RL News ■ Novem ber 2001 / 985 After the guidelines were announced and distributed, PRAC conducted a library forum at which the guidelines were discussed. At the forum, a number of questions and com­ ments arose, and some of this feedback was incorporated into the guidelines and docu­ m entatio n. P rin t and electro n ic (h ttp :// ww w . lib. uiowa. edu/prac/ guidelines. pdß ver­ sions o f the finalized guidelines were then made available. The guidelines in action Since the guidelines were developed, a sec­ tion on incorporating university and federal guidelines on nondiscrimination and accom­ modations statements into publications has been added. Also, the guidelines have un­ dergone some fine-tuning in response to ques­ tions and comments received from publica­ tion authors. As a result, a FAQ section has b e e n a d d e d to th e W eb s ite (h ttp :/ / www.lib.uiowa.edu/prac/faq.html). Addition­ ally, several versions of the libraries’ logo and a template, both in downloadable form, have been added to the site. PRAC hopes to de­ velop more templates to assist authors with their publication efforts. As mentioned earlier, it was not PRAC’s intent to police the guidelines. Units within the libraries are not expected to rewrite ex­ isting publications in order to bring them into line with the guidelines. Instead, the guide­ lines are to be used when revising or updat­ ing publications in the norm al course o f events. Because staff sometimes forget about the guidelines, PRAC periodically sends out a call via e-mail asking individuals and units to submit a copy o f updated and new publi­ cations. It is hoped this will also create an opportunity for authors to share questions and comments with others and help PRAC fur­ ther fine-tune the guidelines. Conclusion Thus far, the “Publications Guidelines for Print and E lectro n ic P u b lica tio n s” created by PRAC appear to be m eeting the com m ittee’s goal o f com bining flexibility w ith co nsis­ tency. A uthors have been able to create publications w ithout having th eir creativ­ ity stifled. The requirem ents can be fit into publications in m any different w ays and are beginning to im bue the entire range of publications w ith a sufficiently consistent appearance. Users can now recognize University of Iowa Libraries publications for what they are and determine whom to contact for more in­ formation. The guidelines, while not being burdensome for authors (and in some cases, making their work easier) have clarified the provenance of library publications and thus benefited both the University of Iowa Librar­ ies and its community o f users. ■ Style sheet 1. C itation form at: When providing full citations for information sources, follow a style manual appropriate for the field, e.g., Chicago/Turabian, MLA, APA. 2. C ita tio n f o r e le c tr o n ic sou rces: Make the format o f full citations to elec­ tronic sources consistent within a publica­ tion, and follow either 1) formats offered by field-specific style manual for electronic sources or 2) a widely accepted style manual for electronic sources. 3. Call num bers: When spelling out lo­ cations with call number of cataloged items, first give the location, as it is phrased (or would be phrased) in LCAT. Then provide the call number as it is spelled out (or would be spelled out) in LCAT. Example: MAIN E 445 .S7 S39 1997. If this information is pro­ vided after the title o f the item (or its full citation) has been provided, enclose the in­ formation in parentheses. 4. K ey b o a rd co n ven tio n s: In instruc­ tional publications, when indicating exactly what a library user is to type, use lowercase and bold, e.g., k=apes an d (sig n adj lan ­ guage). But where uppercase in necessary, use uppercase. Some other examples of usage in indicating what the user is to type: 1) ty p e e x p k ‹E N T E R › 2) ty p e k=