ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 84 / C &RL News Seattle ’84 pus on Capitol Hill is an historic landmark and is A lthough acad em ic lib ra ries of the P a cific Northwest are relatively young in comparison to th eir E astern co u n terp arts, th eir rem ark ab le growth and the diversity of their collections reflects the intense interest in books and libraries which has characterized the area since the mid-19th century. W hen the University of Washington was estab­ lished in 1861, residents donated 350 volumes to form a base for the first academic collection in the Washington Territory. Samuel Coombs, the first librarian at the University, not only served in that capacity but also as warden of the state peniten­ tiary, postmaster of Seattle, Secretary of the King County Agricultural Society and proud owner of the certificate for producing the best homemade beer in the Territory. A similar versatility and dogged devotion to progress characterized Coom b’s successors who guided the steady growth of the UW collection from its original 350 books to its current collection of over 4 ,000,000 volumes. The present University of Washington Libraries system has 17 branch li­ braries, a Health Sciences Library, the East Asia L ibrary, and an undergraduate library of over 150,000 volumes. Suzzallo Library, the main li­ brary for the campus, is an imposing gothic struc­ ture constructed in 1926. A modern addition to the building, reminiscent of the original gothic design, was completed in 1963. The University Libraries hold the largest collec­ tion of microforms in any ARL library, and are also proud of the Rare Book Collection, which includes a 19th century American literature collection and works of and about modern fine printing. An ex­ hibit on book arts of the Pacific Northwest will be on view from March 4 through April 12, 1984. The Pacific Northwest Collection with its impressive historical photography collection containing works of artists such as Edward and Asahel Curtis and Imogen Cunningham is also worth visiting. The variety of Seattle’s education scene is en­ hanced by its private colleges and universities. Se­ attle University, founded and operated by the Jesu­ its, has an enrollment of over 4 ,6 0 0 . The A.A. Lemieux L ibrary ’s collection of almost 200,000 volumes supports graduate and undergraduate study in many subject areas, most notably business and management, education and religious studies. Seattle Pacific University is an evangelical Chris­ tian liberal arts university, founded in 1891 by the Free Methodists. The W eter Memorial Library contains an extensive collection of archival mate­ rial on these early pioneers. The Cornish Institute, the only accredited independent college of per­ forming and visual arts in the Pacific Northwest, counts among its early faculty members Martha Graham and Mark Tobey. The Poncho Library has a small collection of 7,500 volumes covering dance, design, fine arts, and theater. The Institute’s cam ­ situated in one of the most architecturally signifi­ cant blocks in Seattle. Satisfying the educational needs of a city as di­ verse as Seattle requires a commitment to a strong community college system. The system is com ­ prised of three separate colleges, each with its own administration, faculty and distinctive character. The Seattle Central Community College, located near downtown on Capitol Hill, is the oldest and most distinctly urban college in the system. The in­ structional resource center contains the largest film collection of the system, as well as special collec­ tions in music and Braille. The South Seattle Community College was built in 1969 on a 63-acre site 10 miles southwest of the city center in close proximity to the Boeing Corpo­ ration’s plants and the Port of Seattle. The instruc­ tional resource center has particularly strong col­ le ctio n s of books, p e rio d ic a ls, and m edia in aviation and heavy duty equipment technology. North Seattle Com munity College, the third component of the system, is located in a m ajor shopping and residential area eight miles north of downtown. A m icro-com puter laboratory will soon be integrated into the services of the college’s instructional resource center, which will make available 15 IBM PC ’s and an equal number of Ap­ ples for the use of the college community. As p a rt of th e P a c ific N o rth w est’s a ctiv e bookselling community, many book shops special­ izin g in a n tiq u a r ia n m a te ria ls can be found throughout the Puget Sound region. In the 15 shops located in downtown Seattle and the 20 more situ­ ated in various other districts of the city, a collector can pursue a wide variety of subject specialities. Western Americana, literature on exploration and travel and items relating to native Americans are prevalent. Many book shops complement these re­ gional interests with stocks specializing in illus­ trated books, art, literary first editions or historical children’s books. Sales in general books are led by the University Book Store, the largest university book store under a single roof in the United States. Seattle has indi­ vidual stores highlighting the cinema, computers, architecture, children’s literature, astrology, reli­ gion, politics, aviation and travel. One well- known Seattle shop, Elliott Bay Book Company in Pioneer Square, features an underground restau­ rant which provides hundreds of books for the lunch time reader. A CRL Conference attendees who wish to visit any, or all, of Seattle’s academic libraries may in­ quire at the Hospitality Desk for specific directions and hours of opening. A detailed list of new and an­ tiquarian bookshops will be provided in a brochure on book stores, museums and libraries, available at the Conference. ■■ Current LC Subscriptions/ The new computer-produced Library of Congress National Union Catalogs on Advanced Library Systems microfiche offer expanded coverage, more flexibility, more convenience and more effective searching capability than has ever been possible before. Yet the low cost makes them accessible to libraries of all types and sizes. State-Of-The-Art Efficiency For Your Library, The new N U C Books is in index/ register format. Now you can search the comprehensive collection of current catalog records produced by the Library of Congress and some 1500 North American libraries not only by name, but by title, subject and series as well. The indexes are cumulated each month. A single look-up will complete a search in most cases. The full bibliographic record can then be located in the register in seconds. The new N U C microfiche can be used alone as a pri- mary bibliographic source, or to comple­ ment your other biblio­ graphic tools for catalog­ ing, acquisitions, inter- library loans, biblio­ graphic verification, reference and research. Free Trial A LS can also provide current sub­ scriptions to the LC N U C U .S. Books; Audiovisual Materials; Music, Books on Music and Sound Recordings; Carto­ graphic Materials; Register of Addi­ tional Locations; LC Subject Headings; and Name Authorities. A LS offers a free 30-day trial to introduce you to the benefits of a current subscription. Retrospective LC Catalogs. A LS is the only source for the com­ plete microfiche retrospective collection of the LC N U C from 1898; Subject Catalog from 1950; Audiovisual Materials from 1953; and Music, Books on Music and Sound Recordings from 1953. Our new, low prices make it possible for more librarians to acquire the complete collection or individual segments. This year, take a giant step toward better bibliographic control. Keep your National Union Catalogs on ALS microfiche. They’re surprisingly afford­ able. They reduce shelf space over paper catalogs by 94% . And they offer more efficiency than ever before. The Biggest Advance In Bibliographic Control Is Just One Small Step Away