CARLI News September 6, 2013

Read the CARLI News for the latest information on CARLI events, new and ongoing projects, product and service updates and upcoming deadlines. Issues are sent to all subscribers of the “Announce” listserv. ​

Save the Date: 2013 Annual Meeting and Directors' Meetings

The CARLI Annual Meeting will be held on November 1, 2013 at the Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center in Champaign. The sessions will feature research findings based on CARLI information or from CARLI libraries. 

A meeting of the CARLI Governing Directors will precede the Annual Meeting. More information about these meetings will be available in mid-September. 

Save the Date: Collection Assessment for Preservation Purposes

The CARLI Preservation Committee is pleased to present a webinar on “Collection Assessment for Preservation Purposes.” This webinar will be held on Tuesday, October 8, 2013 from 1:30–2:45 p.m.

In this webinar panelists will share information on assessment models that libraries with various levels of expertise and resources may use to assess their preservation needs in preparation for preservation projects, and/or grant applications to fund preservation projects.

Lorraine Olley, Library Director at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, will describe a self-assessment project based on an update of the ARL Preservation Self-Study model. Cason Snow will speak on an in-house process used by Northern Illinois University. Ross Griffiths, Director of Heritage and Legacy Collections at Illinois State University, will introduce an assessment method used at his library. There will be time at the end of the presentations for questions from attendees.

Please register for this session by October 4.

E-Resources

Access to Historical Statistics of the United States Now Available  

We are pleased to announce that all CARLI Governing member libraries now have access to the Cambridge University Press Historical Statistics of the United States.

The CARLI Board purchased this title in 2008 and since that time it has been made available to member libraries on a cost-recovery basis. The Board recently decided that access should be opened to all Governing member libraries. There are no costs to your library for this access as CARLI paid the full purchase price as well as all annual access fees. 

More information about the Cambridge University Press Historical Statistics of the United States, including an introduction, feature guide, and access information, is available from their FAQ and their site tour. 

Access is IP-based. CARLI has provided Cambridge University Press with the most recent IP ranges we have on file for your library. Please utilize the URL http://hsus.cambridge.org to verify your access. If you are unable to access the content, or if you have any questions, please email the CARLI Office.  

CARLI Closing CY13 Purchase Orders

Due to University of Illinois processing requirements, CARLI must begin closing all of the Calendar Year 2013 purchase orders, covering the period January 1, 2013–December 31, 2013.  These Purchase Orders must be closed to allow us to begin requesting purchase orders for the new calendar year beginning January 1, 2014. As a result, after September 10 we will be unable to accept new orders for the period ending December 31, 2013 for any of the following products:

• American Chemical Society: Web Editions or C&EN Online
• American Mathematical Society: MathSciNet
• ARTstor
• Association for Computing Machinery: ACM Digital Library
• Duke University: eDuke Scholarly collections
• eHRAF: Archaeology and World Cultures
• Johns Hopkins University: Project Muse collections
• JSTOR
• Nature Publishing: Nature and Scientific American 

Libraries who need to request new subscription for these products September 11–December 31 2013 will work directly with the vendors. CARLI staff will be happy to assist you in contacting these vendors and ensuring that you are offered the CARLI pricing.

CARLI will open the CY14 selection system in mid-October for subscriptions for the period January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014.
 
As always, please email the CARLI Office if you have any questions.

I-Share: New Features in the I-Share Union and VuFind Local Catalogs

The CARLI Office is pleased to announce that the I-Share union catalog and all VuFind local catalogs have been reindexed to take advantage of new RDA data elements and some previously unexploited data elements in older catalog records. Additionally, we have implemented a new search filter in the VuFind union catalog that allows users to restrict the display of e-resources to only those with their library's holdings or HathiTrust holdings. 

Changes you will see include:

• Publication dates for RDA-cataloged titles will now display correctly in the I-Share union catalog and the VuFind local catalogs.
• New format facets are now available in the I-Share union catalog and the VuFind local catalogs for eight specific media or carrier types: Audio CD, Audiocassette, Vinyl LP; Blu-ray, DVD, VHS, Film [reel]; and Slide.
• There is now a new search filter in the I-Share union catalog that will remove from the user's retrieval set any bib records for electronic resources that do not have either the user's own library's holdings or HathiTrust holdings attached to them. Users who log on or who connect to the union catalog from their local catalog (so that the URL for their connection contains an I-Share library's three-letter code) will see a new checkbox immediately below the search input box: "Hide eResources to which I don't have access." On the Advanced Search page the new checkbox appears below the "Version" limit options. 

For more information,  detailed information about the new VuFind facets.
 
For more information, read detailed information about the e-resources filter.
 
As always, please email the CARLI Office with any questions or concerns.

Preservation Tip: The Challenge of AV Preservation and Access

Submitted by: Lorraine Olley, CARLI Preservation Committee

At the 2013 American Library Association Annual Conference, the buzz was all about the Digital Public Library of America (dp.la), an organized national effort to digitize and make freely available the historical, scholarly, cultural and artistic heritage of America. DPLA, and its predecessors, including the Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, and Google Books, have dealt with vast quantities of print materials. From the preservation standpoint, print is the low-hanging fruit.  Paper-based items, whether print or manuscript, have a relatively well-understood trajectory of deterioration, and well-developed programs for preservation reformatting, first by microfilming and now by digitization. However, audiovisual materials in analog formats (AV) present a greater level of complexity in terms of the problems presented, the solutions available (or unavailable), and the cost of preservation options.

The basic preservation issues with AV materials stem from the physical characteristics of the media themselves. In contrast to paper (basically a matted sheet of cellulose fibers), AV items are a sandwich, generally consisting of a base film layer, a binder layer, and a medium layer that carries the information, either mechanical markings (sound recordings on disc), in silver halide or chemicals (motion picture film), or electromagnetic particles (audio and video tape). The deterioration of any one of these elements leads to the inability to retrieve the information recorded in the medium.  A well-known example is “sticky shed syndrome,” where deterioration of the binder layer of videotape causes the electromagnetic layer to flake off of the substrate, rendering the tape unplayable. Chemical instability, along with thin film substrate susceptible to breakage, renders electromagnetic tape notoriously unreliable, with a predicted useful life of perhaps 20 years in good storage conditions. The mechanical process of playback (tape or cassette player, turntable, motion picture projector) also damages the item each time it is employed.  Format obsolescence is also a key impediment, humorously documented at the Dead Media Project. Acquiring and maintaining playback equipment for legacy AV media are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive as the market for this equipment shrinks. 

There are three basic steps for preservation of audiovisual materials.

1. Create and maintain an optimal preservation storage environment.

As with paper-based materials, deterioration of AV materials is affected by temperature, relative humidity and exposure to light. Deterioration is a chemical process, and the energy provided by high temperatures and exposure to light, along with high levels of moisture, accelerates the process. Optimal conditions for storage of these media are fairly similar:

• Temperature range: 50 to 70 degrees F
• Relative humidity range: 20% to 40% +/- 3% fluctuation. Shellac, acetate and vinyl audio discs benefit from RH at the higher end of the range.
• Protect from sunlight and UV radiation from artificial light.
• Replace acidic sleeves and containers with inert, unbuffered materials
• Regularly monitor the environment.

2. Protect media from damage during playback

This may one of the most difficult steps, since playback always involves a mechanical process with the risk of abrasion or breakage. Playback equipment should be cleaned routinely and maintained for optimal performance. Replacing playback equipment will become increasingly difficult.

3. Plan to digitize

Many libraries may choose to digitize “on the fly” to fill patron requests for media. However, eventually, all of the AV media in library collections will become unusable as deterioration progresses and formats become obsolete. Consequently, it is essential to begin to plan for digitization for irreplaceable and unique AV items. 

• Set priorities

This is probably the single-most important step. Planning needs to be based on an inventory of the formats in the collection, the quantity of each, along with an indication for each title of its importance to the institution. The library also needs to consider the rights issue that might be involved if it intends to make digital copies of copyrighted recordings available to the public. 

• Digitize once

Capture the most accurate and most complete copy of the original. Save digital copies in lossless and nonproprietary formats. There are standards for the preservation capture of most media available at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) web site along with useful guides for project planning.

One key decision is whether to digitize in-house or outsource the work to a vendor. Considering the technical expertise (e.g., sound engineering), and specialized equipment required, most libraries will want to outsource digitization for preservation. The best way to identify reputable vendors is to ask colleagues for recommendations. Lists of digital preservation grant awardees are a good source of referrals for information about vendors for projects similar to the ones being contemplated. Contracts with vendors should require that vendors adhere to the appropriation standards and specifications detailed on the NARA site.

• Create and implement schemes for metadata for the digital formats
• Plan for preservation of the digital files themselves

Although there are many options for storing digital files (hard drives, CDs, flash drives, etc.), the best for preservation purposes may be to store them in an institutional repository, where files are routinely checked for integrity, and routinely migrated to new hardware and operating systems.

There are many sources for additional information about digital preservation of AV materials. The NARA site  is probably the most comprehensive guide to project planning, standards, preservation formats and options. The National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access gives guidance through its grant application process that will be useful to institutions planning preservation reformatting projects, whether or not they plan to apply for a grant. The technical and metadata information contained example project proposals on the NEH site are also very informative; for example the proposal to digitize audio recordings of WNYC programs 

The Indiana University Media Preservation Initiative is a model program for a large institutional AV preservation initiative; it also contains valuable guidance for many aspects of planning in smaller libraries.

Other Library News

Library Acquisition Process Forum September 24, 2013

The South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium (SMHEC) Library Committee would like to invite colleagues to attend a panel discussion with aggregators and publishers about navigating the rapidly changing environment with limited funding. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on September 24, in the "U" Building Auditorium, Room 1024, at Joliet Junior College.

The panelists will address the future of their industry, what distinguishes one company from another, the benefits of leasing vs. buying books and how SMHEC institutions can leverage their collective buying power to achieve cost savings. Representatives from Gale, Palgrave MacMillan, EBL, Ebrary, Ovid and EBSCO will participate in the panel discussion. T.J. Urbanski, Director of the Joliet Junior College Library will facilitate the discussion.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Genny Boesen. For directions, visit the JJC web site. Parking at Joliet Junior College is available in front of the “U” building.

ELUNA Great Lakes User Group 2013 Conference

The ELUNA Great Lakes User Group is excited to present the 2013 Conference October 7-8 at Loyola University's Water Tower campus in Chicago. The GLUG Conference is your opportunity to share your experiences with your peers in the Great Lakes region and beyond. We invite you to join us for knowledge and networking.
 
The Great Lakes User Group invites your contributions for presentations at this year's event. Presentations may cover aspects of Ex Libris products, use of third party products, as well as discussions on workflows and other systems that your institutions may use. Presentations may be from 30 to 60 minutes in length.  
 
Submissions are due by 5:00 p.m., Monday, September 16. For more information or to submit a proposal, visit the GLUG web site. . 

If you have any questions about the GLUG 2013 Conference, please contact Ted Schwitzner or Sherrie Kristin.

Register to Attend the 2013 ILA Annual Conference at Navy Pier

Register now to attend the 2013 ILA Annual Conference October 15-17, at Navy Pier in Chicago, The theme for the conference is "Ignite!" with fire symbolizing the burning enthusiasm of our profession, the sparking and catching of ideas, and the untamed ambition of all those who seek to offer warm atmospheres, transforming ideas, and hot services to their communities. Illinois library employees are proud to be trailblazers, consistently striving to spark new ideas for serving the burning needs of our communities. Through kindled inspiration, connectivity and collaboration, we actively share our ideas, ignite the conversation and light a path for others. 

For full conference information and to register online, visit the ILA web site. 

RDA—It's not ARmageDdon: ILA Pre-Conference October 14, 2013

Adopted March 31, 2013, Resource Description and Access (RDA) is the successor to AACR2, providing the cataloging instructions and guidelines for bibliographic resource description and discovery. This pre-conference program, intended for practicing catalogers, will provide the step-by-step basics with MARC examples for cataloging books, audiovisual, and electronic resources using RDA.

Sponsored by Mentranet (formerly the Illinois OCLC Users Group), registration for this workshop is complimentary, but limited, with 1st consideration being to former IOUG members. If you are interested in attending or have questions, please contact Mary Konkel at konkel@cod.edu. For more information, visit the workshop information page.

Code4Lib Midwest 2013

Join your library colleagues Sunday, October 13, and Monday, October 14, in Iowa City for the Code4Lib Midwest 2013 conference! This informal conference will feature short lightning talks, longer presentations, workshops, and breakout discussion sessions covering technology in libraries, archives and museums in the Midwest. A preliminary schedule can be found on the Code4Lib Midwest wiki.
 
The event is open to people who don¹t think of themselves as coders but who want to learn more about using technology in libraries and cultural heritage institutions, and covers topics including digital preservation, digital media, and metadata
 
Registration for Code4Lib Midwest is free. To register for the conference, or for more information, visit the event wiki. 

Save the Date! Fall CATLA Conference October 18, 2013

The Chicago Area Theological Library Association (CATLA) is pleased to announce that Kevin Smith, Director of Copyright and Scholarly Communications at Duke University Libraries and nationally known copyright lawyer and open access advocate, will be presenting at their fall conference. 

The meeting will be held October 18, 2013 at Trinity International University, Deerfield, Illinois. For more information, watch the CATLA web site.

Upcoming CARLI Meetings and Events

Forums, Workshops and Training

September 18   New Libraries System Administration Training, CARLI Office

October 8        Collection Assessment for Preservation Purposes Webinar
October 17       New Libraries Cataloging Client Training, CARLI Office
October 18       New Libraries Cataloging Client Training, CARLI Office

Meetings

August 30         I-Share Systems Committee, CARLI Office

September 5     Resource Sharing Committee Meeting
September 9     Commercial Products Committee Meeting
September 10    Collection Management Committee Meeting
September 11    Technical Services Committee Meeting
September 11    SFX System Committee Meeting
September 11    Executive Committee
September 19    Public Services Committee Meeting
September 20    CARLI Board of Directors Meeting, CARLI Office
September 24    Created Content Committee
September 27    Instruction Committee Meeting

October 2          Preservation Committee Meeting
October 9          Technical Services Committee Meeting
October 9          SFX System Committee Meeting
October 14        Commercial Products Committee Meeting
October 15        Collection Management Committee Meeting
October 17        Public Services Committee Meeting
October 29        Created Content Committee

November 1       Governing Directors Meeting, Hilton Garden Inn, Champaign
November 1       CARLI Annual Meeting, Hilton Garden Inn, Champaign

Consult the CARLI calendar for the most current list of meeting times and locations.

Contact Us

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