http://www.sla.org/chapter/cky
Volume 26, Number 3/4
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| kysla@lsv.uky.edu http://www.sla.org/chapter/cky |
Fall/Winter 2001 Volume 26, Number 3/4 |
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Officers and Committee Chairs President President-Elect Past-President and Archivist Treasurer Secretary and SLA/KY List Owner Director and Bulletin Editor Director Membership Chair Public Relations/Affirmative Action Chair Webmaster and Bulletin Co-Editor KY Chapter Student Group Liaison KY Chapter Student Group President |
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Table of Contents
President's Message
--Wenda Webster Fischer
I've been thinking about what makes a successful chapter. The various SLA chapters are diverse. There is no "model chapter."
The Kentucky chapter faces the specific challenges of having its members geographically and professionally dispersed. We have members in Morehead and Danville. Some of our members work for academic special libraries and corporations and non-profits employ others. Then there are the consultants and students.
Our differences have forced us to find creative solutions to operating a chapter. Our success is not measured in membership numbers and meetings. Rather, our success comes from members seeing needs and discovering ways to meet them.
Consider that our newsletter is now totally electronic. We did this because we couldn't afford to continue printing the document. But look at the wonderful, newly designed newsletter that we got in the process.
Taking advantage of online capabilities, the Membership Committee has been able to make the membership directory available online. We didn't have meetings and test the feasibility of this venture. Andrea Peak, Alice Marksberry and Gracie Hale put their heads together and made it happen.
Also consider that our chapter web site has been totally redesigned. Thank Andrea Peak (again) and a committee for this. They saw a need, joined forces, and put their creative ideas together to come up with a dynamite new web presence for the Kentucky chapter.
The program held last week is another example of members' ingenuity. The program planners were able to identify a topic of interest and take advantage of fellow professionals' pre-existing conference plans. The program was good; it reached a wide audience and took advantage of local talent and initiative.
So when chapter strength is discussed, let's not count numbers. Let's look around and see the numerous ways that members have stepped up to make things happen.
Wenda
The KLA Academic and Special Sections and the Kentucky Chapter of SLA Joint Spring Conference will be held April 10-12, 2002 at Lake Cumberland State Park. The theme for this conference will be: "Building The Future: A Spectrum of Opportunities." Be on the lookout for a forthcoming request for mini-sessions for this conference! Please be sure to mark this important professional development opportunity on your calendar!
Congratulations to Larry Besant and Debbie Sharp for being cited (and quoted extensively!) in the recent article, "The Principles of Marketing and Relationship Management," by Aline Soules in Portal: Libraries and the Academy 1.3 (2001): 339-350 Ms. Soules referred to "Libraries Need Relationship Marketing," which was published in Information Outlook (March, 2000): 17-22.
A quote from the article:
"...Until fairly recently, I did not find library articles that really addressed the issue of relationship management. But in the March, 2000 issue of Information Outlook, Larry Besant and Deborah Sharp authored an article entitled "Libraries Need Relationship Marketing." Their citations include a mix of sources from business and library literature, reflecting their interdisciplinary thinking, and they outline the benefits of relationship marketing, which they describe as "a deceptively straightforward switcheroo on traditional marketing methods." 12
...We should consider real relationships and, more importantly, real partnerships where the customer and the librarian are equal players in the information process and each brings expertise to the table. Besant and Sharp combined two different models developed by Adrian Payne and Evert Gummesson and placed them within the library context. Their combined list included:
Customer markets: new customers and a loyal, long-term client base that evolves from each service encounter, the electronic relationship, and the knowledge relationship which provides the rationale for alliances
Internal markets: a good working relationship among employees and departments, who are both customers and suppliers, building on interdependencies among internal and external customers
Supplier and alliance markets: relationships with sources; e.g., publishers, system vendors, booksellers, that are based on new approaches and rewards for both
Referral markets: groups that market for you; e.g., word of mouth by satisfied customers (which occurs much faster in the web world), personal and social networks (such as library and non-library conferences we attend), and mass media relationships (where are ours?)
Recruitment markets: getting the best people to do what needs to be done (what are the mental images of the library and librarians and will those images recruit young talent?)
Influence markets: those who can benefit the library, e.g., boards of directors, government officials, influential individuals 13, 14
Besant and Sharp also quote Herbert White, who says that librarians do not market and never have. 15 According to White, we count and report. We advertise. We orient and teach. I would further add that we talk to ourselves and not to those outside ourselves, such as the types of people Besant and Sharp quote in their article and the types of people we complain do not understand us."
Outstanding Chapter Member Award Winner
--Submitted by Andrea Peak, Webmaster and Bulletin Co-Editor
Veronica Walker, Serials Cataloger at William T. Young Library, was honored with the Outstanding Chapter Member Award for 2000-2001 at the Joint Spring Conference in April. Her contributions to the chapter have included a 2-year term as Treasurer, chairmanship of the Public Relations/Affirmative Action and Awards committees, and participation in numerous chapter activities. At the national level, Veronica served on the SLA Cataloging Committee and was the recipient of a Diversity Leadership award. She also served as Chair of the Technical Services section of the Information Technology Division.
Alice Marksberry, Past President, had this to say about Veronica: "I enjoy being associated with an individual who works tirelessly and with such a positive, upbeat attitude. Her enthusiasm and commitment to complete chapter tasks in a timely and through manner are nothing short of outstanding. Her dedication and hard work have made my life, as a fellow KY-SLA officer, a great deal easier over the past few years."
Congratulations, Veronica, and thanks for your outstanding efforts!
On December 12, 2001 the KY-SLA held a meeting in the beautifully decorated Spindletop Hall on the subject of Digital Reference Services. The surroundings were magnificently decorated for the holiday season. We met in the library and the juxtaposition of centuries old books against the backdrop of the beach themed, sometimes troublesome; PowerPoint presentation was not lost upon some of the attendees.
Mary Vass, Kandace Rogers, and James Manasco took the main elements of a three-day conference they attended in sunny Orlando and condensed it into an hour and a half presentation.
Mary Vass addressed the fears and obstacles to virtual reference and provided attendees an overview of these services. She touched upon some of the problems including software, finding the users, the need for training to overcome the "fear and loathing in library land" and the need to merge new and existing skills to meet the demands of virtual reference. Mary discussed collaborative services and the need for librarians to be flexible and not greedy.
After addressing some of the problems faced by the library community in accepting the move towards Virtual Reference, Mary discussed the prevailing views: the reference Revolutionary and the reference Conservative. Change is the key element, the revolutionary always things change is an improvement and the conservative things it is never an improvement. Mary suggested that the best view is somewhere in the middle.
After these overviews to some of the problems in accepting the trend towards virtual reference Mary discussed the idea of why start it. She then went into some more of the specifics that were covered in the 3-day Orlando conference. The fact is that users are moving toward virtual service and libraries need realistic views of the user needs. "71 percent of teens used the Internet as the major source for their most recent school project, while 24 percent used the library as the major source. Four percent say they used both equally (The Internet and Education: Finding on the Pew Internet & American Life Project http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=39." Which of those statistics is the most frightening to you?
Mary stated that the major conference themes were research, collaboration, real time chat reference, implementation and management, and software. The body of research on digital service consists of whether or not libraries offer it and how they do it. There are not a lot of substantive studies in existence yet. The reality is that it is not "all reference all the time" with most digital services. Chat is one way to offer the service, but definitely not the only way and 24/7 service is not always used. Collaboration service versus single institution service defines a lot of the digital services and the hours it is offered by the providers of virtual reference.
Kandace Rogers discussed "Trends in Collaborative Digital Reference." She discussed the Virtual Reference Desk Consortium Standards, including varying levels of membership, training, confidentiality, turnaround and interactivity. Kandace made the point that interactive did not mean chat necessarily. Kandace went through a few of the existing consortiums including the Internet Public Library Collaborative Digital Reference Service, the AskA Consortium and others. The pros and cons of consortium services were discussed including the archiving of questions and answers for training use, confidentiality of archives, the debate surrounding 24/7 service, and access to licensed products.
The use of realtime and chat services ranges from the simple use of AOL instant messaging to customized software and commercial software. Kandace discussed the advantages of chat. Some of those included the interactivity, immediate assistance, reaching new clients, easy follow-up including the ability to get an evaluation of the service. Being a fair-minded presenter Kandace also discussed the disadvantages including, coverage, confidentiality, simultaneous request, difficulties in conducting the reference interview and the lingo.
Kandace highlighted a University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana student evaluation that showed the busiest times for virtual reference were weekdays and that only 18 of 613 sessions were between 1-6 a.m. The final report is available at http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/~b-sloan/r4r.final.htm.
James Manasco addressed the issues of implementation and management. Again the question of why go virtual was answered, "It's where our users are going (Susan McGlamery)." James addressed the differences between virtual reference and reference. The fundamental differences are the disconnect of the user and physical space and virtual reference creates archives of a "knowledge acquisition process." Your answers can be checked on and evaluated for correctness. Does that scare you? Are you doing your job to the best of your ability and are you providing the right answers and teaching the user along the way correctly?
Guess what? You may breathe a sigh of relief; if you provide reference services via e-mail you are already doing digital/virtual reference. James discussed the two types of virtual reference: traditional e-mail and real-time chat.
So how do you get ready to implement the services you want to offer? Deal with the fears and concerns of cost and volume of user requests. Plan for how virtual reference fits your institutions strategic plan and address the quality of service issue. Train your librarians. Just because you provide the service doesn't meant that the librarians are, as James says, "Shazam, Digital Librarian."
How are the services provided? There are lots of software and prices to choose from. You must define your standards of service: 24/7; Collaboration vs. Single; Real-Time vs. e-mail and then choose the right software for your price, users, and librarians.
How do you launch a successful virtual reference desk? Marketing! You want your users to use the service you have so carefully planned and provided. You must market, market, and market. Make it easy for the users to find your virtual reference desk, make it easy for them to use, make sure it's everywhere. From homegrown bookmarks, to corporate sponsored mugs. Get the URL in front of potential users. Then let word of mouth bring you repeat and additional customers.
James also provided a summary of the products available for providing VRD. Some of the main providers include SIRSI, LSSI, and VRD Incubator. The costs and services of the software vary widely. Some are marketed directly for libraries while others, such as LiveAssistance are more business oriented. The costs and the features are important deciding factors. Do you want multiple seats, if so how many? Do you want 24/7 service with the product provider filling in the hours that your librarians don't want to cover? What about simultaneous requests and consortium issues? All of these must be addressed when you very carefully evaluate the products and choose something for your virtual reference desk.
James, Kandace, and Mary threw a lot of information out at us in a fun and easy to follow presentation and did a great job addressing the audience's enthusiastic questions. Most if not all attendees were happy to know that we were providing virtual reference and I'm sure most of us went forward with the idea of exploring expanding our virtual reference services.
What about the lunch speaker? A brief note.
--Submitted by Debbie Sharp
Doug Bruce, the "voice of the Wildcats" sent us off on a positive note with his presentation, "Virtually Speaking or What You Can Do Until the Psychiatrist Arrives." Bruce urged us all to take ourselves a little less seriously, find humor in embarrassing situations, and relieve stress through laughter.
On the handout for the Virtual Reference program, the web site for Convey Systems is incorrectly rendered as http://conveysystems.org. The correct URL is http://www.conveysystems.com. Thanks to Linda Minch for spotting this!!!
The First Books Embossed in the U.S. for Blind Readers, 1833-1880
Marie and Eugene Callahan Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
The Callahan Museum is pleased to announce publication of a chronological listing of the first books printed in raised letters in the U.S. for blind people. The list of 235 books has been compiled from several different sources, including annual reports from the schools where books were embossed. Although most of these early books are dated, the list will aid researchers in finding where a certain book fits in the chronology and sometimes how many were printed and the original price.
When the first schools for blind children were established in the U.S., there were very few tactile books available, and these had to be imported from Europe. The early schools soon set up their own presses for embossing books with raised letters of the Roman alphabet. The raised Roman letter system was called line letter and there were several versions of it. Later the point systems-which could be "written" by hand as well as produced on a press-came into use. The list's cut-off date of 1880 was chosen because the 1879 Federal Act, An Act to Promote the Education of the Blind, enabled embossed printing to begin on a larger scale. Soon after, the old line letter books gave way to books embossed in the point systems-New York Point, and later, Braille. The list may be downloaded from our web site http://www.aph.org and go to "Museum, Studio & Tours," or go directly to the list: http://www.aph.org/museum/firstbooks.html. Additions and comments may be addressed to Carol Tobe, Director, Callahan Museum, museum@aph.org.
UCITA and Its Effects on Libraries
--Submitted by Constance Ard, Director-at-Large
On May 22, 2001, Amy Berge an attorney with Greenebaum Doll & McDonald in Louisville Kentucky, presented a program to the members attending the KY-SLA meeting relating facts about UCITA.
This was an informative meeting that covered the pros, cons, and developments of the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act.
Some of you may be asking, "What is UCITA?" Ms. Berge's presentation is summarized in this article.
UCITA is a proposed model stated law drafted by the National Conference of Commissions on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL). The proposed law was originally intended to be Article 2B of the UCC, however a consensus with American Law Institute and the NCCUSL could not be reached.
What is the status of UCITA?
Ms. Berge pointed out that there are some distinctive variances in the law and uncertainty exists regarding the application of the law. UCITA presents difficulties in applying the law because ownership rights do not apply to the "sale of goods" that would normally govern transactions. The inability to enforce shrink-wrap and click wrap agreements causes difficulty. However, courts are increasing the enforcement. The laws vary from state to state and thus jurisdictional problems arise.
The issue of copyright is very difficult. Copyright does apply but the contract can be varied with negotiation.
Why is UCITA being considered as a model law?
UCITA is intended to provide uniformity, license computer information as opposed to selling goods, provide Freedom of Contract negotiations and facilitate commerce in computer information making licensing easily bound by standard terms.
Ms. Berge provided some general observations about UCITA:
Ms. Berge also discussed the concerns of libraries.
With the growth of distribution by software companies to the general public and the use of shrink-wrap licenses, libraries are faced with a new wrinkle in the copyright versus contract usage of their materials. UCITA codifies the growing acceptance of shrink-wrap and click wrap licenses. The contract versus copyright balance limits fair use, teaching exceptions, preservation and interlibrary loan. UCITA also contains consumer protections that cannot be varied by contract. This seems to directly impact that argument that all UCITA transactions can be varied by contract.
These facts grow the concern of libraries in the loss of negotiation rights. Contracts become standardized and licensors have less incentive to negotiate terms. Click wraps and shrink-wraps can be post sale, meaning that right of return goes away after using the product the first time. Right of return is limited to non-negotiated consumer purchases thus to the mass market, not libraries.
The need to purchase materials in multiple formats is another concern for libraries. UCITA allows an extension of terms to the entire transaction (i.e. CD license is extended to the book). This is of concern because that extension of terms could limit otherwise allowed use of books and other products.
Some more general concerns include the limitation on the ability to comment and criticize a product, the increased costs and the security and privacy issues raised by electronic self help.
What does this mean to librarians in Kentucky?
Currently there is no activity in Kentucky. UCITA has passed in Maryland and Virginia. Anti-UCITA legislation is growing. This means that on a state level librarians need to be active in advocating for a "Status Quo" approach to maintain the balance between state contract law and copyright law. The advocacy should also address consumer protection, library protection and the protection of free speech.. Libraries should advocate with their legislators to specify the prohibition of variance of copyright provisions.
Ms. Berge encouraged librarians to be first. Don't wait for UCITA to be proposed be pro-active and contact the legislature now to express the library's opinion. Know the opposition and get your information out there.
Ms. Berge related this information in a power point presentation and this article is based on the handout from that presentation. For more information on UCITA see "UCITA 101: What You Should Know About the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act" courtesy of the American Library Association. This article can be found at http://www.arl.org/info/frn/copy/ucita101.html. Also see "UCITA Summary and Implications for Libraries and Higher Education" at http://www.arl.org/info/frn/copy/ucitasum.html.
SLA Kentucky Chapter Treasurer's Report (07/01/01 - 12/20/01)
--Submitted by Jo Staggs-Neel, Treasurer
| Grand Total (Available for Expenditures) | $3,925.57 |
| Operating Budget (Ledger) - (Includes student sub-account of $232.00) | $2,183.74 |
| Savings Account Balance | $1,741.83 |
| Deposits | |
| SLA Headquarters (Proceeds from SLA/KY Spring Conference) | $358.20 |
| Income from Fall Board Meeting 12/12/01 | $1,185.00 |
| Total Deposits | $1,543.20 |
| Expenses | |
| Spindletop Hall (Expenses from Fall Board Meeting) | $1064.74 |
| Postage (Expenses from Fall Board Meeting) | $67.66 |
| Kinko's (Expenses from Fall Board Meeting) | $9.65 |
| Honorarium (Expenses from Fall Board Meeting) | $100.00 |
| Pizza Party | $50.00 |
| Total Expenses | $1,292.05 |
Minutes for Kentucky Chapter of Special Libraries Association Leadership Meeting (Unofficial)
August 3, 2001, Lexington, Kentucky
--Submitted by Mary Vass, Secretary
Present: Wenda Webster Fischer, Mary Vass, Jo Staggs-Neel, Mykie Howard, James Manasco, Constance Ard, Gracie Hale, Alice Markesberry, and Larry Besant
The meeting started around 11:15. Minutes from the Spring Business Meeting were distributed. Since this meeting is not a Board meeting, the minutes will be approved at the next membership meeting.
Treasurer's Report: the most recent report is in the last Chapter newsletter, no updates were announced.
Larry Besant and Janet Stith met to discuss representation of special libraries on the Kentucky Virtual Library steering committee. Currently, representation is from the Special Section of the Kentucky Libraries Association. The proposed plan is to alternate representation from the KY Chapter of SLA and Special Section. Larry will discuss this proposal with Janet and it will be presented for a vote at the next Chapter meeting.
The proposed meeting schedule for the coming year was discussed. According to the Bylaws, we must have two board meetings and two general membership meetings before June 2002. Typically, we have additional meetings.
Possible/definite meetings discussed for the 2001/02 program year included: 1) a fall program meeting probably sometime in Oct or Nov., 2) the student pizza party in Sept., 3) the spring meeting in conjunction with KLA Special and Academic Chapters, 4) another spring meeting, possibly with the Cincinnati chapter, 5) Mykie has arranged to have Hope Tillman speak at a Feb. 18 meeting. She currently expects that Hope will be speaking via a remote connection. Wenda Webster Fischer will speak and possibly the President of the Cincinnati Chapter as well. A Board meeting could be held on the same day as this presentation or possibly a general membership meeting, 6) a possible "fun meeting" to the Newport Aquarium that could be in conjunction with the Cincinnati chapter or an independent meeting.
Wenda brought up the issue of continuing our spring meeting with the KLA Special and Academic chapters. The chapter is definitely committed for 2002, since the contract has been signed. James Manasco was on the site selection committee. It's likely that 2002 is the last year to which we are definitely committed to participate. Larry will be working on the spring program and has not yet been contacted by representatives of the KLA chapters. Representation for the chapter in the process of planning the program does need to be improved, and that issue will be raised with the other groups involved. Wenda will send a letter to the KLA Chapter presidents. This issue should be raised at the next KY chapter membership meeting.
In talking about possible topics for future meetings: knowledge management and virtual reference were mentioned as possible topics.
A SLA/ KY Web Committee Report was submitted by Andrea Peak. Andrea did an excellent job with the most recent newsletter: has been receiving good feedback regarding the format.
The Committee in charge of diversity issues for the Chapter will now be known as the Kentucky Chapter of the Diversity Leadership and Development Committee.
Membership report from Gracie Hale: currently we stand at 71 members. Of our membership, 21% are students. Welcoming messages are sent to new members, and they should receive the membership directory.
The need for members to staff a booth at the KLA Fall meeting in Owensboro was raised. James Manasco volunteered to do some staffing, and a request for additional volunteers will go out on the listserv. Constance Ard should also be able to work some hours.
The meeting adjourned around 1:15.
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About the Bulletin Publication Deadlines Send e-mail to James Manasco at manasco@pop.uky.edu, or mail your diskette to: Newsletters are posted one month after article submission date. Editors |
Kentucky Chapter of SLA - Business Meeting, Spindletop Hall, Lexington, KY
December 12, 2001
--Submitted by Mary Vass, Secretary
Present: Wenda Webster Fisher, Kaye Arnold, Debbie Sharp, Constance Ard, Veronica Walker, Alice Marksberry, Jennifer Little, Andrea Peak, James Manasco, Stacey Greenwell, Reinette Jones, Linda Minch, Jo Staggs-Neel, Larry Besant, Judy Wulff, Elizabeth Smigielski, Valerie Perry, Pat Wilson, Sarah Mayfield
1) Wenda Webster Fischer opened the meeting, which followed a well-attended program on virtual libraries. Official thanks to our sponsors for this meeting: Sam Rogers from the Gale Group, Barbara Brozeslong from ProQuest, Doug Rice from IHS and Margaret Willingham from EBSCO. Members present at the business meeting introduced themselves.
2) The last official business meeting minutes were from the May 22, 2001 business meeting. These were approved. Wenda will distribute copies if anyone should need these.
3) There was no treasurer's report. Jo Staggs-Neel will share a report with the membership via the newsletter.
4) The Public Relations/Diversity Leadership and Development Committee chaired by Elizabeth Smigielski submitted a written report detailing their very successful information booth at the University of Louisville career fair. There was discussion of the Diversity Leadership and Development award. This gives a free membership to a representative of an underrepresented group. As part of this award, the person chosen should attend at least one membership meeting and serve on a committee as an active member. We've had trouble finding applicants for this award: forward ideas for recruitment to Elizabeth Smigielski.
5) The Membership Committee also submitted a written report. Current chapter membership is 67, which represents a decline over the last several years. There was some uncertainty among members as to whether or not the Chapter directory had been received: if you didn't get one, contact Gracie Hale.
6) James Manasco made a plea for any kind of material for the forthcoming newsletter. Constance Ard agreed to write up today's program.
7) Andrea Peak is working on the web site: let her know if there are any problems.
8) Linda Minch brought up an issue that has appeared on the News Librarians listserv involving the new SLA directory. There is currently no index for organizations in the directory, and when the SLA web site is down or unresponsive this is very valuable for those in the news division. SLA has also mentioned plans to phase out the paper directory in favor of a password controlled electronic version for members only. Due to problems with web site access, many members are not in favor of this option. Wenda will forward concerns with a premature switch to electronic. Mary Vass suggested that an interim step be to provide electronic access only to those who specifically request that type of access and that others continue to receive paper. James Manasco will attend the winter meeting and will represent chapter concerns if this issue arises again.
9) A related issue is the membership roster, which was formerly received in paper copy in August of each year. The most recent version was sent via email in October. The hope would be that electronic versions would speed access not slow it down.
10) There was discussion of the annual spring conference held in conjunction with the Special and Academic Chapters of Kentucky Library Association. We are committed for 2002, but should have a membership vote at that meeting as to whether or not we want to continue joint meetings. The points raised in favor of continuing are the ability to split costs with the larger organizations and bring in high quality speakers. Members remembered that when we met by ourselves it was very difficult to cover costs, even with local speakers. While this isn't a major moneymaker, generally we at least break even. Wenda will contact Christie Robinson the chair of the Special Section and Kathleen Bryson chair of the Academic section about increased participation in program planning and continued participation in site selection. James Manasco most recently served on the site selection committee. Constance Ard moved and James Manasco seconded that we appoint someone to be representative for the Chapter on site selection and program planning for 2 years. The motion carried. Debbie Sharp volunteered to fill this role, and she will advocate for having at least some meetings away from state parks, at least in part due to the difficulty of attracting and transporting speakers from outside Kentucky to more remote locations.
11) There was a request from someone outside the membership to purchase the Chapter Directory. SLA sells member names to organizations; however, they do have a mechanism by which they can identify people who do not want to have names sold. The Chapter has no such list, and the trouble in identifying those who would want names omitted would not be worth the possible benefit of selling the Directory. The consensus was that the Directory would remain for members only.
12) Our next business meeting will be held at the Spring Conference in April.
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