Intellectual Access Research Articles

Innovative Redesign and Reorganization of Library Technical Services: Paths for the Future and Case Studies (review)

Reviewed by: Innovative Redesign and Reorganization of Library Technical Services: Paths for the Future and Case Studies Peggy Johnson Innovative Redesign and Reorganization of Library Technical Services: Paths for the Future and Case Studies, ed. Bradford Lee Eden. Westport, CT; London: Libraries Unlimited, 2004. 480 p. $45(ISBN 1-59158-092-7) Reorganizing and redesigning technical services departments is a hot topic in libraries because of pressure brought about through technological innovations in formats and delivery, changing integrated library systems, and constant calls for efficiencies and economies in the face of stringent budgets. This edited collection provides an in-depth examination of these issues and others that are affecting technical services, including retirements and personnel turnover, a disconnect between the needs of libraries and the number of qualified catalogers completing library school, changing roles of support staff, and the outsourcing of cataloging. Bradford Lee Eden, editor of this compilation, is a recognized authority on technical services innovation and has compiled an admirable collection of 20 papers by 29 knowledgeable, experienced authors. The first six papers (Part 1) address theory through a literature review, an examination of technical services from a library and information science educator and a practitioner, surveys of staffing trends and changing library technical services operations, an examination of options for performing quality cataloging with reduced funding, and an essay that explores the evolution of cataloger responsibilities from 1997 through 2003. [End Page 134] Part 2, "Case Studies," is more practical in approach and consists of reports of innovative redesign and reorganization initiatives in library technical services units. The libraries represented include large, mid-sized, and small academic libraries, an academic law library, a U.S. government agency, and an academic geospatial information repository. No similar collection of papers has been published in more than 10 years; this collection fills a critical gap in the literature. Readers first are presented with a theoretical context in which to consider the real life experiences recounted in the second half of the book. I found Laurie Lopatin's "Review of the Literature: Technical Services Redesign and Reorganization" and Nadine P. Ellero's "The Name and Role of the Cataloger in the Twenty-First Century" to be particularly interesting. The case studies draw conclusions and implications beyond the immediate context described, letting readers ponder inferences for other libraries. Most chapters are accompanied by references. Some have tables and figures that illustrate the concepts or descriptions presented. I found the organization charts and position descriptions particularly informative. The index is serviceable. Only two flow charts are provided, and the quality of one (p. 219) in the copy reviewed was blurry. More examples of higher quality would have enriched a book with such a heavy focus on process redesign. These are small quibbles and do not affect the overall quality and value of this collection of papers. Without collections (local and remote) and physical and intellectual access to them, libraries are not libraries. Technical services units serve a critical role in acquiring and making resources available. Innovative Redesign and Reorganization of Library Technical Services explores this critical role—what is changing and what remains constant. Ellero starts her paper with a quote from Victor Hugo: "Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots." (p. 119) This book looks at values underlying technical services, as well as means and methods. Peggy Johnson University of Minnesota Libraries m-john@umn.edu Copyright © 2005 The Johns Hopkins University Press

Intellectual Property and Access to Essential Medicines: Options for Developing Countries

This paper, which is an excerpt from the report on ‘Affordable ARV Drugs for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam: Legal and Trade Issues’ commissioned by the Ford Foundation, reviews some major issues relating to intellectual property and pharmaceuticals in order to find ways to increase or improve access to essential medicines for developing countries. It is suggested that developing countries should take positive steps to review and amend the existing law and policy relating to patents and pharmaceuticals. The following proposals may be adopted: prohibit patenting of the use, composition and combination of known medicines; encourage local production and import of generic drugs; encourage parallel import of patented medicines; review existing law to facilitate easy use of compulsory licensing; undertake price negotiation with the companies that hold patents; provide waiving of drug registration or provide a fast-track registration for generic medicines; and prohibit exclusive protection of test and other relevant data.

Academic and Commercial Roles in Building “The Digital Library”

ABSTRACT The University of Michigan and the University of Oxford have encouraged the research library community to fund creation of structured SGML/XML text-files for a significant portion of the Early English Books Online (EEBO) corpus of digital images created by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. These full-text editions, linked to the corresponding digital facsimiles of the works, enable word or phrase searching across the corpus along with the display of the corrected modern texts for reading and editing. Creating thousands of these text editions will significantly extend intellectual access to this historically important content, making possible new avenues of research across a broad range of disciplines. The significance of the EEBO Text Creation Partnership is to be judged not only by the usefulness of resulting product but also by the success of the business plan under which the text editions have been created. These successful experiences have not yet sufficiently raised consciousness among libraries and consortia-even those participating in the EEBO-TCP-that would cause them to question lower quality production methods and less library- and user-friendly models still being promulgated by the vendor community.

Intellectual Property and Access to Genetic Material – Copyright as an Alternative Form of Protection?

Intellectual Property and Access to Genetic Material – Copyright as an Alternative Form of Protection?

Electronic Databases for Readers’ Advisory Services and Intellectual Access to Translated Fiction Not Originally Written in English

Electronic databases for readers’ advisory services are increasingly prevalent in both public and academic libraries. Librarians rely on these databases to suggest new fiction titles to patrons, many of whom are interested in various types of foreign fiction translated into English. Using a case study approach, this paper examines the NoveList database from the perspective of intellectual access to novels originally written in Russian and subsequently translated into English. The number of subject headings assigned to these novels—as well as the number of accompanying book reviews in the NoveList record for each novel—is compared with the number of subject headings and accompanying book reviews present in the NoveList record for novels originally written in English. Translated Russian novels have substantially fewer subject headings and accompanying book reviews than do novels originally written in English. In addition, existing subject headings are often misleading, erroneous, or inefficient. Such shortcomings may be interpreted ideologically, since they have the effect of isolating and excluding translated foreign literature from the general realm of fiction works originally written in English. Impaired intellectual access to translated fiction in NoveList prevents a complete integration of translated fiction with English-language fiction—a circumstance that may lead librarians and patrons to overlook valuable titles. Careful reading of book reviews to extract contextually relevant keywords from which accurate subject headings can then be created is recommended as a simple way to improve the quantity and quality of subject headings and, more broadly, to strengthen intellectual access to translated fiction.

Distant Music: Delivering Audio over the Internet

During the past two decades, the capacity of the personal computer to capture, store, deliver, and play sound has revolutionized audio services in libraries. The computer audio technology of the 1980s allowed librarians to begin transferring sound from deteriorating or obsolete media to more stable formats, and more recently, advances in network speed, audio compression, and streaming technology have offered libraries opportunities to extend access to their sound recording collections in ways that were barely imaginable a decade ago. Users are now able to listen to recordings remotely, they can listen at different points of the same recording simultaneously, and they have easy access to recordings that were once restricted because of their condition or format. In describing these new collections of digitized sound, music librarians have used a number of terms, the most common of which is music library, a natural extension of library, widely used to describe digitization projects in libraries. The libraries comprising the Digital Library Federation have arrived at the following definition of Organizations that provide the resources, including the specialized staff, to select, structure, offer intellectual access to, interpret, distribute, preserve the integrity of, and ensure the persistence over time of collections of digital works so that they are readily and economically available for use by a defined community or set of communities. (1) In 2000, Amanda Maple and Tona Henderson described the issues that must be confronted by a librarian planning a digital music library project, and explained the decisions made for their own project at Pennsylvania State University. (2) The issues fall into three broad categories: infrastructure (including the selection of hardware, software, streaming technology, and method of access); collections (including decisions on what to digitize and why, and related questions of copyright); and staffing (including who does what, who employs them, how the work is funded, and who provides training and public service). In 1999, when Maple and Henderson wrote their article, no more than fifteen libraries were digitizing audio, but since then, dozens of libraries have mounted digitization projects, and the number continues to grow. Now that a substantial base of digital music library projects is in place, we can assess how librarians have dealt with the issues identified by Maple and Henderson. In order to collect information on the projects, I distributed a note on MLA-L (3) on 10 January 2002 asking librarians engaged in digital audio projects to participate in a survey. I sent questionnaires to the fifty respondents, and thirty-five were completed and returned. In preparation for the present article, I sent a note to these initial thirty-five respondents in July 2002 asking for updated information. At the same time, I issued a second call on MLA-L and received eight more responses, yielding a total of forty-three responses. The respondents represent forty-two libraries: thirty-seven university libraries and five college li braries (see table 1). PRESERVATION AND ACCESS The principal work of the projects undertaken by these forty-two libraries falls into two broad categories: reformatting rare recordings or recordings in obsolete formats, and making high-demand recordings more easily available to the public--in other words, projects that provide preservation and access, activities that have been closely linked during the past two decades. Historically, preservation and access have been seen in opposition: materials are preserved by restricting access to them, and in turn, providing access to materials endangers their preservation. During the last quarter of the twentieth century, initiatives to reformat materials--by transferring the sound from a wax cylinder to reel-to-reel tape, for example--allowed librarians to preserve materials by shifting access away from the original to a surrogate. …

Reference, access, and use

Providing reference and access services for users requires special techniques and knowledge of a repository’s holdings. Archivists need to identify their user clientele and design services for their needs. User studies provide a means to collect valuable information about the clientele. In order to consult manuscripts and archives, users need to have both intellectual and physical access to the materials. Each of these access types requires repository policies and procedures, both to assist users and to protect the rights of donors and third parties who might be affected by disclosure of sensitive information. The reference process usually requires personal interaction and mediation by archival staff, both for security reasons and because of the difficulty of identifying potential sources to meet reference queries. The Internet provides important means of publicizing information about repositories and their collections, but technical and intellectual considerations limit the options for providing an entire records series or manuscript collection on‐line.

Cataloging or Knowledge Management: Perspectives of Library Educators on Cataloging Education for Entry-Level Academic Librarians

SUMMARY The topic of cataloging education for catalogers and non-catalogers alike has been a perennial topic for practitioners. This follow-up study explores the views of library educators with regard to cataloging education. Twenty-three educators with primary teaching duties in reference, twenty-nine educators with primary teaching duties in cataloging and seventy educators whose primary teaching duties were in neither reference nor cataloging in ALA-accredited master's degree programs responded to a survey based on the ALCTS Educational Policy Statement, Appendix: Knowledge and Skills, Intellectual Access and Information Organization concerning the importance of cataloging competencies for all entry-level academic librarians. The survey found library educators, in general, agreed with practitioners on the listed cataloging competencies for all entry-level academic librarians.

Patent Rights vs Patient Rights: Intellectual Property, Pharmaceutical Companies and Access to Treatment for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa

Cet article se penche sur le principal obstacle a l'acces au traitement par medicaments antiretroviraux pour des millions de personnes seropositives ou atteintes du SIDA en Afrique subsaharienne : le prix des medicaments, proteges par des brevets internationaux detenus par six grandes compagnies pharmaceutiques. L'article relate le bras de fer juridique opposant differents gouvernements Africains aux groupes pharmaceutiques a propos des medicaments generiques

Providing Better Access to Manuscript Collections

This essay reviews a field study project completed by the author at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. during the Fall of 1999, which yielded an analytical collection guide arranged by historical subject areas. The guide provided improved topical access to manuscript collections, placed archival materials in a historical context, and strengthened the institution's documentation strategies by sampling and summarizing their holdings. This kind of archival description was focused on building historical context and expanding the archival elements of intellectual content and access, thereby making the material more accessible to patrons. The guide was an improvement from traditional collection guides, and can be replicated in both print and online environments. Although the project had a time limitation, the duplication or expansion of the steps indicated here can result in other archival repositories developing collection guides and finding aids with improved subject access, clearer relationships between collections, better contextual information, and a stronger sense of the institution's holdings.

A New Archival Model?

The Downtown Collection's holdings expansively redefine traditional archival models enabling us to rethink key elements of archival theory, methodology, and practice. Further, its commitment to documenting non-traditional subject matter and maintaining dynamic relationships with artists, donors, scholars and the public mirrors the post-structural influence that is felt in the collection. Ultimately, the Collection's efforts to open up the content of its subject-the Downtown New York scene from 1975 to the present-as well as its holdings and follow the material's lead in pushing the limits of library structures, produces an expanded archival model that houses rich forms of material, better intellectual access, and even, for some, social activism.

Practitioner Perspectives on Cataloging Education for Entry-Level Academic Librarians

The role of cataloging education within the library profession is a topic of considerable interest and debate. Fifty-five heads of reference and sixty-five heads of cataloging in Association of Research Librarians institutions responded to a survey based upon the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services Educational Policy Statement, Appendix: Knowledge and Skills, Intellectual Access and Information Organization, concerning the importance of cataloging competencies for all entry-level academic librarians. The survey found that practitioners agreed upon a definite set of core cataloging competencies that all entry-level academic librarians should possess. This finding holds larger implications for library education for academic librarians and for the profession as a whole.

A Consortial Approach to Cooperative Cataloging and Authority Control

Abstract This article chronicles a VIVA initiative that built on the experience of one academic library to make electronic resources available through distributed online catalogs of libraries in the consortium. Using analytic vended-MARC records, standardized by member libraries, the consortium expanded intellectual access to licensed databases. One of the original participants now works at Michigan, and expanded the project beyond VIVA. The article covers usability of vendor records and implications for internal workflow of participating libraries, and describes how librarians state-wide cooperatively deployed technology, cataloging, and programming expertise to manipulate MARC records and accommodate unique record loading requirements of participating institutions.

The Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) at the National Cancer Institute: industry collaborations in new agent development.

The mission of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP), a clinical research program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is to reduce the burden of cancer. CTEP plans, reviews, and coordinates clinical trials for investigational anticancer agents, from the inception of protocols through the preparation and submission of Investigational New Drug Applications (INDs) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). CTEP also serves as a liaison to the FDA for the extramural clinical research community and industry collaborators. Other CTEP functions include managing, tracking, and reviewing clinical protocols as well as monitoring, planning, and maintaining regulatory compliance of the clinical trials. In addition, CTEP coordinates the distribution of the investigational agents from industry collaborators for use in all NCI-sponsored clinical trials. The advantages of collaborating with CTEP are described as well as details about the contractual framework, either a Clinical Trials Agreement (CTA) or a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), for such a collaboration. Many of the concerns raised by industry collaborators with respect to intellectual property, data access, and publications are also addressed.

Agenda for change: intellectual property rights and access management – a framework for discussion on the relationship between copyright and the role of libraries in the digital age

Examines legal issues in relation to the digitization of media. Looks at the nature of digitization of content and its implications for copyright and libraries. Investigates exceptions to copyright protection, aspects of the extension of copyright protection and protection of rights management of information and technology. Concludes with a possible agenda to the digital challenge.

The Burlington Agenda: Research Issues in Intellectual Access to Electronically Published Historical Documents

As increasing numbers of primary historical documents appear on the World Wide Web, publishers of those documents will need ways to provide intellectual access to the contents. At a three-day meeting in Burlington, Vermont experts in experimental electronic publishing, library and information science research, documentary editing, and computer science research identified (1) the need for user studies to determine the needs and reactions of the audience(s), (2) the need to assess implications for change in publication management, and (3) the need to compare empirically various technological approaches to access to information as three areas of research that can contribute to our understanding of how to construct and improve intellectual access to historical documents on the Web.

Access to Remote Electronic Resources at the University of Arizona

SUMMARY As libraries shift towards increasingly virtual collections, provision of both intellectual and physical or actual network access to an electronic resource is paramount to the ability of libraries to successfully serve customers. A number of issues make access to these resources difficult, including lack of persistence in the naming of resources and difficulties in providing remote access to resources. While it is impossible to absolutely control access within this electronic environment, it is possible to choose solutions that make managing access easier. The University of Arizona Libraries have chosen to use Persistent Uniform Resource Locators (PURLs) to address transience of links, and EZProxy, a pass-through proxy, to provide remote access as a solution to this problem.

Book Review: Speaking out! voices in celebration of intellectual freedom, Libraries, access, and intellectual freedom: developing policies for public and academic libraries

Book Review: Speaking out! voices in celebration of intellectual freedom, Libraries, access, and intellectual freedom: developing policies for public and academic libraries

A Synopsis and Perspective of Concerns and Challenges for the International Community of University Museums

University museums and their collections are among the oldest and most significant in the world, yet their role and future is being questioned. They have critical needs for facilities, staff, and support. At risk are millions of objects that document our natural and cultural history and programs for research, teaching, and public education and exhibits. The museums are attempting to redefine, reposition, and clarify their educational mission. Museums such as the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural history are successfully meeting the challenges through strategic planning and funding for new facilities. Other museums are finding solutions with partnerships, links, and tailor-made service programs. New leadership and management will need to emerge for university museums to reestablish their stature and relevance. Physical and intellectual access to the museums and their objects is a key to their future. The new technologies are tools that museums can use to improve their interpretive programs and increase the depth of their research. Facing shared concerns and challenges, the museums are generating a growning sense of collective urgency and a call for intenational organization, advocacy, and cooperation, resulting in formation of the International Committee for University Museums and Collections.

Developing a consortial approach to cataloging and intellectual access

In 1993 the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) was established to provide a source of electronic collections and services for Virginia higher education institutions. Over time it became apparent that issues related to providing access to these electronic resources needed to be explored. To meet this need the VIVA Cataloging and Intellectual Access Task Force (VIVACAT) was formed. This article discusses the development of VIVACAT and its projects and accomplishments. It examines how cataloging and intellectual access function in a consortium and relates challenges and opportunities of working within such an environment.