North American Academic Libraries Research Articles

Outsourcing Authority Control: Experience of the University of Saskatchewan Libraries

ABSTRACT Authority Control (AC) is an important cataloging function aimed at achieving catalog consistency. It is very time-consuming and labor-intensive. During the 1990s, many North American academic libraries, under budgetary constraints, have tried to outsource AC activities. The Cataloging Department of the University of Saskatchewan Libraries (USL) outsourced its AC activities to the Library Technology Inc. (LTI), a United States-based AC processing vendor. This paper summarizes the experiences gained by USL in this AC project: the decision-making process in the selection of LTI; pre- and post-database clean-up by LTI; and, the current AC activities.

Save Yourself a Trip

Some North American scholars believe that libraries on their continent lack adequate indexes and other finding aids to identify scholarly publications and primary resources from Slavic and East European countries. In the belief that such materials can be located only by using esoteric finding aids, they may overlook the major Western subject bibliographies and indexes for the humanities and social sciences. In addition, during the past decade an increasing number of research library catalogs in North America, Europe and Eurasia have become accessible electronically to scholars around the world. The author here lists and describes bibliographic databases which can be of value to a search for Slavic — and East European language research materials in the social sciences and humanities. Many of these tools can be found even in smaller North American academic libraries.

Moving Beyond Whiteness in North American Academic Libraries

Over the last half a century, North American universities have become diverse institutions with multicultural students and programmes in Women's studies, Black/African studies, regional studies and gay/lesbian/transgender studies. Academic libraries have responded to these changes and today most have policies or programmes in place to support diversity goals. Despite this good start, a closer examination of common collection, service and cataloguing practices reveals that libraries still have a significant way to go before becoming fully inclusive institutions. Using African studies as a case example this article considers current academic library practices which are problematic, or lacking, in terms of moving beyond whiteness. Top down commitment and an allocation of financial and staff resources are needed for academic libraries to shed lingering vestiges of eurocentricism and move forward towards meaningful cultural inclusivity.

North American academic libraries sign electronic full-text journal licence

North American academic libraries sign electronic full-text journal licence

Empowerment, Organization and Structure: The Experience of the Indiana University Libraries

The North American academic research library is at a critical point in tis development. In order to remain a vital part of the university, the research library must create a working environment where both the emplyee and user recognize and accept new power to exercise creativity and implement change