North American Libraries Research Articles

Accessibility Trends among Academic Library and Library School Web Sites in the USA and Canada

This paper focuses on the accessibility of North American library and library school Web sites for all users, including those with disabilities. Web accessibility data collected in 2006 are compared to those of 2000 and 2002. The findings of this follow-up study continue to give cause for concern: Despite improvements since 2002, library and library school Web sites still tend to contain many barriers. A low correlation between the 2002 and 2006 data point to much up-and-down movement in Web accessibility. Contrary to findings derived from the early data sets, the comparison of the 2002 and 2006 data shows that redesign had a positive impact on accessibility. The paper concludes with the warning that advocates of accessible Web sites cannot yet relax: despite the overall positive trend, with so much up-and-down movement in Web accessibility occurring, today's leaders may turn into tomorrow's laggards—unless special vigilance and efforts keep this from happening.

Applying the author affiliation index to library and information science journals

AbstractThe authors use a novel method—the Author Affiliation Index (AAI)—to determine whether faculty at the top‐10 North American library and information science (LIS) programs have a disproportionate presence in the premier journals of the field. The study finds that LIS may be both too small and too interdisciplinary a domain for the AAI to provide reliable results.

Just Advanced Librarianship: The Role of Academic Libraries as Publishers

Digital technologies, combined with library expertise in information management and bibliographic control, access, dissemination and preservation, have provided new opportunities for academic libraries to play a more active role in the publication of scholarly information. Over the past decade a number of Australian academic libraries, drawing on early initiatives in North American libraries, have established electronic presses in their institutions. This article examines the motivations behind these initiatives and their similarities and differences, and identifies some of the ways in which library-led e-publishing may change the scholarly communication environment.

Anticipating the Use of Hebrew Script in the LC/NACO Authority File

The North American library community is looking at ways to enhance authority records with nonroman scripts. The Library of Congress Name Authority Cooperative Program (NACO) Authority File (LC/NAF) is limited to Latin script. This paper looks ahead to the use of other scripts in LC/NAF. The author examines the options for using Hebrew script in MARC 21 authority records, and considers the prospects for cooperative authority work between American and Israeli libraries.

Information and library science MPACT: A preliminary analysis

Dissertation advising is an important form of mentoring. To investigate the impact of dissertation advising over time, advisor and committee member names were collected for 2400 dissertations completed over a 40-year period (1964–2004) in 32 North American information and library science schools. Several mentoring impact metrics are reported for a subset of the data, including the number of dissertations advised, the number of dissertation committees served on, the ratio of advising to committee membership, and the fractional “mpact” that weights advising and committee membership. The subset consists of data for six schools that produced at least three dozen dissertations and for which complete data is available. The data and resulting “mpact” metrics offer new ways to assess faculty impact and to investigate the nature and growth of a field.

Comments on Ian R. Willison's 'The National Library in Historical Perspective'

Considers the influence of North American libraries on Sir Frank Francis, Director and Principal Librarian of the British Museum between 1959 and 1968, who visited the United States in 1946–1947, and rebuts Ian Willison's assertion, made in an article in 'Libraries and Culture' in 1989, that the Library of Congress was the dominant influence on Francis' thinking. Emphasizes that Francis was influenced by everything he saw on his visit, not just the operations of the Library of Congress. Argues that the changes be brought about when Director arose from a long-standing experience and understanding of the issues facing the British Museum Library; as well as from a keen awareness of wider developments, not least in the 'information field' in relation to the availability of scientific and technical documents.

Beyond approval plans: Methods of selection and acquisition of books in Slavic and East European languages in North American libraries

Collecting and acquiring Slavic and Eastern European (EE) print materials for North American libraries is a complicated task. Many university and public libraries rely on vendor approval plans to build their Slavic collections. But non-approval-plan-based (NAPB) collecting methods are also an important way to enrich library collections with non-mainstream materials such as books from remote regions, books by alternative and small publishers, or grey literature. Based on a questionnaire, this article provides an overview of contemporary collecting practices for Slavic materials in North American libraries, emphasizing the value of book fairs, buying trips, exchanges, gifts, independent book agents, North American foreign-language bookstores, and online bookstores for the creation of strong comprehensive and specialized Slavic collections.

Beyond approval plans: Methods of selection and acquisition of books in Slavic and East European languages in North American libraries

Beyond approval plans: Methods of selection and acquisition of books in Slavic and East European languages in North American libraries

Preserving American Print Resources

PurposeAims to provide a background to the Center for Research Libraries (CRL)'s Preserving America's Print Resources (PAPR) initiative.Design/methodology/approachDescribes the CRL conference and planning event, entitled “Preserving America's print resources: toward a national strategic effort”, held in Chicago, July 2003 and highlights some of the programs on which the CRL are working.FindingsAffirms the CRL's role of “convening” and facilitating strategic action by the major North American research libraries and libraries of last resort to enable the community to move deliberatively and safely away from excessive redundancy in its print holdings. The goal is to enable North American libraries to act in concert, to make the best use of scarce resources, and to provide for scholars of the future the most rich and diverse pool of knowledge possible.Originality/valuePromoting the worthy goal of enabling North American libraries to act in concert, to make the best use of scarce resources, and to provide for scholars of the future the most rich and diverse pool of knowledge possible is central to the Center's mission. The PAPR conference reaffirmed the importance of this role for the years ahead.

Geoscience Encyclopedias and Their Potential for Classroom Instruction

Encyclopedias, especially those focusing on a single subject or narrow range of topics, are important but underused library resources. Encyclopedic consultation is often viewed as an academic weakness. It can, however, be viewed as an academic strength and effectively incorporated into instructional programs. Since this article is written from a librarian's perspective, it is not suggestive of specific instructional techniques. Instead, it addresses the difficulties that can arise in identifying titles appropriate for instructional purposes. Using a combination of methods, a list was derived of approximately 250 geoscience related encyclopedias that are available in North American libraries.

Book titles published in Africa held by North American university research libraries and review sources for African-published books

This article examines the extent to which titles published by sub-Saharan African (SSA) publishers are represented in the collections of North American libraries, especially institutions participating in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). The article also gauges the percentage of African-published nonfiction titles that are reviewed by scholarly journals and library reviewing tools to ascertain whether the presence of such reviews is related to the number of African-published nonfiction titles owned by North American libraries. Although ARL university libraries at institutions with well-established African studies programs housed in stand-alone academic units typically have strong collections of SSA-published titles, ARL university libraries at institutions not meeting such criteria have relatively weak collections of SSA-published titles. In addition, despite the general high quality of African-published titles, reviewing tools, such as Choice, do not review them frequently.

Collections of Baltic Vernacular-Language Publications at Some North American Libraries: An Attempt at a Survey

SUMMARY The article begins with a discussion of some of the methodological issues encountered in preparing a survey of the past, present, and future of Baltica collections in the United States and Canada. Baltica is understood to mean collections from and about Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The survey presented encompasses selected research, university, public, governmental, museum, and private libraries, from the nineteenth century to the present. The author stresses the important role that North American institutions have played as collectors and disseminators of the publishing output of the post-World War II Baltic diaspora in the Western world. The paper concludes with reflections on the impact of revolutionary technological and institutional developments in the Baltic countries, and their concurrent impact on the further development of these collections in North America.

Guide for Application to North American Library School,(<Special feature>Education for Library and Information Science outside Japan)

Guide for Application to North American Library School,(<Special feature>Education for Library and Information Science outside Japan)

Harmonisation of MARC and Descriptive Cataloguing Standards

This paper is intended to be an overview of the current activity towards harmonisation of catalogue record exchange across the Atlantic. LIBER has had a special interest in harmonisation since it passed a resolution to explore harmonisation with the North American library community at its Annual Conference in Prague in July 1999. The paper will concentrate on current developments MARC harmonisation, because this is where most effort is currently focused, and because format harmonisation is also the logical place to start in the process. However, format change cannot be carried out in isolation, and the data carried within the formats must be harmonised as well to ensure full interoperability of record exchange.

Archival Education in North American Library and Information Science Schools

American archival education at the graduate level developed gradually throughout the twentieth century. In the past decade, however, its development has accelerated, and firmer foundations were built in graduate library and information science (LIS) programs throughout North America. Our findings indicate strength and individualization in graduate level archival education programs, a dramatic increase in full-time, tenure-track faculty, a growing number of course offerings often eclipsing the LIS offerings in an archival student's course of study, and the nascent development of degrees acknowledging the archives and records field. Despite the substantial growth of archival education within the LIS schools, there is confusion or lack of understanding about the archival field by these schools as well as a lack of commitment by archival professional associations to advocate for specific changes in archival education.

From computer‐aided manufacturing to Japanese newspapers: evolution of the AAU/ARL Japan Journal Access Project

The AAU/ARL (Association of American Universities/Association of Research Libraries) Japan Journal Access Project seeks to expand access to research materials published in Japan, and to coordinate collection development activities of Japanese‐language material held by North American research libraries. Established in 1994, the focus of the Japan Project has evolved from providing access to scientific and technical serials published in Japan to providing access to Japanese language materials held by Japanese and North American libraries. The Union List of Japanese Serials and Newspapers and the Association of National University Libraries (ANUL) and Waseda document‐delivery projects have emerged as key activities. Collaborative collection development remains an important, but unrealized, goal. Suggestions for future developments are made.

Index to twentieth century Spanish plays: in collections, anthologies, and periodicals

Twentieth-century Spanish theater is a reflection of the society and history of this period. During this time, Spain underwent great periods of change as it moved from relative freedom to dictatorship, through civil war, the repression of the Franco era, and more recently to a renewed democratic monarchy. Often Spanish theater resembled other European theaters at the time, but under Franco's censorship it also developed a distinctive style. Because many Spanish playwrights went into exile in France or Latin America, it is not uncommon to find their plays written in French or appearing in Latin American periodicals and books. The current volume directs readers to plays written by authors from (or closely associated with) Spain in the twentieth century. Galician, Catalan, and Basque writers are included as well as those writing in Castilian Spanish. Importantly, the author includes translations into English, wherever they may be available, so that English-speaking readers might have a taste of the richness of Spanish theater of this period. Index to Twentieth Century Spanish Plays contains those plays that appear in collections, anthologies, or periodicals. A great number of plays in the early part of the century appeared in periodicals (often weeklies) published in Madrid and Barcelona. Using the resources of major North American libraries as well as Spanish libraries, these titles have been painstakingly indexed. Users can search for plays in one of three indexes: Author, Sources, or Play Title.

Reflective practice: revisiting pedagogy and reaffirming core value

A rare opportunity for Australian and North American Library and Information Science (LIS) educators to candidly explore professional education practice similarities and differences, came with a seminar staged in Adelaide in December 1999. Sponsored by the University of South Australia Library and LIS Team, the seminar featured keynote addresses from Professor Ken Haycock and Dr Ann Curry, both from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and Dr Ross Todd from the University of Technology, Sydney. Organised by Professor Larry Amey at the University of South Australia Magill campus, the seminar attracted about thirty high-profile educators and practitioners representing the major Australian schools. The following report documents the major issues discussed at the two-day seminar.

Review of *Australian Literary Manuscripts in North American Libraries: A Guide*, *Australian Autobiographical Narratives: An Annotated Bibliography*, *Black Australian Literature: A Bibliography of Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Oral Traditions and Non-Fiction, Including Critical Commentary, 1900-91*

Review of *Australian Literary Manuscripts in North American Libraries: A Guide*, *Australian Autobiographical Narratives: An Annotated Bibliography*, *Black Australian Literature: A Bibliography of Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Oral Traditions and Non-Fiction, Including Critical Commentary, 1900-91*

Building the Distributed North American Library Collection for Foreign Languages

Projets de bibliotheques americaines, de diffusion de la litterature etrangere aux Etats-Unis. Discussion de trois methodes de financement: financement par budget d'acquisition des bibliotheques participant au projet, paiement a la fourniture des documents, et dons par des associations ou subventions gouvernementales