ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries May 1987 / 283 F a c sim ile n etw o r k speeds m e d ic a l d o c u m e n t d eliv e ry in N e w Jersey The University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), a facility composed of three med­ ical schools in four cities as much as 100 miles apart, recently began using high-speed facsimile transmission for the exchange of several thousand health care and biom edical inform ation docu­ ments each year. Often documents are required within 30 minutes of the request to accommodate medical emergencies within the university library network. The New Jersey program was inspired by the success of a network developed by the College of Physicians Library in Philadelphia in 1984. Shortly afterward, UMDNJ librarians submitted a grant proposal to the University’s Foundation to analyze and purchase facsimile systems for each campus li­ brary. At the same time, the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, one of the core institutions of the UMDNJ, and three other af­ filiated hospital libraries applied for a grant to the Plunterdon Health Fund for facsimiles to provide health care inform ation to professionals in central New Jersey. A University–wide library subcommittee began investigating facsimile technology, developing sys­ tems specifications to meet the needs of a statewide university library network. The prim ary objective was to secure a system th at would provide depend­ able 24-hour service at the lowest possible cost and still ensure im m ediate response tim e upon de­ mand. The search resulted, according to assistant uni­ versity librarian Victor A. Basile, in the selection of Pitney Bowes Facsimile Systems as the preferred vendor. The chosen system for the major lending li­ braries was the Pitney Bowes 8900, which can send or receive a hard copy image in several seconds. The subcom m ittee established a netw ork tim e schedule to ensure th a t each lib rary had non­ competitive access to each participating library for a specified in te rv a l each day. R o u tin e lo n g ­ distance transmissions were scheduled during low­ cost time periods, and librarians also used a feature known as turnaround polling th at allows a single machine, with one telephone call, to send and re­ ceive documents from a second location. First-year costs for the interlibrary system start­ up and operation are covered by the two grants. The costs for transm itting a 10-page article vary depending on distance between libraries and the amount of text per page. Basile reported th at cur­ rent monthly usage figures indicate the system can move an estimated 12,000 documents in its first 12 months of operation—about one-third more than the num ber of documents moved by courier and mail services last year. ■ ■ PUBLICATIONS • Academic and Public Librarians: Data by Race, Ethnicity and Sex, compiled by the ALA Office for Library Personnel Resources (34 pages, 1986), con­ tains the statistical results of a survey of library per­ sonnel th at can be used in affirmative action plan­ ning. This study, with data valid as of September 1, 1985, updates the previous OLPR survey using data collected in 1980. Copies may be ordered for $4.00 directly from the ALA Office for Library Personnel Resources, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. ISBN 0-8389-0761-3. • Australian and New Zealand Academic Library Statistics, Part A Tables, 1953-1983, edited by Alice Leong (345 pages, 1986), has been published by the Library of the Curtin University of Technol­ ogy as no.6 in the Western Library Studies series. D ata on library personnel, services, bibliographic resources, expenses, and user groups are included. Copies may be ordered for A$59.00 from the T.L. Robertson Library, Curtin University of Technol­ ogy, GPO Box U 1987, Perth 6001, Western Aus­ tralia. ISBN 0-908155-29-8. • Berlin: 750 Years, A Selective Bibliography, compiled by M argaret B. Krewson (1986), lists German- and English-language works on the intel­ lectual and cultural life of the city, which cele- NEW FROM LAMA ON VIDEOTAPE The Humane Electronic Workplace 286 / C&RL News brates its 750th anniversary this year. The bibliog­ raphy is available free upon request from the European Division, Library of Congress, Wash­ ington, DC 20540. • Descriptive Terms fo r Graphic Materials: Genre and Physical Characteristic Headings (Feb­ ruary 1987) identifies 513 authorized terms with 290 cross references to help decscriptive catalogers identify, describe, and locate graphic material. Both genre terms (such as advertisements, censored works, competition drawings) and physical char­ acteristics (such as etchings, albumen photoprints, and computer-aided designs) are included, along with special field designations for MARC users. Copies may be ordered for $20 from the Customer Services Section, Cataloging Distribution Service, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20541. • Effective Meetings for Busy People: Let’s De- cide It and Go Home, by William T. Carnes (348 pages, 1987), is a humorously written treatise on how to increase the effectiveness of decision­ m aking m eetings, from local com m ittee get- togethers to large deliberative business meetings. Advice is provided on how to chair meetings suc­ cessfully, how to reduce costs without cutting es­ sentials, how to improve interpersonal communi­ cation w ithin meetings, when and how to add “theater” to a meeting, and how to use parliamen­ tary procedure most effectively (sometimes by not using it). Copies may be ordered for $29.95 (plus $4.00 handling) from the IEEE Press, 345 E. 47th Street, New York, NY 10017-2394. ISBN 0-87942- 211-4. • Issues in Cooperative Collection Development, edited by June L. Engle and Sue O. Medina (82 pages, 1987), includes four papers presented at the SOLINET Resource Sharing and Networks Sup­ port Program on March 11,1986: Joseph J. Branin, “Issues in Cooperative Collection Development: The Promise and the Frustration of Resource Shar­ ing”; Craig Stillings, “North Alabama Union List of Serials”; Lee Pike, “Cooperative Collection De­ velopment Program in a Multitype Library Envi­ ronment”; and Sue O. Medina, “Cooperative Col­ lection Management on a Statewide Basis.” Free copies are being supplied to SOLINET members on request; non-m em bers may obtain one for $7.50, prepaid, from Resource Sharing & Net­ works Support, SOLINET, Plaza Level, 400 Col­ ony Square, 1201 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta, GA 30361. • Josef Skvorecky: A Checklist, by Jana Kalish (232 pages, 1986), is a comprehensive listing of all the works of this Czech-born Canadian writer up to the fall of 1983, including translations and criti­ cal works. Full bibliographical descriptions are given for first editions of his novels and short sto­ ries. A copy may be ordered for $12.50 from the Reference Department, University of Toronto Li­ brary, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A5. ISBN 0-7727- 6000-4. • The Legal Research Manual: A Game Plan for Legal Research and Analysis, by Christopher G. Wren and Jill Robinson Wren (242 pages, 2d ed., September 1986), explains the process of analyzing legal problems in addition to describing legal refer­ ence sources themselves. With its emphasis on re­ search methodology, the book leads the user new to legal literature through all the steps necessary to evaluate the facts in a problem, identify the legal issues involved, find and analyze the applicable law, and determine whether it is still valid. There are also chapters on how to take useful notes and how to know when to stop researching. Copies of this paperback are available for $9.95 (plus ship­ ping) from A–R Editions, Inc., 315 W. Gorham St., Madison, WI 53703; (608) 251-2114. • Library Jobs: How to Fill Them, How to Find Them, by Barbara I. Dewey (176 pages, 1987), provides practical techniques to guide both em­ ployer and applicant through the hiring process for both entry-level and advanced positions. Useful ex­ amples of resumes, cover letters, and job descrip­ tions are provided. The cost is $26.50 from Oryx Press, 2214 North Central at Encanto, Phoenix, AZ 85004-1483. ISBN 0-89774-300-8. • The Master's Degree: Tradition, Diversity, In- novation, by Judith S. Glazer (129 pages, 1986), has been published as Report no.6 of the 1986 series of ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports. Glazer concludes that the master’s is truly a professional degree, aligned closely with specialized accredita­ tion agencies, professional associations, and poten­ tial employers—a finding that has particular rele­ vance for our own profession. The MLS is discussed in the report, along with ten other master’s pro­ grams. Copies may be purchased for $10.00 from the Association for the Study of Higher Education, One Dupont Circle, Suite 630, Washington, DC 20036. ISBN 0-913317-33-0. • The Milton S. Eisenhower Years at Kansas State University, edited by Virginia M. Quiring (120 pages, 1986), contains nine essays by faculty mem­ bers who knew and worked with Eisenhower, a former president of the university who later went on to Penn State and Johns Hopkins. A copy may be requested from Virginia M. Quiring, Kansas State University Libraries, M anhattan, KS 66506. • Mind Your Own Business, by Alice Sizer W arner (165 pages, 1987), is a practical guide to setting up your own information consulting busi­ ness. The author discusses the personal attributes needed to be a successful infopreneur and covers 23 different areas in which they are active, including online searching, document delivery, marketing research, publishing, and training. An important chapter on money explains how to get, handle, and save it. Copies are available for $24.95 from Neal- Schuman Publishers, 23 Leonard St., New York, NY 10013. ISBN 1-55570-014-4. • The Missouri Union List of Serial Publications 288 / C&RL News (1987 microfiche ed.) features 48,500 periodical, newspaper, and other serial titles held by libraries in Missouri and adjoining portions of Kansas and Illinois. An accompanying hard-copy introduction includes an explanation of entry information, a key to reporting library codes, and a table of photocopy and lending policies and charges for all partici­ pants. Libraries who did not participate in the sur­ vey may order a copy for $50 from the Business Of­ fice, St. Louis Public Library, 1301 Olive St., St. Louis, MO 63101. • Plain Talk about Grants: A Basic Handbook, by Robert E. Geller (76 pages, 1986), is a practical guide to planning and getting grants. It includes exercises that may be used to practice the tech­ niques resulting in well–written proposals. Copies may be ordered for $8.95 (plus $2.00 handling) from the California State Library Foundation, P.O. Box 2037, Sacramento, CA 95809. • Smartcom IIfor the Online Searcher, by James S. Koga (20 pages, 1987), contains tips on set-up, searching, and enhancem ent for anyone using Smartcom II on an IBM PC or compatible. In­ cluded are more than 30 model log-on macros for some popular vendors, along with sample instruc­ tions for uploading and downloading using Smart­ com. Copies are available for $5.00 (checks pay­ able to Cal Poly Library) from James S. Koga, University Library, California State Polytechnic University, P.O. Box 3088, Pomona, CA 91768. • Stars, Galaxies, Cosmos, compiled by William R. Corliss (246 pages, March 1987), is the last in a series of bibliographical catalogs of astronomical anomalies from this author. The categories de­ scribed in this volume include such puzzling phe­ nomena as the historical disappearance of stars, pulsar anomalies, molecular cloud rings circling galactic cores, the quasar energy paradox, quasar fuzz, the spectrographic evidence for life in space, intergalactic clouds, galactic jets, double sources of radio energy, unidentifiable infrared galactic ob­ jects, and much more. Copies may be ordered for $17.95 from the Sourcebook Proj ect, P . O . Box 107, Glen Arm, MD 21057. ISBN 0-915554-21-6. • University Libraries in Transition: Responding to Technological Change, by James A. Hyatt and Aurora A. Santiago (112 pages, 1987), documents the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) case studies of library m anagem ent and planning at four institutions (Princeton, University of Illinois, New York Uni­ versity, and University of Georgia) that have been faced with technological challenges. The report discusses automated library systems and operating costs, the importance of effective management planning, turnkey computer systems, integrated li­ brary computer systems and distributed versus cen­ tralized library systems, and the relationship be­ tween libraries and campus computing centers. The study was done with support from the Council on Library Resources. Copies are available for $15 for NACUBO members, $22 for non-members, from the NACUBO Order Desk, One Dupont Cir­ cle, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036-1178. ISBN 0-915164-29-9. ■ ■ CALENDAR May 15—Technical services: Spring Program, Califor­ nia L ib rary Association Technical Services Chapter (Southern Region), Santa Fe Springs Public Library. Theme: “Access in an Online Environm ent: Problems of O rg an izatio n .” Speakers: Michael Carpenter, Tom Johnson, and Robert Bremer. Contact: D. Kathryn Wein- traub, Library, University of California, Irvine, CA 92713; (714) 856-6079. 19—Management: “Management and Supervision Issues in Information Companies,” American Chemical Society, 1155 16th St., N.W ., Wash­ ington, D.C. Sponsored by the National Federa­ tion of Abstracting and Information Services, the emphasis will be on the effective manage­ ment of human resources. Fee: NFAIS members, $150; non-members, $200. Contact: NFAIS, 112 S. 16th St., Philadelphia, PA 19102; (215) 563- 2406. June 2-5—Problem-solving: Library Analytical Skills Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. Sponsored by the ARL Office of Manage­ ment Studies, the Institute uses a laboratory ap­ proach that includes pre-course preparation and field studies. Fee: $450. Limited to 35 partici­ pants. Contact: ARL/OMS, 1527 New Hamp­ shire Ave., N.W ., Washington, DC 20036; (202) 232-8656. 10-12—SUNY: Annual Meeting, State University of New York Librarians Association, SUNY