ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 5 5 0 /C&RL News ACRL in Chicago: Forecasting the future Highlights o f ACRL programs at ALA’s 1995 A nnual Conference A CRL m em bers h ad the opportunity to enjoy sunny weather, “Taste of Chicago,” and the beautiful lakefront as they attended ALA’s 114th Annual Conference. Total confer­ ence attendance was 24,653 members, exhibi­ tors, and guests, including 13,290 paid regis­ trants—w hich exceeds the previous high paid attendance of 13,063 set in San Francisco in 1992. The conference offered ACRL members an exciting array o f topics covering the future of library services, electronic publishing, a look at Africa, distance education, and resources for Western Europe. Below are highlights of some o f the programs. (Ed. note: Thanks to the many members w ho summarized programs for C&RL News so that w e could bring you this report.) The Life of the Mind in the 21 st Century Marshall Keys welcomed an audience that filled a ballroom to the joint ACRL/LITA President’s Program at the ALA Annual Conference. Three speakers from outside the library field shared with the audience how they relate differently now to libraries an d library technology. Al­ though each discussed changing technology as a driving motivation for our changing en v iro n ­ “ It is not th ment, the speakers fo­ cussed on hum an rela­ of w h a t w e tionships as being crucial expression in adapting new technol­ ogy to w hat w e do. struction th Cultural anthropolo­ cates.”gist Jennifer James reit­ erated much of w hat she addressed at the ACRL Seventh National Con­ ference in March. “When people can’t find their way in the new world, they cling to the old. No generation in history has b een asked to make a change of this magnitude within their ow n lifespan. If you tear dow n something you built, you are forced to look at it and admit it has some problem s.” In order to determine the new models for dealing with a new world, “you need a new mind,” and “you must give up the old myths.” Miniaturization, multitasking, and consciousness will be the keys to navigating the future. Technology will perform the low- level skills, so that people can “save the brain” for higher-level strategic thinking and problem ­ solving skills. Michael Joyce (Vassar College) is active in the developm ent of hypertext in fiction and in the teaching of writing. He is interested in the “new path” betw een the class and the library. New issues for writers and librarians include how to archive and collect hypertext materials that include constant interaction and revision by readers. Joyce believes that “w hat must be preserved is the heterogeneity of materials.” It is hum an interaction that brings meaning to the material, regardless of its format. “I change and am changed by w hat others make. We are not our collection, but our collecting. The value in w hat w e are collecting is not as much em bod­ ied in w hat it is, as in how w e found it and w hy w e keep it. O ur mistaking tells us a little about w ho w e are and w ho others expect us to be. It is not the substance of w hat w e say, but its expression and its construction that com ­ municates.” In the pro­ substance cess, the boundary b e­ tween reader and author s a y , but its is fading, and libraries nd its con­ are b eco m in g “virtual spaces,” as well as physi­ communi­ cal spaces. G re g F a r rin g to n , dean of the School of En­ gineering at the Univer­ sity o f Pennsylvania, is not so sure w e n eed a new mind for living successfully in a changing world, as m uch as w e n ee d to b e o p en to change. He em phasized that librarians must e a at Septem ber 1 9 9 5 /5 5 1 “pay attention to th e role you s e r v e , n o t th e m e a n s b y w h ich you serv e th e ro le .” F a c u lty m u st c o n s id e r n o t how they find it com fortable to teach , but h o w their stu­ dents b est learn w hat faculty te a c h . B e c a u s e te c h n o lo g y now allow s inform ation to b e everyw here instantly, it is dra­ m atically changing w h o stu­ d en ts are an d h o w facu lty teach. Students d o n ’t have to b e physically at the university to b e a part o f it. T h e library c a n b e ev ery w h ere, all the tim e. C lass d is c u s s io n c a n c o n t i n u e o u t s id e c l a s s , through the w e e k on a list serv, raising ambiguity as to w h en class really end s and w h en o n e has to b e partici­ Fran G raf o f Cho pating to b e part o f the class. the database off “If w e s ee ourselves as sort­ ter at the ALA C ing and validating and ulti­ m ately interacting within a hum an sen se, and inspiring and con n ectin g and dealing with all th ese marvelous things that define hum ans as hum ans and edu cation as education, then w e are going to have a role and a m ission for a long tim e.” T ech n o lo g y m akes us w ant to b e m ore hum an, to co n n e ct personally with each other. T h e university will con tin u e to b e de­ fined by its hum an com m unity, a virtual com ­ munity as w ell as a real com m unity.—Helen Spalding, University o f Missouri-Kansas City Africa a t the Field M useum : Perspec­ tives on the perm an e nt A frica e x h ib it This program, organized by the African, Asian, and Middle Eastern Section and cosp on sored by the Afro-American Librarians Section and the International Relations Com m ittee, con sisted o f two parts: 1) talks by tw o Field M useum staff persons clo sely associated with the new e x ­ hibit, and 2) an opportunity to view the e x ­ hibit. In N ovem ber 1993 the Field M useum o f Natural History o p en ed its n ew perm anent Af­ rica exhibit. T he exhibit has drawn international attention b eca u se o f its new ap p roaches to p re­ senting Africa as a con tin ent o f great variety and dynam ic popu lations. T h e o p en in g was p reced ed by five years o f planning w hich in­ c lu d e d c o m m u n ity in v o lv e m e n t. T h e first s p e a k e r , C a r o ly n B la c k m a n , h e a d o f th e m u seum ’s E ducation D epart­ m ent, gave a b rief history o f the Field Museum, w hich was establish ed in 1893 and re­ cen tly has em barked on the redesign o f m any exhibits to com bin e both the hum an and environm ental elem ents. She th en sp o k e prim arily about the goal o f the exh ibit to re­ f le c t w h a t th e co m m u n ity w anted to kn o w and n eed ed to learn about Africa. Over ten public forums w ere held in the Chicago area to give the com m unity a ch an ce to e x ­ press its opinions. T h e sec ­ o n d s p e a k e r w as M au reen R an so m , a m e m b e r o f the Africa E xhibit’s D evelopm ent T eam . She d escribed the dif­ ice (left) reviews ferent com p on en ts o f the e x ­ ered by SilverPlat hib it an d ta lk ed a b o u t th e onference. outreach program that links the exh ibit to th e com m unity through public libraries and schools. In prepa­ ration for this exhibit many African p eop le w ere asked their op in ion o f how item s and displays should b e p resented to b est recreate a feel for Africa. Many Am ericans, both o f African and non-African d escen t, w ere asked questions to un cover stereotypes w hich this exh ibit could elim inate. She also described building o f the Africa R esource Center, a small library o f Afri­ can studies materials at the end o f the exhibit that allow s view ers to pau se on their w ay out to follow up o n questions raised as a result o f view ing the exhibit. This exh ibit is colorful and interactive. It stim ulates all o f the sen ses in its teach in g efforts, including the sen se o f taste, w h ich is addressed b y th e distribution o f an African recip e to b e sam pled at another time.— Cynthia Coccaro, University o f Akron, and David Easterbrook, Northwestern University Publishing the social te x t R ecen t trends in scholarly publishing and their ram ifications for academ ic librarians w ere the topics o f “Publishing the Social T ext: Issues in Sociolog y and A nthropology P ublication and Review ing ,” sp o n so red by the A nthropology and Sociology Section. Representatives o f both university and com m ercial scholarly p resses (Ju­ dith McCulloh, University o f Illinois Press, and D on Reism an, Lynne Rienner Publishers) dis- 5 5 2 / C&RL News September 1 995/553 cussed the types of manuscripts they sought and outlined current economic constraints in the publishing industry. Publishers, including university presses, must expect to at least re­ cover the cost o f publishing a manuscript, and can no longer absorb the costs of publishing a work on a narrow topic lacking broad appeal, or expect the bigger sellers to carry those with smaller sales. Publishers increasingly search for topics that are of interest to a num ber o f disci­ plines, perhaps with the potential o f being adopted as a class text. The effect of the in­ creasing percentage of rejected manuscripts on the tenure process was noted. The former pat­ tern of publishing the rew orked dissertation, typically detailing ethnographic field work, as the first rite of passage in becoming a success­ ful academic anthropologist is less frequently seen. George Marcus (Rice University) noted the dem and to publish theoretical, “cutting-edge” ethnographies, “ones that address the concerns of new interdisciplinary arenas” and also the rise o f in te rd isc ip lin a ry jo u rn als. E dw ard Laumann (University of Chicago) described his foray into the world of trade publishing, and the accompanying media blitz, with the recent publication of Sex in America by Little, Brown (1994). David Henige (University of Wiscon- sin-Madison) com mented and directed the en­ suing discussion. A bibliography of readings on publishing in sociology and anthropology was handed out and is available on request via e-mail to e-sutton@ uxl.cso.uiuc.edu).— Ellen Sutton, University o f Illinois a t Urbana-Cham paign Technology and changing communication In “Run Ragged by Riches! Technology and Changing Com munications for the Library,” cosponsored by the College Libraries Section and the University Libraries Section, Nina Davis- Millis and Tom O w ens (both Massachusetts Institute of Technology) presented a dual pa­ p er emphasizing librarian and systems p eople’s views on “confronting the other” in the good sense, to enhance better communication be­ tw een the tw o “cultures.” Davis-Millis outlined the differences and similarities betw een librar­ ians and “techies.” She discussed the theme of “technostress,” w hich she defined as not just fear of technology, but “the pressure o f w ork­ ing with technology and its rapid change,” and noted that com puter center people experience this as well. She em phasized the need to rid ourselves of the “us vs. they mentality” and the need to make “collaboration a key concept.” O rder your Annual Conference audiocassettes Audiocassettes of selected ACRL programs from the 1995 ALA Annual Conference in Chi­ cago are now available. Each program con­ sists of two cassettes and sells for $24.00. Can This Marriage Be Saved? Academ ic and Public Librarians W orking Together to Support Extended-C am pus Students. Order no. ALA 514 Publishing th e Social Text: Issues in So c io lo g y an d A n th r o p o lo g y P u b lica tio n and R eview ing. Order no. ALA 518 Run Ragged b y Riches! T ech nology and C h a n g in g C o m m u n ic a tio n s fo r th e Li­ brary. Order no. ALA 519 The Age o f Anxiety: Balancing Schol­ arly N eeds fo r Primary R esearch Materi­ als and E lectronic Inform ation. Order no. ALA 525 The Great Media C onvergence: Evolv­ in g R elationships b etw een Campus Media an d In fo rm a tio n S ystem s an d Services. Order no. ALA 526 N ow What? D esig n in g and Im plem en t­ in g Multimedia A pplications for Libraries. Order no. ALA 536 N ew F em in ist R esearch in Library and In form ation Science: Im plication s for Li­ braries. Order no. ALA 537 European C onnections: Electronic Re­ sou rces fo r W estern Europe. Order no. AI.A 539 The Life o f th e Mind in th e 21st C en­ tury. Order no. ALA 541 Audiocassettes for other programs are also available. Call, write, or fax your order or a request for an order form to: T each’ em, 160 E. Illinois St., Chicago, IL 606 l l ; voice: (312) 467-0424 or (800) 225-3775; fax: (312) 467- 9271. You may pay by check (payable to Teach’em) or credit card (VISA, MC, AMEX). 5 5 4 /C&RL News ULS b usy a t A LA in Chicago T he follow ing are highlights o f the Uni­ versity Libraries Section’s activities during the 1995 ALA Annual Conference: • As a result o f action by several m em ­ bers o f the Undergraduate Librarians Discus­ sion Group, a new ACRL Discussion Group on Electronic Reserves has been form ed and had its first m eeting in Chicago. • T h e Undergraduate Librarians Discus­ sion G roup continues to increase its potential m em bership as W ayne State and Columbia Universities are moving ahead on separate un­ dergraduate facilities. T he University o f W is­ con sin has mandated that all 5,000 freshm en receive library instruction; a tw o-pronged ap ­ proach o f a one-h ou r class session, plus an interactive multimedia m odule will b e piloted in fall 1995. • ULS is planning to m ake u se o f the ACRL-FRM bulletin board to share inform a­ tion with the university library com munity. ULS activity announcem ents, solicitation o f re­ a ctio n s to planning , and question /answ er postings are planned for a pilot project. Watch for m ore information and, in the meantim e, ULS m em bers are encouraged to sign up for the ACRL-FRM. • T h e Librarians in Higher Education Dis­ cussion G roup heard presentations from two library leaders in a session entitled “Building Campus P ow er B a se s.” Je a n Loup (University o f M ichigan) and Jo h n M eador (University o f M ississippi) talked about lessons they had learned in dealing with faculty and the wider university environm ent. T hese two presenta­ tions led to lively discussion. Loup described her exp erien ce as chair o f the faculty at Michi­ gan, noting that librarians are exp erien ced com m ittee m em bers. Understanding o f par­ in liamentary procedure and o f effective com ­ so mittee p rocesses gives librarians credibility, authority, and a sen se o f structure. T he library benefits from librarians being an active part o f the university com m unity in tangible ways leading to improved financial support, and in intangible ways leading to increased respect for librarians as a vital part o f the academ ic com munity. M eador focu sed on ways the university li­ brary can im prove its position as the inform a­ tion provider on cam pus. He advocated col­ laboration with entities such as the bookstore and central printing on campus, and with ven­ dors and information providers o ff campus. T he library can also collaborate with faculty to create multimedia. T h e library needs to b e aggressive in positioning itself so that chances o f being bypassed by direct m arketing o f ven­ dors to faculty d oes not diminish support for the library. Meador b elieves that librarians are m oving ahead rapidly in terms o f u se and understanding o f technology, and there is dan­ ger in alienating a m ore conservative faculty. O ne way in w hich the library can estab­ lish itself as the cam pus information provider is to b eco m e the site licenser for softw are on cam pus. E conom y o f scale also offers benefit to the university as the library can negotiate the b est deals with vendors. Libraries may want to expand their hours so, as students and faculty avail them selves o f new informa­ tion forms such as the Internet, the library is op en and available to help en h an ce and sup­ port the new information. In closing, Meador noted that the library was there for the uni­ versity w hen inform ation was largely in print and it will b e there w hen inform ation is in electronic form .— Sharon Walhridge, Wash­ gton State University, ULS C&RL News liai­ n She noted that “by w orking together, w e build points about com m unication, and stated that th e “m ost trou blesom e confrontation with the other is likely to b e in reporting problem s.” He said librarians n eed to b e as specific as pos­ sible w h en reporting, and suggested several things to facilitate this: 1) d on ’t panic, 2) ch eck obvious things, 3) report w ell and with detail, and 4) know that you have the right to have the problem explained to you. a com m on language and a shared p u rp ose.” Tom O w ens e ch o ed many o f Davis-Millis’s points from the systems p erson’s viewpoint. He stressed the im portance for com puter opera­ tors and d esigners to d evelop a “good data m odel w hich, like a flow chart, rem oves am bi­ guity from discussions b etw een user and pro­ g ra m m er.” O w e n s s u p p o rted D avis-M illis’s September 1 9 9 5 /5 5 5 Connie Dowell (Connecticut College) p re­ sented a multimedia presentation replete with music and car crashes. Dowell spoke about how m uch libraries have changed since many o f us becam e librarians, most notably in the prolif­ eration o f technology. She noted contributing factors in w hat she term ed “technoangst”: 1) the information explosion, with its n eed for en ­ hanced ways to access data; 2) our education; some o f us w ere taught to w ant to “hold on to physical copies” and now have to sometimes b e content sometimes with “online resources w hich reside at som e distant location”; 3) the virtual w ork environm ent; an d 4) the press, technohype, and the public’s expectations. Dowell concluded by offering factors lead­ ing to “technocom fort.” These included, 1) in­ formation specialists becom ing m ore valued, 2) libraries an d com puter centers will likely merge, an d 3) greater rec­ og n itio n th a t c o n te n t is more im portant than tech­ nology. Michael Kathm an (St. Jo h n ’s University) reacted to the speakers. He agreed w ith D a v is -M illis a n d O w en ’s description o f the different cultures and the need for communication, but w arned that all issues are specific to your ow n institution, and that there is alw ay s th e n e e d for “m u tu a l r e s p e c t a n d a sense o f hum or.” He dis­ M ich elin e J ed rey agreed with Dowell’s p re­ S e c tio n ’s r e c e p tio n diction that the m erger of libraries and com puter centers is “inevitable and desirable.” He also suggested that, “in smaller institutions, the n ee d for directors w ith techni­ cal expertise” is becom ing m ore important.— Sharon Britton, H am ilton College Facilitating humanist-librarian collaboration Ways in w hich the librarian can best assist lit­ erary research w ere the focus o f “The Hum an­ ist and the Librarian: Creating a Collaborative Partnership,” presented by ACRL’s new English and American Literature Section (EALS). Panel­ ist Stephen E. Wiberley Jr. (University of Illi­ nois at Chicago) defined the major types of case study o f a program adm inistered by the cal School o f Education, University o f Louisville nd (UL). Two librarians of the UL Library devel- humanities scholarship (bibliography, criti editing, historical studies, formal criticism, a theory) and outlined ways in w hich librarians can/cannot assist research in each mode. J. Paul H unter (University o f Chicago) sug­ gested that the ren ew ed focus o n historical questions, with its concom itant d eep interest in specific texts and their historical grounding, and the m ovem ent tow ard cultural studies of­ ten require research beyond the scholar’s field and makes the humanist d ep en d en t o n those with know ledge o f other disciplines and their bibliographies. The library and librarian are logi­ cal sources for texts, historical artifacts, and ref­ erences for further study. Forging collaborative arrangements with fac­ ulty requires effort on the part of librarians; M arcia P an k ak e (U niversity o f M innesota) shared many o f h er strategies. Librarians must study scholars and their output to learn their m ethodologies an d needs. Librarians should n d C o n n ie D o w e ll e n jo y th e C ollege Libraries c eleb ratin g th e 15th an n iv er sa r y o f CLIP N otes. consider becom ing part o f the interview pro­ cess for new faculty, sending annual reports on library changes an d new collections, and m eeting each faculty m em ber at least once a year to discuss research n eed s.— M ichaelyn Burnette, University o f California, Berkeley Library support for distance learners The Education and Behavioral Sciences Section’s program, “Distance Education in the 21st Cen­ tury: Removing Campus Walls,” featured p an ­ elists Sharon M. Edge (University of Louisville) and Steven F. Schomburg (University of Illi­ nois at Urbana-Champaign). Edge described a a 5 5 6 / C&RL News op ed reference services, docum ent delivery ser­ vices, and information literacy instruction to facilitate five televised and highly interactive courses. Delivery of library materials/resources by mail, fax, or com puter contributed impor­ tantly to the program’s success. Edge discussed other aspects o f the program w hich include staffing requirements, equipment, processing procedures, and turnaround time. It is believed that the project helped to position the library for the future and that students w ere assisted in acquiring information skills for their personal continuing education. Schomburg’s forecast o f distance education in the 21st century envisions librarians’ employ­ ing the latest and most advanced technologies. He cautioned, however, that it is uncertain how the hum an condition will be affected. He sees “smart products” forming the basis o f the tech­ nology set. Schomburg limited his discussion of “dis­ tance education” to formally organized courses administered by an accredited college or uni­ versity. Additionally, teachers and students are linked and interact by m eans of some type of telecommunications or network technology. He forecasts that tw o types o f technology—syn­ chronous (real time) and asynchronous (any­ time, anyplace)—will be mixed in the next cen­ tury. Trends, he noted, include an enormous export m arket of coursew ork an d increased numbers of “entrepreneur” librarians. Among other challenges, he recommends that librar­ ians seek and join those creating new learning Cultural a n th ro p o lo g ist J e n n ife r Jam es add resse th e cro w d at th e ACRL/LITA P resid en t’s Program environments.—M arilyn A. Hicks, University o f Wisconsin-Madison Academic and public libraries cooperate “Can This Marriage Be Saved? Academic and Public Librarians Working Together to Support Extended-C am pus S tudents,” s p o n so red by ACRL’s Extended Campus Library Services Sec­ tion, explored w hy academic and public librar­ ies need to cooperatively serve college students taking distance education courses. A panel ad­ dressed the program them e by proposing spe­ cific models and partnerships. Susan Potter (Regis University) provided a background for the program by referring to a survey that found 80% of all off-campus Regis students use local libraries to com plete college assignments. The first speaker, Julie Todaro (Austin Com­ munity College), focused on the types of rela­ tionships libraries must forge and that a “50/ 50” partnership benefiting both parties is es­ sential. Memorandums are the most common form of written agreements and are easier to update legally than a formal contract. Librar­ ians must “bring the function to the fore” by discussing the “product” (services) u p front. Andrew Scrimgeour (Regis University) lik­ ened different agreements to marriages: tradi­ tional (most formal, least common); of conve­ nience; postmodern; and orphan (least formal, most common). O rphan marriages are w here “baskets o f babies (college students) are aban­ d o n ed at th e public libraries’ circulation desks.” College students have the fundamental right to their institutions’ resources and part­ nerships must be founded on mutual respect. Thom as Moran (Moline Public Library) questioned the marriage theme by noting that public libraries serve the educational needs o f their communities, yet college students are often “skipped over” in favor of adult learn­ ers. Public libraries’ historical roots are in supporting higher education and librarians should serve w hoever comes in the door.— Rob Morrison, Utah State University The future role of libraries In lieu of a regular program, the Law and Political Science Section celebrated its 20th anniversary with a breakfast sponsored by Congressional Quarterly, Inc. The keynote d speaker was Neil Skene, CQ editor and pu b ­ . lisher. A central them e in his remarks, pep- September 1 9 9 5 /5 5 7 u ested e x h ib its-o n ly p a sse s to c h e c k ou t th e latest sp la y ed at th e ALA A n nu al C on feren ce in June. that scientists often refer to older publications in order to replicate studies or for inspiration; that those most often involved in archival ac­ tivities are from the humanities and often d o n ’t have the interest or inclination to w ork with scientists and their records; fragmentation of the record— documentation of a research project is held by many offices and organizations from the federal granting agency to the principal in­ vestigator to the w orkbench scientist; lack of coherent advocacy am ong scientists, scientific societies, science librarians, archivists and pres­ ervation librarians, and national agencies; and lack o f targeted funds. He called u p o n the library an d archival com m unities to organize a ro u n d disciplines an d b u ild u p o n th e m eth ­ o d o lo g ies d e v e lo p e d from existing p rese r­ vation projects.—Jill Newby, Weber State Uni­ versity Librarians adapt to changes in Russian publishing O ne speaker at the Slavic and East European Section’s program, “Librarians Riding the Bear: Keeping Pace with Russian Publishing,” com ­ pared the acquisition o f Russian materials to crisis m anagem ent. N onetheless, all o f the p ro g ra m ’s p rese n ters ag re ed th at th e cu rren t chaotic situation is p referab le to th e past, w h en th e p u b lish in g industry w as stable bu t stagnant. pered with hum or­ ous asides on Wash­ ington politics, was that the era of the information interme­ d ia ry is n o t over, and, indeed, that the need is greater than ever for intermediar­ ies w h o can h elp m ake sense o f the flood of information inundating the end u s e r. In fo rm a tio n companies like Con­ gressional Quarterly, he asserted, will sur­ vive and prosper not by flooding the end user with m ore in­ fo rm a tio n , b u t by presenting informa­ Over 5,500 librarians req tion fairly and accu­ produ cts and serv ices d i rately. He noted that libraries will most likely survive and prosper by following a similar course, and that journal­ ists and librarians share a high calling in this regard. Skene also made the formal announcem ent o f the Marta Lange/CQ Award, a new $1,000 annual award recognizing distinction in law and political science librarianship.— Ron Heckart, University o f California, Berkeley Preserving the record of science and technology In the Science and Technology Section’s pro­ gram, “Preserving the Record of Science and Technology: A Call to Action,” H elen Samuels (MIT) introduced science librarians to “docu­ mentation strategies” that focus on a functional analysis of an organization to categorize docu­ ments and set priorities and levels o f selection and preservation. Joan Warnow-Bluett (American Institute of Physics) talked about the role o f the center in maintaining a catalog of locations and contents of archival collections, collecting oral histories, setting guidelines for selection of archival ma­ terials, and matching docum ents to appropri­ ate institutions. Samuel Demas (Cornell University) spoke about some o f the obstacles to sci/tech preser­ vation including the m isconception that scien­ tists are not interested in older materials and 5 5 8 /C&RL News June Pachuta Farris (University of Chicago) pointed out that it is difficult for academic p u b ­ lishers in Russia to remain solvent. Academic publications are issued in small tirages and, con­ sequently, orders for these items must be placed quickly. Jo h n Bushnell (Northwestern University and co-ow ner o f Russian Press Service, Inc.) ex­ plained that a reason for the scarcity of aca­ demic w orks is that Russian readers are d e­ m anding genres—for example, pulp fiction and religious works—w hich have not b een avail­ able since the 1920s. In addition, the b o o k ­ store system has collapsed and b een replaced by w holesalers and street peddlers w ho have no interest in offering a w ide variety o f titles and maintaining stock. Still, Bushnell believes the Russian publishing industry is healthy; fewer books are published, b u t the quality of the ma­ terial is better. Yelena Mushtyats (Far Eastern State Techni­ cal University in Vladivostok) squelched this optim istic them e, noting th at even positive changes can be painful. Mushtyats explained that previously h er library w as not allow ed to collect foreign materials; now these items are not prohibited, they are simply not affordable. The library must rely o n gifts to maintain its foreign collection. Ared Misirliyan (McGill University) prom pted discussion by asking how librarians as a group could assist Russian libraries.—-Julie Swann, Uni­ versity o f Nebraska-Lincoln The human face of change Concentrating on “p eo p le” over “process,” the University Libraries Section and College Librar­ ies Section presented a program entitled “But What About Me? The Human Face o f Organi­ zational C hange,” featuring Rebecca Martin (University of Vermont), Kriza Jennings (ARL), H annelore Rader (Cleveland State University), and Rita Scherrei (UCLA). In h er keynote address, Martin noted that change is a way of life for librarians regardless o f their years of experience, and that m ore is coming than w e can anticipate. According to Rosabeth Moss Kanter, w e n eed to respond to change, harness it and create it. Martin coun­ seled “w here there are obstacles, build bridges around them.” She w arned that actions intended to produce understanding and trust often pro­ duce just the opposite. Martin advised middle managers to com municate difficult issues up the line, avoid budget games, and be aware that people often do not behave reasonably even w hen it is in their ow n best interests. K nowledge w orkers n eed a team orientation, interdisciplinary thinking, role complexity, and looser lines o f authority. New roles and new d em an d s req u ire n e w skills, a d d e d w ork, changed expectations, and transformed career paths. You n eed to develop new skills, be cre­ ative, know your strengths and w eaknesses, take risks and stretch. As Mario Andretti said, “if you feel everything is u n d er control, you are not going fast enough.” In a lively presentation, Jen n in g s talked about maintaining the commitment to diversity in a downsizing world. Diversity is no t just race and ethnicity—the goal is a climate w here ev­ eryone is welcomed, valued, and respected. If there is a concern for users, diversity can help libraries better serve them. Diversity should not b e an “extra,” it should be integral. It should b e a part of the mission, values, and philoso­ phy of the library, written into the library’s goals, expectations, and pursuit of excellence. R ader offered som e practical advice for downsizing in a union environment. In collec­ tive bargaining, try to address future needs in the contract (outsourcing is an example) and include some degree of flexibility in the con­ tract. Contract negotiations can be used as an opportunity to educate the players— op en com ­ munication regarding information and planning is needed. She stressed the n eed to be hum ane in implementing change. Scherrei shared results of a series of 25 in­ terviews she conducted with University o f Cali­ fornia librarians w hose positions h ad b een im­ pacted by organizational change. Most o f these librarians w ere in mid-career, in their forties, w ere wom en, and w ere white. Those w ho ex­ perienced the loss of m anagem ent or supervi­ sory responsibilities felt disillusioned and ex­ p ressed d ecreased loyalty to the institution. Those w ho h ad b ee n displaced and m oved horizontally from o n e subject or one special­ ization to another felt that their past experi­ ence had b een devalued. Many looked at early retirem ent an d displayed decreasing outside professional activity. Scherrei had this advice for managers: share the overall vision with those to be affected; involve the library director in communication; provide counseling, acknowl­ edge stress; and understand that those affected feel powerless and uncertain. A kinder, more c o n s u lta tiv e p ro c e s s is n e e d e d .— S h a ro n Walbridge, W ashington State University ■ September 1995/559