ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ N o v e m b e r 2003 / 647 N e w s f r o m t h e F i e l d Stephanie Orphan In fo r m a tio n L iteracy M e e tin g o f E xperts d ra fts p rin ciples Participants o f the Inform ation Literacy Meeting of Experts, representing 23 coun- tries, have created a draft set o f informatioin literacy principles, “The Prague declaratioin towards an information literate society.” The meeting, held in September, was organized by the U.S. National Commission on Library and Information Science (NCLIS) and the National Forum on Information Literacy, with the support of UNESCO, in Prague, the Czech Republic. In addition to the principles, the decla- ration includes policy recommendations, in- eluding the study of the Prague conference report and implementation of its recommen- dations, strategic plans, and research initia- tives; assessment o f such implementations in an international congress on informatioin literacy in 2005; and consideration of inclu- sion o f information literacy within the United Nations Literacy Decade. Information about the meeting of experts can be found on the NCLIS Web site at: www.nclis.gov/libinter/ infolitconf&meet/infolitconf&meet. html. H ig h e r e d u c a tio n ICT in itia t iv e estab lish ed The Educational Testing Service (ETS), working with seven leading college and university systems, has established a Na­ tional Higher Education ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Initia­ tive. The goal of the initiative is for ETS and the seven college and university sys­ tems to conceive, design, and build as­ sessments that gauge whether students possess the ability to use digital technol­ ogy to solve problems in order to func­ tion in an information society. The char­ ter college and university systems involved in the project collectively enroll 25 per­ cent of the U.S.’s college students. They are California Community College System, California State University, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Lou­ isville, University of North Alabama, Uni­ versity of Texas System, and University of Washington. ETS and the colleges and uni­ versities will use cutting-edge measurement techniques that are technology-delivered and scenario-based to accurately assess stu­ dents’ skills. In d e x b ro w s in g a v a ila b le th ro u g h EBSCOhost EBSCO Publishing has released index brows­ ing for its EBSCOhost product, which gives users the option to search from specific in­ dexes in EBSCOhost databases from a drop­ down menu o f indexed fields. When an indexed field is selected, users can browse an alphabetical list o f terms in each indexed field or browse for a specific term within the chosen field. Researchers may then build a search by selecting one or more terms from the index and choosing the desired Boolean operator for multiple terms. Single searches can also be constructed from multiple indexes. This new functionality can be found on a toolbar button labeled “Indexes” on the ad­ vanced search screen; index browsing can be configured to appear on the basic search screen via EBSCOadmin. http://www.nclis.gov/libinter 648 / C&RL News ■ N o v e m b e r 2003 C o m m u n ity , te c h n ic a l colleges choose V o y a g e r Four community, technical, and junior col­ lege libraries recently selected Endeavor In­ formation System’s Voyager product as their integrated library management system. The colleges implementing Voyager are Cleve­ land State Community College, serving 5,000 users; Fox Valley Technical College, serv­ ing 51,000 users; Rose State College, serv­ ing 7,000 users; and W enatchee Valley Col­ lege, serving 4,000 users. Voyager is fully implemented in over 1,100 libraries world­ wide. Old D o m in io n c e le b ra te s 40 years as a fe d e ra l d e p o s ito ry The Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library at Old Dominion University is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a federal depository library. The library’s government documents collection, which was initiated in 1963 as an Atomic Energy Com­ mission depository, now contains approximately half a million items. In addition to traditional pa­ per and microfiche materials, the collection con­ tains over 12,000 maps, 2,000 CD-ROMs and DVDs, 38 videos, and thousands of links to Internet publications. The Government Printing Office predicts that by 2005, 90 percent of new titles will be online only. Old Dominion has launched a Web exhibit, “Peny Library Celebrates 40 Years of Bringing Government Information To You,” at www.lib.odu.edu/gpexhibit. Open-access PLoS jo u rn a l receives kudos A coalition of major library and public in­ terest organizations, including ACRL, praised Apply fo r Immersion '04, July 30 to August 4, 2004 Whether your institution is just beginning to think about implementing an informa­ tion literacy component or whether you have a program well underway, Immer­ sion ’04 will provide academic librarians with the intellectual tools and practical techniques to help your institution build or enhance its instruction program. Immersion ’04 will be four-and-one- half days of active learning and intensive interaction among academic librarians. A faculty of nationally recognized librarians will be teaching the program. Program ses­ sions will fall into two separate tracks: • T each er T rack . This track focuses on individual development for those who are interested in enhancing, refreshing, or extending their individual instruction skills. Participants selected for the Teacher Track will prepare a description of an instruc­ tional situation and a related presentation in advance o f the Immersion program. • P r o g r a m M a n a g e r /D e v e l o p e r T rack . This track focuses on develop­ ing, integrating, and managing institutional and programmatic information literacy pro­ grams. Participants selected for the Pro­ gram Manager Track will develop indi­ vidual case studies in advance of the Im­ mersion program. Immersion participants will be expected to develop the case stud­ ies into an action plan for implementation at the home institution, and possible in­ clusion in a “best practices” report six months after the program. Acceptance to the Immersion Program is competitive; participation is limited to 90 individuals at each program to ensure an environment that fosters group interac­ tion and active participation. The applica­ tion deadline is December 5, 2003. Appli­ cation materials are online at www.acrl.org/ immersion. Scholarships a v a ila b le ACRL is funding scholarships that will help cover the costs of the Immersion Program. Scholarships are reserved for Teacher Track applicants who are new librarians who have been in librarianship for two years or less; minority librarians with five years or less of academic librarianship experience; and li­ brarians employed at an institution serving under-represented minorities. Questions concerning the program or application process should be directed to Margot Sutton Conahan, (312) 280-2522; msutton@ala.org. http://www.lib.odu.edu/gpexhibit http://www.acrl.org/ mailto:msutton@ala.org C&RL News ■ N o v e m b e r 2003 / 649 the October premier of the first open ac­ cess journal published by Public Library of Science (PLoS), a nonprofit organization of scientists and physicians. PLoS B iology is a monthly peer-reviewed journal that is em­ ploying a new model for scientific publish­ ing. Research articles are freely available to read and use through the Internet, with the costs of publication being recovered from publication fees paid by authors out of their grant funds and from other sources, rather than from subscription fees. PLoS is sup­ ported by a large group o f the world’s lead­ ing scientists. A team of these scientists serve as academic editors of PLoS B iology, and an experienced professional staff operates the venture. PLoS B iology is available on­ line at biology.plosjournals.org. M a r q u e tte dedic a te s n e w lib ra ry Marquette University dedicated its new $55 million Jo h n P. Raynor, S.J., Library on September 19- Actor Martin Sheen sp oke at the cerem ony and was recognized with an honorary Doctor of Let­ ters degree for his work as a humanitarian and social activist and support of the D o ro th y D ay / C ath olic Worker movement, whose papers are preserved in the library’s D epartm ent of Special Collections. The 1 2 5 ,0 0 0 -s q u a r e -fo o t li­ brary, designed by Shepley A c to r M a rtin Sheen sp o ke a t th e d e d ic a tio n cerem ony f o r M a rq u e tte U niversity's n e w John P. Raynor, S.J. L ibrary. Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott, features a 24/7 in­ formation commons, more than 200 PCs, group study spaces, two class­ rooms, a conference center, a reading room and storage facility, and the university’s writing center. IEEE to price o n lin e p roducts lo w e r th a n p rin t The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has announced that prices of its online collections will be lower than comparable print prices in 2004, in support of the organization’s mission to encourage online access to its publications. Previously, pricing of online collections was the same as that for equivalent print offerings. IEEE print journals, magazines, and conference proceedings will still be considered the ar­ ticle of record, and contain all advertising, editorials, and other materials not available online. However, IEEE is undertaking a major “completeness” project, whereby its online publications will completely contain all of the information in print and will ulti­ mately become the publication of record. Pricing changes go into effect with 2004 sub­ scriptions for IEEE journals and conference proceedings collections. UIUC adds o n e -o f-a -k in d b o o k as 10 m illio n th v o lu m e T h e U n iv ersity o f Illin o is at U rbana- Champaign (UIUC), the largest public uni­ versity library in the world, has acquired its 10 millionth volume. Library officials de­ scribe the volume as “a labor of love to the library from the library.” Rather than acquiring a th o ro u g h ly a c a d e m ic book, library faculty, staff, and friends collaborated to create U nlocking Our Past, B u ild in g Our Future: A C om m em orative P u b li­ cation Celebrating the Uni­ versity o f Illinois L ibrary a t U rbana-C ham paign as Re­ sou rce, a s P lace, a n d a s E xperience. The book in­ clud es original essays, photographs, art and po­ etry, and an introduction by un iv ersity historian Winton Solberg. Two spe­ cialty craft shops, one spe­ cializing in handmade paper and the other a small fine letterpress, worked together to produce one copy of the book entirely by hand. The book measures approximately 12 by 16 inches and was bound in-house at UIUC in leather and wood with a decorative cover. A dedication ceremony to mark this unique milestone was held in October. P u tin to u rs C o lu m b ia U. arch ive During a September visit, Russian president Vladimir Putin toured Columbia University’s Rare B ook and Manuscript Library and viewed the Bakhmeteff Archive of Russian 650 / C&RL News ■ N o v e m b e r 2003 and East European Culture, the second-largest depository of Russian émigré materials out­ side of Russia. The archive, established in 1951, was named in honor of Boris Bakhmeteff, a Russian émigré and Columbia professor. It contains at least 1,680,000 items in more than 1,500 collections, primarily letters, diaries, mem­ oirs, tapes, photographs, and other documen­ tary materials. Tanya Chebotarev, curator of the Bakhmeteff Archive, said that the Russian leader’s visit “demonstrates the importance of archival research in cross cultural exchange. Russian history cannot be written ignoring the Russian émigré experience . . . ” Putin’s visit to the libraries coincided with the 300th anniver­ sary of St. Petersburg in Russia. Classical Music Library o ffe rs ch arter su bscrip tion Classical International has launched a char­ ter subscription offer to reward early sub­ scribers of its Classical Music Library listen­ ing serv ice. Libraries that s u b scrib e to Classical Musical Library by December 31, 2003, will be given three additional months free with their first annual subscription. The offer applies to both the direct and local service versions of Classical Music Library. The service offers a growing collection of 12,000 classical tracks for listening, brows­ ing, and searching, as well as thousands of cross-referenced program notes, biographies, and images. ■ ACRL offering three workshops at M id w in te r R egistration is open Register now for one o f ACRL’s three Mid­ winter workshops to be offered in San Di­ ego on Friday, January 9, 2004. Registra­ tion materials are available online at www. ala.org/midwinter. The registration dead­ line is December 1, 2003. Details about the workshops are below: • I n f o r m a t i o n C o m m o n s 1 0 1 : N uts a n d B o lts P la n n in g During this half-day workshop, Aca­ demic Library Information Commons (IC) leaders will provide nuts and bolts instruc­ tion for early-stage IC planners. Workshop and breakout sessions will lead to in­ creased clarity of IC concepts and defini­ tions; better understanding o f the ration­ ales and effectiveness of various IC mod­ els; better understanding of IC planning, implementation and assessm ent issues; increased clarity of IC problems and pos­ sible solutions; and practical guidelines and preliminary planning and implementation documents. • C r e a tin g a M a rk e tin g P la n f o r Y o u r A c a d e m i c a n d R e s e a r c h L i­ b r a r y Using marketing materials developed by the ACRL @ your library Task Force, workshop presenters and facilitators will lead you through the process o f devel­ oping a marketing program for your li­ brary. Receive a copy of the P articipan ts M a n u a l developed by the Task Force and participate in a series o f exercises that you can use to create an academic library mar­ keting plan. • I n f o r m a t i o n L i t e r a c y A c r o s s th e C u rric u lu m : C o lla b o ra tio n , C o­ o r d i n a t i o n , a n d C o u r s e D e v e l o p ­ m e n t This full-day workshop will address issues related to fostering more reward­ ing collaboration with classroom faculty mem bers, more effective coordination with existing campus programs for in­ structional development and assessment, and m ore creative d ev elop m en t o f a range o f instructional options for sup­ porting information literacy across the curriculum (ILAC). Gain an introduction to com mon “across the curriculum” ini­ tiatives, an overview o f issues related to co u rs e d esig n and d ev e lo p m e n t for c r e d it - b e a r in g in fo r m a tio n lite r a c y courses in the disciplines, and strategies for identifying potential partners across campus and for prom oting ILAC p ro­ grams. Complete details about these w ork­ s h o p s c a n b e fo u n d o n l i n e at w w w .ala.o rg / acrl/ ev en ts. Q u estio ns? C o n ta c t ( 8 0 0 ) 5 4 5 - 2 4 3 3 , e x t. 2 5 2 2 ; acrl@ ala.org. http://www.ala.org/acrl/events mailto:acrl@ala.org