UC and Stanford Libraries

Report to UC Collection Development Committee, 1997

March 25, 1997

To:  David Farrell
From:  Elliot Kanter, Convenor US History/Women's Studies Consortia
Subject: Report to UC/SUL Collection Development Committee  

I. NAME OF GROUP:   

United States History/Women's Studies Consortia
(An amalgamation of the US History Consortium and the Women's Studies
Consortium)

II. NAME OF CONVENOR(S) and CDC LIAISON 

Convenor:  Elliot Kanter, UCSD (1996-1997)
  Convenor-elect: Nancy Koller, UCR (1997-98)
CDC Liaison: Judith Pacquette

III. NAMES OF MEMBERS & CAMPUS AFFILIATIONS:

Stanford:      Tomas Jaehn,  Curator for American and British History
UCB:      Phoebe Janes,   History Librarian
                            Beth Sibley, GSSI (Women's Studies)
UCD:      Jane Kimball, US History Librarian
                           Nancy Kushigian, Women's Studies Librarian
UCI:      Joan Ariel, Women's Studies Librarian
                           Ellen Broidy, History and Film Studies Librarian
UCLA:     Cynthia Shelton, Head Bibliographers' Group
UCR:      Nancy Koller, Social Sciences & Humanities Bibliographer
UCSB:     Nerea Llamas, Women's Studies Bibliographer
                           Dave Tambo, Head Special Collections (US History)
UCSC:     Jacquelyn Marie, Librarian/Coordinator of Women's Services
                           Martha Ramirez, U.S. History Bibliographer
UCSD:     Sam Dunlap, Gender Studies & European History
                           Elliot Kanter, U.S. History Bibliographer
Affiliated:
 USC      Ruth Wallach, University of Southern California
          

IV. CURRENT PROJECTS & ACTIVITIES:

While our twice-yearly meetings are used to discuss issues, share news, plan
strategies, assign responsibilities, and in general brainstorm, the group remains very
active throughout the year via discussions and queries over its e-mail reflector.  

     1.  LAST COPY JOURNALS LISTS:   

     Formal agreements are in place by which each campus takes "last copy"
responsibility for a number of potentially endangered journals (held by 4 or fewer
campuses)  in both U.S. History and Women's Studies. These lists are now being
reviewed, and will be revisited at our Spring meeting -- for equity, as well as ceased
or new titles. 

     2.  CANCELLATIONS; HEIGHTENED AWARENESS:

     With many campuses contemplating (or engaged in) journals cancellations
projects, more than the above "endangered" titles are likely to be involved. 
Consortia members are planning to share lists of potential cancellations (as well as
lists of systemwide holdings) in both US History and Women's Studies.
 
     3.  WOMEN'S STUDIES SPECIALIZED COLLECTING AREAS:   

     We are identifying specialized collecting areas in Women's Studies with a eye
towards developing a project roughly equivalent to the journals last copy agreement. 
Rather than taking a broad "conspectus"-like approach, collecting areas will be
narrowly defined and focused, ideally limited to subjects that a particular library
collects comprehensively, or at least has as a stated collections emphasis.

     4. FEMINIST PRESS PROJECT:

     The object is to preserve the output and if possible history/archives of
feminist presses in California.  Consortium members have divided responsibility for
purchasing circulating copies of these publications, as well as archival copies. 
Presses (including some no longer functioning)  are also being contacted to see
whether they are willing to donate archival material.  Arrangements are being made
with one or more appropriate Special Collections department to house these
materials.  The project will by necessity be ongoing, as new publications/presses
become available and older materials are located.  

     5.  WOMEN'S STUDIES CDROM EVALUATIONS:   

     While all members are evaluating competing databases in women's studies,
and discussing findings via reflector, two representatives of the group are pursuing
the possibility of consortial discounts.

     6.  CONSORTIA HOME PAGE:

     A home page for the group has been developed and is rapidly evolving

          http://gort.ucsd.edu/ek/ushist/consort/consort.html

as a means of archiving documents and minutes, posting information to facilitate
current projects, and sharing efforts by bibliographers at different campuses who are
organizing Internet resources.

     7. COLLABORATIVE PURCHASES AND ACCESS:

     As followup to last year's Mini-SCAP purchase of the Anti-Slavery
Propaganda Collection, we are working to ensure that all participating campuses
have the necessary finding aids.  We are also prepared with a proposed choice in
case a call for a 1997 Mini-SCAP should be forthcoming.  If it is not, we are
prepared to consider pooling of funds from campuses able to support informal
collaborative acquisitions.  With the inability of UCI to continue paying for a very
expensive, open-ended research microform collection, Records of Antebellum
Southern Plantations, we are trying to verify continuing access through other means.

V.  MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

     1.  Developed and implemented the model (used now by other UC
cooperative collection development groups as well) for identifying and assigning last
copy responsibility for journal subscriptions not widely held.

     2. Developed a series of documents early in the group's existence to provide
clear and explicit goals for our own activities, and hopefully for others as well. 
These include a "Statement of Purpose and Goals" for both the U.S. History and the
Women's Studies group; a "Rationale for Primary Materials in U.S. History and
Women's Studies"; and "Guidelines and Procedures for Collaborative Purchases".
     
     3. Initiated the California Feminist Presses project, to collect both output and
archives of those publishers.

     4. Implemented a Consortial Home Page for sharing of documents, resources,
current information, and work in progress.

     5. Submitted SCAP and Mini-SCAP proposals every year the calls have been
issued.  Successful proposals have included:
     * Margaret Sanger Papers
     * Emma Goldman Papers
     * American Women's Diaries
     * Anti-Slavery Propaganda in the Oberlin College Library
     * ACLU Archives

     6. Developed collaborative acquisitions among ourselves outside of the CDC
structure of Mini-SCAPS, with participating campuses commiting funds appropriate
to their need and budget.  Notable purchases have included:
     * Sexuality, Sex Education and Reproductive Rights (from Radcliffe               
                College's Schlesinger Library manuscript collection)
     * Records of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs
     * The Women's Movement in Cuba
     * A People at War: Civil War Manuscripts
     * Western Women's Diaries 

VI.  OTHER COMMENTS:

     The Consortia have traditionally met twice a year as a single, combined
group, often for two consecutive days. For some campuses, one person represents
both; at others they are separate. There have been efforts to structure the agenda so
that U.S. history bibliographers could meet one day, Women's Studies the other. 
But with so many of the Women's Studies resources historical, and gender studies a
major focus of U.S. historians, it has been difficult to maintain that segregation. 
This Winter/Spring, the majority of Consortial projects happen to be related to
Women's Studies.  At other times, emphasis on U.S. history predominates. 

     Recently we have experimented with reducing the past two meetings (May
and December 1996)  to a single day, and are exploring the possibility of a
videoconference for our December 1997 meeting (when weather makes travel more
of a problem).   We have also been conducting a significant amount of business via
Email posted to a reflector.  However there is a strong feeling that continued
success of the group will require a longer, face-to-face meeting at least once a year.