University of California Libraries

U.S. and British History/Women's Studies Consortia

Seuss Room, Geisel Library

University of California, San Diego

June 3, 2002

12:00 – 5:00 p.m.

 

Present:  Joan Ariel, Sherri Barnes, Ellen Broidy, Sam Dunlap, Phoebe Janes, Elliot Kanter, Diana King, Sheila O’Hare, Beth Sibley, Vicki Williamson,

 

1.  Logistics

Introductions, lunch and dinner plans, etc.

 

2. A visit from Phyllis Mirsky, UCSD Deputy Librarian and AUL for Collections

Phyllis welcomed the group to the UCSD Libraries and provided a brief history of SOPAG and the JSC. The UL Advisory group meets about once a month and they created SOPAG.  SOPAG is to the UL group as the AULs are to the ULs.  Twice a year SOPAG and ULs meet together. They have advisory groups that report to them, i.e., HOTS, HOPS, CDC etc.  The most visible part of this group to our users – other than MELVYL – are the user services.  JSC is the connection between CDL and SOPAG.  Our group communicates with JSC so that JSC can advise SOPAG and CDL.  CDC also works to figure out finances for collections, campus shares, etc.

 

CDC is beginning now to discuss post-CMI (Mellon Grant-funded Collections Management Initiative).  What should our collections look like in the electronic age?

We’re entering into a new age of collection management.  Unfortunately, the budget is probably going to force us to do some things sooner than we would have liked to. It’s going to be harder to make the resources we have go further. 

 

EK:  We’ve just learned very recently about the purchases that were approved for EEBO, Gerritsen, etc. (ProQuest databases).  Is it true CDL was asked to participate in digitizing more material to expand the collection and they declined to do so? 

PM:  It will probably come back to how can the campuses help contribute because CDL isn’t set up to do that sort of thing.

 

JA:  How did this deal with ProQuest happen?

PM:  CDC knew the bibliographer groups wanted these databases, so they asked  Proquest what kind of deal would they be willing to negotiate for the UC system overall instead of individual databases and campuses.  Something changed at ProQuest and they took away some of their requirements to maintain fiche of EEBO, get MARC records, etc. which helped the deal get approval.

 

EB:  At the CDL level, is there any sense we’ve learned anything from the CMI project?

PM:  We only have six months’ worth of data, so, no, we haven’t really learned anything in such a short time.  The publicity varied from campus to campus.  PM thinks we’ll find something interesting after UCSC Libraries cancel everything in print that they have electronically (will happen in January 2003). 

We’ve learned that there are some titles in the sciences that they need the hard copy for because of the graphics.  Also, there are still some articles missing from the electronic formats.

 

EB:  Is there any ongoing conversation at the CDC level about buying ebooks system wide?

PM:  There was a task force about a year ago that looked at the packages available then.  They said they couldn’t figure out any advantage to doing an ebook project at the system-wide level.  Unless the publishers give us a price break, there’s no advantage for us.

 

EB for Dan:  Should this group be submitting names to suggest Resource Liaisons when a new database has been acquired?

PM:  It would be fine for us to take the initiative and send names to CDL.  They need volunteers.  No matter where the names come from, they will be vetted through the SOPAG process.

 

The group thanked Phyllis for her time and her comments.

 

3.  Agenda Review:  additions, deletions, rearrangements

 

4.  Approval of December 2001 minutes

A few suggestions were made to JA for minor changes and minutes were approved. EK reminded the group that he needs electronic files of minutes for the last two meetings in order to put them on the web page.

 

5.  Date and place for next meeting

Did anyone look into videoconferencing? 

UCB charges something like $100/hour.

UCLA charges around $65 hour and has a few other restrictions.

 

Berkeley has offered to do a one-day meeting on a Monday in December, either the 9th or the 16th.

 

6.  Campus Reports

 

DAVIS:  DK explained the difference between the electronic services librarian and the digital librarian.  Gave update on the status of their recruitments and staffing changes.

 

IRVINE:  Just posted AUL for Collections position.  All new librarians are working out well.  Cluster-hiring worked out better than JA thought that it would with new crop of young “Research Librarians”.

ACTION NOTE for future discussion: Talk about how jobs are structured at various campuses: collection development, reference, instruction, hiring practices, etc.

 

LOS ANGELES:  They’ve had three vendors come in for their OPAC.  Then sent representatives to various Midwestern university libraries to check out their systems.  Now doing focus groups w/ faculty.  OTNG=Orion the next generation.  Trying to identify what’s important to faculty in an OPAC. 

They’re losing about 60 percent of their administrative staff (UL, AULs) due to retirement. 

ERB is still happening to dynamically generate subject web pages.  Not going well.

 

Also, they did go ahead and buy the Nation for ten years.

 

RIVERSIDE:  Have heard good things about the new Chancellor.

 

SAN DIEGO:  SD explained our reporting structure within the Social Sciences & Humanities Library to the group.

 

SANTA BARBARA:  Will be announcing a position opening for new Access Services Librarian since theirs is leaving to take similar job at UCSD.

 

SANTA CRUZ:  No hiring going on.  Not much retiring, either.  

 

7.  Discussion/preparation for Patty Ayala (Proquest) Presentation

She’ll be demonstrating Heritage Quest, Gerritsen, Historical Newspapers.  We would like to see APS Online, EEBO, PCI Full-text, and Gerritsen.

 

8.  Resumption of Shared Purchase of Microfilm Sets (EK and EB)

Are people checking the lists before they purchase a micro set that is already owned in the system?  Some are, some aren’t.  Also, we should be using the CRL collections more.

EB thinks we should check the OCLC list of major microfilm sets to see if there’s anything we should be trying to buy and if the cataloging is available since that would be more helpful than the guides.  Get to the list from the OCLC web site www.oclc.org

EK mentioned the ACLU set as a possible shared micro acquisition. 

Discussion ensued about trying again to come up with a system-wide list of micro sets for history.  It’s a tremendous project that isn’t possible to do with our current tools (Melvyl).  Maybe “new” Melvyl will have a more sophisticated search mechanism that will make this project possible. 

EB:  Is anyone willing to take on coordinating this project?  We could probably get the holdings information directly from the publishers.  It’s important, but overwhelming.

ACTION:  Ellen, Joan, and Elliot will attempt to gather the needed information to present at the next June meeting.

Back to the ACLU Archives for about $35,000.  That would be about $5833 per campus  if UCLA, UCB, UCSB, UCSD, UCI, and UCD share the cost.  Where would the set be housed?   How do we actually coordinate the payment?  EK offered to have UCSD take care of the payment structure. Does Part II exist?  Most feel it should be housed at SRLF.

 

9.  CDL Issues/SURVEYS

 

U.S. and British History

a)  JSC Survey and Call (due July 22, 2002).  In addition to desiderata, refer to draft survey letter previously circulated by email.  Databases to consider include:

 

Early Encounters (Alexander Street Press)

HeritageQuest (Proquest/CH)

Early American Imprints (Readex)

-          estimated list price $87,500 w/ annual maintenance fee $2000 (for Davis only)

-          no product to actually see yet

HarpWeek (recently purchased by CDL)

Evans

Hein Online (back issues of legal periodicals using the JSTOR model)

 

b) Vendor packages

Which campuses acquired what and how are campuses handling funding?

NISC:

UCD got all and came out of individuals selectors funds

UCB already had all of them already

UCI thinks it’s coming out of a central fund

UCLA part is coming out of a central fund, part by Central Library, part by YRL Reference, and then a few separate funds (African Studies, Women’s Studies, Ethnic Studies)

UCSD Central fund w/ maximum number of users

Maximum amount per campus was $4871, CDL to cover the rest.

 

ProQuest:

Is discussion happening about how campuses will handle the fees starting in 2005?

 

Taylor & Francis (Routledge & Carfax):

A journal package that a lot of people want.  Keep it on the list

 

Evans:

Keep it on the list.

 

Alexander St. Press – Early Encounters:

SO feels they should stop creating new databases and finish or improve the ones they already have.  Fix the mistakes, take out the fraudulent information.  Feels there’s a lack of quality in their databases.  SB says she has requests from faculty to buy this database and that librarians are always more critical of products than faculty are. 

 

Bibliography of Native North Americans:  Only $15,000 for consortial purchase. 

 

The Nation Digital Archive:

Some campuses have already bought it.  At UCLA they used endowment funds.  EK brought up the single-title issue again:  Is it worthwhile to spend so much money on a single title?  Group argued that it is much broader than Harpweek and covers a much longer time period, so keep it on the list.

 

California Newspapers (Newsbank):  Leave it up to individual campuses.

 

Biography and Genealogy Master Index (Gale):  Very useful for all disciplines.  Leave this one up to the Reference Librarians Group.

 

African American Biography:  Leave it to the Reference librarians and Ethnic Studies Librarians Network (ESLN).

 

Poole’s Plus, Hansards (for British Historians):  PJ has faculty asking specifically for this one.  EB says we need more info on it.

ACTION:  PJ will email EB and the group.

 

What else is out there?  Historical New York Times Online, London Times, Heritage Quest.

 

 

WOMEN’S STUDIES

Taylor and Francis

Men’s Studies Database (NISC)

Scottish Women Poets of the Romantic Period:  Let Literature Bibliographers group  cover this one?

Women’s Studies Archives Online

 

c)  JSC wants to know about freely available, scholarly resources on the Web that CDL should know about for centralized cataloging and SFX links:

American Memory

Documenting the American South

Valley of the Shadow

Haymarket (ACTION:  SO will get URL)

Making of America

 

Side question from EB:

Does anyone have written down a collection development policy for web resources?  She finds that at UCLA things are out of hand with too much junk being linked from subject web pages. 

 

10.  Consortium Web Page (EK)

Davis links don’t work.

ACTION:  DK will get correct URL for history page and will send EK URL for new Women’s page that she’s creating.

Last two meetings’ minutes not online.

ACTION:  Send to EK

ACTION:  Add LGBT links

 

11.  Discussion of SB’s list of WS web pages resource links

It appears from the list that SB put together that we’re not doing a good job of organizing the useful sites we’ve identified for our WS web pages, or does it just appear so because of the different styles of organizing subject pages and because some campuses are using portals, not static pages?

 

12.  Adding LGBT to Our Scope

Issues to think about:  How many more persons would it involve?  Would it raise their expectations for our discussions?  Would it involve a name change?  What if we have to figure out who’s going to pay for various NISC databases – who would pay for the Sexual Diversity Database? 

 

5:00 p.m.  Adjourned for Day One.

 

 


University of California Libraries

U.S. and British History/Women's Studies Consortia

Seuss Room, Geisel Library

University of California, San Diego

June 4, 2002 (day 2)

9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

 

 

Present:  Joan Ariel, Sherri Barnes, Ellen Broidy, Gary Colemar, Sam Dunlap, Phoebe Janes, Elliot Kanter, Diana King, Sheila O’Hare, Beth Sibley, Vicki Williamson,

 

1. Patty Ayala, Proquest representative.  [most of the morning session]

 

a. Products recently purchased by CDL (supposed to be available by July 1):

 

  • PCI Full Text:

 

            The existing PCI (index only) content has been expanded by full text/image collections 1&2, representing full runs of about 200 periodicals. About 100 new titles will be digitized each year. As subscribers UC libraries can now nominate titles to be digitized for the next batch, collection 3 (which would, if purchased, cost CDL $30,000 before discounts). Any consortial recommendations should be submitted by July 15.  Such titles must already be in PCI.  PCI is also linking to additional full text via JSTOR and is working on a similar agreement with Project Muse.  Meanwhile, the CDL has purchased PCI segments 19, 20 and 21, increasing the list of.  PCI is also looking for members of a PCI advisory board. 

ACTIONS:  Consortial recommendations of PCI Full Text titles by July 15; recommendation of a person to be on PCI advisory board.

 

  • Gerritsen Women’s History Coll.    

 

95 percent of the content has been loaded, representing 2 million scanned page images, 1543-1945? Collection includes 4500 monographs, 275 journals (mostly full runs). Also pamphlets, letters, diaries.  MARC records will be available.  Text creation is ongoing, from the University of Michigan Text Creation Project.)

 

  • APS (American Periodicals Series): 

 

Database is at about 60 percent completion; loading not currently getting top priority among other Proquest products.  Roger Matuz is project manager,  Roger.matuz@il.proquest.com.   We should all be using the tailored APS interface, not the generic Proquest interface that was used during development.   APS home page has product information and news of latest content loads under APS News.   

 

Patty also indicated that Proquest would be sending the campuses CDROM backups for the new databases.  [IMPORTANT NOTE:  But later inquiries of Terry Vrable determined this is not true.  CDL did not request CDROMs and does not consider them to meet the terms of the license agreement on perpetual access.  Furthermore, acceptance of physical CDs would subject the entire purchase to sales tax, according to the UC auditors.]

 

            b. Other Proquest Products

 

  • History online: 

 

            A “history portal” to Proquest history resources, selected articles from 200+ history journals, reference books.  Selected web links may be included for a fee.  Will allow a “master search” or browse of all or any sources. Content currently British focused (Annual Register and Palmers); US version to be released in the Fall will add 12, including APS, EEBO, Gerritsen, Digital National Security Archives, and the History Study Center. This will not be a separate product requiring separate payment, but a gateway to Proquest history sources available to a given institution.  Can be customized; search results displayed by database; includes a “My Archive” personal account to save searches, docs, annotations/notes 

 

  • History Study Center

 

            Topical introductions to major events/issues in history, including multimedia, “Knowledge Notes” history guides, primary source collections, websites. This is an undergraduate product.  

 

  • Heritage Quest: 

            This is a merging of the earlier Genealogy & Local History product (genealogies, local histories, family histories, some city directories; MARC records included where appropriate) with images of and indexes to the complete U.S. manuscript census from Heritage.com (purchased by Proquest in Fall 2001).  Had originally marketed only to public library (genealogy market), not anticipating academic interest.  Had expected to have complete census 1790-1930 this year, but has been delayed by more technical issues than expected.  Future content will include additions from Proquest’s “digital vault”:  obituaries from 150 U.S. newspapers, complete Freedman’s Bank records, American Revolution pension records.  Inclusion of Sanborn maps optional.  What’s next?  Possible targets include ship passenger lists, vital statistics.  Pricing based on library size, ranging from $500/year for small public libraries to $13,680 for 40,000 FTE.  Mid-range academic libraries (20,000 FTE) would be $7500/year.   

 

  • Digital Sanborn Maps: 

 

            Can buy total collection or by state.  Purchase of all California would be $18,200, plus $500/year access fee.  Can also subscribe based on FTE; for the complete collection, an institution with 30,000 FTE would pay $30,000; for California, $4480/yr.   

 

  • Historical Newspaper (NYTimes). 

 

            First paragraph and headline only are fully indexed; not full content.  It’s not selling well (price is $9500/year for under 25K FTE institution; $12,500 for larger), and therefore prospects are not good for investing more money right now in full indexing; instead they are concentrating on expanding coverage to the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.   Pricing:   9500 for under 25K FTE; 12,500 for larger FTE.   

 

 

            c. Anything to Add for JSC Survey Based on Proquest Presentation?

 

  • Leave Heritage Quest off for now, since its not available to test.

 

  • History Online as Portal to Proquest history resources should be added as a free resource; look at the Study Centre when it comes out

 

  • Sanborne maps?   As a standalone resource, UC Maps librarians had real concerns about quality and price.  But it could be revisited in terms of adding value to other Proquest historical databases. 

 

 

2. Reports on Continuing Projects

 

a.      Journals last copies

 

  • U.S. History (Ellen Broidy)

 

            The latest list of U.S. History journals (June 2002) was distributed.  No one has volunteered to adopt orphan titles that had been under Stanford’s protection.  The list indicates which campus owns each title; “Retains” column indicates who has agreed to be responsible for last copy.  Notes indicate whether title is included in an e-journal package, whether an endangered title (5 holdings or less) has been “orphaned” by withdrawal of Stanford from agreements, whether it simply not under agreement

ACTION:  Feedback on the list by Aug 15 about changes, mistakes, changes of heart.  Also please indicate whether your campus expects a serials cancellation project, and whether there are expectations of canceling titles that now have digital equvelents. 

 

  • British History (Phoebe Janes), 

 

            Phoebe  started with a draft list of about 66 titles.   She identified 22 with five or fewer holding libraries (handed out) and then arbitrarily assigned each to a campus.  She asked whether this project was worthwhile for 22 titles; the group said “Yes”.

ACTION:  Go back and check with local catalogs, and catch any errors in draft list by Aug 15

 

  • Womens Studies (Joan Ariel)

 

            Joan distributed the new list. No new assignments.  Send Joan any corrections in notes on campus holdings.  She also added notes on e-journal access where she could; wants to go back and be more systematic in indicating JSTOR and Project Muse connection, which may be especially important as campuses look at cancellation.   Several previously threatened titles have gone over four campus holding; should those be removed from the list?  It was agreed there is no disadvantage to keeping the notations, as a hedge against future cancellations projects.

ACTION: By August 15 send Joan word of new titles to be added to the list.  Also send information on titles that have ceased. 

 

  • General discussion

 

            What are the implications on our last copy project in an environment of e-access and CMI-type models of removing print to remote locations? Are their useful data yet from the CMI project (answer: it’s too soon).  How valid has been the CMI methodology; will incorrect conclusions be drawn?  There may be a campus-by-campus rush to cancel print for digital packages.  Shouldn’t a last archival paper copy be kept?   Is close enough attention being paid to possible selectivity of titles included in e-journal packages? Or to difficulty of extracting individual serials from aggregators like Gender Watch?  Such factors should be clearly annotated when lists of threatened journals are circulated.  It was suggested that the coordinators of the “last copy” lists make a proposal to the group.   

 

            b. Women’s Studies Microforms (Sherri Barnes):

 

            Sherri distributed a list of “Women’s Studies Microform Collections” in UC libraries, as well as a list of women’s studies microform.  She will update the list fomr our recently shared campus reports. 

 

            There as discussion of whether a long-discussed equivalent for U.S. history would ever move forward.  Ellen, Elliot and Joan agreed to work together on making a start.

 

            c. California Feminist Presses (Beth Sibley) 

 

            No new presses have been reported.  Joan noted that Odd Girls Press has had new publications and wanted to know whether she should continue to purchase archival copies to send to UCSB.  Sherri said that UCSB was up to date on archival acquisitions when she arrived but that she hasn’t followed up with new publications since then; she will continue to purchase the archival copies.  Beth has kept in touch with the Bancroft for Northern presses and believes they are continuing to keep up to date on new publications.  There was discussion of whether these purchases are being tracked in the MELVYL catalog as a “collection”.;

 

3. Tier 2 Databases:

 

            There were no recommendations for improvement in the process. Accessible  Archives was the last and it did seem to go smoothly.  Two new segments have been added to African American Newspapers, but it wasn’t clear whether this is in the purview of U.S. history.  There is another segment of Godey’s, but we should wait to see whether it is duplicated by Gerritsens and/or APS Online.  A new, British history segment has been added to Nineteenth Century Mastefile, and action on that, if any, ought to be coordinated by the resource liaison for the Masterfile.   New candidates for Tier 2 should be shared on the Consort reflector and can be discussed at the Winter meeting, at which time there will also be more information on budgets and cancellation projects. 

 

4. How to encourage use of purchased databases and microforms

 

            At last Winter’s Consortia meeting, a few campuses reported on steps they had taken on encouraging use of microform and expensive databases.  We were all supposed to share ways we communicate to faculty and how we promote.  We should continue sharing that info over the next few months, especially with the VERY expensive databases just purchased by CDL. 

 

            Brief discussion followed:  Course pages and library instruction is valuable, but the students reached are relatively few.  Vicki reported on efforts at UCSD:  email announcement to faculty/grad student list; articles for library newsletter; adding to database lists, featuring on websites; demonstrations at library open houses; continuing education sessions for reference providers.   offer demos at library open house; go on website under “New and Trial”.  

 

            It was agreed that it would be useful to share with one another announcements sent to faculty.

 

5. U.S. History and Women’s Studies web pages (Sherri Barnes & Phoebe Janes)

 

            Sherri distributed a detailed inventory of web resources included in Women’s Studies pages assembled by members of our consortium.  The inventory tracked which campus included each resource as well as categories used.  Phoebe had reviewed U.S. history web pages from the group, but didn’t attempt the level of detail as in Sherri’s inventory.  What conclusions can be drawn?  Everybody has done something different and rationales are not clear.

 

            Discussion followed.  Page authors should specify their rationale, selection criteria, organization criteria, purpose of the pages.  Difference between reference pages and bibliographer pages.  Criteria for including free resources.    How do we make useful as pathfinders for our patrons rather than accumulating lists of resources?  For example, do they show the top four databases for doing research in U.S. History? Do they include key CDROM or even print resources?  What about putting electronic resources in the OPAC?  Shouldn’t that be the database of record for all resources?  Can subject pages/pathfinders serve as an instructional tool between live reference interview and OPAC search

 

6. Impact of Transition of CDL-hosted Databases

 

            We’re not sure.  There was some discussion about who is keeping us informed at each campus about the changes and when to switch.  Faculty see mainly as an inconvenience, especially when functionalities are lost, even temporarily, especially links to holdings.  A key to timing a “switchover” is when UC E-Links are working effectively; so far its been very inconsistent among databases.

 

7. Resource Liaisons

 

            There was discussion of which new CDL acquisitions were within our scope to recommend resource liaisons.  The following databases and volunteers were identified:  APS Online (Elliot Kanter); Gerritsen (Sheila O’Hare); Women’s Resources International (Diana King); Sexual Diversity Studies (Gary Colmenar). ACTION: A list will be sent [by whom?]  to Cindy Shelton (as JSC liaison) enumerating both the current liaisons from the Consortium and the new volunteers.  We should also contact our local CDOs (who need to OK).

 

            There was some additional discussion of how the Liaison structure is working.  When content was pulled from Historical Newspapers, for example, Mary Engle was notified but not the liaison (Phoebe).  Liaisons need to be in the loop.  Some have contacted vendors directly to make sure they are on informational lists.  CDL ought to make it clear to vendors; Sherry Wilhite is the logical key contact at CDL to make sure.

 

 

8. Some final questions

 

  • Sam:    Do we have any collection development profiles available for public viewing?  UCSD science libraries are doing this and other UCSD may be asked to do so. UCSB is.  UCI had a written policy in early 90s for each subject, but has not considered making it public.

 

  • Gary:  Are any campuses reviewing database use with an eye to cancellation for budgetary reasons? 

 

The group adjourned at 3 p.m.