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ALCTS Technical Services Directors of Large Research Libraries Discussion Group

These reports were distributed over the Big Heads electronic discussion list in the weeks prior to the Philadelphia, PA Midwinter meeting.

This compilation was prepared by Judith Hopkins, University at Buffalo

Columbia University
Cornell University
Duke University
Indiana University
Library of Congress
National Agricultural Library
National Library of Medicine
New York University
Northwestern University
Ohio State University
Princeton University
Stanford University
University of California at Berkeley
University of California at Los Angeles
University of Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of Pennsylvania
University of Texas at Austin
University of Wisconsin at Madison
Yale University

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY

From: Lee Leighton lleighto@library.berkeley.edu

1. DIRECTOR AND OTHER POSITION CHANGES
   Jerry Lowell began as our new University Librarian on December 1, 1998. He replaced Penny Abell who served as our Interim University Librarian for five months after University Librarian Peter Lyman returned to teaching.

   I am currently serving as the Associate University Librarian for Access Services, which includes Technical Services, Preservation, Interlibrary Services, and circulation for the main and undergraduate libraries. Armanda Barone, who was the Assistant Director of Technical Services, is the Interim Head of Technical Services.

2. VENDOR SERVICES
   Technical Services has successfully implemented Yankee Book Peddler's GobiLink service. The service provides YBP inventory information for approvals and materials ordered directly on Gobi that we download into our OPAC as order records. We have also begun profiling a similar service, Book Bag E-Link, from the Academic Book Center.

3. METADATA PROJECTS
   There are three metadata projects underway: 1) EAD encoded finding aids with 856 links between the finding aids and MARC records are being created for the Online Archive of California; 2) TEI headers created according to standards similar to MARC are used for oral histories and document transcriptions in the Free Speech Movement Archive; and 3) we are working with others to develop standards for encoding structural metadata (reflecting document structure) as well as administrative metadata under the Making of America II project.

4. FUNDING
   The Library recently initiated a program to solicit staff proposals for one-time funds to further our primary goal of supporting the library and information needs of the academic community. Technical Services received over $47,000 for three projects.

5. PCC NACO TRAINING
   The East Asian Library received PCC NACO training last fall, and they will soon be submitting national level authority records through OCLC for Chinese and Japanese names.

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UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO UPDATE , January 1999

1. RECONFIGURATION
   In June 1998 the Board of Trustees approved the Regenstein Reconfiguration Project - Phase I, which includes (1) installing compact shelving for a net added capacity of 1.2 million volumes; (2) reconfiguring Special Collections (3) remodeling the main entry foyer; (4) relocating and consolidating Circulation, Reserves, ILL, Entry/Exit Control, and the Privileges Office to provide better service; and (5) removing the card catalog from the main floor to make room for relocating the General Reference desk and creating more patron work areas. We are now in the midst of this reconfiguration phase which is expected to be completed within twelve months. Despite disruption to patrons and staff, we are maintaining all services during construction.

2. RETROSPECTIVE CONVERSION
   The project to convert the approximately 1.3 million cards in the General Card Catalog is progressing well and should be completed within this calendar year, though editing and correcting will continue for some time after that. This timing works well within the plans for Phase 1 of the Reconfiguration project which includes the removal of the Card Catalog from its prime first floor location.

   Not included in this conversion project are unique Crerar Library collections (approximately 120,000 titles) and East Asia Library collections (approximately 175,000 titles). Conversion of the Crerar collection has already started. A pilot project to assess options and cost for conversion of the East Asia collections is to begin soon.

3. HORIZON INTEGRATED LIBRARY SYSTEM
   The parts of the system implemented so far -- Public Catalog, Circulation /ILL, Cataloging module, and Serials Control, are very stable and do have good functionality. Major retrospective conversion and the capabilities of the system enable patrons to find comprehensive bibliographic information and detailed holdings information for the entire collections. Still outstanding is the implementation of the Acquisitions module.

4. PRESERVATION
   The Library received two awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities for preservation projects. One is for $456,500 for a one-year project to preserve over 7,500 volumes in the History of Religions. The second award is for $102,000 for preserving materials related to European local history as part of a CIC Cooperative Preservation Project.

5. DIGITAL LIBRARY
   Two interdivisional task groups were appointed by the Director to address digital library issues and structures underlying it: the Intellectual Access to the Digital Library Task Group, charged to recommend guiding principles and goals for providing intellectual access to digital information that best support user needs, and the Task Group on Retrospective Digitization, charged to consider the future role of retrospective digitization at the University of Chicago Library and the development of a plan for a retrospective digitization program that is guided by organizational goals. The task groups will submit their reports by the end of February.

6. CUIP
   The Library assumed general oversight and project management for the development of a digital library for the Chicago Public Schools/University of Chicago Internet Project (CUIP) - an alliance formed with the goal of using technology to improve the quality of education in inner-city schools. The CUIP Digital Library, also known as E-CUIP (for "Electronic CUIP") will offer information resources including both commercial publications and source materials gathered or digitized specifically for this project. Several staff members have participated in developing the website, planning, resource evaluation. This project has helped staff gain more experience with digital library projects.

7. CORC
   As a member of CIC we will be participating in the OCLC Cooperative Online Resource Catalog project (CORC). A CORC advisory group has developed project goals and is putting together a proposal for appropriate projects. Our project goals include: learning, definition of standards, issues of access, and management. Also, they include testing of organizational alliances in a metadata environment -- alliance of catalogers with bibliographers to support identification and notification; alliance of catalogers with access services to inform traditional cataloging and to ensure that traditional cataloging and metadata can coexist in a way that serves our users; alliance of catalogers with systems to ensure an interface that suits the work-flow, etc.

8. ORGANIZATION
   Technical Services will soon begin a process to reassess its operations and organization with an eye to changes that will strengthen its position to meet present and future Library goals. There will be broad divisional participation to inform and benefit this process and to ensure that effective decisions are made. Clearly, we will also seek advice from other areas of the Library. It is our goal to complete the process and to implement the recommended changes within this calendar year.

Judith Nadler
Assistant Director for Technical Services
University of Chicago Library
773 702-8743
FAX 773 702-6623
judi@midway.uchicago.edu

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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

1. STAFF CHANGES:
   The big one, as you will have seen from NYU's report, is that Carol Mandel will be leaving her position as Deputy University Librarian later this spring, to assume the position of Dean of NYU Libraries. Needless to say, she will be sorely missed, and I know her erstwhile colleagues on Big Heads will join us in wishing her well.

   In other changes, Rick Block became Head of Original and Special Materials Cataloging in January (coming to us from the Metropolitan Museum of Art). In Preservation, Maria Fredericks has joined us as Conservator and Head of the Conservation Laboratory. Meanwhile, we have begun recruiting for Head of Serials Acquisitions, and are actively recruiting for Archives Processing Coordinator. (Because of the impact of digital library and metadata initiatives, the latter position reports jointly to the Rare Book & Manuscript Library and to Bibliographic Control.)

2. RENOVATION:
   Butler Library renovation continues, moving up the building from the completed technical services space on the first floor. This fall, newly renovated spaces opened on the second floor, including reading rooms, computer labs, media viewing rooms, and instructional spaces. And, as of last week, the Library Systems Office moved to new, renovated quarters.

3. OFFSITE STORAGE:
   Plans are moving forward for a cooperative, high-density remote storage facility, expected to open in 2001. Meanwhile, an interim storage facility opened in August with the transfer of 130,000 volumes. Smaller transfers are continuing throughout the year, with a projected total of 300,000 volumes. At the same time, the Recon Projects Dept. continues to prepare additional materials and records for the anticipated more to the new, high-density facility.

4. RECON:
   Recon has continued with a number of small projects, but will proceed on a larger scale beginning next fiscal year, with the provision of a higher level of capital funding from the university. The new funding should enable us to convert another 500,000 - 600,000 titles. Our current aim is to complete all recon by 2007.

5. PCC:
   We are actively participating in BIBCO, CONSER, and NACO. Kate Harcourt and Susan Summer (our BIBCO and NACO coordinators) have provided BIBCO training to seven other libraries (including several represented on Big Heads). Although the core-level record is our default for original cataloging, we find that many of our BIBCO contributions are full-level anyway, since for much belles-lettres there is virtually no difference.

6. BACKLOG MANAGEMENT:
   We've used a variety of batch searching/overlay programs over the years, and continue to use Marcadia. In the fall, we developed a local batch program to match prelim records against our LC resource file and automatically overlay the bib record with matching LC records. We now run this program quarterly.

7. DIGITAL LIBRARY/METADATA:
   Work has continued on many fronts. We have encountered all the usual complications in workflow for networked electronic resources, and have a task force working on streamlining these processes. We are continuing to develop our Master Metadata FIle (MMF), with some records automatically extracted from the online catalog, others added through web-template input, and still others using customized conversion programs (e.g, those from the Advanced Papyrological Information System.) We've created a mapping from LC classification into a simplified topical subject categorization, with 12 top-level categories, and another task force is now refining second- and third-level divisions.

   With others, we've been exploring different options for analyzing the content of aggregator databases, but have yet to find a model that is both practicable and truly serves users' needs. (In short, presenting the user with 27 paths to various online incarnations of the Wall St. Journal is not our desired outcome.) We're hoping further discussions via CONSER and Big Heads will help to define this problem and point towards a broad-based solution.

   -- Bob Wolven

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CORNELL UNIVERSITY

From: Christian M. Boissonnas cmb3@cornell.edu

This is in no particular order.

1. BACKLOG REDUCTION
   We have three years to eliminate our cataloging backlog. With 9 months gone we have reduced it by about 25% and are, therefore, on schedule. We use Marcadia for automatic searching of records for current as well as backlogged titles.

2. FURNITURE REPLACEMENT PROJECT
   Part of our strategy to reduce repetitive motion injuries involved the complete redesign of our technical services operation and the installation of ergonomically correct furniture. In the new installation every individual piece of furniture is adjustable on at least two dimensions. The other part of our strategy involves a self-managed RMI Team, which I have described to this group before.

   Are injuries down? We believe so, but we won't really know for a while. The changeover happened just last summer.

3. NEW LIBRARY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
   After deciding to delay choosing a new system for a year, we are about to gear up the selection process again with the goal of choosing a system for implementation in July 2000. We will do an environmental scan to see if there is anything new and different on the horizon, but we will not go through the proposals/reviews/demos cycle again unless warranted by new development.

4. ELECTRONIC DISSERTATIONS
   We are starting a joint project with the Graduate School and Cornell Information Technologies to digitize Cornell dissertations and distribute them on-demand. The principals involved have agreed to do this and are now forming the project team. For further information, see Marty Crowe's report at http://www.library.cornell.edu/staffweb/ETDSTUDY.HTML

5. DIGITIZED PREPRINTS
   Sarah Thomas asked us to prepare a project proposal to make us the producers and distributor of digitized preprints for a professional society, thereby providing that society with an alternative to commercial publishing. We have found the project to be feasible using much of the same approach and technologies as for the electronic dissertations, and are now working on the details. In these two projects the Library is the facilitating agency and the actual research and planning work is being done or coordinated by technical services staff.

6. AGGREGATOR CATALOGING
   We have processed many titles from certain publishers and found out that we have been developing procedures pretty much publisher-by publisher. A key principle has been to add the electronic version of a paper publication to the record for the paper publication. It is pretty clear that one way of doing things does not work for all, and that we need to be able to use separate records. We need to develop a philosophy and principles that make it unnecessary for us to keep tinkering with these processes. We now have a group charged with trying to come up with a more generalized process.

7. RETROSPECTIVE CONVERSION
   Sarah identified $900,000 in new funding, which will allow us to complete retrospective conversion of some collections (LC classifications P, D, and E). We will outsource that project and expect to have it completed by the end of the year. That will leave only 415,000 titles to convert, for which funding has not yet been identified.

8. RESOURCE REALLOCATIONS AND PRODUCTIVITY
   We have eliminated 8 positions (about 10%) in Central Technical Services since last Spring. Some have been converted into support for the backlog reduction project (this support will end with the end of the project in 30 months), others reassigned to other library functions. As always, nobody has been laid off.

9. PRODUCTIVITY UP
   Meanwhile, our productivity is up substantially (18% over last year, which was 15% over the year before that). It is the result of many decisions made and changes implemented in our cataloging philosophy and practices over the past three years. At the same time we have become the biggest contributor of BIBCO records which, you will recall, have all access points under full authority control.

10. TECHNOLOGY
    We finished converting our workstations to Windows-based PCs and have no Macs left. All machines are set up with a standard configuration of clients. One problem that we have had is controlling individual creativity in the configuration of these machines. Trouble-shooting support is provided through a team of network administrators, staff who are trained to provide a certain basic level of support and problem-solving before expert help is called. One of their instructions is to remove from machines software that they find that is not on the list of products supported by the department. For further information on this support program, see http://www.library.cornell.edu/cts/40comput.htm

    Another problem that we have begun to deal with is version control of the various software packages and clients that we use. We are in the process of developing a procedure to make sure that software is updated on a department-wide basis once it has passed testing by our Information Technology Librarian.

11. CJK OUTSOURCING
    We have signed a contract with OCLC to have TechPro do a portion of our CJK original cataloging (not copy as we do this much more cheaply). For more information, see Teresa Mei's report at http://www.library.cornell.edu/cts/cjkoutso.htm

12. VIRTUAL CARREL
    An exciting project under way is the development of the Virtual Carrel. The following is extracted from a message by Sarah Thomas in which she announced the creation of an implementation group for this project.

    " The Virtual Carrel project at Mann Library grew out of a sense that the Library Gateway is both "too big and too small." It is "too big" in that most users use a relatively small number of resources. They either have to search to find these resources in the Gateway each time they want to use them, or they bookmark the resources. The problem with bookmarks is that they "don't travel"--they are stored on a single machine. Also, if users begin to rely on their bookmarks, they may get "cut off" from the Library and not be aware of new resources being added that may be of interest. Users may also tend to overlook broader, more general resources categorized as "General Interest and Reference" when they look in the Gateway under a specific discipline. On the other hand, the Gateway is "too small" in that there are resources of interest to users that are not included within it. Nor is it possible for users to annotate resources or add other personal notes. The Virtual Carrel as it has been conceived to date would be a set of "traveling bookmarks" along with a "traveling librarian." It would allow users to compile a set of library and non-library resources, add personal notes, etc., but also maintain a "library presence." For example, the Library would alert users when new resources are added in their area of interest. Mann had originally tried to implement a Virtual Carrel in September but decided that its prototype was not ready for prime time and it stepped back, looked around at what other institutions were doing along these lines and came up with a list of ideas. They are now ready to test these ideas with users in order to better define and prioritize the personal services the Library should provide.

    The software development process is an important aspect of the Virtual Carrel project. Mann chose to use an approach called Unified Modeling Language (UML). UML is intended to make the design and implementation of new software more formal and more efficient. Testing the use of UML is a second goal of the project...."

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DUKE UNIVERSITY

From: "Lubans, John" jl@mail.lib.duke.edu

Duke University Technical Services Round Robin Response

1. FUTURING
   An off campus symposium of 55 representatives from technical services staff, collection development and public services held an all day seminar on December 2, 1998 to explore the future of technical services, 3-5 years out. Invited speakers (an architect, two library directors, a head of technical services, a publisher and a vendor, gave presentations which were followed by facilitated group discussions and brainstorming. See http://www.lib.duke.edu/staff/orgnztn/techservices/symposium/index.htm

   Technical Services staff will take these results to another retreat to refine and focus the outcomes to more specific working goals and arrangements. We will want to distill and plan around what we will be doing less of and what we will be doing more of.

2. RECON
   Recon is nearing completion with more than one million records converted over the decade. Only 125,000 records remain. Initially, we had targeted these remaining records, consisting primarily of non-Roman languages and microforms, for outsourcing. However, an extensive analysis on the quality of records generated by our recon effort, revealed a suprisingly low margin of error and has caused us to rethink our next steps. We will begin to shift our efforts to converting all remaining records with the exception of non-Roman without DLC cataloging.

3. NEW AUTOMATION INITIATIVES
   Locally written programs used to expedite cataloging processes are being re-written to updated technology or replaced by commercial packages. A goal, soon to be achieved, is to batch download all order records, with the ability to fill in many codes automatically and well as verify accuracy of data. An additional time saver, now being tested, is an interface with the commercial binding software to download monograph and dissertation records to avoid additional keying.

4. ELECTRONIC RESOURCES AND METADATA
   In addition to the preparation of library web pages, the inclusion of bibliographic records for commercial Internet resources in the online catalog has become routine. Additionally, links have been prepared in the catalog to the individual titles of full text electronic journals found in electronic collections (generally from the bibliographic record for the print version).

   In May of 1998, Duke's Collection Council charged the Cataloging Web Sites Task Force to develop a policy statement about the library catalog's purpose vis a vis Web resources. The task force report was compiled, and a trial project is now underway, beginning in November 1998. The Report of the Cataloging Web Sites Task Force may be found at: http://www.lib.duke.edu/ejournal/catweb.htm

   As part of the test project on cataloging selected Internet resources, Systems developed an URL link checker process. URLs found in the 856 field were extracted as files and loaded into a set of HTML pages. Running MomSpider, all URLs were checked and problem links identified. The initial run checked nearly 12,000 links in the catalog, and identified some 375 "problem links". Most of these were from GPO records, resulting from reorganized government web sites or typographical errors.

   • Historic American Sheetmusic project (see: http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/sheetmusic/ ) This project, part of the American Memory project at LC ( http://lcweb2.loc.gov/), provides access to digital images of 3042 pieces from the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, published in the United States between 1850 and 1920. It consists of a database containing the indexing information for the pieces in SGML format in the form of the Encoded Archival Description (EAD) and scanned images of each piece. Metadata (both Dublin Core and EAD) was included in the main page for the project and an OCLC record prepared so that we have direct access from our online catalog. As of Jan, 1999, 11 other libraries have added this record to their online catalogs. The site received 487,314 hits in December from 13,660 different sessions.

   • Metadata and library web pages -
     Library web pages and Technical Services: As part of our effort to make the public and staff web pages more usable, a cataloger has been adding Dublic Core metadata to web pages so that a site index can be generated. We felt that catalogers, who are trained to analyze information for subject content and provide a wide variety of access points in cataloging records, are uniquely prepared to add this information to Internet sites. It is merely an extension oF traditional cataloging to provide metadata as well as "catalog" the resource. Our site index is currently in the testing phase, but we anticipate that this index, as well as other search engines, will make it easier to locate information on the site.

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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

From: Barbara Henigman henigman@uiuc.edu

1. TECHNICAL SERVICES REORGANIZATION
   Beginning in September, the UIUC Technical Services Division implemented a division wide reorganization under the leadership of Alvan Bregman, Head, Technical Services Research and Planning. The goal was to implement a team structure that would allow redefinition of workflow and provide a more integrated environment for the implementation of our new DRA system. Sharon Clark left her position as Technical Services Division Coordinator to undertake new opportunities within the library as Head of the Newspaper Library and chair of the Preservation Committee. Barb Henigman is the new Division Coordinator. The new teams and their leaders are as follows:
   • Acquisitions Team --Lisa German
   • Original Cataloging Team -- Barb Henigman
   • Rapid Cataloging Team -- Stephen Smith
   • Serials Team -- Ann Copeland

   The reorganization has also revitalized the Cataloging Policy Advisory Committee which, under the direction of the Original Cataloging Team Leader, is now responsible for all cataloging policy, training, and implementation of technical services related systems and software. New cataloging policy has been established to use Core level cataloging for all copy cataloging and issues involving backlogs and retrospective conversion are being addressed. The UIUC library is also involved in a space reconfiguration project which involves the Technical Services Division.

2. DRA IMPLEMENTATION
   The Illinois Library Computer System Organization (ILCSO) went live with the current DRA Classic system on August 18, 1998. UIUC was one of 45 libraries in the consortium to implement this new system. UIUC along with ILCSO will implement the new DRA TAOS system as soon as it becomes available, and has been working with colleagues from other research libraries, UCLA, Harvard, Minnesota, U of I-Chicago, and British Columbia in an attempt to help DRA with TAOS indexing issues.

3. CIC
   The UIUC Technical Services Division was active within the CIC, proposing and acting as hosts for the CIC Metadata Conference (Nov. 15-17, 1998). The organizers were Alvan Bregman and Beth Sandore from UIUC and Barbara Allen from CIC. This well-attended and well-received conference brought together technical services librarians and other professionals from all CIC-member institutions. More than 40 UIUC librarians were registered. At the Conference, OCLC invited the consortium to participate in its Cooperative Online Resource Cataloging (CORC) project, which will involve the use of Dublin Core metadata. UIUC has decided to participate and is awaiting clarification of some details before formally signing on.

4. DIGITAL IMAGING INITIATIVE
   Beth Sandore, Coordinator of the Digital Imaging Initiative, was the recipient of two important grants this year:
   1. IMLS National Leadership Grant: Model Programs of Cooperation University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois $157,981 (18 mos.), for a two-year project in partnership with three museums, two libraries, and three elementary schools to build a model and a test electronic database of historical information to be made available via the Internet and World Wide Web; and
   2. Intel Equipment Grant (with co-PI Tim Cole): approx. $300,000 for an Arts and Humanities Digital Resources Development and Delivery Facility, to enable UIUC Library faculty and staff to work in concert with teaching faculty and students to digitize and describe Library content, to create innovative ways of making that information accessible, and to evaluate the ways in which it is used in the classroom.

5. ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES
   Besides experiencing personnel changes stemming from its own reorganization, the Technical Services Division has felt or will feel the impact of a number of changes in the UIUC Library administration. Robert Wedgeworth announced his retirement effective August 1999 and a search is underway for a new University Librarian. Joan Hood retired as Head of Development and Mary Beth Lavignino left her position as Director of Systems to join the CIC. We still await word on who will fill these key vacancies. Institutionally, UIUC saw the arrival of a new Provost, Richard Herman from the University of Maryland.

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INDIANA UNIVERSITY

From: Michael Kaplan mkaplan@indiana.edu

Indiana University Libraries Update

1. ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES
   Effective with the New Year, Martha Brogan, Director of Collection Development & University Bibliographer, became Associate Dean of Libraries and Director of Collection Development. I was transformed from Director of Technical Services to Associate Dean of Libraries and Director of Technical Services. Martha will have added oversight for the science libraries; I've got oversight for the African-American Cultural Center, Archives, Business/School of Public & Environmental Affairs, Education, Fine Arts, and Journalism libraries.

2. MASTER PLAN FOR RENOVATION OF MAIN AND LILLY LIBRARIES
   Planning is continuing apace with Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott about renovations for the Main Library and the Lilly (rare book) Library. The master plan is now due in the spring. Meantime we have prepared plans for renovation of technical services with modular, ergonomically correct workstations (office landscaping). We have been on hold for about 2-3 months now while we await definitive word from the University on ordering this furniture--which isn't cheap. We still do not know what will happen, though we will get something, sometime. We may be faced with implementing the reorganization with less than the full complement of new furniture that we had been led to expect.

3. HEAD OF ACQUISITIONS
   JoAnne Deeken will join Technical Services February 1 as the new Head of the Acquisitions Division; she is coming from Clemson University. I expect to be able to announce our choice for the new Head of the Cataloging Division shortly after ALA.

4. LIBRARY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
   We are testing the waters of library management systems while still continuing, for the moment at least, with Horizon implementation at the IUPUI campus. We have had several vendors in this fall and will be making some vendor and installed site visits this winter/spring.

5. CHANGES IN PROCEDURES
   We have made the transition from doing original input online in OCLC to doing it offline in IUCAT and then uploading it in real-time. This has worked very well and the catalogers have become very accustomed to this new configuration. All staff had some refresher training in use of HostExplorer (McGill) Quick-Keys this fall: we compiled a uniform set of almost 500 user-created macros and distributed it as sets for cataloging, serials, approvals, and acquisitions, and we created a series of 30 'poppads' to go with it. Acceptance has been high, and we have had isolated reports of 50% increases in productivity.

   We now have a departmental programmer doing some work that will allow us to upload approval plan files (which we receive weekly from the vendors via FTP). As we sub-profile these plans we can move onto the next step: shelf-ready. This will allow us to test it in a somewhat controlled environment before we move on.

   We're in the process of creating our own LC/GPO resource file. The bibliographic records have been partially loaded. We'll be loading the complete LC name authority file next week (or so).

6. RECON
   I expect to sign the contract with OCLC for the remaining Roman-alphabet Recon, ca. 380,000-400,000 titles, before ALA. By late spring we will have finished the last of some 180,000 titles of in-house 'derives'. We are doing the remaining non-Roman (ca. 125,000) titles in-house over the next 18 months. That will leave some 250,000 classed-together monograph-in-series titles for which we not have good source records and which we will most likely do in-house as collection-level records or as individual analytics depending on the research value of the sets.

7. OCLC'S CORC PROJECT
   We will be exploring OCLC's CORC Project/Mantis software for its applicability to cataloging of Internet resources. We have high hopes for it but feel the need to give it a real test before we take it out of the garage. We've going to start with a group of Indiana state government web sites that we will catalog and put into a portal page. We're also going to do some work with the ACM conferences. I'm hoping to get the collection managers to begin suggesting worthwhile sites for us to process (!) once we get comfortable with this software. Eventually, I hope that it proves sufficiently flexible that we can involve more staff in its use.

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Library of Congress Update

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

1. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MANUSCRIPT DOCUMENT DIGITIZATION DEMONSTRATION PROJECT
   The final report of the Library of Congress Manuscript Document Digitization Demonstration Project was issued in October 1998. This demonstration project produced images of 10,000 document pages from the New Deal era Federal Theatre collection held by the Music Division at LC. The project was sponsored by the Library's Preservation Directorate, overseen by the National Digital Library Program (NDLP), and carried out from 1994-97 by Picture Elements, Inc., of Berkeley, Calif., and Boulder, Col. The final report is available at the Library of Congress American Memory Website at URL http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pictel/index.html

2. Y2K
   ITS continued to implement the Computer Security Plan and the Year 2000 Plan in order to ensure that the Library's computer systems, applications, and data are secure, and will be fully functioning into the 21st century. These plans have been updated regularly throughout the year to reflect milestones and progress.

3. INTEGRATED LIBRARY SYSTEM
   Over the past six months the 74 ILS implementation teams, involving over 300 LC staff, have been hard at work to analyze current activities and plan for the optimum transition to the new integrated library system. We are still on track to have all portions of the system implemented by October 1999.

   Following a standard source selection process, the Library ordered two Sun servers for our Voyager system, one for the main system and the other for Web access.

   A major milestone came on Jan. 8, 1999 when the first full test load of LC's bibliographic and authority records (nearly 16 million records) was successfully loaded; the loading was error free. Additional test loads are planned before the full production load, now planned for May or June 1999. The Library has a tentative schedule for staff to start using the ILS, with cataloging operations going first in May or June, then circulation and reference in July, and in October, acquisitions and serials check-in.

   An External Coordination Policy Group continues work to stay in touch with external stakeholders and to negotiate implementation timetables and issues.

   An extensive training plan was originally prepared as part of the ILS Implementation Plan submitted to Congress in April 1998 and continues to be revised.

   For more information, please contact Barbara Tillett, ILS Program Director,
   via email: btil@loc.gov,
   telephone: (202) 707-4714, or
   fax: (202) 707-4719.

4. BIBLIOGRAPHIC ENRICHMENT ADVISORY TEAM
   Last year, the Bibliographic Enrichment Advisory Team (BEAT), which operates under the auspices of the Cataloging Directorate but includes representatives from many areas of the Library, especially public services and electronic programs, focused attention on the following projects, among others:
   • BEOnline Project Update
     BEOnline is intended to serve as both a model and a catalyst for developing approaches to meet the challenges of identifying, selecting, and providing bibliographic access (as well as direct access) to electronic works that are remotely available on the World Wide Web. All the resources selected to date are now listed on the BEOnline home page (URL http://lcWeb.loc.gov/rr/business/beonline/beohome.html). This Web page also contains:
     
     1. The BEOnline Project Statement;
     2. The Selection Criteria;
     3. The Cataloging Framework;
     4. Cataloging Electronic Resources: a Brief Bibliography;
     5. Links from the Resources to their Catalog Records;
     6. The BEOnline Workflow; and,
     7. The List of BEOnline Bibliographic Elements.

     To date, more than 100 electronic works have been cataloged; these records can be accessed via the BEOnline Web site. In addition, approximately 45 records for print versions have been enhanced to inform researchers of Internet equivalents or related works.

   • Digital Table of Contents (TOC) Project
     BEAT initiated a project in early 1997 to investigate the economic and technical feasibility of using the World Wide Web to link MARC bibliographic records for selected business books represented in the LC catalogs to Tables of Contents (TOC) data for those works. This project has concentrated on printed monographic publications in the fields of business and economics (particularly, the areas of small business and entrepreneurship) with the expectation that techniques developed by the project could later be extended to other materials. To date the project has created more than 1,000 TOC items for works cataloged during this past year and continues to add new data for approximately 25 titles per week.

     The project is largely automated and involves use of "off-the-shelf" desktop computer and scanning equipment and conventional software, supplemented with the applications programs developed by Library staff. The HTML meta-tags -- which contain key words and other index terms -- are also being encoded in the TOC files, so that a user conducting a general Web search anywhere can find a TOC file, and through the links built into the TOC file, be pointed in turn to the actual bibliographic record as well as access to other related works in the LC catalog. Both the MARC records themselves and the linked TOC data may be viewed through a Web browser by accessing the Library's online catalog access options, available at URL http://lcWeb.loc.gov/catalog

   • New Initiatives for 1999
     
     1. Expanding the concept of enriched bibliographic data to prototype/experiment with selected publishers participating in the Library's Electronic CIP (ECIP) program to extend BEAT's work in support of ECIP beyond tables-of-contents (TOC) to additional areas such as annotations or abstracts.
     2. Undertaking related experiments to explore linking electronic bibliographic materials to works they contain (as well as linking discrete items to the bibliographies) and to expand these links to additional resources in various formats.
     3. Supporting a project by which updated 053 field data (Classification data in Subject authority records) would be added for certain materials in International law/International relations.

5. CATALOGING POLICY
   
   • AMIM Revision
     The draft revision of Archival Moving Image Materials: A Cataloging Manual (AMIM) is now available for review and comment on the CPSO home page at URL http://lcWeb.loc.gov/catdir/cpso. Comments should be received by March 15, 1999, and may be sent to cpso@loc.gov. The purpose of this manual is to provide instructions for the descriptive cataloging of archival film and video within the framework of AACR2. Printed copies may also be requested from CPSO during the review period.

   • Data Elements in Authority Records
     Most of the additional data elements approved by MARBI for names and subject authority records as part of Updates 1 and 2 of the USMARC Authorities Format were implemented by LC on Jan. 20, 1999. The subject changes include 18X fields for subdivision authority records, subfield $v for form subdivisions, and the 781 field for subject subdivision forms of geographic names. The Library plans a phased implementation of these new USMARC data elements in subject authority records and bibliographic records.

     LC will begin creating subject subdivision records and recoding form subdivisions in existing subject authority records after Jan. 20. According to current projections, LC staff will begin coding form subdivisions as $v in LC subject headings assigned to bibliographic records on Feb. 16, 1999. More information on subject authority data elements and form/genre implementation is posted on the CPSO Web page.

   • 'DPCC' in Series Authority Records
     At the request of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging Steering Committee, the Library's Network Development and MARC Standards Office has approved the USMARC identification code 'DPCC' for use in series authority records created by LC staff and by NACO participants to indicate national-level tracing practice. The default national-level tracing decision will be to trace.

   • Enhanced Music CDs
     New guidelines for the cataloging of enhanced CDs which were issued in draft to Library staff in June are now being put into final form for the Library of Congress Descriptive Cataloging Manual. A "public" version of the guidelines is planned for the CPSO Web page at a later date.

   • Individual Works of Art
     Approximately 700 subject authority records for individual works of art that were entered under named artists were edited and copied into the name authority file and deleted from the subject authority file and Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).

     This change was recommended by the PCC Task Group on Name vs. Subject Authorities and an ARLIS/NA task force on the handling of individual works of art.

   • Subject Subdivision Simplification Progress
     With the publication of 1998 Update Number 2 to the Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings in fall 1998, the separate list of subdivisions used under literary authors (H 1155.4) was discontinued. Free-floating subdivisions authorized for use under names of individual literary authors are now included in the revised list of subdivisions used under names of persons (H 1110), and Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 no longer serves as a pattern heading. H 1110 now includes free-floating subdivisions used under names of individual persons in general as well as subdivisions for use with persons belonging to specific categories of persons, such as literary authors and composers. With consolidation of the lists, the free-floating subdivisions used under names of individual persons were standardized.

6. COOPERATIVE CATALOGING INITIATIVES
   

   For the latest information about the Program for Cooperative Cataloging and its components, please consult the PCC homepage at URL http://lcWeb.loc.gov/catdir/pcc.

   • BIBCO
     In FY1998, institutions participating in the BIBCO program, the PCC's focus for production of national level bibliographic cataloging, contributed over 37,000 monograph records to the ever-growing pool of bibliographic cataloging created to a shared cataloging standard for an increase of 25% over last year. This growth reflects an expansion in the number of BIBCO participants now numbering 34 libraries. New to the program since the July ALA Annual Conference are: New York University, University of Florida, University of New Mexico, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Queens Borough Public Library.

   • CONSER
     The CONSER Working Group on Journals in Full Text Databases has been investigating options for providing access to electronic journals in full text databases. A survey was distributed over various electronic lists in late December and John Riemer (University of Georgia) will discuss the results and possible next steps on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., at the Cataloging Management Discussion Group, Philadelphia Convention Center 201A.

     The Serials Cataloging Cooperative Training Program is well under way. Cameron Campbell (University of Chicago) is preparing materials for the first course in basic serials cataloging and a number of catalogers have applied to be trainers. An information session on the Program will be held Friday, Jan. 29, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., Philadelphia Marriott, Salon K. The deadline for training applications is February 15, 1999.

   • NACO
     The NACO program, responsible for creation of new and updated name and series authority records, has welcomed the following libraries to NACO since the ALA Annual Conference in July: Arlington Heights Public Library, Armed Forces Staff College, Case Western Reserve University, Chicago Public Library, El Colegio de México, Memorial University Library of Newfoundland, Pennsylvania State University, Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil). The OLAC Funnel added 10 additional libraries in October, and three other funnel projects each added one new member. The special outreach of PCC to historically black colleges and universities bore fruit recently, adding these new NACO libraries: Bowie State University, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center Library of Howard University, and the Howard University School of Law. In fiscal 1998, NACO participants contributed 161,446 NARs, an increase of 17.42% over last year, 9,233 SARs, a decrease of 1.4%, and changed 38,327 NARs and SARs, an increase of 15%.

   • SACO
     SACO libraries contributed 2,159 subject authority records and 883 new classification numbers last year. Their contributions made up approximately 30% of the new subjects added to LCSH in fiscal 1998.

   • Core Level Cataloging Implementation
     All Cataloging Directorate divisions and the Serial Record Division have implemented core level cataloging. Cataloging teams are tasked with developing their own quality control procedures to ensure core level cataloging quality. A Core Level Cataloging Manual has been added to the Descriptive Cataloging Manual for LC internal users.

     The core bibliographic record was defined by the Program for Cooperative Cataloging and CONSER to establish a national standard that is less complete than full cataloging but substantially more complete than minimal-level cataloging. All core bibliographic records include a classification number and one or two subject access points where appropriate; all name, series, and subject access points are supported by appropriate authority work. The Library of Congress will include some data elements, in addition to PCC requirements, in all core level records it produces or copies:

     • 504 fields for notes on bibliographical references;
     • LC call numbers;
     • Geographic Area Codes and language codes if readily ascertainable; and
     • Decimal Classification numbers for items in scope for such treatment.
     Like core level records produced in other PCC libraries, LC core level original monograph records carry the legend "pcc" in the 042 field.

7. DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION (DEWEY)
   Dewey classifiers at the Library of Congress added DDC numbers to 111,293 bibliographic records during fiscal 1998.

   OCLC Forest Press will issue Dewey for Windows (DFW) Version 1.2 this January. This version of DFW features new built numbers and accompanying index terms available only in the DFW format. The new built numbers include comprehensive numbers for Native American peoples and popular topics in Computer science, Literature, and Life sciences. DFW 1.2 also integrates all DDC corrections and changes made since the appearance of Edition 21 in 1996, including the revised area table for Great Britain and the Republic of South Africa.

8. PINYIN ROMANIZATION
   The Library of Congress and the Research Libraries Group (RLG) have begun working together to prepare for conversion of Chinese records in the RLIN database to pinyin, beginning in the spring/summer of 2000.

   The Library has also begun to draft program specifications to help RLG prepare a computer program which will perform as much of the conversion as possible. The program should also be able to change headings for the most frequently used Chinese conventional place names.

   Advance copies of new Chinese romanization guidelines based on the pinyin system were distributed to institutions and organizations in November. The new guidelines will generally follow standard Chinese pinyin romanization procedures, with certain exceptions. Words of non-Chinese origin will be romanized systematically in all cases. Tones will not be indicated. The Library will continue its practice of separating individual syllables, except in the cases of personal names, geographic locations, and certain proper nouns. This approach assures that converted LC records will maintain their consistency with those found on both utilities. The separation of syllables should also facilitate international exchange of Chinese bibliographic data in the future.

   The Library's Pinyin Task Group has begun the task of identifying and assessing the many effects of pinyin conversion on subject headings and classification schemes. Major changes are being anticipated in the DS, G and PL schedules. Class numbers will be retained whenever possible, and the reference structure will be utilized in the classification schedule to lead the user to the proper location. Subject catalogers have begun to locate and evaluate subject headings containing terms in Wade-Giles romanization. Regarding classification, for Chinese literary authors in the PL schedule, the Library plans to end the most recent time period this year (1949-1999); beginning with 2000, cuttering will be based upon the new pinyin system of romanization.

   Decisions on conversion of authority records will be made following the implementation of the Library's new integrated library system (ILS).

9. Cataloging (Books and Serials) Production
   

   Bibliographic Records	FY98	FY97
   LC Full-Level Cataloging	175,103	177,448
   Copy Cataloging	39,265	43,744
   Minimal-Level Cataloging	24,880	35,612
   Collection-Level Cataloging	2,965	2,863
   TOTAL records created	242,213	259,067
   TOTAL volumes cataloged	274,890	289,154

   Authority Records	FY98	FY97
   Names	167,441*	108,089
   Series	9,713	9,965
   Subjects	7,194	8,132
   TOTAL	184,348	126,186

   *includes 64,194 machine-generated Names

   For more information contact:
   Beacher J. Wiggins
   Director for Cataloging
   Library of Congress, LM 642
   Washington, DC 20540-4300
   telephone: 202-707-5333 or
   Internet: bwig@loc.gov.

10. COLLECTIONS POLICY
    The Library received an increase of 5.2% ($454,000) for GENPAC (materials budget). The increase permits additional spending for: subscriptions to electronic journals, acquisition of more current publications from the People's Republic of China and Taiwan, replacement of missing and lost books, and support of special collections.

    Collections policy statements on children's literature and on all areas of science and technology were approved; a policy on collecting electronic resources was drafted and submitted for approval. The China Working Group evaluated and took action to improve the collection of contemporary Chinese social science, science, and technology.

11. MARC STANDARDS
    
    • MARC 21
      The Library of Congress and the National Library of Canada announced that the harmonized USMARC and CAN/MARC formats will be published in a single edition in early 1999 under the new name: MARC 21. The name both points to the future as we move into the 21st century and suggests the international character of the format, which is appropriate and important given its expanding worldwide use. MARC 21 is not a new format. From 1994-1997 the USMARC and CAN/MARC user communities worked to eliminate all remaining differences in their two already-similar formats. Compatibility had been a feature of the development processes for both formats for many years. In 1997 and early 1998, updates to the formats were issued that made the format specifications identical. MARC 21 publishes the formats in one edition under a new name. Further announcements on the publication of the new editions of the five formats that make up the MARC 21 family of formats -- Bibliographic, Authority, Holdings, Classification, and Community Information -- will be made when printing of each is completed over the next year. The National Library of Canada will also be producing simultaneously a French edition of MARC 21. For further information on the shared format, see the official format Web sites at URLs:
      http://www.loc.gov/marc/
      http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/marc/
      

    • Catalog Access
      LC continued to provide four different methods for online access to its catalog records through its Catalogs Web page ( http://lcWeb.loc.gov/catalog/ ). The four methods are:
      • WORD SEARCH (a link to the MUMS Z39.50 server);
      • BROWSE SEARCH (a link to a Web-based interface to selected SCORPIO files)
      • COMMAND SEARCH (a link via telnet or tn3270 to the full range of LOCIS files and searching features); and
      • EXPERIMENTAL SEARCH SYSTEM (ESS) (a link to an experimental system developed in ITS based on an INQUERY search engine). The ESS method will be removed in February because of problems in maintaining its currency and accuracy.

12. DEACIDIFICATION
    The Library's continuing application of the mass book deacidification technology has ensured the uniform, effective deacidification of 172,000 books over the past three years; the goal for the current contract year is to deacidify and thus extend the useful life of an additional 75,000 books. Under its contract with Preservation Technologies, Pittsburgh, PA, to provide book preservation services to the Library using the firm's Bookkeeper mass deacidification process, the Library is currently focusing primarily on selection of 'Americana' for treatment, emphasizing the selection of endangered volumes from collections that are central to the Library's mission, such as law, history, literature, and political science. Screening and treatment is being under taken beginning with the following LC book classes, which have been approved for deacidification processing by Library administrators, preservation managers, and the LC Collections Policy Committee:
    • Class E American History (completed)
    • Class F1-975 U.S. Local History (completed)
    • Class CS71 U.S. Family History (completed)
    • Classes PZ3&4 Fiction in English (completed)
    • Class PS American Literature (in process)
    • Class KF U.S. Federal Law
    • Class JK U.S. Political Science
    • Class PN Americana Literary History and Collections

    Given the effective operation of its mass deacidification program in recent years, the Library is serving as a demonstration site for managers and technical staff from other libraries, archives, and cultural institutions who are interested in learning firsthand about administrative and workflow procedures required for mass deacidification programs. Interested organizations should contact
    Kenneth E. Harris
    Preservation Projects Director
    Preservation Directorate
    Library of Congress, LM-G21
    Washington, DC 20540-4500
    Telephone: (202) 707-1054
    Fax: (202) 707-3434
    email: khar@loc.gov
    

1. NAL BEGINS MAJOR RENOVATION
   NAL is renovating its facilities because of a severe shortage of space for the collection, a need for more customer-friendly user areas and a desire to meet the new millennium with the most modern facilities possible. A new HVAC system is being installed at the same time the public services areas on the first floor will be renovated. Although most of the demolition and reconstruction are in the main lobby, reference, circulation and main reading room areas, nearly all staff in the library are affected by the need to alter existing spaces to create a temporary reading room and circulation desk during the first phase of the renovation. The entire project is expected to take approximately three years.

2. FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH INFORMATION OFFICE
   NAL has been designated the site of the federally mandated Food Safety Research Information Office which will provide to the research community and the general public information on food safety research initiatives. In preparation for implementing the new program, Technical Services Division is evaluating the collection resources in food safety, filling any critical gaps and identifying relevant web sites to be described and linked through the OPAC..

3. AGRICOLA ON THE INTERNET
   In September 1998, NAL officially announced free World Wide Web access to AGRICOLA, the library's database of 3.5 million records of agricultural information. The web site is http://www.nal.usda.gov/ag98 . AGRICOLA on the Internet uses the VTLS web gateway for searching citations to books, journals, audiovisuals and electronic resources, as well as the entire database of indexed citations to the journal literature. in FY 1997 compared with the previous fiscal year.

4. CATALOGING
   In order to decrease the backlog of serial titles awaiting cataloging, NAL has implemented revised policies for cataloging treatment of foreign language serial titles. All foreign language serials and English language serials that are not currently received will be given minimal level cataloging. Currently received English language serials, including USDA publications will continue to receive CONSER full-level treatment. NAL is a member of the national Program Cooperative Cataloging and participates in the CONSER, BIBCO and NACO programs of the PCC.

   To assist document delivery staff in retrieving requested materials, all in-process serial titles awaiting cataloging were assigned call numbers and shelved with the cataloged titles in the collection. Access to the relocated in-process titles is through the temporary bibliographic record in the catalog. Once the in-process titles were all cataloged or relocated to the stacks, new throughput goals were implemented for full level serials cataloging. The goal is to complete the cataloging and review of all titles within 5 working days.

5. PRESERVATION
   NAL has established procedures for the digital conversion of USDA embrittled-paper publications and converted collections of USDA paper publications to preservation-quality digital format. More than 24,000 pages have been converted, creating the first publications in NAL's digital archive collection. NAL is putting these images on the Internet.

   NAL/NIH START DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS WEBSITE
   IBIDS, the International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements, database on the Internet was unveiled to the public by NAL and the National Institutes of Health in January 1999. The site (www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/IBIDS/) contains citations to international scientific literature on dietary supplements from 1986 to the present.

   ----------------------------------------------------------------------

   Sally Sinn
   Associate Director, Technical Services Division
   National Agricultural Library
   Beltsville, MD 20705
   Phone: 301-504-7294
   Fax: 301-504-6951
   E-mail: ssinn@nal.usda.gov
   

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NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE

1. VOYAGER IMPLEMENTATION
   As a Federal Reinvention Laboratory under the National Performance Review, the National Library of Medicine (NLM), is undergoing a transition from its mainframe legacy systems to a more modern client/server environment.

   As part of this effort, NLM selected Voyager as the Library's new integrated library system to support its basic library functions. Voyager replaces a number of internal custom-built systems developed at NLM over the last 25 years. Numerous other NLM applications, including DOCLINE and SERHOLD and the creation of journal article citations for MEDLINE will rely on the bibliographic data in the Voyager ILS.

   On November 30, 1998 the first phase of the ILS implementation began with the release of the beta version of Voyager 98.1 for use by NLM staff for cataloging and acquisitions work. Over the next few months, additional modules will be implemented. We expect to have the WEB-based OPAC available for public use in early 1999.

   NLM staff have been working with Endeavor to add new features to the product, including a binding module and enhancements to the closed stack request module and serials processing to meet NLM's internal processing requirements.

   As a library which has always built its own custom-built systems, moving to a commercial library system is a big change with trade-offs for NLM. In addition to the more modern client/server technology used by Voyager, the library will gain some functionality such as EDI processing and hot links to the Web from the OPAC, which would have difficult, if not impossible to achieve with our old systems. On the downside, we have to adjust to working with a system that is not under our direct design control.

   As Roxanne reported for Northwestern, Voyager implementation has dominated the lives of TSD staff over the past few months. On the whole, data conversion, including the conversion of vendor records and order records for monographs, went smoothly. However even a smooth conversion and initial implementation meant several weeks lost production time. A processing backlog has built up and continues to grow as staff learn to use the new system.

   Like Northwestern, we find that "normal" day to day technical services work takes longer, and we too are employing some temporary additional staff. Finally I have to whole heartedly agree with Roxanne that setting up to do predictive check in for serials is a truly monumental task!

2. CORE LEVEL CATALOGING
   Beginning with January 25, 1999, NLM expanded its core level cataloging to CIPs and English language print monographs cataloged in-house. In February of this year, Cataloging will start core level cataloging for serials contributed to CONSER and all English language serials. All audiovisuals and sound records have been cataloged at the core level since early 1998.

3. NLM CHANGES IN SUBJECT HEADING STRUCTURE AND USAGE
   With the implementation of the Voyager, the Cataloging Section adopted NLM Indexing practices for subject heading content & structure. The principal reasons for these changes were:
   1. to facilitate cross file searching;
   2. to simplify searcher training;
   3. to enhance retrieval by using the same terms with like results for articles, books, nonprint materials, electronic resources, etc.; and
   4. to integrate cataloging and indexing subject analysis practices.

   Based on the MeSH structure and the way it is implemented by Indexing, Cataloging will no longer use the traditional heading string. Instead the subject matter will be expressed by a main heading or main heading and topical subheading combinations. Geographic relationships, bibliographic format, and language are no longer part of the main heading or main and topical subheading. The headings relating to the first two are carried in the appropriate MARC field (651 geographic and 655 genre). Language is no longer used to qualify a subject since it is contained in the record.

   For subscribers to NLM's bibliographic database the heading string will be reconstructed in output for distribution.

4. RECORD DISTRIBUTION
   CATLINE and AVLINE, NLM's MEDLARS bibliographic databases, were last updated October 15, 1998, and the last distribution of records to subscribers occurred on October 16. Records were then pulled from both databases and merged for conversion to Voyager. The anticipated start-up date of record distribution from Voyager is mid March 1999. Public access to the old CATLINE and AVLINE files will cease when the Voyager WEB OPAC is brought up early this year.

5. SERHOLD
   SERHOLD, the National Biomedical Holdings Database, supports automatic routing of requests through DOCLINE, NLM's online interlibrary loan system. The Library is in the process of developing a new web-based DOCLINE/SERHOLD system for implementation later this year.

   The goals of next generation SERHOLD are to provide holdings data to support routing of ILL transactions, to improve the quality and timeliness of holdings data by empowering all SERHOLD participants to view and maintain data online, to facilitate the exchange of data by conforming to national standards (USMARC, ANSI/NISO Z39.71-199X), and to provide SERHOLD services and products in a resource effective manner.

   Testing is scheduled to begin in March. We hope to demonstrate parts of the new system at the Medical Library Association meeting in May and to put the system into production about July 1.

6. CHANGE IN SERIAL RECORDS SECTION
   After 18 years as head of the Serial Records Section, Bill Willmering will retire at the end of March. During his time at NLM, Bill has led many of the projects to improve processing and the automated systems which support serial records. His expertise will be missed. We are starting immediately to recruit a new department head, and I will send a job description to the Big Heads list.

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NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

From: ARNO KASTNER arno.kastner@nyu.edu

1. NEW DEAN OF NYU LIBRARIES.
   Carol Mandel, Deputy Librarian at Columbia University, has been appointed Dean of NYU Libraries and will be joining us in mid-April. Many of us on Big Heads have worked with Carol over the years, so you know how pleased and excited NYU is to have Carol as our new leader.

2. NEW HEAD OF ACQUISITIONS.
   Linda Lerman, formerly Program Officer with RLG, will join us as Head of Acquisitions on April 1. Previous to RLG, Linda had served in various technical and collection services positions at Yale and specialized libraries.

3. OUT-OF-PRINT ORDERING.
   Our five-year inventory project is turning up a number of missing titles. We are finding the re-ordering process very labor intensive, but have had a lot of luck with Bibliofind.

4. Z39.50 FOR CATALOGING.
   We have installed Geac's Z39.50 cataloging software at a satellite library at Villa La Pietra in Florence. The Villa, bequeathed to NYU by Sir Harold Acton, contains his personal library and papers. A contracted staff uses the software to add holdings to BobCat, our online catalog. Non-BobCat hits are searched against RLIN, retrieved and edited and then ftp'd to BobCat daily. With the Z39.50 software we have overcome the time-difference hurdle and are making rapid progress toward completing the project.

5. BIBCO.
   This month we became the 34th member of BIBCO. At this point Full-level records will continue to be our default for currently received materials, but we are thinking about applying the core level for selected backlogs and formats.

6. NYU RECORDS IN OCLC.
   We are closer to loading our entire database into OCLC. Location mapping for our consortium and branch libraries is nearly completed and we have finished the ftp of our records to OCLC. We are still struggling to determine the cost-effectiveness of using both databases for copy.

7. NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
   We are well into our second year of a Mellon Foundation-funded project to assist in the management and processing of the Society's collections. Thirteen staff have been hired to catalog book, manuscript, and print materials. We are in the process of selecting a vendor to convert about 125,000 N-YHS manual records.

8. MARCADIA.
   We continue to use Marcadia as a semi-annual automated searching of our backlog. The searches are turning up good copy for approximately 35% of the 7-8,000 titles submitted. We use the paper reports of the "no-hits" to manually search the hold against OCLC, saving us from retrieving the books.

Arno Kastner
Director of Technical Services
Bobst Library
New York University
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
voice:212-998-2477
email:arno.kastner@nyu.edu

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NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

From: Roxanne Sellberg sellberg@nwu.edu

What is happening at Northwestern?