February 2003, Issue 20
In This Issue:
Polk Library Materials Budget,
2003 – 2005
Join the Adventure! Introducing ILLiad
Library Notices Now Sent Via Email
Do You UB? An Update on Universal Borrowing
Celebrating African-American Authors in the Browsing Room
Archives Acquires WI Phalanx Collections
Get More From the Library Instruction Program!
E* Government Acts Passed
Archives Continues AncestryPlus Access
Spring Semester Library Hours
Cancellations in UW System-Funded Databases
Polk Library Materials Budget, 2003 – 2005
Patrick Wilkinson
wilkinso@uwosh.edu
Over the last two years, I have repeatedly explained that the university community and Polk Library face serious challenges in providing access to materials needed for teaching, learning and research. This situation results from a decade of flat materials budgets, predatory price increases by certain publishers, continued high demand for print and electronic resources, and new university degrees and programs.
In response, the library has worked with faculty to cancel less-needed print journals, reference materials, online databases and microforms in 2001 – 2003. In addition, thanks to Karen Reiter and Barbara Fahey, the library initiated a change of periodicals vendors. This change is complete and has allowed the library to receive better service for a lower service charge. Through these actions, the library has safeguarded the materials budget from anticipated “library inflationary” pressures for 2002 – 2003 and likely 2003 – 2004.
Recently, Polk Library completed the university budget exercise that asked units to project what they would cut and what would be the consequences of a 3% or a 5% reduction. With these assumptions, the library would need to cut its $944,978 materials budget by either $28,350 or $47,249 for 2003 – 2004. Considering the cancellations that have been made the last two years to safeguard against “library inflation,” this is not a happy prospect for students, faculty or Polk Library.
Could the library protect the materials budget and realistically take its total 3% or 5% from its operational or personnel budgets? The simple answer is no. The operational budget is small in comparison to the materials budget, and most of it is committed to essential, ongoing services such as the online catalog, electronic reserve and interlibrary loan expenses. Library staffing is currently very lean and the projected cuts will already endanger open staff lines.
Obviously, no one knows how the governor and legislature will resolve the state budget crisis, but it is certain that they need to resolve it. Polk Library is committed to working with faculty in these difficult times to maintain access to a wide range of high quality research literature and effective library services.
Please contact me if you have questions about the library budget. I am most willing to talk with any faculty group, department or college about this issue.
Join the Adventure! Introducing ILLiad
Deb Duncan
duncan@uwosh.edu
Soon a new paperless web-based Interlibrary Loan service with no more paper forms to fill out will be coming to Polk Library!
What is ILLiad?
ILLiad is the electronic system that you will be using to request an item
through Interlibrary Loan. The name ILLiad can be thought of as an acronym
for InterLibrary Loan internet accessible
database.
You can know the status of your requests at any time by logging on and checking your customer record. Enjoy instant email notification to your campus email account to let you know when your material has arrived. You can also view outstanding requests, renewals of outstanding items, your request history, resubmit cancelled requests and have the capability to download articles electronically.
How is ILLiad better than our current ILL system?
1. You will find it easier to submit your interlibrary loan requests.
With ILLiad you will log-on with your Titan card number and last name.
From there you will be able to make an interlibrary loan request from
a main request menu.
2. You will be able to get many of your articles more quickly through Electronic Delivery.
3. You will be able to get information about the status of your request through the Web at any time from any location without having to call the ILL Department.
4. Library personnel will be able to serve you better because all data about your request and its handling will be stored in a searchable database. We will be able to respond quickly to your inquiries about your request. We will also be able to gather statistical information about the performance of the libraries that lend to us, enabling us to make better decisions when choosing a lender to supply an item.
Who will be able to use ILLiad?
Currently registered UW Oshkosh students, faculty, and staff are eligible
to use ILLiad.
When will I be able to access ILLiad and how?
The library will make a formal announcement when ILLiad is available for
placing requests. At that time, you will be able to find a direct link
and information about ILLiad via the library’s Interlibrary Loan web page.
For more information, contact Erin Czech at 424-3348 or czeche@uwosh.edu
.
Library Notices Now Sent Via Email
Beginning February 2003, UW Oshkosh email notification will replace paper notices from Polk Library for overdues, available items, recalls and interlibrary loans. Replacement charges will continue to be printed and sent through the mail service.
You are able to access your official UW Oshkosh email account by going to http://webmail.uwosh.edu. The library is unable to change your default UW Oshkosh assigned email address.
Do You UB? An Update on Universal Borrowing
Deb Duncan
duncan@uwosh.edu
A year ago, Polk Library announced that UW libraries had implemented a new service called Universal Borrowing, or UB. At that time, several libraries were not available through this service. This January, UW Madison Libraries implemented UB, so now the holdings of all UW System libraries are available through UB. If you have not used UB, please read the explanation below.
Universal Borrowing (UB) is a new (one-year old) library service that allows students, faculty and staff to borrow books and other library materials directly from other libraries within UW System. You can use Polk Library’s online catalog to locate materials at other UW System libraries and then send a direct electronic request to those libraries for specific books, videos, etc.
Requested material will normally be delivered to Polk Library’s circulation desk in 3-5 business days for you to pick up. Books received through UB can be checked out for 28 days. Some other specialized materials such as videos and curriculum materials can be checked out for 14 days. Please note that journal articles cannot be requested through UB.
Instructions on how to use UB can be found at: http://www.uwosh.edu/library/ubhandout.html
UB is one part of an overall strategic direction of UW System libraries to make the resources of UW libraries available to all UW students, faculty and staff. The UW libraries are moving toward a goal of “One System, One Library.” In short, in tough budget times, UW libraries are making the best use of their collective resources for the benefit of students, faculty and staff.
You can still use Polk Library’s fast and friendly Interlibrary Loan (ILL) unit for all the services that they have traditionally provided. For example, you can use ILL to get periodical articles or books from libraries within or outside of UW System.
You can ask for more information about how UB works at the circulation or reference desks in the library. Questions about UB policies can be directed to Jeanne Foley, Head of Access Services, at 424-7315 or foley@uwosh.edu.
Celebrating African-American Authors in the Browsing Room
Amanda Swaw
Student Coordinator, Browsing Room
February, recognized as Black History Month, is a time to explore the countless cultural contributions of African-Americans. In celebration of this important occasion, here is a list of books by leading African-American authors, all available in the Browsing Room.
E. Lynn Harris - A Love of My Own
Terry McMillan - Day Late and a Dollar Short
Edwidge Danticat - Breath, Eyes, Memory
Eric Jerome Dickey - Thieves’ Paradise
Pearl Cleage - What Looks Like Crazy on a Normal Day
Archives Acquires WI Phalanx Collections
Joshua Ranger
ranger@uwosh.edu
The University Archives and Area Research Center is pleased to announce the acquisition of six collections documenting the Wisconsin Phalanx community at Ceresco (present day Ripon), Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Phalanx, like the famous Brook Farm of Massachusetts, was a utopian community organized by followers of the writings of the French philosopher Charles Fourier. Created in 1841, the Wisconsin Phalanx was disbanded in 1849. The official records of the community include the incorporation papers, constitution and by-laws, meeting minutes, land records, recollections of members as well as financial records kept by the community’s treasurer, general agent, blacksmith, and nurseryman. In addition to these records, the archives has acquired several small collections of correspondence, drawings and other writings from members of the Phalanx community. These collections, previously housed at the Wisconsin Historical Society have been brought to this campus as part of the Area Research Center agreement due to the material’s local content. For more information regarding this and other archives collections, contact Joshua Ranger at 424-0828.
Get More From the Library Instruction Program!
Marisa Finkey
finkey@uwosh.edu
Stop in the library lobby when classes are changing and there is a good chance you will see students gathering for a library instruction session. While talking to students about library resources and good research techniques is the main focus of the instruction program, there are other services that departments and individual faculty and staff members can take advantage of.
The "Behind the Stacks Workshop Series", presented during the January and May interim sessions, offers a wide variety of workshops on topics including information literacy, web evaluation, document delivery, using archival materials, and particular library resources such as Project Muse, JSTOR or Academic Universe. Departments can also schedule department workshops for faculty to learn about new electronic resources in their discipline or the ins and outs of a familiar database’s new interface. These sessions can also provide information on library services such as interlibrary loan, document delivery, or the library instruction program.
Departments can schedule tours for prospective faculty to become acquainted with library collections, services, and resources available in their fields. New faculty can also schedule appointments to cover these services and resources in more depth. The instruction program can provide similar tours and orientations for new graduate assistants. These sessions contain information about library resources and services graduate assistants may utilize, along with techniques they can use to locate citations, articles, or other materials requested by faculty.
For more information about these services and the library instruction program, please contact Marisa Finkey at 424-3436 or finkey@uwosh.edu.
E* Government Acts Passed
Mike Watkins
watkins@uwosh.edu
Both the state of Wisconsin and the federal government have recently passed acts creating agencies for electronic government. The agencies were created in response to the increasing importance of information technology, agency web sites, and telecommunications involved in the activities of government.
Federal Office of Information Policy
On December 17, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Electronic Government Act (Public Law 107-347). This act includes the creation of an Office of Information Policy. The office will be a sub agency of the Office of Management and Budget, the executive oversight agency. Headed by the Federal Chief Information Officer, the Office of Information Policy will create a Chief Information Officers Council “as the principal interagency forum for improving agency practices related to the development, use, operation, and performance of Government information sources.”
The new office will oversee executive agencies’ web site development and activities by establishing standards to be followed. The Federal Chief Information Officer will be responsible for “developing and promulgating standards and guidelines for agency websites and electronic information, explore the possibilities of integrating federal information across agencies, and establish guidelines for privacy”. Among the measures to be overseen by the new agency is that executive agency websites will be required to be capable of using and accepting electronic signatures. This will ensure the authenticity of information on the website and also give the agency a means to authenticate the identity of site users who may be filling out online forms. Agencies will also be required to have an online agency directory.
The Electronic Government Act further requires the establishment of an online Federal Telephone Directory, an online National Library, and federal courts websites where all published opinions are posted.
Wisconsin Department of Electronic Government
The Department of Electronic Government for the state of Wisconsin was created by Wisconsin Act 16 (Budget bill of 2001), which was enacted on August 30, 2001. Creation of the Department was the idea of former Governor Scott McCallum.
The activities of the Department are outlined in Chapter 22 of the Wisconsin Statutes. The Secretary of the Department is called the Chief Information Officer and is advised by an Information Technology Management Board. The department is in charge of all telecommunications and information technology activities in state government, except for those in the University of Wisconsin System. The department is responsible for the planning and development of all information technology systems in the executive branch of government and is also responsible for overseeing the purchase of materials, supplies, and equipment or “contractual services relating to information technology or telecommunications for use by agencies, authorities, local government units or private entities.”
The new agency came under attack during the negotiation of the budget repair bill last fall as being too expensive. Governor McCallum vetoed provisions of the budget repair bill that attempted to dismantle the agency and return its responsibilities to the Department of Administration where they had been previously. The new governor, James Doyle, has gone on record in opposition to the agency and has indicated that he will attempt to dismantle the new agency and return its responsibilities to the Department of Administration.
Archives Continues AncestryPlus Access
Joshua Ranger
ranger@uwosh.edu
Forrest R. Polk Library is happy to provide continued access to the AncestryPlus database, the powerful research product that combines hundreds and hundreds of small personal name indexes from across the United States, Britain and Ireland. Invaluable to genealogists, the database helps individuals find vital information regarding their families. As a major center for genealogical research in northeastern Wisconsin, the UW Oshkosh Archives and Area Research Center is the only local institution providing public access to this incredibly rich resource.
Yet AncestryPlus is not just a genealogical tool. With online manuscript census images from across the country (1790-1930), AncestryPlus facilitates original historical research on communities across the country in ways far superior to the old standby, microfilm. Numerous disciplines rely on historic manuscript census data (released after 70 years) to gather detailed information regarding communities and individuals that the statistical census data can never provide. Students can use these primary records to chart familial and economic relationships, racial and social segregation as well as the educational and linguistic backgrounds of communities and families. In addition to census records, students may use the vast collections of local history books or slave narratives that have been reformatted into electronic text.
Every week more databases are added to AncestryPlus. Take it for a spin via the library or archives websites - links to AncestryPlus can be found at http://www.uwosh.edu/library/subjects/genealogy.html or http://www.uwosh.edu/archives/links.htm.
Spring Semester Library Hours
General Collections and Circulation/Reserve
Government Documents
Educational Media Collection
Monday - Thursday 7:45 AM - 12 Midnight*
Friday 7:45 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Sunday 11:00 AM - 12 Midnight*
*Extended Study Hours
Polk Library will provide extended study hours from Midnight until
2 AM on the first floor. These hours will be added onto the library’s
Sunday – Thursday night schedule.
Reference Desk
Monday - Thursday 7:45 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday 7:45 AM – 4:30 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday 1:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Wisconsin Area Research Center / University Archives
Monday - Friday 9:00 AM-12:00 PM, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday (ONLY) 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Saturday & Sunday CLOSED
Cancellations in UW System-Funded Databases
Cynthia Huebschen
huebschc@uwosh.edu
For the past seven years, users of Polk Library have had access to a large number of databases through the UW System Shared Electronic Collection. This shared collection allows all University of Wisconsin System faculty, staff, and students to make use of databases such as ABI Inform, the Web of Science citation databases, Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, online journals published by the American Chemical Society and the Institute of Physics, Ethnic NewsWatch, Project Muse, E-Subscribe, and others. Unfortunately, this shared fund, like campus library budgets, is subject to pressure from library inflation, flat budgets and likely state budget reductions. Beginning with the 2003-2004 budget, it has become necessary to cancel some of these subscriptions.
The UW System Collection Development Committee (CDC), made up of collection development librarians from all the campuses, has been responsible for the selection of resources to be included in the Shared Electronic Collection (subject to approval from UW Library Directors). In late 2002, the CDC met to consider de-selection of some resources in order to balance the central budget with an expected shortfall of approximately $150,000 in 2003-2004. Each campus had one vote (including one vote for all the UW Colleges combined) in recommending subscriptions which could be cancelled from the shared collection. Individual libraries would have the option of picking up the cost of some of these subscriptions in order to continue access if the library could stretch its own budget to cover the cost for its campus. De-selection decisions were made on the basis of use statistics, indications of required course use, ability of the product to meet campus needs, duplication of content from other sources, and price.
The UW System CDC voted to drop centrally-funded subscriptions to the following databases: Books In Print; Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory; Science Next Wave (an add-on to the online subscription to Science); Alt-Health Watch; Columbia Earthscape; and the HRAF databases. The group also voted to reduce the UW’s commitment to adding new NetLibrary titles.
Because of the recommendation of reference staff and its reasonable cost, Polk Library added a campus subscription to the online Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory, so access to that database will continue for our users. This is partially funded by dropping our print subscriptions to this directory. Upon faculty request, Polk Library also added a subscription for campus access to Books In Print online, beginning in February. Polk Library also plans to add a subscription to Columbia Earthscape due to its high use at UW Oshkosh. Continued funding of these resources will depend on the library’s own budget situation next year.
Polk Library News is a publication of Forrest R. Polk Library, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
Renee Sengele, editor (sengele@uwosh.edu) 920-424-7331
Patrick Wilkinson, Director, Polk Library (wilkinso@uwosh.edu) 920-424-2147