Shipping List Newsletter of the Public Documents Forum
of the Virginia Library Association
| Shipping List Newsletter of the Public Documents Forum of the Virginia Library Association |
| vol. 25, no.3 | August 2000 |
From the Editor
Report from ALA's Annual Conference in Chicago,
July 7-11, by Janet Justis
Federal Documents Task Force: Agency Update
/ Census Bureau, by Janet Justis
More from ALA . . . "GODORT's
SLDTF & IDTF Programs", by Janet
Justis
Still more . . . "GIS Programs" at
ALA, by Mary Horman
State Depository Program Directors Meet,
by Mary Clark
Armed Forces Staff College Library Commemorates
Korean War, by Pat Liquori
News and Views from around the Commonwealth
New & Worthwhile: International
Documents
Following on the heels of VLA, the Federal Depository Conference and Depository Library Council Meeting will be held in Arlington from October 22nd-25th. This meeting sets the stage for discussion of changes in dissemination format for some government publications from tangible products to online access only. You can register at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/00conreg.html. Deadline for registration is October 11, 2000. The editor is looking for reporters on various sessions to submit brief summaries of updates, reports, etc. for the November issue of Shipping List.
Congratulations to the GODORT Program Committee, IDTF, and SLDTF for presenting two excellent and timely programs. Reporters are needed for ALA Midwinter and Annual Conferences in 2001.
Please send any comments, questions, suggestions, etc. to the editor.-- Janet Justis
July 6-12, 2000
Reports Table of Contents: GPO UPDATE 7/8/00
Francis J. Buckley, Jr., Superintendent
of Documents, opened the GPO Update Session by encouraging
an active citizen role in voting and contacting Congressional
representatives, and by thanking librarians for their support
during the recent challenges of the initial House Appropriations
Bill. He briefly explained the proposed cuts in H. R. 4516
citing the original 61% cut for FDLP and funding only cataloging
and GPO Access projects. Mr. Buckley also mentioned H. Rpt.
106-635 (5/23/00) which proposes transferring GPO functions to
the Library of Congress and no funding for printing the U.S. Code.
He stressed that the Senate is working on a compromise to amend
the House bill and encouraged librarians to support this effort.
(see editor's note)
The core concern of GPO focused on the bill's emphasis on an abrupt transition which threatens to eliminate 10 print products not currently available online. Mr. Buckley also reported that the Sales Program continues to loose money. This may result in price increases, placing titles with Amazon.com, and looking at ways to improve customer service.
In addressing the new release of FirstGov, Mr. Buckley questioned how a private web site could officially be called a .GOV site. He also expressed concerns about the official nature of the site and was concerned that the site was not using meta-data tagging. Mr. Buckley also raised the issue of whether or not the site's founder, Internet entrepreneur Eric Brewer, may be influenced by outside factors and/or might decide to turn the site over to the government in a few years. Buckley stressed that FirstGov should not be seen as supplanting the governments need to do similar tasks in assuring access to government information.
Mr. Buckley concluded by stating that GPO has initiated a discussion forum on Permanent Public Access with agencies who create electronic information. For more information on the working groups goals, meeting reports, and participating organizations visit www.gpo.gov/ppa.
Editor's Note: The saga continues with the Conference Report on H. R. 4516, H. Rpt. 106-796, published in the Congressional Record on 7/26/00. The S&E budget would receive $27.9 million and GAO is directed to conduct a comprehensive study on the impact of providing documents solely in electronic format including investigating the impact of transferring the depository library program to the Library of Congress. This study is due March 30, 2001, and is controversial so stay informed by monitoring events via GODORT's current events updates.
Gil Baldwin, Director, Library Programs Service, also commented on the wild ride created by the House Appropriations bill and speculated on what parts of LPS would be left should the bill pass unamended. He jokingly suggested that the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) might become the "Fundamentally Digital Library Project".
In comparing the last few months to the "Survivor" series, he stated that online resources will be the core of the program and a top priority will be cataloging online resources. A pilot project in August thru December will focus on reaching out to agencies by teams including cataloging, program analysts, and program managers. Four years of steady movement has been replaced by rapid change and GPO won't be able to distribute in multiple formats. Reprinting shortages and rainchecks may also be eliminated. The elimination of bills on microfiche was given as an example of a $20,000/year savings.
Mr. Baldwin also noted the lessons learned from Direct Mail Changeovers, and stressed that printing contracts once set don't necessarily match up with runs as needed. He commented that GPO will attempt to simplify item #s as relates to online information. Baldwin noted that AskLPS received over 4,000 questions last year. Driven by the short term economic conditions, AskLPS may no longer be able to respond to questions regarding tangible products. He listed the following percentages on tangible products: 20% paper, 24% microfiche, 1% CD-ROMs and DVDs. Since many tangible products have an online version, Mr. Baldwin suggested that some formats may disappear and that tools like Web Tech Notes could be used to track the changes.
Mr. Baldwin stressed that the new FDLP Desktop is an important way for GPO to support depository libraries. In the Library Programs Service Update (yellow handout), the FDLP Desktop is described as a "new and improved" Internet resource with over 700 pages of information. The FDLP Desktop can be viewed at http://www.gpo.gov/fdlpdesktop and was unveiled in late July 2000.
Given the gravity of much of the presentation, Mr. Baldwin attempted to wrap up with a humorous note, commenting that in the past we had been asked to "do so much with so little"... now we can do "everything with nothing".
TC Evans, EIDS, will be remembered for his constant sales pitch for everyone to visit the GPO Booth 1411. Considering how difficult it was to get to the Convention Center this was a challenge for many during a packed conference agenda. He stressed the high use of GPO Access and commented that during March, 11 documents were downloaded every second of every day, and that 12 servers are handling CFR data. Evans noted that progress is being made to increase the bandwidth for GPO Access.
Evans suggested that librarians check out the new interactive GPO Access Training CD-ROM being demonstrated at ALA. He also indicated that all depository libraries would receive a copy.
In describing new Bookstore upgrades, he indicated that there will soon be more shipping options including Federal Express delivery. Costs for foreign customers will also be calculated and more detailed transaction receipts will be available. New URL is http://bookstore.gpo.gov/.
A daily version of the CFR (e-CFR) is in development with NARA's Office of the Federal Register. An application for the Statutes at Large is also in the works as well as a browse able list of all Congressional Hearings.
Evans also commented on the significance of the first E-signature of a bill signed by President Clinton.
George Barnum, Electronic Collection Manager, discussed an agreement between GPO and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) which will assure permanent public access to many of NLM's most popular titles. Reportedly, PubMed and NLM Locator Plus will replace 8 titles formerly issued in print including Index Medicus. Look for updates in Administrative Notes.
GPO is also working on similar agreements for permanent public access with Census and GAO.
LPS and OCLC are working on exploring the issue of digital archiving for high level use services. An ideal system would be able to locate, identify, process, describe, catalog and archive electronic publications. For additional information see the FDLP Electronic Collection at www.gpo.gov/ppa/resources.html.
Maggie Farrell, Chair Elect, Depository Library Council, spoke briefly about the 9 recommendations from the April Council Meeting. For details see the "Final Version of Council Recommendations, Action Items, and Commendations, DLC Spring 2000" at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/council/rsp00.html Three action items are now in progress: 1) Core Electronic Competencies, 2) Partnerships, and 3) Monitoring Developments, e.g. Access America, FirstGov, etc.
Fall Council activities will focus on GPO/FDLP priorities which may change depending on the final appropriations bill. Permanent Public Access and Core Electronic Competencies are also high priority issues.
Judy Russell, Deputy Director, National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, discussed the latest NCLIS press release which announces a major study to identify reforms needed in the dissemination of federal government information. The study was requested by The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation which is chaired by Senator John McCain.
The study follows earlier work done in researching the proposed closure of NTIS. It was concluded after the earlier study that NTIS should not be addressed as an individual issue, but should be reviewed in a larger context of governmental reorganization overall. Four advisory panels have been formed to study the following: 1. NTIS Business Model, 2. Internal Government Reforms (Agency Needs), 3. External User Needs (customers or users), and 4. Public / Private Sector Partnerships.
A final report is due to the President and Congress on December
15, 2000. Information about the assignment can be found
at http://www.nclis.gov/assess/assess.html.
Specific information about the original NTIS study can be found
at http;//www.nclis.gov/govt/ntis/html.
Keith Moore, Marketing Services,
provided a brief overview of Census 2000 data products.
Moore reminded the audience that the state counts for reapportionment
are 100% data and unadjusted. This data is expected to be
released to the states by April 1, 2001. Limited printed
reports will be available for Census 2000, but the main delivery
of data will be via the Internet using American FactFinder and
on CD-ROM/DVDs. The general sense from follow-up discussions
was that libraries would bear the financial burden of purchasing
or printing from the web and binding paper copies. Summary
Files 1 & 2 to be released in 2001 / 2002 will include 100%
data. Summary Files 3 & 4 to be released in 2002 / 2003
will reflect sample data. CD-ROMs will have a more powerful
software than "Go". Some participants felt that
data on DVD would be preferrable because of storage capability.
On August 4, 2000, the Bureau posted projected Census 2000 Data Products in an online brochure which can be viewed at: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00cn51.html. This introduction to Census 2000 data products contains detailed information about population and housing data, geographic areas including Zip Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA), and mapping products.
Majorie Nicolas, Geography Division, discussed changes in Tracts, Census Designated Places, Block Numbers, and the addition of Zip Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA). The 1990 Census used the term Census Tracts/BNA (Block Numbering Areas) to describe subdividions which typically represent "neighborhoods". In 2000, the term BNA has been dropped and the current definition describes Census tracts as small statistical subdivisions with generally stable boundaries.
In 1990, Census Designated Places (CDP) referred to unincorporated places with a minimum population of 1,000. In 2000, the minimum level population requirement has been dropped and CDPs are described as population centers without legally defined corporate limits identified by the Census Bureau and state and local officials.
Census Block Group numbers will reflect 4-digit block numbers with no suffixes.
The major change comes with Zip Code Tablulation Areas (ZCTA). ZCTAs reflect the majority area zip code within census blocks. Individual zip codes are not polygons and can be assigned to a single building or changed at any time. ZCTAs represent a grouping which reflects a majority zip code. ZCTAs exclude single delivery zip codes for firms, universities, etc., but include post office boxes where the main post office has only P.O. box deliveries. Addresses in Tiger are used to determine areas covered by given zip codes.
Barbara Aldrich, Marketing Services, discussed changes in American FactFinder. A new release is expected in fall 2000 and will be query based using more natural language. Frames will NOT be used in the new version. This design will follow a newspaper conceptual model. Users will also be able to FTP state data, however, there are concerns about the speed of the retrieval process.
Aldrich suggested users try out the tutorial and practice with the Economic Census Data. There will be a variety of access levels which range from meeting the needs of users with little Census background to experienced users who are familiar with data sets which may need to be manipulated for future research. Some of the approaches include: Demographic Profiles which offer data tables on selected topics, Static Thematic Maps showing patterns at the state/county level, Geographic Comparison Tables with lowest level at place or ZCTA, Quick Tables, and Data Sets for experienced users with FTP available.
Editor's Note: Ms. Aldrich kindly sent the editor a copy of the latest revisions to AFF on 8/29/00. These changes are expected to take place on October 16th. A PowerPoint Presentation and Script have been sent to the editor and these will be part of a presentation planned for the Virginia Library Association's Annual Conference on Oct. 19-20. "Census 2000: An Update" will be presented on Friday Oct. 20th from 8:00-9:00 a.m. Please plan to attend for a "sneak peak" at the new AFF.
Ms. Aldrich also spoke at GITCO during conference and discussed changes in the race categories and ZCTAs. Essentially, persons completing the 2000 Census were allowed to select more than one race category which will result in an increased number of race cells resulting in larger files, segmented records, and the need for file compression. This is a major change from the 5 race categories in the 1990 Census and was an attempt to address concerns expressed by persons who wanted the option of fully representing multi-racial backgrounds.
In general, the release of data via Amercian FactFinder and DVD presents new issues for librarians to consider. Ms. Aldrich noted some of the following as key issues for librarians:
Additional issues surrounding zip files include the possible need to download to hard drives since many files will be too large to make floppies an option. This could become a critical issue for workstations in public areas which generally prohibit patron access to the hard drive.
Discussion regarding mapping and the need for printing/plotting devices was lead by Barbara Levergood of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ms. Levergood has spent some time printing maps from sample products and showed some of the results during discussion forums. For additional details please refer to an email message posted on GOVDOC-L on 4/7/00 with the subject line "Plotter specifications for Census 2000 maps."
Jim Madigan, Library, described an exciting "Census Library Automation Project" which will: improve access by replacing an older online system, preserve and showcase historic documents, and digitize key white papers. The 3-year project began in fall 1998 and should be completed by fall 2001. Three key parts of the project include: obtaining and implementing a new online library system (SIRSI), scanning various authors' "white papers" which are scholarly papers which interpret the "thinking of the time", and preserving historical documents from 1790 forward. The white papers have been somewhat inaccessible and are rapidly detriorating. Scanning projects have begun for materials from 1790 forward including one collection of a Russian Census. Materials from 1790-1880 have been scanned and approximately 92 books can be scanned per month. These will be converted to TIFF files and will have a "clickable" table of contents to improve access. Images are also being scanned where appropriate.
Madigan explained that the goal is to provide access to the decennial censuses "at any place at any time."
Speakers:
Bert Chapman opened the program with a power point presentation that featured key sites related to "Indiana Local Governments in Cyberspace". He quoted John Winthrop stating,
"We must consider that we shall be a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are on us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story or byword through the world."
Some of the key sites featured:
During questions following the presentation Chapman noted that most sites were individually created with no regional coordination of information.
Peggy Jobe used Power Point to showcase "Colorado by the Numbers": an online statistical abstract for the State of Colorado. (http://www.colorado.edu/libraries/govpubs/online.htm) This ACLIN Information Resource Development Project was funded by grants from the U.S. Dept. of Education and the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Telecommunications, and Information Administration, and according to Jobe was "an idea born in the shower".
The design is purposefully low tech to allow for easy updating. Data is organized into topic areas and local data files and links to external resources are integrated. For example, the Manufacturing section links to an external site. An Excite search engine is used. There is a navigation menu at the bottom of each page. Whenever possible the user is linked to the original source of information. There are over 1700 pages in PDF.
Key collection development issues are that the data must be reliable, have no copyright restrictions, and provide state, county or city level information. Typical concerns in working with state agencies include frustrations at contacting the right person and some agencies need to be protective of their data.
Technical challenges include securing support from the university network and making certain adequate hardware and software are available. Jobe describes the pluses as anecdotal evidence that the site is heavily used and linked to most public and academic libraries. She notes the minuses as keeping up with ongoing maintenance after the expiration of the grant and gaining acceptance in academia for electronic publishing.
(For further reading please review Hollis, D. and Jobe, M. (1999). "Publishing on the Web: Creating a Local Reference Tool," Library Hi Tech, 17 (1), 63-74.)
In his discussion of the Chicago Imagebase Project John Shuler challenged the audience to reposition themselves in the "Information Life Cycle". Shuler used the metaphor of libraries which focus on being containers of information as problematic when the "containers" disappear. Commenting that 80% of users now go to the Internet and not their public library for answers, he challenged the audience to think of "what could be, not what is." Shuler suggests that librarians need to reposition themselves to be at the beginning of the creation of information and to partner with others who conduct research. In dealing with new partnerships, Shuler stressed that librarians need to prove that they "know their stuff."
At times he seemed to delight in goading the audience a little by commenting that librarians have had two original ideas to date: the reference desk and classifications systems. Shuler urged that "we need something new" stressing that new relationships with the creators of knowledge might be a place to start.
Shuler also commented that the Government Printing Office (GPO) is becoming the "mother of all depositories". The subtle implication suggested that GPO will become the source for linking and clicking no longer needing containers.
In his handout, Shuler described in detail the Chicago Imagebase Project which he terms, "a web-based initiative to build an effective knowledge base about the Chicago region's built environment." The site may be viewed at http://www.uic.edu/depts/ahaa/imagebase/ and includes images, text, and other data which can be used to study selected communities and architecture. Information is represented in maps, photographs, census data, newspaper stories, and reminiscences of residents.
Inter-related goals of the project include:
Shuler's comments provoked spirited discussion especially regarding the issue of archiving materials. At one point he stressed that we are NOT archivists and if need be, we need to "let it die or burn the building down". Several times he stressed that in being born again you have to "die" calling on the need for change.
Speakers:
Heather McMullen's presentation "IGO Data and Data Archives Issues and Trends" focused on Harvard's approach to providing data and services to users of IGO data. Topics included the spectrum of numeric data, delivery of IGO data, data archives, implications for libraries and reference and resources. One key feature in serving users is Harvard's Research Workstations which include networked CD-ROMS (available in 3 libraries), statistical software and Microsoft's Office Suite. Since it is important for users to be able to customize data needs the workstations also have zip and floppy drives which allow users to download data to the hard drive for FTPing information which can later be manipulated using SPSS, Copy or Excel. CD-ROMs such as World Development Indicators remain important as not a lot of IGO data is available for free via the web.
McMullen also discussed the importance of data archives such as: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/, the Roper Center for Public Opinion http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/, and data archives around the world, e.g. CESSDA maps http://www.nsd.uib.no/Cessda/europe.html. ICPSR and Roper require memberships and may allow faculty research to be deposited at the sites.
Liz Chapman's "Statistics for Europe 2000: books, bytes, and bananas" added an international flavor to the program and kept the audience guessing about the role of bananas in international statistics. Focusing on issues surrounding data for the European Union, Chapman explained the complex issues surrounding efforts to achieve harmonized and comparable data. Using UK statistics as an example Chapman explained that between 1979-1990 the definition of employment changed 30 times. In 1998 the slogan was "statistics a matter of trust" versus the 1999 chant of "building trust in statistics".
Chapman described Eurostat (http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat)
as the major official source of EU statistics. Databases
include:
New Cronos socioeconomics, demography,
environment
Regio
regional breakdown of Cronos
Comext
intra- and extra- EU trade
Europroms output and external
trade of individual products
Chapman stressed reading the footnotes to determine if data has been harmonized or reflects individual country values. In addressing various Euro myths she explained the controversies and mistrust surrounding attempts to legislate measurements, copyright, and a common currency. In short, Chapman's humorous commentary about bananas having "slippery skins" and many a Brit's worries that the EU "might straighten its bananas" put the confusion surrounding the latest changes into perspective.
Bobray Bordelon of Princeton University discussed the corporate repackaging of international data. In his examination of deciding when to turn to a commercial publisher he noted that often "you pay either way." Bordelon also explained that when IGOs distribute information and data to members they have no library mandate. He discussed the small number of depository libraries noting the following depositories in the USA:
Bordelon described the following types of commercial services:
Index to International Statistics was given as one example of of an indexing/abstracting/full text service. Bordelon listed some of the strengths as clearly stating what the publication is about, identifying source, providing consistent accession numbers, documents presented "as is", and the promise of some full text in August 2000.
In his discussion regarding aggregators, Bordelon listed the pros and cons of RDS Tablebase, DRI University Program, Datastream International, Economist Intelligence Unit, and Country Watch. DRI was described as having very strong USA coverage, various IGO sources and featuring time series that do not go away. Datastream was described as having strong country coverage, limited IGO data, to ability to download via the use of macros, and time series that do not go away. Bordelon's advice in assessing a commercial product included: documentation, identification of the orginial source, methodology, customer service, cost of the orginial versus the repackaging, asking are there other ways to get the data, reputation of the vendor, provisions for manipulating data, downloading capabilities and the question of whether or not value has been added to the original information.
Jacqueline LeBlanc, Chief of Client Services for Statistics Canada, concluded the program with her thoughts by explaining the mission of Statistics Canada and the concept of reconciling data. In stressing that Statistics Canada "puts out information; not data", LeBlanc addressed issues related to the importance of adjusting data to make it more reliable and useable.
Her handout described key World Trade Analyzer features as follows:
Highlights included ability to:
Unfortunately, problems with the laptop and a shortage of handouts made this presentation difficult to follow at times. The core message seemed to be that Statistics Canada specializes in analyzing and repacking data into useful information and allows users to customize data as meets their specific needs.
Janet Justis, Government
Information Reference Librarian, Old Dominion University
Mary Horman attended two interesting GIS programs at ALA in Chicago.
Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries government documents
department is in the processing of rolling out a GIS program and
is faced, like a lot of other institutions, with the issue of
leveraging scarce resources, both human and financial, to this
project.
The geotech committee of the Map and Geography Round Table (MAGERT) sponsored a program on acquiring geospatial data. Two topics of interest to documents librarians were a discussion by Mike Furlough, University of Virginia, titled All data is local, and an unveiling of a web page of mostly free data resources by Melissa Lamont of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
Furlough explained strategies for acquiring local data, and explained the advantages of local data over other kinds of data. Advantages noted were the immediacy of the data for the user that may better hold the user's interest, and can help students learn more readily. He also finds that locally produced data can provide a greater amount of detail needed by some users. Furlough described some of the pitfalls he encountered in acquiring local data. Generally Furlough found that the dissemination of local data is not as systematic as the dissemination of Federal or State data, therefore, making it more difficult to acquire. He also noted that some local data may require more work to be ready for use in statistical or geospatial software packages. Overall, however, Furlough finds that the advantages far out way the disadvantages. A major advantage of this approach is that this allows a library to fill a needed niche. Certainly at VCU there is a need for data from the Richmond metropolitan region!
Lamont discussed her web page of data sources. This web page will soon be available at the MAGERT web site at http://www.sunysb.edu/libmap/magert1.htm. Her definition of a good data source includes:
The main focus of the GIS discussion group meeting was leveraging resources in order to create a successful program. This is a subject of interest to many documents librarians who are offering GIS service as part of the depository. It would seem that most libraries that offer GIS services are struggling with issues of not having enough support to provide the service. Issues discussed were staffing and acquiring institutional support. Some ideas to enhance staffing include using graduate student assistants and interns. Also, the importance of receiving support from the parent institution for this premium service was discussed. Faculty and graduate students who use GIS can be a great resource in getting a GIS program off the ground. All in all, a fruitful discussion with much food for thought!
Mary Horman, Government
Information Specialist, Virginia Commonwealth University
State
Depository Program Directors MeetNews from the Library of Virginia
State Documents Depository Program directors from east of the Mississippi met in Hartford, Connecticut for two days in May to share ideas and discuss the future of state documents depository programs in the Internet age. The meeting was arranged and hosted by the Connecticut State Library, COSLINE and funded through an anonymous gift.
By far the most pressing issue for depository program coordinators concerned the acquisition and long-term access to government information produced electronically. A variety of issues were presented. Unlike federal documents, most state documents are copyrighted and reproduction rights are limited, and even if reproduction rights are secured, cost shifting and funding becomes a huge issue for the depository program. Some state depositories have tried to archive electronic state agency publications on library servers, but have run into opposition from issuing agencies and have been unable to resolve issues concerning "officialness" of archived publications. That is, what constitutes the official version of a publication when it may reside in two places, and who is responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of the information? Another issue was the role of the state depository program library as "publisher." The case was strongly made that "we are the library they are the publisher" and as depository administrators, our responsibility is not to download and print these materials. It is the issuing agency's sole responsibility to make publications available in a permanent format for long term access. Possible suggestions for improving this situation included re-writing existing legislation to specify responsibility for electronic information and working more closely with state records managers to make electronic information available permanently.
While access to electronic information was discussed at length, the difficulty associated with collecting traditional formats continues to occupy most of our time. Several "how I do it good" sessions were presented, but the major method of collecting state publications is still based on personal relationships built and maintained over time with agency contacts. Several excellent ideas were presented on the care and feeding of agency contacts, which I hope the Library of Virginia can implement in the future.
Although electronic information poses problems, the print world still dominates our work. At the Library of Virginia, statistics from 1997-2000 show that the total number of publications collected and distributed to designated depositories statewide continues to increase. We consider it our responsibility to educate state agency personnel about the depository program and the long-term benefits agencies gain through participation in the program. We are also encouraging agencies to think of the impact of "Internet only" publication practices on their services in the future. We also consider it our responsibility to investigate new methods of acquiring and managing government information produced by state agencies. The meeting in Hartford energized all of us, and gave us hope that viable state depository programs will continue to provide information to the public in future.
Mary Clark,
Manager, State and Federal Documents Programs, The Library of
Virginia.
(locally known as the "Jeep's in the lobby" exhibit)
What began as an idea for a small display on the Korean War has grown into a full size museum display of Korean War memorabilia. Library Director, Gail Nicula and Visual Information Specialist, Ron Eicholtz attended an organizational meeting at the MacArthur Memorial for "Hampton Roads Remembers" to determine how the Armed Forces Staff College Library could tie in with the community commemoration of the Korean War.
With a lot of creative thought, time, talent, and memorabilia donations from many sources, Ron began to develop the library's display. Today, with a full size reconditioned jeep as the focal point, the display covers one corner of the first floor of the new library. The 1/4 ton 4 x 4 truck is on loan from Roger Capps, a former AFSC staff member who restored the jeep which was used during World War II and the Korean War and will be part of the Inchon Landing recreation at Virginia Beach in September. Surrounding "The Little Work Horse" are displays of seasonal military uniforms and equipment used by American GI's, graphic time lines of events, journal articles, military cartoons and library books covering the war period. The display also includes information on the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads events that will be taking place during the commemoration. Two more displays, located on the 2nd floor of the library, include memorabilia donated by staff college members and a visual trivia display of life on the home front during the Korean War.
To visit the AFSC library and view these displays, please contact Gail Nicula at 443-6100 or Ron Eicholtz at 443-6417 for hours of operation and directions.
Pat Liquori, Reference Librarian, Armed Forces Staff College
The first of several public meetings to discuss proposed amendments to the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) was held in the Board Room at Old Dominion University on August 23rd. Similar meetings will be held around the state this fall with dates and locations listed at http://jcots.state.va.us/.
The Joint Committee on Technology and Science's Advisory Committee 5 has been charged by the General Assembly to study the impact of UCITA on the Commonwealth's businesses, libraries, and consumers. The study provides a format for proposed amendments to be passed prior to the legislation becoming effective July 1, 2001. Persons wishing to submit amendments for consideration need to carefully review the study procedures found on http://jcots.state.va.us/documents/00-01/UCITA_Procedures.htm
Proposed amendments from the committee's summer meeting were addressed and many were deferred for additional study. At the end of the meeting, Sally Reed, Director of Norfolk Public Libraries made brief remarks about the library community's concerns regarding UCITA. Additional remarks and possibly amendments may be forthcoming at future meetings from professional organizations in the library community.
An informative article "UCITA Enacted in Virginia" by Sarah K. Wiant, Director of the Law Library at Washington and Lee, can be found in the April-June 2000 issue of Virginia Libraries and can be read online at http://www.vla.org/.
Barbara White has returned to Chesapeake Public Library as their documents librarian. Welcome back Barbara!
Five depository libraries in Tidewater were recently inspected by Charles Bradsher of the Government Printing Office. During the week of July 24-28th, Mr. Bradsher visited the Armed Forces Staff College, Old Dominion University, Norfolk Public Library, Hampton University, and Chesapeake Public Library. Most of these libraries submitted Self-Studies in January 1999. The Tidewater Depository Librarians Group met on July 14th to discuss the upcoming inspections and to explore plans for developing a shared collection development plan for the region.
William "Bill" Sudduth has been appointed
Chair (2000-2002) of the Legislation Committee (ALA/GODORT).
Janet Justis has been appointed as the liaison (2000-2002)
from the State and Local Documents Task Force to Legislation Committee.
In light of recent debates surrounding the House Appropriations
Bill and the Conference Report requesting a study of dissemination
solely in electronic formats, and possible transfer of the depository
program to the Library of Congress, this promises to be a challenging
time for all depository libraries, colleagues, and users of federal
information.
The Worlds Women 2000: Trends and Statistics is a unique compilation of the latest data documenting progress for women worldwide in six areas: health, human rights and political decision-making, and families. The Report attempts to answer the urgent but complex question of the progress the worlds women are making in their lives. The Report stresses that new data is needed on issues unique to women - such as violence against women and maternal health. The Worlds Women 2000 is the third in a series of reports that has broken new ground and the data in the present publication is intended to provide a snapshot of some of the more salient statistical findings since 1995, while also drawing recent changes and long-term trends. This revealing book remains the most complete description to-date of womens conditions and contributions worldwide.
United Nations Sales #: E. 00.XVII.14 ISBN: 9211614287 200pp. $16.95
A multi-country research initiative to understand poverty from the eyes of the poor, the Voices of the Poor project was undertaken to inform the World Bank's activities and the upcoming World Development Report 2000/01. The research findings are being published as copublications of the World Bank and Oxford University Press in three books over the course of this year. Each of the three volumes demonstrates the importance of voice and power in poor people's definition of poverty.
Volume 1 Can Anyone Hear Us? ISBN 0-19-521601-6 $25
Volume 2 Crying Out for Change Available 9/2000 ISBN 0-19-521602-4 $15
Volume 3 From Many Lands Available 12/2000 ISBN 0-19-521603-2 $25
Set (all 3 volumes above) World Bank Stock # 31697 $50
See http://www.worldbank.org/html/extpb/voices.htm for details.
On the opening day of a special session of the United Nations General Assembly known as "Geneva 2000" and officially called the "World Summit for Social Development and Beyond: Achieving Social Development for All in a Globalizing World", Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched a landmark report on poverty reduction entitled "A Better World For All," co-authored by the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The report presents a road map for reducing global poverty by 2015, and calls on States to focus on environmentally sustainable development that favors the poor, and directs resources towards health, education and gender equality.
See the full text of the report at http://www.paris21.org/betterworld
See the website of the special session at http://www.unog.ch/ga2000/esa/socdev/geneva2000/index.html
Carol Hunter, Univ.
of Virginia