The February 28th meeting will feature a presentation by Tom Seward, Head Librarian at the law firm of Sherman & Howard, on the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA).
UCITA is a proposed model state law intended to provide a standard contractual framework for the licensing of software and computer information, nation-wide. Although the concept of a consistent licensing framework has merits, UCITA is seriously flawed, and problematic for libraries. Thus far, only two states have adopted this legislation, and although opposition to it is mounting, it is still expected to be introduced in all state legislatures within the next year.
UCITA will impact libraries in a number of problematic ways, among them:
Tom has been monitoring UCITA developments in Colorado for the American Association of Law Libraries, working with state library leaders like Nancy Bolt and Gail Dow on the issue, and otherwise keeping himself informed on developments elsewhere.
Come and learn about UCITA, and about what you can do to prevent it from becoming Colorado law. The meeting will be held at the Medical Center of Aurora South Campus (1501 S. Potomac, Aurora). The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m.and will start with a demonstration by Rosalind (Roz) Dudden of her database for tracking electronic journals. This is a follow-up to last fall’s MLA teleconference.
(Thanks to Gail Dow, Denver Public Library, for the background information on UCITA)
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Many CCML members attended the MLA course, "The Myth and Reality of Electronic Publishing." As a follow-up, the CCML Education Committee asked me if I would share my insights on using a database to keep track of e-journals. I responded that this could be a very boring technical talk, but the Committee persevered and said that this was what they wanted, something practical, technical, and boring.
I will talk about using a database to keep track of details relating to e-journals. I will have examples from my own experience using FileMaker Pro, but will also include the use of Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access. The "attributes" of an e-journal will be turned into fields in a database. Using Diane Johnson's Microsoft Access system, as mentioned at MCMLA, production of an e-journal web page will be demonstrated. The relation between this database and the online catalog will also be discussed.
All of this in one hour? I will have to talk fast! And it may not be so boring after all!
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No, unfortunately CCML has yet to embark on any musical endeavors. CD in this case refers to Certificate of Deposit!
In December CCML Treasurer Jeff Kuntzman set up two CDs with our bank, Wells Fargo. Each CD is for $1,500; one matures in six months, the other matures in a year.
The decision to set up the CDs was made in October by the CCML Executive Com-mittee. Since MCMLA 2000 had just paid back CCML's loan, it was decided to put the money to good use. The CDs earn interest at a rate of approximately 4.7% a year.
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February 2001
Colorado Library Association Legislative Day
February 22, 2001, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Denver, Colorado
http://www.cla-web.org/
March 2001
Association of College & Research Libraries
(ACRL)
March 15-18, 2001
Denver, Colorado
http://www.ala.org/acrl/denver.html
May 2001
32nd Annual Colorado Interlibrary Loan
Conference
May 10-11, 2001
Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado
http://www.aclin.org/coloillconf/
MLA Annual Meeting
May 25-31, 2001
Orlando, Florida
Contact MLA at 312-419-9094 or http://www.mlanet.org
Check the Library Continuing Education Calendar at http://cedb.aclin.org for other Colorado events. See also: http://www.libraryjournal.com/articles/news/calendar/calendarindex.asp for national or inter-national events.
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April Caza, Sue McGuinness and Kelly Near, received their Masters' of Library Science on January 6th from the Emporia University School of Library & Information Management. All three worked part or full time while completing their degrees through the fifth cohort of the Colorado Emporia University in the Rockies program.
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The CCML Nominating Committee was notified that Suzanne Kaller is unable to fulfill her appointment as treasurer. In accord with the bylaws and with the agreement of the Executive Committee, incoming president Jerry Carlson appointed Daphne Norsworthy as the next treasurer. Many thanks to Daphne for her willingness to step in and fill this important office. A short biography follows:
Daphne is the Acquisitions Technician in the Systems and Databases Department of Denison Library. She received a B.A. in Biology from Austin College and an MLS from the University of North Texas. Before coming to Denison in 1999, Daphne worked for 10 years in research and forensic laboratories, spending 3 of those years in the Pediatrics Department of National Jewish.
Married with two kitties, Daphne spends her leisure time reading, cooking, and nagging her husband to finish his dissertation. She currently serves on the Education Committee of CCML.
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The 24th edition of CCML's Journal Locator was published and distributed in December. Forty-three copies were ordered, a 30% decrease over last year (62 copies of the 23rd edition were ordered). The costs of publishing the 24th edition totaled $2,602.20, including mailing supplies, postage, and printing. Libraries were invoiced in early January for $4,165, which will yield a net profit for CCML of $1,562.80.
The Journal Locator Committee's members are: Catherine Reiter, Chair, Sandy Arnesen, Kate Elder, Sandy Hudock, and Gene Stortz.
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The Colorado Libraries Joint Membership Directory for 2001 has been published. Last year CCML and SLA were left out. We are included this year along with four other Colorado Library Associations. CCML members who indicated that they would like a directory will receive them by mail or courier. The cost of the directory is $4.00. Please mail your check to Jeff Kuntzman at CC- UCHSC, Denver or give Jeff your money at the February meeting. There are a few extra copies of the directory for those who think that they would like one. Let Glenn know if you are interested in one of these extra copies.
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Collaborate to build a better resource! Join other medical librarians in building a resource of the best medical sites on the Web.
The Colorado State Library is seeking interested volunteers to help us maintain and expand the award-winning ACLIN Health & Medicine site, http://health.aclin.org, part of the Colorado Virtual Library. Content will focus on the best resources for consumer health information, the best Colorado resources, and your favorite health reference sites as well.
Your commitment can be as little or as much as you like. Some members spend 1-2 hours a month working on their collections, others send a handful of sites each year. No technical expertise is necessary, just a desire to share your knowledge with others. Adding sites to the database involves copying and pasting your annotations into an easy web-based tool. If you prefer not to enter items into the database, you can send your site annotations to the Support and Collections librarian who will add them for you. We also accomodate virtual members who cannot attend in-person meetings but would like to participate in this exciting project.
Please contact Mary McCarthy, Support and Collections Librarian, at marybmcc@earthlink.net, mccarthy_m@cde.state.co.us, or 303.866.6939 if you have any questions.
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"I am ... a librarian. I Am ... a Librarian." Feeling a bit awkward, I joined twenty-four fellow Emporia graduates in a chant during our commencement exercises on January 6, 2001. Jamie LaRue, director of the Douglas County Public Library District, asked us to remember his message as we repeated the words. To be a librarian is a gift (a gift we paid for but a gift nonetheless.) We are the guardians and managers of cultural intellectual capital. Society entrusts librarians with tremendous responsibility, and with this gift comes respect. The message came with a caution to avoid becoming arrogant in our new roles. So why did I feel awkward? Partly because, on January 6, I was in no danger of becoming arrogant about the meaning of librarianship. Instead, I was considering all the TV-viewing options that would open to me in my newly acquired free time.
Two weeks after graduating, I begin to reflect on what librarianship means for me. I asked myself and two classmates from CCML, how it feels to be finished with school, what projections we might make about our careers, and what TV shows seem promising. April Caza, Kelly Near and I had various reasons for pursuing the M.L.S. degree, but we share interests in the health sciences. I was fortunate to work with Kelly and April on numerous group projects in school, I am proud to be in their company of new librarians, and I am happy to call them friends.
April Caza was a medical librarian at Fort Morgan Medical Information Center before she enrolled in the M.L.S. program, and she recently moved to Morgan Community College. Our class learned a great deal from her about how library theories can work in medical settings. I asked April for her thoughts on graduating and her response follows.
"Maya Angelou once said, "When we know better, we do better". Library school instilled in me that education is a cyclical process and that being an information professional is a culmination of skills best suited for the 21st century -- that of researcher, educator and explorer of technology and information services. As librarians, we have the challenge of shaping, defining and molding the future of information services in a local, national and global environment. While I look forward to this melding of traditional and technological innovations, a good movie, some buttered popcorn and an evening shared with friends and family sounds real good after just graduating. Amen!"
Kelly Near spends 70% of her time as a nurse practitioner at Planned Parenthood, and she brings her extensive clinical knowledge to the reference desk at Denison Memorial Library, where she works half time. Yes, the percentages add up to more than 100% effort, and that is typical of Kelly's dedication. When I asked for her thoughts on graduation, Kelly said it has not affected her ability to be obsessed with multiple tasks. "I just obsess about different things now."
I recently moved from a research lab to a position as project coordinator of a small information service at the UCHSC Office of School Health. I am a scientist and to me, librarianship feels like the most interesting experiment ever. It brings an element of service to a scholarly pursuit, and it espouses scientific method in the study human interaction. I ask myself what understanding of service exists where community analysis and individual customization intersect, and I plan to investigate that question. I know I will have fun enjoy defining and redefining my understanding of service as I look for ways to apply library theories in the workplace. Reference questions such as, "I need Canadian stuff," keep me engaged.
At this point, we will refrain from making long-term predictions about our careers, but we can tell you it feels wonderful to have our diplomas. The biggest challenge in my mind is how best to support evidence-based practice in an increasingly complex environment. It remains to be seen whether any of the theories and tools we gained with our M.L.S degrees will help us meet the challenge, but I think Kelly, April and I are up to it. Meanwhile, our first discovery as recent graduates is that that "Boston Public," "West Wing," and "The Practice," are pretty good TV shows.
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"Incentive in a free market fosters innovation and new technology, as competing businesses find newer and better ways to provide goods and services." The accounting teacher, Dr. Lyle Hutchins, pointed out the importance of a competitive free market. This class was my last three hours of a total of thirty-three hours of accounting I'd taken in the late eighties and early nineties. The semi-retired professor had spent his life either as an auditor of businesses or as a professor educating future auditors. The man liked to tell stories to illustrate the accounting content. He told stories of businesses he'd advised and nurtured to health in the Denver metro area over a period of 40 years. He also told disparaging stories of CEOs and accountants in jail for malfeasance and fraud. The man had a heart of gold, and I felt he would have been the first in line to protect the rights of widows and orphans. For this professor, a free marketplace with a level playing field that fostered competition was of paramount importance to our economic well being.
I never thought what I'd learned from Dr. Hutchins would ever relate to my work in a library; as a librarian, I felt unconnected to the business world until just recently. This month Reed-Elsevier has acquired Harcourt General for $4.45 billion dollars and the assumption of $1.2 billion of Harcourt's debt. Reed will retain Harcourt's medical, scientific, and technical business, plus grade-school and high-school text-publishing units and resell Harcourt's higher education and professional businesses to the Thompson Corp for $2.06 billion. With this acquisition, Reed-Elsevier will dominate the academic publishing world.
Now, the specter of Dr. Hutchins appears. I recall how this white haired gentleman respected business as the producers of our way of life, and I also remember how he supported a free market in an environment of healthy competition. In my mind, I'm still in his class. I raise my hand, and I ask him what he thinks of the Reed-Elsevier acquisition. He reflects, peers about the class with some far-away abstracted look, and then recalls a story of when his grandfather was in the oil business at the same time as Rockefeller and Standard Oil.
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Regis University (a CARL system site) has been activated for full borrowing and lending in the Prospector catalog - http://prospector.coalliance.org - as of Wednesday, January 17th. All Prospector sites can now borrow and lend with Regis. Regis could be activated all a once, without having to do site-by-site testing and activation, because of the extensive testing done with Denver Public Library, which joined Prospector in late 2000.
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Imagine an interlibrary loan system spreading like an electronic net across the state. Instantaneous connections to locate the materials you need. At absolutely no cost to your library.
This is not a fantasy. The Colorado State Library is implementing the service; and pilot libraries are in training to go live this spring. The SWIFT (StateWide Interlibrary Fast Track) system, initiated by some $225,000 in LSTA funding, will support online requests from either patrons or staff and will use the Colorado Virtual Library as the front end for searches.
The system, slated for implementation across the state this year, has many benefits, including:
In June 2000, an information delivery task force, chaired by Lynn Taylor of Denver Public Library, selected Fretwell Downing as the software provider for the system. Jean Madsen, formerly with Denver Public Library in ILL, CARL Corporation, and Denver Public Schools, is serving as SWIFT coordinator. Part of the pilot project is to compare workflow and costs prior and subsequent to use of the Fretwell Downing software.
On-going support for the system will be funded through the annual ACLIN budget. For more information on SWIFT, contact Jean Madsen, jmadsen@aclin.org.
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An opening is available for a CCML representative to the Colorado Libraries Political Action Committee (CL PAC). Please consider volunteering for this important fundraising committee. Although CL PAC activities do not directly impact most of the medical library community, the CL PAC plays a critical role in supporting Colorado libraries by raising money to influence state legislators in matters pertaining to funding and strengthening libraries.
This group meets bimonthly to plan fund-raising events and to solicit donations from library supporters and businesses with special ties to libraries. Volunteer now as a CCML representative to CL PAC and participate in the political process, promote change in state support for libraries, and make a difference in the quality of life in Colorado.
Please contact Catherine Reiter at catherine.reiter@uchsc.edu or call (303) 315-6444 OR Paul Blomquist at paul.blomquist@uchsc.edu or call (303) 315-6434 about volunteering for this committee.
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Please assist the CCML treasurer, membership committee chair, database coordinator, and web editor by complying with this important renewal information. Your cooperation is essential in keeping these volunteers sane during renewal period!
New CCML directories will be created in April. Returning the form with payment by the deadline is essential so we can make sure your contact information is accurate for the new directory and so that we have your signed permission to be included in the Web Directory.
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[NOTE: For complete information see printed Council Quotes.]
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Do you find it stressful to have to drive through hair-raising traffic in all sorts of weather in order to spend 45 or 50 minutes of your valuable time reclining on a couch in your psychotherapist's office? Have you thought about how nice it would be to be able to get the same attention and feedback at your own convenience and in manageable chunks of time? Well who hasn't? The good news is that, according to "Physician's Weekly," while there still may be some debate over its efficacy, online psychotherapy has arrived, and it's probably here to stay.
Ideally, there might be cameras and microphones at each end, providing nearly every sort of feedback except olfactory, and is that really a drawback? At first, though, the most probable sort of interaction would likely be an exchange in the text-based note exchange format that allows chat rooms and instant messaging to work.
A sample transcript...no names please...demonstrates how such a session might proceed using today's best connections and equipment, with real people (or, as the computer people like to think of us in their more benevolent moments... "end users") tapping the keys.
Good afternoon!
"Hello, doctor."
I'm not the doctor, actually. I just need to get a little information from you before the doctor logs on. Just some insurance details and so forth. OK?
"Well...OK."
(ten minutes pass)
Good afternoon!
"Hi. Listen, I was disconnected. Someone called and knocked me offline."
Have we talked before?
"I'm ________. Remember? I was just answering those insurance questions. I had the appointment at two o'clock?"
Of course. Now I wish I'd saved that information to the hard drive. That's a shame, but you can't cry over spilt milk. Well, let's just get started again, shall we?
(ten minutes pass)
OK. Thanks for that information. If you'll just have a seat, the doctor will be with you in a few minutes.
"I beg your pardon?"
Ha Ha :)...that's our little cyberoffice joke. She'll be right with you. Bye now.
(Two minutes pass...a banner ad for Prozac appears on the top of the screen)
Good afternoon __________, I'm Dr. ___________. It's good to see...have you here. Please make yourself comfortable.
"I'm in a recliner."
That should do it then. What brings you here today?
"I've been feeling a little more down than usual. First they fired Bobby Knight and then for two weekends in a row all of my NFL picks went bad. I'm down $700 for the season and if Pauline finds out she's likely to kick my fanny from here to Tuesday."
Umm-hmm...and how do you feel about that?
"I thought I just told you. I'm feeling down, lousy, rotten, depressed, hacked off. I'm not happy."
That's very good. Does your software have a synonym generator? I'd love to know where you got it.
"NO! What does that have to do with anything? I just told you how I felt!"
Those exclamation points seem to be telling me that you're getting a little agitated. Do little things tend to set you off.
(no reply)
Sir?
"Apparently they do."
Would you like to talk about it?
Quit harassing the dude, doc. He's feeling blue, can't you pick up on that?
"Wait a minute, who's that?"
Kenny, man.
"Who the hell is Kenny?"
Well, Kenny is part of the chat group here.
"Group?"
It turns out that we got a much better price on the chat space by leaving it partially open. You still need a password to get in, and everyone has to promise to be discrete.
It's twisted, man.
"What's twisted?"
The password... "twisted."
Kenny, you'll have to let me be in charge here.
OK, doc...just trying to help.
"Can I say something? I was in a group once before, but we all sat in chairs in a circle in the same room and I knew about it ahead of time. Why didn't you tell me about this?"
It was all in the agreement that you had to click "yes" on to get here. Didn't you read it?
"I never read those things! No one does!"
Now you see, there are those exclamation points again. That's really a strong message your subconscious is sending, don't you think?
"It's not my subconscious!!!!! I'm typing!!! How's that? Want some more?!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Chill, dude.
Kenny, please. Now, if we're going to get any work done, we'll all have to use a much more civil tone.
What's up, guys? Cool here.
Hey, Cool.
"Now what?"
Cool is one of our regulars, I'm sure you'll get along just fine. Cool, we have someone new online. We don't have your online name yet, do we?
"No you don't."
What will it be?
Kenny, check out this site, man. www.oldrustycars.com All kinds of good stuff there.
Seen it, man. Half of that stuff is just bogus.
Could we just stay on task, here? We were going to find out what your online name was....hello?...
(onscreen note appears: "vegasman disconnected")
That's a shame. On the other hand, our time was about up. Anyone have anything to add? Bye for now, then.
I was just starting to bond with the dude.
Ditto.
(onscreen: "network error")
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| Council Quotes is a bimonthly publication of the Colorado Council of Medical Librarians (CCML). CCML / P.O. Box 101058 / Denver, CO 80210-1058. Subscription is a benefit of membership. Editor, Lynne Fox; Assistant Editor, Jeff Kuntzman; Contributors, CCML members. |
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This page was last updated on 26 Mar 2001.
Direct questions about this page to Lynne Fox.
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