The October 25th CCML Meeting will feature an overview of the Colorado Virtual Library (CVL) by Brenda Bailey. Ms. Bailey has been Director of Networking and Resource Sharing at the Colorado State Library since 1999. CVL provides access to over 100 library catalogs, selected Colorado-focused web resources, and databases of digitized objects such as historical photographs, all of which can be accessed using a single Web-based search. She will also talk about a statewide resource sharing system to be released in January 2001 through CVL that will support statewide electronic ILL. Users will be able to place their own requests, which will be routed automatically. The system will be available to all Colorado libraries at no charge. Thanks to input from CCML member Sara Katsh, this system will be compatible with DOCLINE.
Prior to her current position, Brenda served as a public services librarian at Fort Lewis College and Morningside College, worked for CARL Corporation and The UnCover Company. She spent four years with OCLC, most recently as Director of Distributed Systems. She has an MLS from Kent State University and is working on a Ph.D. in Public Affairs at the University of Colorado at Denver.
Jenny Garcia is our host, at North Suburban Medical Center, 9191 Grant St., Thornton. Refreshments will be served at 9:00 a.m. and the meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m.
The Prez Group - the Presidents, Presidents-Elect, and Immediate Past Presidents of CCML, CEMA, CLA, COALL, and SLA-Rocky Mountain Chapter - met on Aug 3, 2000. Items discussed included
1) Joint Membership Directory
The JMD will be published around January 1, 2001. Since it needs to go to the printer in mid-December, CCML information should go to Julie Wells, the new CLA Office Manager, by mid-November (exact date to be announced). Julie will get bids from printers on different grades of paper and binding, and will solicit advertising to help pay for it (pending discussions with the CLA Publications Committee to see if this might cut into their ad revenue).
2) Federation of library organizations - where are we now?
The CEMA board has approved a proposed structure and bylaws for the Federation, but not policies and procedures. This was ratified by affirmation by the CEMA membership. It was to be presented to the CLA board on August 7; if it is passed there, it will go to CLA membership in October.
The first Federation conference was to have been held at the Broadmoor, but this is off due to an increase in room rates.
3) Organization Announcements
a) CEMA is restructuring their board.
b) CLA is excited by state funding for libraries as passed by the legislature. Libraries need to educate people about Tax Cut 2000 and how it will affect library district funding.
The CLA conference was shaping up with over 60 programs and 6 preconferences. 265 have registered by the early bird deadline. CLA is hoping for 500 registrants and 70-80 vendors. The date of the conference is September 14-17 at Snowmass. Speakers will include ALA President Nancy Crannick; ALA Executive Director Bill Gordon; American Libraries writer Walt Crawford; and science fiction author Connie Willis. CLA doesn't tape its programs; other Prez members said there are vendors who will be glad to tape them (and sell the tapes).
c) Several COALL members attended the AALL meeting in Philadelphia in June. Through AALL's VIP program they brought in Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hobbs as an observer.
They are changing their tax status from "trade organization" to "educational organization", with a shift in emphasis to education.
Upcoming speakers include Stephanie Kane, an attorney who is writing her second murder mystery; and a librarian in Fort Collins who telecommutes on her job for an Atlanta law firm. Druet Klugh will post further information on these on LIBNET and to the Prez Group.
d) SLA met in Philadelphia in June. There will be an international conference in Brighton, England for special librarians in October. The Rocky Mountain Chapter's fall membership meeting will be on Sept 28 at NetLibrary in Boulder, with its services being the program theme.
e) The second online session of the Colorado Library Marketing Council's "Creating Change" workshop will begin in September. Information is available at http://www.clmc.org. The cost is still only $55, since it is subsidized by an LSTA grant; scholarships are available from the State Library and the regional systems.
The Nominations Committee is seeking a slate of officers for the December election. Terms will begin in April 2001. If you'd like to volunteer to run for office or suggest a CCML member who could lead our organiztion, please contact Pat Nelson (Pat.Nelson@ uchsc.edu), Mary Walsh (Mary.Walsh@ uchsc.edu) or Robin Waters (rwaters @dhha.org). And if you are called to serve, please consider thoughtfully whether you might be able to lead our organization.
Five CCML members received funds to attend the full conference or continuing education events at MCMLA 2000. Three members received $100 each to support their full conference attendance. Two members received $55 or $100 to attend a continuing education course.
CCML's Education Committee awarded a total of $455 so that members could participate in this unique professional development opportunity.
NOVEMBER 2000
Internet Librarian 2000; Information Today Inc./SLA
November 5-9, 2000; Monterey, CA
Contact: (609) 654-6266 or http://infotoday.com
MLA Videoconference; The Myth and Reality of Electronic Publishing
November 15, 2000 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Denver, CO; Location TBA
Contact: Jenny Garcia (303) 450-3568
ASIS 2000 Annual Conference; Knowledge Innovations: Celebrating Our Heritage, Designing Our Future
November 13-16, 2000; Chicago, IL
Contact: http://www.asis.org
Check the Library Continuing Education Calendar at http://cedb.aclin.org for other Colorado events as well as BCR courses.
The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) is proposed legislation that was originally intended as a revision to the Uniform Commercial Code. This law would impact the sale and use of intangible goods, such as computer software, online databases and digital information. Included would be copyrighted stories, images, music and web pages created in digital format. UCITA would replace the public law of copyright with the private law of contract, which does not have a provision for fair use, allowing producers of a product to write a license agreement that might restrict fair use. Libraries could be prevented from making copies, even for preservation or archival purposes. The license could limit or prevent the right of libraries to lend digital information to users. To learn more about UCITA, visit the ALA web site at http://www.ala.org/washoff/ucita/what.html
Publishers and software producers are lobbying for UCITA, while numerous organizations, such as library associations, are opposing the proposed law. In order to inform librarians about the ramifications of the law if it passes, the American Association of Law Libraries, the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, the Medical Library Association and the Special Libraries Association are sponsoring a teleconference.
A panel of librarians involved with lobbying against UCITA will educate other librarians about the legislation and suggest ways to oppose it. This teleconference will be held December 13, 2000 from 11:00 to 2:00 p.m. The local chapter of CoALL is currently searching for a site to host the teleconference, which will be announced in the next Council Quotes.
Flying in the face of the stereotype of the software designer as a person with no interest in the user's needs other than as a guide to what not to include in the program, Ben Shneiderman offers in Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction 638 pages of suggestions on how to take human factors into account.
This is the third edition of the work, and Shneiderman seems more than adequately qualified to deal with the topic. He is, to mention only two of his titles, a Professor of Computer Science and Head of the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Maryland at College Park.
While he sometimes plods relentlessly into high-tech/low comprehensibility (my personal comprehensibility problem, of course), the theme that is present throughout is "listen to the user." He describes the common sense but seemingly infrequently used process of finding out what people need, letting them try it out during development, and then following up after distribution to see how it is working in the real world...and finally, being willing to modify it based on the feedback. This might be a book to attempt to share with an IS department or two.
He talks about the design and usability testing process, then breaks programs down into the real basics: what types of menus to use; command or natural language approaches; interaction devices; rates of display and interaction; and printed manuals versus online help. He spends time discussing the World Wide Web and hypermedia, subjects inevitably limited by the book's 1998 publication date and how rapidly those sorts of things change.
Shneiderman's book is neatly and logically arranged, with a variety of helpful graphics. It's clearly written, and especially useful for those either actively engaged in writing software, or dealing with a more technically oriented person or persons and trying to explain what the end product should be and do.
Join us Wednesday, November 15, 2000 from 12:30 to 3:00 p.m. at the Medical Center of Aurora for a teleconference brought to you by the Medical Library Association. The Myth and Reality of Electronic Publishing is intended to inform medical librarians about the various aspects of electronic journals that impact their libraries. MLA CE contact hours will be given to the participants. The cost is $20 and includes a box lunch.
The Goal: To enhance the knowledge of electronic publishing and to explore the issues, perceptions, experiences, benefits, potential pitfalls, and challenges facing librarians as they confront these revolutionary changes in knowledge-based information delivery. Objectives are:
More information is available at http://www.mlanet.org/education/telecon/mythindex.html Or call Jenny Garcia at (303) 450-3568.
CCML members gathered Monday afternoon for a reception in our Hospitality Suite at MCMLA 2000. There were many familiar local and non-local faces, and a few new ones. People seemed to be having such a nice time visiting, it seemed a shame to call the group to order to discuss business. One of the purposes of the reception was to allow people a chance to meet members who are unable to attend regular meetings. People went around the room introducing themselves. Fortunately, Nancy Simon was there to help people remember how long they had been members of CCML.
After introductions we turned our attention to several matters of interest. We have been thinking about a teleconference for our Annual Meeting, if there was sufficient interest. What started out as just possibly giving it a try with Grand Junction, turned into possibly a multi-site event with additional sites in Wyoming and Durango. Since CCML has some money, this might be a good way to spend it if it serves our members. Lynne Fox will contact people and see who might be interested and how much it might cost. Jeff Kuntzman suggested videotaping our meetings and making them available for viewing through the I.T.A. Collection. That idea received general interest and approval.
With new DOCLINE up and running and Serhold available online, there has been some discussion about whether to continue to print a Journal Locator. Given the new system, it is not clear if this is feasible, or, if it is, how it will be done. Given an early cut-off date for updating Serhold records, the information may not be much more up to date than that in our present Locator. Since there was enough general interest in continuing a print Locator, Catherine Reiter will look into it, and send out the usual letter of intent to participants..
A few other items were briefly considered by the group. There was consensus that it still made sense to have an out of town meeting, but maybe it should be held in the fall. Low attendance at past summer meetings may be due to people being on vacation. Members also seemed interested in trying an afternoon meeting time. These two suggestions will be passed on to the next President-Elect for consideration when planning programs. A couple of members have tried the FreeShare program in DOCLINE and it works well for them. The meeting was concluded by 6:00 p.m., allowing people a chance to continue their interactions over dinner. A good time was had by all.
I'm a native of Colorado -- I grew up in Denver. However, I do not declare this proudly: I realize where we were born is beyond our control and has nothing to do with our abilities or competence. Yet I feel being a native gives perspective and credibility to my views regarding the impact of the recent "Taxcut 2000'" ballot initiative on Colorado.
Back in the fifties and sixties, the feeling of prosperity enveloped Denver with a sense that the city and the state were taking off. The recently constructed Valley Highway made travel fast and easy through the city, and developments provided affordable housing in University Hills and later in the suburbs such as Northglenn and Southglenn. Servicemen stationed at Lowry during the war came back to live in Colorado--this was the best place in the world. High schools had national standings. In Denver, East and South High and later Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were ranked with the best. Other noted school systems in the metro area included Jefferson County and Aurora. The state was bursting with post war optimism and energy. During this time, our standard of living and the state infra-structure that supported it was the equal of any in the country; and John Love, our Republican Governor from Colorado Springs, presided benevolently over this prosperity.
On a vacation in 1963, my family and I left Colorado behind to see the states of the Midwest--Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. In Nebraska, I recall my parents commenting that the highways of Nebraska were similar to the Colorado highways of the thirties. I felt proud of Colorado and its highways. Then in the south of Chicago and traveling through Gary, Indiana and the industrial areas with belching smoke stacks beneath the rust colored polluted skies, I was grateful for and proud of the pristine Colorado climate that was only slightly touched by light industry.
However, over the years that sense of pride in Colorado has eroded. Perhaps this is due to displacement of our priorities, such as the shift of resources and interest from schools to stadiums. Perhaps the overburdened highway system from unrestrained or unplanned growth along the front range has diminished my pride in the state. Perhaps it is driving through neighboring states, and realizing their highways, their law enforcement, and their schools are as good as or better than Colorado's. I do not know.
Yet I do know the one final nail in the coffin, in the pride I had in Colorado, is the recent ballot initiative "Taxcut 2000." Passage of this citizen's initiative in the November election will impact Colorado's ability to sustain services provided by the state and more than 1,500 special district governments. Essentially, this initiative, authored by Douglas Bruce, would establish a $25 "tax cut," increasing $25 each year, on several different taxes including vehicle sales and ownership tax, income tax, and property tax. If passed, this amendment will severely limit Colorado's ability to invest in its infrastructure, and many local government services will be decimated including rural, volunteer fire protection districts, library districts, some county hospital districts, ambulance districts, and cemeteries.
When young, I felt proud to live in Colorado. With this initiative even being on the November ballot, I now face my out-of-state friends with a sense of shame for where I live.
Dateline: September 28, 2000 : MCMLA has come and gone and we are all the richer for it. Initial review of the evaluations indicates that those attending were pleased with the whole event as well. One exception was the choice of lunch topics (Sam Arnold elaborating on the history of buffalo consumption in Colorado - interesting and graphic at times). Thankfully, we were at dessert by the time he really got rolling.
Dr. Larry Weed's keynote presentation was a thought provoking exploration of how physicians attempt the impossible in medicine by trying to embody all medical knowledge in their heads - and by accessing random texts. His proposed solution is in a product called a "Problem Knowledge Coupler", designed to couple medical problems with existing knowledge about them. Amidst his discussion of why this tool represents the future of medicine, he did give many kudos to Carol DeForest (previous CCML member). Information about his product and his philosophy can be found at: http://www.pkc.com/ He also mentioned an interesting BMJ article, "A Micro Perspective on Medical Decision Making," that can be found at: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/319/7220/1279/DC1/1
The General Session on "Electronic Journals: the promise and the realities" was excellent (in this writer's opinion). E. Diane Johnson did a wonderful job of outlining the current state (no easy task) of electronic health-related journals. She provided excellent examples of how we can connect our users with what is currently out there and also provided ideas for how to stay on top of the ever-changing playing field. Her presentation can be accessed at: http://www.muhealth.org/~library/docs/mcmla2000.html
The CE sessions were all well attended. Jay Daly's QuickDoc and Docline: The Next Generation was VERY popular, drawing one attendee all the way from Florida! The NN/LM - MR group enhanced the DOCLINE excitement by providing bubble-blowing pens with the "Celebrate New DOCLINE" logo printed on them.
There were many prizes, much food and an amazing amount of information shared with the 170 attendees. By the time this publication hits your desk, chances are high that there will be more post-conference information (pictures, etc) on the MCMLA web site. Please visit it at: http://www.kumc.edu/mcmla/2000/presentations.html
Even though we can all point, click, and scan our way to communication in our ultramodern world, it's still necessary, at times, to use the spoken or written language to get a point across or to order extra cheese on the pizza. Unfortunately, this may be becoming a lost art at a fairly rapid rate. Some questions from eager communicators make this sadly apparent.
Q: "I seem to remember that a 'dude' was once a fancy-dressing Easterner in the middle of a bunch of grizzly, smelly cowboys like John Wayne. In fact, there are still 'dude ranches' around, but I don't think the word means what it once did. Can you clarify this?"
A: Fer sher, Dude. Many people now use the word generically to refer to just about anyone (almost always male), whether they can remember any actual names or not, as in "Some dude told me to come in here and like put some urine in a cup...?" It can also be used as an exclamation all by itself, as when the above individual first heard that he'd need to give up some urine, and his wide-eyed response was, simply, "Dude!?" The word now serves as a root for a variety of other words, as in the relatively formal "His Dudeness told me I could score a Snickers here."
Q: "Why is it that medical people can't talk regular English like we do over at the store? When Ralph, my twelve year-old dachshund/St. Bernard mix, chewed his way through the family room wall into the garage, ate a new Die Hard battery and washed it down with some handy antifreeze I'd just drained from the Pontiac, naturally he died. At the vet's office they told me he "expired" and "passed on" and "passed away" and "wouldn't be chasing the tennis ball any more," but no one said he died. It's hard to tell with a dog, I know, but Ralph used to snore...sounded like a Harley without a muffler...and of course he moved a little bit too. So I could tell the difference. Anyway, what's the problem with plain old 'dead'?"
A: There's a need to hang on to some of the keys to the castle, or you might find that just about anybody can drop in on you at the most awkward time. Every job uses some jargon that keeps it a little mysterious. Why do you think tires are called "P265/70R15" or whatever? Does that really mean anything? Not a chance. Tires, you'll remember, are made of rubber. Rubber stretches. They're all the same size and they just use some of those tools to make them fit whatever wheel you have. Your lawn mower's tire could go on a 747 if it needed to. The same applies, by the way, to those gloves the medical people wear when they put their fingers into places where NO ONE should be going without written permission. One size fits all. Getting back to Ralph...he was certainly dead, but the people in the veterinary office couldn't say that any more than the waiter at the Sacred Cow Steakhouse could say "here's your slice of steroid-riddled, head-bashed, dead steer muscle, Sir." It's just not good form.
Q: So like my doctor is taking e-mail questions, you know? Last week I asked about this risin' spot on my backside. It's about the size of the top of a Mountain Dew can and changes from red to a kind of green, depending on what the weather's like and how long it's been since I showered. It itches pretty bad, too. So like I've been using Ben Gay and Preparation H and some herbal stuff that you rub on that really tastes pretty good, too. Nothin' seems to help, so I wrote the dude a note and told him what I told you. First I got this mail back askin' like if I have insurance? Well yeah. ...and a credit card number? Well they kind of cancelled that just 'cause they didn't like the payment plan I set up for myself...so then the doctor sends this other note that says 'We appreciate your inquiry, but will be unable to answer it at this time. Best of luck. :) So my question is, what happened to the little smiley faced guy's head, and why is what's left of him sideways?
A: This is a way of letting people know that in your e-mail you just said something that you, at least, consider to be funny. It may also mean that it was intended in a very nice way when you said, right before the little happy face, "your company must consist of several hundred of the lowest, dirt-sucking, horse-stealing, cat-kicking examples of humanity ever stuffed into an office building. Send me my refund today or you'll be hearing from my attorney, who makes F. Lee Bailey look like Pope John XXIII. :)" It takes the edge off.
Q: I want to get this right. Is it "alternative," or "complementary," or "integrative," or "traditional," or "unconventional," or what? You know what I mean?
A: We can certainly understand your interest in getting the terminology right, and you bring up a very interesting point. Loud arguments have taken place over which words to use and what they actually mean and what works and what doesn't and which side is working from the Revealed Word. No doubt you'd like an answer. :)
[NOTE: For complete information see printed Council Quotes.]
| 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 OCT 6 2000.
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