Contents:

Annex Expansion Approved!
End of Semester Scorecard on Two New Services
Hotel, JGSM, and ILR Temporarily Join IRIS
Huntington Free Library
Africana Groundbreaking Ceremony
Staff News: Comings, Goings, and Kudos
Echols Update
RAPID
The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming
New Student Reading Project
Students Way Finding Report
Coming Soon: State of IRIS Report and Ice Cream Social

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Last fall we reported on the new librarian action figure patterned after Nancy Pearl at the Seattle Public Library (and I happen to know at least three librarians who received one of these dolls as a stocking stuffer). Well, eagle-eyed David Block alerted me to an equally important bit of information—a web site that sells Librarian Gear. The site offers greeting cards, free web images, unisex tees, even intimate apparel marketed exclusively to librarians and other information professionals. My personal fav is the greeting cards variety pack, which sports five different designs, including the best explanation of Boolean Operators that I’ve come across yet. (And no, I don’t get a commission).

Here’s what’s new since last time.

Annex Expansion Approved!
Sarah Thomas received the good news that President Lehman has officially approved the Library Annex expansion project. Last hurdle is approval from the Board of Trustees Executive Committee, which will be meeting June 17. Construction should begin shortly thereafter, with completion by June 2005. This is very good news indeed and we'll have to turn attention to selection and planning for the move. Susan Currie (chair), John Hoffmann, Cammie Hoffmier, Barbara Berger-Eden, John Marmora, and Zoe Stewart-Marshall are spearheading planning for the annex project.

One effort that is a prerequisite to all this is the identification of rare materials in the Olin stacks. Over the next nine months we expect to transfer an estimated 6,000 rare titles out of Olin and into more protective housing—either to the RMC vault or the Rare Annex collection. Katherine Reagan has deputized Fred Muratori, David Brumberg, and Sarah How to identify candidates for transfer; other selectors will join the effort in the coming months. This major initiative also involves CTS, RMC, Annex staff, and the Department of Preservation and Collection Maintenance. For more information on the Olin/Rare transfer project, contact Katherine Reagan.

End of Semester Scorecard on Two New Services
In January, CUL introduced two new user services: library-to-library book delivery and 24-hour access to Uris Library. With a semester under our belt, let’s see what the statistics tell us about the take-up of these services.

Library-to-Library Book Delivery
Thanks to Joanne Leary’s and Linda Miller’s data crunching, we’ve got a pretty good sense of the use of this service. From January 26 through June 9, the total number of patron requests was 3,424. Olin/Kroch Asia was the busiest place, topping the list in number of items sent to other libraries (1,173) and number of items borrowed (817), for a total of 1,990. Olin/Kroch Asia alone accounted for over 29% of the total lending and borrowing traffic. Mann was next, with a combined total of 1,178, representing over 17% of all traffic. Olin/Kroch Asia and Mann Libraries account for almost 53% of the books lent, and nearly 40% of the books requested. Other libraries experiencing good use of this service include Uris (762) and Law (546). The total traffic (lending and borrowing) for the various libraries is illustrated in chart 1. What is also of interest is the ratio of lending to borrowing by library. Ten libraries were net lenders (Olin/Kroch Asia, Mann, Uris, Fine Arts, ILR, Hotel, Math, Music, Entomology and Ornithology). Seven were net receivers (Law, Engineering, Physical Sciences, Africana, Vet, Geneva, and JGSM).

One emerging trend reveals the interdisciplinary nature of use. All libraries interact with multiple libraries in the system. With the exception of Ornithology, each library lent to or borrowed from five or more libraries within the system, with the number of library-to-library connections being closer to 10 on average. Olin/Kroch Asia and Mann lent material to every other library in the system; Uris lent to all but two; Hotel and ILR to all but three. On the borrowing side, Mann and Olin/Kroch Asia borrowed books from every other library; Uris borrowed from all but one and Vet borrowed from all but two other libraries.

Chart 2 shows the patterns of major trading routes between libraries (representing fifty or more requests). Mann to Olin/Kroch Asia represents the greatest number of items lent (280), with Olin/Kroch Asia to Law second (252), and Olin/Kroch Asia to Mann third (233).

Staff also recently tracked requests submitted by patron group. Of all requests (sent and received), graduate students comprised 42% of the total; staff represented 28%; undergraduates 26%; and faculty 4%. Joanne Leery also noted that she has been monitoring usage patterns, which show that many requestors appear to be "repeat customers."

We will continue to collect the stats and keep an eye on developing patterns. Stay tuned for more analysis after another semester of data is collected.

24 Hour Access to Uris
If numbers talk, then around the clock access to Uris Sunday-Thursday has proved to be a tremendous hit. According to nightly reports kept by security guards from January 26-May 21, over 11,700 patrons made use of Uris Library between 2:00am and 8:00am throughout the semester. The greatest building use occurred from 2:00-4:00am, but even the wee hours attracted their fair share of users. For instance, between 5:00 and 6:00am, 330 users came into Uris throughout the semester and 910 users left. Traffic picked up again after 6:00 when the early birds began to arrive. Wednesday night/Thursday morning proved to be the most popular night in Uris, but the other nights were busy as well. Students were fulsome in their appreciation of the all-night service. My favorite quote came from a user during prelims: “Dear University Library, Just wanted to thank you for instituting 24 hr library service. It's saving my gpa tonight.”

Hotel, JGSM, and ILR Temporarily Join IRIS
As many of you may know, Ross Atkinson will be on an extended leave beginning June 10 to undergo medical treatment. In his absence, the Hotel, Johnson School of Management, and Industrial and Labor Relations libraries will be reporting to me. I have met with Gordon Law and Don Schnedeker to discuss this interim, which I’m viewing as an opportunity to learn from them and to share information and ideas between IRIS and their libraries.

Huntington Free Library Collection Coming Soon
As Sarah announced earlier this spring, the Huntington Free Library Native American collection is coming to Cornell University Library this summer. The collection contains more than 40,000 volumes on the archaeology, ethnology, and history of the native peoples of the Americas from the colonial period to the present. Among the significant works are original drawings of American Indians by the artist George Catlin as well as field notes by 19th-century ethnographers and papers of archaeological expeditions and much, much more. To honor the formal transfer of the collection, a public recognition ceremony and reception will be held next Tuesday, June 15 at the Huntington Free Library in New York City, with remarks by Sarah Thomas and Ed Morgan, President of the Huntington Free Library Board.

The collection move is scheduled in three phases: rare and manuscript materials will be moved on June 15; the vertical files, card catalog, and shelft list will be moved on June 21; and the stack collection on July 15. The rare material will be housed in RMC and the circulating collection in the Old Rare Vault in Olin while it is being processed and integrated with the general stack collection.

Susan Currie is coordinating the move of the HFL. This has been a complex project, and many people have been involved in the arrangements, including Barbara Berger Eden, John Dean, Katherine Reagan, John Marmora, Sharon Wargo, Lee Cartmill, and Marisue Taube.

Africana Groundbreaking Ceremony
Construction plans are moving forward quickly on the new Africana Studies and Research Center. This Saturday, June 12, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony at 2:00pm at 310 Triphammer Road. Eric Acree reports that in addition to remarks by the President, the Provost, members of the faculty and Board of Trustees, and others, there will be a “closing libation and drumming,” followed by a reception. All members of the CUL community are invited.

BTW, the temporary move of the Africana Library to Uris went quite smoothly, taking only one day to complete. For those wanting more details of the move, click here.

Staff News: Comings, Goings and Kudos

Comings:
I’m pleased to report that Peter Hirtle will be assuming David Brumberg’s history selection duties after August 15th, when David Brumberg really retires from the library (more on that in a later issue). In the meantime, Peter will be working with Martha Hsu and David to prepare for this transition.

To backfill some of Peter’s responsibilities in the Department of Learning and Instruction, it is wonderful to announce that Kizer Walker will be joining IRIS this fall. He will begin working halftime in the Department of Instruction and Learning beginning September 1 and will become at least seventy-five percent time on November 1 (he may remain 25% time in EMPSL depending upon the success of a pending grant). Kizer will continue his selection responsibilities in Classics, Archaeology, and Ancient Near Eastern studies and ultimately will assume more collection development responsibilities.

Bob Scott will join the staff at the Library Annex on Monday, June 14th. Bob worked for IBM from September 1984 until February 2003, in the distribution and engineering departments, where he became an experienced forklift operator. Most recently, he worked as a Library Aide at Binghamton University in the Bartle Library at the circulation desk assisting patrons, answering phones, sorting, charging and discharging, shelving and shelf reading books. Bob can be reached at the Library Annex number at 253-3431.

Please welcome back Roger Clearwater, Preservation Assistant III in the Department of Preservation and Collections Maintenance. He has returned to work after an extended medical leave.

We are pleased that Jenn Colt Demaree has joined the Design Team. Jenn was the Marketing Manager for Marson Energy where, among other things, she created their online presence and corporate identity pieces. She has hit the ground running and is a welcome addition to a busy office. Jenn will work primarily on web-based projects for IRIS and can be reached at 254-7286 or jrc88.

Nanci Trapani will join the Wason Collection staff, working part-time as the special collections assistant. Her first day will be Wednesday, June 16. Nanci has extensive experience working within the library system over the past five years including the Annex moving project, ILS Borrowing and as night supervisor at Fine Arts.

As announced earlier, Susan Greaves and the Department of Maps & Geospatial Information have joined the Department of Preservation and Collection Maintenance. Howard Brentlinger is assisting Susan half time with the technical processing aspects of the collection. Look for expanded public service hours in Maps beginning with the Fall semester.

Goings:
Three years ago Shintia Argazali came to Ithaca from Wisconsin with two suitcases and a crisp, new MLS. This month she begins the return leg of a round trip, laden with a U-Haul-full of possessions, the experiences of working in the Echols Collection and a longer surname, Argazali-Thomas. In the Asia Collections, we have grown accustomed to Shintia’s gentle ways and cooperative spirit. We will miss her, and we wish her well in Wisconsin. —David Block

Stel Walton Whitehead ended her term appointment as Evening Supervisor at Africana Library. Because of the building project and library relocation, the position was not renewed for the coming year.

Kudos:
Oya Rieger, Angela Horne, and Ira Revels have had their article "Linking Course Websites to Library Collections and Services," published in The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 30/3 p.205-211, 2004

Ira Revels has also been elected Secretary of the Black Caucus of the ALA for the 2004-2006 term.

Peter Hirtle has been named a contributing author to the LibraryLaw blog Recently he also spoke on copyright law and digital image management systems, at the Northeast Document Conservation Center's annual "School for Scanning."

The Research Department has been awarded the 2004 Society of American Archivists’ Preservation Publication Award for its online tutorial, “Digital Preservation Management: Implementing Short-term Strategies for Long-term Problems.” This tutorial is a collaborative effort of Nancy McGovern, Rich Entlich, Bill Kehoe, Erica Olsen, Ellie Buckley, Carla DeMello, and me. We will be receiving the award at SAA’s annual meeting in August.

An article I wrote last spring on “Collections, Preservation, and the Changing Resource Base,” has been published in a new report from the Council on Library and Information Resources, entitled Access in the Future Tense.

Note: I’d like to highlight what IRIS staff are up to, so please send me information you’d like to share with your colleagues.

Echols Search Update
I wish I were writing to announce the appointment of a new Curator for the Echols Collection, but unfortunately our search was not successful. We have decided to discontinue the search for the time being and are in the middle of negotiations about appointing an Interim Curator. With Shintia Argazali-Thomas’s departure, we will be focusing our efforts on securing a new Assistant Curator. I hope to have more news to report on both these fronts in the very near future.

RAPID
Pat Schafer has provided the following on another new interlibrary loan program for faculty, students, and staff. This one is called RAPID (Rapid Access, Processing and Information Delivery).

Like Borrow Direct, RAPID is a speedy, cost-effective request and delivery system. However, unlike Borrow Direct which is for lending books, RAPID delivers copies of serial articles. Also, unlike Borrow Direct, users will have seamless access through the regular ILL management system, ILLiad, instead of having to log into a separate system. Cornell, Columbia, and very likely the University of Pennsylvania will be joining the current consortium early in a year-long development project that will ultimately result in a robust assembly of possibly 100 institutions. Cornell's implementation will be phased, initially involving for lending Mann, Olin, Kroch, and Uris, followed soon by the Library Annex. Information on the current RAPID organization and operation can be found on their web site. For further information regarding Cornell's implementation, contact Pat Schafer.

The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming
Last time we reported that CUL will be hosting eight Russian librarians and two facilitators from June 28 to July 3 who have come to United States to learn about American libraries. Carmen Blankenship has been coordinating arrangements for their visit, including finding host families for our guests. She worked with the Tompkins County Public Library, the Fingerlakes Library System, the South Central Regional Library Council, the Ulysses Philomathic Library, and the Tompkins Cortland Community College library to put together an extensive agenda for the visit.

On Wednesday, June 30th, the group will be spending the day at CUL to observe operations and learn about cooperative programs such as interlibrary loan, online reference services, and rare books and manuscripts. In addition, our Russian visitors will get to attend the Ithaca Fireworks as VIP guests, go shopping at Carousel Mall in Syracuse, visit the Women’s Rights Museum in Seneca Falls, and have a farewell picnic at Treman State Park. For more information on the Russian visit, contact Carmen Blankinship.

New Student Reading Project
CUL is again providing support and assistance for the University's annual New Student Reading Project, which features the new Breon Mitchell English translation of Franz Kafka's novel, The Trial. Carla DeMello has designed another terrific poster for the Reading Project and for the third year in a row, the library poster will be displayed in the entry to the University President's office. Another of the large posters will be displayed at the Tompkins County Public Library. 11” by 17” versions of the poster are available for purchase at $5.00 each by contacting Kim LaMorte.

Library bookmarks are also going into each book being sent to new students. The bookmarks refer students to the Library’s Reading Project Library Resources web site (presently under construction by Lance Heidig). Library staff will also be serving as small group discussion leaders in August. For more information about this year's Reading Project, contact Michael Busch, Executive Staff Assistant to the Vice Provosts.

Students Way Finding Report for Olin, Uris, & Kroch Asia
As noted in the last issue, Professor Alan Hedge’s class, DEA 470 Environmental Analysis: Applied Ergonomics Methods, did a case study on signs in Olin, Uris, and Kroch Asia. The final report, “Cornell University Library Signage: An Ergonomic Evaluation of Identification and Instructional Signage,” offers recommendations for improving way finding in these three libraries, including legibility, the use of pictograms, and sign content and placement. The Sign Committee will be reviewing their suggestions, but for those who’d like to see what the students discovered, click here for the full report.

Coming Soon: State of IRIS Report and Ice Cream Social
IRIS will be two years old in July. To celebrate this milestone, the IRIS Cabinet has suggested that we hold an all IRIS-staff meeting to hear a State of IRIS report. Taking a note from Sarah’s all-staff meetings, we thought to hold this session twice in the hopes of reaching as many IRIS staffers as possible. We also thought we all deserve to celebrate and so we’ll be holding an ice cream social as well. Dates for both the State of IRIS report and the ice cream social haven’t been finalized, but we’re shooting for the second part of July.

One final thing. IRIS News & Notes served as an inspiration for TSEG, which recently launched an online newsletter highlighting technical services activities library-wide. If you haven’t taken a look at Backstory, I recommend it highly. I found the combination of news and humor just right. Who wouldn’t want to read about Raiders of the lost MARC, Cats stats fever, or Chronicle of a death foretold?

That’s it for this time. Enjoy the summer weather and as always, drop me a line with any comments, suggestions, or questions.
Anne

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