Monday, August 20, 2007

Meeting Minutes - Compilation from ALA 2007 Washington DC

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Philosophical, Religious & Theological Disc Group said...

ACRL PRT Discussion Group
ALA Annual 2007 Washington DC
Meeting Minutes
June 24, 2007
4:00 – 6:00 PM

Members in Attendance:
Ted Chaffin, Chair Florida State University
Ree DeDonato Columbia
Ramona Romero Vanderbilt
Colin McCaffrey University of Illinois
Jacob Harris Indiana University
Chip Stewart City College of New York
Nell Carlson Harvard Divinity School
Blake Landor University of Florida
Kevin Gunn Catholic University of America

I. Note taker – Contact Information – Agenda Distributed (attached)
a) Note takers=Ree DeDonato (Columbia University) and Kevin Gunn (Catholic University)
b) Contact information: sign-up sheet passed around
c) Date notes will be posted to listserv:

II Introductions
Went around table for name, title, subject area and/or interest
Ted mentioned the ideas discussed in Seattle at Mid-wintr. He will resend those minutes to the discussion listserv in hopes to revitalize it.

III Products/Databases/Resource Announcements

a) Product Information Exchange
-Index Islamicus now at Florida State
-BibleWorks and Logo wire (brief discussion of CD-ROM vs online)
-ATLA and ATLAS (brief discussion of different interface platforms, coverage of fulltext serials, value of having both)

b) Vendor Advantages/Disadvantages
Usefulness of having multiple databases from same vendor to enable cross searching and have users understand the interface (e.g., Catholic University uses EBSCO; Florida State on CSA or Wilson)
-Oxford Scholarship Online (includes monographs in religion and philosophy)
-Cambridge companions (also has philosophy titles)

c) Print/Electronic/Other Format Issues
Discussion of duplication of print and electronic for books and/or journals; seems several feel researchers in philosophy are more interested in books than journals; expense to have both print and electronic is an issue, stability of e journals (as in JSTOR) is important factor
-Harvard Divinity School has its public domain collection now in the Google Book Search project and sees increase in use. (includes such titles as Annals of American Pulpit), hymnals now easier to search; includes monographs, serials, reference works
-City College is selecting titles from the Gale Virtual Reference Books which includes such titles as Encyclopedia Judaica, Encyclopedia of Religion 2d ed, Encyclopedia of Philosophy
-Reference Universe: who uses it and how? Examples cited were for reference librarians answering questions outside of individual subject strength; for undergrads looking to get started in new subject/research areas
-Asked whether buying big microform sets or microform as back-ups for journal runs is still going strong. (Seems this is less so than previous years)



IV Collection Analysis Vendor Presentations
Would group like to see vendors invited to future meetings to give brief presentations of special interest to religion & philosophy areas and answer questions? (Ree did not get clear sense of whether this is likely to happen)

V Collection Analysis Tools Discussion
a) WorldCat Collection Analysis tool: Cristina gave presentation of how her library uses this at mid-winter
b) Bowker’s book analysis system: Ree didn’t get how this went
c) Spectra CRC collection analysis program: Ree’s notes indicate this didn’t work well
d) North American Title Count analysis program: Ree’s notes indicate this didn’t work well either

*** Ree had to leave at this point ***

VI Collection Development Discussion
Among the discussion group members not everyone has collection development policies posted online. General agreement was that staffing of Subject Specialists and Collection Development staffing models varied greatly.

Gift policies online?
• Kevin Gunn—part of the gift policy task force; individual libraries have their own policy but no system wide gift policy.
• Blake Landor—no policy for philosophy
• Nell Carlson—Harvard Divinity has an extensive gift policy

Staffing
• Collection development and subject librarians vary greatly.
• Nell--Collection management librarian does the bulk of selecting with the assistance of two other librarians.
• Jacob Harris—each has their own department with subject librarians.
• Colin McCaffrey—departmental libraries have collection development responsibilities and selection responsibilities.


VII Instruction and PRT Topics
Several resources were mentioned specifically during this portion of the discussion.
-Past Masters (Philosophy Database)
-Father’s of the Church Resources (Religion – Church History)

Also it was mentioned that Library of Congress may be getting out of controlled language. Feedback on that issue was asked to be submitted by July 15th. www.loc.gov/bibliographic_future
One member suggested conducting a survey on instruction related specifically to the areas of philosophy, religion, and theology.

• Kevin—responsible for instruction in the humanities, undergraduate and graduate.
• Blake—pro-seminars; classes can vary year to year. The faculty know it’s available. A variety of databases are demonstrated.
• Nell—no instruction herself but two reference librarians do it.
• Jacob—variety of classes, from one on one to general classes; classes for incoming graduate students


VIII Call for Presenters for Midwinter
No plans in this regard were finalized.

IX Midwinter Planning – See Attachment
The tentative agenda was submitted for review by the discussion group.

X Closing Remarks/Comments/Suggestions
Several members asked for clarification of the list serv. Ted Chaffin agreed to pursue alternate methods of discussion group communication such as blogs, wikis, and website. ALA/ACRL does not provide web space for discussion groups, but they encourage them to start and maintain their own methods. http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/ was mentioned as an excellent resource for breaking news in the field of religion. Discussion centered on gathering a “Best of the Best” list of resources for the various areas.









Agenda
ACRL Philosophical, Religious, and Theological Studies
Discussion Group
Hilton Washington – Caucus Room
4:00 – 6:00 PM Sunday
6-24-07


I. Note Taker
a. Name
b. Contact Information of all members/note taker
c. Date notes will be posted to listserv:

II. Introductions
a. Name
b. Title
c. Area of Specialty/Interest

III. Products/Databases/Resource Announcements

IV. Collection Analysis Vendor Presentations (where Available)

V. Collection Analysis Tools Discussion
a. WorldCat Collection Analysis Tool – Booth Number
b. Bowker’s Book Analysis System – Booth Number
c. Spectra CRC – Collection Analysis Program – Booth Number
d. North American Title Count – Analysis Program – Booth Number

VI. Collection Development Discussion
a. Discussion Group Members – Policies online?
b. Staffing
c. Open Discussion

VII. Instruction and PRT Topics
a. Disposition of Group – Who teaches sessions?
b. Commonly Used Resources
c. Instruction Issues

VIII. Call for Presenters for Midwinter

IX. Midwinter Planning – See Attachment

X. Closing Remarks/Comments/Suggestions



NOTE: Listserv Details will be gathered and distributed. Including policies, procedures, and adding members to the list.