University of California/Stanford
Government Information Librarians Group
Fifth Annual Meeting
Minutes

September 17, 1997
UC Riverside
10a.m.-3p.m.

PRESENT: CSL: Tom Andersen; UCB: Andrea Sevetson; UCD: Linda Kennedy (EGIIG); UCI: Judy Horn, Margaret Renton, Kay Collins; UCLA: Hongwei Huang, Chere Negaard, Lauri Kram; UCR: Margaret Mooney (EGIIG), Peter Briscoe (CDC); UCSD: Victoria Williamson; UCSF: no representative; UCSB: Lucia Snowhill (convenor), Sherry DeDecker (recorder), Carol Doyle, Janet Martorana UCSC: Cynthia Jahns; SU: no representative; DLA: Laine Farley (EGIIG)

1. Introductions and announcements Minutes from last year's meeting in Sacramento were approved.

2. Agenda approval/adjustments

3. MELVYL CAT/PE Regeneration Task Force

Laine Farley asked the group whether they would be interested in creating more specific Government Documents limits in the MARC coding. There were mixed opinions on the usefulness of this. Laine will turn on the codes for a time and assess their impact, to see the consistency of use of tags and how many records would be involved for the various tags suggested. It may be worth using some tags and not others.

4. EGIIG Update - Linda Kennedy Patricia Cruse, UCSD, is the new chair of EGIIG. The new map librarian member is Mary Larsgaard, UCSB, who will be chairing a map subcommittee.

Infomine - Margaret Mooney

Infomine is moving into a new version of its database manager, using JAVA. Netscape 3.0 will be required to adequately access Infomine in the future.

There will be a new option for multi-database subject searching, as well as a separate author field. Subject, title and author searching have been changed to a keyword search concept. It will be possible to select a separate display of titles only.

Under consideration is a plan to load brief Infomine records into MELVYL; these could later be converted to full MARC records.

Infomine will move to UCOP mid-October. UCR will keep an identical database for contributors to access.

Margaret distributed detailed instructions for contributors, and encouraged all to participate in sending additions to Infomine. At present, Lynn Reasoner is adding the majority of the U. S. records to the database.

Linda Kennedy suggested checking Infomine for ADA compliance

ACTION: Linda will send Margaret the URL for a site that will do that type of check.

Moving to CIS from CQ - Linda Kennedy

Our subscription to CIS will begin January 1, 1998; the CQ contract has been extended through December. It is not clear whether we will also have access to CQ web.

Regarding the group's wish to maintain a subscription to CQ Researcher and CQ Weekly Report, Linda was unsure whether discussion has been opened with CQ.

Cynthia Jahns reported that Stanford and Yale have picked up a CIS subscription.

Linda thanked the ESLIR group - Cynthia Jahns, Chair; Ronnie Coates, Kay Collins, Marcia Meister, Sherry DeDecker, Andrea Sevetson, Christof Galli and Jim Ronningen - for their report comparing CQ with CIS.

Linda requested a press release regarding the move to CIS for distribution among our campuses.

ACTION: Laine Farley will follow up on a press release from UCOP.

Laine reported that CQ has requested a copy of the ESLIR report.

ACTION: Cynthia will work with Laine to edit the report before sending it to CQ.

Training issues for CIS were discussed. It was suggested that CIS representatives be invited to the campuses to train staff in early December.

What user statistics will we receive? Can we track number of simultaneous users?

ACTION: Laine will check on these questions.

Can we keep our test CIS passwords during this interim?

ACTION: Andrea will ask Christine Fitch of CIS.

ACTION: Cynthia suggested that campuses include the CIS addition to the news banners on their library web pages.

Questions regarding CIS and CQ can be directed to Laine.

STAT-USA - Linda Kennedy

Linda distributed a list from Department of Commerce with a new consortial price for UC system-wide access to this database. Price is determined by the number of IP addresses involved at each campus.

Alan Ritch can estimate the cost share for each campus. Andrea suggested that we offer Stat-USA $20,000 for a UC subscription. Discussion followed as to which campuses would be able to share in the cost.

ACTION: Linda will email each campus representative to see who would be able to share in the expense of a UC-wide subscription.

Peter Briscoe suggested we request adding Stat-USA to the list of databases for the UC Digital Library.

UC Digital Library - Linda Kennedy

Where does government information fit into the UC Digital Library? CNI (Coalition for Networked Information) has published a white paper on this topic. EGIIG plans to address this issue in the near future, and will produce a white paper.

ACTION: Forward suggestions on this topic to EGIIG, with specific examples of titles that could be sent to LPAI (Library Planning and Action Initiative) for inclusion in the CDL.

Cataloging government information in electronic format

Discussion followed as to the need to share campus experiences on this topic. HOTS is planning to set up a subcommittee on cataloging electronic information.

Laine reported that in the CAT/PE regeneration, there is a plan to include a form limit for electronic documents.

GPO Gate - Linda Kennedy

It is still hoped that GPO Gate can be a mirror site for GPO Access. There seems to be more acceptance at GPO for this idea.

Andrea reported on the consortial effort of some universities, including UCB, to mount CDs with access via a website. Currently the UCB effort has purchased a machine to run the CDs and hopes to begin data migration to hard drive in the near future. UCB is also working on some of the SSTFs with OSU.

GIS at UC libraries - Cynthia Jahns

Cynthia reported that after the map librarians meeting, a report will be sent to us on further developments in this area.

5. MiniSCAP Proposals

Discussion as to possible items for miniscap:

CIS executive branch documents, 1910-32 - purchase parts of this
A subscription for a paper copy of the U. S. Congressional Serial Set. Paper is no longer offered to depository libraries except for regional depositories; California State Library will receive one copy. It would be useful to have one copy in the UC system.

Unpublished hearings (another option: pool money instead of going through miniscap?) Tom Andersen was in favor of us purchasing these; CSL already has a paid subscription to the CIS executive branch documents.

Peter Briscoe discussed MiniSCAP guideline changes considered by HOPS:
The funding will probably by divided into two categories: one big purchase, for something impossible to obtain without a large pool of money; and several smaller proposals, of items campuses would like to have. $100,000 is the probably total amount of MiniSCAP for this year; we should be getting more information soon, including guidelines, as proposals are due by January. Peter suggested we begin to draft proposals now.

ACTION: Sherry DeDecker volunteered to take responsibility for the MiniSCAP project - surveying campuses, complying with guidelines, etc.

In the discussion over materials we have in microcard, Linda informed the group that there is a less expensive option than purchasing microfiche. There is a scanner that fits over microprint readers, scans the microprint and transfers the information to a pc for printing on a laser printer. She thought the cost was $3500, and distributed information on the vendor: Screenscan.

6. Longstanding collection agreements and serials cancellations - Andrea Sevetson

UCB is undertaking a major serials cancellation project. One third of the serials cancellation target represented what UCB absorbed from previous shared purchase agreements ($50-60,000). No allowance has been made for these serials in the cancellation project, although the possibility of a superfund is being discussed.

Peter Briscoe discussed this issue of campuses not being able to complete long-standing collection agreements, such as last-copy serials agreements. He stressed that local campuses and CDC need to address this issue, or major reference sources will be canceled. At present, CDC is focusing solely on electronic databases.

7. Foreign documents survey and assessment of shared collecting among campuses - Andrea Sevetson and Laurie Kram

Based on the recommendation from last year, Andrea is preparing a survey using the RLG conspectus, and distributed a draft to the group for comments.

What will be done with the results? Linda suggested comparing it to the original RLG survey. Laurie suggested results could be used to stimulate a discussion as to what to do as a group to address shared concerns, and to ensure that some campus is collecting from each area.

ACTION: Andrea Sevetson will refine the survey before sending it out to each campus. Send suggestions for refining the survey to Andrea.

8. UN documents acquisitions issues

Chere Negaard asked if anyone was familiar with the new Optical Disk System (ODS), which distributes UN documents full text for $1500, with a 25% discount to depository libraries.

ACTION: Chere Negaard will send the govinfo list an email for Optical Disk System.

There was discussion about which campuses are using the Readex web database for UN documents. The database is mostly abstract/indexes, not full text.

Claremont is doing a pilot project with Yankee Peddler for WorldBank publications. No discount is available for libraries.

It was felt that international documents are becoming too expensive for standing orders, and all-campus pricing should be explored as an option.

ACTION: Carol Doyle and Linda Kennedy will look into all-campus pricing for UN and other international documents. They will contact the UN, Bernan, and IDTF.

9. NTIS Pilot Project - Linda Kennedy

NTIS will expand its online document delivery pilot project to include six libraries across the country after January 1; at present Davis is the only library involved. Documents are available from the NTIS OrderNow web (90 days of documents). After being ordered online, they are sent to the library to be printed on a postscript printer.

The NTIS website now has a ten-year database of full-text documents. Order capability will soon include older documents. As older documents are ordered, they are put online; eventually, the plan is for any document to be able to be ordered online.

10. Issues from the California Depository Libraries Meeting 9/16/97

Andrea Sevetson reported that the draft bill to revise Title 44 of the U. S. Code should be out at the end of September, and introduced to Congress in October. One of the bill's provisions seeks to remove the depository designation and cap the number of depositories. UCOP will be asked to respond.

ACTION: Tom Andersen offered to ask the State Librarian to write a letter to the university librarians supporting depository libraries.

ACTION: Andrea will notify us when the bill is introduced, and will forward contact information for us on the Title 44 revision bill so that we can direct comments to Congressmen.

11. ARL Survey of Government Information Services/Collections - Judy Horn Judy distributed copies of the completed survey. For our internal use, she pulled out separate line for data on UC libraries. The survey will be published as a spec kit.

12. Round Robin

UCI: Reference service combined with Government Publications and is back in the main library. There are not always GP librarians at the desk. They make referrals from the desk to individual librarians. There is a new multimedia center which includes CD-Roms; they have about 40 terminals. They have implemented GIS, and will train staff on its use. Access will be open to anyone.

UCD: They have started retrospective conversion of the older (pre-1976) documents. They plan to convert California also, using the DRANet database. Reference hours have been cut; Tues/Thurs. evenings and Sunday no longer have reference. During those times, items are paged from the main reference desk.

UCSD: A new documents librarian position will be posted. They are asking for state/local, statistics/economics background. They are purchasing the Congressional Research Service records, which will be loaded into their OPAC.

UCB: Will become an OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe) depository. Christof Galli has taken a position at Portland State; his position will be filled. The Humanities and Area Studies area in the Docs Library is undergoing a retrofit; items will be paged. Government and Social Science Information is the only reference area open at present. The OPAC should reflect items that were moved.

Andrea is deselecting U. S. materials that were "keep latest only" or had other retention decisions. She has noticed that others have some of the same notes in records, and wondered if others might like to see the list when she is done.

ACTION: ANDREA will share this list of item numbers deselected with the group.

UCSB: Stella Bentley, AUL Public Services, has left for a new position. The retrocon project for U. S. documents is ongoing. Foreign and international documents have been weeded in anticipation of cataloging these documents. Local documents are almost all cataloged; California collection is converted, except for Annex items.

UCR: Innopac was implemented last December. They load their shipping lists electronically, overlaying with Marcive records.

The separate Science Library will be completed in June; cataloging/acquisitions will be located there. GP has absorbed cataloging of all government documents. The present building will undergo a retrofit, so GP will move temporarily next summer (for 2 years). They will remain a separate department when they return. UCSC: will switch from OCLC to Marcive for U. S. documents records. They have stepped up their instruction program. They will be recruiting an access services librarian soon.

CSL: California State Library Government Documents Department will close and move in November to an offsite location, and will return to their present building in 2000. The entire unit will move. When they return, the 13 levels will be moved into 7 levels of compact shelving. ILL will continue from their offsite location.

CSL has a paid subscription to CIS, ASI, IIS, SRI through 1998. CSL has full patents back to 1949. Tom Andersen would like to keep informed of our MiniSCAP proposal.

He is also looking for a cooperative method for California depositories to dispose of ephemeral documents.

UCLA: moving to a new version of Orion using DRA. Most of the government publications which had formerly been housed in MGI's closed stacks have been integrated into the Library's main collection, with older or lesser used publications transferred to the SRLF. MGI continues to house in its closed stacks: maps, the latest five years of U.S. Congressional hearings and committee prints, and the unbound Serial Set (reports and documents). Current, high-use government pamphlets (such as selected agency lists of publications; descriptions of programs, operatio ns, services, facilities; government careers information; consumer information; and brief current statistical reports) are housed in a vertical file collection in the MGI reading room.

The meeting in 1998 will be in Sacramento; Tom Andersen will arrange for a meeting room. Cynthia Jahns will be the convenor.

ACTION: Cynthia will let Tom know of any meeting dates for other conferences that may conflict with dates we would set up.

ACTION: Send directory updates to Andrea Sevetson

ACTION: Lucia Snowhill, Linda Kennedy, and Andrea Sevetson will write this year's annual report.

Maintained by: Sherry DeDecker
Updated: 10/11/04 08:30:48