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Library News for the Faculty |
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January 1997
In This Issue:
Red Sage Electronic Journal Project Results Point to the FutureThe Red Sage project, an experimental system which provides the full text of more than 70 scientific and medical journals in electronic format, officially ended December 31, 1996. World Wide Web access to some of the Red Sage journals will continue through March 1, 1997, after which all public access will end. Red Sage was planned as a four year experimental project (1992-1996), spearheaded by the UCSF Library, to investigate the technical, legal, business, and human factors issues related to network delivery of scientific journal literature. Based upon significant interest shown during the first year of this project, the UCSF Library began to discuss its potential continuation with publishers in 1995. However, the information marketplace is going through a period of enormous transition, and publishers are generally fearful about entering into any agreements for relationships that may set precedents. The Red Sage publishers have declined to continue the experiment but are now offering various options for electronic journal access. The World Wide Web has created new avenues for the Red Sage publishers to provide electronic publications directly to end-users. The Web has also had a significant impact on the underlying model of information delivery. It has raised new questions for all publishers and libraries about the way information is delivered, how much it should cost, and what types of content can be made available. The technology, which provides easy, ubiquitous access to a number of information resources, has far outpaced the business models and delivery paradigms for libraries, publishers, and other information producers. Indeed, new models are only now beginning to emerge. UCSF has been providing leadership for the libraries of the UC system in trying to negotiate agreements with publishers for electronic access. These agreements will be based on terms that protect the libraries' interests and provide access to electronic journals at prices that are fair and that UC can afford. Negotiations have concentrated on large commercial publishers such as Elsevier Science, Academic Press, Springer-Verlag, and Blackwell Scientific. Springer-Verlag has already agreed to provide us access to all their electronic journals at no cost during 1997. This access should begin in January 1997 to about 50 of their journals; the number of journals will increase in each successive month. Negotiations are continuing under the new UC Library Planning and Action Initiative, as the University moves towards creating a UC Digital Library of Science, Technology, and Industry Collection. Library staff will continue to update the Biomedical Library's Web page listing of full-text journals to alert the UCLA health, life sciences, and psychology community to currently available electronic content. The UCLA Library will also continue to enter into subscription arrangements, as appropriate, with publishers for such journals as the Journal of Biological Chemistry and the Journal of Molecular Biology. We expect 1997 and 1998 to be watershed years in providing access to a large core of electronic journals. As we strive to improve the library and its services, we are particularly grateful to all those who have helped test and refine the Red Sage system. The data gathered from this project will have a direct impact on the future direction of the UC libraries. For more information, please contact Biomedical Librarian Kathy Dabbour at <kdabbour@library.ucla.edu>; x68016. Widespread access to electronic journals: UC and UCLA Confront the Issues of Cost, Restrictions, and TechnologyAfter several years of experimentation and planning, a number of major academic publishers are poised to begin providing widespread access to electronic versions of their print journals, thus making it possible to access this material from any location, at any time. As noted in the adjacent article announcing the end of the Red Sage experiment, librarians and publishers are challenged to develop new economic, policy, and access models for electronic information resources. Of most immediate concern are the issues of cost, use restrictions, and technological infrastructure. Of critical interest also is the potential for enhanced support for both instruction and research. UCLA Library Faculty News readers are well aware of the decreased level of acquisition of library materials that has been brought about by the rising cost of scholarly information resources, coupled with the lack of inflationary increases to the UC collections budget. This decline in purchasing power is a national problem, and librarians have for some time now been actively discussing with publishers the need for pricing policies for electronic resources to be fair and to reflect actual production and distribution costs. To that end, the University of California libraries have developed and promulgated Principles for Acquiring and Licensing Information in Digital Formats at <http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Info/principles.html>. Key cost and pricing principles emphasize that electronic content should cost less than print; print and electronic prices should be separated and libraries should not be required to purchase both; content and access costs should be separated; and pricing should be based on the size of the actual community which will use the digital information, rather than on the size of the total UC population. Print vs. Electronic Materials Unlike print materials, which are purchased and owned by the Library, most electronic resources must be leased and licensed for use. Commercial publishers have long held the view that the ready availability of copyrighted materials in libraries has deprived copyright holders of income. Thus, the license agreements for digital resources frequently contain terms which limit or do away with the fair use rights for education and research provided by the Copyright Act. Furthermore, use of these resources is generally limited to the faculty, staff, and students of the institution entering into the license agreement, thus precluding access by many scholars and citizens accustomed to relying on UC library resources. Through proactive negotiation, the Library is attempting to obtain the best and most generous use terms possible, but this process can be lengthy and is not always successful. The UCLA Library and the entire campus must have a ubiquitous and sophisticated technological infrastructure to support the use of electronic resources. To that end, the Library has played an active role in the UCLA Information Technology (IT) Strategic Planning Process at <http://www.IT.ucla.edu/> and will replace its single-purpose ORION terminals with multi-use microcomputer workstations in the coming year. Librarians will consult with faculty and administrators to assess the technological readiness of schools and departments, since it will not be possible to effect the transition from print to electronic without ready access to appropriate equipment in offices and laboratories. At the Systemwide Level The University of California has launched a digital library planning initiative to develop a shared vision for a UC Digital Library (UCDL), build an organizational structure to implement the vision, and create a funding model to sustain it. The report of the UC Digital Library Executive Working Group, October 1996, at <http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/UCDL.title.html> identifies four strategic initiatives: digitization of unique content available in UC libraries; experimentation with new modes of scholarly and scientific communication; development of digital content in support of undergraduate instruction; and community service, including health care and outreach. One initiative of the UCDL, the UC Digital Library of Science, Technology, and Industry Collection (UCDL STIC) will receive high priority in 1997. Initial plans call for UC to enter into contractual agreements with several major scientific publishers to provide electronic access to all or most of their journals for a multi-year period. In essence, UC will create a laboratory to deal with the organizational, technical, financial, policy, human resource, and training issues related to digital information resources. At the same time, we shall also have an opportunity to develop new and more sustainable business models for scientific communication, and to explore the potential leverage of the nine campuses in purchasing electronic journals as a consortium. The UCDL STIC provides many opportunities and challenges. Not only will the content of journals heavily used by over 60% of UCLA faculty become more readily accessible, but we will be able to provide a number of value-added features, including linking the citations in the bibliographic databases available on MELVYL® to the full text of articles cited. The primary challenge will be to secure bridge funding to allow for this experimentation, since it will be necessary to maintain print subscriptions while we gain experience with the electronic versions. Librarians have for some time been discussing with publishers the need for pricing policies for electronic resources that reflect actual production and distribution costs. To that end, the University of California libraries have developed Principles for Acquiring and Licensing Information in Digital Formats. The University has also launched a planning initiative to develop a shared vision for a UC Digital Library, build an organizational structure to implement the vision, and create a funding model to sustain it. Save Yourself a Library Trip by Requesting Books and Photocopies ElectronicallyORION Express offers a variety of services you can use from any ORION terminal or workstation with access to ORION. You may use this service from your home or office to request photocopies of journal articles or book chapters, to borrow items owned by the UCLA Library, and to request interlibrary loans of materials owned by other libraries. Why spend your time searching the stacks and making photocopies, when for as little as $3.25 per request, ORION Express staff does this work for you? Payment may be made by departmental recharge, or by check or credit card for monthly invoices. Most requests are filled within two working days. We will deliver photocopies and book loans to your office, copies can be mailed to an off-campus address, or you may pick up copies and book loans at a UCLA library. Materials you request that are not available at UCLA will be obtained through interlibrary loan. This service will take longer, but there are no additional charges. For more information, see the ORION Express Registration Brochure and Instruction Sheet (available at all UCLA Library locations) or visit the Library ORION Express Web page at <http://www.library.ucla.edu/welcome/services/orionexpress/index.htm>. Tired of Filling Out Paper Request Forms? Try ILL on the Web!Programming and testing are currently underway on a new library web page that will enable you to request materials on Interlibrary Loan. Your electronic ILL request will be e-mailed to one of the library's interlibrary loan units for processing. We expect to implement this new service during Winter Quarter. Please watch for announcements, or visit the Library ILL Web page at <www.library.ucla.edu/welcome/services/ill.html>. The New Melvyl Web Interface is Up and RunningThe Division of Library Automation in the Office of the President has been developing an exciting new Web interface for users of the MELVYL® System. The web interface will be the one of choice for two user groups-those who prefer a graphical interface rather than learning the MELVYL search commands, and those who want access from their desktops to images and text linked to citations in the MELVYL databases. The web interface is also advantageous to users who are unfamiliar with a particular database or the MELVYL Catalog because, by following suggested strategies in the search history section, they can retrieve more relevant information. At the present time, melweb is still in the development stage. However, it is available on the Internet for anyone who wants to experiment with it. Only the CATalog, PEriodicals, and MEDline databases are currently searchable. There is a form to send comments to the developers and they are eager to hear from users. Try melweb and send your comments to <melweb-dla@dla.ucop.edu>. A Reminder to Faculty: Campbell Book Collecting Competition and Workshop DeadlinesThe 49th annual Robert B. and Blanche Campbell Student Book Collection Competition will be held on April 23, 1997. This competition, with prizes totalling $1,300, offers UCLA graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to display their prowess in acquiring and organizing a book collection. Previous award winners have reflected such interests as the Culture of Wine, Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions, Food as a Social Indicator, Anglo and African-American Fiddling, Robots in Science Fiction, and Letters and Lives of Oscar Wilde. The deadline for entries is April 9, 1997. A book collecting workshop will be held on February 20, 1997. For complete information and entry forms, visit the web site by clicking on "Libraries" on the UCLA homepage or at the reference desks of all campus libraries. Web Traveler Seminars Offer Precise Searching, and Key Sites Participants in the Web Traveler Seminars experience the World Wide Web through demonstration, question and answer, and hands-on practice. Faculty and graduate students learn the fundamentals of Netscape for Windows and the techniques to use with search engines. Taking an evaluative approach to Web sites and tools, the librarian instructors demonstrate the advantages of engines which offer more proficient searching and scanning for the desired information. Key sites that are rich with links as well as valuable sites in particular subject areas are examined with a critical eye. Web Traveler Seminars in the social sciences and humanities are held every quarter. In the past year seminars have also been held in the following subject areas: Latin American studies, government resources, history, and education. The winter 1997 schedule includes Middle Eastern studies and Asian studies. The web sites shown below are specific examples of those taught in the current seminars, and indicate the kind of research tools examined in a variety of fields quarterly.
For further information concerning these and future seminars, contact Patti Caravello at URL Reference Department, x51544, or visit the Library Web Pages at <http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/url/referenc/seminars.htm>. |
