TX Libraries ROI

This year the Texas Legislature meets, so this info may be useful. TSL&A has released the report Texas Public Libraries Return on Investment Study.

Did you know that for every $1.00 invested in public libraries around the state, Texans receive $4.42 worth of library services and value in return? Or that Texas public libraries provide over $2.4 billion dollars in economic benefit statewide? Get more useful facts and information from the recently-completed study Texas Public Libraries: Economic Benefits and Return on Investment, available online now at https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/roi.

Ulrich's API

Bibliographic Wilderness has a very informative posting Ulrich’s has an API included with your ulrichsweb subscription: A Review.

It turns out if you subscribe to Ulrichsweb, there is an API you are already licensed to use. The API does expose a few key pieces of data you may find useful (such as a boolean value for ‘refereed’). It sadly lacks a few things included in the Ulrichsweb directory itself that would be awfully useful (such as review text).

There is very little evidence on the web that the API even exists.

Good introduction. Provides info on how to get access and what data is available.

Jawi-Pegon (formerly Malay) Romanization Table Revision Approved

News from LC.

The ALA-LC Romanization tables are developed jointly by the Library of Congress (LC) and the American Library Association (ALA). Romanization schemes enable the cataloging of foreign language materials. Romanized cataloging in turn supports circulation, acquisitions, serials check-in, shelflisting, shelving, and reference, particularly in library catalogs that are unable to display non-roman alphabet information.

The ALCTS Committee on Cataloging: Asian and African Materials (CC:AAM) recently received and reviewed a proposal to revise the Malay (in Jawi Arabic script) romanization table. The table has subsequently been renamed "Jawi-Pegon romanization table" and has been approved.

The revised Jawi-Pegon romanization table is now available for downloading from the ALA-LC Romanization Tables webpage http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/roman.html.

Treatment of Globes in LCSH and LCGFT

LC has issued Library of Congress to revise the treatment of Globes in LCSH and LCGFT. A couple of major changes "To promote collocation of all of the globes, maps, and atlases of a place, the subdivision –Globes will be cancelled in favor of using the form subdivision –Maps. The fact that a work is a spherical representation will be brought out with the genre/form term Globes." And "Since there are at least two, and possibly three, commonly accepted meanings, the heading for Earth as a planet should be qualified. The heading will be revised to Earth (Planet)."

On May 24, 2012, the Policy and Standards Division (PSD) of the Library of Congress issued a discussion paper entitled “Proposed Treatment of Globes in the LCGFT Environment” (http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/genre_form_globes.pdf). The paper explained that currently in Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials (LCGFT), the term Globes in refers to globes of the Earth, to exclusion of globes of other heavenly bodies (e.g., other planets, comets, asteroids). The paper went on to suggest revisions to both LCGFT and Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) to allow for more accurate and consistent description of all globes.

Nancy B. Olson Award

The Nancy B. Olson Award Committee is now accepting nominations.

The annual Nancy B. Olson award (formerly called "OLAC Award") recognizes and honors a librarian who has made significant contributions to the advancement and understanding of audiovisual cataloging. The Awards Committee selects a recipient based on nominations received, subject to approval by the Executive Board at the midwinter meeting.

Eligibility for nomination is as follows:

• Nominees may be OLAC members, but membership in the organization is not a requirement.
  
• The nomination must be accompanied by a statement that provides supporting evidence of the nominee's qualifications.
  
• Nominees shall have made contributions to audiovisual cataloging by:
  • Furthering the goals of standardization of AV and/or computer file cataloging, including MARC coding and tagging;
    
  • Interpreting AV and/or computer file cataloging rules and developing policies on organization for these materials on the national and/or international levels;
    
  • Promoting the understanding of AV and/or computer file cataloging, coding and data exchange by professionals unfamiliar with these materials and processes.

The award recipient will receive an engraved plaque containing an inscription recognizing his/her special contribution to the field.

Submit all nominations and supporting documentation by Friday, February 15.

Future of Library Systems

The latest issue of Information Standards Quarterly (ISQ) from NISO covers the Future of Library Systems. Some articles inlcude:

• The Future of Library Systems: Library Services Platforms by Carl Grant
• Alma at Purdue: The Development Partnership Experience by Paul J. Bracke
• OCLC’s WorldShare Management: Early adopter experience at a small liberal arts institution by Gentry Holbert
• The Orange County Library System Environment: Connecting Sierra with Custom Applications by William Eric Atkinson
• Kuali OLE: A Community Collaboration in Software for and by Libraries by Michael Winkler and Robert H. McDonald

Off Topic- Contractor

The local TV news program did a story on our problems with the contractor, Ray Hernandez. Did a pretty good job, but I don't think they covered just how much we investigated the contractor before signing the contract. We did check the BBB, Angie's List, did a Google search. Nothing bad turned up. The problem was he had just started the company, so negative reviews didn't have time to appear. Lots of companies don't appear on Angie's list in our area. Also, lots of decent companies don't join the BBB. I guess a personal name search might be useful.

Added 1-13-2013 I've just discovered Hay Hernandez also operated under the names of A.I.G. Construction and Handyman Depot. Both of those get F ratings because of the same scam tactics. The company just prior to us was AF Construction. It has a F rating at the Pasadena TX BBB. I don't doubt he is operating under a different name by now.