American Library Association
Association of College and Research Libraries
ANSS CURRENTS
The Newsletter of the ACRL Anthropology & Sociology Section
Vol. 14, No. 2 ISSN 0888-5559 November 1999
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Sally Willson Weimer
Welcome to this issue of Currents and the ALA ACRL Anthropology and Sociology Section, ANSS! As we enter the new millennium, we need to look ahead and also appreciate the past contributions.
Service Goals: The ANSS Section is focused on growing and working to serve the information and professional development needs of our members; expanding the margins of our research disciplines of sociology and anthropology; and working in collaboration with ACRL and ALA to improve research and library services to sociology and anthropology faculty andstudents.
In the past year or so, our membership has decreased slightly. That may have implications for sponsoring programs at ALA Annual Conference and distributing publications. We in the ANSS Executive Committee are seeking your RENEWED or NEW participation in and contributions to the ANSS Section. As we begin to plan conference programs and work on committee projects, we need to learn what your goals and interests as membto learn what your goals and interests as members of the section are for service to and growth in ANSS. ANSS features several committees and discussion groups for you to become active in, including: Bibliography Committee, Conference Program Planning Committee, Executive Committee, Liaison Committee, Nominating Committee, Publications Committee, Review and Planning Committee, Anthropology Librarians Discussion Group, and Sociology Librarians Discussion Group. Cathy Moore-Jansen, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, is urging ANSS members to contact her to volunteer to serve on many of those committees.
Communications: One of the best ways to keep in contact with our section members is to subscribe to our ANSS Listserv, ANSS-L@UCI.EDU. Our subscribers keep us informed and challenge us to keep up on topics, such as changes in anthropology data bases, new publications in the social sciences, changes in the Library of Congress HM Sociology classification scheme, new web pages in the social sciences, and what the benefits of joining the ANSS section and serving as anthropology and sociology subject specialists/librarians in libraries are.
ACRL: Even as your library, college, or university may be going through transitions, ACRL and ANSS are going through changes. ACRL is working to revise and update its Strategic Plan so expect to hear of new rategic Plan so expect to hear of new proposed focuses and requests for input.
ANSS Web: Please visit our ANSS Web to learn more about our officers, committees, discussion groups, programs, publications, and how to get in contact with us.
Schedule of Meetings, ALA MidwinterFriday, 14 January 2000 Saturday, 15 January 2000 Sunday, 16 January 2000 Monday, 17 January 2000 |
All meetings, except Nominating Committee, are open to ANSS members/visitors so please feel welcome to attend committee meetings and discussion groups. Please check a conference schedule for final program information and changes. Thanks so very much for continuing to be members of and participating in the ANSS section. We need your contributions and suggestions! I look forward to meeting and working with each of you to help improve our section and services.
CANDIDATES FOR ANSS OFFICES
Joyce L. Ogburn, Nominating Committee Chair
VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT: Anna DeMiller, Colorado State University Libraries
MEMBER-AT-LARGE: Lori Foulke, Johns Hopkins University
Christine Whittington, University of Maine
CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT:
DeMiller, Anna L. Education: University of Utah, B.A. magna cum laude (Anthropology) 1975, na cum laude (Anthropology) 1975, M.A. (Middle East Studies-Arabic) 1979; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, M.S. (Library and Information Science) 1981. Present Position: Coordinator, Reference Services-Collection Management, 1998-present, Colorado State University Libraries. Previous Position: Coordinator, Social Sciences & Humanities Services and User Education, 1995-1997; Head, Social Sciences and Humanities Department, 1992-1995, Colorado State University Libraries. ALA Divisions: ACRL: ANSS Member-at-Large 1998-00, Bibliography Committee 1995-97 and 1997-99; RUSA: CODES Collection Evaluation Techniques Committee 1998-00. State and Regional Library Association Activities: Colorado Library Association Joint Conference Committee 1991-92, Revisions Committee 1988-89, Budget and Finance Committee 1987-89, Long-Range Planning Committee 1987-88; Mountain Plains Library Association Professional Development Grants Committee 1991-93. Honors, Awards, Prizes, Medals, Citations: Beta Phi Mu; 1994 Blackwell North America Scholarship Award given by the ALCTS of ALA for article in Advances in Librarianship, vol.17 (1993), pp.33-60. Publications: Linguistics: A Guide to the Reference Literature, 2nd edition, forthcoming January 2000; “Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (NISC DISC),” ANSS Currents, November 1997; “Reference Service Policies in ARL Librariesce Service Policies in ARL Libraries,” ARL SPEC Kit 203, 1994.
Statement of Concern: In reviewing statements of candidates in recent years, I find several recurring concerns, which I would like to continue working on. One concern is the need for increasing membership in the section and for engaging larger numbers of the current membership in section committees, offices, and other activities. Committee appointments and offices seem to cycle through a subset of the membership, a number who have been in the profession for many years. To outsiders such dedicated service can appear cliquish. The chair should provide leadership to find ways to counteract this perception and involve new members who will help keep the section vital and inject new perspectives and directions. Another concern is that ANSS is isolated from other sections in ACRL. As chair I would proactively seek out opportunities for joint endeavors (e.g. programs, social events, database/index reviews, and tours) especially since the interdisciplinary aspects of anthropology and sociology lend themselves to this.
1999 ANSS CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Submitted by Connie L. Phelps
The 1999 ANSS Program, attended by over 75 people, was held on Sunday morning, June 27. The title of the program was “Preserving Social History: The Leadership Role of Librarians and Scholars iLeadership Role of Librarians and Scholars in Building Locally Based Collections.” The four panelists were Barry Ancelet, Director, Center for Acadian/Creole Folklore,University of Southwestern Louisiana; Anne Frank, Head, Southeast Asian Archive, U-C Irvine; Roberts Batson, President, The Bienville Foundation and New Orleans community activist; and Bruce Raeburn, Director, Hogan Jazz Archive, Tulane University. Barry Ancelet said that he began collecting tapes of Cajun folktales and music to preserve his heritage, rather than written materials, because the Cajun culture is not book-oriented. Anne Frank told how the Southeast Asian Archive began as an emphasis in the local history (Orange County, CA) collection, and expanded to include other related materials. She emphasized the need to collect primary source materials quickly, and spoke of how difficult this could be with refugee cultures, which were more concerned with beginning a new life than with preserving their history.
Roberts Batson, who is collecting New Orleans’ lesbian and gay history materials, eloquently told the story of Clay Shaw, a gay businessman who was persecuted by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison. He emphasized how important it is to preserve the history of a group, not only so that it is not lost, but also so that others do not inaccurately portray the group or its members. Bruce Raeburn spoke about the unique groups kneburn spoke about the unique groups known as Mardi Gras Indians, New Orleans African-American tribes who dress in elaborate beaded, hand-sewn costumes and whose parades include traditional chanting, dancing and competition. He explained that the origins of these groups are unclear because of the groups’ secrecy and because no written records were kept.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Executive Committee
Submitted by J. Christina Smith, Past Chair
Executive Committee met twice at the 1999 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans to hear reports from committees and discussion groups, and news of activities from special libraries (Tozzer), organizations (LARG), and individual members pursuing anthropology/ sociology liaison work or collaborating in publication projects. The meeting also provided an opportunity for exchanging information, sharing ideas, and confirming directions for ANSS. Here are some of the actions taken and topics discussed.
Executive Committee approved changing the time for the first Executive Committee meeting at Midwinter 2000 from Saturday 9:30-11 AM to Saturday 8-9 AM. This will free up the 9:30-11 slot for other committee meetings.
In the absence of a separate Membership Committee, Executive Committee approved involving the members-at-large in membership-related activities such as contacting new members and inviting them to become activ members and inviting them to become active with the section.
An ANSS social was held at Annual Conference on Friday, June 25th at the Napoleon House in the French Quarter. Attendance at this get-together consisted of old-timers as well as new committee members.
Executive Committee members were briefed on what happened at Sections Council, a group comprised of the chairs and vice chairs of the ACRL sections. One of the agenda items at Sections Council was a motion requesting that the ACRL Board provide “up to $1500/per event for sections to contract for participant supported activities up to 15 months prior to conference. The section agrees to pay ACRL in full for the advance 14 days prior to the event and will be subject to a $100 late charge if payment is received after this time.” Sections have been supporting such events for many years, but competition has made space more difficult to obtain without substantial deposits and very early advance booking, causing cash flow problems for sections.
Sections Council has a brochure with brief descriptions of each section. Sections have been asked to rewrite their descriptions. ANSS member Greg Finnegan will coordinate this. Executive Committee meetings are open and ANSS members are encouraged to attend.
On the ACRL front, the section continues to be concerned about the proposed change in dues structure, which may adversely affect ous structure, which may adversely affect our membership numbers. In recent years our membership has remained fairly stable. The ACRL Sections Council has determined a new means of selecting the chair, and as a result, Sally Willson Weimer, who will be chair of ANSS, will also chair the Sections Council in 1999-2000. Scheduling meetings continues to be a challenge because ACRL sets up so many no conflict times. Communication of this problem so far has been ineffective in producing a change. ACRL does plan an evaluation of the existing board, and ANSS may be contacted for input.
The Executive committee discussed the process of appointing replacements when someone cannot fulfill the terms of an elected office. ANSS will be refining its rules to make this an easier process.
Library of Congress has proposed changes to the sociology classification schedule and has asked ANSS for feedback. Members with expertise in this areaith expertise in this area were urged to send comments to LC. JSTOR has also been in contact with ANSS about advice on the titles in its service. There will be more communication in the future and discussion groups may want to explore this topic at future meetings.
Harvard’s Tozzer Library has appointed a new Tozzer Librarian, Maija Lutz, and a new editorial board for Anthropological Literature. Tozzer also has a new conservation lab and is contributing to a Harvard brittle books microfilming grant-funded project.
Lynn Schmelz reported that the Council for the Preservation of Anthropological Records would meet again in November 1998. She has relayed that the Human Relations Area Files is continuing to increase their number of electronic publications, including an encyclopedia of prehistory and a collection in archaeology. By 2000 all 60 cultures should be converted to electronic format.
Greg Finnegan noted that the Library-Anthropology Resource Group plans to have its guide to collections in anthropology ready for publication in November 1998.
Bibliography Committee
Submitted by James D. Haug, Chair
The Bibliography Committee met once during the 1999 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, and accomplished several things. Foremost was final editing of Royce Kurtz’ review of the Web version of America: History and Life. The reviewer expected the final drd Life. The reviewer expected the final draft to be ready for publication in the upcoming issue of ANSS Currents. In addition, the Committee encouraged Katie Whitson to continue drafting an analysis of Sociofile, endorsed Janet Steins’ proposal to review GeoRef from an archaeological and paleoanthropological perspective, and proposed an anthropological review of bibliographic resources in ecology.
The Committee also discussed sending letters to the publishers of resources it has recently reviewed, and agreed that reviving this practice would be desirable. Last of all, the Committee considered whether or not it should follow a single, authoritative style guide; and, if so, whether that guide should be the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed. Since the Chair had asked the Publications Committee which style manual it recommended for articles written for Currents, and the meeting of that committee had not yet taken place, the Bibliography Committee decided to defer further consideration of this issue until the Publications Committee reported its decision.
Conference Program Planning Committee 2000
Submitted by William J. Wheeler, Chair
The committee met on Sunday, June 27th. Members present were William J. Wheeler, Erin Daix, Dana Edwards, Mona Niffenegger, Sally Willson Weimer & Lynn Hattendorf Westney. Absent was Margaret Dittemore. Wheeler circulategaret Dittemore. Wheeler circulated a copy of the Program Description draft submitted prior to ALA to Larry Hardesty. Daix and Niffenegger will publicize the event. It will be included in Currents and in C&RL News. Daix will compile a list of e-mail lists to send announcements to and will add a link to the ANSS home page. We will compile some possible questions for the panel, and create a sub-committee to compile a bibliography.
PRELIMINARY PROGRAM:
DATE/TIME: Sunday, July 9, 2000, 9:30am – 12:30pm
TITLE: Sociological and Anthropological Research in Transition: Trans-disciplinary Collaboration, Qualitative/quantitative Rapprochement
DESCRIPTION: Social scientists seem to be rediscovering each other through cooperative research, work in common research arenas, and use of similar data now almost ubiquitously available. At the same time most are rediscovering the interconnectedness of research on the populations they study. This panel asks whether this will be a persistent pattern and what librarians need to know as facilitators. We have invited administrators/researchers from two University of Chicago research centers who work across disciplinary boundaries as well as two librarians at who are dealing with data use and interdisciplinary research at Yale University to discuss what kinds of cooperative bonds havss what kinds of cooperative bonds have been, are, and can be formed between librarians and researchers in our increasingly electronically complex information and data-full world.
PRESENTERS: Kathleen Parks, Assistant Director, Committee on Demographic Training, NORC/UChicago “Research Centers as Research Facilitators;” Tom W. Smith, Director National Opinion Research Center (NORC)/UChicago “The International Social Survey Program: Cross-National Research Developments and Opportunities;” Jocelyn Tipton, Data Librarian; Will Wheeler, Collections, Yale University Social Science Library “Data in Libraries: Collections and Access.”
EVENT: Jane Addams Center, Tuesday 10am We also chose an event associated with the program, a visit to the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum. Lynn Hattendorf Westney was instrumental in arranging this tour which will be Tuesday, July 11, at 10am.
Liaison Committee
Submitted by Christine Whittington
The ANSS Liaison Committee met from 8-9 a.m. Saturday. Incoming Chair Christine Whittington chaired the meeting in place of Lori Foulke, who was unable to attend. Other members in attendance were Suzanne Calpestri and Brita Servaes.
Whittington noted that copies of ANSS Currents have been mailed out to organizations on the liaison list. Discussion centered on the ACRL Initiative Fund Proposal submitted this year bytiative Fund Proposal submitted this year by Lori Foulke. The proposal involved creation of a website that would become a resource for sharing expertise worldwide. Calpestri proposed that we look into creating this site as an “AskA” service, noting that there is an AskA service base at Berkeley. She will consult resource people there.
Publications Committee
Submitted by Ellen Gilbert, Chair
The Publications Committee began its discussions by critiquing the May issue of ANSS Currents and by establishing due dates for copy for the Fall issue. Members agreed that material due to appear in Currents will also appear on the ANSS Web Page, but not in the same format. The online material will be “deconstructed” from Currents to appear as updates of earlier reports, rather than looking like a traditional issue of the newsletter.
Suggestions for new web sites will be referred to ANSS-L rather than printed in Currents, due to lack of space. The ANSS Manual will be brought up-to-date and maintained on the web; Joyce will look into placing it with ACRL. It will continue to appear online as a “manual,” rather than in separate information components, for now. The volunteer form will appear in the Fall issue of Currents, if space allows. In keeping with other ACRL publications, those with queries regarding formatting of text for Currents will be refer of text for Currents will be referred to the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed.
Consideration will be given to streamlining the section’s brochure by eliminating at least some of the historical information and, perhaps, making it more general so it can be used over several years. Isabel Quintana and Mary Nofsinger continue as Currents co-editors, and Gary McMillan will assume the duties of Committee Chair at the close of the annual conference.
DISCUSSION GROUP REPORTS
Anthropology Librarians’ Discussion Group
Conveners: Pauline Manaka & James Williams
Submitted by Pauline Manaka
Twenty-nine librarians heard a presentation by Christiane Cunnar of the Human Relations Area Files, Member Services department. She spoke about E-HRAF, the electronic versions of the Archaeology and Ethnology Human Relations Area Files. The focus of the discussion was on thes of the discussion was on the new Web search interface and its capabilities.
Chris provided a historical background on the evolution of the cultural files, which contain more than a million pages, covering 360 cultures. E-HRAF contains only part of the collection on CD-ROM and Web. The rest of the collection is in microfiche. She explained the difference between the CD-ROM and web versions. Each installment contains 15 cultures, approximately 40,000 pages of text. The cultures are determined according to random sampling. Size is a factor in probability sample determination. The files contain manuscripts, dissertations, books, etc. All materials are full-text. Files contain information from the HRAF microfiche converted to electronic format, plus 40% new information. Evaluation is a major part of the conversion.
E-HRAF is searchable by OCM (outline of cultural material) numbers, a system of standardization by subject. The OCM numbers are assigned to paragraphs and are useful in citation or subject searches. A guide to the files provides an overview of each culture and the subject categories. Each file is complete. Ms Cunnar explained that HRAF handles copyright issues for their full-text sources.
Subscription to E-HRAF is by membership and Associate membership. Currently there are members only in North America. Lynn Schmelz, member th America. Lynn Schmelz, member of the HRAF Board of Directors, stated that the Human Relations office has begun to offer consortia memberships. As few as two institutions may form a consortium to subscribe. The larger the number of members, the lower the cost per institution. Consortia members are billed separately, if they so prefer.
Ms. Cunnar announced the new archaeological version of HRAF. The OCM numbers are modified for archeological purposes. The files are smaller, approximately 15,000 pages of text a year. The HRAF toll free number was provided, 1-800-520-HRAF. Pauline Manaka distributed a tabular summary of a study which compared HRAF with Anthropological Literature, Sociological Abstracts, and magazine and journals databases on a variety of topics. The study was based on 32 undergraduate students in a cross-cultural class at the University of California, Irvine. Christiane gave each participant a “Brief Guide to the HRAF Collections on the Web.”
Sociology Librarians Discussion Group
Co-conveners: Brian Quinn and Beth Sibley
Submitted by Brian Quinn
Sixteen people attended the Sociology Librarians Discussion Group meeting on Saturday, June 26, 1999. The guest speaker, Dr. Carl Bankston of Tulane University, gave a presentation, “Meeting the Needs of Sociology Faculty and Students.” He began his talk with an analogy, noting that the relationship between librarians and faculty is like that of caretaker and infant–when faculty wants something, they cry. On a more serious note, he said that government documents are very important to sociologists, particularly PUMS (Public Use Microdata Sample) data because it provides information about a sample at an individual level, rather than in the aggregate. He also said that there is a need for census data more recent than 1990. He suggested the Economic Census, which is taken every five years and Current Population Surveys, taken every two years. Sociology librarians need to gain a better understanding of census map systems. Two mapping systems that are especially important are Tiger and GIS.
With regard to collection development, librarians need to acquire more books in “hot” areas of sociology, including area studies, gender, ethnicity, race, and immigration. Dr. Bankston recommended the works of William Julius Wilson, Orlando Patterson, Min Zhou, and Richard Alba. Environmental sociology is another area that is of growing interest, especially works by Robert Gramling. Additionally, undergraduate sociology students need reference books that provide background/context and that summarize terms, events, concepts and issues quickly. Gale and Salem Press are good sources of these works.
In responding to questions and comments, Dr. Bankston said that the Web is a good source of sociology information, but only as a starting place. Asked about the relative importance of quantitative versus qualitative data, he noted that quantitative research gets published more than qualitative research because it appears more rigorous. But every quantitative approach should have a qualitative grounding. Regarding the relative desirability of electronic or paper journals as a publishing medium, he said that paper journals are more prestigious and are more widely cited than electronic ones.
Turning to the question of library instruction, Dr. Bankston said that it should be two-tiered. One tier should be general and introductory, and another should be for specialized training for specific courses. He also said that in the area of ethnic studies, many faculty are moving away from assigning general topics for research papers, and are instead focusing on narrower topics to decrease the possibility of plagiarism. Those in attendance were asked to recommend topics for future discussion.
NEWS & QUERIES
PERSONNEL
Joyce L. Ogburn has a new position. She is now Associate Director for Resources and Collection Management Services at the University of Washington Libraries. Her responsibilities include technical services, collection development, and international studies.
In July/August 1999, Karen Peacock, Curator of the Pacific Collection at the University of Hawaii Library, offered a summer school course on Pacific Resources through the UH Library and Information Science program. This graduate course surveyed reference works, general literature, databases and web sites related to the Pacific Islands nations of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Among the graduate students enrolled were librarians from Guam, the Marshall Islands and Palau.
Visiting Scholar Program, Joint Center for Poverty Research, 2000-2001: The Joint Center for Poverty Research will support at least one Visiting Scholar at Northwestern University or the University of Chicago for the 2000-2001 academic year. This program supports junior faculty in the social sciences whose research explores the causes or consequences of poverty and inequality in the U.S. Visiting Scholars are expected to be in residence for one academic year and either the preceding or following summer. Salary is competitive. Priority will be given to applicants who have completed their Ph.Ds in no less than the past three years and no more than the past six years. Employment in a tenure-track faculty position is preferred, but not required. Applications are due December 1, 1999 and seleions are due December 1, 1999 and selections will be announced in January 2000. Application instructions are available on the JCPR Web Site at www.jcpr.org/visitsch.html. For more information call (773) 702-0472.
ACRL Awards Program 2000 – Call for Nominations:
The ACRL Awards Program recognizes outstanding contributions to the fields of academic and research librarianship. The awards are presented annually at the ALA Annual Conference. Further details are available on the ACRL website http://www.ala.org/acrl/award2 The deadline for most nominations is December 1, 1999. Nomination and submission procedures, criteria, and eligibility requirements for each award are available from Lisa R. Grube. E-mail: lgrube@ala.org (312) 280-2515; (800) 545-2433 ext. 2515
REVIEW
AMERICA: HISTORY AND LIFE ON THE WEB
ANSS Currents (ISSN 0888-5559) is published by the Anthropology and Sociology Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago IL 60611; (312) 944-6780.
����American Library Association, 1999.
Co-Editors: Isabel del Carmen Quintana, Tozzer Library, Harvard University, 21 Divinity Ave., Cambridge MA 02138-2019. (617) 495-2292 quintana@fas.harvard.edu
Mary M. Nofsinger, Holland Library, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-5610, (509) 335-8614; (509) 332-1274. mnofsing@wsu.edu
Production & Circulation Office: 50 E. Huron St., Chicago IL 60611.
ANSS Currents is published semi-annually in May and November and is distributed, at no additional charge, to members of the section. Back issues are available from ALA/ACRL, 50 East Huron St., Chicago IL 60611.
Chair, 1999-2000: Sally Willson Weimer, Reference Services, Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9010. (805) 893-3454. weimer@library.ucsb.edu
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, 1999-2000: Cathy L. Moore-Jansen/Chair-Elect, 1999-2000: Cathy L. Moore-Jansen, Library, Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita KS 67260-0068. (316) 689-3591 moorejan@twsuvm.uc.twsu.edu
ANSS 