BCReview

University of Wyoming Libraries Sign Up for BCR Shelf2Life Program

2009-11-17T08:22:00.002-07:00

The University of Wyoming (UW) has agreed to contribute selected books published prior to 1923 to BCR’s Shelf2Life program, thereby “breathing new life” into old texts and providing access to important content in ways they have never been able to in the past.

“We see participating in Shelf2Life Program as a key component of our digital library program,” noted Lori Phillips, Associate Dean of Libraries at the University of Wyoming. “We are excited to be able to make our resources available to the public and our students and faculty through BCR’s Shelf2Life program.”

By participating in the Shelf2Life program, the University of Wyoming Libraries have added another avenue to meet their goal of supporting the educational, research and service missions of the University, providing access to a broad range of information resources to the University's academic community, regardless of location.

BCR’s Shelf2Life Program is an exciting opportunity for libraries and cultural heritage institutions to make their book collections available in digital format─without the expense of equipment and significant staff time. They can share their collections with new and existing audiences, increasing the visibility, use and recognition of their important collections.

To see some of the titles that are now available, visit the Amazon.com website. Under the advanced search capability, search for BCR under Publishers. For more information, contact BCR's Liz Bishoff, Director, Digital & Preservation Services (s2l@bcr.org), or visit the BCR website to see a video describing the project and learn more about BCR's Shelf2Life program.

Serials Solutions Extends Special Offer for eResource Assessment Service

2009-11-16T11:28:00.004-07:00

Serials Solutions realizes that in tough economic times it is more important than ever before to justify expenditures and optimize purchases based on usage. With 360 Counter, your library can do all that and take advantage of a special offer available only through December 18.

Serials Solutions is offering BCR members a special end-of-year discount that is available in addition to the normal BCR member discount. New subscribers to the 360 Counter e-Resource Assessment Service also get three months free and an extra 10 percent discount.

360 Counter helps a library know how much each e-resource is being used and helps staff make intelligent decisions about which resources to keep, which to cut and which packages to renegotiate. The service helps reduce costs, helps staff make more informed collection development decisions and ultimately provides a better experience for patrons.

360 Counter quickly performs cost-per-use reporting and analysis, dramatically reducing the time it takes to process and analyze usage data received from COUNTER-compliant reports. The service aggregates data, inserts costs, associates subjects, standardizes titles, calculates usage and costs and automates analysis. Reporting can be customized based on the criteria that’s most important for a particular library.

360 Counter enables a library to:

Aggregate Project COUNTER and SUSHI-compliant reports from providers
View journal usage across titles and providers
Track usage and access over time
Report usage, costs and ROI
Archive reports and cost-per-use information

Visit the Serials Solutions website to learn more about 360 Counter, and read a case study to see how 360 Counter was used to analyze a large university’s collection and improve returns on its eResource budget.

BCR’s Jay Ford (jford@bcr.org) can help with subscription and pricing details or visit the BCR website for more information.

BCR Introduces New Emerald Products

2009-11-16T11:15:00.002-07:00

BCR has added two new resources to its Emerald family of reference services. Emerald Engineering provides solutions to problems and keeps users up-to-date with quality engineering information. Emerald InTouch is a web space and hosting service designed to support learning and collaboration.

Emerald Engineering — The database provides engineering, materials science and technical information for the academic, researcher or industry practitioner, with access to important journals via a fully-searchable, online database. The Emerald Engineering journal portfolio offers practical and theoretical solutions over a number of major engineering disciplines, including advanced automation, computational mathematics, electrical manufacture and packaging and more. The majority of titles are listed by Thomson Reuters (ISI), making them essential reading for all engineers who are working, researching or teaching this subject.

Emerald InTouch — This innovative web space and hosting service brings together technologies such as blogs, wikis and RSS into one place, enabling users to create and join communities of practice, engage in reflective learning and collaborate with peers online. Emerald InTouch takes advantage of Web 2.0 tools to support learning within a safe and secure environment. The service is available both as a free resource or can be customized and hosted by Emerald. To request more information, send an email to intouch@emeraldinsight.com.

Other Emerald reference resources available through BCR include Emerald Alumni; Emerald Backfiles, Emerald eBook Series, Emerald Management First and Emerald Management eJournals (formerly Emerald ManagementXtra).

For more information on Emerald Engineering and Emerald InTouch, as well as any of the other Emerald products available through BCR, contact Chris Cook (ccook@bcr.org). She will be happy to help you with subscription and pricing inquiries.

OCLC Americas Regional Council To Meet at ALA Midwinter

2009-11-16T11:10:00.003-07:00

The OCLC Americas Regional Council will hold its first meeting, Friday, January 15, in conjunction with the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.

The meeting location, agenda and online registration details will be announced in the next few weeks. If you will be unable to attend in-person, please watch for details on how you can view portions of the meeting that will be broadcast live on the web.

The Americas Regional Council meeting will provide an open forum to discuss issues of importance to OCLC members and to advise OCLC about its products, services, policies and operating direction. The Americas Regional Council Executive Committee, members of OCLC Board of Trustees, Global Council and OCLC Management will be present for interactive discussions. Members should bring ideas and be ready to participate.

Comprised of members from libraries and other cultural heritage organizations from Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and the United States, the Americas Regional Council is part of the OCLC cooperative’s new governance structure that consists of three Regional Councils and a Global Council to facilitate member-to-member discussions across the cooperative.

If you have questions about the meeting or the Americas Regional Council, please contact Patrick Wilkinson, the Chair of the Americas Regional Council at wilkinso@UWOSH.EDU.

Learn more about OCLC Global Council and the three Regional Councils.

BCR WebLive Workshop Focuses on Grantwriting for Digital Projects

2009-11-16T11:06:00.003-07:00

Does your library want to expand access to its collections through digitization or digitize a new format ? If so, BCR's WebLive workshop Grantwriting for Digital Projects can help get you started.

This new workshop, scheduled for Friday, December 4, 1-3 p.m. (MT), is designed to help your organization explore options for funding these and other digitization initiatives. You'll learn where and how to find sources to fund a digitization project, how to develop a grant and what you need to do to increase your success rate. The workshop is intended for library directors, digital library managers, museum directors, grant writers, grant managers, archivists and digital archivists who are involved with grant writing for their institution.

This is a great opportunity to learn the basics of getting started in the sometimes arcane world of grantwriting. Register now on the BCR website.

BCR Presents Job Preparation/Search Solutions for Libraries

2009-11-09T15:15:00.003-07:00

BCR member libraries that purchase ResumeMaker Web Solutions before November 30 receive a free additional multi-user library license from Individual Software's family of essential computer training and career development software.

Available only until November 30, ResumeMaker Workforce Solutions offers web-based resume-writing and career development solutions. Integrating ResumeMaker into an organization's existing web services lets libraries as well as colleges and universities provide the necessary tools to help job seekers advance their careers.

Take advantage of this special offer. Purchase ResumeMaker Web Solutions for Libraries, and receive a free multi-user library license to one of the following:

Typing Instructor for Business — By combining effective instruction technology techniques with easy-to-use menus, users learn touch typing quickly and easily. Includes timed tests, typing games and interesting articles for practice.
Professor Teaches Office 2007 — This 12-program tutorial set offers the most realistic, interactive and complete training on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher and Front Page. Helps users build skills and learn everything they need, from beginning to advanced topics.
Professor Teaches Windows 7 — Consisting of a five-program tutorial, this resource provides training for the new Windows 7 and Windows 7 Advanced. Bonus training available on Internet Explorer 8, PC Security Fundamental and Windows Vista.
Also available — Instructor Platinum and Typing Instructor for Kids; Professor Teaches Office 2003; and Professor Teaches Windows Vista and XP.

Discover how your library or school can provide the resources to help your users accomplish more. Visit the ResumeMaker Web Solutions for BCR webpage for a detailed description, along with links to request a demo for evaluation or view a video tour.

For additional information, contact BCR's Jay Ford (jford@bcr.org) or visit the BCR webpage.

Credo Reference Webinars Highlight New Features

2009-11-09T14:14:00.005-07:00

Credo Reference has rolled out a new platform with enhanced features that include the ability to seamlessly search into other library resources, new concept map, roll-over technology, framing technology, geo-location authentication system and more. Credo Reference's upcoming schedule of webinars are designed to introduce BCR members to the new platform.

Sign up now for a November webinar and discover this newly developed meta-technology only available with Credo Reference. Each session lasts about an hour and covers these topics and more:

Search functionality — general layout, cross-reference, scope and subject/title configurations.
Other features — dynamic table functionality, interactive world atlas, flash, animations, videos and audio files.
Credo Reference Administrative System — Combining new customization features, content selection, usage stats, MARC records and more.
Promoting capabilities —MARC records, title/subject linking, user guides, etc., as well as some effective promotion techniques.

Visit the Credo Reference website to register for any of the following webinars. All webinar attendees are entered into a drawing for a $100 gift certificate from Amazon.

Wednesday, November 11 (10:00 a.m. CDT)
Friday, November 13 (12:00 noon CDT)
Tuesday, November 17 (2:00 p.m. CDT)
Thursday, November 19 (10:00 a.m. CDT)

For subscription and pricing details, contact BCR's Jay Ford (jford@bcr.org) or visit the BCR website.

Already a Credo Reference subscriber, but want to learn more about its features and functionality? Take a look at the schedule of training webinars.

New BCR Board, Officers Installed for FY 2009-2010

2009-11-09T13:45:00.003-07:00

At the September 18, BCR Board of Trustees meeting, incumbent Board chair, Greg Cotton, technical services/system librarian for Cole Library at Cornell College (IA), welcomed new and returning members to the BCR Board of Trustees.

Two newly elected trustees participated in orientation activities prior to the Board meeting. New members include school library trustee, Kelly Kuntz, Beaverton (OR) School District; and at-large trustee, Lori Phillips, University of Wyoming Libraries. Returning for a second term each are special library trustee, Ann Marie Clark, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (WA); and at-large trustee, Kate Gordon, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.

BCR also welcomes a new state library representative from Nevada to the Board of Trustees. Daphne DeLeon, division administrator of the Nevada State Library & Archives, will join the other ten state agency trustees to the Board for the December 2009 meeting.

The BCR Board of Trustees officers for FY 2009-2010 include Cotton, whose tenure as Board chair was extended an additional two years to maintain continuity on the Board and among Board officers; Ann Joslin, Idaho state librarian, who is serving her third consecutive year as the BCR Board of Trustees vice-chair. In addition to Cotton and Joslin, BCR public library trustee, Gina Millsap, Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library (KS); Mary Wegner, Iowa state librarian; and Ann Marie Clark, will continue to serve on the BCR Executive Committee.

Call for Presentations—CALC Summit May 2010

2009-11-09T12:43:00.004-07:00

The 4th CALC Summit, Collaborate Like You Mean It!, is set for May 20-21, at the Sheraton Denver West Hotel. Proposals for presentations and poster sessions are being accepted through February 12, 2010.

We’ve all heard that collaboration is important, but how can academic libraries forge lasting, effective partnerships both within and outside their institutions? What makes some partnerships succeed and others fail?

Come share your successes, failures, research and innovative ideas related to academic library collaboration. We’re particularly interested in proposals that address:

Collaboration to expand library services or improve student success
Collaboration to develop Web 2.0 applications
Strategies for building and maintaining partnerships
Inter-institutional collaboration
Institutional barriers to collaborative efforts, and how to overcome them
Assessing the success of collaborative efforts
Collaboration with non-library partners

Presentation Options:

Concurrent Presentations: A speaker or team of speakers presents for 45 or 75 minutes, with a 15-minute Q&A session after the presentation. Presentations that involve discussion, audience participation or activities are strongly encouraged.

Poster Sessions: A graphical presentation (paper or digital) of research results, case studies, projects or ideas. Poster presenters will discuss their work with attendees during the poster session time slot (likely to be 1 hour long).

Details:
Presentation and poster proposals will be reviewed and competitively selected by a committee of academic librarians.

Proposal Requirements:

Names and full contact information of presenter(s)
Title of presentation or digital poster session
Abstract and brief outline (200 words max)
Desired presentation length (45 or 75 minutes) or poster session

Submit proposals using the online form on the CALC website.

Proposals are due by February 12, 2010. You’ll be notified about the status of your proposal by March 12, 2010.

For more information, visit www.calcweb.org or email jay.devaughn@ccaurora.edu.

Sponsored by:
CALC – Colorado Academic Library Consortium
CLiC – Colorado Library Consortium
CoALA – Association of Colorado Libraries – Academic Division

Posted on behalf of Valerie Horton, Executive Director, Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC).

Oxford Handbooks Online Added to BCR Reference Resources

2009-11-09T12:07:00.005-07:00

BCR members now have access to a wide array of online information resources drawn from the prestigious Oxford Handbooks series in four subject modules – Business & Management, Philosophy, Political Science and Religion.

Available for the first time as an online collection, each handbook takes an aspect of its discipline and unpacks it, explaining the key issues, the classic and contemporary debates on those issues and setting the agenda for how those debates might evolve. The handbooks offer authoritative and trustworthy guides to the scholarship that defines each field and are a valuable resource for both researchers and teachers.

Features found in each collection include:

Complete text of 65 Oxford Handbooks in four subject areas: Business & Management, Political Science, Philosophy, Religion.
More than 2,000 original essays by internationally renowned scholars.
Comprehensive structure with each handbook having a homepage with abstracts and keywords and full bibliographic information. Each homepage also contains onward links to related content.
Scholarly accreditation – All Oxford Handbooks are extensively peer-reviewed and approved for publication by a board of leading academics from Oxford University.
Fully cross-searchable with Oxford Scholarship Online.
Plus, other benefits such as quick search, sort results and advance search options; bibliography search and extensive cross-references; DOIs and static URLs; ability to export citations automatically to ProCite, EndNote, RefWorks and ReferenceManager; editorially created links that support research connections to support information in Dictionary of National Biography, American National Biography and other works by the same author in Oxford Journals and Oxford Scholarship Online.

The Oxford Handbooks Online are available on a subscription basis and/or for purchase. BCR’s Chris Cook (ccook@bcr.org) can assist with subscription and pricing details.

Visit the BCR website for additional information about the new Oxford Handbooks Online.

Ulrich's Online Services Offered at Special, Limited-time Discount

2009-11-09T11:33:00.003-07:00

Serials Solutions is now offering the Ulrich's Online Services to BCR members at a discount. Plus, through November 20 only, BCR libraries will receive an additional 15 percent discount and up to two months of free service on new subscriptions to Ulrichsweb.com or the Ulrich's Serials Analysis System.

Ulrichsweb.com is a great upgrade or complement to the print edition of the Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, considered the authoritative source for information about serials. The electronic version is a user-friendly and up-to-date, one-stop shop for all your library's information needs when it comes to periodicals.

A few of the features of Ulrichsweb.com include:

Ability to link to Serials Solutions A-Z list, reviews, JCR web, Library Catalog, OCLC and other outside sources
Multiple users at one time and subscriptions based on unlimited users
Enhanced information on A & I coverage
Tables of Contents links
Updates on a weekly basis
Personalization tools, such as Lists, let users create and share lists of titles they've located in Ulrich's.com, set up personalized alerts based on changes in a particular subject category and functions as a time-saving workflow solution.

Ulrich's Serials Analysis System offers the library a number of other tools, supported by the qualitative information in Ulrichsweb.com, for assessing collections and accomplishing a wide variety of serials analysis projects—from print-to-electronic migrations to identifying the last available copy—more efficiently and effectively, a task more critical than ever in today's economy. A subscription to the Analysis System includes Ulrichsweb.com for free.

Offer Expires November 20
Don't miss out on this brief opportunity to save time, increase usage and get the best serials information available with Ulrich's Online Services. Pricing for these products is based on population served.

Interested in a test drive? Request a free trial from BCR's Jay Ford (jford@bcr.org). He can also assist with pricing and subscription details. Visit the BCR website for additional information.

NetLibrary eBook Provides Intimate View of China's Remote Regions

2009-11-06T14:09:00.002-07:00

The NetLibrary eBook of the Month for November is Invisible China: A Journey Through Ethnic Borderlands, an eloquent and eye-opening adventure narrative from two Americans fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Uyghur, who throw away the guidebook and bring a hitherto unexplored side of China to light.

Authors Colin Legerton and Jacob Rawson journey more than 14,000 miles by bus and train to the farthest reaches of the country to meet the minority peoples who dwell there, talking to farmers in their fields, monks in their monasteries, fishermen on their skiffs and herders on the steppe.

In Invisible China, they engage in a heated discussion of human rights with Daur and Ewenki village cadres; celebrate Muhammad’s birthday with aging Dongxiang hajjis who recount the government’s razing of their mosque; attend mass with old Catholic Kinh fishermen at a church that has been forty years without a priest; hike around high-altitude Lugu Lake to farm with the matrilineal Mosuo women; and descend into a dry riverbed to hunt for jade with Muslim Uyghur merchants. As they uncover surprising facts about China’s hidden minorities and their complex position in Chinese society, they discover the social ramifications of inconsistent government policies—and some deep human truths as well.

Publishers Weekly hails it as "a spectacular achievement reminiscent of early 20th-century anthropological monographs by Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict."

The eBook of the Month showcases new and noteworthy titles available from NetLibrary. Each month, NetLibrary selects a new featured title and provides free, unlimited access through the authenticated homepages of more than 13,000 public, academic and special libraries. To access each month's eBook as well as a tool kit of free promotional materials that can be downloaded and personalized for your library, visit the NetLibrary eBook of the Month resources webpage.

For more information about eBooks, please contact BCR's Chris Cook at ccook@bcr.org.

New for WorldCat.org: Elsevier Content, Goodreads Reviews

2009-11-06T11:32:00.002-07:00

Elsevier ScienceDirect articles are now on WorldCat.org, and Goodreads reviews have been added to help users evaluate materials with fellow readers' comments.

Elsevier metadata for SCOPUS and ScienceDirect collections from 2006 to the present have now been indexed in WorldCat.org search results. This article-level metadata joins similar content such as the GPO Monthly Catalog, ArticleFirst, Medline, ERIC and the British Library Inside Serials. The ScienceDirect content corresponds to 1,800 journals, 150 book series and more than 1.3 million records.

WorldCat has added Goodreads reviews to help users evaluate materials with fellow readers’ comments. Users will find Goodreads reviews in the Reviews section alongside WorldCat, WeRead and Amazon reviews. Get great book recommendations from people you know, keep track of what you've read or what you'd like to read or maybe form a book club, answer book trivia or collect your favorite quotes.

For questions related to WorldCat.org and any of its services, contact BCR's support team (support@bcr.org).

Your Path to Professional Development — OCLC’s New Training Portal

2009-11-06T11:25:00.003-07:00

OCLC and its training partners, including BCR, work together to ensure that the training requirements you have throughout the year can be easily fulfilled. The new OCLC Training Portal aggregates all training available throughout the nation on all OCLC services relevant to today’s information specialists.

Librarians and other professionals can find and register for training available from OCLC-certified training partners through the Training Portal. As a certified training partner, BCR offers a wide array of training from cataloging and resource sharing to emerging technologies and digital and preservation topics.

BCR’s training opportunities range from in-person courses—scheduled, on-request or on-location and online training via WebLive workshops, self-paced online classes and the popular Free Friday Forums and Product and Services Showcase sessions. A full list of all of BCR’s current offerings can be found at www.bcr.org/training/index.html.

Newly available are BCR’s online training coupons. Libraries can now prepay for a booklet of twenty (20) training coupons and receive a significant discount for each unit of online training. See the BCR website for more details.

For additional information about the OCLC Training Portal as well as options available for BCR training, contact training@bcr.org.

Special Promotion on Naxos Music Library

2009-11-02T14:13:00.002-07:00

Does your library subscribe to the Naxos Music Library? To celebrate the upcoming launch of the new iPhone application for Naxos Music Library (NML), Naxos is offering a special discount, but only to current subscribers.

Libraries and other institutions that upgrade to unlimited users before December 31, 2009, will receive up to $1,000 off the retail price of the unlimited subscription rate. The NML iPhone and iPod touch application will allow remote access to personal and account playlists, authenticated by username and password. For further details on the application, please visit the Naxos blog.

For pricing information, please contact BCR’s Ellie Nowicki at enowicki@bcr.org.

Taylor & Francis Webinars Scheduled for November 5

2009-10-30T10:22:00.002-06:00

Sign up now for a free webinar sponsored by Taylor & Francis. Scheduled for November 5 at either 10:30 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. ET, participants will get a look at the CRCnetBASE collection, Europa World plus online and the Taylor & Francis eBook collection of more than 20,000 titles in the social sciences and humanities.

To register, contact Monica Avellone at Taylor & Francis.

Also, don't miss the opportunity to take a test drive of the following databases. Sign up before November 30 for a free trial by contacting BCR's Jay Ford (jford@bcr.org).

Armed Conflict Database
Routledge Politics and IR
Routledge Religion
Europa World Year Book
FORENSICnetBASE
Handbook of Chemistry and Physics Online
FOODnetBASE
CivilENGnetBASE

NISO Presents Webinar: Data, Data Everywhere: Migration and System Population Practices

2009-10-30T10:04:00.003-06:00

Join NISO for a November 11 webinar, Data, Data Everywhere featuring Migration and System Population Practices.

When:
November 11, 2009
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)

About the Webinar:
The scope and scale of metadata repositories continues to grow, with increasingly heterogeneous data and complexity both on the ingest side (e.g., bibliographic metadata) and in inter- and intra-organizational exchange of usage, patron, purchase, and accounting data. While data format and exchange standards are a given, how do policies, implementations, and standards interact? What are some examples of effective alignment of standards, policies and implementation, and what challenges remain?

Agenda:
Data quality, policy, and large-scale data flows
How do regional consortia establish and implement policies to allow them to cope with increasing amounts of data in a widening variety of formats?

Hilary Newman, Vice President of Implementation Services, Innovative Interfaces, Inc.

Academic library perspective
Individual research libraries provide local, customized services for their audiences that are based upon large quantities of data — hopefully of high quality and supported by easy-to-use tools and processes provided by vendors and consortia. What are the successes, stress points, and failures from the perspective of the academic library?

Maribeth Manoff, Coordinator for Networked Service Integration, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Robert McDonald, Associate Dean for Library Technologies, Indiana University

For more information and to register, visit the event webpage. Registration is per site (access for one computer) and includes access to the online recorded archive of the webinar. NISO and NASIG members receive a discounted member rate. A student discount is also available. Can't make it on the 11th? Register and gain access to the recorded archive for one year.

This announcement is published on request of NISO. The webinar is sponsored by Ex Libris.

Grove Music Online Adds New Tools, Functionality

2009-10-30T09:36:00.001-06:00

New features in Grove Music Online include an updated list of the most influential writings on contemporary music along with a new searching functionality that allows users to limit a search to the article being viewed.

The Essential 20th-century reading list outlines writings on contemporary music, covering composer tracts to periodicals to historical and theoretical studies published during the era. Hyperlinks are provided to help users explore related content in Grove Music Online.

A new feature, search within this article, is particularly useful for users accessing large articles spread over multiple pages, allowing them to search for terms within a single article, such as large country articles and articles on families. Look for the search within this article box near the top left of each entry. Simply click on the plus sign [+] to open the search box, enter the search term(s) and click search. The search box then expands to display a convenient list of search hits along with headings to contextualize them.

Oxford University Press is asking subscribers to participate in a 10-15 minute survey to assess how they can best serve the research needs of students and scholars using the reference database. Take the survey and be entered into a drawing to win one of two Amazon Kindles.

For additional information about Grove Music Online and other Oxford University Press reference resources, visit the BCR website or contact BCR's Chris Cook (ccook@bcr.org).

CQ Press Subscription Renewals Due November 30

2009-10-30T09:28:00.002-06:00

The renewal deadline for BCR's annual group subscriptions for the CQ Press online databases is November 30. BCR already has sent renewal announcements via email to the subscribing library's contact person listed in our member database. Renewals are not automatic, so please respond and let BCR know if you are renewing your CQ database(s) subscription.

The BCR group subscription period is December 1 through November 30. New subscribers are always welcome, and new subscriptions will be tied into the group subscription period. CQ product information is available on BCR's website. New subscribers are asked to complete BCR's Quote Request form.

Questions about your subscription? Contact BCR's Chris Cook (ccook@bcr.org).

BCR Represented at Conferences in Oregon, Hawaii and Colorado

2009-10-30T09:05:00.005-06:00

Don't miss your opportunity to visit BCR staff members, learn more about who we are and what we do at conferences in Portland (OR), Oahu (HI) and Denver (CO).

At BCR's exhibit booth, our knowledgeable and friendly staff will be on hand to provide information, answer questions and help navigate the wide variety of products and services available to the library and cultural heritage communities through BCR. In addition, several presentations with BCR staff are scheduled, bringing new ideas and news to library staff at each venue.

Museum Computer Network, November 11-14, Portland (OR) — Join BCR's Liz Bishoff, director, Digital & Preservation Services, both in the booth (#3) and at a panel discussion on Friday, November 13 (9:45-10:45 a.m.), as she and other panel members address the topic of Business Intelligence and look at the thousands of ways archives, libraries and museums are dealing with digital preservation, decision-making and sustainability. The program, Of Business Intelligence and Sustainability, will be presented by Bishoff; Steve Jacobson, president and CEO, Jacobson Consulting Applications, Inc.; and Jeremy Ottevanger, web developer, The Museum of London.

Hawaii Library Association, November 12, Kaneohe, Oahu (HI) — BCR's library services consultant, Jay Ford, is traveling to Oahu for the Hawaii Library Association annual conference. Visitors will find Jay in the BCR booth or at the BCR program, People, Action, Noise: The Value of BCR, Thursday, November 12, 1:00-1:30 p.m. In both places, he will be talking about BCR and its mission of bringing libraries together for greater success by expanding their knowledge, reach and power. In these days of smaller budgets and staff, BCR can help libraries keep pace with the latest developments in technology and services by offering a broad range of products and solutions.

Colorado Association of Libraries, November 19-21, Denver (CO) — BCR staff will be busy at the annual conference being held at the Marriott Denver Tech Center. Beyond the BCR staff members who are looking forward to meeting conference attendees at the BCR booth (#1), other staff members are participating in presentations during the three days of the conference. Can't attend? Check the BCR website after the conference for links to the presentations.

Assuring Long-term Access to Your Digital Collections: Risk Assessment and Its Role, Thursday, November 19 (1:00-4:00 p.m.) — BCR's Liz Bishoff, director, Digital & Preservation Services, and Anne Marie Lyons, digital initiatives consultant, discuss digital collections and how to ensure their accessibility to users in the next 20-30 years.
Economic Edge, Friday, November 20 (10:15-11:15 a.m.) — Justine Shaffner, BCR library services consultant-public, will be joining Amy Phillips, Pueblo City-County District; Cindy Phillips, Jefferson County Public Library; Naioma Walberg, Douglas County Libraries; and Susie Whiteford, Denver Public Library, in a panel discussion of what public libraries can do to maximize their impact on the community.
Ever Green, Friday, November 20 (1:45-2:45 p.m.) — Justine Shaffner is also presenting Ever Green, a program that will help librarians discover methods to help their libraries go green and save money, from easy ones like setting up a recycling program to more complicated ones like retrofitting your building for maximum energy efficiency.

Iowa's Drake University Joins Shelf2Life Program

2009-10-25T17:00:00.000-06:00

Drake University's Cowles Library, Des Moines, is now providing content for BCR's Shelf2Life program, making it possible for the University to advance its educational goal to provide services, collections, technology and learning opportunities for faculty and students to successfully access and use information.

Initially, the Library is contributing materials from a collection of under-utilized historical items, including large format music score and history, literature and fiction monographs, as well as a series of one-act drama scripts from the early 1900s.

As these collections are digitized, they will be available in the library's online catalog to Drake-affiliated users.

"The participation of Drake University Library in BCR's Shelf2Life program supports the Library's role in teaching and learning, promoting the aims of information literacy and providing new methods of accessing important content," commented Rod Henshaw, Dean of Library. "The Library is excited to be able to extend use of its collections into the wider community through the Shelf2Life eBooks and print-on-demand program."

The goal of BCR's Shelf2Life program is to help libraries and cultural heritage organizations share their collections with new and existing audiences. By providing organizations with the tools to digitize and widen access to their collections, BCR's Shelf2Life program helps increase the visibility, use and recognition of their important collections.

McGraw-Hill Offers Year-end Discounts

2009-10-25T11:24:00.002-06:00

McGraw-Hill is offering a selection of its medical databases to BCR member libraries, giving students, residents, clinicians, researchers and all health professionals access to current, up-to-date, peer-reviewed content, at a significant discount.

Through December 31, all new subscribers will receive 15 months for the price of 12 on any of the following McGraw-Hill medical databases:

AccessSurgery
AccessAnesthesiology
AccessEmergency Medicine
AccessPharmacy
USMLEasy
AccessMedicine
JAMAevidence

Complete with videos, images and audio, these resources offer an array of features, including specialized search capabilities, integrated drug databases and case studies, self-assessment tools and links to thousands of related sites. Users get fast, direct access to the information necessary for completing evaluations, diagnoses and case management decisions.

These databases are an invaluable addition to an institution's research and medical education resources. For more information, including subscription and pricing details, contact BCR's Ellie Nowicki (enowicki@bcr.org) or visit the BCR website.

BCR and LITA Partner to Offer Continuing Education Opportunities

2009-10-23T11:54:00.002-06:00

BCR and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), have agreed to develop a reciprocal continuing education program to complement and expand the training opportunities for the members of both organizations.

The partnership will combine those areas in which each organization is expert to meet the growing need for libraries to offer new and innovative online continuing education courses, while meeting the challenges of the rapidly changing library environment and shrinking budgets.

BCR brings a professional staff of trainers in traditional librarianship, with broad perspective and experience of both the library and cultural heritage environment, as well as experience in creating, implementing and delivering training courses for the online community. BCR will provide the technical infrastructure to support both online and self-paced learning.

LITA's membership base brings an array of expertise in library standards, emerging technologies and best practices that can be utilized to bring practitioners into the forefront for passing on their expertise to the rest of the community. Michelle Frisque, LITA President, said "I am excited by this new partnership with BCR which will allow LITA to provide a wider range of educational opportunities to our members."

Beyond the advantages of being able to learn where and when it is most practical, the membership of both organizations will benefit from receiving high-quality instruction immediately applicable to the operation of their libraries, as well as extending the variety of courses available through each organization. All members of the BCR/LITA community will have a unique opportunity for continuing education, from the basics to emerging technologies, taught by high-quality subject matter experts.

This new partnership is the first time a multistate consortium such as BCR and an ALA division have combined to undertake a broad-based continuing education program for their respective members.

Questions about the program can be directed to Regan Harper, BCR's director, Education & OutReach, or Mary Taylor, LITA executive director.

To submit a proposal for a continuing education program, visit www.lita.org/ala/mgrps/divs/lita/litaevents/education/proposalform.cfm.

For more information about BCR's continuing education and training programs, contact BCR at training@bcr.org.

BCR Appoints Project Coordinator for NEH Digital Preservation Grant

2009-10-23T11:42:00.002-06:00

Holly South has joined the staff at BCR, filling the position of project coordinator for an NEH-funded project, Digital Preservation for Digital Collaboratives. South will be working directly with BCR's Digital and Preservation Services director, Liz Bishoff, who is the Principal Investigator, as well as project faculty and staff from BCR, Lyrasis and OCLC Digital Programs.

As project coordinator for the Digital Preservation for Digital Collaboratives project, South will be responsible for establishing an appropriate project framework to implement the two-year NEH grant; creating and executing the workshop promotional program; coordinating monthly post-workshop activities; arranging for workshop facilities and appropriate local arrangements; and assisting with project evaluations.

In early 2009, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded $218,154 to BCR to support workshops on digital preservation developed specifically for leaders of collaborative digitization programs. The workshops are designed to help digital collaboratives and their members develop the capacity for assuming responsibility for long-term accessibility of digital collections under their stewardship.

South has several years of reference and collection development experience in libraries and archives, including her most recent position at the Texas Legislative Reference Library. Prior to becoming a librarian, she worked in content production and project management at Microsoft. South earned her MSI with a focus on Archives & Records Management at the University of Michigan and her BA from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

Cambridge Extends Special Offer to More Libraries

2009-10-23T10:54:00.003-06:00

Cambridge University Press is extending a special offer on Cambridge Histories Online to all BCR member academic and community college libraries, regardless of their FTE level.

Between now and December 15, 2009, academic libraries and community college libraries can take advantage of 50 percent off Cambridge Histories Online.

With instant access to the renowned texts of the Cambridge Histories series, patrons and researchers will find more than 250 volumes published since 1960, equating to some 196,000 pages of unrivaled scholarship from 15 different academic subjects.

Don't miss out on this limited-time offer. Visit the BCR website to request a price quote or contact BCR's Ellie Nowicki (enowicki@bcr.org) for subscription details.