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January/February 2005 vol.11 no.1 issn 1082-4383
Highlights in this Issue
Happy Birthday NebraskAccess!
NebraskAccess, home of the Nebraska Statewide Database Program, will be
celebrating its first birthday on January 31.
NEBASE Advisory Council Election Results
Buz Wehrman, Director of the Link Library at Concordia University, was
elected as the new Academic Representative to the NEBASE Advisory Council.
HeritageQuest Online Added to NebraskAccess
The Nebraska Library Commission is pleased to announce that the genealogy
database HeritageQuest Online is being added to NebraskAccess.
Join the WebDewey
and Abridged WebDewey Group Purchase
OCLC is offering a discounted price to users who join the NEBASE WebDewey and
Abridged WebDewey Group.
Table
of Contents
Past issues of
N3
NEBASE ADVISORY COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS
We are pleased to announce that Buz Wehrman, Director of the Link Library at
Concordia University, was elected as the new Academic Representative to the
NEBASE Advisory Council. We also would like to thank all the candidates that
were nominated and agreed to sit for this current election.
The newly elected delegate will serve for a three-year term beginning this
month. Advisory Council delegates represent your libraries to NEBASE. Please
feel free to contact your library type representative with questions,
suggestions, or concerns regarding your OCLC network, NEBASE.
The NEBASE Advisory Council serves as a channel for two-way communication
between NEBASE and its members. The Council is comprised of seven delegates,
elected for three-year terms by the member libraries of NEBASE. The NEBASE
member who currently serves on the OCLC Users Council will be an ex officio
member of the NEBASE Advisory Council.
Delegates are nominated and elected from the following groups:
3 delegates from the Academic Library (Full-members)
2 delegates from the Public Library (Full-members)
1 delegate from the Special/School Library (Full-members)
1 delegate from all type libraries (Selective users - CatExpress and ILL only)
Terms are staggered over the three-year period so that all delegates to the
Council are not new at the same time.
A full listing of all NEBASE Advisory Council delegates is shown below.
Each delegate's term expires December 31 of the year shown in parentheses behind
their name.
Academic library:
Pat Hughes, Hastings College (2005)
Lauralee Grabe, Creighton University, Reinert-Alumni Library (2006)
Buz Wehrman, Concordia University (2007)
Public library:
Sandra Donovan, Bellevue Public Library (2005),
Lori Rader, Omaha Public Library, Sorenson Branch (2006)
Selective:
Marjorie Shaw, La Vista Public Library (2005)
Special/School/Institutional:
vacant
Ex-Officio:
Michael LaCroix, Creighton University, Reinert Alumni Memorial Library
For more information about the NEBASE Advisory Council, including contact
information for the representatives, please visit: <nlc.nebraska.gov/netserv/nebase/nac.html>.
Shannon W. Behrhorst
Network Services Director
Nebraska Library Commission Back to Contents
NEBASE ANNUAL MEETING EAST 2005
The next NEBASE Annual Meeting East will be held on Thursday, July 21, at
the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. Save this date and make plans on attending.
Details on the agenda will be forthcoming. Let us know of any ideas you have
about the NEBASE Annual Meeting.
Shannon W. Behrhorst
Network Services Director
Nebraska Library Commission Back to Contents
NETLIBRARY TEAMS WITH RECORDED BOOKS
TO LAUNCH WEB-BASED AUDIOBOOK PROGRAM FOR LIBRARIES
NetLibrary, a division of OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., and the
leading provider of eBooks to libraries worldwide, has teamed up with Recorded
Books, LLC, the premier provider of unabridged Audiobooks to libraries, to
create an innovative new program for delivering Audiobooks to libraries through
the Web.
Key elements to this unique program include: an innovative pricing structure,
unlimited access, the ability for patrons to download to a range of portable
devices, and a technology solution that supports download via broadband or
dial-up capabilities, ensuring reach to a wide range of library patrons.
The program formally launched in December 2004. Libraries can view demos of the
program upon request.
Library users can search for, preview, checkout and listen to Audiobooks via the
Internet and the familiar NetLibrary platform, and can focus their search on
audio titles only, or take advantage of search functionality that integrates
audio titles with all electronic content their library may have in their
NetLibrary collection.
"This relationship marks an important milestone in the NetLibrary commitment to
libraries to work toward delivering multiple forms of eContent through one
source and one platform," said Rich Rosy, Corporate Vice President, NetLibrary,
part of OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. "We are truly pleased to be
partnering with an industry leader such as Recorded Books to launch our
Audiobooks program."
"Our goal is to provide libraries throughout the world with a single access
point to a growing and dynamic collection of electronic content, also taking
into account the growing appeal of portable devices," Mr. Rosy continued. "The
addition of Audiobooks to our catalog of eBooks, eJournals and databases
reinforces our goal to provide libraries and their patrons with more access
models, more content choices and more delivery solutions."
Since 1979, Recorded Books has been the world's premier publisher and
distributor of spoken word audio in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Perennial best sellers have made Recorded Books a stalwart on the Publisher's
Weekly Audio Best-Seller List. Recorded Books has also produced over 1,500
children's Audiobooks and has actively promoted these titles in the school and
library markets.
The NetLibrary/Recorded Books program launched with 500 titles, including works
from notable authors who regularly appear among the top 15 works on the New York
Times' Hardcover Best Seller List such as: Patricia Cornwell, Alexander McCall
Smith, Carl Hiassen, Elizabeth Peters, Nevada Barr, Pat Conroy, and more.
"Circulation for audio content continues to grow and libraries are constantly
searching for more flexible and more cost-effective delivery solutions," said
Brian Downing, Publisher, Recorded Books. "Partnering with NetLibrary will
provide us with a proven technology platform, and, together, our focus will be
on supporting the delivery of high-quality Audiobooks to all types of
libraries."
Web-based collections of Recorded Books titles are available for purchase
through either Recorded Books or NetLibrary and will be delivered via the
NetLibrary interface, already familiar to more than 12,000 libraries worldwide.
Library patrons will be able to search for Audiobooks just as they would for any
type of eContent in their NetLibrary collection.
NetLibrary/Recorded Books Audiobooks can be checked out and played on desktop,
laptop or any number of portable devices supporting Windows Media Player (v9),
Music Match (v8.2+), or Nullsoft Winamp 5 and devices that accept protected WMA
files. Supported portable devices include: Creative products (excluding the
Rhumba series), Rio, iRiver flash players, RCA, Dell Digital Jukebox, Gateway
Juke Box, and many more.
Audiobooks from NetLibrary and Recorded Books are available via a simplified
pricing model based on library size and anticipated circulation requirements.
Libraries can provide patrons with unlimited access to a collection of 500 audio
content titles. New content will be added to the program over time as new titles
are released.
For more information on ordering NetLibrary Audiobooks through your OCLC network
NEBASE, please contact, Shannon Behrhorst at 402-471-4031 or 800-307-2665, or
e-mail: Shannon Behrhorst.
[OCLC edited] Back to Contents
BUYING A SCANNER: A FEW TIPS TO GET
STARTED
Are you planning your first digitization project? Do you anticipate future
digitization projects? If the answer to both these questions is yes, then you
may be in the market for a scanner. But which scanner should you buy?
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question. In order to determine
which scanner is right for you, you need to consider not only your budget, but
also your proposed project. Are you scanning text or images? If you are scanning
text, is it crisp black ink on white paper? Or is it faded brown ink on yellowed
paper? If you are scanning images, are they color or black and white?
Photographs or slides? Is speed important to you, or do you have more time than
money?
While we can't tell you what scanner to buy, we can definitely point you to some
resources that will help you get started researching your purchase. To learn
more about scanners and scanning in general, for instance, you may want to
consult the following three sources:
- Western States Digital Imaging Best Practices - This document provides
background information and a good overview of issues to consider when scanning
cultural heritage material. See in particular the section titled Guidelines By
Source Type, pp. 31-34.
<http://www.cdpheritage.org/resource/scanning/documents/WSDIBP_v1.pdf>
- Creating Digital Images - Advice from the UK's Technical Advisory Service for
Images. See in particular their in-depth report on scanners.
<http://www.tasi.ac.uk/advice/creating/creating.html>
- A Few Scanning Tips - Wayne Fulton's site provides a great overview of
scanning, plus links to additional sources of information.
<http://www.scantips.com>
After familiarizing yourself with digital imaging best practices and scanner
specifications, you will need to start shopping for a scanner that will meet
your needs. Reading reviews is a good place to begin. Here are a few places to
find scanner reviews:
- Wilson OmniFile Full Text Select (available through NebraskAccess) - An All -
Smart Search on "scanners" retrieves numerous full-text scanner reviews. You may
also wish to do a Journal Name search on Petersen's Photographic or PC World to
browse current full-text content from these two publications. Both contain
frequent articles about scanners and digitization.
<http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/jumpstart.jhtml?prod=OMNIS>
- Flatbed Scanner Review
<http://www.flatbed-scanner-review.org>
- ZDNet - Scanner Reviews
<http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/Scanners/2001-3136_16-0.html>
- Macworld Reviews - Scanners
<http://www.macworld.com/reviews/scanner_reviews/>
Although researching and selecting a scanner for your digitization project may
seem like a tedious process, it is an important first step toward success-one
you won't regret taking! Good luck!
Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library CommissionBack to Contents
TIPS ON PURCHASING EQUIPMENT FOR A
DIGITAL IMAGING WORKSTATION
If your library is interested in purchasing its own equipment
for a digitization project take a look at the tip sheet created by the Nebraska
Library Commission's Beth Goble. Beth lists helpful hints for computer, scanner,
software and camera purchases. A list of sites to help you evaluate equipment is
also provided. You can find this information on the Nebraska Memories web site
at: </nebraskamemories/digitaltips.html>.
Shannon W. Behrhorst
Network Services Director
Nebraska Library Commission Back to Contents
NEBASE WORKSHOP CALENDAR
The following NEBASE workshops have been scheduled for Lincoln:
- OCLC Connexion: Browser Interface for
Cataloging
- OCLC Connexion: Client Interface for Cataloging
- OCLC ILL Web Interface Basics
- OCLC ILL: WorldCat Resource Sharing Basics
For a quick glance at what workshops are scheduled and where, see the NEBASE
Training Calendar at <nlc.nebraska.gov/netserv/TrainingCal.html>.
The location and date, as well as a description of each of the
workshops below, can be found at <nlc.nebraska.gov/netserv/nebase/oclcworkshopsdesc.html>.
To register for these workshops, please complete the online registration
form at <nlc.nebraska.gov/netserv/nebase/oclcworkshopform.html>.
The workshop fee for NEBASE libraries is $10. If you are not a NEBASE library*,
please check the registration form for your workshop fee. If you have any
questions, please contact Jeannette Powell at 402-471-7740 or 800-307-2665 or
e-mail: Jeannette Powell.
*NEBASE libraries are Nebraska libraries who use OCLC
cataloging or interlibrary loan services or who subscribe to FirstSearch.
Although libraries who subscribe only to FirstSearch are eligible to pay the $10
workshop fee, they must pay by check.
Online Workshops
Online workshop sessions are also available. These sessions are are
live presentations that you access from your own computer via the internet, with
audio available via a toll-free conference call. Although there is no cost
to participate in these sessions, registration is required. To register for the
online workshop sessions, please complete the online registration form at <nlc.nebraska.gov/netserv/training/onlinesessions/descriptions.html>
Online sessions that are currently scheduled are:
- OCLC ILL Subscription Pricing Q & A
- WorldCat Resource Sharing - December Enhancements
- OCLC Online Service Center
If you cannot participate in an online session at the time it is scheduled, each
session will be recorded.
Recorded sessions are viewable from a web browser.Back to Contents
Databases
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEBRASKACCESS!
NebraskAccess, home of the Nebraska Statewide Database Program and "your
information connection across Nebraska," will be celebrating its first birthday
on January 31. In recognition of this milestone, we thought it would be
fitting to take a look back at where we started and how far we've come.
So here, listed in chronological order, are a few highlights and accomplishments
of the past year:
- January 31, 2004 - NebraskAccess goes LIVE on the Nebraska Library Commission
website </nebraskaccess>.
- February 2004 - Nebrask@ Online adds a NebraskAccess logo/link to their
Official State of Nebraska home page <http://nebraska.gov>, as well as to their
Business, Citizens, and Education portal pages.
- March 8, 2004 - Links to the new Patron Books in Print interface, designed
specifically for end users, are added to NebraskAccess. Remote access to Patron
Books in Print is provided for the first time via the Home/Work login page. The
Books in Print Professional link is moved to the Librarian's Toolbox.
- April 27, 2004 - A "Create Your Own Online Resources Page" is added to
NebraskAccess. This template allows librarians to create a customized online
resources page for their library Web site in less than ten minutes by filling
out a simple form. No HTML coding required!
- June-September 2004 - During this time period Nebraska Library Commission
Network Services staff offered nine Database Roadshows across the state. These
five-hour training sessions provided in-depth instruction on searching the
NebraskAccess databases, as well as an overview of the promotional and training
material available to librarians and media specialists through the Librarian's
Toolbox. Total attendance: 108.
- September 8, 2004 - Three additions to the Librarian's Toolbox are announced:
downloadable NebraskAccess desktop wallpaper (3 designs); a downloadable
NebraskAccess computer desktop icon; and Books in Print Usage Statistics.
- September/October 2004 - Six handouts promoting magazines in NebraskAccess are
added to the Librarian's Toolbox. Handouts focus on the following
topics/disciplines: Agriculture & Ranching; Health & Wellness; News & Current
Events; Sports & Recreation; Teachers & School Administrators; and Hobbies &
Crafts.
- October 7-8, 2004 - Nebraska Library Commission Network Services staff exhibit
NebraskAccess at the NLA/NEMA Annual Conference in Grand Island.
- November 1, 2004 - Hartington Public Library and Lyons-Decatur Northeast
Schools win our NebraskAccess Link Contest. Their prize--personalized training
sessions on NebraskAccess database resources for an audience of their choice.
- December 1, 2004 - Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Dave Heineman mentions
NebraskAccess by name when listing notable Nebraska digital government
initiatives at the Nebraska Digital Government Summit held December 1, 2004 at
the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.
The year has flown by, but we've accomplished a lot and had a good time doing
it. Thanks to all of you who have enthusiastically embraced and promoted
NebraskAccess-we couldn't have done it without you!
Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
Back to Contents
HERITAGEQUEST ONLINE ADDED TO NEBRASKACCESS
The Nebraska Library Commission is pleased to announce that the genealogy
database HeritageQuest Online is being added to NebraskAccess for the remainder
of FY 2004/2005. If response to HeritageQuest Online is positive and funding
remains available, our intention is to continue providing statewide access to it
during FY 2005/2006 and beyond.
HeritageQuest Online contains a unique, growing collection of research materials
for tracing family history and American culture. It combines digital, searchable
images of U.S. federal census records with the digitized version of the popular
UMI® Genealogy and Local History collection. This online database is an
essential collection of unique material for both genealogical hobbyists and
professionals.
When complete, HeritageQuest Online will contain every extant U.S. federal
census record in digital format. These records will be indexed, searchable and
fully browseable. These records and other primary evidence will be integrated
with narrative materials that add color to the past. Many of the narratives are
not available to researchers anywhere else. They include monographs and serials,
local histories, tax rolls, cemetery lists and military rosters. The database
also contains wills and church, court and school records.
HeritageQuest Online also offers the renowned Periodical Source Index (PERSI).
Produced in cooperation with the Allen County Public Library Foundation, PERSI
is a comprehensive, subject-based index covering genealogy and local history
periodicals written in English and French (Canada) since 1800.
During the month of January, Nebraska Library Commission Network Services staff
will be working with ProQuest to set up access to HeritageQuest Online for all
Nebraska libraries. We will also be working to integrate HeritageQuest Online
into the NebraskAccess Web site. Nebraska libraries can look forward to having
access to HeritageQuest Online beginning February 1. Remote access to
HeritageQuest Online will also be available at this time.
To stay informed about the addition of HeritageQuest Online to NebraskAccess and
the statewide database program, please watch the Trial and NebraskAccess4Lib
mailing lists. Information will be posted to these lists as it becomes
available.
Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
Back to Contents
NEW EBOOKS DATABASE ADDED TO
FIRSTSEARCH BASE PACKAGE
In November 2004, OCLC added a new Electronic Books (Ebooks)
database to the OCLC Base Package in FirstSearch. The Nebraska
Library Commission currently pays for access to the OCLC Base
Package in FirstSearch on behalf of all Nebraska libraries. This
means that all registered Nebraska libraries now have access to the
Ebooks database through their FirstSearch Base Package account,
bringing the total number of state-funded FirstSearch databases to
twelve.
Database Description: OCLC's new Ebooks database contains
records for over 200,000 items cataloged as electronic books in
WorldCat, including titles provided by NetLibrary, OverDrive Inc.
and Safari Tech Books Online. The database allows users to quickly
and efficiently retrieve records for ebooks that their libraries
have purchased or licensed, as well as titles that are available in
the public domain.
Note: If this database doesn't meet the needs of your
patrons, you can turn off access to it using your FirstSearch
Administrative Module. For instructions on how to do this, see the
article titled
Turning Database Access On/Off in FirstSearch in the
November/December 2003 issue of N3.
Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
Back to Contents
EDUCATION INDEX RETROSPECTIVE AVAILABLE
THROUGH WILSON
Wilson's new Education Index Retrospective 1929-1983, provides more than half a
century of cover-to-cover indexing for an international array of
English-language periodicals, monographs and yearbooks. Highlights of the new
database include:
- Detailed, cover-to-cover indexing of some 500 periodicals, as far back as
1929.
- Simplified searching using updated subject headings; revisions of obsolete or
confusing terms to reflect current usage; retention of original and historical
subject headings; and more. Search by journal, author, keyword, title and
document type.
- Citations from nearly a million articles, including book reviews.
- Users can acquire actual articles by clicking from citations to the full text
in your open-URL databases. Library holdings indicator links to your OPAC to let
users know if they'll find cited articles on your shelves.
For more information on pricing and subscriptions to the Wilson product contact
the Network Services Department at 800-307-2665 or email:
Network Services
.
Back to Contents
COMPUTERS IN LIBRARIES 2005
The Nebraska Library Commission/NEBASE is offering a group discount to all
Nebraska librarians who attend the Computers in Libraries 2005 conference. The
conference is planned for March 16-18 at the Hilton Washington in Washington,
DC. Detailed information about the conference can be found on the conference web
page at <http://www.infotoday.com/cil2005/default.shtml>.
The price of the conference with the discount is $175.00 for the three-day event
(March 16-18, 2005). This is more than a 55 percent savings off the regular
price. No discount rates are available for the pre- or post-conference seminars
and workshops.
In addition, discount prices of $99.00 on the Internet@Schools East conference
and $199.00 for the combo of Internet@Schools East and Computers in Libraries
general conference are also available.
To register for the conference, print off the registration form located at <http://www.infotoday.com/cil2005/CIL2005_Registration.pdf>.
Mail the completed form to Sue Biltoft at the address below. Payment must
accompany your registration form. Please make checks or money orders payable to
Information Today, Inc. To receive the discount your registration MUST be sent
to the Nebraska Library Commission. Completed registration forms must be
received by January 28.
Sue Biltoft
Nebraska Library Commission
1200 N St., Suite 120
Lincoln, NE 68508-2023
Phone: 402-471-4009 or 800-307-2665
Back to Contents
NETLIBRARY eBOOK DISCOUNT
Don't forget Nebraska libraries receive 8 percent off NetLibrary eBook purchases. If
you are planning on making a purchase of eBooks through June 30 your
library will receive an 8 percent discount off the eBook list price. For more
information on ordering eBooks contact Jeannette Powell at 402-471-7740 or 800-307-2665, e-mail Network Services.
Shannon W. Behrhorst
Network Services Director
Nebraska Library Commission
Back to Contents
FRBR - Did you
say Ferber?
You might have heard term "ferber" mentioned at a meeting recently or seen the
acronym FRBR in a publication and wondered what it is all about. FRBR
(Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) is a model being developed
by IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions). The
intent is to make catalogs/databases and their records more user-friendly by
bringing together various expressions and manifestations of the same work or
author.
The model defines three groups of entities used to bring together various
records. Briefly, the first group describes the product: work, expression,
manifestation, and item; the second group describes entities related to the
product: person and corporate body; and the third group describes the subjects
of the work: concept, object, event, and place. The final report of the IFLA
Study Group explains each and provides examples <http://www.ifla.org/VII/s13/frbr/frbr.pdf>.
FRBR will affect technical services staff as database vendors and automated
vendor systems add FRBR components. Authority control is an integral component
of the effectiveness of FRBR in bringing together works of the same title and
author.
OCLC has used FRBR to create a prototype database called FictionFinder. A search
for Edna Ferber as author in WorldCat would currently retrieve 900+ records;
this includes 170+ hits for Show Boat and 60+ hits for Giant. In FictionFinder,
this search would collapse all the multiple editions and formats into one hit
per title on the initial retrieval list. For more information on OCLC's work
with FRBR, see <http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/frbr/default.htm#background>.
Many other papers about FRBR can be found with a Google search. If you learn
better by talking with others, NLA Technical Services Round Table is planning a
session on FRBR at its Spring Meeting this year. Or you might just want to check
out an Edna Ferber book for a fun read.
Devra Dragos
Cataloging Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
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