22:3 (2007:09) 22nd Conference (2007): Strategy Session: The First Ever NASIG Speed Rounds
August 31, 2007 at 12:31 pm | Posted in Conference Reports, Strategy Sessions | Leave a comment22nd CONFERENCE
STRATEGY SESSIONS, GROUP A
On Your Mark, Get Set….Talk! The First Ever NASIG Speed Rounds
Yvette Diven, CSA
Reported by Gene Gardner
Organized around the principle of speed dating, this was a fun, informative session to discuss issues between publishers and librarians. Participating publishers included: the UKSG Transfer Group, Alexander Street Publishers, Now Publishers, Accucoms, Elsevier, University of Chicago Press, Institute of Physics, Sage, World Society of Chemistry, Portland Press, and the American Chemical Society.
Non-publisher participants divided into small groups and moved from table to table when the timer rang. In this way non-publisher participants were able to interact with each publisher. Issues discussed ranged from an explanation of products offered by the publisher, electronic archival access, usage statistics, perpetual access, communication from publishers to subscribers, and other scintillating topics. This was a pleasant, informal way to interact with people.
22:3 (2007:09) 22nd Conference (2007): Vision Session: A New Approach to Service Discovery and Resource Delivery
August 31, 2007 at 12:03 pm | Posted in Conference Reports, Vision Sessions | Leave a comment22nd CONFERENCE
VISION SESSION
A New Approach to Service Discovery and Resource Delivery
Daniel Chudnov, Library of Congress, Office of Strategic Initiatives
Reported by Yumin Jiang
Daniel Chudnov, formerly of the Yale Center for Medical Informatics, and now of the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the Library of Congress, gave an eye-opening presentation on using COinS and unAPI to facilitate finding and citing information resources, and to integrate scholarly library resources with innovative Web resources and applications.
The focus of Mr. Chudnov’s presentation was simplicity. Using the digital media player iTunes as an example, Chudnov asked why libraries cannot work like iTunes, which permits its users to easily connect with each other and share music. Even with OpenURL and link resolvers, he explained, it still takes many clicks for a patient and savvy user to get from a journal citation to the actual full text. In addition, there is an apparent disconnect between library resources and many of the Web 2.0 websites and applications. OpenURL is difficult to understand, inconsistently implemented by information providers, and requires service pre-coordination. How can OpenURLs be improved to help users find and use library resources? How can library catalogs/websites and other great Web resources and applications be connected? Chudnov thinks that new standards such as COinS and unAPI will be able to address these issues.
COinS, acronym for ContextObject in Span, is a specification to render OpenURL to HTML. This allows client software to retrieve bibliographic metadata and to use an OpenURL resolver to find a mediated link. The principal advantage of using COinS, rather than giving a static OpenURL, is that the client can determine which resolver to use. For example, a Yale scholar visiting another institution will be able to access Yale-subscribed resources via Yale’s link resolver instead of the host institution’s. OCLC has recently established the OpenURL Resolvers Registry. It includes an OpenURL resolver registry for user input of resolver data, and a gateway which can redirect OpenURLs to registered resolvers based on the requester’s IP address. If both the library and website publisher participate in this project, a user searching for information will find an item, click a link to the gateway and be taken directly to an OpenURL resolver maintained by his or her home library.
Currently, COinS has been adopted by a number of websites and applications, including: Wikipedia; WorldCat; WordPress, a blog publishing system; LibX, a Firefox extension that provides direct access to selected libraries’ resources; and Zotero, a Firefox extension that manages bibliographic information from Web resources. With COinS, we can achieve a complete and smooth interconnection between library catalogs, Web resources, and Web applications. For example, a user finds a citation in WorldCat, saves it in Zotero, adds it to Wikipedia; the next person sees the citation in Wikipedia, saves it in Zotero, adds it to his blog, and so on.
Together with COinS, OpenURL holds the promise of wider, easier access to library resources from various Web resources and applications. However, as Chudnov reminds us, people “want stuff, not meta-stuff.” Can people simply re-use library resources within new Web applications? That is, can users copy items they see online and paste them into desktop applications or other Web applications such as blogs and photo-sharing services? unAPI provides a method for copying rich digital objects out of any Web application. It is a tiny HTTP API, application programming interface, for the few basic operations necessary to copy discrete, identified content from any kind of Web application. A direct benefit of employing unAPI on a website is that it allows other Web users to easily take a piece of its content to create new resources. In Chudnov’s words, “You see stuff, you get stuff, and you pick the format.” The unAPI specification is less than two pages and requires very few changes in Web templates. It can be added to all library resources such as the OPAC, institutional repository, journals, metasearch, and link resolver. Currently, two major applications using unAPI are Zotero and WordPress. Chudnov hopes that more website publishers will adopt this new specification.
The next frontier in information services is service links. Examples are the set of buttons next to an article in a journal or major media websites. They permit users to email, save, print, and cite in various formats, or send to a bookmarking application such as del.ici.ous. Libraries can use OpenURL to facilitate this kind of service. OpenURL with COinS can provide user-generated service coordination, and unAPI allows users to choose various formats of the same object. Chudnov proposed a new specification nicknamed SLAPI, Service Links API, which will fully integrate library resources with free Web resources at the user’s end.
Finally, Chudnov explored how libraries can work like iTunes, letting users find their friends’ libraries. One approach is to mesh metasearch and link resolvers, since they work similarly from the user’s perspective. OpenSearch, a collection of Web technologies that allows publishing of search results in standard format, can further simplify the search process. When a user’s Web browser knows where a user wants to search and resolve, coupled with SLAPI, a user can access his institutional resources anywhere on the Web, from citation directly into full text. With Zero Configuration Networking technology, the user will not even need to configure his browser.
In this ideal environment, everyone visiting your network automatically finds your search/resolver interface, and everyone else you visit finds your institutional resolver. Furthermore, no installation is required on the user’s part. This full circle, coupled with SLAPI, contends Chudnov, is a new approach to service discovery and resource delivery.
22:3 (2007:09) 22nd Conference (2007): Vision Session: Hurry up, Please
August 31, 2007 at 11:30 am | Posted in Conference Reports, Vision Sessions | Leave a comment22nd CONFERENCE
VISION SESSION
Hurry Up, Please. It’s Time – State of Emergency
Karen Schneider, ALA Techsource
Reported by Janet Arcand
Karen Schneider, librarian and noted writer at ALA Techsource and her own site, freerangelibrarian, gave a stimulating and thought-provoking presentation. It was centered upon the contention that librarians have allowed outside entities from the commercial market to take over the traditional areas of responsibilities of librarians. She likened the incremental trend of librarians ceding more and more of the selection and decision-making process to the vendors, through outsourcing of collection development and buying into package deals, as the “long slow boiling of the frog” so that it doesn’t know it’s being cooked.
Librarians have a public responsibility. They are in the profession of “memory work,” ensuring that the published historical record is not corrupted so that later selective memory can impose a more romantic or biased view of the past. What might have seemed like a useful tool, for example, the Google Library project, really has drawbacks if you look at the fine print. The Google Library Project comes from a commercial company which is imposing user restrictions upon their library partners, forbidding them in some instances from performing what has been their traditional professional duty, making information available to members of the public.
Information is being “disappeared” when editions of a work can be changed or disappear from the Web (as has been seen in the case of some government documents). Another alarming trend is for publishers not to allow post-cancellation access to online material for which the library paid in previous years.
Small presses produce significant material which large corporate publishers are not interested in publishing, for a fairly nominal economic reward and with narrow profit margins. The continued existence of these presses is at risk since their profit margins are threatened by the impact of the proposed new postal rates. Time-Warner’s clout has influenced postal rates to be less costly for the large corporate publishers, and more costly for small presses and anyone who uses the media material rate. Librarians should be leading the effort to lobby against these discriminatory rates.
There are some current projects which are designed from a librarian perspective, to ensure continued access to the public record. OCA (Open Content Alliance) is a nonprofit group driven by librarians and creating an alternative to Google Book. LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) and CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS), for copyright-controlled content, are also librarian-grown initiatives designed to “ensure the long-term preservation of digitally published scholarly materials”. The digital information cannot disappear, since it is not held at a single site. Librarian participation and support of efforts such as these will put librarians back in the position of being stewards of the common librarian trust.
22:3 (2007:09) 22nd Conference (2007): Vision Session: The Evolution of Reading and Writing in the Networked Era
August 30, 2007 at 4:40 pm | Posted in Conference Reports, Vision Sessions | Leave a comment22nd CONFERENCE
VISION SESSION
The Evolution of Reading and Writing in the Networked Era
Bob Stein, USC Annenberg Center, Institute for the Future of the Book
Reported by Mary Bailey
In the early days of books, when professors made notes in the margins and students added their notes when they read the same book, an ongoing conversation was created. Bob Stein proposes that the future of the book is an ongoing conversation in the margin of the electronic book. Turning the world of authorship and copyright on end, the book as we know it, published in a definitive form, never to be changed, would no longer exist.
An MIT project in 1981 began adding an audio/visual component to books. Designed to enhance the book by answering the questions a reader might have as they read, it allowed the reader to control the speed, to reread sections, and to stop and think about what had happened in the book. In effect, it was user driven rather than producer driven.
Moving to 2004 and our remix culture, we are now talking about networked books, with comments added by readers. Stories could change before they are told. Books could be written in chapters with comments added before the next chapter is written, thus creating an entirely new writing process, and possibly a new form of authorship. Software, called Sophie, has been developed which enables not only the writing and comment component but also audio versions, an interactive glossary, running commentaries of musical selections and more.
Consider blogs. We think, we write, we create, and others comment. We think, we write again, and others write again (we hope). A new creation appears. However, who is the author or creator now? Is the author speaking, are those ommenting also authors, or is the book now speaking? The book becomes dynamic and is no longer limited to text and static photos or illustrations; it now contains video and links to other sites.
If the work is always in process, will there ever be a version for copyright? Will there ever be a final authoritative version? Will copyright be necessary or will it become another piece of history? Will the original article become the least important piece and the discussion more interesting than the book or article?
The challenge of the future will be how to deal with the changes. Bob Stein asks, “Given the vast amount of information and conversation available on any subject, should it be a goal to enable a single individual to master it? What will it mean to be ‘human’ in the age of digital networking? What is the definitive version or does anyone care?”
In Bob Stein’s future, the book and reading are no longer a solitary pastime, but an interactive work developed by all who are interested.
22:3 (2007:09) 22nd Conference (2007): Preconference: Publishing 101
August 30, 2007 at 4:39 pm | Posted in Conference Reports, Preconferences | Leave a comment22nd CONFERENCE (2007)
PRECONFERENCE
Publishing 101 – The Basics of Academic Publishing
Zachary Rolnik, Now Publishers
Reported by Lisa C. Gomes
This half-day preconference comprised useful information for everyone involved in the serials industry. Zachary Rolnik of Now Publishers has twenty-plus years experience in the serials publishing industry, which made him uniquely qualified to teach this session. He discussed the history of serials publishing and continued with a review of the market and the factors affecting it. Rolnik also included a review of the publishers from commercial through society and university presses.
Mr. Rolnik focused his discussion on the Scientific, Technical, and Medical (STM) market serials publishing, since that is his background. Market analysts identified scientific publishing as the fastest growing media sub-sector driven by the “publish or perish” mentality. However, there are three primary changes underway that affect this market, according to the analysts. First, there is a cyclical slowdown due to library budget cuts. Second, the scales are tipped toward the larger publishers — the large companies already have the business, and ninety-five percent of the market is based on annual renewals. Finally, the majority of money is spent on the Web interface for e-journals, which again tips the market to the larger publishers, as they can spend more money on their online platforms.
Typically, it is difficult for publishers to generate revenue from new journals. Therefore, large publishers have increased their focus on acquiring other, smaller publishers and enter into agreements with societies to license their content. In the meantime, the small and medium publishers develop niche markets and are author-centric.
There is also a new group of publishers entering the market that focus on current trends in the industry such as: updatable content, open access, licensing versus copyright, community-focused and subject-focused, alternate sales options and so on. This group of publishers is often responsible for the most innovation in this market. Some examples of these newer publishers include Mr. Rolnik’s company Now Publishing, Berkeley Electronic Press, (BE Press), and the Social Science Research Network (SSRN).
Mr. Rolnik also compared the differences between book and journal publishing. Although book publishing is a one-time process, journal publishing requires long-term commitment. The process of choosing a topic is quite different. In book publishing, the topic is either commissioned or the author already has a book they would like to publish. In contrast, the subject for journals requires market research to identify an underserved subject niche or subject fields. This process can be time-consuming.
The complicated structure for publishing a journal requires many different roles within the publishing companies. Therefore, a good portion of this preconference was dedicated to a discussion of the organizational structure of a typical publisher. The publishing or acquisitions department’s primary role is to identify topics, trends, authors, and editors. Other areas that Mr. Rolnik reviewed included: manufacturing and production, who turn the articles into the publication; marketing and/or public relations, which could be responsible for the traditional marketing avenues, but may also include website development and getting the journal listed in different indices; sales; business development; fulfillment; customer service; accounting/finance; and technology.
22:3 (2007:09) 22nd Conference (2007): Preconference: SCCTP Integrating Resources Cataloging Workshop
August 30, 2007 at 2:20 pm | Posted in Conference Reports, Preconferences | Leave a comment22nd CONFERENCE (2007)
PRECONFERENCE
SCCTP Integrating Resources Cataloging Workshop
Joseph Hinger, St. John’s University
Reported by Selina Lin
Using the manual prepared by Steven J. Miller, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, in 2003, and revised February 2005, Joseph Hinger updated some parts of the course as necessary for this workshop. The workshop was taught in two days and divided into six sessions. Day one covered core sessions 1-3: Introduction, Original Cataloging and Updating Integrating Resources’ Records; and day two covered optional sessions 4-6: Copy Cataloging, Record Modification and Maintenance, Case Studies, and Updating Loose-leafs. Emphasis of the workshop was on electronic integrating resources as they present more challenges and catalogers are more familiar with updating loose-leafs. Session 7, Selection of Online Resources and Options for Providing Access, was omitted due to time constraints and its lesser relevance.
With the advent of HTTP around 1991, many publications began to appear in electronic format by 1995. These earlier electronic publications were treated as computer files, leader/06 type of record code “m”, regardless of their contents. As the Internet evolved and online databases and websites became prevalent, coupled with dissatisfaction with current rules for serials and loose-leafs, a desire to change OCLC and MARC to accommodate these emerging resources became self evident. The 1997 Crystal Graham/Jean Hirons paper “Issues Related to Seriality,” which was a major effort to harmonize AACR, ISSN, and ISBN, paved the way to the eventual complete revision of AACR2 and other changes in 2002. The new concepts of “continuing resources” and “integrating resources” were born. On December 1, 2002, LC implemented new AACR2 rules and LCRIs; OCLC and RLG also implemented most new 006/008 codes. Leader/06, type of record code “i”, and leader/07, bibliographic level code “i”, were added to MARC to represent integrating resources.
An integrating resource, IR, is defined as “a bibliographic resource that is added to or changed by means of updates that do not remain discrete and are integrated into the whole.” An integrating resource may be finite or continuing. Updating websites, updating databases, and updating loose-leafs are all integrating resources. However, online and loose-leaf format resources may be monographic, serial, or integrating. LCRI 1.0 provides guidance in making the decision. If the resource is basically complete, but may be corrected in some parts, treat it as a monograph. If it is likely to be updated over time, treat it as a serial or integrating resource.
Hinger continued the workshop with detailed information on each core session.
22:3 (2007:09) 22nd Conference (2007): Preconference: Metadata Standards & Applications
August 30, 2007 at 2:03 pm | Posted in Conference Reports, Preconferences | Leave a comment22nd ANNUAL CONFERENCE (2007)
PRECONFERENCE
Metadata Standards and Applications
Diane Hillmann, Cornell University; Rhonda Marker, Rutgers University
Reported by Deanna Briggs
Diane Hillmann and Rhonda Marker instructed approximately forty students in the Metadata Standards and Applications preconference session. The class was developed by Hillmann for the Library of Congress and the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services in early 2007. Many preconference participants expressed that their desire to attend the class was due to an impending project to develop a digital repository. As expected, most attendees were catalogers in some capacity.
The class covered a variety of metadata topics, including: metadata relationship models, interoperability, application profiles, and more. Hillmann and Marker explained early in the session that working with metadata standards and applications requires the metadata specialist to take a broad view of metadata, and consider how their metadata must function. For instance, one function of metadata is to manage documents. Therefore, the metadata specialist should look at items that require management in aggregate to make the best choices for the collection of items as a whole. The presenters stressed how important it is to frequently look at websites and digital libraries and mentally deconstruct them, asking themselves how the site applies metadata in bulk to collections to meet its functional goals. To illustrate this point, the class completed an exercise examining several digital library sites, including Birdsource, which is a database-driven site.
The preconference presenters continued to expand upon this vision of the aggregate view concerning metadata creation, storage, management, and distribution. They discussed the pros and cons of different metadata creation and storage models. They also remarked how important it is to maximize human resource efficiency in any project. For example, on the metadata distribution side, any one project might achieve some efficiency by harvesting metadata; but doing so may require additional human resources to implement the best methods to normalize the metadata for interoperability. Again, Hillmann and Marker focused the class on examples to see these principles in action, as in the case of the Country Walkers’ site. This site uses its metadata to draw potential customers in due to the ease of browsability, by destination, for instance.
No metadata information session would be complete without mentioning metadata relationship models and specific metadata standards. In this context, Hillmann provided the class with an update on the status of RDA and the class discussed relationships in UNIMARC, Dublin Core, and FRBR. The presenters noted that most metadata standards do not explicitly reference content standards, but simply provide guidance on content management. Some of the specific standards discussed included MARC21, Dublin Core, MODS, IEEE-LOM, and ONIX for Books.
The next lesson was metadata interoperability and distribution. As expected, OAI-PMH, OpenURL, and cross-walks were the focus of this section. Hillmann and Marker alerted attendees of the importance of documenting your institution’s specific practices and interpretations of any one standard to enable appropriate sharing of metadata. The presenters also raised the issue of documentation in the lesson on application profiles, including the many benefits of documenting the terms in an application profile.
The preconference also covered vocabularies and data quality. While it is important to document and register your vocabulary, Hillmann and Marker also emphasized the degree to which the choice of a vocabulary should be situation-specific, especially because there are so many different vocabularies. Similarly, the presenters noted that data quality should be evaluated at the community level, as different communities may have different levels of data quality that may be acceptable for their purposes.
In summary, the course was an excellent whirlwind into the world of metadata standards.
22:3 (2007:09) 22nd Conference (2007): Opening Session
August 30, 2007 at 1:30 pm | Posted in Conference Reports | Leave a comment22nd CONFERENCE (2007)
OPENING PROGRAM
Reported by Susan Markley
The opening program for NASIG’s 22nd Annual Conference began with the introduction of the 2007 NASIG award recipients, followed by a warm welcome from the Dean of the University of Louisville Libraries, Hannelore Rader. She spoke briefly about the university with its diverse student and faculty population, and the varied services that the Libraries on campus offered. Rader was followed by the delightful keynote speaker, Louisville historian and professor, Tom Owen.
Dr. Owen began his presentation by telling the audience about a 5-year experiment in which the urban city government was “married” to some suburban governments in an effort to improve services to all populations. This was followed by a fascinating history of the community from its earliest roots.
For those who delight in discovering the lively history of a city, Owen introduced the audience to George Rogers Clark, the founder of the settlement that became the city of Louisville in 1778. Clark was the preeminent American military leader on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. Louisville was developed as a “necessity of war” to protect scattered settlements against the British army and native Indians. The British were encouraging the natives in their attacks. Clark’s successful attacks on the British troops and their forts eventually played a part in the ceding of the entire Northwest Territories to the United States after the war.
The city was actually named after the French King Louis XVI in gratitude for his help in the American Revolution with arms, officers, and equipment. All the region’s distilleries used his family name – Bourbon.
Kentucky was originally part of Virginia, but broke off in 1792. Considered a border state, it was the dividing line between the North and the South. Although the state did not join the Confederacy, they did join with the southern states after the Civil War because of strong economic ties.
Dr. Owen ended his presentation with a quick mention of some interesting local sites and some equally now famous local citizens.
His keynote address was just the right introduction to the start of our 22nd annual conference.
22:3 (2007:09) 22nd Conference (2007): Report from Award Winners
August 29, 2007 at 7:07 pm | Posted in Awards & Recognition, Conference | 1 CommentREPORT FROM THE 2007 AWARD WINNERS
Sarah Sutton, Awards & Recognition Committee
For 2007 NASIG awards, grants, and scholarships, the Awards & Recognition Committee received numerous applications from worthy candidates. We received seven applications for the Fritz Schwartz Scholarship, four applications for the Horizon Award, eleven applications for the Serials Specialist Award, and nine applications for the Student Grant Award. We did not receive any applications for the Marcia Tuttle International Award.
The review process was again blind for all awards. The identities of the winners were not revealed to the committee members until the scores were tallied and the winners were selected according to established criteria. For 2007, the committee awarded one Fritz Schwartz Serials Education Scholarship, six Student Grants, one Mexico Student Grant, one Horizon Award, and one Serials Specialist Award. The awards covered the cost of travel; room, board, and registration fees for the 22nd NASIG Conference held in Louisville, Kentucky; and a one-year NASIG membership. In addition, the Fritz Schwartz Scholarship winner received $3,000 to help defray the costs of library school tuition. The 2007 award winners are as follows:
NASIG CONFERENCE STUDENT GRANT AWARD RECIPIENTS
Barbara Shipman, Wayne State University
Erin Sharwell, University of Washington
Jessica Ireland, University of South Florida
Joann Palermo, Louisiana State University
Sanjeet Singh-Mann, UCLA
Toni Fortini, Southern Connecticut State University
MEXICO STUDENT GRANT AWARD RECIPIENT
Jorge Alberto Mendoza-Torres
Escuela Nacional de Biblioteconomia y Archivonomia, ENBA
FRITZ SCHWARTZ SERIALS EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
Angela Slaughter, Indiana University
HORIZON AWARD RECIPIENT
Chandra Jackson, University of Georgia Libraries
SERIALS SPECIALIST AWARD RECIPIENT
Rita Johnson, Wright State University Libraries
As in past years, the Awards & Recognition Committee asked all of our award recipients to provide feedback about their conference experience. Below are their responses to the committee’s questionnaire.
Why do you feel it is worthwhile for students and newcomers to attend a NASIG conference?
The NASIG conference is great for newcomers because of both its size (not too big) and the variety of serials topics represented. It provides a good overview of all of the different types of work that serialists are doing in their institutions.
NASIG bridges the unnecessary divide between libraries, publishers, and vendors; it would be worthwhile for students to experience this productive partnership as they enter the serials field.
It’s worthwhile for students to attend a NASIG conference because it introduces them to a field that isn’t taught in library school. Also, the NASIG conference is also a networking environment where students can create friendship with serial specialists located all over North America.
As a paraprofessional and new to the area of serials, the conference served to strengthen my desire to continue to learn and grow in the field. The sessions I attended were both interesting and applicable to the position I hold.
How did attending the conference benefit you personally?
I was introduced to many people working on the same kinds of issues that I am, so I’m beginning to create a network of colleagues that can be called upon for advice (or commiseration!)
I made a lot of connections with colleagues across North America and learned about ideas and initiatives in the world of serials. I felt reassured by learning that my library is not alone in the problems and issues we face with the switch to primarily electronic resources.
Attending the NASIG conference benefited me personally in many ways. I’ve gained the experience of attending my first professional conference. I’ve also met a lot of people and developed new friendships from the award winners as well as fellow NASIG members.
NASIG was truly an enriching experience. It was very beneficial in providing basic information as well as new and thought provoking ideas. The conference gave me new contacts, new friends, useful knowledge and fun educational experiences. I look forward to attendance at NASIG conferences in the future.
Did attending the conference influence your career plans? If so, how?
Not directly, but it was interesting to see the variety in serialists positions.
Yes. I am more interested in participating in professional organizations and conferences, and I am more seriously considering working in the corporate world (e.g. for a vendor) at some point in my library career.
Attending the NASIG conference influenced my career plans greatly. The many sessions that I’ve attended opened my eyes to different tasks, responsibilities and challenges that face serials librarians presently. I also got a glimpse at what the future holds for serials librarians. I’ll have a better understanding of what serials librarians do and this will help me tremendously when I interview for a job as a serials librarian.
Since I was new to the position I am in, attendance at NASIG served to focus my interest in increasing my skills in order to better perform in my current position.
What can NASIG and/or the Awards & Recognition Committee do to improve their award programs?
I thought the committee and NASIG as a whole did a fantastic job with the Horizon Award program. The application process was very simple, and after receiving the award, the committee made sure to communicate often with me about everything.
I was very pleased with my experience, and I can only suggest that an official wrap-up meeting at the end of the conference (scheduled to accommodate departures) to better connect with other award recipients. I feel I made more connections with NASIG members than with my fellow grant recipients, and it would have been nice to meet up with the group to talk about our experiences.
The most important thing that NASIG and the Awards & Recognition Committee do to improve the grant and scholarship program is to market the programs throughout North America. I think that a lot of students would be interested in attending such a wonderful conference. Also, I think that there should be an informal luncheon the day before the conference where all the grant and scholarship winners can get together to talk and learn more about one another.
The program is excellent. How can you improve on what is already a wonderful program?
What could NASIG and/or the Awards & Recognition Committee do to improve your conference experience?
Everything they did was great, in particular the mentor/mentee get-together.
My conference experience was great. Everything went smoothly for me thanks to the wonderful job done by everyone on the committee. I can’t image what else could be done to make it better.
I had a wonderful experience at NASIG. The one thing that I would improve on is to have some type of social activity for the award and grant winners, just to break the ice.
Do you have any other suggestions or comments? Please tell us about them here.
Everyone involved was fantastic (almost as good as winning the award itself!). Keep up the good work!
The speakers were very informative and the sessions I attended were interesting and encouraged discussion. Louisville was a wonderful location. What fun and interesting things there were to see.
I would just like to say that I had such a wonderful experience at the conference. Students can benefit so much by attending the annual NASIG conference.
How/where did you learn about NASIG’s awards?
My supervisor at work is a NASIG member.
NASIG website and suggestion by my department head.
A co-worker told me about NASIG and encouraged me to think about attending the conference. I leaned about the awards while visiting the website.
I learned about NASIG’s award from a librarian that I work with.
Where should NASIG be promoting awards?
In the graduate schools: there are a lot of listservs that could be used to announce the awards competition. Contacting administrative assistants at each graduate program’s department office would be a great place to start. Some programs may not have serials faculty contacts, so it’s best to spread the word to the whole graduate program.
I think it would be great to use the listserve to remind those who do the nominating to consider their staff for nominations. The website is a good place for actual application info.
Members should be encouraged to promote the organization and the awards in the serials world.
NASIG should be promoting awards to student organizations, or on the student listserv.
The Awards & Recognition Committee would like to thank all of the NASIG members who helped to make the 2007 award recipients’ experience at the 2007 conference such a success.
22:3 (2007:09) Profiles: Char Simser
August 19, 2007 at 3:52 pm | Posted in President, Profiles | 2 CommentsCHAR SIMSER
Susan Davis, Columns Editor
Some things change, some things stay the same. What has changed? The person responsible for putting together this column is no longer Maggie Rioux. However, following tradition, the newly installed NASIG President, Char Simser, is the subject of this profile. I think she sets a record by being the first individual to be profiled twice.
I was coerced into taking over this column when Maggie subtly mentioned it during our convivial evening on a NASIG dine-around in Louisville. I must have made a serious dent in my margarita to have even considered accepting, but Maggie and Kathryn Wesley are a tough team to say “no” to. Luckily I had Char’s earlier profile in v.19, no. 1 (March 2004) of the NASIG Newsletter to fall back upon for material. Feel free to refer back to the earlier article (http://nasig.org/newsletters/newsletters.2004/04march/04march_profiles.html#CHAR) if you get lost or are confused by my questions or Char’s answers.
As a former NASIG President, I couldn’t resist asking Char some questions about the president’s column she has to write for each issue. And as a former editor of the newsletter, the tables are now turned on her! I could hear the “Argh!” as she responded to my question about how she felt now that she has to turn in copy on deadline. I then asked her if she had any pets that might be speaking in her column (referring to the past adventures of Twyla, Jimmie Dale, and my cat Peaches.) Char has a cat named Tinkerbell who was adopted by her co-worker but could not adjust to her new home with two other cats. Tinker will be 10 later this year and is not a people cat and will not be appearing in Char’s columns. However, you may be able to sneak a peak at Tinkerbell on Char’s Flickr site (http://www.Flickr.com/photos/kstatelibrarian/).
I also asked Char to compare the time she spent on the NASIG Newsletter as editor-in-chief versus NASIG President. Since she only has experience as the vice president she did confess that editor-in-chief took much more time. However, she reserves the right to reconsider her answer at the Phoenix conference. And after the discussion about running for office recently, she has a head start on a topic for her column.
Char clearly has a creative bent. She’s into creative writing and Maggie told us in the March 2004 piece to ask how her novel was coming along. So I did ask. Just like many of us, she admits that her brain has very little in the way of creative juices at the end of the workday. She set the novel aside for awhile, but was able to complete a first draft by switching to a screenplay format. Now she has to find time (maybe when she needs to escape from the pressures of the presidency) to revise it again. She has an affinity for Star Wars, having become addicted to the GFFA (Galaxy Far, Far, Away). She began reading the Star Wars novels, which got her into writing (publishing stories under the name of Charlene Newcomb), which led her to AOL and chat rooms, where she discovered thousands of others who shared her enthusiasm. She became part of a group of women who met for weekly chats about the novels and the original trilogy. Thirty women met in person for the first time in Las Vegas in 1997, and the group, which has grown to 80+ members, still meets annually.
I would be remiss in not mentioning that this year is the 30th anniversary of the original Star Wars movie. A huge gathering of over 30,000 people convened to celebrate the occasion in Los Angeles this past May. Char and others in her group were able to work the convention as stage hand, green room wrangler, crowd control manager, and more, including “Team Cake.” According to Char’s blog, volunteers worked tirelessly to prepare the many birthday cakes needed for the 6,000 fans who sang “Happy Birthday” to Star Wars on May 25, 2007. And think about how many days Char had to refocus her attention to the NASIG conference, which started for her with a board meeting on May 30. The woman is a trooper!
Char has created a Star Wars character, Alex (Alexandra) Winger, and in an exclusive interview with yours truly reveals that Alex has a cameo in Vision of the Future by novelist Timothy Zahn. Star Wars enthusiasts have detailed her life (based on Char’s stories) fairly accurately on Wookieepedia (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Alex_Winger).
Char and friend at at the UFO Watchtower in Hooper, Colorado.
Words are not the only things Char plays with. In high school she played rhythm guitar and electronic organ for an all-girl rock band called “liberation.” How many other catalogers have been members of rock bands? She also loves to take photos with her digital camera. She inherited the shutter bug from her dad, who was an avid still and 8- & 16-mm film photographer. Thanks to her dad, there is a family history going back to 1943. Char’s Flickr site has a large collection of family photos and she tells me that her two oldest children are carrying on the photo bug.
And speaking of children, I asked Char is she had become an empty nester yet. She will be one as of August 19 when her youngest son, Jeff, heads off to college in Texas where he has a cheer scholarship. He transferred there from K-State to improve his tumbling skills. Jenny is a junior at K-State majoring in marketing and a team coach at a local gymnastics center. Do I detect a theme here?? Char’s oldest son, Joel, is a video production editor in central Florida. He has aspirations to write, direct and edit his own films. Maybe mom will get him to turn her script (aka the novel) into a movie someday. Char is extremely proud of her brood, with good reason. I found a May 2006 photo of the “kids.”
Char’s kids, left to right, Joel, Jenny, Jeff. No wonder she’s proud!
In her spare time she likes to garden. Char believes her thumb is not green so she looks for low maintenance plants like daylilies and perennials to fill her huge backyard. She hopes to reduce the amount of grass she needs to mow to a mere ¼ of her yard. My brother-in-law who is also a cataloger has the same idea.
I have to admit that while I’ve known Char professionally for years, I didn’t know her very well. She is up to some amazing things and clearly has the creative talent and energy to be a super NASIG President. I encourage the membership to visit her blog and Flickr space frequently to keep up with this extraordinary woman.
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