Library and Information Science Commons^™

Zen And The Art Of Stacks Maintenance: Rethinking An Ancient Practice, Margo Smith, Melissa Laning

The Southeastern Librarian

The University of Louisville Libraries’ 2000-2001 Strategic Plan includes specific objectives related to improving the delivery of materials to users. This broad objective covers many strategies ranging from increasing electronic access, improving web page design, using vendor-supplied cataloging records and reallocating funds to high demand subject areas. Undergraduate user demand for monographs remains high. Therefore, reducing the number of days required to shelve new acquisitions and to re-shelve circulated items is an important objective for the library. Leo Egghe notes that, “Shelving and keeping library shelves in order is very important and is basic for the use of a library.” …

The Southeastern Librarian V. 49, No. 3 & 4 (Fall/Winter 2001) Complete Issue

The Southeastern Librarian

Complete issue of The Southeastern Librarian, volume 49, No. 3 & 4 (Fall/Winter 2001).

President's Column, Barry B. Baker

The Southeastern Librarian

Column by SELA President, Barry Baker.

Public Access To Legal Resources On The Internet, Alice M. Mccanless

The Southeastern Librarian

In the not so distant past, before the Internet, doing legal research necessitated access to either a substantial law collection or one of the expensive legal databases, Lexis-Nexis or Westlaw. That limited legal reference to law librarians, some special librarians and reference librarians at large university or public libraries. The Internet has changed all of that, giving any library with an Internet connection access to a wealth of current law, especially at the state and federal level.

Based on a presentation at the Joint Conference of the Georgia Council of Media Organizations and Southeastern Library Association on October 12, 2000.

Testing The Design Of A Library Information Gateway, W. Bede Mitchell, Laura Davidson, Virginia Branch, Lynne Lysiak

The Southeastern Librarian

In autumn of 1999, the library World Wide Websites at Appalachian State University and Georgia Southern University had been in place for more than a year, and many library users reported that certain aspects of the sites’ designs were confusing. In order to alleviate the confusion, librarians from the two universities decided to redesign the sites by determining the greatest sources of confusion. To do this, we studied how patrons used the web sites by way of user-centered usability testing.

From The Editor, Frank R. Allen

The Southeastern Librarian

Column by Frank Allen, editor of The Southeastern Librarian.

Surveying Privacy: Library Privacy Laws In The Southeastern United States, Bryan M. Carson

The Southeastern Librarian

According to the American Library Association, library records should be kept private and confidential. Most states also have laws that protect the confidentiality of library records. This article will discuss the library confidentiality laws of the Southeastern United States, as well as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the USA PATRIOT Act (popularly known as the antiterrorism statute).

Sela News

The Southeastern Librarian

Recent developments from SELA member institutions.

Regional Archives In The People's Republic Of China: A Case Study Of The Chongqing Municipal Archives And The Yunnan Provincial Archives, Morris L. Bian, Robert J. Jakeman

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

The emergence of China as an active member of the international community and the growing number of exchange programs between archival institutions in China and the United States have fostered broader professional contacts between American archivists and their counterparts in China. Consequently, American archivists have become increasingly curious about the professional practices of their Chinese colleagues. The following description and analysis offers a case study of the structure, function, and use of Chinese regional archives.

Introduction, Karen M. Benedict

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

On first reading this group of articles on the international archival scene, I was struck by the degree to which advances in technology and changes in attitudes about professionalism have affected our profession over the past twenty years. Back in 1968, at my first archives job, my institution felt fortunate to have acquired IBM Selectric typewriters for the staff. Connections to the international archival community were limited to the privileged few, primarily at the National Archives, with travel budgets large enough to allow them to participate in international conferences or to visit institutions abroad.

Finding A Common Ground: Working With The Georgian National Archives To Create A Trilingual Database, Peter Carini, Kara Drake

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

On two separate occasions over the past four years, the authors traveled to the former Soviet Republic of Georgia as part of a team charged with the work of training Georgian archivists in international descriptive standards as part of a database project. The Sakartvelo Database Project provided an introduction to Georgian history, culture, and the development of the country's archival program. It also provided a picture of what it is like to work in a former Soviet republic and the reality of what it is to handle language barriers and physical and environmental obstacles.

Front Matter, Sheryl B. Vogt

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

No abstract provided.

Archives In The New Germany: Research Reflections On A System In Transition, Russel Lemmons

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

The sudden collapse of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany or the GDR) and the resulting reunification of Germany-what the Germans call die Wende (the turning)-changed many German institutions forever. The German economy, for example, experienced a downturn, the result of which was double-digit unemployment for the first time since the Weimar Republic. Governmental institutions, most notably in education, experienced a dramatic metamorphosis in the neue Länder (new states). Among the most important but largely unnoticed changes taking place, however, are those in the federal archives system. These modifications have had a significant effect on scholars.

Back Matter, Sheryl B. Vogt

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

No abstract provided.

The Romanian Archives And Their Documentary Libraries, Ioan Drāgan

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Romania, the only nation founded by a Latin people of Greek religion, has an ancient and very interesting history as well as a unique archival experience. It is situated at the collision of three well-defined and distinguished regionsCentral Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Northeastern Balkans. Here, the civilizations of West and East and of Catholicism and Orthodoxy meet. The history of the Romanian archives mirrors in the best way the specifics of this intersection of cultures and civilizations.

This article offers only a synthetic introduction to the history and the present circumstances of the Romanian archives. It comprises two distinct …

Reviews, Cyntia Pease Miller, Penny Cliff, Tina Mason, Sheila Mcalister, Stephen Miller, Annie Tilden, Kaye Lanning Minchew

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

No abstract provided.

Where Function Meets Form: Observations And Thoughts On Housing For The Archival Enterprise, David B. Gracy Ii

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

The most basic principle of architecture is that Form Follows Function. In other words, a building should be designed to facilitate the activities envisioned to occur within it. Through the centuries, structures erected for managing the archival heritage of civilizations and cultures indeed have reflected and shaped the archival activity transpiring within them. Physical configurations have facilitated or impeded the archival enterprise. A building with provision for storage only, and no area designated for use of the records it holds, obviously says that for the time, place, and archival institution, the value of archives was not broad public use. Rather, …

Provenance Xviii & Xix, Sheryl B. Vogt

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

No abstract provided.

Regional Archives In France And Challenges For The American Researcher, Kristine M. Wirts

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Before the fifties Americans working on French history generally preferred to conduct research at the national level. Their research underscored intellectual trends of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in that a great number of their monographs centered on national politics, intellectual developments, institutional history, and military and political profiles. Their research interests also reflected their social origins. Many were from prosperous families, perhaps, not far removed from the most influential centers of American political and educational life. Undoubtedly, they interpreted historical events, the making of history, as the business of powerful white men-which was, in the United States, …

Promoting A Regional Foreign Copying Program: The Historic New Orleans Collection Experience, Alfred E. Lemmon

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

The Historic New Orleans Collection, as a museum and research center, seeks to document the developing profile of New Orleans. Awalk through the fabled cemeteries or "Cities of the Dead" in New Orleans reveals the French and Spanish colonial demography. While the German, Irish, French, and Italian immigrants received the most attention during the nineteenth century, there were also Belgian, Hungarian, Yugoslav, and Dutch immigrants. The 1850 census indicates that Louisiana had a significant foreignborn population even then. Immigrants accounted for 26 percent of the population in Louisiana, far greater than that of neighboring states. During the twentieth century, Louisiana …

Preserving The History Of Boston's Diversity, Nancy Richard, Joan D. Krizack

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

These headlines appeared in Boston newspapers. The articles they introduce tell each story from the journalist's point of view. Mainstream institutions involved in the events-the courts, law enforcement, schools, and businesses--created records that provide additional information from a mainstream point of view. Often these sources are the only documentation preserved in archives and libraries that are available to researchers. Individuals from the communities involved generally pass on their perspectives on the events by word of mouth. Occasionally, members of the community or the individuals who were present create oral or written sources in which to preserve their story. Unless mainstream …

Front Matter, Sheryl B. Vogt

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

No abstract provided.

The Evolution Of The Cooperative Historically Black College And University Archival Survey Project (Chasp), Taronda Spencer

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

In 1987 Robert Smith, then director of Library and Media Services for the Highland Park (MI) School District, created an audiovisual presentation on the history of African American education for the training academy of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE). Moved by the presentation, many of the academy participants encouraged Smith to expand it into a documentary film. A year later Smith, intrigued by the idea and armed with a $5000 planning grant from the National Alliance, began research to determine the feasibility of such a venture. He discovered in the process that much of the material needed …

Fresh Focus: Mississippi's 'Spy Files': The State Sovereignty Commission Records Controversy, 1977-1999, Lisa K. Speer

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Too often the pressure of the present day work environment lures archivists into ignoring their professional past or advancing shortsightedly into the future. To encourage such reflection on the archival enterprise, Provenance includes this section, Fresh Focus. We invite contributors to explore neglected chapters in archival history or to share an original, especially historical, perspective on the current world of archival affairs. Provenance particularly encourages submissions for Fresh Focus from new or student archivists who are, after all, the future of the profession. Foil owing is the third in a series of occasional essays or papers meeting these criteria.

Reviews, Linda Matthews, Sheila Mcalister, Charles J. Barber, Beth Patkus, Beth A. Bensman

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

No abstract provided.

Extending Archives: Folklife, Social History, And The Work Of R. Henderson Shuffler, Matthew S. Darby

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

R. Henderson Shuffier set the historical record straight. Throughout his career, this self-proclaimed "myth-killer"' urged Texans, and anyone else who would listen, to reconsider what it meant to be Texan and how to study Texas history. As curator of the University of Texas's Texana Program and later as the first director of the Institute ofTexan Cultures in San Antonio, Shuffier expanded the traditional scope of Texas history beyond political, economic, and military achievements and presented a more complete, unbiased picture of the state's heritage that included groups previously underrepresented in historical and public discourse. At a time when academia was …

Expanding The Community Connection In Minnesota, Mark A. Greene

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

A full thirty years ago Rudy Vecoli, director of the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota, reminded archivists that "the portrayal of diversity has been an ideal to which we have paid lip service rather than a task to which we have addressed ourselves." Gradually, lip service paid to diversity within archival and museum organizations-whether it be a diverse staff or diverse collections or diverse exhibits-is giving way to sustained and effective action. There is a large measure of enlightened self-interest driving this action; even for the relatively homogenous populations in the states of the upper Midwest, …

Documenting Cuban Exiles And The Cuban American Experience In South Florida, Esperanza B. De Varona, Diana Gonzalez Kirby

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

When Fidel Castro rose to power on 1January1959, Cubans left their Caribbean island in a mass exodus with hopes of returning in the near future. Miami, Florida's geographic location made it the logical point of entry into the United States. Today, forty-two years after the triumph of the Cuban revolution, Miami-Dade County contains the largest concentration of Cubans living in exile, approximately seven hundred thousand. With Hispanics comprising 49 percent of Miami-Dade County's population, Cubans by far outnumber all other Hispanics and are a majority across more than half the county's residential areas. Along with demographic growth and occupational mobility, …

Back Matter, Sheryl B. Vogt

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

No abstract provided.

Provenance Xvii, Sheryl B. Vogt

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

No abstract provided.