Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 9, 1981)
New computer cataloger eases library life By ANN PORTAL Of ttw EmaraM In less than three weeks, the University library no longer will catalog books the "old way." The library is shelving its manual sys tem of cataloging books in favor of a computerized cataloging system called Online Computer Library Center. The new system was purchased this year for $20,000 University librarian George Shipman says he is unsure what the annual cost to use the service will be, but based on the number of books cataloged last year, the cost would be $100,000 Community colleges, private colleges and public libraries around the state already have adopted the national ser vice Oregon State University selected OCLC soon after the University made its choice With the new service, catalog classifications already are entered in the computer — so librarians no longer have to make up shelf numbers for each new book Shipman estimates that 93 to 96 per cent of the titles the University library purchases already will have been en GTF talks on contract continue University Graduate Teaching Fellows are working under a contract with the University that expired June 30. but the old contract will continue to be ob served until disputes between GTFs arid the University can be resolved According to a joint release issued by the negotiating teams. 13 of 35 contract items still are being disputed, although 12 items already have been agreed upon Prior to a June 30 meeting of the two bargaining teams, it had appeared that talks might come to a standstill However, the University brought a number of revised proposals to the meeting, and GTFs now are considering the offers, says Jim Morgan, bar gaining team member and co-secretary-treasurer of the union Both sides now feel that the current package proposal of the University represents progress toward a possible settlement, negotiators say The next bargaining session is scheduled for Tuesday IMPORT!-:!) coffee (Kk tea Bv the found or b\ th<* Cup Kinko’s 764 E. 13th 344 -7894 Bean of the Month Costa Rica $4.40 lb. Compare Our Prices tered The University receives reductions on its bill tor entering titles that have not been entered previously For students, the bibliographic service means new books will be on the shelf sooner, Shipman says For the library staff, the system means cataloging will bp faster and easier, eventually providing the time to begin a time-consuming process of recataloging nearly one-third of the library’s collection currently shelved under the outdated Dewey Decimal system, Shipman says Using the new system, all 400,000 Dewey-classified volumes will be con verted to the newer Library of Congress classifications and the two collections will be combined on the shelves, he says But the reclassification will take years, he adds ’’(On-line cataloging) is a panacea, but we re also talking about undoing decades of problems Before tackling the Dewey collection, the cataloging department must process a 10,000 to 12,000 volume backlog of new books However, Shipman says he considers a backlog of several thousand books a normal workload *wr»¥00* AMVMOtiHlOAa mm 9 Emerald Photo Using a new cataloging system, the University library hopes to soon process a 10,000 to 12,000 backlog of new books. The OCLC service, which is located in Columbus, Ohio, sends catalog cards the day after a book is cataloged Discussing the library's financial out look, Shipman says he still has no idea just what the library's funding level will be next year, but that book acquisition should remain a priority, as it has this year "My impression is that no matter what happens to higher education, acquisition of library material will be of top priority," he says. The library has more than achieved stability in the last year, Shipman says "With a positive — not foolish — atti tude and innovativeness we can do a great deal to support the research mis sion of Oregon residents " ...coming to you from 23,000 miles above Maui. ‘ ' r Call Today-484-3006
