Minutes of the September 6, 2007 Meeting

SML 409
2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

Present: Hannah Bennett, Gwyneth Crowley, Jo-Anne Giammattei, Graziano Krätli, Haruko Nakamura (Chair), Ann Okerson, Susanne Roberts, Marcia Romananski, Andrew Shimp, Paul Stuehrenberg, David Walls.

Absent: Cynthia Crooker, George Miles, Audrey Novak, Martha Smalley, Dorothy Woodson.

Guests: Kelly Barrick (Social Science Libraries), Thomas Bolze (Catalog and Metadata Services), Jeffry Larson (Research Services and Collections).

Recorder: Graziano Krätli.

I. Announcements, questions, future agenda items

There were no announcements, questions, or future agenda items.

II. Implementation of the LGBTQ resource flagging procedure (Kelly Barrick, Thomas Bolze)

Kelly Barrick (Coordinator, Reference and Instruction, Librarian for Gay and Lesbian Studies and Womens Studies, SSL) and Tom Bolze (Catalog Librarian), reported on the initiative to add a banner flagging items identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) resources.

The Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay Studies (LKI) was established in the spring of 2001 to promote and support research and teaching in lesbian and gay studies at Yale. With the appointment of Jonathan Katz as LKI executive director, a number of LGBTQ initiatives were launched on campus, including a reading and a writing group, a bi-weekly lecture series, a conference jointly sponsored with the American Studies Program, a booklet, a web site, and a 2004 exhibition held at Sterling Memorial Library.

Soon Katz approached the Library to introduce the Initiative and describe its purpose and objectives, particularly to develop and enhance Yale’s research collections in the LGBTQ area. His enthusiasm, commitment to the program, appreciation of the Library's role and resources, and willingness to work with Library staff members were instrumental in creating the right conditions for a fruitful collaboration. A first look at the Library LGBTQ collection revealed that it contained about half of what we thought we needed, and – more significantly perhaps – this half was not as visible as it should have been. The visibility problem was largely due to the often cryptic, if not openly derogatory, subject headings (e.g., Sexual Deviance) and the classification used for these materials. The lack of appropriate subject headings was due to the Library of Congress' prolonged neglect of this area, although things have changed in the meantime and now we can rely upon a more granular and LGBTQ-specific set of LC subject headings.

Following Katzls involvement, a Library task force was formed with the aim to "facilitate discovery of historical materials, particularly for undergraduates." At the same time, the Initiative funded an external library consultant to review the collections, highlight relevant sources, and identify collecting gaps. Selector responsibilities for this area were first given to Todd Gilman and later transferred to Kelly Barrick (the current LGBTQ selector). Katz and the new task force worked with selectors, area curators and the Acquisitions department to expand the Library's coverage in the LGBTQ area, and to develop methods of facilitating access to LGBTQ resources, such as an online tutorial, a research methodology course, cataloging guidelines, etc. One of the first steps was to review Bolerium Books' (a notable bookseller in this area) inventories and use LK funds to purchase relevant materials. Another project was to create a title list of classics and make it accessible on the Web. The work of this group was sponsored in the Library by Ann Okerson.

One of the task force's recommendations was to add a 690 MARC tag "LGBTQ" to appropriate records. This would make it possible to create a virtual collection of LGBTQ materials accessible through this field. Such tag would be added to: items containing a banner flagging them as LGBTQ resources; items for which an LGBTQ-specific LC subject heading is already present or added to the catalog record; items for which, based on cataloger's judgment, such a tag should be appropriate (even if they lack a specific banner or LGBTQ-specific LC subject heading); and items that come in batches from specialized book vendors (e.g., Bolerium) or are paid on an LGBTQ fund. The fundamental criterion for the assignment of an LGBQT banner or tag is the nature of the item's content, not the gender/sexual orientation of its author. For example, a book on economics written by a gay scholar would not qualify unless its LGBQT content were explicit. Jeffry Larson (Librarian for Romance Languages & Literatures, Linguistics, and Classics) asked whether this criterion applies to fiction as well. Tom’s reply was yes, although there has been significant concern about its appropriateness to fiction.

Marcia pointed out that there are several stages at which an item can be identified as LGBTQ and flagged or tagged accordingly. The 690 tag can be added preventively by selectors when submitting an order, or by catalogers at the record-processing stage, while banners are applied by members of the Acquisitions Department's Monograph Support Team (MST) or by selectors in the Review Plaza. The process and its effectiveness rely upon a close collaboration between Acquisitions, Cataloging, and Selectors. Sue Roberts (Librarian for European History, Coordinator of Humanities Collections) stressed the importance of the Review Plaza as a point of human intervention and critical judgment; something we should keep in mind when its need is questioned and proposals to dismantle it resurface (as it happens periodically). Marcia acknowledged the need for human intervention (i.e., someone to look at incoming materials), but added that such intervention may happen in different ways and places.

Ann mentioned a concern about MARC records being entirely overwritten as a consequence of field changing. Tom replied that field 65X is vulnerable but 690 is not (and that is why field 692 was chosen for Beinecke items). Ann asked him to check and verify that this field is risk-free.

Sue asked how the tag issue will be addressed from the Public Services point of view. Tom replied that a couple of sentences will be added to the Gay & Lesbian Studies Research Guide to explain how it works. A disadvantage is that the subject currently does not hyperlink.

Andrew Shimp (Engineering Librarian) asked how and to what extent the flagging/tagging process takes into consideration the increasing amount of outsourced cataloging and shelf-ready provision. Tom acknowledged that the current model will have to be reviewed in a couple of years, but for the time being the volume of this material is still not large enough to cause problems in this regard. Marcia added that when the volume grows, shelf-ready materials will be properly received by MST staff members, and as for outsourced cataloging records (such as those provided by Casalini and Harrassowitz/Marcnow), new profiles will have to be created to ensure that proper tags and subject headings are included. On this issue, Jeffry asked whether Casalini will be able to tag LGBTQ materials. The answer was that it will for items paid on the G account, while others will have to be flagged in the receiving process. Sue asked about items in languages that neither can be read by MST staff members nor come as part of a G account. Marcia acknowledged that a few items can be missed. It is something we have to accept and, as pointed out by Ann, while trying to provide the best service, we cannot always be one hundred percent accurate.

In conclusion, Kelly expressed the task force's gratitude to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies program for their support to the Library, and for still providing funds for the acquisition of LGBTQ materials even though the Larry Kramer Initiative does not exist as such anymore.

III. Yale Library policy on handling of withdrawn and controversial books (Jeffry Larson)

Jeffry said that the idea of a CDC discussion on the issue of withdrawn and controversial books (how the Library should handle them – and their users), was originally prompted by a conversation he had in July with Gregory Eow, the new American Studies Librarian, about a recent book on German history published by Princeton University Press. Then, a month later, the Alms for Jihad case exploded and confirmed the need for such a discussion.

The August 10 Chronicle of Higher Education reported that Cambridge University Press had pulled from the market Alms for Jihad: Charity and Terrorism in the Islamic World, a highly controversial 2006 book by J. Millard Burr and Robert O. Collins, and asked the nearly 300 libraries around the world who had a copy in their collections to destroy it or return it to the publisher.

From South Africa, where she was attending IFLA’s annual meeting (see next item), Ann Okerson sent a couple of articles on the matter, from the Library Journal and American Libraries, which further paved the way for the adoption of this agenda item, at the same time providing updated information on the "Alms" case.

Since cases like this, in which a publisher will try to withdraw a book considered too controversial, may occur again and again in this day and age, Jeffry pointed out the need to have a policy in place. Ann agreed, stating that the Library's position is to keep and preserve controversial, banned, or withdrawn books, no matter what their authors and publishers decide to do, and to guarantee access to such content (under supervised use, if needed). At the same time, it is important to implant this fundamental library principle and value into the mind of both, content providers and users.

Citing revisionist history books, Sue Roberts reminded CDC that the Library collects all kinds of controversial materials and further framed the issue by stressing that the Library doesn't exist to "protect people from books, nor books from people." Jeffry pointed out that regulations differ from country to country and possibly jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Once the Council agreed on the need for a policy, the main question was: Do we have a document to which such a policy could be appended? Ann replied in the negative, adding that ALA or IFLA probably do, and suggested that she and Graziano look for such a document.

The question of what to do and where to put a controversial book such as Alms for Jihad led the discussion to the Zeta Collection, which was meant to be dismantled but never quite has been. Marcia asked if there are any guidelines for what to send to this collection. Sue answered that they have changed over the years, as shown by the surprising variety of materials of which the collection is made, including books that came with CD-ROMs or DVDs, books on classical sculpture, issues of Time-Life books, and menus.

Ann acknowledged that the above deserves further and broader discussion, perhaps at the Library Management Council or the Library Management Team, since it is not limited to collections but may concerns other University entities. After such discussion occurs, a more comprehensive document can be properly drafted and adopted.

IV. Report on IFLA (Ann Okerson)

Ann Okerson, as one of 8 Yale librarians who had recently attended the 73rd IFLA General Conference and Council in Durban, South Africa, provided some background information about the mission and objectives, the governance, the structure, and the activities of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Founded in 1927 in Scotland and registered in The Netherlands in 1971, IFLA has today almost 2000 members in 150 countries around the world.

IFLA membership is based on 3-4 categories—associations (national, international or other), institutional (library and information centres, library schools, bibliographic and research institutes), and personal/students—each coming with various requirements and benefits. The fee structure is complex and based on a number of factors, including membership size (for associations) and UNESCO or UN listing (for more and less developed countries). Fees range from 200 to 20,000 euros a year. Personal and student affiliates pay 122 and 51 euros, respectively, and have no voting rights. Membership benefits include free registration for one or more sections (two in the case of institutional members). Registration for additional sections costs 47 euros each per year.

IFLA is managed by a Governing Board consisting of the President, the President-elect, and 19 Members (10 elected directly and 9 indirectly), all of them serving a 2-year term. The headquarters are in The Hague, where the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (the Royal/National Library of the Netherlands) provides facilities for its 12-member (9 FTE) staff.

IFLA's vision rests on three pillars (Society, Profession, and Members), and entails a number of aims and core values, such as freedom of access to information, universal and equitable access to information, delivery of high quality library and information services, intellectual property issues, legislative issues (national and international treaties).

IFLA’s mission and objectives are pursued through 6 core activities (e.g., Action for Development through Library Programme/ALP; Committee on Copyright and Legal Matters/CLM; Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression/FAIFE), 8 divisions (e.g., Special Libraries, Bibliographic Control, Regional Activities, etc.), 48 sections (e.g., National Libraries, Cataloguing, Serials and Other Continuing Resources), and 7 discussion groups (e.g., Agricultural Libraries; E-Learning; Women, Information and Libraries).

An annual conference, or World Library and Information Congress, is held in a different country every year. The last three venues were Durban, South Africa (2007), Seoul, South Korea (2006), and Oslo, Norway (2005). The next three are Québec City, Canada (2008), Milan, Italy (2009), and Brisbane, Australia (2010). At the latest meeting, much of which focused on indigenous knowledge and oral history, it was announced the establishment of four new IFLA offices (three in Africa and one in Russia) and the receipt of a $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Libraries initiative.

In addition to Ann, who is theincoming Chair of the Serials and Other Continuing Resources (SOCR) section, other Yale librarians who are (or were until recently) involved in IFLA’s sections and activities, and therefore attend regular meetings, include Sandy Peterson (former director of SSLIS), Alice Prochaska (University Librarian), Bobbie Pilette (Head of Preservation), and Patricia Thurston (Catalog Librarian). The seven Area Curators attend the annual conference in alternate years and are involved in programs and activities related to their respective areas of expertise. This year, Ann and Kimberly Parker (Head of Electronic Collections) attended a pre-conference on Electronic Resource Management (ERM) systems, which they organized and was held at the University of the Western Cape, in a suburb of Cape Town, a couple of days before the official opening of the main event in Durban. The program featured 12 speakers and attracted about 60 participants, mostly from African countries.

Speaking from her personal experience, Ann remarked that IFLA may be hard to penetrate as an organization, but once this initial difficulty is overcome, it reveals a wide range of interesting professional development opportunities; and this despite the fact that members of developing countries are eager to participate and work, but actual leadership and input are often provided by their colleagues from more developed areas.

Ann’s overview ended with a couple of announcements in regard to the next IFLA conference in Québec. Ann noted that the chair of the National Committee (former University Librarian at the local Université Laval), is looking for prospective attendees with specialization in less known languages, to assist with translation and interpretation needs. The second, by Jeffry Larson, was in regard to the pre-conference on "Libraries and the French-Speaking Communities of the World: Innovation, Change and Networking," to be held at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, in Montréal, on August 5-7, 2008. The meeting is organized by the Association internationale francophone des bibliothécaires documentalistes (AIFBD), a new Francophone group within IFLA, whose president, Réjean Savard, a professor at the École de bibliothéconomie et des sciences de l'information (EBSI), Université de Montréal, is also a member of IFLA’s Governing Board. Both Jeffry and Sue Roberts are AIFBD members and plan to attend the pre-conference.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m.

Next meeting: October 4, 2007.