This issue includes includes an update on new library holdings symbols in OCLC and the final grant supported library to have their OCLC terminal installed, a summary of the Reference Users Group conference, authorization of the Minitex Advisory Committee, a summary of the OCLC cataloging users group, and the latest MULS (Minitex Union List of Serials) procedures and other updates.
A reproduction of a slide show and audio cassette created in the 1970's to educate library staff and to promote Minitex services. As part of the Minitex 50th Anniversary, the video was edited in 2021 by Carol Nelson with assistance from former Minitex staff Kathy Drozd, Dave Paulson, and Mark Eckes. Topics in the presentation include: Minitex resource sharing among libraries, the Minitex Union List of Serials, the technology used to communicate between libraries for resource sharing, the Minitex Reference and Information Network, Minitex workshops and training sessions, and how Minitex was initially funded.
Peter Jarnstrom began his career at the library of Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1980. He started out in cataloging and moved into interlibrary loan where he works at present as ILL Technician.
In his interview Peter discussed: using the new OCLC Interlibrary Loan system in the early 1980s; major innovations (custom holdings and interlibrary loan fee management) to the OCLC interlibrary loan service that resulted in less manual and more automated workflows for staff; development of PALS (Project for Automated Library Systems) to include a fully integrated interlibrary loan module, making it easier for libraries within the consortium to borrow and lend materials; and an early 90s periodical disaster at Memorial Library.
Peter also shared his experience working on two major projects that Memorial Library underwent in the 1980s when he was in the cataloging department. The first project involved reclassification of their entire library collection from the Dewey Decimal Classification system to Library of Congress classification system. The second major project involved retrospective conversion of catalog cards to tape, eventually forming the basis of the first union catalog of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, PALS. This interview also includes an audio recording, recording table of contents, transcript, and photograph of the interviewee.
This special issue on online databases includes information about the types of data in databases, online database searching protocols, online search services in the U.S. and costs, a glossary of common database terms, a bibliography of online bibliographic services, the Minitex online search service and sample search request form, a directory of online database, subject databases search in Minitex libraries, and a summary of the Reference Users Group meeting.
This issue includes the following articles: Bibliographic and Physical Resource Sharing in Minitex; Access to Minitex Libraries in Bibliographic Databases; Libraries and the 1980 Census; Minitex OCLC AACR2 Regional Meetings; OCLC'S Name-Address Directory; Minitex at Texas Instruments Symposium; Ramsey County Begins OCLC Acquisitions Subsystem Evaluation; ARL Adopts Plan for Improving Access to Microforms; Database Workshops; People; Minitex Directory Changes; Minnesota Statutes Index Errata Available; Everyone's Guide to the Whole Library.
This issue includes the following articles: Information Data Base Services; Three Services to Libraries; The History of Some Terminology; Preservation of Minnesota Newspapers at the Minnesota Historical Society; Minnesota State University Project for Automation of Library Systems (MSU/PALS): Planning for the Future; AACR2 in Minnesota; OCLC Use Increases; AACR 2 and OCLC; OCLC Search Retrieval Enhancements Soon to be Implemented; OCLC Users Council Elects Officers; Western Council Resource Sharing Planning Conference; GPO Named Center of Document Cataloging; St. Paul Public Library Initiates Computer Catalog System; People; New Coordinators Join Minitex Staff; Congressional Information Service Seminars; ""Everyone's Guide..."" Is Back Again.
This issue includes the following articles: Bibliographic Instruction (proceedings from a workshop); COM Catalogs and Conversion Projects (from Ramsey County Public Library and Minneapolis Public Library); People; Minitex Workshop Speaker Participation Policy; Minitex/OCLC Mailings; Circulation Systems: Suggested Reading; A Circulation System With OCLC; OCLC Use in Minitex: Some Thoughts and Statistics; Minitex Courier; Regional Workshops for Catalogers: AACR2; New MULS Manual.
This issue includes the following articles: Serials Collections in a Network Environment; OCLC Converts Data Base to AACR 2 Form; Quality Control Activities at OCLC; MPR Programs Available From Audio Archives; New Duluth Public Library Open; People/Minitex Directory; Serial Collection Management: A Bibliography.
This issue includes the following articles: To Network or Not to Network Schools Face the Question; Networking Conference; Library Instruction for the College Undergraduate; Selective Bibliography for Library Instruction in Academe; Retrospective Conversion; OCLC/ILL Subsystem Training; EDUCOM Seminar; Rug Reference Resources Meeting; Automation, Codes and Standards in Technical Services and their Effect on Public Services; AACR2 Preconference; Theological Libraries Meeting; People in Minitex.
This issue includes the following articles: OCLC Users Council; Minitex Brochure insert; Minitex Annual Meeting; OCLC Interlibrary Loan Subsystem Test; Serials Management Workshop; Farewell to Lois Upham; USOE Grant Deadlines; Academic Library Grant Program Announced; Positions (new library staff); Honors; Minitex Libraries on OCLC: A Directory; Minitex 'NLOC' Service; OCLC Codes for Minitex Libraries; Using OCLC to Verify Minitex ILL Requests; Directory of Minnesota Libraries; and Colleagues Publish.
Mary Rae Oxborrow was one of the first full-time professional staff to be hired at Minitex in 1969. In the interview she describes what is was like to work with Minitex's first director, Alice Wilcox; her main role at Minitex in bibliographic problem solving; a Halloween South Dakota trip gone bad on Needles Highway near Rapid City; early technology used at Minitex for sending interlibrary loan requests (for example, teletype machines); staff parties; Minitex office locations during the pilot project and beyond; and the first Minitex logo, the winged messenger. This interview also includes an audio recording, recording table of contents, transcript, and photograph of the interviewee.
Mary Treacy is former director of Metronet (1981-1999), one of seven state-funded multitype library networks created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1979. During her interview, Mary describes her first job as a librarian at Washington D.C. Teacher's College (1965) in a post Brown v Board of Education climate; emerging technologies, such as beta testing ERIC on microfiche; The Twin Cities Library Club; the 1982 Metronet sponsored conference, ""Question of Balance, Public Sector/Private Sector Interaction in the Delivery of Information Services""; the role of Metronet and Minitex; starting a college library at Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (1999); SMILE (Southcentral Minnesota Inter-Library Exchange) before funding was available for multitype library networks, and her time at the ALA Washington office (1996). This interview also includes an audio recording, recording table of contents, transcript, and photograph of the interviewee.
This special issue on copyright includes information about how the new U.S. Copyright Law affects Minitex Document Delivery, guidelines for records retention, information on library supplies for displaying copyright information, ALA and Minitex Interlibrary Loan Request forms, copyright payment mechanisms, and a bibliogrpahy of copyright law and libraries resources.
Suzanne Mahmoodi was the first continuing education coordinator at Library Development and Services (1978-2001), Minnesota Department of Education. In her interview she discusses her first library job as a student in special libraries; early education in Southern Iowa (near Lucas, Iowa, known for John Lewis Memorial Museum of Mining and Labor); early Resource Sharing in special, academic, and public libraries; conversation with U of M Libraries director Edward Stanford about the 1969 Minitex pilot project; Control Data Corporation's Plato system (one of the earliest computer based learning systems, originally developed at University of Illinois) and developing a program for libraries; how MN Opportunities for Reference Service Excellence (MORE) and MN Opportunities for Technical Services Excellence (MOTSE) began; and the decision to close the library at State Library Services. This interview also includes an audio recording, recording table of contents, transcript, and photograph of the interviewee.
This issue includes the following articles: Minitex: A Status Report; WILS-WLC: Library Cooperation in Wisconsin; South Dakota Health Sciences Library Consortium: Multi-Type Resource Sharing; OCLC Names New President; OCLC Users Council Annual Report Summary; OCLC Development Schedule; OCLC Users and AACR2 Questions; OCLC System Down While Converting to AACR2; OCLC Participating Libraries; CRL Receives Two Ford Grants; MPLIC Designated as Patent Depository; COMCAT Education Project; Legal Reference Servives Committee Formed; Minitex Reference Service Notes; Telecommunications Change for Minitex; ""Everyone's Guide..."" For Winter Quarter; People; and New Minitex Participant.
Mark Eckes worked at Minitex from 1974 to 1984, when Minitex was just three years in to the program. He managed the Minitex staff (payroll, vacation, sick leave) and was responsible for office purchasing and OCLC billing. In his interview, he describes early technology used at Minitex for processing interlibrary loan requests, such as the TWX machine, and Minitex's first computer. Other topics discussed include the Minitex traveling slideshow, what it was like to work with Alice Wilcox (the first Minitex director), and the Minitex tennis and softball team. This interview also includes an audio recording, recording table of contents, transcript, and photograph of the interviewee.
Kathy Drozd began working for the University of Minnesota Libraries INFORM Service (for-fee article delivery service) before joining Minitex as a student in the early 1970s. In her interview, she discusses Minitex Delivery Services in the 1970s; using painted beer boxes for transporting library materials and the Greyhound bus for delivering those materials to other libraries in Minnesota; working in cramped quarters at the former Minitex office location in Wilson Library; what it was like to work with Alice Wilcox, the first Minitex director; her foray into the Minitex Union List of Serials (MULS) program; planning the Elmer L. Andersen Library and the caverns for high density storage of library materials; the office move to Elmer L. Andersen Library from Wilson Library; early beginnings of the Minnesota Library Access Center (MLAC); and the best parts of her job. This interview also includes an audio recording, recording table of contents, transcript, and photograph of the interviewee.
William Asp served as Minnesota State Librarian from 1975-1996. In the interview he reflects on early 20th century resource sharing among libraries belonging to the Twin Cities Library Club, Regional Public Library System development, early library automation in Minnesota, and the Extension of Access Law (1987 law passed that required the counties to levy a tax for public library service and join a regional public library system). This interview also includes an audio recording, recording table of contents, transcript, and photograph of the interviewee.
Roger Sween began his professional library career in Wisconsin at UW-Platteville before moving back to Minnesota in the mid-1970s. He worked at Red Wing Public Library and St. Cloud State University Library before he joined State Library Services, Minnesota Department of Education as library cooperation specialist from 1984-2000.
In the interview Roger Sween talks about his first library job as a student working in Rolvaag Memorial Library at St. Olaf; events in Minnesota that led to the development of Minitex; evolution of the multicounty, multitype library systems in Minnesota; his work with the Minnesota Educational Media Organization (MEMO) and creation of the first school library media standards (2000) in the state; and involvement in a 1984 report on economic vitality that resulted in the theme of the American Library Association Annual Conference and the Minnesota Library Annual Conference. This interview also includes an audio recording, recording table of contents, transcript, and photograph of the interviewee.
This issue includes the following articles: OCLC Users Council Meets in Columbus on June 4 and 5; Visitors; Minnesotans Publish; OCLN Memberships; Automation in Duluth; More Publishing; People on the Move; Liz Stroup Meets with Rug Group; South Dakota Union List of Serials; Gustavus Award Winner; Recent Publications of Interest; Reference Users Group Meets; Responsive Reference Service; and The "Not Available" Response to ILLRO's.
This issue includes the following articles: Minitex Reference Services; Document Delivery Service; Back-Up Reference Service; Reference Services and Collection Development; Minitex Telephone and TWX Directory; Serving OCLC Users; Verifying ILL Requests on OCLC; Workshop on Workflow; Workshop on Library Instructions; Botany Journals; New Librarians, New Positions; New Participants; and Visitors to Minitex.
This issue includes information about the Minitex Continuing Education Program and week-long workshops for Reference Librarians, an overview of the newly initiated Minitex Reference Service, and an overview of the Minnesota Union List of Serials emerging Minitex program.
Ken Behringer retired from the Metropolitan Library Services Agency (MELSA), a regional public library system that serves the libraries in the seven-county Twin City metro area, in 2019. His career included becoming the first Executive Director of MNLINK, serving as the Director of the Dakota County Library and the Great River Regional Libraries, and library positions in Wyoming and the North Dakota State Library. In this interview, he describes the development of library services in Minnesota that he observed from various points in his career and as a lifelong library user. Behringer often found his role to be in working with local county decisionmakers as well as the state legislature to secure funding for libraries. That led to impacts on budgeting for improved library services, technological advances, and the development of regional and state-wide library systems that have strengthened the library community in the state. He also discusses the colleagues who have been influential throughout his career including Bill Asp, Bill DeJohn, Charlene Mason, Roseanne Byrne, and Mike Turbes. This interview also includes an audio recording, transcript, and photograph of the interviewee.
This special issue on AACR2 and the catalog includes information about the adoption of AACR2 and implications for cataloging procedures and practices. Minnesota librarians attended an institute in 1978 on "Closing the Catalog"; offered by LITA and a full summary of the event is included. This issue also contains a list of recently announced grants, RLIN (Research Libraries Group) replacing the former acronym of BALLOTS, and the new publication "The Role of the School Library Media Program in Networking."
This issue includes the following articles: Planning and Library Cooperation; Reference Service Evaluation; New Advisory Committee; and a large section on OCLC and Library Automation. The OCLC and Library Automation section contains background on what OCLC is; a history of Minitex OCLC participation; cooperative cataloging in OCLC; first time use (FTU) of an OCLC record; how to become an OCLC participant; the OCLC interlibrary loan, serial control, and acquisitions subsystems; and a diretory of Minitex libraries on OCLC.
