ASEE ELD
Newsletter

May 1995


Annual Reports from Officers and Committee Chairs
1994-95

Jump to: Archivist | Awards | Duplicates Exchange | Listserv | Membership | Membership Directory | Newsletter | Nominating | Publications | Secretary/Treasurer

Archivist

This was a rather quiet year for the Archives (humor intended). I collected ELD-related materials from officers and committee chairs at the 1994 Annual Conference, and I received some contributions during the year. The archives were consulted to help answer a question posed by ELD Chair Steve Gass concerning the previous recipients of the Homer Bernhardt Award and the dates of the awards.

Don Richardson, Archivist

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Awards

The ELD Awards Committee (Ann Montgomery Smith, Ray Bohling and Paige Gibbs) is pleased to announce that Clifford Lynch, developer of MELVYL and a key contributor to the American National Standard Z39.50 "Information Retrieval Service Definition and Protocol Specifications for Library Application" will be presented the Homer Berhardt Distinguished Service Award at this year's conference. The presentation will be part of the Professional Interest Council 4 (AKA PIC IV) Luncheon on Tuesday June 27. The session number is 2484 and has to be recorded separately on your registration form. We recognize that the $20 cost is not insignificant,but neither is the award! Please join us to celebrate both the honoree and our division.

For those who responded to this message when it was made on ELDNET: We are hoping that there will be a separate ELD recognition event just prior to the PIC IV luncheon, Cliff's schedule does not allow him to attend our division dinner. The specifics of "our" event will be announced at the conference.

The citation to Clifford Lynch reads as follows: "For his work in developing the American National Standard Z39.50, Information Retrieval Service Definition and Protocol Specifications for Search and Retrieval Protocols' and its corresponding ISO Standards 10162 and 10163; for his leadership in demonstrating the feasibility of providing desktop access to source technical material as demonstrated by the University of California's implementation of the TULIP Project; and for his ongoing involvement in key technical issues vital to the future development of library networks as demonstrated by his leadership of the Coalition for Networked Information's Architecture and Standards Working Group, the Engineering Libraries Division of ASEE is happy to present Clifford A. Lynch with the Homer BernhardtDistinguished Service Award."

Paige Gibbs, ELD Awards Committee
PGIBBS@UMASSD.EDU

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Duplicates Exchange

This is the fourth continuous year that the ELD has been offering a Duplicates Exchange exclusively over the internet from the same e-mail address. It evolved from discussions on the then-new listserv, ELDNET-L, as to the best way to distribute lists of engineering-related duplicate library materials to interested librarians. At that time, participants of ELDNET-L felt that listserv was not the appropriate place to post such messages because they did not want to archive ephemeral lists with the rest of the messages on the listserv.

The duplicates exchange is not a listserv. Members and other interested librarians send an electronic copy of their duplicates/want list to me at my e-mail address: Orion_Pozo@NCSU.EDU. I edit them by placing a uniform subject field and header at the beginning and reviewing for relevance and format. Then they are distributed to the other members and the original is archived in case of transmission error or later questions.

Currently,154 engineering librarians are members of the Duplicates Exchange. This year I estimate that 106 lists will be distributed on the Duplicates Exchange (89 have been distributed in the first 10 months). Last year 87 lists were distributed, so there may be an increase of 22% in traffic on the Duplicates Exchange.

A major change in the Duplicates Exchange was initiated in 1994 when a non-profit duplicates exchange for librarians using listserv software was created called BACKSERV (for information send e-mail to Marilyn Geller, mgeller@readmore.com). All lists posted to the ASEE/ELD Duplicates Exchange are also posted on BACKSERV unless otherwise requested by the originator. This serves two purposes. First, our lists are distributed to the 544 subscribers to BACKSERV (dealers may subscribe, but cannot post messages on BACKSERV), increasing our distribution by 453%. A more important advantage is that our lists are now archived and searchable (via gopher and WWW) along with all other BACKSERV lists. So if you want a specific title, try the BACKSERV archives -- either point your gopher client to gopher://gopher.readmore.com:70 or use a forms-capable browser with the URL http://www.readmore.com/

Another new service of the Duplicates Exchange this year is that I review the BACKSERV listserv and selectively pass on engineering-related lists of duplicates to the members. Since I started doing this on Nov. 7, 1994, I have sent 83 BACKSERV lists to Duplicates Exchange members.

I am pleased with the dynamic changes that are transforming the Duplicates Exchange. The greatest challenge I experience is in keepi ng my mailing list current. If you are not getting mailings from the Duplicates Exchange and want to be on the mailing list, please send me your current e-mail address.

Orion Pozo, Duplicates Exchange Coordinator

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LISTERV ELDNET-L

ELDNET-L is the ELD-sponsored electronic (listserv) discussion list addressing issues related to or of interest to engineering and related subject area libraries and librarians. ELD members constitute the core of the list membership, although subscription is open to anyone.

ELDNET-L subscriber history:
Start-up (August 1991): 62
1991/92 annual report: 119
1992/93 annual report: 187
1993/94 annual report: 314
1994/95 (21 April 95): 436

These numbers (from 1992/93 to date) underestimate the actual number of subscribers slightly because some institutions use local redistribution sources to forward posts to multiple users from one list subscription.

The number of subscribers (as seen above) increased at a slightly lower rate in 1994/95 than in 1993/94. Much of the subscription increase in 1993/94 was due to the increased awareness of ELDNET-L through its inclusion in a number of e-lists and via word of mouth (or word of e-mail). Given that there are a finite number ofengineering/physical sciences librarians and other potential subscribers, I knew that the new subscriber rate would eventually begin to flatten from its steep initial climb. I believe that has begun to happen in the last year. However, the raw numbers remain strong, with well over 100 new subscribers added in the last year.

The number of messages posted to the list increased moderately during the last year.

The increase in both list membership and list traffic is encouraging. The increase in ELDNET-L subscribers has translated into some small increase in ELD membership and is definitely serving to spread the word of ELD's existence to a significantly larger audience while resulting in no known burdens to ELD, ELDNET-L, or myself. I recommend that no efforts be made to constrain access to the list or to open knowledge of its existence.

I'm happy with the increase in the number of subscribers, but hope that the percentage of those new ELDNET-L subscribers who also join ASEE and ELD increases at a greater rate in the coming year.

Mel DeSart, ELDNET-L Editor

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Membership

As of April 1, 1995, the ELD roster from ASEE headquarters lists 153 members. By June 30 it is hoped that the 11 librarians who are ASEE members but who have not paid yet their ELD membership dues for the year will have also joined the fold, for a total of 164 members, constituting a14% increase in total ELD membership. This will mark the second year in a row that we have added 20 members to the ELD tally, and the most exciting part of all this, of course, is the global representation of our membership. ELD includes a strong Canadian contingent and this year a landmark event will be the participation in an annual conference of an ELD member from New Zealand!

The inclusion of brief biographies of new ELD members in the Division's newsletter is an enormously popular service -- this year skillfully and promptly provided to ELD by membership committee members Deborah Kegel and Gretchen Sneff.

The Membership Committee would like to take this opportunity to remind all ELD members to always use the ELD membership directory before using the ASEE membership directory. The latter should be used for member lookups only as a LAST resort.

As of April 1st (3/4 of the way through the recruitment year), the Chair had mailed out a total of 254 "Invitation to Join" packets to prospective ELD members throughout the world. It is estimated that the total for the full year will be 317. This will be a >50% increase in recruitment activity over FY93/94 during which 198 packets were mailed out. Part of the "fun" of membership committee duties is ensuring that ELD members have not let their memberships lapse inadvertently and to reenlist those who might be contemplating rejoining since they miss the camaraderie of ELD! Hence, follow-up letters were sent this year to 30 people whose ELD memberships have lapsed since 1990.

As always, the behind-the-scene work is conducted smoothly thanks to the marvelous teamwork of the membership committee, the membership directory editor(s), the newsletter editor(s), and the ELDNET-L moderator. Jim Van Fleet and Fred O'Bryant, and Nancy Schiller and Dena Thomas all deserve special recognition for their great baton-handoff this year on the membership directory and newsletter, respectively.

1994/95 Membership Committee Members: Norma Godavari (Canadian Liaison), Deborah Kegel (New Member Bios), Fred O'Bryant (Membership Directory Editor), F. Orion Pozo (Chief Scout), Gretchen Sneff (New Member Bios), Jim Van Fleet (Membership Directory Editor), and Glee Willis (Chair)

Glee Willis, Membership Committee Chair

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Membership Directory Editor

The actual costs for the 1994-1995 ASEE Engineering Libraries Division Membership Directory and Resource Guide were as follows:

Printing and Envelopes: $316.58
Mailing: $ 83.68
Total: $400.26

The many tasks associated with the production and maintenance of our membership list and Annual Directory have been assumed this spring by Fred O'Bryant, University of Virginia. I would estimate that mimimum production costs for the 1995-1996 Directory will top $450.00 this year, but Fred may need some leeway as he explores the intricacies of bulk mailing!

The electronic version of the Membership Directory and Resource Guide, ELD.MEMBERS, is available via FTP through the continued efforts of our LISTSERV Editor Mel DeSart.

James A. Van Fleet, outgoing Membership Directory Editor

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Newsletter

Four issues of the ASEE/ELD newsletter were produced and mailed. Production costs, including some printing and paper costs, mailing, and some labels were as follows:

September 1994 $209.17
December 1994 58.64
March 1995 110.51
May 1995 108.00 (estimated)
Total $486.32
Thanks to all the contributors; without your enthusiasm and ideas, the newsletter would not exist.

Dena Thomas, Newsletter Editor

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Nominating

This year the Nominating Committee consisted of Tom Volkening (Michigan State University), Glee Willis (University of Nevada, Reno) and Cecilia Mullen (San Jose State University). We are pleased to announce a slate of enthusiastic candidates for your vote at the annual business meeting. This year we bring to you three names for two positions. It was the Nominating Committee's considered opinion that as ELD continues to grow, we should be able to provide more opportunities for decision making by the membership. In that spirit, we will be placing in nomination the following individuals: Charlotte Erdmann (Purdue University) for the progressive position of Secretary/Treasurer; Sheila Curl (University of Notre Dame) and Norma Godavari (University of Manitoba) for the position of Director.

Please let me know your opinions of this change in the nominating process.

Cecilia Mullen, Nominating Committee Chair

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Publications

The Engineering Libraries Division published selective guides on Integrated Circuits and Engineering Geology this year. All current guides were featured in an advertisement in the December 1994 issue of SLA's Specialist. The publications were also publicized on various listservs.

Sales figures for ELD publications from 6/1/94 through 4/5/95 are as follows:

Fire Protection 3
Artificial Intelligence 17
Union List 28
Advanced Ceramics 23
Telecommunications 29
Composites 26
Materials Engineering 57
Integrated Circuits 37
Engineering Geology 4
Total 224

There were no papers submitted for publication in the proceedings this year. Activities of the Subcommittees are reported separately.

Tom Conkling, Publications Committee Chair

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Secretary/Treasurer

ELD Operating Account:

Date Item Debits Credits Balance
5/ /94 Previous balance 140.61
6/16/94 Newsletter 111.30 29.31
9/30/94 Newsletter-* Partial 29.31 0.00
10/ 1/94New Fiscal Year 826.88 826.88
12/21/94 Directory 400.26 426.62
1/31/95 Newsletter 58.64 367.98

[* remainder deducted from BASS Account--see 9/30/94 below]

This fiscal year's allocation to our operating account shows a five percent increase over last year. Any amount remaining at the end of the fiscal year goes back to ASEE.

ELD BASS Account:

Date Item Debits Credits Balance
12/2/93 Beginning balance 1154.01
6/30/94 3rd Quarter Interest 1.79 1155.80
6/30/94 Dues 37.00 1192.80
6/15/94 Edmonton Telephone 381.90 810.90
6/30/94 Foreign draft charge 15.00 795.90
7/21/94 Federal Express 20.90 775.00
8/ 2/94 Engineering Index, Inc. 500.00 1275.00
8/ 3/94 1993 Conf. misc. exp. 40.87 1234.13
8/ 3/94 Photocopies (1994 conf.) 6.80 1227.33
8/ 3/94 Guest speakers--dinner 70.00 1157.33
8/31/94 A-V charges 144.00 1013.33
9/30/94 Newsletter(* above) 179.86 833.47
9/30/94 Dues 41.00 874.47
9/30/94 4th Quarter Interest 1.97 876.44
9/30/94 Literature guides 437.60 1314.04
10/ 1/94 New fiscal year
12/29/94 Dues 29.00 1343.04
12/29/94 1st Quarter Interest 3.02 1346.06
3/30/95 Dues 71.00 1417.06
3/30/95 2nd Quarter Interest 3.19 1420.25

All ending balances for both accounts reported above balance with the reports from ASEE Headquarters.

The effect of the ELD dues increase has just begun to be visible. The majority of members whose dues have been credited through March 31, 1995 have paid $1.00. As a matter of fact, if you renewed your ASEE/ELD membership after February 1, 1995 at the $1.00 rate and feel obligated to send in the "extra" $4.00, a check to headquarters with your membership number noted clearly would benefit ELD directly. (It is still possible to find printed forms which show ELD dues are $1.00. For example, the form printed in ASEE Prism will not be changeduntil the September, 1995 issue.)

The budgetary impact of increased sales of literature guides is significant. Increased advertising by ASEE Headquarters has paid off--complementing the consistently excellent quality of the guides. We also appreciate the $500.00 donation from Engineering Information, Inc. These two items have boosted our BASS Account balance substantially in the past year.

Conference expenses, none of which have been recorded yet, will draw down this balance.

I will have additional comments and answer any questions in Anaheim.

Andy Stewart, ELD Treasurer

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