UK/UTK Information Alliance
Suggested Next Steps
November 4, 1996 Meeting
Cumberland Lodge, Williamsburg, KY

Access & Delivery

1. Get involved in the copyright reform movement. (There is not much input from librarians and scholars.)
2. Keep up with and try to influence standards development.
   • Refuse to buy non-standard products.
   • Consider archival/long-term access.
   • Z39.50 and future developments.
   • “Digital Esperanto” for data formats to assure long-term access to accumulating data files.

Systems

1. Anticipate the need for upgrading our infrastructure.
2. Remote access - single ID that needs to be defined consistently.
3. Push for standards.
4. Look for opportunities for collaboration with a Z39.50 catalog server.
5. Explore user authentication.
6. Minimum competencies for staff.

Public Services

1. Reaching Users.
   • Work with vendors on user interfaces.
   • Work together on beta-test projects (KR/Dialog Web, for example).
2. Integrating with instruction/research faculty - providing services.
3. Share electronic resources/information technology proposals/training materials (printing systems, SUMO training) between the groups.
4. Keep UK informed of work with JSTOR and ERL.
5. UTK CBT to HTML (grant possibilities?).
6. Send UK Graduate Assistant program information to UTK.

Acquisitions

1. Joint prototype test for common interface to electronic data (Ex. SiteSearch tool as common interface to the catalog, ERL, etc.).
2. Discuss negotiations for ownership of electronic data for groups vs. leasing. (Note: ASERL to negotiate ownership/lease without worrying about loss of access after canceling license.)

Cataloging

1. User wants:
   • Intelligent/interactive catalog, i.e., “seamless”.
   • Function at several levels: expert scholar vs. “any citation will do” / “just give me nnn articles” or information of a particular topic.

Collections & Preservation

1. Magnetic media - Identify what needs saving and put together a conference or workshop. Share expertise.
2. Collaborative preservation. Review the other site’s “lost books” list.
3. Work on strategies to reallocate the budget for preservation.
4. Outsourcing. Set quality control standards with vendors (labels, etc.).
5. UTK should consider UK reprographics for preservation microfilming.

Working Together

At the conclusion of the meeting Gail went over some basic ways in which we could work together:

1. Share expertise.
2. Joint funding of projects (e.g. grants).
3. Collaborate on continuing education / staff development. (An area for consideration here would be to look at how we are getting our electronic resources now.)
4. Co-develop training programs.
5. Consortium purchases/licenses.
6. Collaborative collection management.
7. Look for ways to involve more staff.