Library News
| Issue No. 1 | March/April 2000 |
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| National Library Week, April 9 through April 15. Check our webpage in April for details. |
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| Orphan Trains | |
| The Parkland Theatre reports that their production of The
Orphan Train was one of the most successful of all their presentations. All of the
performances were sold out, and for the first time in their history, the Theatre added an
additional performance to keep up with the demand of this family-oriented play. The Library staff was pleased to help promote the Theatre’s efforts with our book display on Orphan Trains. This visually-appealing display |
showed the poignancy, hopefulness, and fear that accompanied
the orphans on their trips into the unknown. While the Library’s resources on this topic are small, our Reference Librarians are willing to help you search out more information. Also included with the book display was a bibliography of books, articles, and web sites that will assist you in learning more about this aspect of United States history. If you would like a copy of the bibliography, please contact us at nbode@parkland.edu |
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| Focus on...
One of the best-kept secrets of the Library is its Technical Services department. Maybe you’ve seen the sign at the door to the office that reads in part "Acquisitions, Cataloging, Online Bibliographic Services" and wondered what it meant. In a nutshell, the Technical Services department is responsible for insuring that Library materials are available for use. All of the items -- books, audiovisual items, magazines, and newspapers -- are ordered, received, cataloged and processed in Technical Services. By way of example, in the five-month period beginning August 1, 1999, 1225 books and 248 audiovisual items were cataloged and processed. Along with making sure that Library material is available for circulation, the Technical Services department is responsible for the bibliographic data which is in the Library’s computer catalog and the Library’s circulation system. (Bibliographic data is the information that describes the items -- authors, titles, publishing information, subject headings, call numbers, etc.) New items are added to these databases as they are cataloged, and old items are removed when they are withdrawn. Over the past three summers the Technical Services staff has inventoried the entire collection of over 124,000 books and audiovisual items. Many items were identified as missing and withdrawn from the collection, and, in some cases, new items were purchased to replace the missing items. The four-person Technical Services staff is constantly challenged with changes as a result of automation and other technological improvements. We strive for excellence, always keeping in mind that our accurate work makes the materials available to our Library patrons in the most efficient manner possible. [Editor’s note: It might be of interest to know that the four members of the Technical Services staff have over 90 years of combined service to Parkland College.] |
Spotlight
On... Anna Maria Watkin
For pleasure and relaxation, Anna Maria enjoys walking, cooking vegetarian dishes, watching movies, reading, creating with clay, and singing with Champaign-Urbana’s women’s chorus Amasong. You might also find her in the garden or in the playful company of Douglas, her Australian Shepherd. Anna Maria has an infectious enthusiasm for the library profession, having guided and encouraged several friends and colleagues to work in a library or enroll in library school. She points out that "Libraries are exciting places! Working in a library these days means always having new challenges and opportunities to keep your job interesting, fulfilling, and sometimes even exciting." She is an active member of several professional organizations including the American Library Association, Association of College & Research Libraries, and
the Illinois Library Association. MS in library and information science from University of Illinois |
The first thing
you’ll notice when you speak with Anna Maria Watkin is her absolutely charming
accent! She was born and raised in Top
| Library of Congress Celebrates Its Bicentennial |
| Our nation's Library of Congress, one of the
world's premiere libraries, marks its official 200th anniversary on April 24, 2000. The
books in the Library of Congress were burned when the British army invaded Washington,
D.C., in 1814. The Library was re-established with the purchase of Thomas Jefferson's
personal library. In addition to Jefferson's many other accomplishments, he was a lifelong
scholar. Among the many functions of the Library of Congress (LC) is its mission to set the standards for cataloging library materials in the United States. One of LC's programs is its Cataloging in Publication program. With this program libraries |
worldwide share cataloging rather than each
individual library having to catalog all of its own materials. Most of Parkland Library's
materials are cataloged and added to our computer catalog using shared cataloging from LC
and other libraries. When we are unable to find cataloging for a particular item in our
shared database, Parkland librarian Ken Strickler prepares original cataloging
using LC's standards and guidelines. This original cataloging is added to the shared
database, and in this way, Parkland Library shares its cataloging for reciprocal use by
other libraries worldwide. For more information about the Library of Congress, visit its web site at http://lcweb.loc.gov/ |
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