The GALILEO planet: the official newsletter of GeorgiA LIbrary LEarning Online [Spring 2009]

The Official Newsletter of GeorgiA LIbrary LEarning Online

Spring, 2009

IN SPITE OF BUDGET CUTS

By Merryll S. Penson, Execurtive Director for Library Services

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of the web by Sir Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. In 1993, Georgia experienced a very severe budget decline. Attempts were made to furlough staff, and library book budgets were decimated. Then in 1995, librarians in Georgia took advantage of this new technology to launch GALILEO and deliver to patrons an unprecedented amount of content that could be accessed from anywhere in the state. Today, as we continue to celebrate the increased capabilities the web has for delivering information, we find ourselves again in the middle of an economic crisis. Our libraries are swamped with patrons and students seeking job and career information, as well as using our resources for study and learning. At the same time, library budgets are being reduced. The GALILEO user communities are seeing decreases in funding ranging from 10% to 15%; and if the state revenues do not rebound soon, there could be additional reductions.
The GALILEO 2.0 Collection Development Committee, led by Rachel Schipper (formerly at Georgia College and State

University and now at the University of Florida), Shawn Tonner (North Georgia College and State University), and Bob Glass (Piedmont College), along with about 60 others from all types and sizes of libraries, affirmed the need for the core resources in GALILEO and identified additional needs: more full text, more ready reference, more for elementary children, language learning programs, ebooks, etc. While we may not be able to add those needed resources for some time, we can be sure that we learn as much about the resources in GALILEO as possible, so as good stewards of resources, we can meet patron needs.
Years and years ago, I worked evening reference part-time in a small academic library. They had a very limited reference collection, so to answer questions it often meant going upstairs to the stacks and finding answers within monographs or bound journals rather than turning to pull the reference book that would more easily have provided the answer. As library staff, we need to be sure that we understand the range of content available in GALILEO, learn key tips for general and advanced search options, and share that information with colleagues and users. It means getting familiar with the A-Z listing of journals so that you can determine if something is in

GALILEO, maybe an electronic version might suffice for many users in these budget times. It means advocating for GALILEO as a part of the core of services and resources that each library or media center provides.
During this next fiscal year, GALILEO staff will be working with libraries and our database vendors to offer more training in a variety of ways to ensure that staff have the information they need to help patrons. They say the new cool is "frugal." Libraries have always been pretty frugal as we have always needed more to meet diverse patron needs that limited budgets have allowed, but we created resource sharing networks to help meet those needs. In order to provide a more cost effective and efficient way to deliver resources, we took advantage of technology like the web when it became available. Who knows what opportunities newer technology and the global crisis will bring, but our libraries, including our state's virtual library will meet the challenge. After all we were here before Google!

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DLG Head Receives Library Appointment

PUBLICATION

Dr. P. Toby Graham has been named Interim Director of the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia (UGA) Libraries. Toby has been director of the Digital Library

Records Management. The Library serves the University scholarly community, as well as scholars and researchers worldwide. Subject interests include the Confederacy, Georgia, bookarts, theater, music,history, literature, journalism, and genealogy.

INFORMATION
Jayne Williams, Editor
The GALILEO Planet is published quarterly as a web-based newsletter re-

Since coming to UGA, Dr. Graham has been invited to attend the

porting on GALILEO-related information.

Frye Institute at Emory University,

whose purpose is to develop cre- Suggestions and contribu-

ative leaders to guide and transform academic information services for

tions are encouraged.

higher education in the 21st century by providing an understanding of the issues, including academic, techno-

Email: galileo.planet@usg.edu

of Georgia (DLG), a GALILEO initiative housed at UGA, since 2003.

logical, economic, public policy, student, and constituent-relations dynamics.

Website: http://www.usg. edu/galileo/about/news

Coming from the University of Southern Mississippi where he was head of the special collections department and began its digital program, Dr. Graham has overseen tremendous growth of the DLG, including the recent addition of the Civil Rights Digital Library (CRDL), the first digital archive of its kind in the nation. The CRDL promotes an enhanced understanding of the

In 2004, Dr. Graham received the Alabama Author Award for Non Fiction for A Right to Read: Segregation and Civil Rights in Alabama's Public Libraries, 1900-1965, based on his dissertation which itself garnered four awards, including two national citations. Most recently he was appointed to the Georgia Historial Records Advisory Board.

GALILEO is an Initiative of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
"Creating A More Educated Georgia"

Movement by helping users dis-

cover primary sources and other

educational materials from librar-

ies, archives, museums, public

broadcasters, and others on a na-

tional scale. The CRDL features a

collection of unedited news film

from the WSB (Atlanta) and WALB (Albany, Ga.) television archives

Subscription Information

held by the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia Libraries.
With his latest appointment, Dr.

To subscribe to the GALILEO listserv, go to http://www.usg.edu/galileo/about/news/list.phtm.
To subscribe to the GALILEO Planet, send your email address to galileo.planet@usg.edu.

Graham leads the jewel in the crown of the UGA Libraries. The Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript

For a complete list of GALILEO Subcommittees, see http://www.usg.edu/galileo/about/governance/committees.phtml.

Library consists of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the

To learn more about the GALILEO initiative, go to http://www.usg.edu/galileo/about.

Georgiana Collection, the University of Georgia Archives and

For GALILEO questions and technical support, call 1-888-875-3697.

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INTERNATIONAL COALITION OF LIBRARY CONSORTIA (ICOLC) Statement on the Global Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Consortial Licenses- Endorsed by the GALILEO Steering Committee

Written on behalf of the many library consortia across the world that participate in the ICOLC, this statement has two purposes. It is intended to help publishers and other content providers from whom we license electronic information resources (hereafter simply referred to as publishers) understand better how the current unique financial crisis affects the worldwide information community. Its second purpose is to suggest a range of approaches that we believe are in the mutual best interest of libraries and the providers of information services.
The ICOLC library consortia consider the current crisis of such significance that we cannot simply assume that libraries and publishers share a common perspective about the magnitude of the crisis and the best approaches to cope with it. ICOLC members have been exchanging perspectives about how the current economic recession will impact consortia and their libraries. We make the following forecasts about the impact of this crisis on libraries and library consortia.
1. We expect significant and widespread cuts in budget levels for libraries and consortia: reductions unlike the sporadic or regional episodes experienced from year to year, with real and permanent reductions to base budgets. It may not be uncommon for library and consortia budgets to decline by double digits year over year. We have yet to see the full effects, as many 2009 journal and database subscriptions have already been renewed. As of late 2008, many institutions have declared significant budgets cuts in all areas (content, staff, and operations) for 2009. Some consortia are experiencing significant economic impact in the current fiscal year; by calendar and fiscal 2010, the cuts will be in full force and widespread.
2. These cuts will be prolonged. The public and education sectors will likely lag in funding recovery. Once funding is withdrawn over multiple years, it will be years before budgets climb back toward pre-crisis levels.
3. Exchange rate fluctuations are complicating and in some cases amplifying the impact.
We encourage publishers to recognize these fundamentally different cir-

cumstances as we work together for the benefit of all parties. Library consortia are uniquely positioned to be the most effective and efficient means to preserve the customer base for publishers and create solutions that provide the greatest good for the greatest number. By working together, publishers and consortia can create the most effective pricing and renewal options and maintain the broadest base of subscribing libraries and services.
While we cannot be prescriptive where solutions are concerned, we suggest the following principles and techniques as likely to be the most effective approaches.
Principle 1: Flexible pricing that offers customers real options, including the ability to reduce expenditures without disproportionate loss of content, will be the most successful. In stable times, standardized pricing and terms may work relatively well. Today, purchasers will be under heavy pressure to reduce their outlays and need solutions that let them do so while continuing to offer as much content and service as possible. It is in the publisher's best interest that we avoid all-or-nothing, take-it-or-leave-it decisions and options, whose lack of flexibility is likely to result in far greater damage than is absolutely necessary.
Principle 2: It is in the best interest of both publishers and consortia to seek creative solutions that allow licenses to remain as intact as possible, without major content or access reductions. Content, once discontinued, will be very difficult to reinstate at a later date. While there may be practical limits to this principle, publishers, authors, scholars, and libraries will be best served by those solutions that retain as much access to as much content as possible.
With these two principles in mind, we suggest the following approaches:
1. Purchasers will trade features for price; that is, we can do without costly new interfaces and features. This is not a time for new products. Marketing efforts for new products will have only limited effects, if any at all. Libraries will have few if any resources to invest in new titles or more content elements. Publishers who work with the scholarly communities to understand what content is critically

needed will be the most successful. 2. Putting price first will help all parties,
because budget pressures will drive decisions in a way never seen before. Real price reductions will be welcomed and can help to sustain relationships through the hard times. Even increases at inflation levels will not be supportable by many groups and libraries. Other approaches and options must be considered and made available. Some options may be uniquely created to take advantage of local situations. Therefore: 3. Tailoring content to need and pricing accordingly can be very helpful. For example, customized approaches that look to usage patterns as the basis for an adjustment may be equitable for all parties. In the case of tiered pricing schedules, applying this flexibly to core content packages in combination with more affordable pricing for single titles may create another affordable option. Multiple, creative options are needed so that library consortia can work with their members to fashion the optimal purchase level. 4. Multi-year contracts will be possible only with clear opt-out and/or reduction clauses. As difficult as these clauses can be, the only alternative for many institutions will be year-toyear (or even shorter term) licenses. These increase the administrative overheads for all parties and may encourage further reductions. Additionally, opt-out clauses must as well recognize the need for a flexible set of reduction techniques that avoid penalizing customers in either the long or short term. 5. While annual payments currently are the most prevalent payment schedule for group licenses, options will be needed for semi-annual or quarterly payment schedules, in combination with more flexible opt-out/reduction clauses and renewal cycles. Libraries and consortia may have very little warning of changes in their budgets. Payment options are a necessary precaution in light of rapidly changing financial circumstances and expectations.
For more information on the ICOLC Economic Statement or on ICOLC go to www.library.yale.ed-
u/consortia/icolc-ecncrisis-0109.htm.

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How We Got Over: A History of Civil Rights for the Digital Age
Ambassdor Andrew Young recently premiered his new feature-length civil rights documentary, "How We Got Over: A History of Civil Rights for the Digital Age" at the Miller Learning Center on the campus of the University of Georgia. The 90-minute documentary drew a crowd of about 300 viewers, largely made up of students.
The documentary is an expanded 90-minute version (to be released on DVD) of the program that appeared on WSB and many other stations across the U.S. in January. The documentary is largely about the Civil Rights Digital Library, and in particular the footage from the WSB and WALB archives and Ed Friend's Highlander Folk School film.
"How We Got Over" draws on raw news footage from WSB-TV in Atlanta and WALB-TV in Albany. Held by the Libraries' Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, the moving images--about 450 clips cover a broad range of key civil rights events. The clips also provide the foundation for the Civil Rights Digital Library.
Columbus State University Staff, Faculty, and students gather to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 43rd President of the United States. Staff at Schwob Memorial library hosted the event on Inauguration Day, January 20th.
Upcoming GALILEO Training Opportunities
May 13 EBSCOhost Databases - Presented by an EBSCO trainer, this session will include simple and advanced search techniques, limiters and expanders for successful searching, personalized folders, journal and search alerts, and citation features.
May 14 and 18 June 16 and 17 Orientations to the Scholar, Library, and K-12 Interfaces
For dates and times and to register for a class, please visit http://www.usg.edu/galileo/help/library/training/.
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Change is Good: GALILEO Enhancements Result from Survey Feedback

By GALILEO Staff
One lucky respondent won an iPod after completing the annual GALILEO user survey last fall, but many users will still feel satisfaction after seeing their suggestions addressed in recent changes to features and functions of GALILEO.
The current GALILEO interfaces, customized for different user groups, were developed using usercentered design, an iterative design and development process that continually folds user feedback into interface design and website functionality. Once a new interface rolls out, the change review process begins. This means feedback that continues to come in is managed and addressed through processes used to determine the feasibility and the technical implications of the suggested change. Sometimes further feedback is needed.
Since 1997, the annual survey has included an open-ended question that invites respondents to share their comments and suggestions. Respondents are asked to complete this sentence: "I would improve GALILEO by . . ." Responses to this question on the 2008 survey were coded, and all issues brought up were reported on and added to change management. Some issues could be addressed relatively quickly; others take longer as their feasibility is studied and technical implications are first determined, then worked out, if the change is to be implemented.
Recent changes based on community feedback include the following:

New video tutorials are available
for Scholar (more to come for all interfaces): http://www.usg.edu/ galileo/help/searching/ tutorials.phtml.
Database selections in Scholar,
High School, Teen, and Library have been audited and refined*.
Where possible, "Return to
GALILEO" links have been enabled at database vendor sites to help address back button concerns.
"Articles & Databases" will be the
top tab within the subject areas in Scholar for all libraries except Technical Colleges**.
New "Try these first" database
rankings will appear in Teen subject lists.
Modifications to the GALILEO
Find It journal search feature will be made to better include local resources in results lists for participants in local resource integration.
More new or enhanced features are currently in development to help address the reported issues and suggestions from users. And, you don't have to wait until the 2009 Annual User Survey to send in your feedback! Just click on the "Contact Us" link in the GALILEO banner to share your suggestions.
* In coordination with community librarians
** In coordination with Technical Colleges and GALILEO Reference
Committee

DLG Staffer Receives Scholarship
Digital Library of Georgia's own Donnie Summerlin is this year's recipient of the Carroll Hart scholarship. The Society of Georgia Archivists each year awards a scholarship for attendance at the Georgia Archives Institute held each summer in Atlanta. The purpose of the scholarship is to enhance archival education and membership. The scholarship is named for Carroll Hart, former director of the Georgia Department of Archives and History, founding member of the Society of Georgia Archivists, and founder of the Georgia Archives Institute.

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