Towers
A Newsletter for Supporters of the University of Idaho Library
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Towers A Newsletter for Supporters of the University of Idaho Library
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Winter 1997
Editor: Katherine Cozine, University of Idaho student
When we are collecting books, we are collecting happiness.-Vincent Starrett
Historic Photographs: Preserving the Past
Winter 1997 Issue
A historical photograph collection was recently transferred to the University of Idaho Library’s Special Collections Department. The photographs were collected by Steven Shawley, who graduated from the University of Idaho in 1974 with a Master’s Degree in Anthropology. The collection includes over 2,000 photographs of Nez Perce Indians. Shawley’s thesis was entitled "Nez Perce Dress: A Study In Culture Change."
This collection of historical images is just one of the many important photograph collections that are scheduled for the Library’s digital database. Digitizing these collections is a lengthy process that involves scanning the original photograph and recording the caption data in a database. Of the over 100,000 prints and negatives held by Special Collections, about 2,600 images are presently scanned into the database. The database makes the research process easier and more accessible for students, facu lty, and other researchers. Future goals include placing the photographic images on the Internet, which will allow the images to be viewed throughout the state and all over the world.
Special Collections houses one of the largest and most significant bodies of photographic materials in the state of Idaho and the West. The photographic images are constantly in use by students, faculty, and researchers alike. Prior to the digitization efforts, original photographs were directly handled and copied which contributed to their deterioration. Digitizing the photographs prevents damage to the original while researchers enjoy easy access to the images by way of computer. Through the digitization process, these images can be searched, viewed, and copied without any handling of the original photograph.
Generous gifts by Library Associates make projects like digitizing photograph
collections possible. Library Associates have already provided over $4500
to help finance the computer equipment needed for this project. Additional
funds for the initial scanning came from a grant from the Idaho Heritage
Trust. However, with less than 2 percent of the project completed, additional
monies are being sought to allow the digitization of photographs to continue.
Your donation to the Library Associates will ensure that the University
of Idaho Library provides for the future by preserving the past.
When the Library Was Saved by Gifts
Winter 1997 Issue
The University Archives contains a remarkable record of the history of the University of Idaho. One of those items, a massive bound volume 13"x14"x2" weighing 11.5 pounds is the University of Idaho Library's "Accession Book Number 1". This is probably the second Accession Book Number 1, since the first undoubtedly was consumed in the great administration building fire of March 30, 1906.
Librarian M. Belle Sweet made the first ten entries in the new accession book on May 15, 1906. And the first three items were those ordered to begin the task of rebuilding the library along progressive and professional lines. First was Melvil Dewey's Decimal classification (1899), one of the foundations of professional librarianship. Second on the list was Simplified library school rules (1904) published by the Library Board. The third item was the American Library Association's List o f subject headings for use in dictionary catalogs (1905). These three books would enable the librarian to systematically catalog and classify the books now streaming in to replace those lost in the fire. Miss Sweet had just begun her new job as Univer sity Librarian in November 1905 and had discovered that lack of organization of the collection was one of the tasks she immediately faced.
After the fire, she had to begin again. Early in April 1906 she was writing letters such as the following:
In the early morning of March thirtieth, the administration building of the University of Idaho with almost the entire contents was destroyed by fire. ...The loss includes the entire library of about 12,000 volumes, it having been impossible to enter rooms where the library was kept.
As our loss is very heavy for so young an institution and state we are asking for help.... We would be glad to receive library catalogues, especially from the larger libraries, and any material which is likely to prove useful in a college library.
By the 18th of May, the accession book began recording the gifts as they flowed in to total 1300 books, 250 pamphlets and over $1800 in cash contributions. The first book received was The best Elizabethan plays edited by William Roscoe Thayer (1901) a gift of S. M. Craig. Accession number 117, this volume — now rebound and bar-coded — still sits on the library's shelves.
A quick survey of these gifts, many from publishers and authors, suggests the broad sweep of subjects of interest to the faculty and students at the "young institution." They ranged from music to science, from literature to agriculture, and from practice to theory; all the subjects necessary for a "university" education.
Historian Keith Peterson in his history of the University of Idaho —
This Crested Hill (1987) — argues that the administration building fire
was one of the major turning points in the university's history. The loss
galvanized university supporters around the state and created an atmosphere
of "can do" which effectively rescued it from its earlier political and
financial morass. The rebuilding of the library on professional principles,
Miss Sweet continued to serve as University Librarian until 1948, ensured
that it would be in a strong position to meet the needs of students and
faculty in the coming years. And it was the many gifts to the library that
allowed it to endure and to grow.
From the Dean
Winter 1997 Issue
Just as gifts once saved the library in the early days, they remain an important element today. Last year the library received over fifteen thousand books, periodicals and documents as in-kind donations. Almost three thousand were added to the collection as unique items, or as replacements for worn volumes. Sales of the remaining duplicates either to dealers or on the sales shelf in the library added $4500 to our book budget. Significant shipments were made to other libraries, including Colorado State University, which had lost 800,000 volumes in a devastating flash flood.
Our endowments are also important to the library. This year, the income from these past gifts will account for almost one third of our expenditures for books. The spirit which once saved the library and the university, sustains us in our second century.
Ron Force
No Longer Up In The Air
Winter 1997 Issue
Have you ever wondered what the University of Idaho campus looked like in the 1930’s? Ever wondered about the appearance of the North Fork of the Palouse River before it was dredged by gold seekers? Have you questioned the location patterns of the area’s early settlers? The answer to these and many other questions may be in historical air photos.
The University of Idaho Library has over 300,000 aerial photographic images, the state’s largest collection of historical air photos. Most of the early aerial photos of Idaho were taken by the Washington Air National Guard, and were donated by private individuals and state and federal agencies such as the US Forest Service.
Recent air photos are constantly in demand; however, in the last decade there has been a dramatic increase in requests for the oldest photos. Property owners, historians, anthropologists, attorneys, waste management specialists, and forest ecologists are just some of those interested in the oldest photos, many dating back to the 1920’s. These historical air photos are increasingly seen as a reliable source of information. For instance, the photos give information on how areas were developed, when roads were built, the impact of forest fires, and provide answers to other ecological questions.
To satisfy this demand for historical aerial photographs, the Library has begun an extensive campaign seeking donations of original prints. Generous donations have provided the Library with an extensive collection of Latah County aerial photographs. In some cases, it is necessary to rephotograph the image, making a copy negative and a new print from the original photograph. While this process is effective, it is very expensive, costing almost $20 per image. A new and efficient alternative is computer scanning.
Computer scanning is the best distribution media for these images. Through the purchase of a high-resolution scanner funded by the Library, photographs can be scanned and then "burned" onto CDROM. Many photos compiled on the CDROMs date back to the 1930’s and depict views of the Palouse region, the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area, and the North Fork of the Clearwater River. Currently, the UI Library has produced over a dozen disks, which are available in the general collection of the library and in Special Collections. This method of digitizing photographs creates high quality images that are cost-effective.
Dennis Baird, curator of the library's map collections, reports, "We
are beginning to see both research and classroom use of these digitized
images." The library is supporting such scholarship through improved access
to these old images, made possible by these new technologies.
Library News
Winter 1997 Issue
J. Anthony Lukas’ monumental Big Trouble: a murder in a small western town sets off a struggle for the soul of America (1997) about the assassination of Governor Steunenberg and the subsequent trial features a photograph from the Library’s Barnard-Stockbridge Collection on the cover. And Katherine Morrissey’s Mental Territories: mapping the Inland Empire (1997) uses a number of illustrations from Special Collections.
The Idaho Humanities Council has provided funds to help the library digitize and place on the World Wide Web documents from its collections relating to Sue and Kate McBeth, missionaries to the Nez Perce.
At the beginning of spring semester, the new web-based interface for Ida, the library’s bibliographic catalog, was installed permitting direct access to the resources of the library for students throughout the state. The library’s homepage is at </>
The University of Idaho Library recently announced the availability on the Worldwide Web of inventories of newly processed gifts of personal papers. Included were the professional and personal correspondence and other papers of University of Idaho music professor Agnes Crawford Schuldt and New York-based architect John H. Callender. They can be found at </special-collections/Manuscripts/>
Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, catalog librarian and assistant professor, has been awarded a 3M/NMRT Professional Development Grant, which will allow her to attend the American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. in June of this year.
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Spring 1997
Editor: Stacy Kay Knutson, University of Idaho student
Haystacks and Needles
Watch the bedlam activity (in a great library) and you conclude that your notion of the librarian as ruminative, rubber-soled, quietly dusty, gently helpful, needs revision. These people are required every day to build a great haystack in which ever afterward they will be able to find every single needle.-Wallace Stegner, as quoted by the University of California Library
Endowing for the Future
Spring 1997 Issue
Parker and Kay Woodall have considerable ties to the University of Idaho. Both are alumni, Parker graduating in 1961 and Kay (Harder) in 1962. Parker's time at the University did not stop there, for after spending a year teaching in Oregon he returned to Idaho to complete a Master of Science in Education in 1963 and then went on to complete a Doctor of Education degree in 1966. During their time at the University of Idaho Parker and Kay met and soon after Kay's graduation got married.
After graduation, Kay pursued a career teaching high school in Moscow and Genesee until their first child, Glenda was born. Their son Lance would soon follow. Both children would eventually attend the University of Idaho with Glenda graduating in 1988. Lance completed two years at University of Idaho before transferring to Montana to finish an accounting degree. Kay remained in the home until both children graduated from high school.
With doctorate in hand, Parker served fourteen years in school administration with the last four years as superintendent in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. After a few years as superintendent, the Woodalls determined to make a change in Parker's career path. Following a search for job opportunities across the country, they decided to remain in Coeur d'Alene. Kay and Parker both knew this northern Idaho community was the ideal place to bring up a family. With careful consideration of the local economy the Woodalls set out to open a community bank. The entire family helped to establish the new bank. To cut costs, Kay typed the enormous amount of paper work and forms that were required. Meanwhile Parker located the initial investors that would help him to establish the new Northern State Bank.
Parker was not the only Woodall to start in business, for soon after Kay would open her own enterprise, Perfection Retreads. Perfection Retreads is a consignment clothing store that Kay has run for over eleven years in Coeur d'Alene. Kay has found her business niche in recycling; she finds new homes for slightly used clothing.
Parker and Kay were both very involved in activities and clubs while attending the University of Idaho. Parker was busy in athletics playing football, baseball and even competing with the Vandal Riders, University of Idaho's rodeo team. He was also a member of Phi Epsilon Kappa and lived in Willis Sweet Hall for four years. Parker was also on hand for the 'new' library dedication in 1957.
Kay stayed busy at the university with Phi Beta Kappa, Spurs, the marching band, Junior Panhellenic and was a Delta Delta Delta for all four years at the University of Idaho. Her daughter, Glenda would follow in her mother's footsteps becoming a Tri-Delt, allowing her father even more time in the sorority's bull pen.
With both Kay and Parker involved in so many campus activities, deciding which University of Idaho organization, college, or activity to donate to would prove to be difficult. After careful consideration the Woodalls decided on the library. "The library is the ideal choice, it affects the entire university. With Kay and I coming from two different colleges and many different activities we felt the library would include all our interests," Parker stated in a recent interview. Today, the Woodalls continue a tradition started over fifteen years ago, the Parker and Kay Woodall Library Endowment Fund. This endowment fund helps to ensure a steady income for the library even during budget shortfalls. The Woodalls are big believers in endowment funds. "Properly invested endowments generate money forever," Parker remarked.
In addition to adding to their library endowment every year, they also donate to the athletic department, baseball club, the Humanities Challenge Grant in Letters and Sciences, and other organizations across campus. Parker and Kay stay active at the University of Idaho by serving on the Board of Directors for the University of Idaho Foundation and attending games and cultural events, such as the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.
WWW.LIB.INTERNET.EDU
Spring 1997 Issue
"How many interns does Walt Disney World hire a year?" asks a student researching internships. <http://www.disney.com>
"What is the exchange rate for the Polish Zloty?" asks a professor planning a research trip. <http://pacific.commerce.ubc.ca/xr/today.html>
"What is the state song of Idaho?" asks a parent helping with a child's homework. <http://internet-designs.com/travel/idaho.htm>
These and many other reference questions can now be answered over the Internet. Using the URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) provided.
The Internet is a collection of globe-spanning computer networks. It has become an important part of our national infrastructure and an exciting part of many people's lives. Like libraries, the internet has the potential to serve our entire population. Today, you can use the Internet to communicate with family, friends, and colleagues from around the world, participate in global discussions, play games, conduct scientific research, read the president's speech, check the weather in your home town, converse with doctors, get pictures from NASA spacecraft, read books, search library databases around the world, and much, much more. The Internet has expanded the concept of information sharing to global dimensions. Already, millions of people are using it, and the resources are continually becoming more and more plentiful - and easier to use. Libraries are vital participants in the electronic networking revolution as they meet the information needs of their users.
Participation is actually easy. The combination of a computer, modem, telephone line, and appropriate software is all that is needed to enter the cyberspace (electronic world) of the Internet. You can visit the University of Idaho Library, and many other libraries around the world, from your own home via the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web is a network of computers on the Internet that was originally developed to allow scientists to communicate research results among themselves. With today's technology you can search the card catalog and select your reference materials before even setting foot in the library. Mike Pollastro, Head of Reference Services, noted that, "The library can be more visible and communicate farther on the Internet." He added, "Users don't have to come to the library any more to find what our collections hold."
To visit the U of I library all you have to do is click on our web page at </>. A web address is where the library does business in cyberspace. Ida, the library catalog, in now accessible to students and scholars in all corners of the world via the World Wide Web. Students can search the card catalog from anywhere on campus or from their personal computer at home. This allows the library to remain open 24 hours a day, at least on the Internet.
The web page not only allows access to Ida but also to information like library hours and policies. The Library Associates have their own spot on the library web page, it contains information about upcoming events and news that affects the Associates. Students can use the web page to send a request to the Interlibrary Loan Office to receive a book from another library. The U.S. Government Documents Office has a location map of Idaho Depository Libraries, information on searching government documents and links by subject to government agency home pages. Special Collection's page features Digital Memories, images of historical artifacts from Special Collections. You can also browse a list of electronic journals and magazines or visit other libraries from the University of Idaho Library Web page. A map of the library is also included to help find your way when you visit the library on campus.
The Internet will never replace the library, but it has changed the way the library provides information. To see how the library will change, we asked Mike Pollastro about traditional library services. "The library's role has been to evaluate available information, collect and store information deemed valuable for the library's clientele, to store this information until it's no longer valuable, and to make the information accessible over and over again." Mr. Pollastro continues, "These roles are going to continue." "So, what changes with the Internet?" "Well, not much with the evaluation process, and very little with the need to make information accessible and available." The change, he thought, would be in the collection and storing of information. "Because information is available on the Internet, there's less of a need to actually store the information at each library. As more data is networked then collecting becomes more and more just linking to those storehouses of information." The role of the library is changing as increasing amounts of information become available in digital format. Mike Pollastro notes that in the future "the library will be a guide to useful, valuable information on the Internet. New library services will include teaching students and faculty how to use this valuable resource efficiently and effectively to find useful information. The library will also use the Internet to disseminate information about our collections and provide valuable information to students and scholars around the world."
Existing book and journal collections will remain an important resource for students and scholars. The library still spends 98% of its material budget on print-on-paper resources. Hopes for a "virtual library" of the future that will allow universal access to scholarly information at a smaller cost than the conventional library are widespread. Many publishers are exploring the development of electronic distribution of information. The U.S. Government Printing Office is converting its distribution system to an electronic system. This will pass the cost of printing onto the library, a Federal Depository, and its users.
Although some elements of the traditional library will persist, we have to enlarge our views on how we will get information in the future. The University of Idaho Library is addressing this challenge by going on-line to meet student needs. The library of the future will show us that there are no walls that can contain all the resources a library has to offer.
From the Dean
Spring 1997 Issue
Over the summer, the library plans to move to the next level in library technology, when we replace all of our system terminals with networked personal computers. We will be using the World Wide Web browser as the front end for our library computer system, which will not only simplify the use of the system, but also give transparent access to the resources mentioned in the Internet article in this issue.
The new equipment and services will be funded entirely from non-state sources, necessary because of the continued decline in the proportion of state tax funding coming to the university. During this era of declining state support, your gifts are even more vital to maintain our ability to build the library of the future, while maintaining the Land Grant heritage of teaching, research, and service.
Ron Force
Grants at Work in the Library
Spring 1997 Issue
Libraries are continually looking for ways to fill the ever increasing gap between the funds provided and what is needed. The University of Idaho Library looks to two sources to provide this funding: private donations and grants. While the library has been very successful in receiving private donations, it has also sought grants to help with special projects.
Grants are usually received for projects that increase or enhance the resources offered by the library. Terry Abraham, Head of special Collections, recently received a grant that will aid in the process of transferring the Historic Photograph Collection into a digital format. This transfer will reduce the wear-and-tear on the original prints in the collection, helping to preserve them for generations to come.
Increasing education and learning is also an area where grant money is available. Principal Catalog Librarian, Barbara Greever and North Idaho College's Mary Carr received a grant to develop a media training package for librarians and present it throughout Idaho and Washington. Within one year they did seventeen media training sessions and educated over one hundred librarians from Idaho and Washington. These sessions taught librarians how to work with newspaper, radio, TV, and other media sources to promote libraries and their work.
Cooperative projects are common in the library world, and especially so when it comes to grants. Recently library faculty members Maria Jankowska and Lily Wai teamed up with the Geography Department to propose a grant for an Idaho Virtual Geospatial Education Center. This project started in January after successfully receiving funding from the State Board of Education Idaho Technology Incentive Grant Program.
The project will develop a virtual digital spatial data library to support the teaching activities of various campuses in Idaho. An educational training center will be created to improve the GIS (Geographical Information System) literacy of faculty members and to increase the quality of student learning. It will establish a central GIS locator service on the Internet for statewide maps and accompanying data using an interactive site on the World Wide Web. The grant will also be used to promote the use of GIS technology by faculty members in their course work, and inspire interest in GIS applications among resource managers, school teachers, and the general public. The new system will also eliminate duplicate data collection and computer acquisition which will cut costs statewide.
The University of Idaho is in a unique position to provide the resources and expertise needed to meet the demands of this grant and the GIS community. The University is the only higher education institution in the state that currently offers formal GIS instruction in various disciplines. The University of Idaho Library, as one of the fifty-three Regional Depository Libraries in the country, it is the only library in the state that has a comprehensive collection of digital geospatical data. All GIS courses taught on Idaho campuses depend heavily on data the library holds. The creation of a statewide Virtual Geospatial Data Library, accessible via the Internet, will achieve considerable improvements in the quality of student learning and faculty productivity.
These grants are only a sample of the funds the library has received. Faculty members at the University of Idaho Library have continued to seek grants and donations that support library and professional needs. In an ongoing effort to meet the extraordinary demands placed on the state's largest and most comprehensive library, other forms of supplementary funding will be sought to meet the future needs of students and faculty members alike.
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Library Associates / towers97.htm / May 2000 / libspec@uidaho.edu