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 1999
Editor: Kerry Brent, University of Idaho student
I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.-Gilbert Keith Chesterton
Exploring Idaho History: The Northwest Historical Manuscript Series
Winter 1999 Issue
History is a patchwork of stories, added to by each generation. Idaho's history is no exception, but many of the pieces appear to be missing. These stories are told today by books, photographs, maps, financial records, and original accounts by the people who lived, worked, and passed through Idaho. The latter category tends to be the most interesting and the most difficult to locate, unless one really knows where to look. Apparently, University of Idaho Librarian Dennis Baird does. Through the University of Idaho Library, Baird has begun the publication of the Northwest Historical Manuscript Series. Its mission is to transcribe and publish primary source documents, such as handwritten reports from early military and other surveyors. "We are concentrating on Idaho history, especially that of North Central Idaho," Baird commented.
"While researching Idaho conservation history, particularly Lewis and Clark and those who came after them, I found that there was little primary source publishing about Idaho," reflected Baird. Those documents he did find as he was researching weren't transcribed or published. Most of the writers are unknown to the general public and won't be found in an Idaho history textbook. However, their stories are important and often make people see aspects of history that have been overlooked. "Our goal became publishing Idaho primary source documents in small editions as economically as possible," stated Baird. The documents are chosen for their historical value, absence of royalties, and interest to researchers. In 1999, this goal has been realized, as two manuscripts have already been published in the Northwest Historical Manuscript Series. These include The Early Years of the Bitterroot Forest Reserve: Major Frank Fenn Reports to Washington and Report of the Northern Pacific Railroad's Survey of the North Fork of the Clearwater River in 1871 by Philip G. Eastwick. Each document is transcribed accurately, with editor's notes added to clarify place names, and enhanced by a scholarly introduction that places it in its historical context.
These documents give an insight to the lives of early Idahoans and explorers. Major Frank Fenn was a well-respected man who was involved in many defining events and successful careers on the frontier. The capstone of his career was overseeing the National Forest Reserve as a superintendent. Many landmarks in Idaho give testament to the admiration afforded him, for example, the highest peak in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness has been named Fenn Mountain. Included in the first Northwest Historical Manuscript Series publication is an 1899 report from Bitterroot Forest Reserve Superintendent James Glendinning and a 1901 report from Major Frank Fenn aimed at convincing the General Land Office to deny Judge (later Senator) Heyburn's 1898 petition to decrease the size of the Bitterroot Forest Reserve for mining purposes. The original documents are in the General Land Office records at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The second publication in the series is a report from Philip G. Eastwick, a Utah surveyor hired by the Northern Pacific Railroad to survey the North Fork of the Clearwater River from Lewiston to the point where the Clearwater meets the Bitterroots, in order to determine the feasibility of a railroad line. He and his survey crew catalogued some very difficult terrain, while making observations on the vegetation and native people. There are also important financial accounts of supplies, services, and wages. Also included are pictures and maps that document the route taken by Eastwick and his team. The Minnesota Historical Society graciously granted permission to reproduce this significant report from its collections. The Minnesota Historical Society is a helpful source of information about Idaho because, historically, Minnesota has had close economic ties to Idaho.
The current project is With Bird and Truax on the Lolo Trail: Building the Virginia City to Lewiston Wagon Road 1865-1867. The Library Associates are supporting this publication for distribution to the membership. The Lewiston to Virginia City Wagon Road passes over the Lolo Trail, one of the most ancient paths in Idaho. Dr. Wellington Bird was the superintendent in charge of determining the best route and constructing a road from Lewiston to deliver supplies to the mining town of Virginia City, Montana where prospectors were flocking to the newest gold strike. As his assistant, Bird chose Major Sewell Truax, who was familiar with the territory and experienced in organizing men. The project contains unpublished reports written by Wellington Bird, as well as the preliminary report from George Nicholson and the scientific report of Professor Oliver Marcy. These reports recount the journey taken by Bird, Truax, and other explorers who left Lewiston, traveled up the Clearwater River, and crossed over the divide into Montana during the early days of the Montana Gold Rush. Biographical data is included about the participants, as well as an array of photographs and an unpublished map.
Currently, Reference Librarian Donna Hanson and Reference Assistant Donna Smith, of the University of Idaho Library, join Baird in contributing to the Northwest Historical Manuscript Series. Rosemary Huskey, who recently retired from the University of Idaho Library, is responsible for the early transcription of the manuscripts. "I hope to encourage others to contribute as well," said Baird. Other newly discovered primary sources are already targeted for publication in the series.
Dennis Baird is the Head of Reference at the University of Idaho Library.
He holds a Master of Library Science and a Master of History and teaches
Environmental History for the University of Idaho History Department each
spring. Baird has lived in Idaho, in the Moscow area, for twenty-six
years.
To obtain the first two publications in the Northwest Historical Manuscript Series
send $5.00 per publication for shipping and handling payable to the University of Idaho Library to:
The University of Idaho Library
ATTN: Dennis Baird
Moscow, ID 83844-2361
From the Dean
Winter 1999 Issue
At a recent meeting I attended, one of the speakers made the point that we shouldn't talk about libraries as being "in transition." He said that that implied that at one time we were in a static state, and that right now were moving, but in time we would eventually attain another stable position. Both of these were held to be dubious propositions.
At the end of the last fiscal year, we noted that the use of paper journals in the library had declined to 120,000 per year, from 191,000 in 1995, an apparent loss of 70,000 "uses." Were students and researchers abandoning the library? Fortunately, we just received preliminary figures from some of our database vendors which would indicate that in March through June of 1999, library users had downloaded almost 33,000 full text articles, almost all from reputable publications, not "Internet junk." We would project that's 100,000 articles per year: library use has actually increased substantially thanks to the increased convenience and twenty-four hour accessibility of digital library services.
Today we look upon the electronic journal as the height of technology.
Where will we be after another thirty years "in transition?" While
we can't forsee the form, I'm confident the content amd services will be
of the same quality you've always expected from the library.
Web-Wise Librarians Publish Scholarly Journal
Winter 1999 Issue
With libraries becoming more and more dependent on technology and the World Wide Web, librarians are doing their best to keep up with the pace. However, Mary Bolin and Gail Eckwright, librarians and associate professors at the University of Idaho Library, are applying this medium to their advantage, and eventually to the advantage of all library users. In the fall of 1998, Bolin and Eckwright published the first issue of Library Philosophy and Practice, a scholarly electronic journal emphasizing the connection between library practices and the theories behind them. By making this discourse widely accessible on the Internet, the library faculty is using technology to enhance library practice to the benefit of library users.
Bolin felt there was a niche in library literature for their publication. "It's an idea we had for a while, the integration of theory and practice, because the best practice is based on philosophy." They have watched the development of the Internet over the last five years, allowing them to evolve their idea into Library Philosophy and Practice. "Starting a new print journal just wasn't practical," Bolin explained. "Not only that, an electronic journal can reach more people and has advantages over a print journal."
There are many advantages to electronic journals, convenience being one of the most important. Bolin believes most people would rather read an article on their computer screen than find it on the shelf, as witnessed by the high usage of electronic journals at the University of Idaho Library. Other advantages include no overhead and no budget. "It's rewarding to know we've done this with the materials at hand," said Bolin.
"Our goal was a high quality publication, an outlet for peer reviewed publications, and a good looking journal to exploit the abilities of electronic publishing," Bolin stated. She uses her skills to give the journal a dignified, serious appearance. "I enjoy giving it a look I like, making it readable, attractive, and navigable in a sensible way. Using the capabilities of hypertext, all the references in the article will take you to the reference at the end. The authors have taken advantage of this feature too, including other Internet resources."
Library Philosophy and Practice provides scholars with a respectable, credible outlet for their studies and research. Librarians all over the globe have access to this refereed electronic journal, and Bolin and Eckwright have received international responses, indicating people appreciate their work and its relevance to library practice. "The fun and interesting part for me is corresponding with colleagues all over the country and reaching many audiences," Eckwright emphasized. The journal also serves as a scholarly activity for Bolin and Eckwright, in terms of library practice and Internet design and publication. Of the three issues already published, topics include "Vital Technical Services in Academic Libraries," "Diversity and Collection Development," and "Technology Infrastructure and Information Literacy."
Mary Bolin is Head of Technical Services for the University of Idaho Library, and Gail Eckwright is the Humanities Librarian. Their journal, Library Philosophy and Practice, can be found at http://www.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/lp&p.htm.
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Spring 1999
Editor: Elizabeth P. Isaacson, M. S. Ed
The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is different.-Aldous Huxley
The McBeth Sisters: Missionary Teachers to the Nez Perce on the WWW
Donna M. Hanson, Professor and Science Librarian
Spring 1999 Issue
The University of Idaho Library has created a web site rich with information on the lives of sisters Sue and Kate McBeth at <http://menolly.lib.uidaho.edu /McBeth/>. Here one can browse through the personal correspondence, journals, and reports of each sister along with photographs and historical documents of their time. As missionaries to the Nez Perce in northern Idaho, they were thrust into a complex and unfamiliar social and cultural milieu that helped shape Idaho's history.
This research project and its resulting Web site were a collaborative effort between several library staff members. Michael Pollastro, former Head of Reference, began looking for ways to expand new technologies to enhance the University of Idaho Library services for people throughout the state. He was interested in making Idaho history collections more accessible and useful to students, teachers, and scholars. With assistance from Rosemary Huskey, Reference Assistant and graduate student in history, they narrowed the focus to Sue and Kate McBeth, missionary teachers during the latter quarter of the nineteenth century. They prepared a grant proposal for submission to the Idaho Council for the Humanities.
The original concept of a web-based historical site was expanded to include a traveling exhibit that could move around the state and provide a taste of the materials available on the web. The proposal was approved and a grant of $10,860 was made in October 1997. Within days of the award Pollastro left the UI Library to become director of the Neill Public Library in Pullman, Washington. Donna Hanson, UI Science Librarian, assumed responsibility as principal investigator for the grant. Hanson's academic background in nineteenth century literature and a personal interest in Pacific Northwest history served as a complement to Ms. Huskey's academic strengths in Idaho history.
The original intent was to provide access to the letters, diary, journal, reports and the Nez Perce dictionary created by the McBeth sisters which are part of the UI Library Special Collections. These materials were to be supplemented with correspondence and reports held by the Presbyterian Historical Society relating to the Presbyterian Church (USA) Board of Foreign Missions and the Nez Perce Agency and available on microfilm in the University of Idaho Library.
Examination of these materials made it apparent that other materials needed to be added to enhance the value of the Web site to students of Idaho history. Donna Smith, Library Assistant in the U. S. Government Publications unit and a graduate student in history, joined the team in early 1998. Her knowledge of government resources brought another dimension to the project. Text of treaties between the federal government and the Nez Perce people, and reports submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, were added to the Web site. Photographs, maps and drawings that add to the understanding of events were identified, copies were obtained from a number of external sources, and permissions were received to add these images to the text to clearly place the work of the McBeths in historical context.
Sue McBeth arrived at Lapwai, Idaho Territory, as a government teacher in 1873. She worked with Reverend Henry Spalding for one year before his death. Rev. Spalding and his wife had established a mission and school at Lapwai in 1837. Ten years later, after the murder of the Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, at Waiyelatpoo Mission near present day Walla Walla, Washington, they were evacuated to the Willamette Valley of Oregon. He was unable to return until 1871. Spalding's goal was to train Nez Perce men as helpers in his missionary work and he ordained three before he died. Upon his death, Sue McBeth assumed responsibility for continuing the school and providing religious training for the Nez Perce men.
Kate McBeth arrived in Lapwai in 1879 as a teacher appointed by the Presbyterian Church Board of Foreign Missions. Her area of responsibility was the education and training of the Nez Perce women, first in traditional domestic skills which reflected Christian beliefs and then the basics of reading and writing.
During her tenure, Sue McBeth was responsible for successfully training ten Nez Perce men for ordination as ministers in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Six others received ordination as a result of training provided by Kate McBeth after Sue McBeth's death. Although these Nez Perce ministers were not the first or the only Native Americans to be ordained by the Presbyterian Church, they were the only ones to gain ordination after receiving their training from someone who was not an ordained minister.
Throughout their time with the Nez Perce, relations between the sisters and the Indian agents were contentious to say the least. The breaking point came when one of the agents asked to have them removed from the reservation. Sue McBeth moved to Mt. Idaho, just off the reservation, before the formal order of expulsion was served. Kate McBeth was moved from Kamiah to Lapwai by direction of the Presbyterian Board of Missions. All of this is evident in the text of the letters and reports reproduced on the web site.
In creating the McBeth Sisters Web site we have tried to present materials without making interpretations. We believe that those who view the materials must draw their own conclusions. Likewise, we also want to emphasize that the materials presented on the web site represent the white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant version of events. We have not attempted to present the Nez Perce perspective because we cannot. Only representatives of the Nez Perce people can do that. We hope that they will present their version because we believe that such a presentation will enrich Idaho history. We are willing to assist them in any way that we can in the presentation of their rendition of these events.
Towards The Library Without Walls
Spring 1999 Issue
In a small room on the main floor at the back of the University of Idaho Library can be found the Interlibrary Loan Department. The purpose of interlibrary loan (ILL) is to aid student and faculty research by acquiring or borrowing materials not available here.
Thanks to a variety of highly technical equipment the interlibrary loan can provides efficient service to its consumers. Ms Jennifer O'Laughlin, ILL supervisor, reports that one such technical device is Ariel, a scanning station, which uses the Internet to transfer copies of articles from library to library. Ms. O'Laughlin has three employees that assist her with the lending and borrowing of over 30,000 items each year. This interlibrary loaning is not a one-way operation; on average the University of Idaho Library loans about 1.5 more items than it borrows during a school year.
Requesting a search is fairly simple. Students and faculty can either submit a request through the library Web site </library/ill/index.html> or use a paper form that has been distributed to each department throughout the university. The helpful staff also assists those who bring their requests in person.
Once the request is placed in the hands of a staff member the search begins. This search can take as long as several hours for those very obscure citations or as short a time it takes to type in the call numbers. The staff at interlibrary loan has no limit on places in which to search. Although Ms. O'Laughlin and her staff's first choice are libraries that send copies at no charge, they also keep track of those libraries known to be the fastest in sending the items. This cost is paid for through the library budget with no charge to the requestor. So it is very important to search for those libraries that do not charge additional loan fees. How close the world seems when using computers for requesting items as far away as Australia or Russia; yet some books or journals can be found just up the road at Washington State University (WSU). In the early 1970's the University of Idaho Library joined with WSU to set up a "shuttle" system and these two libraries continue to lend to each other as well as to the local Whitman and Latah libraries.
The interlibrary loan office has always been around at some level, but it developed from within the circulation desk in 1968 with a half-time employee who would assist faculty and graduate students in their search for research materials. By the fall of 1969 this service had been extended to all students and faculty. In those days, recalls Robert Hook, then head of circulation, now called Access Service, most requests were handled through the U.S. mail and on-campus mail. Dr. Hook reports that the main source of shared data was the Pacific Northwest Bibliographic Center (PNBC). Established in 1940 as one of the largest regional bibliographic centers in the nation, it served as a clearinghouse for interlibrary loan requests submitted by libraries in the Pacific Northwest (British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington). The PNBC's massive card file was consolidated in 1980 with the Western Library Network (WLN) database. By 1988 interlibrary loan emerged as a separate section from the circulation desk. Today the interlibrary loan office uses both WLN and the On Line Computer Library Center (OCLC) data systems for their searches. In January 1999 these two systems consolidated and by this summer the OCLC should be up and running as a unified system.
All too often the people behind this search service are forgotten until another book or journal needs to be found. Without this service many students and faculty would be spending most of their research time searching rather than discovering. As a cooperative venture that is dependent upon the courtesy of many libraries throughout the world, the interlibrary loan service is designed to supplement the library's resources. Ms. O'Laughlin and her staff enjoy working with faculty and students on their research and sometimes they assist a project from beginning to end making their work a continual learning experience.
From the Dean
Spring 1999 issue
When the rate of change outside exceeds the rate of change inside,
the end is in sight.
--Jack Welch, CEO, General Electric.
One usually thinks of libraries as stable institutions, anchored in history. The last several years, however, have brought about almost a revolution in the way we publish and access information. Thanks to the World Wide Web, whole segments of the publishing industry-newspapers, reference books, statistical compilations, maps and scientific journals-are being re-tooled for Web access. The comfortable and stable business relationships that were formed in the era of print-on-paper are being torn apart and reformed, with international media conglomerates and new upstart businesses, such as Amazon.com jockeying for supremacy in this new environment. The economic models for this new environment are far from fixed, with the business players at much at sea as their customers.
We in the library are trying to be as flexible and nimble as the others in this environment. We are, however, determined to preserve our basic values of free and open access to information, in whatever form it appears and to preserve the significant for the use of future generations.
Library News in Brief...
Spring 1999 Issue
Ruth Cochran is familiar at the library because she has worked since 1990 as a visiting librarian. Mrs. Cochran holds a masters in library science and brings years of experience as a reference librarian. She works a half-time permanent twelve-month faculty position, and she notes, "...with this position I will have more time to help my husband with his farm duties." Before arriving at the University of Idaho Library Mrs. Cochran worked at Washington State University Library.
Nancy Young has her masters in library science as well as law degree from Berkeley. She arrives here from Ithaca, New York, where she and her husband both were librarians at Cornell University. Her job back east had her working in the country's oldest hotel administration library. She enjoyed her years living in Ithaca, which is rated as one of the most popular places to live in the country. Nancy Young says Moscow is very similar to Ithaca, only half the size, she looks forward to exploring the Pacific Northwest.
Linnea Marshall, the new librarian in the cataloging department, holds masters in library science. Ms. Marshall comes to Moscow via Montana where she has worked since 1990. In 1994, she moved from Western Montana College to the University of Montana, taking a position cataloging in the instructional media service. This position was flexible enough to allow her to begin her second masters in history of the American West. Ms. Marshall plans on continuing her studies in history. She found the University of Idaho Library position while surfing through the LiLI Website, <http://www.lili.org>. She said the location of the university interested her because her parents live in Spokane, WA. She notes that living in a small town where you can walk to work is an added bonus. Before arriving here she spent the summer of 1998 as a freelance cataloger for three of Montana's higher education establishments.
We note the passing of Stanley A. Shepard last July, who served as Head
of Special Collections at the University of Idaho Library from 1981 until
his retirement in 1984. He had previously worked as the Associate Director
of the library from 1969-1981, and as an editor of the
Idaho Librarian
from 1969-75. The Idaho Library Association honored him as librarian of
the year in 1979.
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Library Associates / towers99.htm / May 2000 / libspec@uidaho.edu