By Annette Melgosa

The conference theme, Bridging the Past and the Future, challenges us to combine the best of the past with the present in order to create a sound future. Topics have been selected in each of the following Seminar categories: (1) Bridges: Engaging Our Past, (2) Bridges: Examining Our Present, and (3) Bridges: Embracing Our Future. Seminar presentations run throughout the conference and specific order may vary. Scheduling permits attendees to attend all presentations. Certificates of attendance will be given at the Closing Ceremony.

In addition to the conference presentations, special opening and closing ceremonies, two full-day tours, a banquet with a historical presentation about Napa Valley, and Friday vespers at Elmshaven have been planned. You won't want to miss any of these special events.

Opening Ceremony

The official welcome begins the 20th Anniversary ASDAL Conference at Pacific Union College, the place where ASDAL's first conference took place. The keynote speaker will be Ella Simmons, Provost and Vice President for Academic Administration, La Sierra University.

Closing Ceremony

The farewell ceremony concludes the conference with humorous and enlightening vignettes from ASDAL's history presented by Chloe Foutz, Director, Ella Johnson Crandall Library, Union College, and Charles Davis, retired and active member of ASDAL.

Tours

Thursday - San Francisco

• San Francisco Public Library - For more information see http://sfpl.lib.ca.us

• Pier 39 - San Francisco's premier attraction! A picturesque view of the Bay, more than 100 shops, sea lions, street performers, and other events. For more information see http://www.pier39.com. Sack lunch.

• Sonoma State University, Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center - Opened in August 2000, it has an Automated Retrieval System, a computer-managed storage facility which allows the library to store all its bound periodicals and other items on-site (approximately 450,000 volumes). Items are requested directly from the online catalog and retrieved in less than 10 minutes. For more information see http://libweb.sonoma.edu

• Solano Mission - Northernmost California mission, it was also the only mission established without prior approval of the Catholic Church. Founded July 4, 1823 by Father Jose Altimira, it was established after Mexico's independence from Spain. Named after St. Francis Solano, missionary to the Peruvian Indians, it is located in Sonoma, 20 miles north of San Francisco. For more information see http://www.bgmm.com/missions/sanfran.htm

• Fresh Choice Restaurant, Rohnert Park - All-You-Can-Eat Vegetarian Buffet.

Friday - Vespers at Ellen White's home, Elmshaven

• Vespers will be led by James Nix, Director of the Ellen G. White Estate, and will include some of Ellen White's favorite hymns and personal Sabbath experiences.

Sabbath - Adventist History

• Worship - Healdsburg Church and a picnic in Healdsburg Park.

• Healdsburg - Historic Healdsburg includes two White homes and the site of Healdsburg College.

• St. Helena - Eliel Cottage, Ellen White's home at St. Helena Hospital and St. Helena Cemetery to view the graves of J.N. Loughborough and Arthur White.

• Napa - Grave of Stephen Haskell, site of first SDA church.

• Yountville - Supper at SDA Retirement Estates.

• Three meals provided.

Sunday Afternoon - Shopping

Time to purchase souvenirs, fellowship together, and enjoy scenic views of Napa Valley. Possible destinations are:

• Hurd Beeswax Candle Factory - See how candles are made.

• St. Helena Premium Outlets - Small upscale outlet mall.

• Main Street Calistoga - Specialty shops, souvenirs, several dining options.

Contact Paulette Johnson (pjohnson@puc.edu) for more information about the tours.

Housing

No rooms are available until Monday, June 18. Only Adventist Resources Pre-session attendees will be able to reserve rooms for Monday night, June 18. Attendees to the main ASDAL Conference will be able to check in on Tuesday, June 19. Rooms are only available through Sunday night, June 24.

Transportation

PUC will provide transportation between the college and Napa only at $10 per person one way. Attendees are responsible for their own transportation between Oakland or San Francisco airports and Napa. Evans Transportation charges $20 for one-way fares. Time schedules and routes are available at http://www.evanstransportation.com/ or by phone (707) 255-1559. Return trip can be arranged once on campus.

Contact Adu Worku (aworku@puc.edu) if you have questions about transportation or housing.

Annette Melgosa, ASDAL President-elect, is Assistant Librarian at Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Silang, Cavite, Philippines (amelgosa@aiias.edu).

2001 ASDAL CONFERENCE
June 19-24, 2001

Schedule

INFORMATION LITERACY ON THE CHRISTIAN CAMPUS

By Sabrina Pusey

Information literacy. The term is frequently debated in library literature. While some argue that it is merely another term for bibliographic instruction (BI), library instruction, or even computer literacy, others believe it to be a fad and misnomer. In reality it is a term widely misunderstood. When properly defined and understood, information literacy is a vital component in the education of our students who must function in a culture deluged with information and obsessed by the Internet.

I have recently had two opportunities to think deeply about the role of information literacy. In August 2000, I participated in the competitive Immersion '00 program of Association of College and Research Libraries' (ACRL) Institute for Information Literacy which was held at the University of Washington, Seattle. This intense, thought-provoking, and inspiring two-track program was designed to train librarians to teach, develop, and promote information literacy programs on their campuses. Many library schools no longer offer courses in BI or library instruction so new librarians are entering the field without any educational theory to help them become effective teachers. The Immersion program remedies this problem in part.

I was accepted into Track I of the program which specifically focuses on teaching skills. The program components included an overview of information literacy, learning styles and theories, presentation techniques, assessment, educational technology, active learning, and management/leadership skills.

My second opportunity to think deeply about information literacy presented itself when a colleague asked me why information literacy was necessary, particularly here at Andrews University. This is a question I have been thinking about ever since, and the rest of this article is a summary of my thoughts on information literacy.

First of all, we need to have a common definition of information literacy. According to the American Library Association, information literacy is "[recognizing] when information is needed and [having] the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." (http://www.ala.org/acrl/ilcomstan.html) This sounds simple. We help students formulate their research questions, teach them to use the appropriate online (and possibly print) resources, make sure they understand the difference between scholarly and non-scholarly material and we have done our job, right?

Take a closer look at ACRL's "Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education." The ability to locate information means knowing how to use computers and, in today's information world, requires understanding of the Internet including email, listserves, and the World Wide Web. Evaluation means selecting source material based on its quality and relevance to the topic. Effective use of information means using information ethically and legally.

The more of the ACRL competency standards you read, the more overwhelmed you may feel. It is important to remember that in an academic setting librarians work in tandem with teaching faculty members. Librarians should not attempt to meet all of the standards. Information literacy is a collaborative effort between librarians and teaching faculty. As you speak with teaching faculty members and nurture collaboration you will discover that they are already grappling with information literacy (although they will not call it by this name). Use this as an opportunity to educate them as well because today's library is very different from the library they used as graduate students.

There are two opposing forces on North American campuses: a generation of students who have never known life without computers and an older generation of faculty who have difficulty comprehending academic life with computers. There are some faculty (growing fewer, but still present) who long for the return of card catalogs and print indexes. The tremendous growth of information and access to information spawned by the Internet has overwhelmed them. These faculty are in awe of the computer savvy of their new students who were practically born with computers, but are also frustrated because these same students will indiscriminately cite web sites and the first three full-text articles located in a general online database.

Teachers have been known to overreact to this phenomenon. For all their computer expertise, these students have not learned how to effectively use information. They have no idea how to evaluate or select information, nor even why they should be concerned about doing so. And this does not even begin to touch the concepts of plagiarism, copyright, privacy, and economic issues. The goal of information literacy is to bridge the gap between faculty and students and technology and information.

There is also a spiritual element when it comes to information. The Bible acknowledges that we must manage a great deal of information. Ecclesiastes 12:12 reads, "Of making many books there is no end..." As Christians we must carefully consider what information will be put into our minds. The mind is powerful. It can be easily filled with information which influences us negatively and destroys our usefulness for God. The psalmist encourages us to "set before [our] eyes no vile thing" (Psalm 101:3). Solomon, reputedly the wisest man who has ever lived, commands us to "search for wisdom" (Proverbs 1:1-6; 2). And Paul shares that the source of this wisdom is the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:17). So how does this all relate to information literacy?

Information literacy is a tool to help us teach our students and faculty how to integrate information and technology judiciously in order to minimize the potential problems and maximize the potential benefits, spiritually and temporally. Ultimately its goal is to create wisdom out of the chaos of today's information world.

To better understand this point, let's place our library users on a spectrum. On one end of the spectrum we have an 18-year old college freshman. He/she is more comfortable with a computer than a book and believes that all of the information he/she needs is on the Internet. On the other end of the spectrum is a senior community member who frequents the library, but does not know how to use a computer and believes from what he/she hears in the media that everything on the Internet is pornographic. The students and faculty members with varying degrees of research experience and computer savvy mentioned earlier in this article can be placed between these two ends of the spectrum.

As information professionals, we know that not everything on the Internet is true, good and pure; but we also know that not all of it is trash. We need to train our users to search effectively so that they can pinpoint the information they need more efficiently. We also need to teach our users to selectively look for the best information available, not necessarily the most convenient. Technology opens up new possibilities for information dissemination and delivery which should not be brushed off as evil. Nor should the technology and information provided through it be fully accepted simply because it exists.

And therein lies the challenge of information literacy. It is more than computer literacy, which simply teaches people how to use computers. It is more than library instruction which shows people how to use the library. It combines these two elements and then gives people the skills to decipher wisdom from data.

Sabrina Pusey is Instruction Librarian at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan (puseysa@andrews.edu).

CATCHING THE GREASED PIG: OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT
Part 2

By Bruce McClay

"Catching the Greased Pig: Outcomes Assessment, #1" appeared in ASDAL Action, Winter 2000. This is a long overdue continuation of that article. That article made the point that outcomes assessment is an elusive creature, not easily captured; but as colleges/universities and their libraries are increasingly "under the gun" to demonstrate that they are producing a quality product, outcomes assessment has become necessary. Most libraries struggle with outcomes assessment for several reasons: the confusion of definition (What exactly is outcomes assessment?); the difficulty and challenge of proper assessment (How can I find the time in an already crowded schedule?); the fear of accountability (What if assessment reveals something we don't like or want to know?); and the variety of libraries, programs, and funding making it difficult to institute standards of assessment that apply to all. The purpose of this concluding article is to share some suggestions and resources on outcomes assessment.

The basic principles of outcomes assessment can be summarized as: (1) figure out what you want; (2) figure out how to tell if you got what you want. Sounds simple, but the reality is not easy to achieve. To figure out what you want, you must first know what the institution wants. The library's goals and objectives must be a reflection of the institution's goals and objectives. Libraries must identify key institutional outcomes and corresponding performance indicators and connect their programs and services to the broader campus educational goals and desired outcomes. Comparisons with other institutions are out of place. Each library needs to assess itself only within its own setting and not in comparison with other libraries or institutions.

Outcomes objectives for an individual library department (i.e. Instructional Services) should be tied to library and institutional goals and objectives. Curriculum mapping is an excellent way to demonstrate this. Mapping makes visible the relationship between the various institutional goals and objectives. It clearly shows how a department's objectives support the broader library and institutional objectives.

Various definitions and meanings have been attached to outcomes assessment. The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) in their Task Force on Academic Library Outcomes Assessment Report, June 27, 1998, (http://www.ala.org/acrl/outcome.html) defines "outcomes" as "the ways in which library users are changed as a result of their contact with the library's resources and programs." This is in contrast to "outputs." Outputs are quantitative measures of things such as, the number of books circulated, number of questions answered, number of students attending an instructional session. Libraries regularly count outputs. They are easy to assess and are valuable for making decisions about staffing, library hours, adding resources, etc. Outputs are useful but they don't reveal if library users have been affected by their contact with the library and its resources. Good assessment is client centered rather then institution centered.

How can we tell if users are being changed as a result of their contact with the library's resources and programs? Ask! Ask students, faculty, and alumni. Ask frequently, formally, and informally. Informal reactions need to be recorded to be of value later in determining effectiveness. Write down date, name of person responding, position, and response.

User satisfaction surveys are one way of asking that libraries have been using for years. Some traditional surveys may need to be modified to fit with outcomes assessment objectives or goals, but the basis is already there. For instance, after a library instructional session, I would informally ask for faculty input, and formally elicit student responses though response forms. The objectives for the session were clearly stated on the response forms, and students were asked if, in their opinion, the objectives had been met. Occasionally, with faculty cooperation, a student response sheet would be circulated later in the quarter to determine if the instructional session had impacted the students continuing research efforts.

Some schools conduct exit interviews for graduating seniors. Questions about the library's impact on students should be included in these interviews. Also, questions about the library, its services and resources, could be included on instruments that elicit alumni response. All questions, to be relevant, must be related to clearly stated objectives and goals. Perception surveys tend to be accurate. Research has demonstrated that they compare favorably with verifiable, objective data. Students are generally accurate reporters of how much they have gained in an educational experience.

Informal interviews and perception surveys are only two methods of assessment. They may be useful for assessing a particular class/presentation, but in the broader goal of assessing the library as a whole and institutional effectiveness, a multitude of methods should be used. That is why it is necessary to have an assessment plan. The multidimensional nature of students' learning and development demands a broad range of coordinated assessment measures. The library should be part, but only part, of this effort and plan. It is not necessary to assess every aspect of each library service. Select a small number of elements to be assessed, and utilize tools that are easily administered and reasonably reliable.

A natural place to start with library outcomes assessment is instructional services. They have, most likely, already instituted some assessment practices, and have direct contact with students and faculty in an environment natural for assessment. As far as possible, assessment should be meaningfully integrated into ongoing activities and not perceived as an extra burden. If librarians and faculty see assessment as a step toward improved services and student learning, rather that just an extra burden, they are much more likely to invest quality energy and time.

The Framework for Outcomes Assessment, a paper published by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (linked at http://www.bloomu.edu/library/pages/outcomes.html) lists several acceptable modes of assessment. Included are: (1) student evaluations and instructional quality; (2) measures of student satisfaction with the quality of the curriculum; (3) measures of student personal and affective development; (4) measures of student retention, and students' interest in their educational programs; (5) measures of student involvement in academic and co-curricular activities; (6) faculty peer evaluations; (7) and measures of alumni achievements. Many of these, with slight modification, would fit well with a library outcomes assessment plan, for instance: (1) student evaluation of the library instructional quality; (5) measures of students involvement in the library; and (6) faculty evaluation of library programs and services.

ACRL (http://www.ala.org/acrl/outcome.html) suggests that ideal outcomes of an academic library program should answer questions such as: (1) Is the academic performance of students improved through their contact with the library? (2) By using the library, do students improve their chances of having a successful career? (3) Are undergraduates who used the library more likely to succeed in graduate school? (4) Does the library's bibliographic instruction program result in a high level of "information literacy" among students? (5) As a result of collaboration with the library's staff, are faculty members more likely to view use of the library as an integral part of their courses? (6) Are students who use the library more likely to lead fuller and more satisfying lives?

Some of these, especially the last one, seem almost impossible to assess. Libraries may never reach the ideal but they can begin the process of assessing changes in library users. Questions like 1, 4, and 5 can be partly assessed using some common measurement techniques. In most libraries assessment techniques that would partly answer some of these questions are already being implemented.

To focus the process of outcomes assessment, begin with what you already have. Assessment practices should make use of existing data, information, and procedures. Many libraries and institutions collect a variety of information from transcript data to opinion surveys to alumni studies. Use resources and tools that are already there, and build on them for more effective outcomes assessment.

Libraries should become a part of the overall campus assessment impetus. Most academic institutions are concerned with outcomes assessment. Your institution might have established, especially as accreditation nears, an assessment director or department. Involve them in planning for library outcomes assessment. Faculty with expertise and experience in assessment probably teach on your campus. Invite them to help the library develop an effective plan of action. Use the resources that you have on your own campus.

Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, by Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross, (1993) is a good resource. The suggestions would be useful in a library's instructional program. Completing and analyzing the Teaching Goals Inventory would help instructional librarians better understand what they really want to achieve, and know which assessment techniques/tools can best be used to assess how well they are achieving their goals.

An excellent Web resource on Library Outcomes Assessment is: http://www.bloomu.edu/library/pages/outcomes.html. This site by Bloomsburg University's Harvey A. Andruss Library provides links to the ACRL Report on Outcomes Assessment, web sites of several libraries that have developed and implemented outcomes plans (their plans are here, along with assessment tools), and higher education web sites on outcomes assessment. Also the ACRL web page (http://www.ala.org/acrl/sacguid.html) lists some of the best sources of information on performance and outcomes assessment.

Twenty years ago higher education began to focus on measuring the outcomes of its programs as an indicator of quality. Much has been written on the subject of outcomes assessment since then. A search of several databases revealed much on outcomes assessment in the health field, business field, and higher education, but little in the library field. We are catching up, though. Outcomes assessment is a vital part of college and university accreditation plans, and each library, within the framework of their institution, needs to develop a coordinated plan of outcomes assessment. Most libraries have already been doing some of this over the years. We just haven't called it outcomes assessment. Now is the time to build on effective assessment techniques already in place and to develop a plan for the future. In the process, libraries and institutions must always keep in view the fundamental purpose of assessment which is to facilitate educational improvement. Growth, improvement in teaching and learning, is the true test of meaningful outcomes assessment.

Bruce McClay is Assistant Librarian at Walla Walla College, School of Nursing, Portland, Oregon (mcclbr@wwc.edu).

PROJECT GOLIATH UPDATE

By Wolfhard Touchard

"Project GOLIATH" started at our last annual Conference. During the School Librarians' session, we felt the need to help our academy and church school libraries get electronic databases. At the same time, the Adventist Library Information Cooperative (ALICE) council wanted to encourage the School Library Section to form a consortium to place electronic databases in our elementary and secondary school libraries. ALICE offered advice in forming this new consortium. Two identities, one ambition! Interesting and wonderful. Paulette Johnson, Nancy Kim, and I agreed to get the ball rolling.

In essence, ASDAL was to explore the opportunity to place electronic databases into every Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) school library in the United States (and later beyond its borders, therefore the term GOLIATH). We surveyed several vendors to find out how much it would cost to provide electronic databases to over 100 academies serving 10,000 students. That is our first goal. Later we would like to help our church schools. I personally feel that we need to assist our private and self-supporting schools!

I discovered that many electronic databases are free to every library in the state of Michigan. Therefore, a trial web site has been created with three links: (1) electronic resources for students in K-8; (2) electronic resources for students in grades 9-12; and (3) electronic resources for teachers in K-12+. The URL is http://www.andrews.edu/~touchard/school-li.html.

I would like to elaborate on the link "electronic resources for teachers in K-12+." There are two incredible web sites. One of them is Curriculum & Instruction Resource Center Linking Educators (CIRCLE) sponsored by the North American Division Office of Education. It serves busy educators with quick and easy access to quality web sites at a click, full order information on Adventist resources, materials for all levels (K-16), and downloadable resources. It also gives educators the opportunity to share their best lesson plans and course outlines.

The other one is SIRS Resource Center. SIRS is geared to elementary, middle, and high school students, includes selected school curricula, online stories, songs, word games, and books, provides creative activities to develop skills such as writing, research, problem solving, and critical thinking. "Homework help" allows students to seek real-time homework assistance, locates useful reference information for projects and homework assignments, offers online reference directories, and much more.

The web site for Michigan school libraries is rather cheerful, especially the link to "electronic resources for students in K-8." In the middle is a running cheetah, followed by a frog catching a fly, and at the end, a monkey eating a banana. The kids here love it! You must take a look at it. It's worth bookmarking. Michigan Library Consortium will provide training for the Ruth Murdoch Elementary School teachers soon. The Andrews Academy teachers will have it later.

Recently I heard that many other states have similar arrangements. This fact changed our strategy somewhat. Why pay for something we can get for free? Check with the local state library association for free access and services at http://www.execpc.com/himmel/associations.html.

What's next? (1) ASDAL has to take a look at the trial web site and make recommendations; (2) ASDAL needs to enlist volunteers to check if their local library associations or states offer free electronic databases (my suggestion on how to divide this task will be in the next ASDAL Action); (3) we need to find people to manage local web sites or develop a common web site with links to the individual states.

What a wonderful beginning. The backbone of this project is a prayer group of 14 professionals! The Lord is really leading in this endeavor. Let's praise Him.

Wolfhard Touchard is Reference and Database Librarian at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan (touchard@andrews.edu).

PETERSON MEMORIAL LIBRARY REACHES OUT

By Carolyn Gaskell

Last fall, Peterson Memorial Library, Walla Walla College (WWC), joined with 39 other academic libraries in the northwest for a group purchase of 2,500 netLibrary e-book titles.

The Northwest Academic netLibrary Collection is a collaborative project of the Orbis Library Consortium, the Washington State Cooperative Library Project, and the Northwest Association of Private Colleges and Universities. The Bibliographic Center for Research serves as fiscal agent for the collective. The joint collection includes resources covering northwest history, business, reference, Choice Outstanding Academic titles, and O'Reilly/Computer Science titles.

Phase one of the group purchase included 1,300 e-books. Through a further cooperative venture, MARC records were obtained via an Orbis collective purchase from OCLC. Students can now search for and access e-books either directly from netLibrary's database or through the library's online catalog. Phase two is now in progress and will add approximately 1,200 more e-books to the collection.

In the fall of 2000, Boeing granted WWC funding for technology training. The Faculty Development Committee identified two conferences to which they decided to send a total of five faculty members. Carolyn Gaskell, Director of Libraries, was one of three faculty members selected to attend the Conference on College Teaching and Learning. It was held in Jacksonville, Florida, from April 17-21.

Two other faculty members were selected to attend the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium. Gaskell, along with the other faculty, will be presenting a report on the conference at an upcoming Brown Bag meeting. Brown Bags are held each Tuesday noon and feature topics of interest to faculty and staff.

Following in the footsteps of its parent library, the School of Nursing Library on WWC's branch campus in Portland, Oregon, installed a wireless network winter quarter 2001. In addition, a wireless laptop was purchased for student use within the library.

Portland students celebrated National Library week through various events designed by the branch librarian, Bruce McClay, to focus their attention on the library. Events included a used book sale, a Disney day, and a Hawaiian day. During the Disney day, students who wore something "Disney," received a small prize. In addition, there was a Disney song contest and Baskin Robbins Disney ice cream cakes were served at noon.

The College Place campus celebrated National Library Week by hosting a soup and salad luncheon for faculty who had published, presented papers, held art shows, etc. during the past year. Around 16 faculty attended. A bibliography of faculty accomplishments was provided to attendees as well as the Vice President for Academic Administration. Violet Maynard-Reid, who organized the event, provided a short speech on interesting facts about libraries. Did you know that, according to ALA, "There are more public libraries than McDonald's?" Or, that "If the cost of gas had risen as fast as the cost of academic library periodicals since 1990, it would cost $3.00 a gallon to put fuel in your car." And one last item of note: "Academic Librarians answer 97 million reference questions each year--almost three times the attendance at college football games."

John Brunt concluded the luncheon with words of thanks to those faculty who go the extra mile in keeping up with research and publishing on a mainly teaching campus.

(Quotes from ALA were obtained from the @ your library web page http://www.ala.org/@yourlibrary/)

Carolyn Gaskell is Director of Libraries at Walla Walla College, College Place, Washington (gaskca@wwc.edu).

PRESERVATION CORNER
Library RAP! Part I

By Randy Butler

Library Recovery Action Plan. I recently received an email from Peg Bennett at Southern Adventist University requesting information about library disaster planning. Writing or revising a plan is a timely project. The number of library disasters due to floods, tornados, and earthquakes has dramatically increased these past few years. Planning is a proactive and preventive step in the right direction. There are a wide variety of disaster plans, but they all have several basic elements. These should be incorporated into a manual. The paper used for the manual should be 60 pound at least and/or laminated. Spiral binders are good containers for a plan.

First, a plan should include the names and phone numbers (home and work) of all key personnel, including library staff, institutional leaders, and support managers. You may also want to add the name(s) and home phone numbers of the manager of the local Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Sam's, or other supplier of cleaning materials and supplies. Some managers will not share their home number, but if you explain your reason and promise to call only in a disaster emergency, they may give it to you. You should also make sure that your institution has a purchasing agreement with the store so that you can charge in an emergency. You may also want to include a managerial flow chart in this section of your plan.

Second, your plan should include floor plans and a priority list of items to be saved. Third, recovery procedures should be outlined descriptively and in the order of importance. For example, in case of a flood, find the source of the water and turn it off. Turn off the electrical lines in the area so that no one is electrocuted while working in the vicinity. This is one of the most important sections of a plan and the information needed is available in a variety of publications or upon request --I would be happy to provide the details.

Another major part of the plan involves the resources needed for a recovery effort. This would include a list of supplies needed, such as paper towels, buckets, rubber gloves, plastic garbage bags, etc. You should include a list of stores and vendors with addresses and phone numbers under specific types of supplies and services. Finally, you may want to add a bibliography, time logs, and a temperature and relative humidity log.

It is important to remember that a plan can be lengthy and detailed or succinct and simple, but it must be written and updated periodically. Copies of the manual should be provided to staff members, key campus personnel, and your community fire and police chiefs. Training should also be conducted. The plan can be written by committees or by a single individual, but in either case, it should be shared and discussed so that there is broad ownership. It is wise to purchase rolls of plastic sheeting (at least 4 mil) along with rubber gloves, paper towels, etc., and store them on site. You should develop a response team composed of library and maintenance staff and list them in your directory of personnel. Each team member should have a copy of the plan and a hard hat available in their office and at home at all times. At Loma Linda we issued blue hard hats with designated ranks stenciled on them--someone has to be in charge. Do not forget to include your financial officer and campus PR representative in the flow chart.

There is much more that can be said, but you can always ask me for more information and read the literature. You can buy disaster plan templates, like the basic plan (fill-in-the-blanks) from Blackmon-Mooring-Steamatic Catastrophe (BMS CAT) in Fort Worth, Texas, or acquire a copy of someone else's plan. There are a variety of plans in circulation and they are often provided free or for a small fee.

I will provide a bibliography and a short list of vendors, recovery specialists, and useful items in my next column. Till then, start thinking about the inevitable and just how prepared your institution and facility are for the unthinkable--remember, disasters most often strike on weekends and after closing hours!

Randy Butler is University Librarian at Southwest Adventist University, Keene, Texas. For preservation questions, email (Butlerr@swau.edu).

ADVENTIST RESOURCES COLUMN

By Marilyn Crane

Bussey, Barry W. Seeking God's stamp of approval: the inside story. [Ontario: printed by Maracle Press Ltd.], 2000. 110 p. ISBN: 0969582625. "Bussey takes the reader behind the scenes of North America's first stamp to honour the Seventh-day Adventist Church--the Canadian stamp commemorating the 57th General Conference World Session held at Toronto 2000." He also tells the story of eighteen other stamps issued throughout the world that commemorated Adventist church history. (Contact the author at R.R. 1, 668 Concession 4 W., Roseneath, ON, Canada KOK 2XO.)

Creation reconsidered: scientific, biblical, and theological perspectives. James L. Hayward, Editor. Roseville, CA: Association of Adventist Forums, 2000. 384 p. ISBN: 0967369401. $20.00. A collection of papers presented at the Conference on Geology and the Biblical Record at West Yellowstone, Montana in 1985 following a geologic field trip through the Rocky Mountains by 104 Adventist laypersons and scientists. (Association of Adventist Forums, P.O. Box 619047, Roseville, CA 95661-9047.)

Hodges, Clarence E. The one book: a book for the time of the end. [Silver Spring, MD: Character Press], 2000. 189 p. $10.00. "Information and inspiration with prophetic applications" intended to build faith in Jesus Christ for those contemplating end times. The author is a vice-president, North American Division. (Character Press, P.O. Box 10576, Silver Spring, MD 20914-1057.)

Newport, Kenneth G. C. Apocalypse and millennium: studies in biblical eisegesis. Cambridge: University Press, 2000. 249 p. ISBN: 0521773342. $35.00. The book examines "the various ways in which the book of Revelation (the Apocalypse) has been interpreted over the last 300 years." Two chapters are devoted to William Miller's and Seventh-day Adventists' use of Revelation. The final chapter, "Waco Apocalypse," deals with David Koresh.

Rodriguez, Angel Manuel. Jewelry in the Bible: what you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask. Silver Spring, MD: Ministerial Association, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1999. 125 p. ISBN: 1578470544. $8.00. This book examines the biblical perspectives of the "jewelry question."

Torres, Louis R. Left behind or sincerely taken. [S.l.: printed by Remnant Publications], 2000. 127 p. ISBN: 0970355300. $12.00. The author, who is a minister, teacher, and evangelist, takes a look at the "Secret Rapture" and biblical texts that are used to support it.

Marilyn Crane is Special Collections Cataloger at Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California (mcrane@dwebb.llu.edu).

FROM A DISTANCE . . .

By Marilyn Gane

As we all know, the success of any distance education program is not only based upon the variety of course offerings and the creativity and skills of teaching faculty, but is also greatly dependent on the quality of the support services which prospective students expect to receive such as administration, information technology, and, in our case, the library.

While distance and on-campus students are increasingly relying on many of the same resources, the methods for delivering those materials may differ. Following the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) exhortation that "members of the distance learning community are entitled to library services and resources equivalent to those provided for students and faculty in traditional campus settings" is quite a challenge.

How do we do this with our limited budget? What resources and services can we offer?

What follows is an amalgamation of services and resources offered to support distance education programs by a number of university and college libraries. Some of these services may already be offered in your library, others may be on your wish list!

• Online library catalog
• Remote access to online databases, indexes and full-text resources
• Access to electronic books
• Electronic reserve
• Online tutorials
  • library resources
  • the Internet
  • electronic databases
• Electronic resource / research guides
  • by subject
  • by course or program
• How to cite electronic resources
• Online reference services
  • online reference forms / "Ask a Librarian" form
  • consultation services
  • computer mediated conferencing and chat
  • toll free telephone number for reference assistance
  • bulletin boards
  • listserves
  • electronic reference sources / virtual reference collection
  • tips for successful web searching
  • frequently asked questions
• Interlibrary loan and document delivery services
  • books
  • articles
  • dissertations
  • video cassettes
  • audio cassettes
  • unmediated online ILL and DD request forms
  • mediated online ILL and DD request forms
  • document delivery via electronic transmission, fax, courier or mail
• Services for distance learning faculty
• Frequently asked questions / How do I ... ?
• Comments / feedback link

Over the next year, we hope to explore some of these services with librarians who have "been there and done that" and are willing to share their experiences and their resources.

In the meantime, please look at the collection of resources we have listed on the ASDAL web site. Simply click on Committee Reports and Resources and then on Distance Education Resources. This list is by no means complete, so if you have found a web site, article or book which has been helpful to you, please notify Marilyn Gane at mgane@andrews.edu and we'll add it to the list.

We would like to find out how many ASDAL librarians belong to institutions which are offering distance education programs and what library services are being offered in support of those programs. At our next ASDAL conference we will be conducting a survey so we can better ascertain what we are doing, how we are doing it, who is doing it, what we are doing well and where we need assistance so that we can share our knowledge and expertise to support our students and faculty. For those members unable to attend ASDAL, the survey will also be available electronically on the ASDAL web site beginning in July.

Here are some recommended web sites:

• Darling, Charles. Professor, Capital Community College, Hartford, Connecticut. Resources for Distance Education http://webster.commnet.edu/HP/pages/darling/distance.htm Accessed April 16, 2001.

• Krauth, Barbara and Carbajal, Jennifer. Guide to Developing Online Student Services. http://www.wiche.edu/telecom/Resources/publications/guide/guide.htm. Accessed April 16, 2001. The Guide is intended to help higher education institutions develop effective online approaches to delivering student support services. It provides tips for designing effective online student services, guidelines for basic good practice in delivering these services via the Internet, and examples of effective institutional implementations of online student services. The report is available online only.

• Linden, Julie. The Library's Web site is the Library: Designing for Distance Learners. http://www.ala.org/acrl/website.html.

Marilyn Gane, Chair of ASDAL's Ad Hoc Committee on Distance Education, is Coordinator of Off-Campus Library Services at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan (mgane@andrews.edu).

A LETTER TO SDA LIBRARIANS

By Bruce McClay

Ten months ago I moved from a large public university library to a small private college library. I shifted from Instructional Services Librarian at the University of Texas Pan American (UTPA) to Assistant Librarian at Walla Walla College's School of Nursing. These are some reflections on this move.

The university campus was home to 13,000 students. The nursing school currently has 74 students. At the university I enjoyed a lovely, new office in the new wing of a four-story library. Here I have a small office in a single-story, basically one-room library that is smaller than UTPA's reference area. At the university, I coordinated a team of five instructional librarians and one assistant, and worked with seventeen professional librarians and over fifty support staff. Here I am THE librarian. I do have five student workers that keep the library open evenings and Sundays, and also superb support from the librarians and staff at the main campus library. At the university my focus was instructional services. Here I do a little of everything, and even some things that I would have had a whole staff to handle at UTPA. So, why did I choose to make the switch?

This summer several nursing students asked about where I had come from. When I told them about UTPA's campus and library, they said, "Why did you come here to this dinky library?" I received a similar comment from a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) librarian, who will remain nameless. A perception exists that big is better. It isn't necessarily true. Big does have advantages-deeper financial pockets and more resources to draw on--but it is not naturally better. I love what I am doing now. I would not go back for four reasons:

1. Less bureaucratic/political structure. I am not deluded into the Pollyanna belief that no bureaucracy or politics exist in the SDA system. I know they are there, at times are abused, and can be an impediment to needed progress; but there is much less bureaucratic and political flack to deal with now, and I really like that. If I want to make a change, I can generally do it without running it by thirteen different committees, and being so careful that I don't step on someone's toes.

2. Focus on students. The faculty and staff that I work with at the School of Nursing and on the main campus have not lost their sense of mission. Their focus is still on student success. At the University of Texas there were some who had completely lost their sense of mission. Their focus was totally on defending their turf. Anyone getting too near their territory was in trouble. It is such a pleasure to work with a faculty and staff who still have their sense of mission and focus on track.

3. More student contact. At the University there were days when I went from one meeting to another, or spent most of the day in my office working on necessary stuff. Now I have more direct student contact. To me, the gravy of librarianship is working with students--helping them find what they need. Excellent support from Peterson Memorial Library (Walla Walla College) has freed me to focus on student and faculty needs.

4. The opportunity to create an environment. Seldom is one given the chance to change a corner of the world with minimal interference from others. I have had fun creating a useful, friendly, positive library environment--a few hassles--but the pleasures far outnumber the hassles.

We have much to be proud of in Adventist librarianship. We don't have the money and resources available in the public domain, but we do extremely well with what we have. The University of Texas had a wealth of resources, that we can't come near duplicating, but when I compare my library's resources with the number of students my library serves, I conclude that we are doing as well as the University of Texas. We struggle at times to meet our students' needs with the available funds, but we haven't lost our sense of mission or focus. Be proud of who you are and what you do, and have a little fun doing it.

Bruce McClay is Assistant Librarian at Walla Walla College, School of Nursing, Portland, Oregon (mcclbr@wwc.edu).

BYTES AND BITS

Canadian University College

Last summer we seriously weeded our entire collection. We were, and still are, bursting at the seams and one solution has been to discard older, seldom used books. With the approval of faculty in each subject area, we outlined criteria for weeding. A general rule was that if there were two or more editions, we would discard the older editions. We discarded duplicate copies if they were older than 1990. Depending on the subject, we discarded single copies published before 1980. The least weeding was done in religion, history, and literature. It was possible to check usage for the past six years since we are now on Data Research Associates (DRA). If older books had been used, we kept them. Any books which were not elsewhere in the NEOS consortium, were donated to the Book and Record Depository for the University of Alberta (BARD). This has solved our space problem only for the immediate future. Our users are satisfied knowing that copies of the books we discarded are available either in other NEOS libraries or the BARD.

We have tried to address the space problem in other ways as well. We purchased one new shelf for the curriculum area. This meant that one study table had to go, making the study area even smaller than it was. We have moved our entire periodical collection into what was once a work area, thus giving more room for the main collection, which will all be moved this summer. What used to be the old post office was renovated into a new work area including a small staff lounge. At the same time the delivery entrance was finished to look quite a bit more respectable. The dust and commotion have been worth it.

We have implemented an e-mail distribution to faculty of a "New Books List" each week. This is available through DRA and the NEOS consortium. Each title is linked to its record so that faculty can immediately check on availability.

Carol Nicks

* * *

Florida Hospital College of Health Services

Florida Hospital College Library is now known as the Robert Arthur Williams Library. Williams has had a major influence on the development of Florida Hospital College of Health Services (FHCHS). He served as Academic Dean of the college in 1992-93 and has served as assistant to the President over the past eight years. Williams was instrumental in the formulation of college policy and the college bulletin during the early years of the college.

Some of you may recall that Dr. Williams also served as Provost and CEO of Kettering College from 1983 to 1990. From 1978 to 1983 he served as the Dean of Graduate Studies at Andrews University where Marley Soper first met him.

Dr. Williams has always been a supporter of the library; he was actively engaged in the development of the library collection before Soper came as director. Williams's picture and his name are now on the wall of the main entrance to the library.

The Marley and Beverly Soper Scholarship Fund was developed this year in an effort to help some of the financially needy students who wish to attend FHCHS. It is the first fund to be developed in the history of FHCHS. Interest from the fund will be used to assist the students. To become active, the principal of the fund must reach $10,000. It is presently half funded, but is expected to be completely funded by January 1, 2002. In addition to funds from the Sopers, other friends and relatives who are interested in the college have contributed to the scholarship.

"We were directly helping our library student assistants a little here and there from time to time over the years when they needed it," commented Soper. "We decided that we might as well formalize it and get a tax deduction!"

Marley Soper

* * *

Pacific Union College

Pacific Union College is in the fund raising phase of its plan for a new library. The college president, Malcolm Maxwell, is heavily involved in the fund raising campaign and will continue his involvement after he retires this coming June.

The total project cost for the new library is estimated to be $18 million and the fund raising campaign has just begun. There is a long way to go but those involved in the capital campaign are optimistic of the final outcome. Building a new library at PUC has been strongly endorsed by PUC students and faculty as well as the administration and Board of Trustees.

Adu Worku

* * *

Southwestern Adventist University

Randy Butler has submitted his resignation as University Librarian effective June 30, 2002. He will be returning to teaching full-time beginning that summer. The director's position will be filled no later than July 1, 2002. Anyone interested in the position of University Librarian should send their resume and three letters of reference to Dr. Marie Redwine, Academic Vice President, Southwestern Adventist University, Keene, TX 76059.

Randy Butler

* * *

Prayer Request

Please pray for Bessie Lobsien. She is struggling to breathe with a tracheotomy in her throat. It is part of a procedure to correct loss of voice and trouble in the air passages due to a thyroid growth choking her. The biopsy was taken last week (mid-March) and she awaits the results. Thank you.

Bessie Lobsien