ACORN Chronicle PUBLISHED BY THE JEAN AND ALEXANDER HEARD LIBRARY • VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY • SPRING 2008 Be Brilliant! WithDiscoverLibrary (The Heard Library’s versatile new research platform) FROM the University Librarian New Chancellor Zeppos Describes inding the right answer to a specific ques- DiscoverLibrary is in no way a finished prod- Ftion in today’s infinite ocean of Internet uct, but even in its first generation is far more pow- information is the most challenging part of erful than Acorn, the search interface used by the Library’s Future to Heard Society research. Our students rely more and more on Google library since 1996. DiscoverLibrary allows one to to find answers to their questions. But Google does refine a search in many ways, uses relevance ranking B Y L EW H ARRIS not lead you to the high value information available to arrange the results, and includes many resources in the Library, nor does it provide seamless access to Acorn never offered. It also aims to provide the short- eard Society members received a special treat in the ian will be made easier by the manner in which Gherman has NEIL BRAKE form of an update on the Vanderbilt Library’s bright transformed the library from a more traditional library to the other resources. So, more than a year ago, we set out est route between discovering a resource and getting H future from Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos just three digital library of the future. with a commercial development partner to create a to it.If the resource is an online full-text article,for Paul M.Gherman days after he had been elected to the university’s top post by “We are positioned very well because of Paul,” he said. “We University Librarian much more powerful mechanism for our students and example, a single click takes the user to the full-text. the Board of Trust. have riches of candidates who want to be at Vanderbilt and faculty.This new tool is called DiscoverLibrary. More Eventually a wide range of information will be search- “We didn’t know when we set this date that we would have who would then help plan for a new building and weave the ABOUT THE COVER: Move over, Google. Discover- than 40 of our staff members worked on specific parts able via DiscoverLibrary. Video, music and images this sort of intersection with rare privilege, but aren’t we library into what the university is—an integrated, intellec- Library, the Heard Library’s of DiscoverLibrary, either designing how the system are instantly retrievable using DiscoverLibrary. All glad that we believe in libraries and that we got to be here tual, interdisciplinary, academic community. It’s about no new research platform, will tonight?” said Heard Society President Ann Jen- enable library users to search will function, or testing specific features. Today’s 800,000 news clips from the Vanderbilt Television nalie Cook, professor of English, emerita, in open- multiple resources with one librarians must have new skills to develop comput- News Archive are only a click away using Discover- simple query. It is far more ver- ing the March 4 event. satile and comprehensive than er systems that manipulate information, as well as Library. Other unique resources developed at Van- Acorn, the search interface The Heard Society, comprised of donors who used by the library since 1996. to deal with the age-old book. Jody Combs, our assis- derbilt will be added in the near future. give $1,000 or more annually, also paid special tant university librarian for information technology, —PAUL M. GHERMAN tribute to University Librarian Paul Gherman for THE ACORN CHRONICLE is published semi-annually by led the effort and spent countless hours on the phone his service and innovation while leading the library the Jean and Alexander Heard the past 12 years. Gherman announced last sum- Library,Vanderbilt University. to Israel, where our commercial partner, Ex Libris, Address inquiries to the Library, is located. mer that he would retire at the end of the spring 419 Twenty-first Avenue South, semester this year. Nashville,Tennessee 37240, 615/322-4782, or by email to Zeppos began his talk by quoting Chancel- editor [email protected]. lor Emeritus Alexander Heard, for whom the THE ACORN CHRONICLE, Jean and Alexander Heard Library is named. Spring 2008 “Alex Heard used to say that the library real- © 2008 by Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved. ly is the heart of the university,and I believe that,” The Wild Bunch Celebrates Zeppos said. “For Vanderbilt, with its strong tra- JOHN RUSSELL University Librarian: dition of discovery and research and its aspira- Paul M. Gherman Editor: Lew Harris tions to continue to be a leader, it is essential that Contributors: Paul Gherman, 10th Anniversary of Heard our library continue to be world class.” Flo Wilson, Roberta Winjum, Chancellor Nick Zeppos (right) provides his vision of the library’s future to members of the Heard Beth Boord, Celia Walker, and Zeppos recalled occasionally doing research Society. Zeppos spoke at the March 4 event just three days after he had been elected to the uni- Ray Waddle in the Library of Congress while he was an attor- versity’s top post by the Board of Trust. Art Director: Donna D. Pritchett Library Book Fund Designer: Chris Collins ney for the U.S. Justice Department early in his career and marveling at the beautiful interior and exteri- boundaries to the areas of inquiry in which our students and Visit us on the Web at http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/ he Wild Bunch celebrated nal in the field of sociology. Each vol- or of the building. He also noted that visitors to Yale Uni- faculty are interested.” or http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ both their 30th Reunion and ume is marked with a special Wild versity often visit its much-heralded Sterling Memorial Library. Zeppos said that among the university’s next considera- alumni/pub.html the 10th anniversary of the Bunch bookplate, so current and future He would like to see the Vanderbilt Library achieve a simi- tions will be how patterns of use for its libraries may change Vanderbilt University is committed T lar reputation. and how to respond to such change. For instance, the shift of to principles of equal opportunity and Wild Bunch Book Fund at Reunion generations of students will be made affirmative action. “We have a great library,but at Vanderbilt we need a library first-year students to The Commons on the Peabody campus Weekend last October.The Wild aware of the group’s legacy. that people will say,‘I’m coming to Nashville, and I want to may alter the balance of use from the Central Library to the Bunch was a plucky group of seven The Wild Bunch got its name from see the Vanderbilt Library,’” said Zeppos, drawing a strong much closer Peabody Library as students search for a quiet future campus leaders who had clicked Chancellor Emeritus Alexander Heard. round of applause from the audience.“That will be our and focused place to study. as friends almost immediately upon They had taken up an offer Chan- aspiration for this library. We need [to build] a new addition, “Like so many of you, I love libraries,” Chancellor Zeppos arriving on the Vanderbilt campus as cellor Heard had extended to the a bigger library for our faculty, students, alumni and the com- said in his closing remarks. “You have my unyielding support freshmen in the fall of 1973. entire freshman class during a pic- munity.” of the library to our mission, and to hiring a great [university] Thanks to the group’s generosity, the nic he hosted at his home at the The chancellor said that selecting a new university librar- librarian and building a great new library.” endowment has made it possible for the Heard Library beginning of classes—that his door was always open. to purchase 126 books and to fund an electronic jour- continued on page 11 2 3 State Historian Still Remembers Professor Barsky Influenced by Influence of While Time Remains Lord Byron and Poem Don Juan B Y R AY WADDLE B Y R AY WADDLE Which books matter most in your life? That’s the question we asked Some of Stowe’s criticisms haunt today’s war effort, Durham obert Barsky has made a career of writing about intel- him into a complicated, likable character who is as much the five lifelong readers in the fall 2007 issue. We wrote about their notes. “American arrogance was much in evidence when we Rlectual renegades—people who live by provocative ideas amorous victim as victimizer. responses and were pleased with the positive reaction the series invaded Iraq against the advice of the United Nations and all and force the world to take note. “I loved the gustiness of it,” Barsky says.“He changed my elicited. So we decided to continue it in this issue with Tennessee of our allies except Great Britain.” Barsky is something of a renegade himself—a Vanderbilt view of things. Ever since, I’ve made a life of writing about peo- State Historian Walter Durham and Vanderbilt Professor Robert Part of the appeal of While Time Remains for Durham was professor who stretches across departments, disciplines, even ple who are similarly fearless.” Barsky. Even in the era of i-Pods, blogs, podcasts and satellite Stowe himself, a well-known newspaper correspondent. Durham continents (professor of English, professor of French and Ital- Barsky had planned on law school, but Byron inspired radio, a book you can hold in your hand still has the power to influ- had dreams of being a political writer too, and he had followed ian, editor of AmeriQuests, Director of Graduate Studies, pro- him to switch to literature.