STAFF Co-Editors Barbie Selby Documents Librarian UVA Law Library Virginia 580 Massie Road Charlottesville, VA 22903-1789 (804) 924-3504 [email protected] Libraries Earlene Viano Library Assistant/Reference October/November/December, 2001, Vol. 47, No. 4 Hampton Public Library 4207 Victoria Blvd. Hampton, VA 23669-4243 (757) 727-1312 [email protected] COLUMNS Editorial Board Barbie Selby and 2 Openers Fran Freimarck Earlene Viano Director Pamunkey Regional Library P.O. Box 119 Cy Dillon 3 President’s Column Hanover, VA 23069 (804) 537-6212 Scott Silet 29 Internet Reference Resources [email protected] Julie A. Campbell, Ed. 30 Virginia Reviews John Kneebone Director, Publications and Educational Services Library of Virginia 800 E. Broad Street FEATURES Richmond, VA 23219-8000 (804) 692-3720 Sue Evans 5 Loudoun’s Irwin Uran Gift Fund [email protected] Nan Seamans An Interview by 8 A Virginia Writer’s Life and Work: Director of Instruction Douglas Gordon A Conversation with Donald McCaig Virginia Tech, University Libraries Blacksburg, VA 24061-0434 Ladd Brown and 21 Managing Electronic Resources (540) 231-2708 Molly Brennan Cox in Technical Services [email protected] Lydia C. Williams Ken Winter 25 Stop Clinging to Those Static Pages Longwood College Library Farmville, VA 23909 (804) 395-2432 [email protected] Antoinette Arsic Corporate Business Development Specialist/Librarian Virginia Libraries is a quarterly journal published by the Virginia Library Association whose pur- EER Systems, Inc. (703) 375-6488 pose is to develop, promote, and improve library and information services and the profession of [email protected] librarianship in order to advance literacy and learning and to ensure access to information in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Molly Brennan Cox The journal, distributed to the membership, is used as a vehicle for members to exchange Librarian information, ideas, and solutions to mutual problems in professional articles on current topics Floyd County High School in the library and information fi eld. Views expressed in Virginia Libraries are not necessarily 721 Baker St. endorsed by the editor or editorial board. Floyd, VA 24091 The Virginia Library Association (VLA) holds the copyright on all articles published in Virginia (540) 745-9450 coxm@fl oyd.k12.va.us Libraries whether the articles appear in print or electronic format. Material may be reproduced for informational, educational, or recreational purposes provided the source of the material is Editor, Virginia Books cited. The print version of Virginia Libraries is designed by Lamp-Post Publicity in Meherrin, Vir- Julie A. Campbell ginia. The electronic version of Virginia Libraries is created by Virginia Tech’s Scholarly Commu- Library of Virginia nications Project and is available at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/VALibs or as a link from 800 E. Broad Street the Virginia Library Association web site at http://www.vla.org. Virginia Libraries is indexed in Richmond, VA 23219-8000 Library Literature, a database produced by the H.W. Wilson Company. (804) 692-3731 Items for publication and editorial inquiries should be addressed to the editor. Inquiries [email protected] regarding membership, subscriptions, advertising, or claims should be directed to VLA, P.O. Box 8277, Norfolk, VA 23503-0277. All personnel happenings and announcements should be sent to the VLA Newsletter, Helen Q. Sherman, Librarian, DTIC Technical Library, Defense Technical On the cover: Donald McCaig Information Center, 8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 0944, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6218, (703) with his friend, Harry 767-8180, fax (703) 767-8179, email [email protected]. Virginia Libraries is available by sub- scription at $20 per year. The guidelines for submissions to Virginia Libraries are found on page 24. PAGE 2 VIRGINIA LIBRARIES OCTOBER–DECEMBER, 2001 OPENERS Promoting Understanding by Barbie Selby and Earlene Viano n light of our nation’s, indeed, reads, even other species one “ Electronic Resource Diary,” by our world’s, recent tragic interacts with. Douglas Gordon’s means of which they are able to events it seems likely that in-depth interview with Donald organize the bits and pieces of Imany of us have had similar McCaig touches on all these pos- information libraries need to know impulses to those of the 3,000 sibilities for understanding and regarding their electronic purchases people who are weekly applying to gained insight. Reading Mr. and databases. the CIA. We want to do something. McCaig’s thoughts on the training Ken Winter of VMI reports on We want to comfort someone. We of a sheep dog and the almost mysti- their dynamically generated guides want to contribute to the victims called SourceFinder. Prompted by and their families. the excessive amount of work We were extraordinarily pleased involved in regularly updating static to see that Steve Helm quickly What a noble and timely web resource lists and by projects, and prominently included a link to reminder that we all such as VCU’s “MyLibrary” project, donate to the American Red Cross VMI has implemented a database- on the VLA web site. While we all need to learn more about supported, dynamically generated, know the VLA web pages wouldn’t easily-updated reference tool for be the fi rst place anyone would look our shared past and our its students. For those of us who for such a link, it says a lot about shared present! haven’t investigated the possibili- our organization that the link is ties of database-driven web guides there. Good work, Steve. this article should show us the One of the articles in this issue way. of Virginia Libraries seems particu- cal connection between dog/sheep/ Beginning with this issue “Vir- larly appropriate for this sad, but man is illuminating and thought- ginia Books” has a new name, “Vir- challenging, time in our country’s provoking. Surely, if such connec- ginia Reviews,” to refl ect its broader history. Mr. Irwin Uran of Loudoun tions can exist there’s hope of scope. With the proliferation of County gave the Loudoun County strengthening our connections with electronic information resources, Public Library a one-million-dollar one another. we feel it’s time to expand the gift to be used toward promoting a Our fi nal two articles are more coverage of our reviews to include greater understanding of our neigh- traditionally library-oriented. In this media. As seems fi tting in Vir- bors and better relations among all “Managing Electronic Resources in ginia, our fi rst review will be of the people. What a noble and timely Technical Services” Molly Cox and 1880 Virginia census CD from the reminder that we all need to learn Ladd Brown describe the workfl ow Church of Latter Day Saints. Caro- more about our shared past and our and procedures that have worked lyn Barkley will do the honors. We shared present! well at Virginia Tech to track and hope you enjoy and profi t from this Understanding is of many organize their acquisition and main- additional coverage, and we prom- kinds — understanding one’s self, tenance of electronic resources. ise to still “do books.” VL one’s neighbors, writers whom one They include an outline of an OCTOBER–DECEMBER, 2001 VIRGINIA LIBRARIES PAGE 3 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN State of the Association by Cy Dillon There is only the fi ght to recover what a general statement of our organi- you are a public librarian, be sure had been lost zation’s current state. your board members have copies. And found and lost again and again: Goal I for VLA was to serve as Before the 2001 Designated and now, under conditions an advocate for libraries, infor- Agenda was even written, we had That seem unpropitious. But perhaps mation services, and library per- completed negotiations on an neither gain nor loss. sonnel. exemption for libraries from some of For us, there is only the trying. The rest Our Legislative Committee led the restrictions imposed by UCITA. is not our business. the efforts to retain as much public VLA members have consulted with — T. S. Eliot (East Coker) library funding as possible in a cer- library associations in other states to help stop the spread of this con- troversial law, and at this point nd try we have. This past We will need every no states have joined Virginia and year our Association has Maryland in passing the act. seen its members create ounce of that strength VLA participated in national Leg- Agains, or at least prevent losses, on islative Day and, for the fi rst time, every front at a time when much this winter. sponsored a bus for participants. has been at stake in our Common- We had good attendance at our wealth and our society. We can luncheon, including ALA President look toward 2002 with unity of pur- tifi ably insane budget year. We were Nancy Cranich. Also at the national pose, confi dence in the soundness successful, maintaining funding for level, VLA was one of the fi rst of our organization, and a stub- State Aid to Public Libraries and chapters to contribute fi nancially to born belief that we can make a dif- Infopowering, but library construc- ALA’s battle against the Children’s ference. This is particularly impor- tion and the budget of the Library Internet Protection Act. tant because Virginia faces a severe of Virginia suffered. With an excel- We have negotiated a contract funding shortfall as this year ends lent legislative liaison and an activist for the coming year with the Vectre that will carry over into the coming membership, VLA has become one Corporation and will spend over legislative session. We also have to of the stronger advocacy organiza- $26,000 on our legislative liaison.