Around the World: Sushi and Sweet Tea at the University of Mississippi
| Published date | 12 June 2007 |
| Pages | 16-19 |
| Date | 12 June 2007 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07419050710780362 |
| Author | Kevin Herrera,Gail Herrera |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Around the World: Sushi and Sweet Tea at the
University of Mississippi
Kevin Herrera and Gail Herrera
16 LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 5 2007, pp. 16-19, #Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/07419050710780362
All library technologists realize just
how drastically libraries have changed
in the last 15 years or so. From
dedicated terminals to telnet to web-
based OPACs, from CD-ROM to online
databases, from librarian-mediated
searches using BRS and Dialog to
independent user discovery with
hundreds of online services, change is
evident in every aspect of the
profession. Other changes are
sometimes more subtle, but just as
profound (Plate 1).
The University of Mississippi
opened in 1848, and planning for the
library began the following year with a
fiscal appropriation and donation of
materials (Plate 2). Interestingly, the
first person mentioned as librarian is
Augustus Blomgren who, in 1876/77,
was listed as librarian and janitor
(Saville, 1970). Through 150 years of
growth and several buildings, by the
mid-90s, the University of Mississippi
was completing a major library
expansion and renovation project. More
recently a dedicated remote storage
facility has been completed (Plate 3).
Fast forward to 2007, when a
librarian entering the building heard part
of a cell phone conversation which went
something like this: ‘‘That’s okay. I can
get sushi at the library.’’ That is right –
sushi in the library. Like many libraries,
we have tried to create a more inviting
environment for our patrons. Several
public areas have received a visual
makeover with plants, framed posters,
and photographs. These areas have also
been enhanced with lounge chairs and
sofas, making them more comfortable
for studying and reading. The new
coffee shop has been proven to be
extremely popular, and yes – ours really
does sell sushi (Plate 4).
The University is located in Oxford, a
thriving North Mississippi town that
features numerous artistic and literary
festivals, sporting events, concerts, and
theater performances. Not to be
overlooked is the selection of
international and regional cuisine, as
well as the creative blends that can be
found in a college town. And in almost
every eatery in town one finds that
ubiquitous Southern beverage: sweettea.
The digital accounting collection
The University Libraries’ first foray
into digitization began with a collection
acquired from the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
in 2001. After receiving the collection,
the University began to seek funding to
establish a digitization program. In
January 2002, the library was awarded a
directed grant from the Institute of
Museum and Library Services (Kurtz,
2006).
After exploring a number of systems
for the storage and presentation of
digital content, the University Libraries
partnered with Innovative Interfaces,
Inc., in the development of a new
product: MetaData Builder. Library
employees were enthusiastic about the
possibilities offered by this new
product. As a new component of the
integrated library system (ILS),
MetaData Builder used familiar
technology for cataloging and searching
the new digital content. A Dublin Core
template was added to the Millennium
cataloging client, and patron searches
are conducted through the familiar Web
OPAC. Digital content such as images
and PDF files were imported with a
product new to the UM Libraries:
Millennium Media Management. Using
Media Management and the Advanced
Keyword Searching product, the full-
text of digitized documents is searchable
through the public interface.
As a result of discussion with
AICPA members, the Libraries first
digitization project proved to be an
ambitious one. The first 19 volumes
(1974-1992) of the Accounting
Historians Journal form the core of this
initial project. Additionally, through
special arrangement with the AICPA,
the collection contains a number of non-
current exposure drafts, pamphlets,
photos, and images. To date the library
has added over 850 digitized documents
to this collection.
The integrated library system and
electronic resources
Since 2000, our library has
implemented a significant number of
new technologies with a small staff
including a Z39.50 module for the
library catalog, several renovations and
upgrades to the library catalog, the
library’s first comprehensive
Interlibrary Loan automation system
(ILLiad) along with Innovative’s suite
of Millennium products and electronic
access products. The University
Libraries use the full suite of Electronic
Access Products from Innovative which
includes Web Access Management,
WebBridge, MetaFind, and the
Electronic Resource Management
system.
In 2003, our first version of federated
searching was made available on the
library website. The product, MetaFind,
was purchased with a vision of tying
together the upcoming digital
collections, the library catalog, our ILL
partner catalogs and electronic resources
in a single search. Over the years, our
libraries’ implementation has been
used by Innovative and other libraries as
a model. We continue to receive
questions from other libraries about our
approach, implementation, and advice
(Herrera, 2007). In 2006, we began
working with Innovative on their next-
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