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Library Newsletter - March, 2007

Vol. 11, No. 5

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A Word from the Director

Maurice G. Fortin, Library Director

The weather seems to be as undecided as some of our "undeclared" students. I worked on Sunday afternoon the 18th of February. For the first two hours the Library was open, there were as many library staff members as library users in the building. I think the weather was simply too nice to be indoors. About 3:30 that afternoon, students came pouring into the building. I guess either the wind picked up with a corresponding drop in temperature or a realization set in that those assignments were due on Monday morning. It made for an interesting day.

With the successful wrap up of the presidential search process, Library staff members look forward to working with the new president. The University Archivist, Shannon Sturm, is cooperating with Information Technology to preserve information from the web site dedicated to the search process, as well as any other documents from the search.

In previous issues of the Newsletter, I mentioned work between Information Technology and the Library on planning a redesign of the Library's First Floor to create an Information Commons. In late January, Mark Allan (Head of Reference), Angela Skaggs (Head of Access services), and Elaine Beach (Customer Support Manager, Information Technology) toured five different academic libraries' information commons facilities in Texas (ACU, TCU, UT-Dallas, SMU, and Baylor). They brought back valuable information to use in the development of ASU's plan for an information commons. On the following two pages are excerpts from a memo I sent forward in December 2006 outlining the concepts for this project. The planning work should be completed in the next month so it can be including in the upcoming budget preparation cycle. As the plan reaches completion, I hope to share the details with various groups on campus to gain additional comments and thoughts to improve the design.

Elsewhere in this issue, you will learn more about the differences between two legal databases available from the Library (LexisNexis Academic and Westlaw Campus Research), the Library's use of the official ASU e-mail addresses for sending notices from Circulation and ILL, the West Texas Collection (WTC) and Friends of the Library activities (the latest WTC display, two Friends scholarships, and the genealogical workshop), and information and resources on women's history. The issue concludes with a humorous Voyager update.

Order Request Deadline Approaching

The April 16th deadline is fast approaching for all order requests from the Library's Materials Budget. After April 16th, any remaining funds in academic departmental accounts will be placed in the Library's "Excellence Fund". Each academic department then may submit requests for library materials that normal allocations cannot cover. A subcommittee from the University Library Committee will approve expenditures from the Excellence Fund.

Remodeling Proposal for the Library's First Floor

Maurice G. Fortin, Library Director

As one observer noted,

"Academic libraries have undergone considerable change in the past decade. With increasing use of technology to organize and disseminate information, the computer has become an important tool for accessing information. [In addition to accessing online public access catalogs, academic libraries] . . . must supply a means of access to scholarly digital resources and a growing number of electronic databases" (MacWhinnie, p. 241).

An increasingly popular means of providing this type of access is for academic libraries to create an information commons (IC).

An IC is designed to provide students with a collaborative learning area where they can receive access to, as well as training in, new and existing digital research, education, information, and computer technologies. Students can interact in an active-learning environment and utilize online and print resources, Web 2.0 technologies, multimedia creation and editing software, project collaboration software, geographic information systems, and more. For additional definitions of an IC, please see Malenfant (2006).

The Porter Henderson Library's First Floor remodeling proposal is an attempt not only to make better use of the space gained from the reclaiming of all space on the existing three floor following the opening of the new Third Floor, but, most importantly, to refocus the Library as the center of learning on campus. An IC will allow students to interact with other students, faculty members, the latest technology (software and hardware), information specialists from the Library and Information Technology (IT), and information resources (electronic, print, microform, or in virtually any format). The IC concept should facilitate the learning experience on our campus and prepare our students for the workplace of today and tomorrow. The IC will help our students develop their information literacy skills to succeed throughout the remainder of their lives. In the simplest terms, information literacy skills involve the ability to search for information, evaluate information, and then use information to meet one's informational/research needs. In essence, the IC will be an "E-Learning Center" for students.

This show-place facility requires the presence of first-class expertise, information resources, software, and equipment. A high-speed, high-bandwidth network including premium fiber optic and wireless networking is necessary to deliver the various best practice applications and content-rich projects that students will be utilizing and producing on a day-to-day basis. The IC needs state-of-the-art computing, editing, and reproduction equipment to support the various technologies and mediums that students will be working with in the classroom and in the workplace. Such equipment includes but is not limited to high-end computers, large display panels, handheld/mobile computing devices, cameras and other audiovisual devices, and color scanning and printing capabilities.

This remodeling proposal is for the public areas of the Library's First Floor. To facilitate the project, smaller areas in other parts of the Library will need to be remodeled to receive materials and services moved off of the First Floor areas designated for the IC. The IC area will occupy the entire south side of the Library's First Floor. This area encompasses approximately 9,200 square feet. Additional remodeling needs on the First Floor are an enlargement of the Circulation Desk area, moving of the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Office into the north side of the existing Lecture Room, and the elimination of the existing Typing Room and Library Conference Room for enlargement of the Juvenile and Curriculum Collections. Listed below are details for each of the remodeling proposals.

Information Commons

The entrance to the IC would be near where the carpeted area begins on the south side of the floor. Service points will be located so they are visible from the entrance area. Staffing for the service points will come from both IT and the Library. In the entrance and service point areas would be several computer workstations for public access and designated terminals for those needing assistance with access to the various electronic resources available from the Library. A greatly reduced Reference Collection (probably only 5% to 15% of the current number of print resources) will occupy book shelves. (15%-20% of the IC)

Possibly located in the western portion of the IC will be an instruction alcove seating up to 30 individuals. The alcove with walls that are ½ to ¾ height can be used to provide formal or impromptu hands-on instruction to small classes and groups, for demonstrations (again formal or impromptu) of software and new resources, or, when not scheduled for instruction or demonstration sessions, for application software and general internet access by individuals. (15%-20% of the IC)

Possibly along the outside walls, there could be at least four group study rooms capable of accommodating four to six users. Each room should contain furniture that could be arranged by the users, white board, and a computer station mounted for group usage. (15%-30% of the IC)

The majority of the IC (35% to 60%) should be devoted to providing space and an atmosphere that maximizes the ease of access to technology, information, and project collaboration software for groups and individuals. Essentially the area would be in the middle of the floor running from the east side up to about half-way or three-fourths of the way to the west side of the room. There can be fixed furniture around the pillars located within the room and combinations of furniture (plush chairs, beanbag type chairs, ADA-accessible tables, individual workstations, combinable furniture, etc.) utilizing both wired and wireless access to the University's network services, the Library's online and print resources, application software, E-mail, and general Internet access.

Circulation Desk

Because of the expanding number of staff members necessary to cover the Library's increased operating schedule and the temporary nature of the modular wall and desk area units acquired from Texas Prison Industries, the Circulation Unit has outgrown its existing area. Many of the wall modular units are worn out and/or leaning. The modular desk units do not provide adequate work space. The Head of Access Services investigated and recommended Office Source's redesign of the Circulation Desk area.

ILL Office

Move the ILL Office into the north half of the Lecture Room located behind the Circulation Desk area.

Juvenile and Curriculum Collections

By eliminating the Typing Room and the present Library Conference Room and the removal of those walls, both collections would have sufficient space to expand shelving, seating, and study space. This proposal also calls for acquiring additional shelving units to expand shelving space for the Juvenile Collection along the expanded wall areas. New furniture (tables, desks, and chairs) is also needed for this area. Some of the furniture should be appropriate for use by elementary age users.

Vacated ILL Space

Reconfigure this area to be a new, open area for access to a typewriter, copy machines, and adaptive equipment for the visually impaired.

Lecture Room

In addition to the ILL Office, the south side of the room could be remodeled into office space for librarians, support staff, and staff from IT.

Head of Reference's Office

This office is currently accessible from within the Tech Services area of the Library. This remodeling proposal calls for this office to have its entrance from the IC area.

To facilitate the creation of the IC, additional remodeling projects are needed in other areas of the Library. In the Basement, the old Writing Center space will need to be renovated into a new Library Lecture Room. In a suitable location, space will be needed for housing of the Government Documents (Federal and Texas) Collections from the existing Reference Room. This includes the shelving units, microfiche cabinets, and map cases, as well.

To provide additional amenities, thought should be given to creating an Internet café adjacent to the IC. Utilizing the south side of the Library's east porch, this area could house an Internet café with coffee bar and food service provided by Chartwell's. For students and staff wanting access to this café area from outside the Library, there could be an additional "patio" café area along the east side of the porch and possibly in between the Library and the Academic Building.

For more information see:

MacWinnie, L. A. (2003). The information commons: The academic library of the future. Libraries and the Academy, 3(2), 241-257.

Malenfant, C. (2006). The information commons as a collaborative workspace. Reference Services Review, 34(2), 279-286. (Available in full text to authorized ASU users in Emerald Journals: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/00907320610669506.)

It's the Law: LexisNexis Academic and Westlaw Campus Research

Mark Allan, Head of Reference

The ASU Library is fortunate to currently be able to provide access both to LexisNexis Academic (LNA), as well as to Westlaw Campus Research (WCR). Both of these services provide online access to legal as well as news topics. LNA additionally provides business, medical, and some reference materials. However, it should be noted that both LNA and WCR are progeny of the larger, full-service LexisNexis and Westlaw products, and provide access to fewer information services and features than their sires.

Using LexisNexis Academic

The Library has provided the LNA service for approximately 8 years now. As previously mentioned, this online service provides access to business, medical, and reference materials, which WCR does not. Obviously, if the topic of research interest falls within one of these categories and is of a non-legal nature, LNA is the preferred resource. The simple, streamlined search interface of LNA is also easy for the majority of patrons to utilize. The list of linked topics is clearly visible in the left hand margin. One then simply selects the database subset that one wishes to search, and a basic knowledge of Boolean searching techniques (utilizing AND, OR, AND NOT) will generally suffice to allow one to search for desired information. Proximity operators can also be used while searching to find search terms that appear within a desired amount of text. However, one does have to be careful to adjust the default date restriction, which is uniformly set for the last six months within LNA, or else search results will not necessarily meet one's expectations. Furthermore, LNA caps all search returns at one thousand hits. If that limit is met when doing a search, further restricting of the search topic or the selected time period will be required.

Using Westlaw Campus Research

The WCR interface is the "new kid on the block," having been added to the Library's collection of databases at the beginning of the 2006-2007 academic year. Unfortunately, searching this product tends to be more awkward than searching the LNA service. The first search page that displays is actually the "News & Information" portion of WCR. To navigate to the legal side of the service, one must locate the 'dimmed' tab at the top of the page and select it. Furthermore, for legal searching one must skip down beyond the search box to select a topic to search, and then scroll back up to enter the desired search terms!

As mentioned previously, WCR's scope of information is less inclusive than LNA. However, doing legal research with WCR is complemented with access to the legal encyclopedia, American Jurisprudence 2d., as well as to extremely detailed articles on various legal points within the publication American Law Reports.

For searching, WCR offers the advantage of offering either the use of "Terms & Connectors" (basically Boolean searching), or "Natural Language Searching", which involves typing in a question from which the service will pull key words and compare to its database. While simple, natural language searching tends to result in broader results which may not be as precise as when using a Boolean search. Furthermore, since all students who attend Library tutorials are instructed in the use of Boolean searching, use of the "Terms & Connectors" option is encouraged. WCR does not initially restrict the date setting, as does LNA, and WCR will also return a greater number of hits than the one thousand limit set by LNA.

The biggest benefit that WCR provides its users is the ability to utilize the West Key Number system when researching court cases. Every legal point identified by West Publishing has been assigned a key number. Once a case or cases have been discovered containing information that is of interest, the key number can be identified, and a new search can be conducted, identifying all cases discussing that particular legal point. The key number system can be utilized across jurisdictions, so as to discover cases addressing the identical legal point in all state as well as federal jurisdictions. Another benefit that WCR provides is the ability to use KeyCite to track other cases referring to case as being "precedent" or as no longer consisting of "good law." LNA provides the similar service Shepard's for only U.S. Supreme Court cases.

How Do I Choose Between LexisNexis Academic and Westlaw Campus Research?

While some may disagree, if a researcher is looking for simplicity and/or is looking for a broader base of subject materials than either law or news, the answer tends to be LexisNexis Academic. If one is doing precise legal research, Westlaw Campus Research is the database of choice. However, legal subject coverage does vary between LNA and WCR. For example, LNA covers Canadian and Mexican case law. On the other hand, WCR covers European Union materials.

One Final Note

The ASU Library does currently have online access to Texas Jurisprudence, a Texas legal encyclopedia, as a supplement to its WCR subscription. It is only available from a single workstation within the Library, near the Reference Desk.

If you have further questions about the content of any of these databases and/or how to utilize them, please contact Mark Allan at mark.allan@angelo.edu or (325) 942-2511, Ext. 235.

Faster than a Speeding Bullet ... E-mail Notices from Circulation

Email graphicThe adoption of the ASU email address as the official address for communication with ASU students, faculty, and staff, makes it possible for the Library to vastly improve the efficiency of our communication with our ASU users. During Spring Break, the Library's Access Services Department will start utilizing ASU email addresses for all courtesy notices to ASU students, faculty, and staff. No longer will our ASU patrons have to wait, while fines accumulate, for snail mail delivery of overdue reminders. Fine and fee notices, recall notices, etc. will be delivered without delay. And no longer will courtesy notices be returned to the Library, undeliverable because of incorrect or outdated addresses! Delivery of notices will now be faster!!! So be sure to keep an eye on your ASU email account ...

Interlibrary Loan E-Mail Notification

Now that the ASU e-mail account is the official address of communication for ASU students, faculty, and staff, the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Unit is pleased to announce that all communications regarding items that have been checked out will be directed to this account. (See "Faster than a Speeding Bullet," above.) However, communications regarding the arrival of interlibrary loan materials to the library and their availability to the library patron will be directed to the address specified by the patron on his/her initial ILL request. The ILL Unit strongly encourages students to use the ASU e-mail address when filling out ILL request forms so that all announcements regarding library materials are directed to the same official e-mail account. Furthermore, utilizing the ASU e-mail account insures that any availability notices do not get placed in commercial e-mail providers' "junk mail" folders which may result in the announcement being overlooked.

All Aboard!
History of the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway Display Opening

The West Texas Collection and the Historic Orient-Santa Fe Depot are having a joint display opening Thursday evening, March 1, from 6-9 pm. The West Texas Collection will have numerous original documents relating to the history of the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway for public viewing as well as photographs and other memorabilia. The Depot Museum will have new displays on the history of the railroad and the depot as well as model trains. In addition to the displays, there will be trollies available between 6:30 and 8:30 at each location to shuttle visitors between the two locations. Both locations will be open to the public free of charge.

For additional information, please contact the West Texas Collection (325) 942-2164.

Money from Our Friends: The Lee and Ricci Scholarships

On Wednesday, February 21st, Anita Monk, Vice President of the Friends of the Porter Henderson Library and the West Texas Collection, recognized two ASU students with scholarship certificates. Austin Hobbs, Math major and student assistant in the Library's Acquisitions Department, received the Joe Bill Lee Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded each fall and spring semester to an outstanding student assistant working in either the Library or the West Texas Collection. Kimberly Hollenbeck, Nursing major, received the Dr. Henry N. Ricci Scholarship. This scholarship is also awarded each fall and spring to an outstanding student in the associated degree nursing program. Both competitive scholarships have a value of $250 and are sponsored by the Friends group.

Mr. Lee was the long time director of the Library and Dr. Ricci was an avid supporter of the University and the Library.

Group photo
(l-r) Kimberly Hollenbeck, Dr. Henry N. Ricci Scholarship recipient; Anita Monk, Vice President of the Friends group; Austin Hobbs, Joe Bill Lee Scholarship recipient; Joe Bill Lee, former library director; and Maurice Fortin, Director of the Library.

Dr. George Schweitzer to Lead Friends of the Library Genealogy Workshop, March 31

Dr. George Schweitzer, distinguished professor at the University of Tennessee and a genealogist who uses historical reenactment to teach genealogy, will lead the 6th annual workshop. Dr. Schweitzer will cover the following topics: "Tracing Ancestors Back Across the Atlantic", "German Emigration, Immigration and Migration Patterns", and "Scots-Irish Genealogical Research".

The program will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 31, in the C.J. Davidson Center in the Houston Harte University Center. Registration costs $35, if made prior to March 15, and $40 at the door. Registrants will receive a notebook with materials provided by the speaker. A buffet lunch is also available for $10 with reservations made by March 15. If you need additional information or wish to register for the workshop, contact the West Texas Collection at 942-2164.

A copy of the registration form can be found online at http://www.angelo.edu/services/library/documents/Registrationform2007.pdf or on page 7 of the February Library Newsletter at http://www.angelo.edu/services/library/documents/feb2007.pdf.

See Dr. Schweitzer's web site, "Genealogical Sources" at http://www.gensources.com/gensources/lectures.htm for more information about his genealogical lectures and seminars.

Women's History Month: March 2007

Janetta Paschal, Government Documents/Reference Librarian

According to the Census Bureau's "Facts for Features" on Women's History Month, the observance's roots "go back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women's Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn't until 1981 that Congress established National Women's History Week during the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women's History Month, and the president has issued a proclamation." President Bush began his 2006 proclamation with these words:

"For generations, women across our great land have helped make our country stronger and better. They have improved our communities and played a vital role in achieving justice and equal rights for all our citizens. During Women's History Month, we celebrate the many contributions women make to our society." (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060227-5.html)

The Census Bureau has compiled a number of statistics in their latest fact sheet, including that there are 152 million women in the United States, as of November 1, 2006. (This figure exceeds the number of males (at 148 million).)

Some interesting education-related statistics include the following:

  • $58,906 -- Median earnings of women working in computer and mathematical jobs, the highest for women among the 22 major occupational groups. Among these groups, community and social services was the only group where women's earnings as a percentage of men's earnings were higher than 90 percent.
  • 32% -- Percent of women 25 to 29 who had attained a bachelor's degree or higher in 2005, which exceeded that of men in this age range (25 percent). Eighty-seven percent of women and 85 percent of men in this same age range had completed high school.
  • 26.1 million -- Number of women 25 or older with a bachelor's degree or more education in 2005, more than double the number 20 years earlier.
  • 27% -- Percent of women 25 or older who had obtained a bachelor's degree as of 2005. This rate was up 10.5 percentage points from 20 years earlier.

Other statistics in the fact sheet cover Motherhood, Earnings, Jobs, Businesses, Voting, Military, Marriage, Computers, and Sports and Recreation. Facts for Features: Women's History Month: March 2007 can be found on the Census Bureau's web site, in both HTML and PDF formats, at http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/009383.html and http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/cb07ff-03.pdf.

Several online resources provide a wealth of information on women and women's history. Encyclopedia Britannica Online has made available "300 Women Who Changed the World" at http://www.search.eb.com/women. The site identifies 300 women who helped shape the course of history. You can review these women's accomplishments, locate their birthplaces, and discover more about the eras in which they lived. The women's topics portray significant issues and dates, such as feminism and Mother's Day. The timeline tells a general story of women's achievements over the course of human history. The section "In Their Own Words" provides links to essays, speeches, poetry, and other writings by some of the women highlighted in this feature. A Multimedia section includes video/animation clips from documentaries such as Heroes of Science (1996), on Marie Curie, or a clip of former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Jeane Kirkpatrick, discussing human rights and foreign policy (on September 8, 1994).

Newsbank's Special Report, "Women's History," provides coverage of contemporary and historic issues, and news making events in the life of women. Articles are grouped in the categories of Today's Newsmakers; Government and Politics; Social and Legal Issues; Economics; Health, Science and Education; The Arts; Athletics; Unique Stories of Individual Women; Women's Rights Movements; and General History. The site also includes background information, images, related maps, suggested search terms, and links to other women's history web sites. This Special Report can be accessed by going to the Dallas Morning News Historical Archive link in "Online Resources" on the RamPort Library tab, or in "Guest Resources>GuestNet" from the Library's home page. The link to "Women's History" is found in the navigation bar on the left side of the Dallas Morning News screen.

"300 Women Who Changed the World" and "Women's History" are also accessible via links in "Documents in the Spotlight" on the main "Government Documents & Maps" web page at http://www.angelo.edu/services/library/govdocs/index.html.

To read more about "Women's History" you can also search RamCat for books and documents on the subject. If you do a Subject Browse search on "Women History" you will find a button for a "Note/Ref." The scope note for this subject reads:

"Here are entered comprehensive works on the history of women, including works which deal collectively with their socio-economic, political and legal position, participation in historical events, contribution to society, etc. Works which deal specifically with their social condition and status, including historical discussions of the same, are entered under Women--Social conditions."

In RamCat, there are 25 lines of subjects beginning "Women--History", from "Women--History" (38 titles) through "Women--History--Middle Ages, 500-1500" (24) and "Women--History--Modern period, 1600-" (5) and on to "Women--History--To 500--Sources" (2). However, "Women--History--Texas" or "Women--History--United States" are not found anywhere in that list. These two headings are entered under "Women--Texas--History" (12) and "Women--United States--History" (38). Additional headings are further subdivided by time periods (such as, 20th century) or types (such as, Cross-cultural studies, Historiography, Juvenile literature, Periodicals, or Sources).

Other subject headings that would be useful are any beginning with the term "Women", such as women abolitionists, women air pilots, women archaeologists, women artists, women athletes, women authors, women civil rights workers, women clergy, women college graduates, women diplomats, women pioneers, women social reformers, and so forth.

Some of the more recent titles on "Women's History" received by the Library include:

  • Flapper: a madcap story of sex, style, celebrity, and the women who made America modern, by Joshua Zeitz (Second Floor: E784 .Z45 2006);
  • Invisible Texans: women and minorities in Texas history (Second Floor: F395.A1 I57 2005) (including a chapter by ASU's Dr. Arnoldo DeLeon, "María Cárdenas: San Angelo Chicano-era activist");
  • More than petticoats: remarkable Texas women, by Greta Anderson (Second Floor: CT3260 .A53 2002);
  • Lone Star ladies: a travel guide to women's history in Texas, by Melinda Rice (Second Floor: HQ1438.T4 R53 2002);
  • Somewhere in the west: Texas women who left a legacy: poems and legends, by Linda Kirkpatrick (Second Floor: PS3561.I695 S6 2002);
  • No small courage: a history of women in the United States, edited by Nancy F. Cott (Second Floor: HQ1410 .N6 2004); and
  • America's women: four hundred years of dolls, drudges, helpmates, and heroines, by Gail Collins (Second Floor: HQ1410 .C588 2003).

Some Reference and Government documents titles you might find useful for researching women's history -- or preparing a celebration in March -- include:

  • The timetables of women's history: a chronology of the most important people and events in women's history, by Karen Greenspan (Ref. HQ1121 .G74 1994);
  • The women's chronology: a year-by-year record from prehistory to the present, by James Trager (Ref. HQ1122 .T73 1994);
  • Encyclopedia of women in American politics, by edited by Jeffrey D. Schultz and Laura van Assendelft (Ref. HQ1236.5.U6 E53 1999);
  • Handbook of American women's history, edited by Angela Howard Zophy (Ref. HQ1410 .H36 1990);
  • Women's studies encyclopedia, edited by Helen Tierney (Ref. HQ1115 .W645 1999);
  • Women's history is everywhere: 10 ideas for celebrating in communities: a how to community handbook, prepared by the President's Commission on the Celebration of Women in American History (U.S. Documents: PR 42.8:W 84/3) (Also available online at http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/whc/whchandbook.pdf); and
  • Women's lives--women's voices: sources in women's history in the records of the National Archives and in editions and records projects (U.S. Documents: AE 1.102:W 84).

For those who love the serendipity of browsing the shelves, go to HQ1410 through HQ1439 in the Second Floor Stacks. In this area you will find books on the history of women in the United States, the other states, and cities. General works on women's history can be found in the HQ1121s; histories of this topic by time periods can be found in the call number areas following "general works" (e.g., for the 19th and 20th centuries, see HQ1154).

Voyager Update: What's in a Name? - Endeavor vs. Ex Libris

Janetta Paschal, Government Documents/Reference Librarian

The Library's online system, Voyager, has now been in use on this campus for six years. As can happen in even the best of families, however, there has been a "divorce" in Voyager's Endeavor family. The Dutch company, Elsevier, which purchased Endeavor, Voyager's "parent", several years ago, "divorced" its library automation company when Francisco Partners (FP), one of the world's largest technology-focused private equity funds, came courting. Ex Libris logoFP had finalized their purchase of one of Endeavor's competitors, Jerusalem-based Ex Libris, earlier in November and then turned their attention to Endeavor. The purchase and merger became final in December. The company named "Endeavor" has ceased to exist, having been merged into FP's newly-created entity, "The Ex Libris Group".

The former company's customers can no longer use puns on the company name, saying we will "endeavor" to do this, or "endeavor" to do that. "Ex Libris" just lacks the same flair for use in punning. The first month of messages on the customer e-mail list included many slips, with people calling for "Endeavor's" assistance with problems, then correcting themselves: "I mean Ex Libris", or words to that effect. A systems librarian at another Texas institution took the bull by the horns, so to speak, in a February 22 message and asked, "What's in a name?" He wrote,

"Post merger, Voyager customers have occasion to distinguish between Ex Libris as a whole and 'that portion of Ex Libris that supports the products originally developed by Endeavor'. As none of us actually wants to write out the phrase 'that portion of Ex Libris that supports the products originally developed by Endeavor', we continue to either use the defunct corporate name 'Endeavor' or slash or hyphenate the two company names together (e.g., 'Endeavor/Ex Libris'). The first approach is simply wrong, the second rather clumsy.

"With tongue firmly in cheek, I'd like to propose that we standardize on an unofficial name to serve as shorthand for that unofficial entity." [1]

He offered the following two suggestions for starters: "Ex Endeavoris" or "Endlibris".

Staunch Voyager customers are not anything, if not creative. In the past, several of the librarians on the list have been known to "break into song" and compose lyrics about many things related to "Endeavor" or "Voyager" or "WebVoyáge". Their response to this call has been no exception.

Another systems librarian, this time in Kentucky, felt a song coming on and submitted his creation to the list: "And Now It's Called the Ex" (sung to ZZ Top's tune: "I Heard It on the X"). (If you don't know the ZZ Top song, he suggests you "dig out that old vinyl, or see YouTube." To avoid any possible copyright violations, the author will not include his song's lyrics here, but if you are interested, please contact her at the Library.)

Meanwhile, replies with name suggestions and other comments began to flood the list, some of which follow, in no particular order or preference [2]:

  • Sure, and many of us will be attending "ExEndUser 2007" when the "ExEndeavor Users Group" meets!
  • We could use the approach taken by Prince in the 1990s: "the company formerly known as..."
  • Enron logoOr just some symbol like a fallen E (overheard at a meeting at ALA last month in Seattle, "it depends on which side of the E you come from") [someone else wrote with the reminder that Enron had already used that device]
  • Or you could take a very cold and ruthless stand and just shorten it to "The End"
  • On that line of thinking you could also simply use "The Ex" as well
  • I've been calling them "the big E" but really like your "EndLibris"
  • "Ex Endeavoris" is too long to type. What about "Ex Endis" or "Ex End", even "Ex E"!
  • "Endeavor-E"
  • "ExDeavor"
  • "Endlis"
  • "FE" (Failed Endeavor)
  • Or, maybe a more politically correct "FE" (Formerly Endeavor)
  • "EndeavorNot" -- it's vaguely Zen, suggesting impermanence
  • "Dead End"
  • I think anything starting with "Ex" is on the right track ...
    • ... the merger --ExPostFacto
    • ... the new list -- ExCommunication
    • ... this topic -- ExHumor
    • ... my response -- ExCessive
  • Or you could flip it and go with "Endex" -- has that huge corporate ring to it (or does that sound more like fabric for a jumpsuit?)
  • "EndOfTheVoyáge"
  • "Voyáge to the Bottom of the E" (how many of you remember the classic Irwin Allen movie and TV show?)
  • Hopefully, the end of the voyage ends in Port ... maybe we should call it Port, as in "any Port in a storm"?
  • "Ex Pluribus Endum", 'out of many, one'
  • Lots of good (and some gut-busting) ideas; but I dunno, Michael's original "tELtstpodbE" ("that portion of Ex Libris that supports the products originally developed by Endeavor") has a sort of ring to it
  • This has been an amusing thread. A number of the suggestions have possibilities, especially for our unofficial use. The one name I'm sure the company wouldn't like would be "Ex Customers".

Finally, to wrap up this story, a librarian in England wrote, "it seems all the names put forward have been rather negative. Seeing as all of us have been 'voyaging' with Endeavor for some time(!), I would take the name of another famous 'Voyager' and append it to the Ex...so...rum roll...fanfare of trumpets... give you...'Ex-Nemo'." (Clown fish? Captain? Either could be appropriate.)

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1. Doran, Michael. "What's in a name? (humor)". E-mail message sent to the Voyager-L discussion list, February 22, 2007. (Permission for use of the quote is on file.)

2. Suggestions and comments included here were provided by the following Voyager customers: Simon Huggard, Del Hamilton, Andy Kohler, Chunming Gao, Warren Curran, Julie Dawson, Scott Gillies, Kurt Wagner, Don Richardson, Kathleen Haley, Jeri Anne Townley, Angus Shaw, Krista Clumpner, Sharon Nelson, Bill Parton, Tom Tipsword, Michael Stapleton, Aaron Dobbs, Paul Fuller, Wayne Jones, and Alan Keely.

Number of links in bibliographic records