The winter 1998 issue of Access was the first which
editors Sally Bowdoin and Jane Cramer designed specifically for Web publication.
It was later reformatted and published in paper.
In early March the Audiovisual Center relocated to room
0118 Ingersoll Hall, the second move for this small but vital unit in two
years. Director Stanley Russell ensured that service continued during the
period of the move.
Government Publications and Microforms
Ours is the largest federal document depository in the
Borough of Brooklyn. The collections are heavily used and librarian Jane
Cramer aggressively promotes them. Many documents continue to arrive on
CD-ROM, and the amount of Web-based material has increased, yet the transition
to a paperless depository is occurring at a significantly slower pace than
anticipated, and space for documents continues as a major issue. Nonetheless,
federal publications occupy 18 fixed CD-ROM drives on the local area network,
and a menu offers readers another thousand disks that are loaded on demand.
The Government Printing Office's site for Depository Libraries is a key
source for information and updates.
"Technology is no longer a luxury, but an essential
component of our work." Anthony Cucchiara, Associate Librarian for Information
Services and Distinctive Collections
"The impact of Alex Rudshteyn's skill, dedication,
knowledge and eagerness to learn had an immediate impact on the quality
of our technological environment." Howard Spivak, Director for Library
Systems & Academic Information Technologies
For both staff and readers, the computer is king, and
there is little tolerance for any interruption in service. Nonetheless,
the Library's infrastructure was not up to the tremendous increase in demand
that September brought, and downtime promptly became a way of life. Information
Technology and Systems quickly teamed with the University's computer center
staff to conduct an audit of our building's technical infrastructure, and
major upgrades (a pentium server, broader bandwidth, new traffic patterns)
stabilized and significantly improved Internet service.
As the year progressed, the Library Systems staff built
on these infrastructure improvements by upgrading every Web browsing station
from Netscape Navigator to Netscape Communicator and upgrading the memory
on the machines in the Library classroom, making them better Web performers.
CD-ROM access was improved by installing new towers and reconfiguring menus.
Another way in which the Library contributes to learning is by providing internships that allow students to gain real-life skills and to experience the workplace firsthand. Library Systems/Academic Information Technologies sponsored four interns in 1997-1998, John Correa, Dwight Duncan, Nikolay Eidelstein, and Yaaron Abramson. One intern served in the Faculty Training and Development Laboratory; the other three split their projects between the Lab and Systems.
The Audiovisual Center sponsored an intern from the Brooklyn College Academy (our campus high school) and one from the Brooklyn Transition Center (an alternative high school that prepares students with learning disabilities for the workforce). These interns delivered equipment to various campus locations. Research and Access Services hosted four interns from the Transition Center; under supervision, these young people cleared books from surfaces, sorted and shelved them.