-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Resources for College Libraries: call for subject editors Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 15:20:34 -0400 From: Marcus Elmore <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Dear colleagues, I write to request your assistance in identifying suitable candidates to serve as subject editors in numerous areas, including geography, for Resources for College Libraries, a new core list of recommended titles for college libraries to be published by CHOICE and ALA Editions. You will find, below, a brief description of the Resources for College Libraries project and the responsibilities of subject editors. We seek the names of scholars and bibliographers knowledgeable in their general subject areas, and with a wide range of personal and professional contacts among those working in that area. Preference will be given to those with experience in teaching, bibliography, or collection development. Subject editors will assist in the revision and expansion of the subject classification taxonomy according to which the contents of RCL will be arranged. (Previous versions of this project, printed under the title Books for College Libraries, organized their content according to Library of Congress subject headings; in RCL, we anticipate expanding the classification scheme to acknowledge the growth and importance of new, and especially interdisciplinary, fields of academic inquiry and teaching.) In addition, the subject editors will take the lead in recruiting contributors for the RCL project, and will work with me to refine their suggestions into a comprehensive list of essential print and electronic resources for a college library. I’ll be happy to discuss this project with you at greater length, or answer questions you might have the responsibilities of subject editors. Please direct any inquiries, as well as your suggestions for potential subject editors, to me at CHOICE 100 Riverview Center Middletown, CT 06457 (860) 347-6933 x140 [log in to unmask] <blocked::mailto:[log in to unmask]> Many thanks in advance for your assistance. Best wishes, Marcus Elmore Project Editor, Resources for College Libraries ******************************************************************************************************* Project description: Resources for College Libraries Resources for College Libraries (RCL) is the long-awaited successor to Books for College Libraries, 3rd Edition (BCL3), a core list of 50,000 recommended book titles for academic libraries published by the American Library Association (ALA) in 1988. RCL will be co-published by CHOICE, the publishing unit of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), and ALA Editions, the book-publishing arm of the ALA. CHOICE will be responsible for content and editorial development, while ALA Editions will produce, market, and distribute the finished product. RCL will provide a basic, retrospective list of books and electronic resources to complement the current reviews offered by CHOICE. Like BCL3 (and its predecessors), RCL will have a variety of uses for collection assessment: it will be consulted by accrediting agencies, by colleges adapting to new curricula, and by librarians weeding collections but wanting to insure retention of essential works. RCL will improve on BCL3 in a number of significant ways. Unlike BCL3, RCL will cover electronic resources as well as books. While BCL3 was published in six volumes, RCL will exist primarily as a Web-based product (although provisions will be made for print-on-demand paper editions). In order to avoid the problems of obsolescence inherent in a print reference source, RCL will be continuously revised and updated after its first appearance. Finally, the RCL subject taxonomy will include appropriate interdisciplinary subject headings to reflect changes in higher education curricula since 1988. RCL will be the product of the collaborative efforts of members of the CHOICE editorial staff and subject/disciplinary editors and contributors recruited from the teaching faculty and libraries of colleges and universities. The target date for publication of RCL is currently 2006. We are seeking a large number of volunteer contributors in a broad range of subject areas. We are particularly interested in hearing from individuals and groups who are currently compiling or interested in assisting with the compilation of a core list in a specific subject area. If you are interested, or know of a qualified individual or group, please contact: Marcus Elmore Project Editor, Resources for College Libraries CHOICE 100 Riverview Center Middletown, CT 06457 (860) 347-6933 x 140 [log in to unmask] <blocked::mailto:[log in to unmask]> Additional information about RCL can be found on the Web at http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/choice/ed-feb04.htm <blocked::http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/choice/ed-feb04.htm> and at http://www.ala.org/ala/pr2004/march2004a/ALAEditionsACRLCHOI.htm <blocked::http://www.ala.org/ala/pr2004/march2004a/ALAEditionsACRLCHOI.htm>. Description of subject editor responsibilities: Each subject/disciplinary editor will assist the project editor in identifying areas where the subject taxonomy of BCL3 (which was based on the Library of Congress Subject Headings) needs to be expanded, or have terms added, to adequately reflect the rise of new areas of scholarship and teaching. In addition, the subject editor will recruit and oversee the work of a number of contributors, both librarians and scholars, who will contribute suggestions to a unified core list of essential titles (print and electronic) for a college library. The subject editor will review these contributions and make suggestions as to additions or deletions to achieve adequate coverage of the subject area. Subject editors will each receive a honorarium and be prominently acknowledged in RCL for their contributions.