|
|
Welcome to the latest issue of the San Joaquin Valley Information Service (SJVIS) newsletter, News & Clues, which has been in publication for over forty years. It was over two decades before my birth when the first issue of this newsletter found its way into print. According to the very first issue, the Russian Satellite, Sputnik III, had just crashed and burned into the Earth’s atmosphere and Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. My point is this: I approach the task of editing this newsletter with a healthy appreciation for its history. For over ten years my predecessor, Dave Delaurent, made certain that this publication was timely and useful for its audience. He also published the first web version of the newsletter in the spring of 2001.
Since Mr. Delaurent's departure, the staff at SJVIS have had their hands full dealing with reference questions and the newsletter was left by the wayside. However, publishing News & Clues became one of my responsibilities when I was hired last October. I am more than happy to continue the tradition of this newsletter and the transition that Dave Delaurent began. Ink and paper have been replaced with HTML and web access. Fewer trees will be doomed to the paper-mill and the newsletter will continue to be more flexible and efficient because of the electronic format. Also, the documents department can rest a little easier; it is already producing at least two newsletters with its overtaxed sorters, staplers, and copying equipment.
So here we are once again, issuing forth another newsletter, hoping to supply information about library reference techniques and resources. Of course, the focus of News & Clues has changed somewhat since its first inception. First, we are continuing to serve our original audience, the San Joaquin Valley Library System, while we have expanded to include the Heartland Regional Library Network. Also, many of the traditional functions of the print newsletter are now the responsibility of other web pages accessed through the SJVLS homepage and the SJVIS homepage. The reference information and files that SJVIS staff gathered for reference departments in SJVLS are now found by searching Ben’s Almanac and our Song Index. Committee information and the committee calendar have been moved to the SJVLS home page. Overall, the same information is available, although we now have the luxury of focusing our newsletter more squarely on reference resources and techniques.
A new feature for this newsletter is the inclusion of a news page, which will provide updates on events and training that occurs in our region. This page will keep readers informed about Info People Workshops, updates from SJVLS Automation, and events that affect Heartland members. The news page will be updated on a regular basis and as news arrives. It will be entirely updated each month and old news will be accessible through the News & Clues archive. This will hopefully make News & Clues an even more useful source of information.
Also, each new issue will have a theme or address a certain subject area. This first issue, for example, is devoted more or less to government documents. In this issue, you can read our regular columns on special collections throughout the region and hopefully learn something new about the government document depository collections at CSU Bakersfield, CSU Fresno, and at the Fresno County Free Library. Featured in this issue: Sandy Bissnet provides help in "Navigating the Maze" of government documents on the Internet and I attempt to unravel the issues surrounding "Government Documents: Authenticity and Preservation in the Digital Age."
It is also my intention to improve and refine the appearance and accessibility of the newsletter. Readers should expect a newsletter that easy on the eyes and easy to navigate. My main concern is that the content of the newsletter is delivered effectively. I am open to suggestions or comments, so please do not hesitate to send them.
Hopefully, by reading these pages you will better understand the resources that are available courtesy of the Heartland Regional Library Network, the San Joaquin Valley Library System, and the people who staff these libraries. There is a wealth of expertise and helpful hands in our area, and we hope that News & Clues will become one of the tools that helps us bring these resources together.
--Chad McCully, San Joaquin Valley Information Service
