News & Clues - Summer 1998

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Volume 40, No. 1 Summer 1998
Prepared by the San Joaquin Valley Information Service	
2420 Mariposa Street, 
Fresno, California 93721
Voice:  (209) 488-3229	Fax:  (209) 488-2965
Dave DeLaurant, Editor - dlaurant@sjvls.lib.ca.us

BEEN SORTA QUIET LATELY, EH?

In case you've been worried, News & Clues is still among the living.  It's 
just that during the December 1997 - April 1998 period, virtually the only 
items submitted to your humble editor were job announcements.  When a couple
of timely articles arrived at SJVIS in late May, we managed to root up 
enough additional material to justify printing this issue.

Perhaps you've also been wondering what's going on with the latest revision
of the AWLNET Directory.  Well, back in 1997 the AWLNET Directory 
effectively became a part of the Region 3 Directory, which lives on the 
World Wide Web.  Since identical revisions would now be required for both 
publications, we decided the most efficient way to go about this was to 
first update the material on WWW, then make the AWLNET masters from there.

Your editor required a crash course in rudimentary Hypertext, courtesy of 
Mike Drake, and several weeks of reformatting and data entry before the 
revised AWLNET masters were ready for printing.  In the printing process we 
were further delayed by scheduling conflicts and mechanical problems, but 
thanks to the hard work of SJVIS's Joan Meraz, the AWLNET Directory revisions
will be ready to ship very soon.  This revision is a partial revision, so 
expect to do a little interfiling when it arrives.


CLA'S BEATTY AWARD WINNER

Francisco Jimenez has been selected as the winner of the California Library 
Association's 10th annual John and Patricia Beatty Award for his book, The 
Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child, published by the 
University of New Mexico Press.  Set in California's Central Coast and 
Central Valley, The Circuit chronicles the life of the author's migrant 
family as they follow the seasonal harvesting of crops.  The 12 interlocking 
stories reflect the innocence and optimism of the young voice of the 
narrator.  Although the book is set during the 1950s, it speaks to today's 
readers of timeless and timely issues.  

The Award honors John and Patricia Beatty, co-authors of 11 books of fiction 
for young readers; Patricia Beatty also wrote over 35 other titles for young 
people on her own, many with California settings.  The Beatty Award is given 
to the author of a distinguished book for young people that best promotes an 
awareness of California and its people.  

An engraved plaque and a $500 prize will be presented to Dr. Jimenez at the 
Association's annual conference in Oakland, November 14-17, 1998.  While The 
Circuit will engage readers of all ages, the author has written and edited 
books for adults, including Hispanics in America: An Anthology of Creative 
Literature.  Dr. Jimenez presently lives in Santa Clara, and teaches at 
Santa Clara University.




	CALENDAR
	 
	SJVLS Reference Committee 
	 June 24, 1998, 10:30 a.m. at Madera Co. Library, Madera 

 	SJVLS Cataloging Committee
	 July 16, 1998, 10:00 a.m. at the Tulare Public Library, Tulare

	SJVLS Children's and Youth Services Committee
	 August 12, 1998, 10:00 a.m. at the Tulare Public Library, Tulare

	SJVLS Circulation Committee
	 August 19, 1998, 10:00 a.m., at the Tulare Co. Library, Visalia

	SJVLS Administrative Council
	 September 4, 1998, 10:00 a.m., at the Tulare Co. Library, Visalia

	SJVLS Advisory Board
	 September 4, 1998, 10:00 a.m., at the Tulare Co. Library, Visalia

	SJVLS Collection Development Committee 
	 September 9, 1998, 10:00 a.m. at the Kings Co. Library, Hanford
	 
	SJVLS Automation Committee
	 Date not set

	Please report all meeting dates, changes and cancellations to 
        Dave DeLaurant at (209) 488-3229, or add a note yourself to the 
	CALENDAR email file in Dynix.




SAN MATEO, ANYONE?

Here's something a little unusual in the way of job announcements -- the 
San Mateo Public Library currently has two vacancies to fill for the 
position of Library Assistant II.  They're shopping for willing and 
experienced candidates, of course, but the formal requirements are a 12th 
grade education supplemented with general clerical or library science courses, 
and two years of technical and clerical library assistant experience 
comparable to a San Mateo Library Assistant I.  Monthly salary is $2343-
$2793, and the job comes with an array of benefits.  Applicants must submit 
a completed official employment application and supplemental questionnaire 
before 5 p.m., Friday, June 26, 1998.  For further information, contact the 
City of San Mateo's Job Hotline at (650) 377-4797, ext. 424.

BEST SELLER POOL
by Lydia Kuhn

What is the San Joaquin Best Seller Pool?  It is a collection of best-
selling fiction titles selected in order to help meet patron needs in this 
high-demand area.  Participants in the SJBSP include Coalinga, Fresno, Kern, 
Madera, Tulare Public and Tulare County.  These jurisdictions are joint 
subscribers to a special McNaughton Plan, which will provide a specified 
number of titles from a select list of authors.  For example, of the 104 
copies found in ValleyCat of N is for Noose by Sue Grafton, 25 copies belong 
to the SJBSP.  

Copies from this pool have a label near the lower edge of the back cover, 
identifying it as San Joaquin Best Seller Pool, Tulare Public Library.  In 
ValleyCat, the call number is "Best Seller Pool", with the author's name as 
the second line.  The owning library is entered as TPL because Michael 
Stowell graciously agreed to have Tulare Public process the books as they 
arrive from McNaughton.  Tulare Public Library patrons do not get the first 
crack at these copies -- they are used to fill holds just like other 
circulating copies in the participating jurisdictions.  If your name is next 
on the holds list and a BSP copy is the next one available, that's the one 
you'll receive.  It is important to remember that the loan period on BSP 
books is two weeks.  Once all holds have been filled for a particular BSP 
title, these books are returned to McNaughton by Fresno County Library staff.

Among the authors designated for the SJBSP are Stephen King, John Grisham, 
Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel, Michael Palmer and Lillian Braun.  All of 
Oprah Winfrey's book club selections are also included.

If you have any questions or comments about the San Joaquin Best Seller Pool, 
please SJVLS Collection Development Committee Chair Stan Matli, Madera 
County Library.

NOMINATIONS OPEN: MEMBER OF THE YEAR & PRESIDENT'S AWARDS 
John Kallenberg, Member of the Year/President's Award Committee Chair

Did you know that you are working alongside a V.I.P?  Yes, the person with 
whom you are working may very well be worthy of recognition by the 
California Library Association. Each year, the Association presents 
the Member of the Year Award to an outstanding member recognized for his 
or her contributions to the profession within the past three years. Each of 
you are the members who can assist your association in recognizing the 
outstanding efforts of others. It is a very simple process.  First, look 
around and recognize that your colleague has been working hard and making a 
contribution.  Next, don't be shy, fill out the form (see below.)  Send the 
form with all of the supporting information to the CLA office before 
September 10, 1998.

You may also know of a person who is from the wider library community of 
supporters who has made a strong contribution to the cause of library 
service either in the past year or over the past three years.  Your 
nomination for the President's Award will be greatly appreciated.  The 
process is simple. Look around in your community, including the governing 
boards and FRIENDS groups. Select one of your dynamic people and complete 
the necessary form and provide the supporting documentation.  Send the 
information to the CLA office by September 10, 1998.

A nomination form is in the April issue of the association's newsletter, 
California Libraries, or contact the CLA office at (916) 447-8541. Return 
nomination information to 717 K Street, Suite 300, Sacramento, CA 95814.  Help 
CLA recognize deserving people, send in your nomination today!

VALLEYCAT STATISTICS, MAY 1998
by Pat Forcella
  
Holdings (copies of items)	3,011,352
Bibliographic records	          664,954
Patrons registered	          753,653

HAIKU ERROR MESSAGES
forwarded by Jeannine Semrau, Pasadena Library
     
A file that big?
It might be very useful.
But now it is gone.

The Web site you seek
Cannot be located
But endless others exist.

Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent and reboot.
Order shall return.

Aborted effort:
Close all that you have.
You ask far too much.

First snow, then silence.
This thousand dollar screen
Dies so beautifully.

With searching comes loss
And the presence of absence;
"My Novel" not found.

The Tao that is seen
Is not the true Tao until
You bring fresh toner.

Windows NT crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No one hears your screams.

Stay the patient course.
Of little worth is your ire;
The network is down.


A crash reduces
Your expensive computer
To a simple stone.

Yesterday it worked.
Today it is not working.
Windows is like that.

Three things are certain:
Death, taxes and lost data
Guess which has occurred.

You step in the stream,
But the water has moved on.
This page is not here.

Out of memory.
We wish to hold the whole sky,
But we never will.

Having been erased,
The document you're seeking
Must now be retyped.

Rather than a beep,
Or a rude error message,
These words: file not found.

Serious error.  All
Shortcuts have disppeared.
Screen.  Mind.  Both are blank


GOVERNMENT INFORMATION: 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU USE THE WEB 
HOW TO SURVIVE WITHOUT THE WEB

A TRAINING SESSION OFFERED BY CORE: 
California Opportunities for Reference Excellence

CORE is now scheduling this year's workshop: Government Information: What 
You Need to Know Before You Use the Web / How to Survive Without the Web.

CORE is an LSTA project, sponsored by the California State Library, and 
carried out by the San Joaquin Valley Library System in Fresno.
 
Staff from ALL types of libraries are welcome, and we encourage not only 
regular staff, but also substitutes, part timers and volunteers to attend.

CORE concentrates on basic concepts and reference tools, and sessions are 
useful for both those with no prior education in the subject, as well as for 
"old timers" who want to brush up and learn a new tip or two.

While electronic sources such as CD products and the Internet will be 
mentioned, the concentration will be primarily on more basic, hard copy tools
and the concepts needed to understand government information regardless of 
where it is obtained..  

We will be including these sources:

	*World Almanac
	*United States Government Manual
	*Statistical Abstract of the United States
	*ZIP Code Directory
	*California Journal Roster
	*State of California Telephone Directory

Concepts included are:

	*How to read a statistical table
	*Metropolitan Statistical areas 
		(consolidated and primary statistical areas)
	*Index numbers including the Consumer Price Index
	*Means/medians
	*Gross Domestic Product
	*Standard Industrial Codes and 
		the North American Industry Classification System
		(replacing the SIC)
	*The differences between bills, laws, statutes, codes and regulations
	*The importance of determining the level of government 
		about which information is needed
	*How to use basic print sources (like the World Almanac) 
		as a starting point to find more advanced 
		and/or electronic information
	*Copyright and government publications
	*Reprinting of government information by private publishers
	*Information they need from the library customer 
		before a search is done.

The sessions are 4 hours, and class size is best between 6 and 20. There is 
extensive hands- on practice so tables are needed.  Host libraries are asked 
to help supply multiple copies of the tools to be used, to advertise the 
sessions locally and to provide refreshments.  CORE offers each host library 
a subsidy of $100 to help cover the costs of arranging the sessions.

Sessions are being scheduled from now through mid September.  Some sessions
have already been arranged, and if you would like to host one, we suggest 
you contact the CLSA Reference Center in your area.  You can also contact 
the CORE office directly, at 209-488-3229 or sharonv@sjvls.lib.ca.us.

After September, CORE's LSTA funding will be over, but the San Joaquin 
Valley Library System will be glad to offer the same workshop.  However, at 
that time, SJVLS will need to be compensated for the costs and there will be no 
subsidies.