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NEW WEB RESOURCES, COMMUNITY PROGRAMS ENRICH THE GANN LIBRARY Finding an esoteric midrash on Ruth or an article on Holocaust denial in the journal Modern Judaism is now a step easier with the latest research and informational databases, online and on campus, at the Rae and Joseph Gann Library. A host of technological improvements combined with innovative programs and outreach efforts—some in place and some in progress—are expanding access and augmenting the Library's specialized Judaica collections in Hebrew, English, Yiddish and Russian. Amidst all the changes, however, the Library hasn't lost its trademark personal touch.
In recent months, Segal has devoted many hours to identifying and launching online resources for use on and off campus. Now, by typing hebrewcollege.edu/library in their web browsers, visitors may call up LexisNexis Academic, a web-based subscription service offering access to 5,600 news, business, legal, medical and reference sources from anywhere on campus; INFOTRAC and OCLC First Search, multidisciplinary journal databases; ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center); and RAMBI, Index of Articles on Jewish Studies. Full-text articles from numerous e-journals and newspapers are available as well as Rav Milim, a Hebrew-English dictionary, and the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary. Website visitors may follow easy instructions to access these wide-ranging resources. By this summer, a proxy server will enable people to access online databases from off campus, the next step in expanding the Library's technological infrastructure. Currently, aside from private office PCS, on-campus public access is restricted to seven computers in the Library and 12 more in the Stacks Computer Lab. "Using the proxy server, people will be able to conduct their research from home," says George Renz, Director of the Center for Information Technology. "The server will allow them to put in a password or an id number from off campus. It will verify whether they are registered users through Hebrew College and allow access from any computer, anywhere in the world." Distance learners—including students enrolled in Hebrew College Online courses and the Florida-based Master of Jewish Education program—are among the many constituencies served by the Library. "We encourage long-distance memberships," says Segal. "Unlike other campuses, which often refer their distance learners to area libraries, we're taking a hands-on approach. We work with our students on the phone, teaching them how to do research or find what they need. We're able to mail books or articles and offer personalized service." As computer-savvy patrons know, searching the vast and often confusing universe of the World Wide Web can sometimes lead to a dead end—out-of-date or inaccurate sources. An organized listing of Judaic web links is now being compiled to save users time and trouble surfing online. "If you go searching on Google under 'Jewish studies,' for example, you will find copious and often bewildering sites," says Segal. "What we're doing is compiling them and assessing their usefulness for our educational programs." In addition to these online enhancements, the Library continues the multi-year process of computerizing the records of its 125,000-volume holdings. Toward that end, the Library received a grant from Fidelity Investments to support its technological infrastructure as well as to catalog books related to the Jewish arts. "We plan next to expand and catalog our holdings in Jewish education and Rabbinics for students in our new doctoral and rabbinical programs," says Segal. Complementing efforts to expand the Library's role as an academic resource, Segal is also working to increase lay community access. New programs include "Poetry for Prozdor Parents," a reading and writing workshop designed by Segal especially for parents who wait while their children attend Tuesday night classes on campus. For senior citizens, day trips to the Library are in the offing, when visitors may browse at their leisure or discuss topics of interest, with the staff's guidance. Also in progress, and made possible by a donation from Muriel Hurovitz, is a collaboration with the Boston-based Jewish Women's Archive to house and catalog a series of interviews with 20th-century Boston Jewish women leaders. This significant oral history collection will be made available as written transcripts, audiocassettes and CDs, and will be annotated and cross-indexed with other Library resources related to community and Jewish women's history. In the planning stage is a Jewish Children's Literature Center, which will provide visitors a place to study Jewish children's literature and explore its role in the curricula of both Jewish private schools and secular public schools. Norman Finkelstein, Prozdor faculty and two-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award for children's literature, will teach a pilot course at the 2003 Summer Institutes. But even as the Library undergoes technological and programmatic innovations, one time-honored quality remains constant—personal, professional research support for each Library visitor. For his master's research on Elijah, Joshua Breindel, MAJS'02 and MJEd candidate, says librarians Harvey Sukenic and Frankie Snyder provided invaluable help. "I ended up leaving the Library with twice the material I'd hoped to find in half the time," he says. Indeed, Breindel even dedicated his thesis to the entire staff. Assisting students with their research using the Library's collections, helping faculty to compile specialized reading lists or locating an obscure book in a distant library is the raison d'être for Segal and her staff of eight—Rina Bunin, Suzan Hirsch, Robert Listernick, Mimi Mazor, Dahlia Michaels and Shalva Siegel, as well as Snyder and Sukenic. To further improve service and to better understand academic research needs, Segal is also soliciting input from newly formed faculty, student and staff committees. As the Library extends its visibility and programs, Segal looks forward to increased public membership: "Our mission is to get the message of our special services out to even more people in the local community and beyond." |
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"Our identity as an academic and a public library is both unique and challenging," says Dr. Judith Segal, Director of the Library and Professor of Library Science. "We are continually asking our Library users, and ourselves, if we're doing everything we can to meet their needs."