Christian M. Boissonnas

Out-of-print searching and buying : BookQuest vs. typed lists

This paper compares Cornell s experience in getting out-of-print titles using BookQuest as opposed to using lists generated in-house and sent to antiquarian booksellers and the Library Bookseller, a publication based in Berkeley, California, that advertises in the antiquarian book trade on behalf of libraries

Katina’s baby: The Charleston acquisitions conference at 15

At 15, the Charleston Acquisitions Conference continues to be a success. It began as a regional conference with 32 participants and speakers and is now an international meeting with over 400 participants from the United States and other countries. The author first attempts to define an objective methodology for evaluating the success of professional meetings. Next he describes the conference and its evolution over time concentrating on the attendees, speakers, programs, publications, and he compares it to other acquisitions meetings. Finally, using the methodology developed earlier, the author discusses why Charleston is a successful conference.

Darwinism in technical services: Natural selection in an evolving information delivery environment

This paper looks at technical services from an evolutionary theory perspective. Basic evolutionary theory concepts, such as natural selection and the Red Queen and how they are applicable to libraries and the library profession are examined. Specifically, the paper includes a discussion of the nature of change and the relationship between organizational change in libraries and changes in the information delivery landscape, why traditional technical services organizational structures no longer fit current needs, what the ideal technical services organization for the current times might be, and what is being done at Cornell to adapt.