--[1]------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 08:44:36 -0500 (EST) From: Dick Ellis Subject: CIC Libraries Electronic Texts Initiative INDIANA UNIVERSITY-BLOOMINGTON LIBRARIES Main Library 10th and Jordan Streets Bloomington, IN 47405 (812) 855-3403 NEWS RELEASE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Barbara Allen, Director, CIC Center for Library Initiatives (bmallen@uiuc.edu) 217-333-8475 Lisa Champelli (lchampel@indiana.edu) 812-855-9294 CIC Library Directors Endorse Collaborative Delivery of Electronic Texts November 28, 1995 Representatives from the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) member institutions (the Big Ten universities and the University of Chicago) have launched an effort to develop a collaborative process for the production and networked distribution of electronic texts in the humanities. Their initiative transpired from a meeting sponsored by the CIC library directors and hosted by Indiana University's Library Electronic Text Resource Service (LETRS) steering committee in October. A number of the CIC-member universities -- including Indiana -- have been deeply involved with electronic texts, observe LETRS co-directors Richard Ellis and Mark Day. "This meeting provided the opportunity to discuss how we can move forward as partners in these efforts, thereby providing access to far more materials than could be made available through individual effort," says Day. At the two-day meeting, faculty and library, computing, and university press staff from the CIC universities concerned with the production, support and use of electronic texts identified their common interests and potential collaborative projects. Participants examined current institutional options for building local support structures during discussion sessions on electronic text centers, facilitated by Anita Lowry, head of Information, Research, and Instructional Services at the University of Iowa Libraries, and on wide-area textual analysis systems, facilitated by John Price-Wilkin, Senior Associate Librarian for the Humanities Text Initiative at the University of Michigan. Participants also considered what users of electronic texts really want. Jerome McGann, Professor of English at the University of Virginia, led a discussion about the production and use of electronic texts for instruction and research in the humanities. The meeting concluded with the working groups presenting draft proposals for collaborative projects. While the CIC expects more proposals will be forthcoming, the first set of proposals "support CIC-wide development of digital collections for use by our scholars and students," says Roger Clark, director of the CIC, noting that the initiative will ultimately enable participating universities to demonstrate the feasibility of seamless access to institutional and consortia resources, and make it easier for all CIC member institutions to acquire and deliver electronic text resources. Elements of the initiative will include: providing networked access to existing electronic text resources within the CIC; defining procedures and policies for adding new resources; identifying and employing text markup conventions and standards; sharing expertise across the CIC; and collaboration in developing an abstract model and communications protocols for text searching and retrieval. "There are limitless possibilities for sharing the creation and distribution of electronic texts across the CIC," says Ken Frazier, Director of the General Libraries, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Chair, CIC Library Directors. "This is an area where we can provide value-added service to our university faculty, staff, and students, as well as lead the nation in the collaborative design of such information systems." The CIC institutions participating in the initiative include the universities of Chicago, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin-Madison; and Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Pennsylvania State and Purdue universities. Established in 1958, the CIC has a long history of cooperation in academic initiatives. In 1994, the CIC created the CIC Center for Library Initiatives expressly for the purpose of leading and coordinating library resource sharing efforts among the member universities. The CIC homepage is available at http://www.cic.net/cic/cic.html
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  • "The CIC, with headquarters in Champaign, Illinois, is the academic consortium of the Big Ten universities and the University of Chicago, with programs and activities that encompass nearly all aspects of university activity.

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    Committee on Institutional Cooperation 302 East John Street, Suite 1705 Champaign, Illinois 61820-5698 Phone (217) 333-8475 | Fax (217) 244-7127 Questions or comments: b-sutton@uiuc.edu This page last updated November 1, 1995