I. Collections, Services, and Systems

A. Collections

Full Text, Indexes, Abstracts
The University of Tennessee Library provides access to several different types of digital collections. The full-text collection includes not only aggregator services, such as ProQuest Research Library and Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, but also publisher's services, like Elsevier's ScienceDirect, and the SOLINET netLibrary collection of electronic books. Datafiles are also collected, such as COMPUSTAT, Global Access, and Beilstein Crossfire, as well as the traditional indexing and abstracting service titles, like Humanities Abstracts, ABI Inform, and Engineering Index. Many titles in the collections are networked locally or remotely, while some are available on stand-alone workstations.
http://gila.lib.utk.edu:90/cgi-perl/dbBroker.cgi?all

UT Song Index
The UT Song Index is an Internet-available database providing access to about 50,000 songs in more than 1,500 published song anthologies owned by the George F. DeVine Music Library at the University of Tennessee. Searchable fields include song title, large work title, composer, author of text, anthology title, call number, song type, accompaniment, first line and chorus first line, geographical or ethnic source, and language. It is used most frequently to locate the words and music to specific songs published in collections. Remote users may identify collections containing the songs of interest and then determine if the collections are owned in a local library.

The index began in 1981 using student assistants to encode data forms, followed by staff input to a mainframe computer, resulting in computer-output microfiche for public use. In the 1990s, the index was downloaded to a desktop computer, reconfigured for Internet access in 1995, and completely redesigned in 1999. Today it offers simple and advanced searching that parallel online catalog displays and is updated in real time. As new collections are received, one staff member inputs data, which is uploaded automatically. A second staff member reviews and edits the data as necessary. The newest version of the UT Song Index is an SQL database mounted on a library server.

The Tennessee Newspaper Project Database
In 1998 staff from the Tennessee Newspaper Project and Library Systems collaborated to mount a searchable database of newspaper holdings information from the survey of Tennessee repositories which Newspaper Project staff had conducted in 1994. The database is available through SiteSearch, the Library's web interface, and contains references to some 9,000 newspaper titles.

B. Services

Online Reserve
In 1999, the Libraries initiated pilot projects to deliver reserve materials online to students in selected classes. Our goal is to migrate text-based reserve to the online environment and cease routine reserve photocopying by fall 2004. An allied goal is to use media streaming to deliver audio and video reserve materials to replace or supplement in-house listening and viewing. Over the three academic terms in FY99-00, we offered online reserve materials of 2,039 pages of text, 325 audio files, 84 video files and 36 audio files with synchronous text or images to 1,478 students in 20 courses. These pilot projects concentrated on developing "best practices," partnerships with faculty, and gathering data on costs and student satisfaction. The text-based reserve is moving from a successful project to routine service. The media streaming pilot projects will expand during the 2000-2001 academic year.
http://www.lib.utk.edu/~reserve/online/ - The Reserve website offers a brief explanation of these pilot projects.
http://www.lib.utk.edu/reserve/online/audio/multimedia.pdf - "Delivering Multimedia at the University of Tennessee: Digitization of Course Reserves", reports on the details of the media streaming projects.
http://www.lib.utk.edu/reserve/online/audio/HoRsurvey00.html - Student use and satisfaction data are available for the History of Rock, spring 2000.

Wireless Networks
In a joint pilot project with the School of Information Sciences, a wireless network is now available in Hodges Library at the University of Tennessee. To use the wireless network, users must have a laptop computer with a wireless network card installed and configured. Help with the card and installation is provided by campus computing. Wireless transmitters are located in Reference, Reserve, Periodicals, Documents & Microforms, and the Z's in the stacks. The wireless network authenticates users; so, only UT-affiliated users will be able to access the network. The Library will also be experimenting with wireless-equipped full-size workstations in areas where network ports are not available.

C. Systems

ILLiad
On September 13th, 2000, UT launched its installation of ILLiad; the interlibrary loan management system. ILLiad allows patrons to submit, track, and manage their interlibrary loan requests. ILLiad also supports electronic delivery of copies. In the past, ILL copies were printed then delivered to patrons. Now, patrons may elect to receive copies in PDF format delivered to their personal ILLiad accounts.

II. Projects and Programs

"Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842"
In 1999 the University of Georgia Libraries, and the University of Tennessee Library were awarded a one-year National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to digitize 1,000 original documents and visual images relating to the Native American population of the Southeastern United States. These documents and images were selected from the most significant holdings at the two universities and from the Frank H. McClung Museum at the University of Tennessee and the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville. The original documents reside in many separate manuscript collections within participating institutions, but as digital entities they are being brought together into a single electronic collection. In September of 2000 the universities were awarded a one-year extension of funding by IMLS, in which they will digitize another 1,000 documents and visual images from their collections, from the collections of the participants in the first grant, and from the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, North Carolina, and the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. The final product will be a database of facsimile images and transcribed texts, individually cataloged and full-text searchable, mounted on GALILEO (Georgia Library Learning Online). The database will be free and available to the general public, but the primary audience is K-12 teachers, who can search, download, print, and make lesson plans as desired. A prototype database should be available by November of 2000.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Pilot Project
The University of Tennessee Library and the Graduate School began a joint pilot project in 1998 to allow for the submission of electronic theses and dissertations. To date, some twenty students from numerous disciplines have participated in the project.

NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program
In September of 2000 the Library was awarded funds to participate in the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program. Beginning in December of 2000, staff in the Map Library will provide FGDC standards compliant geographic metadata for datasets created by the Southern Appalachian Assessment, a 1996 project of SAMAB (Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere).

Metadata Harvesting Project
The University of Tennessee will participate in the Digital Library Federation/Mellon Foundation Metadata Harvesting Project. A meeting to be held in October in New York will determine the extent of the University's involvement. At the least, the University of Tennessee and the University of Georgia will contribute records marked up in the Open Archives Initiative DTD.

Center for Excellence Proposal
In the summer of 2000 the administration of the University of Tennessee issued a call for proposals for centers for excellence that would make a qualitative difference in the academic image of the University. The Library asked for funding for a Digital Library Center, which, if approved, will mean $400,000 a year for five years to begin a digital library program.

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