LJ re Hawaii

[Pat Wallace <DENWALL@AOL.COM>]

Go here if you want to see Bart's face plastered on the cover.......Pat
 Wallace
Hawaii Working Group, denwall@aol.com
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http://www.ljdigital.com/inside.htm
Library Journal Digital

1. Issue Preview
Abstract: March 15, 1997 FEATURES: Outsourcing Model-or Mistake?
The Collection Development Controversy in Hawaii BY NORMAN ODER
(cover  story)

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March 15, 1997
FEATURES:
Outsourcing Model--or Mistake? The Collection Development Controversy in
Hawaii
BY NORMAN ODER
Though many libraries outsource book cataloging, processing, and even
collection development to some degree, Hawaii State Librarian Bart Kane
set a controversial precedent when he handed over virtually all of the
library system's book selection functions to a vendor. Fraught with
pitfalls, the Hawaii experience provoked fury among Hawaii librarians.
Can Kane make viable his self-professed "model for the 21st century"?

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2. 2_10news.htm
Abstract: Library Journal Digital. HOME. NEWS.  NEW: This Week.
Government Charges B&T with Bilking Libraries Out of Millions.

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Government Charges B&T with Bilking Libraries Out of Millions
A whistleblower lawsuit joined by the federal government January 27
alleges Baker & Taylor (B&T) defrauded the nation's libraries and
schools out of nearly $100 million since 1979, a charge that, if proven,
could threaten the existence of the largest supplier of books to
libraries.

The suit, brought by a former city librarian and a B&T alum and later
joined by the U.S. Justice Department, claims "B&T was making ad hoc
changes to how it cagetorized books to maintain higher profit margins."
B&T, with headquarters in Bridgewater, NJ, and Charlotte, NC, generates
annual sales of more than $400 million, some 70 percent of which are
derived from libraries and schools. The company's current owner, the
Washington, D.C.-based Carlyle Group and its most recent previous owner,
W.R. Grace, based in New York, are named in the case.

Jim Ulsamer, president of B&T, told LJ, "We believe the charges are
outrageous. Our good name has been attacked, and we're going to proceed
as if this is going to be a fight to the finish." Asked if a verdict in
favor of the plaintiff would "finish" B&T, Ulsamer refused to speculate
as to what would be "a breaking point." The case was brought by Robert
Costa, former Richmond, VA, city librarian, and Ronald Thornburg, a
former B&T sales rep, under the Federal False Claims Act, which allows
citizens to sue companies that do business with the government. The case
was filed by the law firm Phillips & Cohen under seal in the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California in June 1995 and
unsealed in late January when the Justice Department and the State of
California decided to join in the case following an 18-month
investigation. (See March 1 LJ News for more on the story.)

Hawaii Librarians Protest Outsourcing Contract with B&T
While Baker & Taylor (B&T) has pledged to eliminate deliveries to Hawaii
libraries of duplicate titles--a key criticism during the first year of
an unprecedented contract to outsource collection development (see News,
LJ, November 15, 1996, p. 12)--Hawaii librarians are still protesting
the contract. Further, state regulators may take action to monitor the
company and library system.

"There are ongoing problems in the system," said Kelly King, who chairs
the state Board of Education committee concerned with the Hawaii State
Public Library System (HSPLS). She noted that numerous librarians at a
January hearing testified that they disagreed with the B&T selections
delivered to them. If there is no evidence of improvement, King said,
"we can give direction" to State Librarian Bart Kane. Meanwhile, HSPLS
librarian Pat Matsumoto told LJ that hearings on the library before the
state Senate "were a huge success," as those critical of the contract
aired their views both to state Senators and on cable TV.

Kane acknowledged to LJ the widespread staff dismay but said he hoped
that improved communication with B&T and efforts to profile library
needs would result in better selections. Wight told LJ that B&T
considered its performance good, "based on the information and
guidelines we'd been given, and the conditions we were asked to perform
under."

Also pending before the Hawaii Supreme Court is a lawsuit filed by CARL
Corp., the unsuccessful bidder for the HSPLS automation contract awarded
to Ameritech's Dynix. "It's unfair to be asked to spend significiant
amounts of money and resources responding to an RFP when the outcome is
predetermined," CARL CEO Ward Shaw told LJ. The original evaluation
panel had just one day to judge the two bids; however, when an HSPLS
panel consisting of two of the three original evaluators reconsidered
the contract in January, Dynix was again chosen, said state Deputy
Attorney General John Dellera.
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 3. Views: Inside Track
Abstract: Library Journal Digital. HOME. NEWS Inside Track.   BOOKS.
BY FRANCINE FIALKOFF, Editor

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There's plenty of intellectual challenges in the spring list

Looking over the spring outpouring, there's no dearth of selectable
books that afford enlightenment and entertainment. There's plenty of
intellectual challenge for librarians as they perform that most serious
professional duty of book selection.
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