As we move into the final, busy weeks of our most busy season, I am announcing a change of reporting assignment for Access Services. Starting 1 December, Access Services will report to Catherine Tierney, Associate University Librarian responsible for Technical Services. I am pleased as well to tell you all that Brigid Welch will become head of Access Services in early January 2001. Brigid is presently chief librarian at Menlo College and formerly a senior staff member at the Association of Research Libraries, and before that, a librarian at the research libraries of the University of California at San Diego.

The change of reporting assignment is meant to provide Assunta Pisani with capacity to absorb a new assignment of equivalent or even larger magnitude, about which more will follow. Access Services will benefit from Catherine Tierney's oversight and general direction. There will continue to be integration of service programs throughout SUL/AIR as there has been in the past.

I ask all of you to welcome Brigid Welch warmly. She will be a fine new department head and colleague for us all.

Access to electronic versions of Elsevier journals is available through Stanford's current subscription, using Elsevier's ScienceDirect Web Editions service at:

Green Library will be open until midnight on Friday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 9. This is in keeping with Green Library's long standing tradition of extending hours on the weekend prior to finals.

Other libraries will extend hours prior to and during dead week and finals as well. Please check with individual libraries for their hours during these periods.

Friday, November 17, there was a reception in the Monterey Bay Aquarium honoring Alan and Sheila Baldridge for their lifetime contributions to the community. Alan Baldridge was librarian at Hopkins Marine Station for 23 years before he retired in 1994. Sheila was the librarian at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and retired a year later. In addition to running the libraries of the two primary marine laboratories on the Monterey Bay, they are both well respected naturalists specializing in marine mammals and birds. Alan co-authored a book on grey whales and has served as a naturalist on a number of Stanford alumni trips including ones to the Sea of Cortez, Alaska, and ice sheets off eastern Canada. They have both been active in forming conservation groups such as the Friends of the Sea Otter and the local chapter of the American Cetacean Society. Friday's event was the opening reception for the society's 7th International Conference. Alan and Sheila received a beautiful metal sculpture of spinner dolphins done by Randy Puckett (Randy did the life-size whale sculpture in front of the Scripps Aquarium). In addition, an anonymous donor gave $10,000 to establish an endowment in Alan and Shiela's name that will be used to set up an endowment for awarding an annual graduate student research grant. The grant will go to a Monterey Bay area student, and will be managed by the Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Cetacean Society.

After 20 years of outstanding, dedicated service to the Engineering Library, Lois Sher will be retiring at the end of December. Her last day in the library will be December 22nd.

Lois came to the library as Head of Circulation in 1980. Lois's high degree of competence prompted the creation of a new position, Operations Manager, responsible for the day-to-day operation of the library in addition to assisting with reference services.

Besides keeping the Engineering Library running for 20 years, Lois served on many SUL committees include NOTIS Circulation Implementation, President of SULSA (now SLSA), Unicorn Workflows Circulation Planing and Implementation, the Binding Task Force, and numerous search committees.

One outstanding achievement was Lois's organization and implementation of NOTIS Circulation in the Engineering Library. The Engineering Library was the first library in SUL to barcode its entire collection and begin using online circulation.

We will greatly miss Lois's creativity, hard work, and significant contributions to the library and to the Engineering community.

A farewell celebration is scheduled for Tuesday December 19th from 3-5, in Terman 217, located on the 2nd floor of the Terman Engineering Center. Please join us in saying goodbye and thanks to Lois.