Greetings Colleagues, I trust you're well. Today I'm celebrating the efforts of Leadership Institute III graduates Rhonda McCoy, Information Curriculum Specialist, Paine College (GA) and Ana Guthrie, Reference Librarian, Florida Memorial University. Their "Discovery Tools for Academic Libraries" proposal was accepted for the special issue of College & Undergraduate Libraries. In keeping with President Obama's goal of making HBCU's more scholastically competitive by 2020, Rhonda and Ana would like to survey the membership to identify key elements regarding discovery tools, their usage, sustainability, etc. They will share their findings with us. Please respond to their request by Monday, November 21st. Rhonda and Ana's message is detailed as follows. Would you consider assisting with a discovery tool research project? Discovery tools are described as bridges that allow users to simultaneously search through the multiple catalogs, databases or other research portals. Discovery tools appear to be the latest library technology must-have's-arguably similar to teens' glamorous holiday gadget cravings. Yet, should discovery tools be considered NEEDS or WANTS? The web is full of testimonials, all ranging from gloom to celebration. Some contend that discovery tools present IT setbacks, expose internal library challenges in the way of cataloging or metadata mistakes and create sustainability problems amidst realities of shrinking library budgets coupled with resource price increases. Conversely, other librarians are optimistic; they confirm that discovery tools help bridge the Information Divide, foster patrons' love of library resources and assist searchers in comprehending the maze of electronic materials. The researchers aim to gauge librarian attitudes toward discovery tools use from the Historically Black College & University (HBCU) Library perspective. Ana and I will assess how discovery tools fit into the HBCU library landscape. Ultimately, we will determine whether discovery tools play a role in advancing HBCUs academically, particularly in light of the White House Initiative's efforts to make HBCUs more scholastically competitive by 2020. Please help us by filling out a 10-question survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MGPSWZ2 If you have any questions, contact us directly at rmccoy@paine.edu<mailto:rmccoy@paine.edu> or at aguthrie@fmuniv.edu<mailto:aguthrie@fmuniv.edu>. Striving together in excellence, Mrs. McCoy & Ms. Guthrie SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.