Meeting Evolving Research and Curriculum Needs: A Survey of Interlibrary Loan and OhioLINK Borrowing at an Academic Law Library

The research goal was to study the law faculty's interlibrary loan and OhioLINK borrowing activity to assess current subject gaps in the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library's collection. The authors analyzed and collated faculty research interests. The results indicate that additional purchases are required to support international law and health law, two curriculum areas currently under development at Cleveland-Marshall.     

The Rise and Fall of Academic Law Library Collection Standards

This article provides a history of the American Bar Association (ABA) Accreditation Standards for law library collection development from a simple standard, “adequate for the use of the students,” to a more detailed list of requirements, and back again to simpler mandates. ABA standards are currently under review, and the author argues it is time to end the collection requirements in the ABA standards.     

Ebooks Versus Print Books: Format Preferences in an Academic Library

When a scholarly monograph is made available in both print and electronic formats, which format will users prefer? This study analyzed monograph usage data from three university presses in the University of Toronto Libraries' collections, comparing print and ebook usage patterns of identical titles. The goal was to examine format preferences and determine whether there are differences in usage across subject disciplines or publishers. The study showed that although in many cases users preferred one format over another, they used books in both formats. If a subject was popular, usage tended to be high for both formats, and if unpopular, low for both formats. The data also indicated that there were some noticeable differences in ebook usage for particular subjects, and the authors concluded that format does matter and therefore it is desirable for libraries to provide both formats if possible. The study also highlighted how critical metadata are in promoting the use of electronic resources. If there were no ebook metadata within the library catalog, the ebook usage was low. This analysis adds to a growing body of literature in user preferences on book formats that can assist libraries in making better-informed decisions in collection building.     

Representation in the Collection: Assessing Coverage of LGBTQ Content in an Academic Library Collection

Abstract

Academic library collections have been built and shaped by a focus on dominant voices and perspectives. In order for collections to reflect the value librarianship places on diversity as well as represent multiple perspectives and serve users of diverse backgrounds and identities, collections need to be assessed for coverage of content related to diversity. This article discusses the challenges inherent in engaging in such an assessment, discusses collection assessment methods, and describes an analysis performed on the Penn State University Libraries collections focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer content.     

新时期高校图书馆藏书建设与发展

新时期高等教育的改革和发展给高校图书馆的藏书建设提出了新的要求，结合工作实践把稳定发展理论运用到高校图书馆的藏书建设与发展中，针对高校图书馆藏书建设存在的问题提出了发展对策，以确保高校图书馆藏书建设的可持续性发展。     

How to Build a High-Quality Library Collection in a Multi-Format Environment: Centralized Selection at University of Wyoming Libraries

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, the composition of academic library collections has shifted toward electronic formats, resulting in a more complicated publication landscape to be navigated by selectors. Additionally, the workload of public services librarians has become more weighted toward instruction and research support, putting more pressure on the time of liaison librarians tasked with collection development responsibilities. These shifts have prompted academic institutions, including University of Wyoming Libraries, to consider a restructuring of collection development responsibilities. This article describes the evolution and implementation of a centralized model of selection at UW Libraries.     

Exploring the Application of Information and Communication Technologies in the Acquisition of Information Resources in Three Academic Libraries in North-West Nigeria: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) incursion has brought a lot of changes to libraries activities. ICTs are used to manage libraries more efficiently and in meeting customers’ demands more appropriately at the right time. Despite the contribution of ICTs to library and information work, many libraries are yet to adopt these technologies especially in the acquisitions of library materials. This study was carried out in three selected university libraries in North West Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to: determine the influence of performance expectancy on academic librarians’ intention to use ICT for acquisition; establish the influence of effort expectancy on academic librarians’ intention to use ICT for acquisition; find out the extent of social influence and facilitating conditions on academic librarians’ intention to use ICT for acquisition and lastly to proffer recommendations. This study adopted a positivistic approach and used a questionnaire administered to 224 librarians to collect data in the three selected libraries. The study is guided by the Unified Theory Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) developed by Venkatesh. Findings from the study reveals that academic librarians are supportive on the use of ICT in their work; ICTs are significantly important, trainings were organized mainly for librarians on general use of ICT not only on acquisition, but also on the general issues related to library activities; librarians also have the knowledge necessary to use ICT for acquisition in their libraries. The study recommends among others that the parent universities should increase the funding of their libraries with adequate supervision, so that such funds are well utilized for ICTs application; university libraries should continually sponsor their academic staff on modern computerized ways of using ICTs to source for materials and the acquisition of information resources in academic libraries should be given all the seriousness it deserves by enacting legislation to allocate a reasonable percentage of the university’s budget to it.     

Promoting a Juvenile Awards Approval Plan: Using Collaboration and Selected Projects for Improved Visibility and Findability to Promote Juvenile Collections in Academic Libraries

This article describes a project to promote an approval plan for purchasing award-winning juvenile books. The overall project utilizes a combination of projects for promoting awareness and use of the awards books and the juvenile collection in general. The promotion plan includes collaborative work with teacher education faculty, projects to increase the visibility of the juvenile collection in the library, and projects to improve the findability of the juvenile books via the online catalog and an online subject guide. Initial assessment of the plan indicates some success with increased book circulation and increased use of the online guide.     

Here Today,Gone Tomorrow: The Vicissitudes of Vendor/Library Relations in the Slavic and East European Book Trade

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the transformations in the Slavic and East European book trade in the 1990s. Among the challenges these changes pose to Slavic librarians are a profusion of new vendors, very small print runs, and a general breakdown in bibliographic control throughout the region. It argues that vigilant and timely selection is critical in order to obtain materials before they go out of print. Cultivating direct relationships with vendors both in North America and in the region is also required in order to continue to build Slavic collections successfully. It also considers the performance of English language approval plan vendors, electronic vs. print, and the ominous implications that the trend toward mergers and economies of scale hold for library collections.     

论印刷型资源在高校法律图书馆馆藏建设中的地位——以华东政法大学图书馆为例

在以印刷型资源与数字资源作比较的基础上,分析了印刷型文献在馆藏建设方面所具有的优势,并以华东政法大学图书馆馆藏建设为例,阐述了高校法律图书馆在馆藏建设中仍需要以印刷型文献作为主要馆藏。     

Books Be Gone! Reducing an Academic Library's Print Collection by Half to Meet Strategic Planning Initiatives and Participate in a Joint Library Resource-Sharing Facility

ABSTRACT

What happens when an academic library's print collection is reduced by half to meet strategic planning goals? The library at the University of Texas (UT) at Tyler joined a shared resources facility—the Joint Library Facility (JLF)—that uses a resource-in-common (RIC) model. The current article describes UT Tyler library's massive weeding project and decision to participate in the JLF as a result of strategic planning initiatives, explains the RIC model along with the JLF, outlines some pros and cons of participation in the JLF/RIC model, and reviews what was learned from the experience.     

Web-Scale Discovery in an Academic Health Sciences Library: Development and Implementation of the EBSCO Discovery Service

Funds made available at the close of the 2010–11 fiscal year allowed purchase of the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) for a year-long trial. The appeal of this web-scale discovery product that offers a Google-like interface to library resources was counter-balanced by concerns about quality of search results in an academic health science setting and the challenge of configuring an interface that serves the needs of a diverse group of library users. After initial configuration, usability testing with library users revealed the need for further work before general release. Of greatest concern were continuing issues with the relevance of items retrieved, appropriateness of system-supplied facet terms, and user difficulties with navigating the interface. EBSCO has worked with the library to better understand and identify problems and solutions. External roll-out to users occurred in June 2012.