Inordinate Fondness

Abstract

The Reference Librarian is delighted to wel come the sage of government documents as a regular columnist. Joe Morehead has the rare combination of wisdom, knowledge and wit so rarely found in the library world He is by now an institution, and about as well known and respected as anyone involved with the finer points of teaching. And for those who are unfamiliar with Joe, the following will serve as background: Morehead is the author of Introduction to United States Government Information Sources (Libraries Unlimited, 1996), now in its 5th edition. He has contributed articles and columns to several professional journals, among them RQ, the Journal of Government Information, Government Information Quarterly, The Serials Librarian, and Documents to the People. He was the 1996 recipient of the Isadore Gilbert Mudge-R.R. Bowker Award given by the Reference and Adult Services Division of the American Library Association.     

Government publications integration and training

Appropriate training is a major factor in the success or failure of any government publications integration into the general reference collection. In August 1992 the government publications reference collection at the University of Arizona Main Library was integrated into the central reference collection. This paper will discuss the integration process, the training methods, the survey used to determine the success of the training program, and the perceptions of competence in providing government documents reference, the results of a focus group (consisting of both Central Reference Department and Government Documents Department staff) that explored the question of training, and an assessment of government documents training and recommendations for future training programs. In addition, the University of Arizona Library System is in the process of restructuring its functions and services. This article will discuss the relationship of this process to the integration project.     

Documents Data Miner(r)

Abstract

In April 1998, the Documents Data Miner (DDM) was announced as a partnership site of the Government Printing Office's Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), with an enhanced proto     

Evaluating the Drop-In Center

Abstract

The Reference Department at the University of Colorado at Boulder provides a research consultation service to undergraduates enrolled in the mandatory introductory writing course. The Research Center is staffed by graduate students trained in providing reference assistance. Librarians in the Reference Department administered a patron satisfaction survey to 415 students to evaluate the effectiveness of the Research Center. The survey addressed patron response to the research tutors, services offered, and overall satisfaction. Responses are overwhelmingly positive. Students used the Research Center most often on Mondays and between weeks 7 and 13 of the semester.     

Technical reports and non-depository publications

Documents Librarina, Colorado State University Libraries, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0002. USA There was a significant increase in the number of publications disseminated by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) during 1993. This continues the trend of the past few years. NTIS continues to receive and distribute federally funded research and development reports, which are abstracted in Government Reports Announcements and Index (GRA&I) and related abstracts. In 1993 the way in which government information is disseminated changed, and as a result the role of librarians in this process has been critically examined. The trend toward more information being distributed in electronic format continues. Internet access to legislative information is now available, and many agencies are developing Internet sites to provide access to their data. New rules were published in a January 1994 Federal Register to transfer to NTIS unclassified scientific, technical, and engineering information (STEI) resulting from federally funded research and development activities. In response to comments on the proposed rules, NTIS incorporated into their plan the dissemination of these publications to depository libraries. In June, the Federal Deposiory Library Program proposed an interagency agreement with NTIS that would facilitate the distribution of these documents to the depositories. If this agreement is signed, it would result in a plan that would take advantage of the selection and distribution systems already in place in the Depository Library Program. It would make it much easier for depository libraries to select the STEI that they need and to ensure that the publications are made available to the public. All of the publications reviewed below were published in 1993. Technical reports are available from NTIS, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield. VA 22161, USA; the publications may also be obtained from the issuing agencies. 1 wish to thank Fred C. Schmidt (FCS), Head, Documents Department; Lou E. Anderson (LEA), Documents Librarian; and Awilda Reyes (AR), Documents Librarian, all of Colorado State University Libraries, for reviews contributed to this column.     

Merged Reference Desks in a Merged Library Environment

Abstract

A new library in San José opened on August 1, 2003. This library is the result of a unique collaboration between San José State University Library and the San José Public Library. The planning for this new library highlighted merging several key areas of operation, including Government Publications. Several years before the two libraries merged, the University Library merged government publications reference functions into the general reference service of the Reference department. Depository library status at the federal and state levels impacted the planning and implementation stages. This paper discusses the background, planning, and implementation of merging the reference service for government publications, first within an academic environment and then in the unique joint library environment.     

Stocking the Virtual Ready Reference Collection

Summary

Libraries have begun to add chat reference as a method to deliver reference service to remote user populations. To deliver quality service in a timely fashion, libraries need to construct a Virtual Ready Reference Collection (VRRC) of elite ready reference Web sites most often used during the chat reference interaction. This article explores the collection development steps needed to create a VRRC that is most beneficial on the local level. The value in creating this collection lies not just in the end product, but also in the process, which serves as a valuable training exercise. Selecting and maintaining the virtual ready reference collection will enhance the chat reference librarians' ability to deliver service in the chat reference environment.     

Retrospective Cataloging of Maps in a Small Liberal Arts College

Abstract

In February 2002, members of Saint Anselm College Geisel Library's Cataloging Unit started a project to retrospectively catalog the Library's small, but diverse, collection of cartographic materials. The Cataloging Unit of Geisel's Technical Services Department is comprised of two full-time catalogers plus one half-time cataloger. The Library's Government Documents Department (Geisel is a selective, 15% depository), where much of these materials are housed, does not have a dedicated cataloging staff. The collection of approximately 950 titles included topographic series maps, topographic/bathymetric maps (367), CIA country study maps (480), remote sensing image maps (20), hanging wall maps (6), globes (3), political ward maps (40), atlases (21), and monographic maps from the late 19th and early 20th centuries (10).

This article describes the planning, requirements and challenges faced by a Baccalaureate College Liberal Arts library performing an inhouse retrospective cataloging project of cartographic materials.     

Results of Using Vendor-Supplied Analog Technology to Create a Virtual Collection: A Case Study

ABSTRACT

Expanded Collection was an analog version of a “virtual” collection that relied on the Document Delivery Department and vendor intervention to obtain materials. Developed to offset budget cuts, it was a list of 205 periodical titles that were cut from the collection but remained listed in the library catalog. Although initially successful, it became difficult to administer. Court interpretations of copyright law caused the Document Delivery Department to rely on standard interlibrary loan procedures and raised ethical questions about Expanded Collection. Improved efficiency in the interlibrary loan process and the increased access to electronic journals made Expanded Collection obsolete.     

U.S. government (depository items)

The new frontier of electronic access was fully explored in the past year. Government agency “gophers” proliferated on the Internet, featuring a wide variety of government information previously only available in print. Likewise, many gophers at academic institutions posted significant new government reports in a timely manner. A good example is the National Performance Review's From Red Tape to Results: Creating a Government that Works Better & Costs Less, which was posted on the Internet well before many depositories received their print copies. The one constant is that GPO (Government Printing Office) continues to issue publications containing valuable information. In addition to the National Performance Review, many other important reports were published by GPO this year, including those of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission, the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters, the National Commission on AIDS, and the ATF Investigation of the David Koresh/Waco incident. This list does not even mention the Clinton Administration's Health Security Act and the full depository release of the Clarence Thomas Hearings. It has been a full year. The documents included in this Notable Documents issue were received by depository libraries from midyear 1993 to midyear 1994. They were selected for their general interest, lasting value, research significance, or timeliness. Most of the documents are available from the Superintendent or from one of the GPO bookstores around the country (see Monthly Catalog for a listing). Those documents that do not list a stock number or price may be available in limited quantities from the issuing agency.     

Combining Circulation and Reference Functions at One Desk

ABSTRACT

In order to learn from experiences of academic libraries that combined their Circulation and Reference functions into one service point, an informal survey was conducted through relevant listservs. Some academic libraries have combined Circulation and Reference Departments at one desk and others are in the process of doing so. The results summarize the responses with a discussion of the various models and outcomes.     

Reference as an Access Service: Collaboration Between Reference and Interlibrary Loan Departments

ABSTRACT

Academic libraries increasingly rely on Interlibrary Loan (ILL) departments to obtain research materials. This adds to the workload of ILL at a time when many libraries are experiencing budget cuts and dwindling staff. Collaboration between ILL and Reference can assist ILL by providing searching expertise. Collaboration is facilitated by the paperless environment provided by ILL management software. Patrons benefit from increased fill-rates and reduced turnaround time for ILL requests. Reference benefits by exercising creative searching for difficult-to-find materials and gaining exposure to new reference sources and online catalogs. These benefits are explored through analysis of fill-rates, sources from which materials were ultimately obtained, sources used by the Reference Department, and interviews with staff.     

Implementing a Library Liaison Program

Abstract

A pilot library liaison program was initiated with the College of Liberal Arts at Southern Illinois University at Carbon-dale. The goals were to facilitate communication with academic faculties, enhance collection development, and improve services. A uniform training program was implemented. Budgets were allocated, and negotiations for new moneys were held in a group setting. Following training, meetings were held with academic department chairs, library liaisons, and the library's Director of Reference Services and Collection Management to activate the program. The pilot program was assessed and then expanded to all sixty teaching departments on campus, using guidelines that had evolved during the pilot program. The centrality of the library as a service unit is affirmed in increased understanding and cooperation between librarians and teaching faculty. The program is continually monitored in an effort to keep the program flexible and responsive to changing needs.     

Adapting Reference for a Unique Group of Distance Learners

Abstract

When a university acquires the library of a national institute and the institute's active and worldwide membership expects continued and uninterrupted access to services from the collection, Shockwaves can reverberate throughout the university's main library and among its staff. This was especially true for the Reference Department of the University of Mississippi's J. D. Williams Library, which acquired the library collection of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in 2001. This article addresses the various challenges, problems, successes, and other situations experienced in offering reference service to unique users who are never present.     

The U.S. monthly catalog and the publications reference file as collection development tools

The 1991 Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications was examined using a random sample of 668 publications in order to determine what percentage of materials produced at the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) were available through the depository library system, and how many of those were offered through the Sales Division via the Publications Reference File (PRF). It was found that 98 percent of publications (655 titles) in the Monthly Catalog were depository items. The remaining two percent (13 titles) are discussed as an indicator of what was not available through the depository system. It was also found that only nine percent of the publications (62 titles) in the Monthly Catalog were listed as available through the Sales Division. Of that nine percent, only 60 percent (37 titles), were listed in the PRF after one year. The nature of these publications and their average prices are examined. Also discussed are the publications dropped from the PRF. A total of 293 publications were identified as available through either GPO or agency distribution, representing 44 percent of the original sample.     

Government Periodicals and the Reference Librarian:

Government publications in serial form provide timely, authoritative information on a range of subjects but reference librarians are not always aware of what is available in these sources. In libraries with separate documents departments, reference staffs may abrogate all responsibility for government publications, relying upon commercial sources to fill information needs more appropriately met with government periodicals. Documents librarians and reference librarians can facilitate the incorporation of govemment information in serial form into the general reference process. Benefits will include improved service to library patrons and an expanded user base to support the continued publication and distribution of government periodicals.     

Embracing Changing Technology and New Technical Services Workflows in Migrating to a Next-Generation Library Management System

ABSTRACT

In 2015, Radford University’s McConnell Library migrated to OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC)’s WorldShare Management Services, relinquishing three legacy systems in the process. As a result, many of the Collection and Technical Services Department’s workflows changed considerably beginning months before the contract was signed. An extensive temporary departmental focus on data clean-up and training was required while maintaining core duties. New opportunities for collaboration and communication emerged. In light of developing new workflows, NASIG Core Competencies for Electronic Resources Librarians and NASIG Core Competencies for Print Serials Management were consulted in revising positions. What follows is the process, management, communication, and outcomes involved in migrating to a new next-generation library management system.     

Integrating and Advertising Government Publications Internally and Externally: A Guide for Documents Librarians

ABSTRACT

Government publications contain a wealth of information. In an effort to increase the usage of these important publications, the staff at Bierce Library, University of Akron, use the following strategies to integrate and advertise government publications into the library activities and the community: (1) cataloging the publications so they appear on the local online catalog as well as the statewide catalog, (2) integrating them into the bibliographic instruction program, (3) listing them in pathfinders as sources on various topics, (4) making them a focus of “hot topics” such as health care reform, (5) presenting and promoting special workshops on specialized government databases such as the National Trade Data Bank and GPO Access (using the flyer approach), (6) visiting your Congressional Representative's Office to increase awareness of the information available in Depository Libraries to his/her constituents, (7) discussing these avenues at state groups, (8) including these methods in conferences, and (9) joining forces with other Documents Librarians in the area to create a depository brochure announcing hours, services, and highlights of each depository collection, and making this information available on a web page. The above strategies are generic enough that libraries can easily implement them into their programs.

The effect of these strategies is measured by an increased use of government publications. This can be monitored with circulation statistics and use of electronic products. The results are inconclusive if only circulation statistics are used.     

Interpersonal Skills in the Reference Workplace

SUMMARY

Reference librarians are expected to interact effectively with a variety of clientele and are taught skills such as approachability, showing interest, and verbal and non-verbal cues. Librarians who have a knack for interpersonal skills do very well both at the reference desk and interacting with their co-workers. An area that is rarely addressed in the literature (or in library school) is that of educating librarians about how to establish professional, collegial relationships with one another. It is assumed that if a reference librarian can interact well with patrons, in a professional manner, he or she will be able to successfully “fit into” almost any reference department. This article discusses the importance of interpersonal skills within the Reference Department and ideas for improving these skills to enhance co-worker relations.