Information Literacy in the Reference Environment

Summary

The academic information environment is changing greatly as we enter the millennium. These changes are affecting libraries and, specifically, reference services. In the past and even in recent times librarians have been concerned with library orientation, library instruction, and bibliographic instruction. Now they have to worry about teaching students and others viable information and computer skills to cope effectively in the information society. Reference work as practiced this century will undergo major changes in the electronic information environment, and the teaching of effective information skills will become a very important component of reference services. The challenges thus presented to academic librarians will be great but success in this area will mean effective professional survival.     

Emerging Trends in Fee-Based Information Delivery

Abstract

Fee-based information services in libraries will face many challenges in continuing to offer value-added, cost-effective services to customers during the opening decade of the new millennium. Some of the challenges are similar to those faced by other library units, but others are unique. Many of these are related to the proliferation of electronic resources and to the “do-it-yourself” approach customers have toward them. Other issues that must be addressed include shifts in client expectations; the demand for new types of information services and products; unresolved intellectual property issues; evolving means of providing access, delivery, and distribution; the need to form innovative partnerships; and the increasing globalization of the customer base.     

Evaluating a Corporate Library Collection

Abstract

Librarians with an interest in electronic reserves were, for the most part, disappointed by The Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH Act). The Act provided classroom instructors with relatively clear guidelines as how they could use copyrighted materials online classes without violating the law. Mention of libraries, however, was conspicuously absent and the Act offered no direct guidance for what sort of library materials could be placed on the Internet. The guidance it offers though is more indirect. It gives some sense of how the legislative branch views the rights and responsibilities of educators in the use of online materials. It will offer guidance to the judiciary when, inevitably, a copyright dispute involving electronic reserves ever goes to court. It is important that librarians understand the TEACH Act and what it meansto education.     

An Investigation into the Knowledge and Use of Electronic Library Resources in Jamaican Community Colleges

ABSTRACT

This study used a quantitative survey to investigate the knowledge and use of online databases and the library's online public access catalog by final-year business associate degree students in five selected Jamaican community colleges. The study sought to determine students’ knowledge of electronic library resources, their value for electronic and print resources, the purposes for which students use electronic library resources, the influences on student use of electronic library resources, and the effects of training and instruction. Results from the study indicated that students are increasingly using Internet search engines for research purposes rather than online databases. Results also indicated that electronic library resources such as the OPAC are being underutilized by community college students. It was evident that proper instructional guidance is needed and welcomed by students. The findings of the study are critical to the implementation of policies and procedures geared toward sensitizing school administrators, library professionals, and other stakeholders to the benefits of increasing students’ knowledge and use of electronic library resources. Data will aid administrators in strategic planning and investments pertaining to these resources, and provide recommendations to improve knowledge and use of these resources within libraries. The research illustrates the special needs of community college students in Jamaica, particularly relating to needed instructional programs, in an effort to impart knowledge and promote the use of electronic library resources in these colleges.     

FROM THE LITERATURE: Terry Henner,Column Editor

ABSTRACT

In spring 2015, a 45-question survey was e-mailed to 585 medical students at the University at Buffalo (UB) in order to gauge their use of library spaces, resources, equipment, and services at UB’s Health Sciences Library and plan for a library space located within a new medical school building. Students’ self-reported use of the library during the academic year is presented along with the features they would like to see in their ideal library space. The responses generated in the survey are a barometer of current use and will be used in the planning process.     

Electronic Resources (ER) Librarians,Usage Data,and a Changing World

SUMMARY

What factors affect the handling of usage data? What skills does an electronic resources (ER) librarian need to work with usage data? How do they solve problems innovatively and contribute to the library's efforts to deliver digital information? First and foremost, ER librarians need a firm understanding of the libraries in which they work and what innovations or adaptations are appropriate. There are no true answers to the question of how to handle usage data, which leaves the field open for innovation and customization.     

Charting a Course toward Embracing Evolving Technical Services Horizons

ABSTRACT

Technical Services departments have been navigating rough and uncertain waters while charting courses toward hazy horizons for years. Battling swelling expenses, blustering winds of reduced resources, and tumultuous tempests of electronic resources clashing with print resources, we steer toward an increasingly digital skyline with steadily leaner crews, needing support and new skills to sail these seas of continuous change and challenge. Now more than ever it is necessary to build a team empowered to maneuver efficiently and effectively. Leading and managing are central to positioning for and embracing these emerging horizons. The presenters have been studying and implementing various aspects of “servant leadership” with an eye toward growing people within our departments and communicating in multiple directions. During this session, we will focus particularly on the following processes: discernment, discovering purpose, and building capacity (relationships and communication). This presentation will explore the what, how, where, who, and when for leading and managing toward our Technical Services horizons.     

Profiles in Resource Sharing: Tom Bruno

Abstract

Health sciences libraries are expanding services that use online technologies to support teaching, research, and clinical care needs. Saint Louis University's Health Sciences Center (SLU HSC) Library has developed strong, user-centered, online services in interlibrary loan, bibliographic instruction, and electronic reserves. The authors present their successful experiences in using electronic technologies to improve library services.

Journal articles are provided, often the same day as requested through interlibrary loan, and delivered in electronic format using OCLC's ILLiad program. First-year SLU medical students now complete a self-paced, all online, Health Information Resources course that targets the most relevant biomedical resources, reduces student study time, and is viewed as a model for the entire curriculum. ERes, the electronic reserves program, allows faculty to provide course materials that are accessible at the convenience of students 24 hours a day. These online programs are examples of using electronic technologies to better support user needs for excellent library services.     

Student Satisfaction with Electronic Library Resources at Wayne State University

ABSTRACT

This paper reports the results of a survey of student satisfaction with electronic library resources other than the online catalog at Wayne State University. Undertaken in Fall Term 2000 as a class project for a marketing course, a student team designed, administered, and analyzed a survey of a random sample of students. Almost 40% of the responding students said that they were unaware of electronic resources though 53.8% of these same students answered subsequent questions about use of these resources. Students aware of electronic resources learned about them much more from their professors (38.3%) than from library efforts to publicize them (18.5%). Students were generally satisfied (68%) except when things went wrong. A high percentage of all students (92.4%) answered that the library should continue to expand electronic resources.     

Electronic vs. Print Reference Sources in Public Library Collections

Summary

The evolution of electronic sources has had a significant impact on reference collections in libraries, and public library reference collections are no exception.

Evaluating, selecting, and organizing sources to meet the needs of public library users has always been a fundamental role of public librarians. However, now they have the added responsibility of evaluating electronic resources and deciding whether the electronic sources will supplement or replace traditional paper reference sources. Issues of authority, accessibility, cost, comfort, and user education must be carefully weighed during this evaluative process.     

Evolution of a Profession

Abstract

Are we as art librarians truly in a new world? Or are we seeing the evolution of a profession as it learns to use and take advantage of new tools? Are we answering new questions, or the same questions but with new resources? This paper moves from a brief overview of the history of art librarianship up to the present day, and offers thoughts about where we may be headed in the future, as we ponder what is new and what is not in the world of art librarianship.     

Firewalls,Ad-Blockers,Web Accelerators,etc.

ABSTRACT

The past ten years have seen remote access to electronic resources emerge as the preferred method of use for many, if not most, library patrons. Unfortunately, the misuse of the Internet has also led to a culture in which many personal computer users feel they must install accessory programs that complicate the normal processes associated with the retrieval of Web-based information. Various programs that users install, often with the best of intentions, can interfere with the authentication processes that many libraries and their vendors use. An exploration of firewalls, ad-blockers, pop-up blockers, Web accelerators, and similar software will examine the complications caused by popular programs in each category when users attempt remote access to library-provided information resources. Additional exploration will focus on similar complications experienced by users behind workplace firewalls. Discussion of each type of software will include minimally invasive remedies to recommend to users and suggestions for managing the technical support burden. Particular attention will focus on the interaction of firewalls and related software with popular remote access solutions such as EZproxy. Finally, analysis of this situation will include consideration of human factors, including suggested messages to convey to skeptical patrons and network administrators.     

Still Desperately Seeking Citations: Undergraduate Research in the Age of Web-Scale Discovery

ABSTRACT

Web-scale discovery services promise fast, easy searching from a single Google-like box, pleasing users and making library resources more discoverable. Some librarians embrace the concept of giving users what they have come to expect from Google, while others are concerned that this will “dumb down” searching and undermine information literacy. In this article we explore the potential impact of Web-scale discovery tools on information literacy, focusing particularly on undergraduate research skills. We review the existing literature and present findings and experiences from two mid-sized academic libraries that have adopted EBSCO Discovery Service as their library home page portal.     

Marketing Electronic Resources and Services

Summary

In an effort to provide desktop access to information at Texas A&M University, an increasingly greater portion of the University Libraries' budget is being spent on electronic resources and services. This study, a survey of a random sample of the faculty and teaching staff, was designed to determine if these resources and services are being used by the targeted population and, if not, why. The results of the study indicate that a lack of information is the greatest obstacle to the use of electronic resources/services, and they suggest that the Libraries should place greater emphasis on outreach to the faculty and improved marketing strategies.     

A Three-Step Approach to Marketing Electronic Resources at Brock University

SUMMARY

Marketing of electronic resources at Brock University is done according to a marketing plan that is aligned with the mission and goals of the institution. This chapter describes measures taken to understand user needs, promote electronic resources, and evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the collection and marketing. It includes sections on the use of surveys, instruction, Web sites and e-mail in marketing. Five key suggestions for marketing electronic resources are offered in the conclusion.     

Demand for E-books in an Academic Library

ABSTRACT

Rather than create a collection solely to support distance learners, libraries should consider the needs of all customers when developing a digital library. The acceptance of digital libraries is dependant upon the conversion of resources to an electronic format that is easy to use and is fully searchable. While electronic journals are widely accepted by most academic library customers, the delivery of online books has had a very different acceptance rate. Rather than support the sequential reading of books, electronic books are commonly used to find information and can be particularly well-suited for reference purposes. This article will provide insight into the history of e-book models and evaluate the usage statistics of a large electronic book collection in an academic library.     

Holland Library's Electronic Resource Librarians

Summary

Holland Library, the Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Washington State University, currently utilizes the services of four reference librarians who work as electronic resource librarians. This article examines why the electronic resource librarian positions were created, how they have developed and changed over time, and what the future may hold for them.     

Approaches,Techniques, and Criteria for Serials Evaluation in the Electronic Environment

Abstract

An overview of traditional methods of evaluating serials collections and serial titles is presented and applied to electronic resources. Traditional methods such as holdings, checklist, conspectus, availability studies, document delivery studies, citation studies and use studies used for the evaluation of serials collections in print can be modified for the evaluation of electronic serials collections. Issues, problems and challenges associated with electronic serials evaluation are then outlined, and conclusions that emphasize the continuing importance of serials evaluation in the electronic environment are drawn.