A suggested approach to a library building program

The preliminary building program suggested in this paper makes use of outlines, graphs, charts, and lists, rather than long-winded paragraphs, to describe the needs, objectives, and philosophy of the library. It is hoped that a short, concise, but detailed, report using these methods will save time and make the report more attractive to read, thereby encouraging the many people who will need to assist in the building planning to use the report.     

International library exchanges

A rich resource exists in foreign countries to enhance American library collections. Overseas libraries, however, are hard pressed by foreign exchange problems in their acquisition of American materials. These two facts are considered together with the advantage to American foreign policy interests of making American literary materials available on an exchange basis. A new organization, the International Library Exchange Center (ILEC) is described as a vehicle for bringing these elements together.     

National library of medicine regional medical library program

The National Library of Medicine is charged with the development and management of a National Biomedical Communications Network. The Regional Medical Library Program is a forerunner of such a network; the product and institutions involved will be critical elements in its evolution. The immediate objective of the RMLP, the facilitation of biomedical information transfer, presents a logistical problem requiring substantial commitment from the health sciences community and extensive cooperation among libraries in each region.     

Regional medical library program development

The National Library of Medicine has published a new set of guidelines for the development of its Regional Medical Library Program. This article is a working paper that attempts to review the possible consequences to the informal national medical library network which presently exists. It reviews the relationship of medical libraries to their parent institutions and the responsibilities of different library units to each other in their efforts to accomplish RML objectives.     

The Veterans Administration library program

The Veterans Administration Library Service is continuously responsive to the information requirements of the agency's policies which provide for the improved care and treatment of veterans through research, education, and clinical programs. At the same time, it participates in the planning of the federal government as a whole in providing library support for health care for the American people. There are both internal and external forces influencing VA hospitals and their libraries. Retirements and consequent recruitment of new people will necessitate a rethinking of the VA library program at the same time as external forces will be affecting the program. These external forces include the application of machines to library services through the development of in-house capabilities coupled with joint-use participation and P.L. 89-785 which provides for the exchange of medical information, sharing of facilities, and cooperative training programs. A conceptual rearrangement of information resources will facilitate attainment of our goals.     

A hospital library building program.

A building program for a 400-bed hospital library was developed by formulating a list of questions that would help to clarify an understanding of the library's needs, by visiting nearby libraries in similar institutions, and by preparing a program planning guide.     

Refocusing a gift program in an academic library

Colorado State University Libraries' recent decision to eliminate its general gift program—and to restrict future gifts-in-kind to materials supporting archives and special collections—came within the context of a number of converging external pressures. In this article, the authors will examine issues arising from a major change in gift operations, as well as report on the collaborative efforts to formulate, implement, and communicate to constituencies a new policy on gift acquisitions.     

Electronic initiatives of the federal depository library program

The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is in a period of transition from dissemination of primarily print government publications, to an expanded program including distribution of and access to electronic government information. In an electronic FDLP, the traditional roles of producing, acquiring, and disseminating government publications are expanded with additional roles of providing ongoing, long-term access to selected documents, and increasing the level of services to depository libraries. FDLP has already undertaken the transition with electronic initiatives. Additional projects are being developed which will facilitate access to electronic government documents. A more electronic FDLP implies significant changes for Library Programs Service and depository libraries. The goal of the transition is to improve the depository library program and continue to support public access to government publications.     

Exploring library service models at Fudan University and Appalachian State University: Experiences from an International Librarian Exchange program

In 2008, Fudan University Library (FDUL) in Shanghai and Belk Library and Information Commons at Appalachian State University (ASU) in Boone, North Carolina created a three-year librarian exchange program. The first pair of librarian exchanges occurred during the 2009–2010 academic year, with the Appalachian State librarian traveling to Fudan for five weeks during the Fall of 2009, and the first librarian from Fudan traveling to Appalachian State for five months in the spring and summer of 2010. This paper documents how the first exchanges revealed interesting similarities and differences in the academic library service models between the two universities which are illustrative of general similarities and differences between Chinese and American academic library services. The paper also discusses how any academic library can benefit from the experience of a librarian exchange program with a partner library in another country.

The experience gained from these first exchanges confirms on an international level the basic assertion that a major role of an academic library is to support the university’s curriculum.

Moreover it can be extrapolated from discussions held between librarians of the two institutions that in both the United States and China the curriculum evolves in response to reforms on campus and to changing trends within the country’s education system. It was also determined that the modes of library services in both cultures change as new technologies arise and that the pace of technological change within academic libraries is rapid and ongoing. Participants in the exchange discovered that there are strengths and weaknesses in both the ASU and FDUL service models and that the librarians from both systems can learn from one another and absorb best practices from their exchange partners. This paper reflects the views and experiences of the exchange librarians (Shi and Johnson) and also author Shao, who is a Chinese national working as a faculty fellow librarian at Appalachian State University.     

Customizing for clients: developing a library liaison program from need to plan

Building on the experiences of librarian representatives to curriculum committees in the colleges of dentistry, medicine, and nursing, the Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL) Strategic Plan recommended the formation of a Library Liaison Work Group to create a formal Library Liaison Program to serve the six Health Science Center (HSC) colleges and several affiliated centers and institutes. The work group's charge was to define the purpose and scope of the program, identify models of best practice, and recommend activities for liaisons. The work group gathered background information, performed an environmental scan, and developed a philosophy statement, a program of liaison activities focusing on seven primary areas, and a forum for liaison communication. Hallmarks of the plan included intensive subject specialization (beyond collection development), extensive communication with users, and personal information services. Specialization was expected to promote competence, communication, confidence, comfort, and customization. Development of the program required close coordination with other strategic plan implementation teams, including teams for collection development, education, and marketing. This paper discusses the HSCL's planning process and the resulting Library Liaison Program. Although focusing on an academic health center, the planning process and liaison model may be applied to any library serving diverse, subject-specific user populations.     

Exploring library service models at Fudan University and Appalachian State University: Experiences from an International Librarian Exchange program

In 2008, Fudan University Library (FDUL) in Shanghai and Belk Library and Information Commons at Appalachian State University (ASU) in Boone, North Carolina created a three-year librarian exchange program. The first pair of librarian exchanges occurred during the 2009–2010 academic year, with the Appalachian State librarian traveling to Fudan for five weeks during the Fall of 2009, and the first librarian from Fudan traveling to Appalachian State for five months in the spring and summer of 2010. This paper documents how the first exchanges revealed interesting similarities and differences in the academic library service models between the two universities which are illustrative of general similarities and differences between Chinese and American academic library services. The paper also discusses how any academic library can benefit from the experience of a librarian exchange program with a partner library in another country.The experience gained from these first exchanges confirms on an international level the basic assertion that a major role of an academic library is to support the university’s curriculum.Moreover it can be extrapolated from discussions held between librarians of the two institutions that in both the United States and China the curriculum evolves in response to reforms on campus and to changing trends within the country’s education system. It was also determined that the modes of library services in both cultures change as new technologies arise and that the pace of technological change within academic libraries is rapid and ongoing. Participants in the exchange discovered that there are strengths and weaknesses in both the ASU and FDUL service models and that the librarians from both systems can learn from one another and absorb best practices from their exchange partners. This paper reflects the views and experiences of the exchange librarians (Shi and Johnson) and also author Shao, who is a Chinese national working as a faculty fellow librarian at Appalachian State University.