Data on demand: A model to support the routine use of quantitative data for decision-making in Access Services

Rapid analytics and visualization software such as Tableau provide an opportunity for Access Services staff to utilize quantitative data on a routine basis to support decision-making about services and staffing. Data visualization tools make analyzing, updating, and sharing data analysis easier and faster than ever before. However, fullest utilization of these tools requires consistent, on demand access to data. This article discusses a strategic initiative at NYU Libraries to support data-driven decision-making by establishing a robust data warehouse paired with front-end access for library staff via Tableau Desktop. Specific application of this model to reporting, usage visualization, and workflow analysis in Access Services is discussed.     

Books Not Burgers: Six Highly Effective Ways to Motivate and Retain Library Student Employees

Although there is a healthy amount in the literature about the importance of motivating student library employees in an academic setting, very little of it discusses the practical aspects of how to motivate students. A supervisor must often use ideas from other disciplines, including the business world and academia. In this article, the author suggests six highly effective, yet cost-conscious methods that have been used successfully in an academic library setting to keep student employees motivated and to retain them year after year. These six methods are: (a) encouraging autonomy, (b) holding contests, (c) providing food, (d) being open to suggestions, (e) using employee strengths, and (f) celebrating seasonal or university-specific events.     

Reengineering storage logistics

The University at Albany investigated process improvements for transferring or withdrawing large numbers of books from its stacks. Based on this investigation, this article offers best practices and processes, including finding efficiencies in workflow and implementing ILS batch processing of Excel worksheets containing record metadata, rather than individual processing of titles. Other suggested best practices are a variant of cross-docking, where the processed materials are removed from the shelf to a truck, the barcode scanned into a comma-delimited file for batch processing, and materials directly discarded or transported to storage for immediate shelving, depending on planned final disposition.     

Let's Circulate: A Report on the 1st Annual New Jersey Access Services Meeting

In 2014, access services librarians and professional staff from various institutions all over New Jersey came together at The College of New Jersey, in Ewing Township, to discuss regional trends and issues in access services. Library staff at these institutions face many of the same issues from managing student assistants, to dealing with stacks management, and handling building security. The goal of the daylong meeting was to build bonds between access services staff at the different institutions, and to learn from one another's experiences during a series of roundtable discussions, and informal conversations over coffee and lunch. It was the first meeting of its kind in New Jersey and the organizers plan to make it an annual occurrence under the name Let's Circulate. This article is a summary of the first meeting.     

Cruising through the stacks: Developing tools to rapidly and economically mass-produce stack end signage: A case study

The purpose of this article is to describe a case study that addresses issues related to stack end signage in a university library. Poor stack end signage can negatively influence patrons' ability to navigate the library and locate physical materials. At the Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library, a tool was developed using Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word to quickly and inexpensively mass-produce effective and user-friendly stack end signage. This article details the specific steps taken to develop, implement, and utilize this instrument.     

论图书馆书库的类型、功能和建设规律

分析了图书馆书库的四种类型.介绍了样本书库、特藏书库、地方文献书库、高校文库、主题书库、新书书库、辅助书库、密集书库八种书库的功能.最后概括了图书馆三种书库建设规律.     

Change management in extremis: A case study

After 40 years under one manager, the Circulation Department at the Richard J. Daley Library was long past due for a change. The challenge of reorganizing included interesting and interrelated aspects: changes to workflows and assignments, moving staff and functions inside the department and across departments, and a deep dive into the culture to which staff had become habituated. Managers eliminated redundancies and increased services, effectiveness, productivity, and joy. This case study is a testament to how successful change happens with patience, respect, and a willingness to be flexible.     

Development of a Model for Cataloging,Circulation, and Housing CD-ROMs

As more and more incoming freshmen arrive on campus with computers equipped with CD-ROM drives, faculty incorporate data from CD-ROM products into assignments, and library materials arrive accompanied by software on CD-ROM, librarians need a model for cataloging, circulating, and shelving these materials. This article offers a model, one that bases cataloging, circulating, and housing decisions on three factors: the type of data on a CDROM, who will use the data, and how will they use it.     

关于图书资源利用分析评价系统的设计

系统采用模块化设计,包括流通分析模块、馆藏分析模块、效益分析模块。借此分析馆藏图书资源在一定周期内实际利用情况,了解馆藏图书资源在相应的时间区间内的分布状态和用户需求状态,为图书的采访、流通、剔除等工作提供决策依据。     

Information governance,records management,and freedom of information: A study of local government authorities in England

In many democratic states political rhetoric gives weight to increasing public participation in and understanding of the political process; (re)-establishing public trust in government decision making; increasing transparency, openness, and accountability of public authorities; and, ultimately, improving government decision-making on behalf of citizens. Access to the public record and freedom of information (FOI) are mechanisms which help to facilitate the accountability of public authorities. Many jurisdictions have introduced legislation related to these mechanisms, and the UK government is no exception with its enactment of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 2000. University College London (UCL) ran a research project over 12 months in 2008–2009, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. The research project examined what the impact of the UK FOIA had been on records management services in public authorities, especially local government. This article reports on some of the findings of the study. It considers how FOI compliance and records management functions are organized in local government and the role of information governance which is emerging as an umbrella for such functions. It draws some conclusions about the contributions that records management services make to the ability of local authorities to comply with the FOIA and identifies some ways in which user experience may be affected by the management of records.     

Data-informed open education advocacy: A new approach to saving students money and backaches

The North Carolina State University Libraries has long recognized the financial burden textbook costs place on students. By crosswalking information on use of our textbook collection with textbook cost and course enrollment data, we have begun to map the environment for textbook use at the university and identified opportunities for faculty outreach in promoting alternatives to traditional textbooks, including our Alt-Textbook program. This article describes our programs, our investigation of textbook use patterns, and how we are using these data to inform our practice.     

“图文博美”四馆协同服务之研究

公共图书馆、文化馆、博物馆和美术馆之间处于一种条块分割、分散管理的状态,很少开展具有一定深度和广度的交流与合作。文章分析了“图文博美”四馆开展协同服务的必要性和可行性,阐述了如何实现公共文化服务机构之间的协同服务,并介绍了江门地区文化场馆开展资源共享和联合服务的工作实践。     

Assessing University Library Print Book Collections and Deselection: A Case Study at The National University of Ireland Maynooth

This article discusses an assessment and deselection project of the modern print book collections in the John Paul II Library, National University of Ireland Maynooth. Following a contextual introduction and literature review, the article outlines the methodology, presents and discusses the results, and concludes with lessons learned. Although this project had its origins in planning for a major extension to the Library, its main aim was to ensure current and relevant print book collections. The purpose of the article is to share experience in the hope of it being useful to other libraries considering a review of print book collections.     

Bursar Accounts,Payroll Deduction,and Debt Collection: A Three-Channel Approach to Lost Item Reimbursement

ABSTRACT

In 2003, Penn State Libraries implemented payroll deduction and collection agency programs to gain better control of accounts receivable. The author reports on the implementation processes and first year outcomes of the programs. She recommends careful consideration of several questions before implementing such measures.     

高校图书馆实行藏借阅习一体化之探讨

实行藏借阅习一体化是高校图书馆新出现的一种服务管理模式，它可以最大限度地方便读者和提高图书馆资源的利用率。但实行这种模式必须有适当的馆舍和设备条件，还必须有足够的开馆时间和严格的规章制度作保证。     

Providing Access and Preservation Services to Collections in Remote Storage Facilities

ABSTRACT

As libraries continue to acquire, catalog, and preserve paper-based collections, and the early promise of digital technologies to put everything online has not yet been fully realized, the need to physically retain little used analog collections has intensified. Thus a growing trend in the field of academic and public libraries is an increased awareness of the importance of remote storage facilities (RSF). A recent American Library Association meeting featured speakers who were involved with such a facility. The speakers offered tips and hints on surviving and even thriving in one successfully. The authors of this article hope that by documenting the highlights of these presentations, other librarians and staff in the planning, construction, or implementation phase of a RSF will be better prepared for the challenges and difficulties they will face when trying to provide access to and physically maintain a collection geographically distant from their main library.     

Training and Retaining Student Employees

Abstract

Like most academic libraries, Purdue University Calumet depends heavily on student workers for its daily operations. After the investment of time and effort involved in training student workers, it is important to retain them from one year to the next. This case study examines training procedures that are designed to cultivate a sense of mutual respect between library staff and student workers, with the goal of keeping those whose skills and work experience prove valuable. A training program developed with retention as a goal yields benefits to the student and the library. It can also be a recruitment tool for the profession.     

A Question and Answer Forum on the Origin,Evolution and Future of Access Services in Libraries

Abstract

Access services in libraries has a brief, but dynamic history and will have a vibrant future. It is time to assess accomplishments, but also to look ahead. Ten questions on general topics related to the origin, evolution and future of access services were posed to five members of the editorial board of the Journal of Access Services. Among them are represented a variety of perspectives, experiences, and expertise. They are, in the order of their responses as listed in the text: Mary Anne Hansen (MAH), Jakob Harnest (JH), Virginia Steel (VS), Joan Ellen Stein (JES), and Pat Weaver-Myers (PWM).     

A comparison of political,cultural, and economic indicators of access to information in Arab and non-Arab states

As more and more countries adopt access-to-information (ATI) laws to advance economic development and democratic self-governance, efforts are under way to foster ATI movements in the Arab world. While one nation in that region already has adopted the legislation, the likelihood of adoption in other Arab states is unknown. This comparative study analyzed 12 quantitative indicators measuring political, cultural, and economic factors associated with access to information. Results indicate that Arab countries, as a whole, contrast sharply in nearly all areas with non-Arab countries that have ATI laws and are consistent with non-Arab countries that do not have ATI laws. However, the study also found that the most recent ATI law adopters had weaker political, cultural, and economic enabling environments for government information access, which may portend a global phenomenon that will continue and could explain the interest in adopting the legislation in the Arab world. Findings also suggest that while a handful of Arab countries might have the wealth to effectively implement ATI laws, political and cultural conditions may be substantial obstacles for greater government transparency. Other results regarding the use of quantitative indicators of ATI adoption, particularly structural pluralism, are discussed.     

Library Website Management and Maintenance: A Study of the Uk 1994 Group

The Academic Library website is a key access point for information and services. This paper reports on a study of the 1994 Group Library web presence, with a view to establishing their practices in terms of site management and maintenance. It provides evidence of the commitment this Group makes towards ensuring their sites meet the needs of their users. The study encompassed a survey to gather data on current management and maintenance practices, and direct observation of the home pages of these Libraries to establish layout conventions and details of changes made over time. The influence of University policy in respect of the look-and-feel of the Library website and decision making around it are revealed. The implementation of new social technologies across this Group also became evident. We also show that a number of Libraries in the Group are not currently evaluating the use of their site, and that changes to some home pages were seldom made during the study period. Due to the limitations inherent in focusing on a limited number of Library websites, a larger sample size would make the findings of this research more applicable to a wider range of University Libraries.