To Boldly Go Where Few Have Gone Before: Global E-Resource Management in the Cloud

This session focused on migrating from a traditional electronic resource management system to OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.’s cloud-based WorldShare Management System, where e-resource data is created and maintained in a global environment. The session highlighted how implementing a unified, global system allowed the University of Nebraska Omaha Library to streamline e-resource management.     

The Yale Law Library,On Demand: A Holistic Approach to Library Services

The Yale Law Library has developed a suite of On Demand access and collection services. This article describes each service in detail, with the intention of assisting other libraries in developing similar services and generating discussion as to the future of library services in the digital era.     

Beyond Usability: The Study of Functionality of the 2.0 Online Catalogue (OPAC)

A usability test of Copac was carried out to inform developments in both its usability and functionality. Participants were assigned tasks, using specific system features, and their actions and thoughts were collected through think aloud to reveal potential issues with the system. Retrospective thinking and subsequent reflection were gathered in a focus group to provide greater insight into perceived functionality (current and potential) of the system. The study demonstrated the importance of the application of usability principles in the interface design. Many of the issues associated with search, records display, and use of specific features related to the attributes of ease of use, appearance, navigation, and terminology and provided the evidence base for re-design. The study also highlighted the importance of the users’ perceptions and expectations of functionality in the specific usage contexts. Continued user testing is recommended to inform further development of functionality in the broader contexts of information use to ensure the value and use of the system features are evident in the system design and meet the expectations of its users.     

The Small Press and the Library

"Small" presses are those which, because of the nature of their operations, put out short runs (250 to over one or two thousand copies) of the best efforts of regional poets and writers. There are a number of these adventitious industries alive and well in the Northwest. Regional and academic librarians should know of and support their efforts because they perform a vital function culturally speaking. They help to set the parameters of a genuine regional literature clearly and advantageously because they can and do foster a certain professional competition at their level.     

The reSearcher Software Suite: A Case Study of Library Collaboration and Open Source Software Development

This article examines the importance of library collaboration as demonstrated by the development of reSearcher, an open source software project at the Simon Fraser University Library, in British Columbia, Canada. A brief history of the project is provided, as well as an overview of each of the project's components, which offer electronic resource management, link resolving, personal citation management, and federated searching capabilities. The importance of libraries working together to ensure the success of the project is discussed, as well as the benefits received by members of the international library community participating in this open source alternative.     

The Rowing Collection in the Free Library of Philadelphia OPAC

Abstract

An evaluation of the Free Library of Philadelphia's (FLP) rowing collection by the checklist method is reported. A literature review demonstrates that the checklist method has been used for multiple purposes for over a century and a half, but no evaluations of library rowing collections by the checklist or any other method were identified. In this study, an ad hoc70-item list, compiled by a rowing expert, was checked against the FLP's OPAC from a remote location in Indiana. The FLP held 53% of the listed items and no fewer than 40% in any of six topical categories. A keyword search found that the FLP holds over 100 fiction and nonfiction rowing books. An analysis of those titles by publication date shows considerable depth in the FLP collection and a correspondence between its collecting patterns and broader trends in publishing and rowing. It is concluded that the FLP has an in-depth, high quality rowing collection. A number of problems encountered while searching the OPAC are discussed and questions for further research are proposed.     

Working around the ERM: Automating Accurate Electronic Serials Holdings Data in Bibliographic Records

Accurate holdings information for electronic serials is essential to librarians and users. Collection management staff spent copious amounts of time creating and updating links and public notes in electronic serials bibliographic records. This effort not only duplicated the work of our e-resource access and management software, but the updated information also quickly became outdated and inaccurate. This article describes our project to replace platform-specific Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) with an International Standard Serial Number–specific, static URL that points to the e-resource access and management software resource page and details the. process, from generating the URL and batch-editing machine-readable cataloging records, to garnering support from stakeholders and teaching users to navigate new steps.     

Library Student Employee Expertise: Strategies for Maximizing Your Student Employee Contributions to the Library

The University of Baltimore Library was recently renovated. Part of the design in the newly renovated space was having one single service point, that we call the Information Desk. This desk serves as the public facing portal for what was previously three public facing service points to services by three separate departments, Academic Success, Access Services and Reference & Instruction.

This article describes in depth how our Information Desk Leadership Team encouraged and used our library student employees’ expertise and knowledge in the formation of policy and procedure manual, training documents, reference tools and resume lines for use at a single service point.     

Managing the Advantages and Challenges of Multiple Library Consortia: The View from Within the Library

ABSTRACT

The authors are both managers in OhioLINK libraries and have complex experiences working within a variety of simultaneous library consortial agreements. Their librarians'-eye view of consortia allows for a discussion of the nature of that landscape, some perspectives on the benefits and advantages of consortia as well as thoughts on the challenges and limitations of consortia. They conclude that while consortial partnerships hold the key to greater efficiencies and strength in libraries, the overlapping layers of consortial agreements that connect libraries form almost a web that can be constricting. Libraries should continue to be creative about how they exploit the power of consortial relationships, but they also need to learn how to lower the administrative overhead created by these agreements, particularly in the areas of communication and the organizational flow of information. Finally, the authors recommend that consortium committees spend more time on short- and long-term strategic planning.     

Managing Archival Collections in an Automated Environment: The Joys of Barcoding

ABSTRACT

In a desire for automated collection control, archival repositories are adopting barcoding from their library and records center colleagues. This article discusses the planning, design, and implementation phases of barcoding. The authors focus on reasons for barcoding, security benefits, in-room circulation tracking, potential for gathering statistics, collection control, and timeline development. They discuss the implementation of one university's barcoding project, addressing issues involving database reports, physical barcoding issues, the problems encountered with different kinds of inaccuracies, and the pitfalls to avoid for a successful outcome.     

Acquisition and Management of Digital Content at the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress has been actively building digital content within its collection for some years now. This article addresses this digital collection building, covering both the technical means and the practical results. It discusses the underlying philosophies that are guiding the Library of Congress and identifies the areas in which the Library wishes to expand its operations along with the key questions it faces currently in meeting this goal. Finally, it seeks to share the lessons it has learned in the process.     

Building the College Library Collection to Support Curriculum Growth

Because the mission of smaller academic libraries serving fewer than 10,000 full-time enrolled students is mainly to serve the curriculum-based needs of students and faculty, collection management in these libraries needs to be directly related to changes in the curriculum of the parent institution. A look into applicable collection management literature, combined with one library's experience, offers insights about effective curriculum-based collection building in a smaller academic library setting. To achieve efficiency, collection managers must maintain up-to-date knowledge of changing instructional and research needs at their institutions, the needs new programs have for library materials, appropriate collection assessment tools, and the tasks involved in a focused expansion project. By optimizing consultations with faculty and evaluation procedures scaled to its needs, the library at North Georgia College & State University, a modestly sized academic institution, established a model for becoming an active participant in new course and program planning during the application stage, ensuring appropriate library support for new courses and programs of study.     

Bringing the Law to the Library: The Importance of Librarian Mediation in Access to Justice Services

Library access to justice programs and services help people who need legal information and who cannot afford an attorney. Librarian mediation is a critical component in the provision of access to justice services. However, the value of library mediation, or assistance with using library resources, is often unrecognized, particularly where members of the public are trying to access electronic legal information sources, online legal forms, and other law technologies. This article will explore the role of librarians in providing access to justice services from the perspective of the work of Richard Susskind, which emphasizes technological approaches to providing legal services. While there is a place for technology in access to justice services, there is also a valuable role that librarians play in contributing to access to justice.     

服务体现价值管理塑造形象——"十五"期间暨南大学图书馆工作回顾

文章介绍了暨南大学图书馆以人为本、读者满意与科学管理的基本办馆理念，总结了该馆“十五”期间在数字图书馆建设、文献资源建设、读者服务与管理机制等方面的改革举措及其取得的成效。     

Academic Engagement in the Library Commons

Abstract

Beginning in July 2002, the Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill underwent an 11 million dollar renovation. During three phases of the renovation, parts of the collection were inaccessible to patrons. In order to continue to make the library's collection available, library staff created a paging system. Patrons submitted requests for needed library materials using paper and electronic forms and library staff retrieved the requested items. The paging service was modified three times based on prior experience. Patrons were generally satisfied with the service. The renovation ended in December 2004.     

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.     

The heart of the matter: academic and public libraries adapt to pandemics through time and technology

Abstract

Delaney Daly is earning a Master of Library Science degree at the Texas Woman’s University School of Library and Information Studies. She will graduate in December of 2020 and works at Vail Public Library in Vail, Colorado.     

民国时期安徽地方文献的搜集、整理状况及其成就

民国时期,安徽的地方文献工作在艰难中起步,取得了较大的成就,不仅建立了省市县各级文献机构,还颁布了相应的法令、法规。与此同时,以安徽通志馆、安徽文献委员会以及安徽丛书编审会为代表的相关机构在地方文献的搜集与整理上开展了卓有成效的工作,意义重大,影响深远。     

Connected Learning in the Public Library: An Evaluative Framework for Developing Virtual Learning Spaces for Youth

This article presents an evaluative framework to aid public libraries in achieving a mission of providing informal learning opportunities through virtual spaces. Existing literature on assessments and evaluation is used to build the basic framework; the experiences of 21st Century Learning Labs in Libraries and Museum grant recipients are used to develop evaluative tools and examples for library practitioners to use in planning their own virtual spaces. This article serves as the first evaluative approach to the development of informal virtual learning spaces in public libraries.     

The Problem Patron and the Academic Library Web Site as Virtual Reference Desk

Summary

Emerging technologies continue to offer librarians new opportunities to improve user services. Comment and query links on some library web pages are absorbing a significant share of the customer service workload previously handled by traditional reference desks. Fa miliar types of patron problems of course continue to crop up at the “vir tual reference desk.” New and different aspects of patron problems also appear. Originating with the experiences of a research university li brary's web group in dealing with incoming user messages, this study examines the challenges as well as advantages of dealing with “problem patron” phenomena in a virtual environment.