Budget Planning and Performance Measures for Virtual Reference Services

Abstract

The Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, as a county government agency, is required to follow a specific budget planning process in order to obtain funding for library programs and services. One tool of this planning process-the “decision unit”-requires advanced planning and continued evaluation of potential and existing library services. Prior to receiving funds for any new service, performance measures must be established in order to measure the success of the service in relation to the public money invested. This article will look at the evaluation process built into the funding of the library's participation in a statewide virtual reference service and the implications for continuation and/or expansion of this service based on continued assessment.     

Diversity,inclusion & respect: Embedding Indigenous priorities in public library services

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the importance of diversity and inclusion in the design of public library services. Drawing on a case study from the State Library of New South Wales in Australia, the article will outline the focused action of developing an Indigenous Services Business Plan. The Plan promotes inclusion and diversity across the organization to progress Indigenous priorities as core business of the Library. By sharing information on the research and engagement process undertaken, the authors hope to provide a framework that could be utilized by other public libraries to build the inclusion of disadvantaged and diverse communities into the design of library services.     

St. Louis Public Library Employee Scholarship Program

ABSTRACT

The text of a successful employee scholarship program policy at the St. Louis Public Library is presented in this article. The policy covers rationale, application and renewal procedures, content and degrees covered, levels of financial support, approval and disapproval process, appeal procedure if application denied, work time and monetary repayment options, for single classes and associate's degrees along with Bachelor's and MLS degrees as well.     

The Changing Face of Distance Learning

Abstract

Change in distance learning is occurring at a rapid pace. As new technologies appear, institutions of higher education incorporate them into course delivery options. Library services must also change to meet new user needs. This article examines the process used to change a distance learning service model. After describing the strategies used by the author, a literature review analyzes the works that are especially relevant. Finally, a checklist for initiating change is provided to help others work through a similar process.     

Providing Leadership for Change in Distance Learning

Abstract

Change in distance learning is occurring at a rapid pace. As new technologies appear, institutions of higher education incorporate them into their course delivery options. Library services must also change to meet new user needs. This article examines the meanings of change and leadership within a distance-learning setting. After describing several strategies used by the author to lead change, the process is outlined in a checklist, with notes to especially relevant current literature. The checklist is intended to help others work through a similar process.     

Committing to Memory: A Project to Publish and Preserve California Local History Digital Resources

SUMMARY

This article highlights the LSTA-grant funded California Local History Digital Resources Project (LHDRP) as a case study of a collaborative statewide program involving three primary groups: cultural heritage institutions, grant funding agencies, and digital library service providers. It explores how the infrastructure of the California Digital Library (CDL) is utilized to preserve and promote public access to digitized local history collections, and discusses challenges and technical solutions to integrating heterogeneous resources into METS-based repositories. Project building blocks are also discussed, including digital object encoding and transmission tools, scanning services, metadata and imaging standards, and training programs.     

COLOR POEMS

ABSTRACT

The value, roles and responsibilities of public libraries have been articulated in a variety of ways, and today their exact nature continues to be subject to broad interpretation. This research approaches the subject from a historic perspective, using Ernestine Rose and her career at the New York Public Library to exemplify five propositions that lead to a value-centered understanding of public libraries as cultural institutions that engage considerable physical, economic, and moral resources to improve the social and intellectual capacity of their communities.     

LIS Training for Support Staff: An Initial Review of Associate's and Certificate Programs In The U.S.

ABSTRACT

The author presents the results of a review and analysis of thirty-five colleges and universities in the United States that currently offer an Associate's degree and/or vocational certificate(s) in Library and Information Science. These programs, which are geared primarily to existing library support staff who seek additional training, have been created independently of each other and without a national standard to guide the curriculum. Although the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association's Library Support Staff Certification offers guidelines for the educational content of Associate's level LIS programs, a comparison reveals significant gaps. Furthermore, the ALA-APA program currently approves courses at only three institutions in the nation, and certifies graduates from only fourteen. The author identifies areas of misalignment between the Library Support Staff Certification and existing LIS programs and suggests directions for future improvement.

Column Editor’s Note Community college libraries are deeply underrepresented in the professional literature and organizations of academic librarianship. As a result, the challenges and successes that take place in the community college world are largely invisible to others. This JLA column lifts the curtain to reveal the uniqueness of community college libraries as described by their most passionate advocates: the librarians who work there. Articles in this column pay tribute to the commitment and creativity of community college librarians by providing a platform where they can share their professional perspectives and stories. Want to write for this column? Interested authors are invited to submit articles to the editor at kimreed@cwidaho.cc.     

The Way We Work Now

Abstract

As the Government Printing Office completes its transition to an electronic distribution system for government information, reference services within the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) are changing as well. In addition to meeting new user needs and using new resources to do so, many government information librarians find themselves working in new environments within their libraries. Throughout the 1990s, many FDLP institutions reorganized reference services in order to provide government information assistance at the library's main reference service point. This article reports the results of a survey of FDLP institutions identifying the factors contributing to the reorganization of services, the process and success of reorganizing within these libraries, and the pros and cons of these service arrangements.     

Partly Cloudy With a Chance of Entertainment: An Academic Library's Experience With a Popular Reading Ebook Resource

ABSTRACT

Ebooks pose many challenges in library collection development, mostly due to the lack of standards and the many different platforms available. These challenges are faced by both public and academic libraries, but the challenges inherent in collecting popular reading ebooks can be different from the challenges that come with collecting scholarly ebooks. This article describes the purpose and processes behind an academic library, University of Wyoming Libraries, providing popular reading ebooks to its faculty and students, and focuses on the experience of being a 3M Cloud Library early adopter.     

From Ownership to Access

Summary

In 1992, Auraria Library fully embraced the idea that meeting user information needs is a collection development activity which should be funded from the materials budget whether accomplished by purchasing material for permanent retention or by acquiring one-time access for an individual user. This article discusses the restructuring of a traditional Interlibrary Loan Department into Information Delivery/Interlibrary Loan (ID/ILL) and its move to Collection Development Services. Because access to resources was funded from the learning materials budget along with ownership, it became necessary to rethink the Library's collection development philosophy. Implementation of the new philosophy required modification of collection building practices and the creation of aggressive information delivery programs.     

Book Reviews

This article is a presentation and analysis of the 2012 budget narrative of the King County (Washington) Library System, the winner of LJ/Cengage's 2011 Library of the Year Award. The author's narrative analyzes both the language and character of this important budget document, demonstrating its place in the appropriate library function of building its relationship with its various constituencies.     

A Review of “Facebook: The Missing Manual, 3rd ed.”

Abstract

This case study describes the process of proposing and implementing a wiki for use in an academic library setting, based on the process used by Iowa State University Library. Using the Iowa State University Library Wiki as a model, this article lays out the decisions necessary at each step of the process of establishing a new wiki. Control of potentially sensitive data and other security concerns led the Iowa State University Library to implement a PmWiki installation on its own server. This article provides helpful advice for any librarian who is thinking about implementing a wiki but unsure of where to start. As librarians everywhere discuss the potential of wikis and their potential pitfalls, this article offers an example of a successful project with an eye on what might have made it successful.     

Experience from the field: Programming in a joint-use partnership library

ABSTRACT

Librarians of the joint-use North Regional/Broward College (NR/BC) Library had sought opportunities to collaborate. Historically, challenges have arisen in programming for two distinct populations: seniors for the public library and the college library’s students. In recent years, the library successfully capitalized on organizational changes and nationwide attention to media literacy and social justice to create and deliver several well-received collaborations. This article describes the environment in which these initiatives developed and provides tips on collaborations in- and out-side joint-use libraries. This article also addresses the dearth of professional literature on programming advantages in joint-use libraries.     

Public Libraries by Design: Embracing Change at Low Cost

ABSTRACT. Creating new public programming that showcases new technology is an idea that has great appeal for most public libraries. This article summarizes ideas that emerged from a library planning charrette that was hosted by the Louisville Free Public Library, with the M.I.T. Design Laboratory facilitating. The article also suggests ways in which innovation and experimentation can be implemented at low cost within the bounds of an existing public library infrastructure. The use of open source Internet content resources is recommended as a source of inspiration.     

SACO: Past,Present, and Future

Abstract

This article discusses the history and development of the SACO (Subject Authority Cooperative) Program of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC). The current proposal process is examined. The University of California, Davis Library is presented as a participating institution, with some forward-looking utilization of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).     

The Coming of Full-Service Access

Summary

This paper provides criteria for document delivery vendor selection and substantive data to support an innovative realignment of budget allocations, staffing, and services to better meet the expectations and needs of the academic library user. A review of two projects incorporating document delivery into ready reference and acquisitions is followed by an extensive analysis of four major document delivery vendors as part of a research project funded by The University of Montana Faculty Grant Program and the Mansfield Library. Criteria to assess four commercial document delivery vendors are analyzed based on their use by faculty representing three academic departments. The findings of all three projects support the integration of document delivery services within a framework of integrated collection development, technical services and public services.     

Health Information Outreach: Experiences from the University of Zambia Medical Library

ABSTRACT

Access to health information for health workers in Zambia is limited and inadequate, especially to those health workers that are not affiliated with institutions such as the University of Zambia. In order to meet their information needs, it is important to devise and implement appropriate health information access methods. One such method is an Outreach Program. This article is an audit and a review of the health information outreach programs that the University of Zambia Medical Library has implemented over many years.     

The Difficult Patron Situation

Summary

Problem/difficult patron incidents that occur in libraries are on the rise. Library administrators and library employees have attempted to decrease the number of incidents by providing staff training and formulating policies and rules to control the situation. The purpose of this article is to share the proactive steps that the Education and Behavioral Sciences Library, Penn State University Libraries, took to prevent or decrease the incidences of difficult patrons as the library prepares to relocate. The focus was on assisting the frontline staff members, who work on the reference desk, to acquire the competencies they need to provide consistent quality reference services to patrons, and to reduce incidences of unsatisfied, difficult, and problem patrons.     

The Canadian Linked Data Initiative: Charting a Path to a Linked Data Future

ABSTRACT

This article is a preliminary report on the work of the Canadian Linked Data Initiative (CLDI), a collaboration between five of Canada’s largest research libraries, Library and Archives Canada, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, and Canadiana.org. Although still in its nascent stage, participating institutions are working together to advance the technical services divisions of our libraries in the area of linked data. Project working groups are making progress in five main areas: grant funding, digital collections, education and training, legacy metadata enhancement, and in the evaluation and adaptation of Bibliographic Framework Transition Initiative tools. By working across geographic and institutional boundaries, the CLDI aims to chart a path to a new age of technical services, one based on the foundation of Linked Open Data.