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Table of Contents Director's Summary The 2003-04 was a year of adjustment and refocusing on priorities. The adjustments were brought about by the loss of the administrative secretary position and the adjustments in staffing this presented. The librarians spent considerable time assessing the collection priorities so that we might best meet the information needs of students and faculty. The outcomes of this effort led to the following priorities, assessments and actions: 1. Downsizing of the Federal Depository Collection from 27% selection to 17% selection. 2. Review periodical subscriptions and drop subscriptions that would keep us within the available budget. 3. Set our highest priority to retain and add, where possible, databases, especially electronic databases with full and electronic journal subscriptions, to replace paper subscriptions. 4. Reduce support for the reference book collection for the present, so that more funds can be maintained for faculty to order books and non-print media. 5. Maintain faculty allocation for books and absorb the cuts for books within the library liaison allocations and the reference collection. 6. Continue with an active book and periodical collection weeding program in order gain shelving space where we need it the most (Stockwell 308 – Music and Art and 110 (LC classes M-N – Sciences, Mathematics, and technologies, LC classes Q-T and Mudd collections in oversize books and LC classes P - language and literature and H-K – social sciences and law). 7. Continue to support with library funds and staff participation the development of InMich into MelCat in Michigan so that we can provide another source for access to books for students and faculty through this patron initiated system that provides fairly fast delivery for requested items. 8. Strengthen our faculty liaison program to improve communications. Faculty need to be better informed about library services and resources, and librarians need to be better informed about the teaching, learning and research needs for information resource support. 9. Search for ways to improve the information literacy skills of our students through the curriculum. 10. Complete over the next two years the cataloging of all un-cataloged collections (Dewey literature, rare, and archives). 11. Continue to pursue collaborative agreements for discounts for products and services and seek cooperation with other colleges where we can share each others strengths in collections. For the fourth year in
a row, the library has not had an increase in its operating budget. This
flat budget has meant real cuts in
collection development funds. Additional cuts in periodical
subscriptions (2 titles in Chemistry for $6,287) and standing orders for
annuals and sets (23 titles for $3,399).
Fortunately, some of the periodical titles will still be available through
electronic subscription services like
Project Muse. The overall impact of these static budgets has been and
continues to be a decline of over $150,000 per year in our available
resources.
(2) provide the services needed to organize, provide access to, and teach the access and interpretation of information resources to our primary clientele, the students and faculty; (3) maintain and preserve information resources in appropriate formats to make them available for future generations of students and faculty for research and the support of teaching and learning. Space for collections
is a continuing concern. We need additional shelving or an appropriate
remote storage facility for older, less-used collections and archival
materials.
Several areas of the book stacks are at capacity now and, without
additional shelving, we may have to resort to stacking books on the floor. Print
materials still form a core of our resources and will do so for many years
to come. The new book titles and paper journals we receive are only
available in this format. There is not an alternative electronic text
available. While we have wholeheartedly adopted new electronic
technologies, this format has not replaced the need for print books and
journals; nor has the shift to electronic text resulted in time saving for the staff. New technologies have simply added to the workload
and responsibilities - requiring continuous management and maintenance to
provide "24/7" access, and continuous education to learn new skills as
technologies and users alike adapt and evolve.
Public Services Reference Reference is primarily defined as one-on-one assistance to anyone who contacts the library (via a visit, telephone call, or e-mail), requesting aid in locating information. It is a front line service that requires special knowledge of the library's available resources and how to use and find them. During 2003-2004 we have again carefully reviewed all of our online database subscriptions in response to Library budget cuts and due to the loss of a number of databases that were cut from statewide purchases (Michigan Electronic Library). We will continue to monitor costs and usage of these resources very closely, as they continue to grow in importance and as their share of the library budget grows. Goals
The services included here are bibliographic instruction, research guides for bibliographic support of academic departments and courses, brown bag seminars that provide updates on resources, research strategies, and other services as requested. An ongoing concern is to find a way to reach all First Year Seminars with library instruction. During 2003-2004 librarians taught approximately seventy library instruction classes. We also were involved in a presentation to faculty about how to work with students to avoid plagiarism, and we continue to provide instruction on EndNote software for both students and faculty. Circulation Services include the basics: Materials check out and course reserves. The wireless laptops continue to be very popular with students, especially with the addition this year of laptops that circulate outside of the library. The laptops will be upgraded over the summer, and four new laptops will be added to the checkout pool. As this service continues to grow, workspace and a redesign of the Circulation Services area becomes more important. For more information about the design and function of Circulation Services, please go to http://www.albion.edu/library/annual_report/CircServices.htm. A Comparison of Circulation Statistics
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Document Delivery The interlibrary loan service obtains materials not owned by the Albion College Library for Albion College students, faculty and staff. This service provides photocopies of articles from journals and newspapers in a timely manner. Books, dissertations, microforms, videos and other materials are borrowed from another library and loaned to the requester for a period of time determined by the lending library. The interlibrary loan department also supplies our materials to other libraries for their patrons. Copies of materials obtained through interlibrary loan are supplied in accordance with copyright law.
Document Delivery Goals InMich is an innovative document delivery program involving a number of Michigan libraries that have merged their holdings into a single online database that can be searched from any of the libraries’ online catalogs. Albion College students, faculty, and staff can directly request books and other materials from the other libraries in the group, without going through traditional interlibrary loan and can have the materials delivered to the Albion College Library. At this time, journal articles cannot be requested through InMich. A Comparison of ILL and InMich Statistics (Link to graphical analysis.)
* No statistics for May /June 2004For more information on how the interlibrary loan process works, or how the growth of InMich has affected interlibrary loan, please see http://www.albion.edu/library/annual_report/ILLInMich.htm. Library SystemsThe Library system is due for hardware replacement. We have begun the process of seeking approval for this necessary upgrade. Mike Van Houten continues to serve on the Database Evaluation Committee for the Michigan Electronic Library, and was appointed to the Michigan Library Consortium Reference Advisory Board. Mike continues to chair the Elkin Isaac Student Research Symposium Committee. He also serves as Faculty Athletics Representative, is convener for the Sexual Harassment Grievance Committee, and serves on the First Year Seminar Committee, ACTAG, FURSCA Advisory Board, Campus Disability Coordinating Committee, and is chair of the Student Life Advisory Committee. Allie Moore is a member of the Sexual Harassment Grievance Committee, as well as the College Judicial Board. For additional information on Allie's activities, please go to http://www.albion.edu/library/annual_report/DALib.htm. Community ActivitiesJohn Kondelik and Mike Van Houten were founding members of the “Getting on the Samepage” Committee, which established a common-reading program for the city of Albion in 2003. This program has already been quite successful, and we hope to see it continue to grow in the future. We plan on reading the same book as that chosen for the College common-reading experience each fall and will, when appropriate, choose books relevant to the keynote speakers who come to campus for the Elkin Isaac Symposium each spring. Mike is also chair of the Albion Trails Committee, which is working to develop multi-use recreational trails in and near Albion. Mike has been appointed to the Calhoun County Linear Trailway Planning Committee as well, and the Southwest Michigan Alliance for Recreational Trails.
Technical Services
Acquisitions
This unit of the library orders, receives and pays for
materials that will go into the library's collections. Acquisitions also
maintains records for the standing order titles the library receives,
performs the initial processing of all monographic gift materials, and
monitors the entire library budget.
This unit of the library produces bibliographic and item
records for the library's online catalog. These records are produced for
all formats of materials. This unit also makes all materials in the
library's collections
ready for shelving.
Our Dewey reclassification project has also made substantial progress. Most of what remains is foreign literature, which we hope to finish up over the next year.
Mary Koch, our OCLC Copy Cataloger has begun to tackle a large backlog of Michigan quadrangle maps from our GPO Depository program. This project will continue for at least two more years.
To understand more about the function of the
Technical Services Unit, please go to
http://www.albion.edu/library/annual_report/TechServices.htm.
This function involves the careful selection of library
materials that will support the mission, curriculum and co-curricular programs of the College. Claudia Diaz was Special Events Coordinator for the
Michigan Library Association's 2004 Annual Conference;
a member of the
Committee on Organization,
Michigan
Library Association; Academic Library Representative to the
LSTA Advisory Council for the
State of
Michigan; elected as the Academic Institutional Representative to
the Executive Board of the
Michigan Library Association; attended the Annual Conference of the Michigan Library
Association;
attended the annual
Innovative Users Group meeting in
Boston, MA.
The U.S. Federal Documents staff is responsible for selecting depository series that provide appropriate resources for both the Albion College community and the Michigan Seventh Congressional District, for processing tangible publications as they are received from the government, and for establishing and maintaining links to federal electronic resources. The department maintains the tangible collections and follows Federal Depository Library Program guidelines and regulations. The librarian provides specialized library instruction and reference assistance. During the past year, we processed 3,518 new tangible items (compared to 4,683 last year) and withdrew 7,221 items. We were able to withdraw a large number of microfiche when they become available electronically on GPO ACCESS. This change in federal policy is part of the governmental transition to a more electronic depository program. 85% percent of the 6,592 bibliographic records we received this year include electronic links; many of the records are for electronic-only publications. Last year only 56% of the records had electronic links. Marcive shipping lists and bibliographic records continue to be an excellent and cost effective way to catalog depository receipts. The inventory of our depository collection was completed this year, and, during the additional month my position was funded, I did a complete re-evaluation of our depository selections, reducing our selection rate from 37% to 17%. Despite the reduction in the tangible collection, the workload for electronic publications has increased during the transition to an electronic program. In addition, the staff time Peggy Vogt has available to work on documents has decreased, as she has taken on secretarial responsibilities and, despite her abilities to organize time well, she does not have enough time to complete the documents work. The large sheet map cabinets have been moved to a more convenient location, and we have begun cataloging the most popular map series, making them more readily accessible to patrons. Goals
The Wallaceburg bindery provides good quality workmanship on a timely schedule and at a competitive rate. The LARS bindery software they provide for us is an industry standard. The Periodicals Department works with faculty and other librarians to select the periodical publications in print, electronic and microphotographic formats that best support learning, teaching and research at Albion College. The department is responsible for processing these serials, managing bindery procedures and maintaining the collections. The librarian is responsible for selection and ordering of materials, managing budgets and licensing agreements and establishing links for electronic periodicals. For more information on journal evaluation, please go to http://www.albion.edu/library/annual_report/journaleval.htm. The cancellation project initiated in 2003 took effect this fiscal year. 48 journals were cancelled for a savings of $28,469 (see list of titles and associated costs). Seventeen of those journals continue to be available to us electronically through Project Muse or BioOne. Next year, we will cancel titles that become available through Project Muse or BioOne, and we plan to cancel two particularly expensive chemistry journals for a savings of $6,287. The latter is possible because the American Chemical Society has modified the accreditation guidelines. The process for determining which journals will have to be cancelled, is illustrated at http://www.albion.edu/library/annual_report/cancelhandout2.htm. Because of consortial discount pricing we have been able to add full text access to the Oxford University Press electronic collection of 156 journals, and we have added two new electronic JSTOR Arts-and-Sciences collections. Maintaining access to electronic periodicals takes more time every year. Librarians from Albion, Kalamazoo and Hope colleges continue to expand their cooperative retention project, freeing two of the three libraries from maintaining print holdings for periodicals that are available electronically. Goals
Campus Committees
Within the library, Carolyn has worked on special committees to update the Library Emergency Manual and to reorganize technical services.
Professional Meetings
Special Collections Pr
The purpose of the College Rare Books & Manuscripts collection is to properly preserve and make accessible Library materials that are unique, rare, valuable or fragile that fit into the designated collecting areas of the Unit or that have been accessioned through consultation with the Library Director, Special Collections Librarian, and the Assistant Library Director/Head of Technical Services. The College Archives serves as the institutional memory for the College. The mission of the Archives is to assist the administration of the College in determining what essential evidence is necessary in order to accurately and completely document the institution as a whole. The College Archives ensures that the College is creating and preserving such evidence and that such evidence is retained in adequate facilities and made accessible to users. The Archives also supports and encourages the teaching goals of the institution through enhancing the curriculum where appropriate and supporting the research of faculty, students, and scholars. The role of the Commission on Archives & History is defined by the mission of the General Commission on Archives & History, which is authorized by the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2000 (¶ 1703) "...to promote and care for the historical interests of the United Methodist Church...gather, preserve, hold title to library and archival materials, and...disseminate interpretive materials on the history of the United Methodist Church...It shall maintain archives and libraries in which shall be preserved historical records and materials of every kind relating to the [UMC]...[and] provide guidance for the proper creation, maintenance, and disposition of documentary record material at all levels of the United Methodist Church." For a pictorial analysis of the structure and general activities of Special Collections, please go to http://www.albion.edu/library/annual_report/SCPyramid.htm. Activities
Problems & Concerns
Goals
Library
Committees Other
Assessment Prepared by John P. Kondelik, Cheryl Blackwell Section 1: Learning
Goals Learning Goals
Quantitative Measures and/or Qualitative
Indicators Summary of Evidence Collected In Question 9, the students reported that, for the most part, they were using journals and books to write their papers. This is not surprising since most faculty establish criteria: 4 journals, 3 books, etc. for most papers. There may be another factor at work, too, however. Question 5 showed a 20% increase in the number of students who believe that journals and books are, generally speaking, more reliable than the sources found on the Internet. Even though students may be using journals as their main source of information, many students are not taking the next step to use subject databases that index journals in disciplines in a more complete fashion. Part of our students' reluctance to use these subject databases is that they usually do not provide full-text access to many of the journals. This would explain why databases that are entirely full-text, like J-STOR and Wilson-Select Plus, are so heavily used. By comparing first year scores (Pre-Test) with senior scores (Post-Test), we detected that the students' library skills had improved somewhat but that there was still room for improvement. Although far from perfect, the Pre- and Post-Test instruments allowed us to do several things. First, the Pre-Test makes it easier to identify and categorize the library skills of our first year students. We are able to ascertain what skills were adequate and what skills needed improvement. Using this information, librarians were able to fine-tune their instruction and create more targeted and effective library education sessions. For example, the Pre-Test results indicated that most students understood call numbers, so we reduced the amount of time we spent in a library session talking about call numbers. Instead, since most students do not use journals in high school, and it is the source of choice for most faculty, we spent extra time discussing the characteristics of journals, etc. Some academic departments appear to make better use of the resources provided by the library, notably Biology, Chemistry and Psychology. Other departments, especially History and Music, may not be introducing their students to appropriate subject databases. This is an issue we hope to address through our departmental library liaison program. The librarians are currently reviewing their departmental library liaison program. Collection development is a key piece of that program. The library's tight budget demands that we make every effort to carefully consider our expenditures. Reference sources, especially electronic databases, are very expensive. Reviewing reference sources with departments will help keep the library up-to-date on the resources and databases faculty are asking their students to use to write their papers. We are also planning to "reintroduce" our library instruction program to the departments. Providing library instruction that is designed for the specific research needs of individual courses is one of the most effective ways for the library to enhance the library skills of students and faculty. Although a far from perfect situation, we will continue to ask our incoming students to complete a library skills questionnaire during Orientation Weekend. Over the past several years, based on some of the results of the surveys, we have made changes to our instruction sessions for first year seminars and English 101 classes. We will also continue to revise the questionnaire so that it reflects the changing world of information retrieval and provides us with relevant data. For instance, we recently added a question about the issue of plagiarism. We have been disappointed that year after year, despite our best efforts, we provide library instruction to only 35-37% of the first year seminars. In hopes of "leading by example," John Kondelik and Cheryl Blackwell will be team-teaching a first year seminar in Fall 2004. Specifically, we are planning to showcase processes, techniques, and assignments that will improve our students' library and research skills. Since most of the techniques and processes are easy to adapt and make course-specific, we hope that other first year seminar faculty will take note and decide to strengthen the library component of their seminars. |
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Stockwell-Mudd Libraries, Albion College, 611 E.
Porter Street, Albion, MI 49224 |
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Albion College ◦ Albion, Michigan
◦ 517/629-1000
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