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Chapter 5: Conclusion
No full textAs library technologists and librarians are well aware, since the advent of the Internet, the relationship between the user and his/her library has changed. In a world of quick-and-easy search engines and of online social networks—in which information gets shared at an astonishingly rapid rate—information retrieval and aggregation are no longer the purview of the library institution alone. “[N]ow that I am a library administrator dealing with staffing and budget issues on a daily basis,” states Dr. Brad Eden, in the “Introduction” to the sixth issue of
Library Technology Reports
in 2007, “it has become quite clear that the way libraries do business just isn't working.” Eden, who early in his library career worked as a cataloger, is now the Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and Scholarly Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Also in his “Introduction,” Eden chronicles, through his own career, how the library institution and its role have changed and continue to change in the Information Age. In addition, he asserts, “So, going beyond the arguments about whether the library catalog is important or of value (it is), and going beyond the arguments about whether structured metadata, in MARC or something else, is important and of value (it definitely is), the reality is that libraries have limited resources to compete and position ourselves in the new information universe. We have gone from a monopoly, which could impose whatever rules and software and search strategies that we wanted on our users, to a bit player in market overflowing with technological gadgets, tools, and algorithms that capture the attention of the public and leave libraries with but a slim slice of the information pie, all in the space of approximately 15 years.” Thus, Eden tackles the important topic of “Information Organization Future for Libraries” in this final issue of
Library Technology Reports
in volume 43. In this issue, Eden focuses “not only on current initiatives around ‘reinventing’ the OPAC and all of its attendant possibilities (provided in the context of economic realities),” but, in the report, Eden also looks at “opportunities to get away from the OPAC and focus resources on new areas, such as 3D information visualization, mass digitization, Library 2.0, and metadata related to digital resources.” In this issue of
Library Technology Reports
, you'll find:
Brad Eden is Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and Scholarly Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Previous positions include Head, Web and Digitization Services, for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries; Head, Bibliographic and Metadata Services, for the UNLV Libraries; as well as Coordinator of Technical Services for the North Harris Montgomery Community College District. He is editor of
OCLC Systems & Services: Digital Library Perspectives International
and
The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances
, is associate editor of
Library Hi Tech
and
The Journal of Film Music
, and is series editor of the Routledge Music Bibliographies. He has master's and Ph.D. degrees in musicology, as well as an MS in library science. He publishes in the areas of metadata, librarianship, medieval music and liturgy, and J. R. R. Tolkien. He recently edited
Innovative Redesign and Reorganization of Library Technical Services: Paths for the Future and Case Studies
(Libraries Unlimited, 2004) and is the author of five previous issues of
Library Technology Reports
, including “Metadata and Its Applications” (ALA TechSource, 2002), “3D Visualization Techniques” (ALA TechSource, 2005), “Innovative Digital Projects in the Humanities” (ALA TechSource, 2005), “Metadata and Its Applications: New Directions and Updates” (ALA TechSource, 2005), and “FRBR: Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records” (ALA TechSource, 2006)
Surveying the Stacks: Collecting Data and Analyzing Results with SPSS
No full textIn fall 2002, the University of Tennessee Preservation Office conducted a condition survey of circulating materials in the school’s John C. Hodges main library. The objective of the collection condition survey was to evaluate the physical condition of the collection and the effect of human and environmental factors in order to develop a long-range preservation plan. The project used a random sampling method, and a database and online survey form created with SPSS software. The results of the survey contribute an understanding of the national preservation picture. Locally, the results indicate action should be taken in several areas, including environmental conditions, staff and patron education, and reformatting. Other libraries in the early stages of establishing a preservation program can employ the techniques used in Hodges Library to develop their own preservation plans
Editorial
No full textLibrary Resources Technical Services is a stellar publication because of our contributing authors, the LRTS Editorial Board, and a group of dedicated reviewers. The Editorial Board is listed in each issue, but I would like to give special thanks to Stanley Wilder and Marty Kurth, who left the board in June 2004.Reviewers, some of whom are or have been board members, do their work anonymously in a blind review process. Without their careful and thoughtful reading of submissions, this journal could not exist. I would like to acknowledge their contributions by listing those who reviewed papers in 2003 and 2004
Criteria for Replacing Print Journals with Online Journal Resources: The Importance of Sustainable Access
No full textLong-term sustainability should be a primary concern of librarians deciding whether to replace print subscriptions with online journal resources. This article describes the six criteria used at St. Lawrence University to determine whether particular online resources can be regarded as acceptable substitutes for print. Three conventional criteria—completeness, timeliness, and reliability—are supplemented by three others that focus on the legal, economic, and organizational components of sustainable access. Together, these six criteria can be used to draw an important distinction between permanent subscriptions and supplementary resources. Although the replacement of print subscriptions with nonsustainable resources can sometimes reduce short-term costs, it also increases long-term risk by making sustainability of access contingent on sustainability of payments
Association for Library Collections & Technical Services Annual Report 2003–2004
No full textAs articulated in its Strategic Plan for 2001–2005, the mission of the Association for Library Collections Technical Services (ALCTS) is to provide leadership to the library and information communities in developing principles, standards, and best practices for creating, collecting, organizing, delivering, and preserving information resources in all forms. ALCTS strives to provide this leadership through its members by fostering educational, research, and professional service opportunities. Of the many objectives included in the ALCTS Strategic Plan, the division focused on three during 2003–2004: organization; publication; and education
A Circulation Analysis of Print Books and E-Books in an Academic Research Library
No full textIn order for collection development librarians to justify the adoption of electronic books (e-books), they need to determine if e-books satisfy the information needs of patrons. One method to determine this is to measure e-book usage. This study compared the usage of 7,880 titles that were available in both print and e-book format at the Duke University Libraries. Although the results of this study cannot be generalized, it does provide information on the use of e-books in one academic research library and implications for e-book collection development
Identifying the Serial Work As a Bibliographic Entity
No full textA solid theoretical foundation has been built over the years exploring the bibliographic work and developing cataloging rules and practices to describe the work in the traditional catalog. With the increasing prevalence of multiple manifestations of serial titles, as well as tools that automate discovery and retrieval, bibliographic control of serials at a higher level of abstraction is more necessary than ever before. At the same time, models such as the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records offer new opportunities to control all bibliographic entities at this higher level and build more useful catalog displays. The bibliographic mechanisms that control the work for monographs—author, title, and uniform title—are weak identifiers for serials. New identifiers being adopted by the content industry are built on models and practices that are fundamentally different from those underlying the new bibliographic models. What is needed is a work identifier for serials that is both congruent with the new models and can enable us to meet the objective of providing work-level access to all resources in our catalogs
Collection Development Embraces the Digital Age: A Review of the Literature, 1997–2003
No full textCollection development and management literature of the past seven years reveals distinct trends among issues, philosophy, and practice. Digital age themes reflect the increasingly networked nature of the profession, with new attention focused on scholarly communications and publishing, digital collection building, consortial collaboration, and quantitative assessment. Some issues that dominated the library literature a few years ago, such as access versus ownership and organizational structure, have been eclipsed by other challenges, such as the serials crisis, finance and budgeting, and licensing. Neither solved nor forgotten, they have taken backstage to trendier subjects. Publications on organization, training, professional development, management of print collections, and subject-oriented collection development from 1997 through 2003 generally indicate reliance on traditional skills and knowledge even though practitioners are applying practical approaches to new formats and types of media. More theoretical commentary on fundamental changes emanating from an increasingly networked environment comes from authors who explore the implications of collection building in the digital age and challenge readers to imagine a vastly different future for collection development practice