Stewart Library - Weber State University |
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STEWART
LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT : 2001/02
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This past year was a very special one for the Stewart Library. The colorful 2002 Winter Olympics banners and displays made the building seem especially festive and gave us all a sense of participating in a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Several library faculty and staff were Olympic volunteers, nearly everyone attended some of the events, and we were pleasantly surprised by the number of students who used the library during the February break.
The library ' s instruction program was acknowledged nationally this Spring when it was selected by the Association of College and Research Libraries as one of the top ten programs that model best practices in information literacy programming for undergraduates. Carol Hansen, Shaun Adamson, Fran Zedney, David Eisler, and Catherine Zublin represented WSU at the Association of College and Research Libraries Invitational Conference on Best Practices in Information Literacy Programming in Atlanta in June.
In October, the library and nearly 300 guests celebrated the opening of the Utah Construction/Utah International Collection with a two-day symposium. The symposium featured an exhibit comprised of nearly 95 photographs from the UC/UI Collection, a reception, and a lecture by Robert Gottlieb, noted author and the Henry R. Luce Professor of Urban Studies at Occidental College, Los Angeles. The online version of the photographic exhibit is available on the library ' s website (library.weber.edu/ucc). Once again, this was a year filled with opportunities - opportunities to enhance the collection, improve and expand services, upgrade technology, and increase private gifts. Over 17,000 volumes, 1006 videos, and 323 CD ' s were added to the onsite collection. More than 7100 individuals received instruction on using library and information resources. Computers in the public areas were upgraded and remote access to electronic resources was improved. Visitor A on the library's website averaged nearly 25,000 per month and the off-campus use of our electronic resources continued to increase. Nearly 900 gifts totaling $571,840 were received.
Service enhancements during the past year included:
The intent of the following Report is to 1) summarize what was accomplished during the past year and what we hope to achieve during the coming year, 2) discuss our assessment efforts and the changes resulting from them and, 3) identify areas needing improvement.
The mission of the Stewart Library is to support the instructional, scholarship, and community service mission of the University through the development of on-site collections, access to off-site resources, personalized assistance in the use of library and information resources, and instruction on research strategies and tools.
Systematically assessing the services we provide and the relevancy and use of the collections is a library-wide priority.
Ongoing, primary goals:
Additional goals for 2002/03 :
Departmental goals congruent with the library's mission and the goals stated above are also established each year and are included in the Library Services section of the Report. II. UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES and SERVICES
The table below illustrates the use of on site and online library resources and services. Utilization of Resources and Services
* Decreases reflect the University's change from quarters to semesters in 1998/99.**Figure is for Spring semester 2001 only, earlier figures not available.
As indicated in the table, there was a significant increase in the number of visitors to the library ' s website and in the use of the EReserve System. The relatively small 1.8% decline in circulation results from a decrease in the use of printed journals, which follows a national trend and confirms that students prefer to use ejournals when given a choice. Contrary to what other academic libraries in the State are experiencing, the use of the book collection remained stable. While " user assistance" types of questions answered at the various service desks decreased only slightly this last year, the number of reference/research questions answered showed an overall decline of 20%, attributable, in part, to an easier, more stable method of remote access. Slightly fewer classes were taught due to the resignation of one faculty member, the sabbatical of another, and the Olympic break. Enrollment in the Internet Navigator class more than doubled, increasing from 523 students in 2000/01 to 1173. Interlibrary lending requests increased by 12%, reflecting the excellent service the library provides and the improvements that have been made to the collection. The library receives operating funds from three sources:
*For information resourcesE&G Ongoing E&G monies to support library resources, services, and staffing increased from $2,185,955 in 1994/95 to $3,127,989 in 2001/02, a 43% increase. UALC Ongoing funds of $220,606 were received from UALC, and increase of $37,606 over the previous year. An additional one-time allocation of $27,500 was provided for the acquisition of monographs. GIFTS Private gifts are an increasingly significant source of funding for the library without which many of the improvements made to the collection, library technology, and the building would not have been possible. Since 1994/95, the library has received $2,985,178 in private gifts. The $571,840 received this past year includes $400,000 from the Stewart Education Foundation, $200,000 of which, while received this year, should be considered the Foundation ' s gift to the library for 2002/03. Significant gifts received in 2001/02 included: the Stewart Education Foundation/Stewart Trust ($ 463,637); the Powell Foundation ($10,000); the Waterstradt Endowment ($12,000); and the Celebrate Shakespeare! Endowment ($10,000) Additionally, more than $18,000 in cash gifts and $51,142 in gifts-in-kind were received from members of the Friends of the Stewart Library. The library's fund raising efforts are supported by its faculty and staff. During the past year 75% of the faculty and 62% of the staff donated to the library. We hope to increase that by 10% before the end of next year.
As illustrated in the table, the total library budget from all three sources has increased substantially, rising from $2,296,224 in 1994/95 to $3,947,935 in 2001/02, an overall increase of 71%.
A number of personnel changes occurred during the past year. We welcome those who have joined us and are sorry when people leave.
New arrivals : Mariella Bagley - Books/Serials Processor/Cataloging Assistant JaNae Kinikin - Physical & Applied Sciences Librarian Diana McDowell - Media/Reserve Evening/Weekend Supervisor Max Greenland - Web Support Assistant Retirements and Resignations : Debra Hunt, Media/Reserve Services Coordinator Jill Newby, Science Librarian Reassignments: Sarah Langsdon (from Special Collections & Archives Processor to Manuscripts Coordinator) Andrea Neal (from Reserve Supervisor to Media/Reserve Services Coordinator) Carl Olsen (from Media/Reserve Evening/Weekend Supervisor to Reserve Supervisor)
Tenured : No one was reviewed for tenure in 2001/02. At the end of the 2001/02 year the library had 43.45 FTE positions.
V. LIBRARY COLLECTIONS: IMPROVEMENTS & RELEVANCY (Collection Management) An ongoing, primary goal for the library is to provide the information resources needed to support the instructional and scholarship mission of the university. How well this goal is met is determined by a number of factors including collection size and growth rate, relevancy of the collection to the institution's instructional programs, currency of resources, and user perceptions of the resources available. Library Holdings
* Includes books, bound periodicals and bound Government Documents.** Based on a physical count of the collection completed 11/95.*** Based on data provided by the Utah Academic Library Consortium. Figures listed are system wide totals representing the sum total of electronic books, indices, and journals to which each UALC library has access.
Using a combination of E&G, UALC, and gift funds, the size of the print and video collection increased substantially again this past year. The number of electronic resources available to students and faculty at all Utah institutions of higher education continues to expand, as does the number of e-resources added by individual libraries. The library increased its electronic subscriptions by approximately 200 titles and continues to consult with faculty in canceling subscriptions to additional print journals and reference sources as titles become available online. To ensure that the resources added to the collection are relevant to curricular needs, subject bibliographers continue to expand their liaison efforts, meeting with faculty in each of the colleges during the past year. As a result of bibliographer/faculty collaboration, the collection is increasingly more focused and relevant to the curriculum. Based on the results of various user satisfaction surveys and ongoing assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the electronic, print, and video collections, we believe good progress is being made in improving the quality and relevancy of the collection. We also believe providing subject specific instruction to inform students and faculty of library resources available in their areas of interest is essential if those resources are to be used. During the past year, 159 subject specific instruction A were taught at the request of faculty in 34 different academic departments. The library's commitment to subject specific instruction is evidenced by a 124% increase in the number of A offered over the past seven years - rising from 71 A in 1994/95 to 159 A in 2001/02. We expect to continue an annual growth rate of approximately 10% for the next several years. Collection Management Goals for 2002/03 :
VI. LIBRARY SERVICES The following section of the Report briefly describes the accomplishments of library departments during the past year and lists departmental goals for the coming year.
* * * * * * * * * ARCHIVES and SPECIAL COLLECTIONS The past year was another significant one for both departments. The Utah Construction/Utah International symposium in October was very well-attended and successful, and sets a pattern for future related activities. Personnel in Archives and Special Collections worked closely with the Public Outreach Coordinator and the University Librarian ' s office in this activity. Additionally, during the past year, the number of researchers using both departments increased, as did the number of research and reference requests, which appears to be an ongoing trend for both areas. While much of our activity this past year revolved around the Utah Construction/Utah International Collection, we have not lost sight of our responsibility as a center for the study of local history and have added numerous printed and manuscript materials that enhance this central role. A number of important collections were received during the year. Among these are speeches of Edmund Wattis Littlefield, records of the GE/Utah International merger, the Fred Kotter papers, records of the Kaysville and Ogden AAUW, and the papers of Dr. George Fister. Eleven large and forty small collections were processed including the previously mentioned Littlefield and GE/Utah International merger collections, as well as the Knudsen Brother Collection and the Kerr Family papers. Special Collections added 156 linear feet; 215 linear feet were added in Archives. Gifts-in-kind continue to be important
in enhancing both the general collection and Special Collections.
Gifts-in-kind were received from 144 donors with a reported value
of more than $51,000. A total of 4796 books, 274 audio recordings,
and 124 videos/DVDs were received; 1757 items were added to the
collections, the remainder were sold at the annual Friends of the
Library booksale. Money raised at the booksale is used to purchase
library information resources. Events and outreach activities continue to increase. During the past year, 43 events were held in Special Collections with an attendance of approximately 4000. These included Friends of the Stewart Library events as well as programs co-sponsored with the Honors, History, and English departments, Women ' s Studies, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the National Undergraduate Literature Conference. Outreach activities included involvement with the Dale Bryner retrospective held at the Eccles Art center, support for the AAUW Utah Women Artists exhibit, and the Holy Trinity Abbey photographic exhibit. All of the goals listed in last year's Annual Report were met. Archives/Special Collections Goals for 2002/03 :
* * * * * * * * * BIBLIOGRAPHIC SERVICES - (Cataloging, Acquisitions, Processing) Once again this year, Bibliographic Services had an extremely productive year, cataloging and processing over 17,000 new volumes, more than 1,000 new videos, and over 300 new CDs. Because of the efficiency and productivity of the cataloging staff, the vacant cataloger ' s position has not been filled. Subject bibliographers are happy with the improvements in the ordering process whereby all requests are thoroughly checked against the online catalog and ordered within one week. On average, new resources are cataloged, processed and available to patrons within three weeks of receipt. Due to our group of dedicated and hard-working students, journal, newspaper, and government publications check-in, preparation for binding, and plastic covering of paperbacks have shown significant improvement. The department finished during the year
a number of time-consuming projects on which it had been working,
including bar-coding and linking of microforms, transfer of the
Master ' s Project collection from the Education Department to the
library, cleaned from the database all records indicating A checked
out by Cataloging Department, '' and canceled or reordered all items
which were not received from the vendor within a reasonable time
period. Additional projects worked on included cataloging of electronic
resources purchased either by UALC or the library, cataloging of
materials from Hill Field Air Force Base, and copy or original cataloging
of Chinese films purchased recently. Departmental goals for the previous year were met. Bibliographic Services Goals for 2002/03 :
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The diligent work of the Instruction Team was recognized this past year when our instruction program was selected by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) as one of the top ten programs that model best practices in information literacy programming for undergraduates. Carol Hansen, David Eisler, Catherine Zublin, Shaun Adamson, and Fran Zedney participated in an invitational conference on information literacy hosted by ACRL in Atlanta in June, 2002. To better meet the needs of our students and the new ACRL national standards and guidelines, the instruction team reframed itself as an information literacy program. Henceforth, the activities of the team will be guided by the sustaining outcome of providing a comprehensive instruction program that includes for credit, online and on demand instruction in order to graduate students with information literacy competencies. The team reframed its mission statement for the information literacy program, reviewed and revised program goals and objectives, developed documents describing the program and charting its evolution, and placed teaching schedules and instruction data by departments on the web. A diagram of the information literacy program and our partners was developed and syllabi for each credit course have been put on the web by teaching faculty. Subject bibliographers also developed and updated many new and existing research guides to enhance subject specific instruction. The Internet Navigator class continues to be revised and improved with the addition of more assignments requiring student reflection, improvements in the course assignments, and the correction of keyboarding errors. Assessment plans for each type of instruction provided by the library were completed this year and a new and much improved information literacy competency exam was developed and implemented with assistance from the Telecommunications and Business Education Department. Data collected by the TBE Department shows that since its inception in 1999, of the 1119 students who registered for the exam, 758 (70%) received credit; 330 (30%) did not. It is likely the number of students not receiving credit will increase with the change to the more demanding new exam.
Information Literacy Competency Exam Data
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