Showing papers in "Technical Services Quarterly in 1997"

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research Datasets

Abstract: Computer datasets compiled by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) provide a wealth of information for social and political science researchers. Unfortunately, their electronic format presents a troublesome access issue for libraries who choose to collect these unique resources. At the University of Akron, the Library and the Computer Center worked together to alleviate access problems. Guidelines were developed to facilitate the acquisition, cataloging, processing and retrieval of ICPSR resources.

Thinking Professionals: Teaching Critical Cataloguing

Abstract: Cataloguing education has been the focus of definition and debate for over a century. Moving beyond cataloguing theory and the creation of records, to the management and process of producing catalogues, increases the complexity of demands placed on professionals and educators. As this article will argue, graduates need to understand their catalogues and integrated systems holisti-cally. This requires a knowledge of each element, of standards governing the creation and maintenance of records, and of the relationship between the record and the catalogue and/or its constituent network. Moreover, the professional must know these things critically, and beyond mere acceptance of standards, so that the catalogue can effectively perform its mediating function between the collection and users.

A Model Curriculum for Cataloging Education

Abstract: The theory versus practice issue in library and information science education in general and in cataloging education in particular has long been debated. This may be due in part to the fact that library and information science is a practicing profession. Decreasing budgets, dependence on technology, the availability of bibliographic utilities, and the outsourcing of cataloging may contribute to the debate and concern associated with cataloging education. A new Library and Information Services Program at University College of the University of Denver was designed to incorporate the research and scholarly thought and the practice of the library and information science discipline with other related disciplines. The cataloging component developed for the program utilizes active learning techniques supplemented by a theoretical core.

The Importance of Subject Analysis in Library and Information Science Education

Abstract: This article discusses the nature and importance of subject analysis and subject authority control in the retrieval tools used in libraries and information centers. Included in the discussion are the requirements for effective subject retrieval from OPACS, bibliographic databases, full text systems and the Internet. It attempts to project the nature of subject analysis systems requirements into the future and to draw some conclusions about what new information professionals should be taught, and what skills they need to acquire to develop and operate subject analysis systems into the next century. Finally, it challenges information professionals to seize the opportunity and to take responsibility for subject analysis in retrieval of information now and into the future.

Using Library Skills Sets to Design a Staff Development Program

Abstract: The objective of developing a tailored staff development program was to address the specific skills that library staff need to accomplish their jobs. At the Eskind Biomedical Library, all library staff are required to meet a common set of skills. These skills form sets upon which staff evaluations are based. The library staff, therefore, need time, opportunities and the means to develop the necessary skills. The Staff Development Committee-an all-volunteer inter-departmental committee-sponsored skills-based programs from training needs identified through a library-wide questionnaire. The result was a set of programs sponsored by the Committee that were well-attended and met the training needs of a large number of the staff. Tailoring a staff development program to meet specific training needs allows library staff to successfully develop skills needed in their jobs and to demonstrate skills competence in the evaluation process.

Academic Librarians and Mentoring Teams

Abstract: Research has demonstrated that good mentoring is a key factor in determining success in a doctoral program. As a result, graduate mentoring programs are appearing with increasing frequency. Congress has funded the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program to increase representation in doctoral study. Targeted groups include low-income, first-generation college students, and students from groups underrepresented in graduate education. Central Missouri State University's McNair program (McCAP) utilizes librarians as part of a mentoring team. The mentoring team is used to guide participants through four levels of activities: foundation, mentoring, internship, and transition. Librarian involvement provides advantages for the student as well as other faculty members involved with the mentoring team.

Developing an Automated Current Awareness Program Using Microcomputers and Electronic Mail

Abstract: In an effort to improve access to information about new library materials, the University of Washington (UW) Libraries designed a cost-effective current awareness service to automate the creation and electronic distribution of customized lists of new library materials to user's desktops. The service, named Zephyr, utilizes a customized HyperCard program to serve as the database for user profiles, to conduct searches of databases available on the campus network, and to send out search results via electronic mail. To provide individualized reports, library staff develop profiles of specific search terms by interviewing potential subscribers. Current awareness programs, such as Zephyr, represent a new direction for libraries, one that actively engages users in the libraries service program. Since its inception in 1994, the program has been well-received and has proven to be a valuable component in the UW Libraries efforts to actively disseminate information of interest to library users.

Authority Work in Copy (Derived) Cataloging

Abstract: As electronic, monetary, and human resources keep dwindling, library materials waiting to be cataloged increase in volume and complexity The cataloging process is scrutinized; time and effort expended are investigated The entire copy cataloging process was observed, with eight participants Each step was timed and the authority control component isolated Workflow issues and managerial trade-offs are discussed

From Survey to Service

Abstract: Since Valdosta State became a Regional University, Odum Library has experienced an explosion in student use in new technologies. This rapid rate of change prompted the library to try to gain a clear sense of whether we were meeting students' needs. Thus, when the ALA asked libraries to administer a “customer satisfaction” survey during National Library Week, Odum Library participated to gain insight into customers' attitudes and needs concerning the library, as well as to learn how our services compared with those of other academic libraries nationwide. Survey responses were actively solicited, and the objective and comment sections of the survey separately analyzed. The students' comment data emerged as much more valuable than the more easily analyzed objective questions. Coding and separating each section of a comment that dealt with a different topic revealed valuable, specific data which gave insight into each area of customer service. Social science literature describing the various merits o...

Technical Services Education for Library Technicians in the 1990s

Abstract: Canadian library technician programs have responded in various ways to the downsizing, budget restraints, and changing job markets that result from the economic and political climate of the 1990s in North America. The article lists the traditional skills taught in library technician programs and reports on the ways technical services courses have been, or will be, modified in the 1990s based on an informal survey of seven Canadian library technician programs. The author believes that much of the content of this article is valid for library technician programs in the United States as it is for those in Canada.

Everyone's Job

Abstract: Continuing education is a purposeful, systematic scheme for learning that leads to growth and improvement in human abilities, enabling individuals to function successfully within the context of a changing environment. In technical services, where we spend hours acquiring, sorting and bringing stabilized order to information resources and the databases that describe them, the waves of change seem relentlessly turbulent. Practising technical services staff are quite conscious of a continuing need for learning, for updated education, either informal or formal. This paper discusses continuing education within the technical services context, the role it can play in enabling librarians and paraprofcssionals to keep abreast of rapidly changing times, and some program options and course offerings available for lifelong learning.

Teamwork in Technical Services

Abstract: The recent reorganization of the Michigan State University Libraries Technical Services Division implemented a team concept and outlined a model for Division workflow which emphasized inter-team cooperation. Thesis processing was selected as the first application of this model because of increasing backlogs and patrons' concerns regarding the availability of these items. An internal task force chaired by the Principal Cataloger and composed of representatives from appropriate Technical Services Division Teams developed a procedure designed to use each team's strengths to process both the backlog and current receipts in a continuous workflow. Theses were received in the Monograph Acquisitions Team and groups of theses to be processed were delivered weekly to the Copy Cataloging Team, where descriptive records were created by student workers using the Cataloging MicroEnhancer Plus software. The theses groups were then delivered to the Original Cataloging Team, where subject analysis was completed. ...

Introducing the Academic Library to Student Employees

Abstract: Historically, libraries' dependence on student workers was viewed as a necessary evil; however, this attitude has become more positive, recognizing that the arrangement has the potential to benefit the institution, the students, and the profession. Central Missouri State University depends on student workers to help meet the needs of the campus community. In 1990, the implementation of a mandatory orientation program ensured that student employees are well-versed not only in their own unit, but that they possess general knowledge of areas outside their work assignment. Central's orientation program consists of a student employee handbook and contract, a video, a tour of the library, an evaluation process, and a way to recognize outstanding employees.

An Employer's Perspective on LIS Education

Abstract: Across the past few decades of the twentieth century library technical services have changed to incorporate computers, cooperative acquisition, cataloging and preservation programs, bibliographic utilities, vendor services, local and wide area networks, and other emerging technologies. New operational realities require skilled support staff and highly educated professional librarians. Despite what are probably overall declining numbers of dedicated technical services units in libraries, the importance of professional education continues its upward spiral. This paper addresses reasons underlying the significance of professional education as well as knowledge requirements for technical services librarians.

Serial Holdings Statements

Abstract: As academic libraries move to full implementation of serial holdings information in their online catalogs, the possibility arises to use methods other than summary statements to notify users about which serial volumes are owned locally. This article reports the results of a national survey of serial holdings data in online catalogs and promotes issues librarians should consider when making decisions about the continued maintenance of summary statements.

The Life Expectancy of Paperback Books in Academic Libraries

Abstract: Many libraries routinely bind paperback books before adding them to their collections. Eleven years ago, Georgia State University began adding paperback books to its collection unbound. Two previous studies have considered whether or not this policy is valid and have determined that it is. The current study revisits the topic after a number of years to see if the findings still hold. Evidence still strongly suggests that libraries should not routinely bind paperback materials. This project also considers some distortions which may occur with a study covering this much time.

Itself an Education

Abstract: The interdisciplinary field of information studies requires an eclectic and imaginative curriculum. Future information professionals need intellectual tools that will enable them to adapt thoughtfully to changed social and technological environments. In this situation, the study of classification (including both principles of application for current bibliographic systems and principles of construction that could be used to develop new systems for bibliographic and non-bibliographic materials) is one way to equip students with the balanced flexibility to adapt to changing needs. In addition, knowledge of the organization of knowledge is basic to any kind of information work.

Technical Services Education for the Future

Abstract: This article considers what technical services educators should teach students to prepare them for the present as well as the future, and outlines four points which will help ensure the success of graduate librarians These include emphasizing the importance of technical services work to all aspects of library services, discussing the need to adopt and adapt to changing technologies, recognizing the diversity of settings in which students will be employed, and acknowledging that, for the majority of graduates, the processes involved with technical services will be only one part of their overall job responsibilities

Disaster Recovery Without the Disaster

Abstract: More and more libraries today are writing disaster preparedness plans. A major fire at Illinois State University's Milner Library showed the written plan was helpful, but trained personnel would have made the recovery more efficient. The Milner Library Preservation Committee organized and presented a disaster recovery workshop for its own disaster recovery team and those from other area libraries. Participants received information on organization for disaster recovery, learned to select appropriate treatments, and practiced various recovery techniques.

Technical Services Education

Abstract: Is there a place for Technical Services education when outsourcing parts or all of the operation ranks high on the current administration agenda? This paper outlines a variety of pedagogical models and management techniques which can be applied to Technical Services training and which, by virtue of their carryover to other areas of professional endeavour, underscore the value of including Technical Services education in library and information science (LIS) curricula. In a sense, the area serves as a “case study” for addressing a number of information management concerns within a broad spectrum of organizational environments. This focus on specific functionalities within one administrative unit provides a micro-level perspective of management that may not be as readily achieved through other LIS courses.

NOTIS and Statistical Masterfile as Sources for International Information

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine where library patrons search for international information. OPAC transaction logs from the NOTIS System were compared with a controlled vocabulary list of foreign countries, international organizations, and related terms. The researchers also examined transaction logs from the Statistical Masterfile CDROM which includes an international component: the Index to International Statistics. Transactions from the two databases that used the controlled vocabulary were then compared to determine possible correlations.