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Best Practices of Academic Library Information Technology Directors
Primary Research Group, Feb 2005, Pages: 90
This study is based on interviews with IT directors and assistant
directors of leading college and university libraries and consortiums,
including The Research Libraries Group, Vanderbilt University, the
University of Texas, Lewis & Clark College, Salt Lake Community College, the
University of Washington, the California Institute of Technology, Hutchinson
Community College and Australia's Monash University. Just a few of the
Study's findings are:
- Technology Centers in academic libraries, often initially conceived for
faculty or specialized students in art or engineering, are increasingly used
by the average student. Supply of technology centers, properly marketed and
conveniently situated, stimulates demand, surprisingly broad based demand.
- In general, students appear to appreciate the option of borrowing
laptops from their library, and most libraries that offer this service
report high levels of student enthusiasm. In addition, libraries report
virtually no problems with theft or even poor maintenance of equipment.
However, the time demands of storing, distributing, maintaining, providing
net access, and assuring compliance with legally mandated use provisions
leads many librarians to seek to limit the programs. In addition, the
availability of lap tops in the library does not appear to significantly
affect use of other library workstations.
- One participant points out that many cutting edge library services
require php programming and that many smaller libraries in particular focus
excessively on workstation maintenance and other issues.
- Ebook usage is steadily increasing especially among smaller libraries.
Increased ease of use for patrons and librarians, a focus on downloadable
titles rather than special viewing devices, and an increase in the number of
titles available, has led to an upsurge in demand and usage. Other factors
that have stimulated Ebook usage are the continuing advance of distance and
cyberlearning, and the better integration of Ebooks into course management
and electronic reserve systems and library catalogs. Some users complain
about incompatibility among different vendors of Ebooks.
- Most libraries have some kind of wish list for the digitization for
their special collections, particularly their photographic collections.
However, expertise is still limited and plans are thin for integrating
digitized special collections into library catalogs, or publicizing them
effectively over the web. More thought needs to be given to the integration
of special collections in to mainstream library catalogs and how to
publicize special collection over the web, or in partnership with other
institutions
Among the many topics covered are: investment in and maintenance of
workstations, implementation of wireless access, policies towards laptops in
the library, digitizing special collections, establishing digital
depositories, preserving scholarly access to potentially temporal digital
media, use of Ebooks, services for distance learning students, use of url
resolvers, web site development and management, use of virtual reference,
investment in library software, IT staff size and staff skill composition,
range of IT staff responsibilities, use of outsourcing, relations between
Library and general University IT staff, uses of PHP programming, catalog
integration with the web, catalog enhancement software and services, web
site search engine policies, use of automated electronic collection
management software, technology education and training, development of
technology centers and information literacy, library printing technology and
cost reimbursement, and other issues of concern to academic librarians.
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