GatorMail-Q Summary-Collection Develop. Outreach
I received eleven (11) responses to our question on Outreach that was posted
to LIBADMIN, ACQNET, BIB-L and SERIALST Listservs. Since the reponses were not
overly long or too numerous I have reproduced them below. Not suprisingly,
electronic accessions lists and electronic communications in general are used
widely at the places that responded to our electronic query. Printed
newsletters are also common. Many people actually sent copies of their
newsletters and other information brochures they distribute and I thank you all
for your help. One new idea we had here is to develop a "personal librarian
for a day for new faculty" program. This program would pair any new faculty
member with a subject specialist librarian who would provide personal
orientation to collections and services.
On Mon, 7 Oct 1991, I wrote:
> Subject: SURVEY ON COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT OUTREACH
> I apologize to those who get multiple copies of this question, but we are
> trying to get as wide a response as possible and have therfore posted to
> several lists.. Thank you fo your help.
>
> SURVEY ON COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT OUTREACH
>
> The Collection Development Working Group on Outreach at Cornell University
> is interested in knowing what kind of outreach or marketing activities you
> are presently using in your library. We are hoping to improve communication
> with the library's users -- their understanding of what we do and our
> understanding of their needs, with respect to collection development. Also,
> what is the primary mode of communication with your user communities re
general
> library developments? We would appreciate seeing printed examples of news-
> letters, etc., from your library, if it is not too much trouble to send them.
> We would also be interested to know if anyone sends out an automated acquisi-
> tions list. Thank you.
The responses I received follow:
(1) From: Glee Willis willis@unssun.nevada.edu
Karen Andrews of UCLA's Engineering Library said that she sends out her new
books lists to her faculty via a USENET newsgroup (presumably she sends a
separate message telling them to read that newsgroup?). I will send copies of
my columns that appear in the UNR Engineering News, a quarterly glossy
newsletter sent to the engineering community (+ alumni) here.
(2) From: Judy Schneider US GAO Library sz5@cu.nih.gov
I can send you a couple of issues of our monthly newsletter called Library
Focus. (Please note the book review and the list of new government documents
by yours truly!) We do not have any kind of separate acquisitions list, but a
lot of new titles show up in the newsletter.
(3) From: andrews@SEAS.UCLA.EDU (Karen L. Andrews)
At EMS, we download the New Books List which we get from the Library
Information Systems Office. My colleague Aggi Raeder has written a program to
sort the list the way we want and to strip extraneous bibliographic info from
the record. Aggi assigns each book to a subject category. I get the final
list on disk and send it out via the usenet News function. Each subject
grouping is posted separately, plus one of the entire list, so subscribers have
their choice of what to look at or download.
I also use electronic mail to solicit collection development advice from
faculty. Usually this takes the form of getting opinions on new journals or on
which book to buy on particular programming language. I do this primarily to
encourage faculty to communicate with me electronically.
On our Math Dept. network there are online "handouts," so we have been allowed
to list one on how to get remote access to our online catalog, plus a brief
list of services available electronically (book renewal, purchase suggestion,
reference question, etc.)
I maintain a guest account on both the Math network and the School of
Engineering & Applied Sciences network. This is a bit of a bother in terms of
checking mail, but it allows each user group to feel that
the library is part of their system. They can use a shorter address when we are
on the same network than if they had to send it to an entirely different
system.
(4) From: "Sharyn Ladner, Business Librarian, University of Miami Richter
Library"
<SLADNER@umiami.IR.Miami.EDU>
I'm sending you viasnail-mail some recent copies of our library's newsletter.
It doesn't have much to do with collection development, but it serves as a
general p.r. piece on library happenings. Hope this helps.
p.s. I'm toying with the idea of announcing items of interest to business
school faculty via e-mail -- perhaps setting up a distribution list and
announcing things like listserve forums in business subject areas, telnetting
to remote catalogs, also availability of new databases (like NEXIS). That sort
of thing.
Unfortunately, only a minority of the b-school faculty are on e-mail, but at
least it would be a start.
(5) From: Susan.C.George@Dartmouth.EDU
I can tell you what Kresge Physical Sciences Library at Dartmouth does in terms
of outreach:
1. we publish a newsletter every 2 weeks (and I'll put a copy of the latest
issue in the US mail today for you),
2. we have a Current Awareness Service for faculty; copying TOCs and then
copying articles requested,
3. we have an electronic reference box, so faculty and all users can transmit
whatever requests they have (ordering a book, ILL, online search, reference
question, etc),
4. we use e-mail very heavily to communicate with all users,
5. we (the librarians) consult as often as needed with faculty about
purchasing/cancellation/new courses, whatever (this can be in person, phone,
e-mail--whichever works best)
6. we offer 'minicourses' (and I'll send you a copy of that menu too)
(6) From: Linda Gould <ljgould@u.washington.edu>
Our primary method, not terribly original, continues to be one on one liaison
relationships established between the library system selector (about 60-65 of
these people, all dual role librarians) and the faculty liaison or library
committee or department chair (varies from dept. to dept. and academic
program.). These people bring "the word" on the libraries (important programs,
initiatives, etc., mostly cd oriented, but sometimes beyond cd only, to
departmental meetings, to conferences with
the faculty contact(s), etc.
I would like to put a shell on the campus network that would allow faculty to
make requests for new material online to their selectors directly or to the
ass't cd librarian in cases in whcih the selector is not known to the
requestor. That will probably be done within the next 6 - 12 mos.
An occasional article (written by the development officer, not by cd staff -
although she happens also to be a selector) on books appears in our external
library newsletter.
We will be doing a survey on user needs for information over the next 12 months
as part of our strategic plan directions to create a "user centered service
pattern" and I expect cd involvement there, but it hasn't yet taken shape.
I would be interested in learning more about what you have in mind for
"marketing" collection development.
(7) From: Joline Ezzell <jre@mail.lib.duke.edu>
We have two major means for library outreach. One is our library
newsletter, which appears three times a year and is sent to our faculty,
library staff, donors, and other libraries. The other means is a
suggestion/answer book that stays in our lobby. We often receive suggestions
from patrons regarding publications to add to the library and other ideas for
making the library better. The majority of suggestions are made by students.
I will send you a copy of the most recent issue.
(8) From: Pamela <PBLUH%UMAB.bitnet
John, to answer your last question: here at the Law Library at University of
Maryland, we get a floppy disk version of our new cataloging every two weeks
and we load it on our LAN. Faculty are alerted that a new list is available,
they then can request titles in which they are interested from our ILL
department via an email message. We still make a few paper copies for die-hard
faculty who refuse to use email, but by and large, we're moving into the
electronic format in a big way. If you have any questions, please be tack in
touch. Pamela Bluh Assistant Director for Technical Services, Marshall Law
Library, 20 North Paca Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 301-328-7400
pbluh@umab.umd.edu
(9) From: Donna Signori <LDIVCOL2@UVVM.UVic.CA>
In response to your question on outreach,our Collections Advisory Committee
just discussed this very issue at its last meeting. At present I have nothing
to send you, however, our thrust will be strictly items of interest having to
do with all aspects of collections: newsworthy things like digested comments on
the publishing scene, serials prices,etc. to grants received for adding to
specialized research collections, to projects being undertaken, anything to put
collections development on the
map in a real and practical way. I shall forward a copy of anything that we do
but I suspect it will be a little while before we are organized for it.
(10)From: RWJMS/Media Library <medialib@rwja.umdnj.edu>
Date: Wed, 30 Oct 91 9:10:07 EST
In response to your query about marketing activities, I can share some of our
methods of communication: we publish a newsletter twice a year, use a Bulletin
Board outside the library door, send written memos to faculty and student
mailboxes and use E-Mail. We include a list of recent acquisitions as part of
the newsletter, but do not do automated acquisitions list. I will send you a
copy of our newsletter.
--
RWJMS Media Library Internet: medialib@rwja.umdnj.edu
rwja.medialib
Kessler Teaching Labs Tel.: (908) 463-4460 or 463-4671
Piscataway, NJ 08854 Fax.: (908) 463-4117
Zana Etter, Director
Ken Hummel
Sally Young
(11)From: "RENEE MANSHEIM (MANSHEIM@EVMSVMS)"
Your inquiry was forwarded to me as I am not on the Bib Instruction List.Our
free-standing medical school library does produce an automated list. Our
Georgetown LIS system allows us to pull off MARC records entered during a
selected range of dates. We are able to do some rudimentary editing while
in the LIS system (correcting errors and data omissions, deleting records we do
not wish to include, changing subject categories assigned by LIS based on the
call no.). Then LIS sorts by subject category.
We load this information into a word processor and with the magic of macros and
some more careful editing, whip the list into printable condition. This sounds
easier than it is because we edit twice. The first time is more laborious than
the second (LIS editing vs. word processing).
I'd be happy to describe in greater detail if you wish.
Renee Mansheim
Tech. Services Coordinator
Eastern Virginia Medical School
MANSHEIM@EVMSVMS.bitnet
804 446-5842
John Saylor
Engineering Librarian
Carpenter Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853 e:John_Saylor@qmrelay.mail.cornell.edu
v: (607) 255-4134
f: (607) 255-9606
