THE VIRTUAL ENGINEERING LIBRARY (Revised 12/98)
The mission of the Engineering Library, University Libraries, University of Cincinnati, is to provide the information resources needed for instruction and research by the programs of the College of Engineering, to enhance users' understanding and ability to access the literature in their disciplines, 1 and to develop the ability "to engage in life-long learning." 2 In fulfilling this mission, the Library must provide
- electronic classrooms for instruction on electronic resources and their identification, access and evaluation;
- access tools to the engineering literature;
- space for staff and their increased role in providing instruction, creating electronic resources such as electronic reserves, and acquiring/delivering materials not held locally;
- student-centered user space including computer workstations for access to electronic resources, workstations supporting a full array of learning and production activities for course work and research, and individual and group study areas;
- a strong core collection of print materials for rapid access, consultation and borrowing.
Much of the information needed by engineers is now available electronically. In fulfilling its mission, the Engineering Library must incorporate the use of electronic resources in its services and program planning. The Engineering Library has thus prepared a new vision for service in the electronic age. The vision emphasizes electronic delivery of information to the end-user, with the aim of putting the library in the classroom, in the lab, or on an individual workstation.
PRECIPITATING FACTORS
Rising cost. Several factors have precipitated this change in vision. The first is the rising cost of engineering materials. Engineering journals are inflating at 15 to 20% per year, compared with 8% increases to the libraries' serials budget. This has forced the library to reduce the size of the on-site collection in favor of ordering articles and papers as needed (just-in-time or JIT). While this method of acquiring information does not create an archival collection, it does satisfy the immediate information needs of users at lower cost.
Changing needs. In science and technology, the information needs of researchers vary as researchers come and go, and as grants and contracts come and go. Funded research topics change as granting institutions revise the areas they choose to fund. Researchers depending on contract funding from the private sector must adapt to the needs of the "client." Each researcher and each grant or contract has unique information needs. The library cannot provide adequate archival collections for each area, nor can it fully support a new area without additional resources. Needs must be met in new ways.
Limited space. Inadequate space has also precipitated a change in the delivery of information to our users. The Engineering Library has occupied the same space for 18 years, a space which meets only 30% of the OBR requirement for a college of its size. To date, the solution has been to move materials to storage and regularly to weed out less-used material. The availability of indexes on CD Rom and the web has decreased the need to house their print counterparts, but has increased the space required for access workstations. The existing space cannot support both. As digital information becomes more prevalent, the need for paper collections may diminish, and the need for additional workstations, connectivity and printing will increase.
Technology. A fourth factor is simply that the technology is here, and in some cases the electronic format is the ONLY format in which material is available. The trend to digital information began with databases, but has expanded to reference information and even to full-text journals.
The Engineering Library cannot fail to respond to these factors. It serves a large college with 2000 undergraduates, 1000 graduate students, 150 faculty and many robust research programs performing over $18 million in research. The students and faculty cannot be competitive in teaching, seeking grants and performing research without the aid of adequate information resources. Traditional needs must be satisfied in new ways.
THE VIRTUAL ROAD
Content. The road to becoming a showcase virtual library embracing the digital age requires development of three areas. The first of these is content. The library faculty must know what digital information is available and where. They must know its value to our users, and the costs of making it available. The role of the librarians as selectors must expand to include identification and evaluation of information in all forms, and to organize it for users to find.
Access. A virtual library cannot exist without adequate access to digital information. Currently there is no standardization, with digital information available in a confusing array of formats including CDs, magnetic tape, web pages, fax, laser disks, multimedia disks, cable, and so forth. Some information is free, some for pay, some full-text, some not, some requiring special interfaces, viewers or telneting to other computers. The virtual library environment is complex and requires sophisticated workstations.
Delivery. The information in a virtual library is invisible. The task of delivering information to users and teaching them to function in a virtual library is difficult. Teaching them to find what they need and how to evaluate what they find is complicated by the many "standards" and formats used. Moving the library out to users electronically forces emphasis upon teaching users to function independently.
FUNCTIONS
Print collection. Even a virtual library will depend on some print collections of books and journals, if for no other reason than that print is the ONLY format in which the information is currently available. Despite the availability of many full-text journals from OhioLINK and some publishers, print copies will still be needed. However, expanded resource sharing via OhioLINK reduces the requirement for comprehensive on-site print collections.
Delivery. Delivery of print information to departments or offices will enhance the concept of placing the library where the user is, and also lessen the frustration of users who expect traditional resources. This would include delivery of monographs acquired from remote libraries and journal articles faxed or sent from document delivery suppliers.
Table-of-contents. The ability to search table-of-contents (TOCs) in electronic form for monographs and journal issues reduces the guesswork in identifying suitable materials available remotely. The TOCs for newer books are already available through OhioLINK. Those for older books in our own collection may be scanned in the future.
Full-text electronic materials. Users are able to access many materials in full-text online through services provided by OhioLINK (e.g. Academic Press and Elsevier journals, directories, encyclopedias) and through the web (e.g. Institute of Physics journals, NASA reports, etc.).
Electronic reserves. Electronic reserves is being expanded to include more courses, making traditional reserve material available any time from any networked workstation to engineering students.
Web reference and instruction. The library homepage is designed to enable users to help themselves in finding information. Information identified through the homepage must be organized easily so that users can find it. Patrons can submit questions and receive answers via the web and/or email. Instruction modules on topics such as searching engineering databases or finding patents and even courses can be provided via the web.
THE PHYSICAL VIRTUAL LIBRARY
The virtual library must exist as a physical space with real books, computer workstations, and people. It will take on a form different from traditional libraries however. The following space descriptions are in priority order, indicating the shift in focus from collections to teaching and accommodating users in an electronic environment.
Teaching space. Space for teaching users how to function in a virtual library is imperative. Space for demonstrating to individuals or small groups within the library is essential. Classroom space equipped with individual workstations for teaching classes may be provided outside the library, but must be available for library use on demand.
Staff space. Increased space will be required to accommodate the delivery of regular library and OhioLINK materials as well as document delivery materials. The ordering and receiving of document delivery materials for just-in-time use by users is staff-intensive, requiring individual consideration for every patron request. The recent increase in receiving, delivery and handling of physical pieces has created an urgent need for staff space in the Engineering Library.
Conversion to digital format. The conversion of print materials to digital materials such as electronic reserves or TOCs requires production space, as does the development of homepage information and maintenance of the web site. This is an extension of staff space.
User space. The user spaces should accommodate the various learning activities of students, including library research, quiet reading, group study (very important in engineering), and class preparation. User carrels must be upgraded to provide connectivity for students with laptops. Abundant workstations provided by the library for access to digital information are necessary. There should be ample workstations for students to perform a full range of functions requiring computers. This would include library information research, consulting course information on the web, word processing, using of spreadsheets, preparing presentations, and email. Students should have access in the workstation area to staff who can assist with information and computer needs. Some study space for students not using library materials should also be provided outside the library proper, as library space is limited. External study space and library space do not need to be conjoined.
Collections. The physical space will contain only the core collection. The engineering collection was reduced to the core of most frequently-used materials in 1997/1998. Its present size should be accommodated in current space planning.
THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY USER
The new vision for the Engineering Library is really a new vision for the library user. The new user must be well-taught to function in a virtual library, much as former generations learned the rudiments of card catalogs and call numbers in the traditional library. The new user must also be equipped with workstations akin to the door of the traditional library. The challenge is to prevent the door from being a barrier, and to guide the user wisely into the interior. The new user must be just as clever as his ancestors in finding and assessing information. Educating the new information user is our mission. The new Engineering Library must be the teaching laboratory.
THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY STAFF
The virtual library will still require staff. In these early stages, we are finding that more staff are required to respond to patron needs. Since many materials are neither electronic nor on-site, patrons rely on staff to order materials from storage, order articles from document delivery, and receive and check out OhioLINK books. Patrons also rely on staff to teach them how to use the electronic access tools and self-help services via Internet or Web. Information is diffused in location and format; researchers require assistance in finding where to go to get information previously located in paper in the library.
Essential then are staff for reference, teaching, electronic access and presentation, circulation and delivery, document delivery, stacks management, and workstation maintenance. Collection development requires new efforts by librarians to apply their subject expertise in identifying relevant sources and corroborating with state-wide colleagues.
CREATING THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY
REFERENCE and TEACHING
Function. The reference area serves as the point of contact for users who need informational help. The reference librarian and other staff who provide reference receive and answer questions directly from users and assist users in the use of the collections and access resources. Some reference is in the form of group consultation. Many of the resources in a virtual library are electronic and these must be readily available to both user and librarian. For example many resources such as US patents are now distributed on CD Rom. The CD Rom collection should be housed in the Reference area, as well as stations for using them. Connectivity for non-local resources is also extremely important in this area.
Location. The reference area should be near the circulation area for easy referral to the next level of assistance and for easy self-help access. It should be readily accessible and visible to users. It should be located near the reference librarian's office. The workstations in this area are serviced by the circulation staff and must be adjacent if not fully visible to the circulation area. Patrons will typically require assistance mounting and reviewing CD products. These workstations should be situated so that they are within easy assistance distance of both the reference and circulation staff.
Space. The space must house a reference service desk for frequently-consulted materials and the librarian on duty. The librarian requires a workstation for personal work as well as a consultation office for small groups to be shown how to use electronic services without bothering other patrons. This space needs to accommodate 10 students and include an instructor workstation and portable projection device. The reference librarian also requires a work space and workstation for the student helper and graduate assistants who assist in reference. There must also be space to display and store hand-outs and other materials needed for assisting patrons.
The reference area houses all the stand-alone computer stations as well as networked workstations for access to the UC Library/OhioLINK catalogs, the web, r and other learning applications. It is recommended that there be space for 5 stand-alone workstations and 10 networked stations in addition to 20 workstations on the College network. (There are currently 4 stand-alone workstations, 10 networked stations and 10 College workstations.) These must be connected to system laser printers. Printing capacity is crucial as dependence on electronic resources increases.
Equipment. The reference area requires 30 networked stations for electronic access, 5 stand alone PC's, 5 CD storage cabinets, 20 microform storage cabinets, a table and chairs with an instructor's workstation and projection device for the consultation office, and desk/chair/workstation/phone/bookshelves/file cabinets for the reference librarian's office. Display racks for handouts are also necessary.
ELECTRONIC CLASSROOM
Function. The electronic classroom is used for the purpose of teaching classes how to use the virtual library, to access resources electronically, and to use the search software successfully. Students in this classroom have individual workstations at which they can practice the material presented.
Location. The electronic classroom need not be in the library, but it should be in the college so that sessions are convenient for library faculty and students to get to. However it must be available for one-time presentations and not scheduled for regular classes.
Space. The classroom must include at least 30 workstations accommodating 2 students each and access the library and college networks. The classroom should have at least two system printers so that students can remain in the room following a presentation to complete assigned work and print it out. As noted above, the teaching facility can be within or outside the library, but must be available as needed for collaborative instruction for engineering classes. Engineering faculty may also use the classroom for one-time presentations requiring the use of such facilities. This classroom would not be used for regularly scheduled classes.
Equipment. The electronic classroom must be equipped with a wide screen and ceiling-mounted projection system such as SharpVision for displaying interactive sessions at the teacher console. The screen must be big enough to accommodate overheads and computer displays simultaneously. Hook-ups and equipment for use of the EMDS must be available. There must be a system laser printer. The 25-30 workstations must be on tables suitable for hands-on computer work and also for viewing the screen.
CIRCULATION
Function. The circulation area remains vital in a virtual library despite the reduction in on-site collections. Hard copy will still circulate, whether it be owned by UC or a lending library. Circulation is the central source for the supply of all hard-copy information handled by the library. This applies to UC-owned materials, traditional reserves, OhioLINK and ILL materials, and materials supplied through document delivery.
Location. Circulation must be located at the entrance to the library, with sufficient space for staff to serve customers and for holding requested or reserved materials. Circulation must also be located near the staff offices and near the delivery entrance. The head of circulation must have an office nearby and the student helpers (4-5 at any one time) must have a place to put their book bags and wraps and to perform tasks.
Space. The circulation/reserve area must accommodate the equivalent of 4 file cabinets or hanging files for personal reserves, 4 file cabinets for videos, 26 racks for document delivery, and 250 linear feet of shelving for book materials (library reserve books, personal books, computing reserves, UC books on hold and OhioLINK books on hold). This would handle twice the current space. The demand for this space will increase as more materials are acquired from other sources. Circulation/reserves must have space to accommodate at least four staff working simultaneously and four workstations for looking up and/or checking out materials. It must include a workstation for putting materials on reserve and for holding materials waiting for reserve treatment or being removed from reserve status. The circulation area must also include space for trucks holding returned books that are being sorted for re-shelving. A workstation must be available for in-house use counts. The area must also include shelving or sorting racks for document delivery material waiting to be picked up by patrons. Somewhere in this area supplies will be kept. The office for the head of circulation must contain a desk, chair, workstation, space to interview prospective students and train new students individually.
Equipment. The circulation/reserve area must be equipped with convenient shelving, a large public service counter space, four circulation workstations, one reserve processing workstation, sensitizing/desensitizing equipment, a book return, and book trucks. Five phones are required, including three for circulation, one for the reserve area, and one for the head of circulation.
DELIVERY
Function. Delivery is an important function in the virtual library environment, since many materials are not held locally. Types of materials delivered are UC books arriving and departing, binding shipments coming and going, new books arriving, OhioLINK books arriving and departing, gift books coming and going, library mail in- and out-going, college mail in- and out-going, book and article delivery to contractors and customers, fax deliveries, and ILL and document delivery materials.
Location. The delivery area must be adjacent to the circulation area and near the delivery entrance, convenient for the delivery person.
Space. The delivery area must accommodate 2-3 book trucks of incoming books, 2-3 trucks of outgoing books, mail deliveries in boxes, fax deliveries, and the entire document delivery order operation. This includes a staff workstation for placing orders, and physical space for tracking orders, receipts, invoices, and vendor performance.
The delivery area must also accommodate local shipments of books and journal volumes which require treatment upon receipt. It must have space for packing materials departing from reserves and being returned to owners.
Equipment. The delivery area must have a surface for depositing and sorting mail, large mailboxes for all staff and student helpers, shelving for gift deliveries, a station for sending and receiving faxes as well as storing paper, cover sheets, and received documents, and shelving for holding materials to be picked up. There must be a work station for document delivery ordering and receiving, storage for request and receipt files, and a surface for matching requests with receipts.
MATERIALS PROCESSING
Function. Materials processing involves receiving and treating the new materials coming into the library as well as the journals being prepared for binding, gifts being sorted, and items being prepared for the book sale.
Location. This space should be near the delivery area.
Space. The materials processing area must accommodate a full-time staff person and two students who work in this area. Two workstations are needed. There must be shelving space to hold materials in process, space for trucks to transport the materials, and space to work on materials (add tattle tape, tie journal volumes into bundles, etc).
Equipment. There should be shelving for materials, trucks to hold binding and other shipments, two workstations for the staff person and students who work in this area, and supply shelves for labels, string, etc. The staff photocopier should be in this area.
WEB SITE MAINTENANCE/ELECTRONIC RESERVES
Function. The Engineering Library staff perform several web or image-based functions. The web homepage is operated on a server. Reserve materials are scanned and or converted for viewing over the web. Faculty files are received and set up on the server for viewing. Webpac links may be created.
Location. These functions require space and equipment which may be located apart from the public service areas. The server should be located near the office of the librarian responsible for access services. The scanning operation would ideally be located near the server, where the reserves files are stored.
Space. Electronic reserves processing requires space for a server and for a workstation with scanner and space to hold the materials being processed. A student typically performs this function. The area should be large enough to accommodate a student helper. Future activities such as linking web resources to bibliographic records and scanning table-of-contents of local materials would require additional space for a student helper and for staging materials.
Equipment. The digital production area requires a server, a scanner attached to a workstation with printer, a digital camera, storage cabinets for software, and shelving to store materials in process. There must be desks and chairs for the students who work in the area as well as a desk/chair/work station/phone/shelves/file cabinets for the office of the librarian in charge of the operation.
ADMINISTRATION
Function. The head of the library manages all operations, meets with staff individually and as a group, meets with engineering faculty, administrators and students, teaches, and provides reference service as needed.
Location. The head's office should be near the other librarians in the library. It should be located away from the entrance so that it is not point of first contact for patrons.
Space. The office must accommodate all the equipment specified.
Equipment. The head requires a desk/workstation/files/chair/phone/shelving and conference table for meeting with faculty and staff.
PHOTOCOPYING
Function. Students regularly photocopy reserve and journal materials. This area provides a space for copying, getting cards and change for copiers, and working with copied materials.
Location. Photocopiers should be near the the circulation area for ease of monitoring and servicing, and to confine the attending noise to one area in the library. At least one photocopier must be part of the Infortext system operated by UDS, which requires network connectivity. This enables users with photocopying accounts to charge the accounts directly.
Space. The space must accommodate six photocopiers, as well as space for preparing materials and for putting materials when finished copying.
Equipment. Five library photocopiers plus one UDS copier must be provided, plus shelving for used materials and a counter for stapling, cutting and sorting.
STUDY SPACE
Function. Study space is provided for students to sit quietly and use the on-site materials. They should also be able to connect their own laptop computers into ports in order to gain network access. Engineering students require space where they can study in groups, which is highly encouraged by the curriculum and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Discussions typically revolve around reserve materials and such a space should be provided.
Location. The individual study space should be removed from the noisier areas of the library and placed near the collections themselves. Group study areas should be near the reserve area so that they are accessible to users and easily monitored by staff. Group study areas should be noise-controlled and preferably in separate study rooms.
Space. The amount of space for individual study will be limited in the virtual library since fewer materials are on site than in a traditional library. More space will be devoted to access in the form of workstations. Group study with connectivity will be needed, both within and outside the library.
Equipment. Each study carrel should include a work surface, connectivity, and a chair. The 4-5 group study areas require a table to accommodate 6 at a time with chairs for each and connectivity for at least one computer.
COLLECTIONS
Function. The virtual library will still house current books, journals, reserves and reference works in print, as well as CD's, videos, and microfiche. The virtual library will not house an archival collection. This will be a core collection only. As the J Store converts more journal back runs, electronic access can supplant archival holdings.
Location. Already the existing space is full with only 17 years of journal back-runs on site. Books have been weeded to the point that 75% of those remaining have been used in the last 4 years. What gets sent to SWORD (remote storage) must be low-use, as frequent demands on those materials place stress on the storage staff and delivery personnel. The current arrangement with journals before 1980 in storage is not working for the SWORD staff now. The usage of the older journals is too high.
Open access to some less-used materials may be achieved by housing them in other campus libraries, according to topic. For example, the geotechnical engineering materials could be transferred to a general science/engineering location where older but needed materials can be accessed by users. High-use journals and monographs should stay in the Engineering Library, as should technical reports. The holdings should correlate with coverage in heavily-used indexes.
Space. Collection growth beyond the existing size may have to be assigned to other campus locations based on use analysis. The present size of the collection should be accommodated in current space planning.
Equipment. Shelving is required for the materials that stay on-site.
References
1. This mission supports the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) National Action Agenda for Engineering Education, which emphasizes self-learning and the fact that "engineers must be skilled in identifying the knowledge and information they need, and where to get it." In "The 4-Year 'Launching Phase' and Beyond," Engineering Education News, Vol. 14, No. 3, October 1987, p. 1.
2. From Engineering Criteria 2000, 3rd edition, ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), December 1997.
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12/23/98