ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries April 1991/237 INNOVATIONS Developing an electronic information service in an academic library By Amy Chang H ead o f Access Services Texas Tech University In May 1989, the E-mail system for interlibrary loan at the Texas Tech University Libraries began functioning. A year later, it was linked with BookNet, a local liaison program, and an electronic bulletin. Together, these computer programs per­ form as the Electronic Library Service. This system provides a convenient way for faculty and students to request articles and books via IL L for material not found in the library collection, to recommend titles for purchase, to locate the liaisons of their departments, to request library instruction, and to find information about library schedules and serv­ ices, from their homes or offices, any time of the day or night. The Academic Computer Network of Texas Tech University is the Ethernet coaxial cable- based network, which offers faculty and students an excellent telecommunications network. The campus computing system uses Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX 8650 and VAX 11/780. The VAXcluster is connected to several computer net­ works, enabling users to access BITnet, Intnet, and EDUnet. VAX users are able to communicate with colleagues in other universities within Texas, throughout the country, and outside of the United States. THEnet, VAX-Mail, and TECH-Mail are the local network systems. All buildings on campus are networked. Several VAX terminal rooms are distributed around campus, and hard-wired termi­ nals and dial-up terminals are distributed among departments, colleges, and dormitories. Each department can sub-assign access to its faculty and students. How it works The Electronic Library Service is a programmed system. After logging onto the VAX, auseris able to access the system by entering the assigned com­ mand at the Digital Equipment prompt sign. The first screen displays an introduction to the system, its purpose, and its scope. Then the user can choose to read the instructions, which explain the function keys and how the system performs .Users who have learned the instructions can skip this screen. A short form is then displayed for users to fill out name, department, status, and VAX number. The main menu follows the short form. Five options are available: Interlibrary Loan, BookNet, Liaison Program, Library Bulletin, and Exit. Interlibrary loan. The submenu for the inter- library loan service offers request forms for books, articles, and dissertations, as well as requests for renewal and status checking. Questions and an­ swers about IL L service can be displayed on the screen.1 This electronic service, combined with daily delivery of borrowed materials, offers a most useful and efficient service to TTU faculty. In addition, records for the borrowed materials are stored onto a database. At the end of each semes­ ter, reports can be generated for faculty and gradu­ ate students that provide bibliographic information for each title.2 BookNet. BookNet, the second option on the Electronic Library Service, enables the user to suggest titles for purchase and to make comments about their potential usefulness for teaching or 238 / C&RL News research. These requests are seriously considered by collection development librarians. The order form is programmed onto the BookNet. Liaison Program . A liaison is a librarian ap­ pointed to one or more departments according to his or her subject background. This program exists to utilize the librarian’s skill and knowledge in enlarging services to faculty and students and maximizing use of the library’s collections and serv­ ices. Liaisons are responsible for providing user instruction, preparing bibliographies, performing online database searches, and developing assigned areas of the collection. Because of the varied commitments that both librarians and teaching faculty have, communica­ tion between them by telephone or campus mail could take hours or even days, without the connec- Audiovisual Policies in College Libraries published Audiovisual Policies in C ollege Libraries, C L IP Note #14 is the newest addition to the CLIP (College Library Information Packet) Note series, published by ACRL. The report is the result of a survey o f small college and university library audiovisual poli­ cies. More than a dozen complete policies cov­ ering topics such as brochures, circulation poli­ cies, collection development, copyright, rent­ als, gifts, rates and user guides are included. Audiovisual Policies in College L ibraries was compiled by Kristine Brancolini, head of Media Services, Indiana University Libraries, under the auspices of the ACRL College Library Section’s CLIP Notes Committee. The 152- page paperback, printed on acid-free paper (ISB N : 0 -8 3 8 9 -7 4 9 5 -3 ), sells for $19.95 ($16.95 to ACRL members). ALA members receive a 10% discount. Other CLIP Notes in the series include: Col­ lege Library Newsletters, C LIP Note #13; Per­ form a n ce Appraisal in A cadem ic L ibraries, C LIP Note #12; Collection Development Poli­ cies, CLIP Note #11; Annual Reports f o r Col­ lege Libraries, CLIP Note #10; Friends o f Col­ lege Libraries, CLIP Note #9; Periodicals f o r College Libraries, CLIP Note #8; Managing Student W orkers in College Libraries, CLIP Note #7; Mission Statem entsfor College L ib rar­ ies, C LIP Note #5. Copies of the CLIP Notes may be ordered from the ALA Order Services Department, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611-2795. Orders may also be taken by phone: (800) 545-2433; or fax: (312) 440-9374. tion provided by the online Liaison Program. It enables faculty and students to identify the liaison o f their respective departments and to leave mes­ sages. When the user presses 3 on the main menu of the Electronic Library Service, a list of the colleges is displayed on the screen. After the user selects a college, the system brings up a list of departments within that college and the liaisons assigned to them. The user then can choose to leave a message for the liaison or to go back to the main menu. Library Bulletin. A submenu for the Bulletin includes the library schedule, library announce­ ments, and library services. The schedule displays library hours, including holidays. Librarians can use the Bulletin to make announcements about bibliographic instruction, exhibitions, new serv­ ices, or new electronic products. The VAX user is able to locate this information from a terminal or a personal computer with a modem any time of the day or night. S tru ctu re o f th e p ro g ra m The program structure of the Electronic Infor­ mation Service is shown in Figure 1. Since the system needs the interactive processing option and the capability of screen design and display of the data on the screen, COBOL was chosen for the program language. • An index file is created for storing information about the patron (the short form on the system) at the same time the information is first entered. The user’s social security number is the key field for indexing. This electronic file allows the computer to retrieve the record o f a patron and read it onto the output file. Whenever a social security number is entered on the short form, the computer is instructed to search the index file for that number. I f it is retrieved from the file, the user need not complete the form. The index file can be stored until a decision is made to build a new file. • Staff can enter a single command on a VAX terminal or a microcomputer with a modem to receive hard copies of electronic requests. A pro­ gram instructs the VAX to sort the requests, first by patron and then by type, and to print the sorted requests. After a hard copy is printed, the elec­ tronic record is deleted automatically. The opera­ tions for reading, sorting, printing, and deleting files were programmed using the VAX Digital Command language. • The executed program and data are also re­ ceived and stored in a separate file. The programs are coded, modified, and compiled in the “home” area. This separates the executed program and data file from the coded and compiled programs and other files, which makes it easier for staff to read data and monitor the system being used. April 1991 / 239 • The program was designed to display the main menu after the short form; as a result, the user does not need to give information about himself for every request, as would be necessary for requests on paper. After the user fills out the request form, the system will bring either the submenu or the main menu to the screen if the user wishes to make another request. The programs for the request output (IL L, BookNet, and message to the liaison) instruct the computer to read and write the short form on each request. • The announcement for the Library Bulletin is written on a separate file. The computer is in­ structed to read the file and display it on the screen. Since the file is not written within the program, the file for the bulletin can be updated anytime without interrupting the program. • The output for IL L , BookNet, and the liaison program were formatted and programmed sepa­ rately. For example, on the IL L request there is space for patron and title information; then follows a field for “Office Use Only,” which allows staff to record OCLC and IL L number, locations, and the date the request was processed. For the BookNet request, the verification details, such as checklists for OCLC, BIP, price, date, etc., are formatted on each request. • Requests for other services can be pro­ grammed in the same manner. For example, fac­ ulty and students can apply electronically for a study carrel. • The system does not have editing capabilities, so far. Moving the cursor from one field to the previous field is not possible. In order to make corrections (e.g., for typing errors), the user will need to complete the form, then enter the number of the field that needs to be corrected. When the user enters that number, the computer is in­ structed to bring the cursor to that field, where the user can retype the data. The backspace key can be used for moving the cursor in the same field only. C o n clu sio n The Electronic Library Service makes the li­ brary more aware of and more responsive to user demands and needs. E L S offers an easy and effi­ cient way to communicate with library users. Mes­ sages can be sent to and from home or office at any time. This customized electronic system is recom­ mended for the academic library that has a local network system. Designing and implementing a small scale com­ puter system imparts an exciting sense of accom­ plishment in terms of services. It not only enhances and improves the services offered by the library but also increases the library’s visibility. ■ ■ 'Amy Chang, “Computerize Communication for Interlibrary Loan,” C ollege a n d R esearch L i­ b raries 50 (December 1989):992-994. 2Chang, “A Database Management System for Interlibrary Loan,” Inform ation an d Technology L ibraries 9 (June 1990):135-143. 240 / C&RL News Institutional D ata Available fo r Academ ic L ibraries John Minter Associates, Inc. (Boulder, Colo­ rado) has provided several useful data compilations for academic librarians. Using the National Center for E d u cation Statistics (N C E S ) In teg rated Postsecondary Education Data System (IP E D S ) library data for 1988 (the most recent data avail­ able) Minter has produced print and machine- readable volumes containing institutional data for academic libraries in private and public two and four-year institutions as well as statistical norms. The following products are available: • 1988 A ca d em ic L ib r a r y Survey Response. Two volumes o f library-by-library statistics on col­ lections, expenditures, staffing, interlibrary loan, and library services. Volume one contains data for public institutions; volume two contains for private institutions. Both are organized by state. Each volume costs $39. These print volumes are also available as machine-readable files (Lotus 1-2-3 files are $79/volume; A SC II and .D B F files are $69/volume.) • Statistical N orms f o r C ollege ύ- University L ibraries, 2 n d ed. Norms are presented for groups based on the Carnegie Foundation’s Classification. Ratios such as library expenditures as a percentage of educational and general expenditures, expendi­ tures for current serials per F T E students, total operating expenditures per F T E student are just a sample of the 154 items reported for each norm group. Statistical N orm s costs $59 for the print volume; $79 for a disk copy in Lotus 1-2-3, DBase, or ASCII files. • L ib ra r y M anagem ent R atios C alculator. Al­ though it is necessary to first key in the data, the C a lcu lator is a self-running program that will auto­ matically calculate 150 management ratios. The C a lcu lator can be used to look at your own data, previous year’s data, or data from institutions you consider in your peer group. The C a lcu lator re­ quires an IBM -P C compatible with a high density disk drive or hard disk and sells for $55; $35 if ordered with one o f the other publications. These publications may be ordered from John Minter Associates, Inc., 2400 Central Avenue, B-2, Boulder, CO 80301; (800) 444-8110; fax: (303) 449-1351. The 1988 A cadem ic L ib ra r y Survey R espon se volumes are useful supplements to the N CES report A ca d em ic L ib ra r ies, 1988 that provides summary statistics for the nation and individual states. The data are organized by highest degree offered and by level o f control. The data are avail­ able in print (copies are free while supplies last), on high density tape ($175) or high density diskette ($75) and may be ordered from N C ES Information Services (800) 424-1616; U.S. Department o f Edu­ cation, Information Technology Branch, 555 New Jersey Ave., NW, Washington, D C 20208-5725. What distinguishes Minter’s work from the vol­ ume available from N CES is Minter’s provision of library-by-library data and the presentation o f 154 statistical norms. I f you want data about a specific institution Minter’s publications will prove invalu­ able because N C ES will not be publishing this institution-specific data. ■ ■ Diversity initiatives In February, Ford Foundation president Fran­ klin A. Thomas and a panel o f national education leaders announced a new program o f grants to improve race relations and foster cultural and intel­ lectual diversity in undergraduate colleges and universities. Responding, in part, to incidents of racial and religious intolerance and sexual harass­ ment, the program is rooted in the conviction that teaching and learning ultimately define campus culture. As part of the new initiative, the foundation recently awarded grants totaling $1.6 million to 19 colleges and universities, primarily for faculty de­ velopment and the design or revision o f courses. The grants are aimed at encouraging colleges to broaden the scope of reading and instructional materials used in courses that fulfill general educa­ tion, distribution, or departmental requirements. T he programs funded include new or revised courses for students, seminars for faculty, and stu­ dent debates and research. Some programs also include artistic and cultural activities. The grantees, chosen competitively from a pool o f 106 invited proposals, are: Bemidji State Univer­ sity, Boston College, Brandeis University, Univer­ sity o f California-Los Angeles, Denison University, Haverford College, University o f Iowa, Millsaps College, Mount St. Mary’s College, New School for Social Research, University o f Notre Dame, Pitzer College, University o f Redlands, University o f R ochester, Southwest Texas State University, Spring Hill College, Tulane University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Wesleyan Univer­ sity. ■ ■