The Library Committee met on November 12, with Dr. Ferguson, Dr. Wuest, and Elaine Day present. The agenda (see column two of this web page) included a description of the Directory of Open Access Journals, which offers 12,182 scholarly journals with full text articles linked from WorldCat citations.
Elaine noted technical edits to the Collections Policy. All committee members will have an opportunity to comment before the revision is finalized in December.
Averett has spent approximately $2,500 since January 2017 on video licenses triggered in Kanopy Streaming Media. Students and faculty have direct access to any video in the basic collection of 26,000 titles. A one-year license is automatically triggered when a video is played four times for 30 seconds or longer. Once a video is licensed from Averett's PDA deposit, there is no charge for additional plays within the term of the license. Anticipating the need for multi-year licensing of specific videos will save money, as licenses can be converted to a two or three-year term during the initial 365 days. Librarians will alert faculty to the advantage of predicting and informing them of preference for multiyear licensing for specific titles in their syllabi.
Preservation of library collections trended in a positive direction throughout summer and early fall 2018, with relative humidity consistently below 55% in book stacks. However, Tropical Storm Michael (October 4th) and heavy November rainfall resulted in extensive leaks on the upper level of Blount Library, and on the wall adjacent to the parking lot. Added to this was internal flooding from the air conditioning system in the media room (Blount 102), lower level hallway, and storage room. Contractor-supplied dehumidification equipment has constrained humidity levels.
The Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA), program sponsored by SCHEV, and Virginia Independent College & University Library Association (VICULA) will benefit from $20,000 - $30,000 in additional funding from the legislature to be shared among the independent colleges in pooled matching funds for library database licensing. VIVA is also expanding its open and affordable course content initiatives.
The Committee met on September 11, with all present and Kevin Harden also attending. Members received copies of the Collections Policy for their annual review. The library director, Elaine Day will share preliminary (technical) edits prior to the Committee's November meeting. Elaine distributed “Principles and Performance Indicators" from the ACRL Standards for Libraries in Higher Education (2018, p.9). The complete standard is linked under "Sources."
IDS instructors have expressed concern regarding complexity of search results from the default library home guide search: "Everything" (any format) in WorldCat. Results for Averett appear on top, however they can be so numerous and complex that new students are "getting all turned around." Librarians will explore alternatives, include making Books or Articles the search widget default, and/or adding a "beginners" widget for EBSCO Academic Search Complete.
Library use is reflected in over 65,000 digital downloads (articles and book chapters) in 2016-17, and sharply declining print circulation (over 9,000 items in 2000-01, and 1,600 in 2016-17). Students may be looking for printed books in other places. Some students may have little time for or interest in reading beyond basic course requirements. Academic programs vary in their requirements for academic collections and student research.
Academic administrators recently inquired about the feasibility of lending textbooks to students. From the library committee discussion:
For Equestrian Studies licensure in North Carolina, Elaine submitted a draft narrative pertaining to Standard 4 (academic libraries). Among other requirements aligned with the 2004 ACRL Standard for Libraries in Higher Education, the institution must have a librarian with ALA-accredited MLS who reports to the chief academic or chief fiscal officer.
The Committee expressed unanimous endorsement of continuity in the quality and level of library resources and services following Elaine's retirement in December 2018.
[The committee will meet again on November 13, at 11:15am. Fall Break includes the second Tuesday in October.]
In Summer 2018, Jim Verdini led a project to remove the legacy reference collection from the lower level stacks. (These books occupied much of main floor prior to 2015.) Volumes not moved to the circulating collection were shipped to Better World Books or donated to Goodwill Industries.
With support from student assistants, the librarans will shift collections on the lower level, opening space for new acquisitions in Criminal Justice, Political Science, Law, Education, Art, Music, Literature, Math, Medicine, Science, and Technology. Relative humidity was well controlled (under 55%) from June through August -- thanks in part to much hauling of water from dehumidifiers on the lower level.
The library will also shift materials in the upper level stacks, opening shelf space for new acquisitions in Children's Literature, Philosophy, Religion, Psychology, History, Business, and Social Sciences.
Staff installed a new environmental monitoring system (temperature and relative humidity) with six remote sensors. Replacement chairs for the Library Media Room (102) have been delivered and await assembly.
The library will renew digital subscriptions with the exception of Nature Online and APA PsycBooks. Both cancelations are due to high cost and low use.
See Databases, A-Z for a list of subscription and open access collections, Find a Journal for specific journal titles, and WorldCat Discovery for a wide open search of print and digital sources:
The library offers over 300,000 eBooks from ProQuest Academic Complete, EBSCO Academic Collection, Springer Behavioral Science, and open access collections from the National Academies Press and other sources. Understanding that individuals may prefer a print copy for reading in depth, the library will acquire print books on request though the eBook is available.
Any faculty member or student may place a book request using the Recommend Sources form:
OR by email to a subject liaison librarian:
The Library Committee agenda includes annual review of the
In Summer 2017, librarians redesigned all web guides and tutorials, migrating to new ADA-compliant platforms with device independent display for LibGuides and the new WorldCat Discovery. Instructional services are available online and by appointment with liaison librarians. In addition to library orientation/instruction and seminars scheduled by course instructors, library space is formally reserved in Fall 2018 for Averett 101. Library discussion and media areas can accommodate classes with up to 14 students.
In Fall 2018, two librarians are teaching Averett (IDS) 101, the circulation manager English 100, and the archivist two sections of English 111. Kevin Harden has scheduled biweekly citation style workshops. He also teaches IDS 104 and IDS 301 for GPS students. On request, liaison librarians offer instruction sessions and create course guides for research methods courses.
The library director will retire on December 31, 2018. The Faculty Library Committee filled an active role in advising/supporting library staff when the director’s position was open for 18 months prior to May 2000. This may be an opportunity to assess ongoing requirements and future directions for the library with respect to curriculum and academic support.
The library director will be off contract in October. Please refer all resource/instructional requests to the appropriate liaison librarian, and administrative questions to Kevin Harden when Elaine is not available.