Annual Report FY07
Reference/Instruction
| Staff |
|---|
| Karen Locher, Head of Public Services |
| Lori Williamson, Access Services Librarian |
| Paula Packard, Web Services Librarian |
| David Ticen, Instruction Librarian |
| Gayle Hardcastle, Help Desk Technician |
| Robert Tonsul, Student Assistant |
Highlights
Computing
This year we increased the number of public computers on the first floor of the library to 36. Our development this year was devoted to security as we evaluated different methods and software to protect the public computers from software downloads, desktop changes, and other problems associated with public computing. We finally decided on the implementation of the Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit. That, with the installation of full RIS services supported by UHV, we were able to deploy most of the software we want to support on public systems. The online math instruction programs used by Victoria College math classes are still problematic for us, with intermittent service issues.
Throughout the summer we evaluated different products for authentication and session control of the public computer systems. Among the products evaluated were PC-Cop, Envisionware, and Cybrarian. We decided on PC-Cop, which was purchased and set for install in Fall of 2007.
| Database Name | Sessions | Searches | Total Full Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literature Resource Center | 13,308 |
50,821 |
15,362 |
| Literature Resource Center- MLA Bibliography | 13,308 | 44,281 | 3,834 |
| Business Source Premier/Complete | 9,664 | 37,826 | 32,737 |
| Academic Search Premier/Complete | 13,328 | 33,848 | 26,665 |
| CINAHL | 3,728 |
12,665 |
7,002 |
| Business and Company Resource Center | 2,157 | 11,285 | 1,730 |
| Academic/General OneFile | 4,019 | 11,024 | 5,694 |
| PsycINFO | 2,311 | 7,780 | 842 |
| ERIC | 2,080 | 7,295 | 189 |
| Oxford English Dictionary | 944 | 6,152 | 7,792 |
| Education Index | 1,441 | 5,890 | 4,339 |
| Expanded Academic Index | 2,528 | 5,666 | 2,516 |
| Student Resource Center - College | 1,007 | 5,459 | 2,098 |
| Medline | 1,334 | 4,891 | 372 |
| PsycARTICLES | 2,298 | 4,890 | 4,968 |
| Biography Resource Center | 891 | 4,781 | 1,024 |
| Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection | 1,164 | 3,640 | 2,354 |
| Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition | 890 | 2,992 | 1,758 |
| Gale Virtual Reference Library | 577 | 2,782 | 580 |
Reference
We continue to select for an electronic reference. We added more titles to the Gale Virtual Reference Library, and added full cataloging for reference titles contained in many of our online databases, most notably StatRef!.
As part of the re-design of the Library's website, databases containing reference content (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, etc) have been highlighted under a "Reference Materials" tab under each of our subject classifications. We are proud to note that the Oxford English Dictionary database (a reference database) is on the top 10 of our most searched databases.
In January, we finalized the configuration of TOUR, an open URL resolver purchased through our periodicals management system, TDNet. TOUR allows a user to discover full text articles that may be located in online database resources outside of the database they are currently searching. While open URL resolution has a long way to go before becoming a perfect technology, it has opened more possibilities to our researchers.
Library Instruction
While library instruction numbers have remained relatively steady from the prior year in terms of classes and number of students served, the number of contact hours are down more than 25%. This is attributable to the fewer number of UHV English 3430 classes which receive instruction in-person. English 3430 is now taught almost exclusively online.
Victoria College classes increased by one from the prior year while contact hours were up by nearly 100 hours. The number of classes taught for area high school clasess was the same as for the prior year.
Because of the change in format with New Student Orientation and also because of increasing numbers of online courses as opposed to in-person, we can expect all numbers for instruction for the current and succeeding years to diminish. We are currently working on placing instructional modules online for the benefit of online students. We anticipate that a number of these modules will be available by the beginning of the Spring Semester.