Attendees: Alice Baron (AMC), Dodie Gaudet (CMRLS), Matthew Haggard (Nichols), Ginny Julian (WPI), Paula McDonald (QCC), Barbara Merolli (Holy Cross)
1. Review and Discuss Draft Mission Statement
The draft mission statement of the Customer Service Group was accepted without changes.
2. Best Practices Using ILL/Circulation Software ProgramsQuestions discussed are:
1. E-reserves and what systems are being used: intranets, Blackboard, etc. Issues and recommendations
Most libraries still handle print reserves, with some libraries adding them into their circulation system for checking in and out. Software programs that are used include Blackboard, ERes (Docutek), WebCT. WPI will be using SharePoint for document collaboration and Holy Cross is introducing Moodle but for course management, not for electronic reserves.
2. Video/Media reserves, requests, and ILL. Can faculty request themselves and does anyone uses interactive calendars to put hold on videos or what else is being used and how? What are the best practices?
None of the attendees use digital scheduling software or interactive calendars for managing video/DVD loans at their libraries. Some libraries restrict use of video/DVD to in-library use only, some check out media materials to faculty only, some check out to students and faculty.
Most libraries that checkout materials do so for a shorter period of time than books. Some libraries will put more expensive videos/DVDs on permanent reserve. The reluctance to loan out DVD/videos is due to the concern about losing them, and a need to have them available to faculty to use in classroom, especially if the materials were specifically requested by faculty.
3. Sharing of e-resources for ILL- Do licenses allow this? What are best ways to share them within ARC?
Licensing agreements and contracts with vendors or publishers stipulate what can be shared, with many restricting or prohibiting the sharing of resources through ILL. Some libraries considered giving college alum off campus access to their databases, but vendors and publisher charge high fees for allowing this or don’t allow it at all.
Some ARC libraries are using the Boston Public Library e-card and providing students with information for acquiring an e-card. Some colleges are adding BPL databases to their own list of resources. None of the ARC libraries use the BPL e-card to fulfill ILL requests, with the understanding that this would be violating copyright laws.
4. What group purchases or consortia agreements do libraries use?
ILL groups or consortia used by ARC libraries include LVIS, DOCLINE, OCLC, CMRLS, CWMARS. Other groups/consortia used by libraries for purchasing databases include NERL, WALDO, NELINET and Oberlin.
5. What non-conventional models for accessing/sharing materials are libraries considering/using?
There is an issue with getting ILL materials to borrowers who are distant from the library’s physical location, including satellite campuses and online education programs. Providing students with access to services from remote locations is a challenge. Some colleges integrate access with their network login. Others have separate user id and password login processes.
Registering on-campus students is cumbersome at some colleges, where the library manually registers every student for a library card. For other libraries, the college has automated the process with the college-issued ID cards. At some, there is a combination of processes with full-time students being registered automatically and part-time and graduate students having to register manually.
6. Are libraries streaming video through Blackboard (or other programs) for courses rather than putting them on reserve at the library?
None of the ARC libraries represented at the meeting are streaming video through course management software.
7. How are reserves put on Blackboard or WebCT or Moodle—who takes them off at the end of the semester?
This varies, in some cases the faculty put things up on reserves and in others the library staff will do it.
8. Records management? How long are records kept? Guidelines say 3 years.
There are supposedly guidelines that say three years, but the source of this guideline was unclear. Some libraries will keep records for 3 years or 6 years. It was noted that paper records are no longer required to tabulate statistics with the ability to pull reports from OCLC, although no one could definitely say how long OCLC retains their records.
9. WorldCat Direct [http://www.oclc.org/productworks/betterworldbook.htm}
WorldCat Direct mails books directly to borrowing patron, with an option to purchase the book if the patron wishes to keep it. A trial of this service has been underway since February, but none of the attendees had heard about it until Dodie provided some information about it for this meeting.
3. Discussion of ARC Strategic Plan Goal for Customer Service
The Customer Service objective and first of two related activities are:
Objective C. Promote ARC’s traditional resource sharing services.
Activity: 1. Assure that all resource sharing library staff are aware of emerging developments/software.This activity has a timeframe for completion of “Spring 2009.”
The assessment is to be a “written report with summary of proposed technologies.”
Prior to the next Customer Service interest group meeting, we will update the list of ILL contacts for all ARC libraries and draft an email to directors of all ARC libraries regarding this initiative. Survey will be compiled to determine:
- 1. What resource sharing technology does your library currently use?
- 2. Are you planning to upgrade or change your resource sharing technology within the next year?
- 3. How do you learn about or keep up to date with new resource sharing technology?
- 4. What communication tools would you be willing to use or would like to see used for sharing information about new resource sharing technology: newsletters (print or electronic), blogs, wiki’s, email, ipods, etc.
