Flinders University Library
Annual Report 2001
Review by the University
Librarian
The dominant issue for 2001 was the implementation of the
new integrated library management system, Voyager. Voyager
presented an opportunity to develop many quality services
and the challenge for library staff has been to ensure that
the greatest possible benefits are obtained from the
system.
To the credit of all involved, the project was completed
on time, within budget and with minimal disruption to
library services. The installation process commenced in
March, with the installation of a server. This was followed
by installation of the software in May and progressive loads
of the many data files from July until November. The first
module went live in December. The transfer of complex
serials records will remain ongoing, and until complete the
library will continue to operate the Dynix serials module.
Alongside the installation process three additional servers,
100 new SunRay public access terminals and 90 new staff
computers were installed and staff training for Voyager was
a major commitment during the latter part of the year. The
review and documentation of new procedures and workflows
will continue well into 2002.
As the result of an agreement signed between the Library
and the South Australian Branch of the Australian Nursing
Federation (ANF), members of the nursing profession
throughout South Australia now have access to a
comprehensive range of information and document delivery
services. Under the fee paying agreement, ANF members have
access to the entire library collection, including the
branch libraries, and in particular to the major nursing
resources located in the Sturt Library.
Another significant development was the Library's
participation in the Australian Literature Information
Gateway (ALEG) project. This project brings together two
major Australian literature bibliographical resources, the
Austlit database and the Bibliography of Australian
Literature. ALEG provides high quality bibliographical and
biographical information on Australian literature, including
the publishing history of works, whether monographs or
journal articles, poems or short stories.
Bill Cations
University Librarian
Library Resources
Key performance indicators
- 100% of new course books catalogued within 24
hours
- 98% of new journal issues processed within 24
hours
- 87% of loans reshelved within 24 hours
- 17.5 volumes catalogued per staff member per day
(average)
- 8 weeks supply-time for book orders from major
suppliers (average)
A major achievement for the Bibliographic Services
Section was to be acknowledged for the second year in a row
as one of the top ten contributors of original catalogue
records to Kinetica, the national bibliographic
database.
Significant acquisitions
There were several significant donations in 2001.
Collections received included the following-
- Liberal Movement press clippings
- Historical material on opera in South
Australia
- South Pacific education and Aboriginal education
archives
- Australian sport history
- The Australian Nursing Federation's library
collection
In addition, the library acknowledges the following
agencies for their contribution of funding used to
supplement the purchase of materials for the collections:
University Research Fund, Clinicians' Special Purpose Fund,
FMC Research Foundation and the Nurses' Education and
Research Fund. The Jim Main and Hutchison bequests enabled
the library to purchase many valuable antiquarian and rare
books for the Special Collections.
Collection development
In line with the library's mission to acquire and
preserve valuable Australian political and historical
resources that may be of significance for research programs,
documents in the John Bannon Collection were photocopied
onto acid-free paper to secure long-term preservation and an
index to the press clippings in the Bannon Collection was
compiled.
A new collection development policy was drawn up to
ensure the acquisition of works by writers who are
recipients of major literary prizes.
Buildings and Space Management
The final phase of the present redevelopment of the Sturt
Library was completed in time for first semester, with new
service point desks and signage installed. The renovations
were designed to make the library a more attractive and
useable facility, enhancing the standard of service that the
library is able to provide to users. The Sturt Library
enjoyed a substantial increase in attendances. The increase,
combined with anecdotal evidence, indicated that the changes
have been well received.
Planning was undertaken for a new centralised service
point in the Central Library, combining the functions of the
Information Desk, WebCT Student Help Desk, Microcomputer
Room Service Point, ID Card production, Patron Records and
photocopying and printing assistance. The centralised
service point, scheduled for completion prior to first
semester 2002, will provide enhanced services for users,
reducing the amount of referral between service points.
Funding for both the Sturt and Central Library works has
been obtained from the university's minor works budget.
Funding was allocated from the disabilities budget to
replace the heavy inner entrance and exit doors of the
Central Library with automatic sliding doors. This work is
scheduled to take place in time for first semester 2002.
The security of the collections in selected areas of the
library was reviewed. In line with the security consultant's
recommendations, steps were taken to upgrade various
internal procedures and a new surveillance system was
installed. The improvements will better safeguard valuable
assets in the library's collections.
Responsibility for the receipt of new issues of print
journals was relocated from the Medical and Sturt libraries
to the Central Library. Under the centralised model,
incoming issues are received in the Central Library and
input into the catalogue within 24 hours, prior to transfer
to the relevant branch library on the following day. This
initiative has enabled branch library staff to focus on
front of house services.
Approximately 1,000 volumes were transferred between the
Flinders libraries, including the Joint Library Store in
2001. The Store is a collaborative venture with the
University of Adelaide. It is located at, and managed by,
the Flinders University Library on behalf of both partners.
There were over 9,000 requests from users for the supply of
items held in the Joint Library Store. Approximately 2,000
items were supplied to Flinders users and a further 7,000
items went to requestors from the University of
Adelaide.
Support for Education
Opening hours
The library continues to offer extensive opening hours.
The latest CAUL (Council of Australian University
Librarians) figures available rated the library's hours as
third best amongst Australian university libraries.
Lending services
Circulation volumes were very nearly unchanged from 2000.
Preparation for the Voyager circulation module was a key
issue. In-depth exploration of the module was undertaken to
enable the implementation of policies, establish and
document procedures, and provide extensive staff
training.
E-reserve continued to function well and planning was
undertaken to move it onto Voyager in early 2002.
Developments have focused on priority areas identified by
the faculties, the exception being lecture notes, which have
been digitised on a large scale.
User satisfaction survey
The annual user satisfaction survey was undertaken in
August and again reflected positively upon library services,
with between 92 and 99% of users reporting medium to high
satisfaction with the outcome of their visit to a particular
branch of the library.
A key focus of the survey was satisfaction with library
skills training programmes. The survey showed the majority
of students to be satisfied with the training programmes.
Topic-based sessions were better received than generic
sessions, reflecting the advantages of providing training in
the context of a real "need to know." Overall, the results
of the survey indicated that the library has been successful
in balancing topic-based and generic training
mechanisms.
Information literacy
Small group sessions within topics continued to be the
core of the information literacy programme. Automation of
basic training enhanced the library's ability to sustain an
extensive programme. Specialised face to face training
programmes were provided, ranging from pre-semester
orientation programmes for AusAid students to one-on-one
sessions for PhD students. library staff participated in two
Staff Development programmes for new academic staff,
providing information about library resources and
services.
The library continued to offer its orientation tours and
training courses in conjunction with the Study Skills Centre
as part of the University's 'Start Smart Programme'.
The WebCT based library assignment operated very well in
2001. A total of 2225 students enrolled in 38 topics and the
Foundation Course completed the assignment, an increase of
500 students over the previous year. An extensive
redevelopment of the exercise was commenced in response to
the planned implementation of Voyager, as well as the
increased amount of information available electronically and
the corresponding need to develop appropriate skills in this
area. The library also provided subject specific WebCT
exercises for areas such as biology.
The Schools Enrichment Programme was extended to Year 11
students for the first time. Aproximately 500 Year 11 and 12
students attended a library orientation programme, with 101
students electing to take up borrowing privileges.
Multi-media services
Photocopying volumes declined (14.7%) while printing
volumes increased (128%). With an ever-greater proportion of
the library collection in electronic form it is expected
that this trend will continue.
In the latter part of the year hardware and software
upgrades took place in readiness for an upgrade to the
photocopy management system. A new staff-student ID card
system, featuring two high volume printers which will
significantly reduce waiting at peak times, was purchased by
the University to replace the system used for the previous
four years.
A total of 1,223 photographic requests were handled
during the year, a slight decrease over the previous year.
Digital imaging services were enhanced with the purchase of
a film and slide scanner and a professional digital camera.
The majority of photographs were captured digitally, with
professional quality prints produced on photographic paper
at a very reasonable cost. Traditional film based
photography is used where it provides superior results.
Services for users with a disability
During the year the library reported in detail on its
services for staff and students with disabilities in its
report to the 2000-2001 review of the university's
'Disability Action Plan'. The library continues to have two
main roles in relation to users with disabilities. One is
the provision of specialized services that make its
collections and general services accessible to all. The
other is, on behalf of the University, to provide access to
and support for specialized equipment to meet the needs of
students and staff with perceptual or physical handicaps.
Demand for both types of service continues to grow but the
nature of the requests and the responses that the library is
able to make have changed as a result of changes in
technology.
The library continued to support specialized equipment
for use by students with disabilities. While most students
who utilize such equipment usually have high level skills,
in some instances training is required. During 2001 a
library staff member was trained in the use of Dragon
Dictate, with the training jointly funded by the library and
the Academic and Student Service Division.
At the request of the Health and Counseling Service and
the Examinations Office the library provided rooms for the
February supplementary exams for students with disabilities.
This has been continued for all subsequent examination
periods.
Support for Research
Document delivery
The volume of document delivery requests supplied to
Flinders staff and students dropped (by approximately 14%)
while the volume of requests from other libraries recovered
by 26% to make up most of the loss sustained in 2000.
The Central library Document Delivery Unit participated
in a benchmarking study undertaken by the National Resource
Sharing Working Group. The library ranked well, highlights
including a rank of 2nd from the 32 universities
participating in speed of supply to staff and students, and
3rd amongst this group in the fill rate to other libraries.
Unit costs were below the average of our peers for both of
these activities. This was an excellent result, given that
it was achieved without the considerable investment in
document delivery automation that has been undertaken by
many other Australian academic libraries.
Cooperative arrangements with the University of Adelaide
and the University of South Australia, developed as part of
UniLibraries SA, continue to be an invaluable part of the
service.
Support for International
Programmes
Flexible delivery services
Sharp increases in demand for traditional paper-based
services were encountered in 2001, following a previous
downward trend.
One key focus for Flexible Delivery has been the
promotion of electronic resources to users requesting
searches via email. To ensure that external students develop
skills in accessing the literature of their discipline,
users requesting searches via email, who were therefore
generally able to access electronic resources, were informed
about the resources available to them electronically and the
benefits there-of. To enable the library to address standout
issues, the web request form was restructured to obtain
information on why students seek to have a search conducted
for them.
The greatest take up of electronic resources occurred
where a unit was being taught by electronic means with
information resources integrated into the course. The
library has been working with educational designers in
faculties, and on the various committees upon which it is
represented, to foster this approach. It is anticipated that
Voyager will create new means by which this type of
integration can be achieved.
WebCT Student Help Desk
The WebCT student help desk was again funded by the
University in 2001. Help desk staff continued to work
closely with staff from the Staff Development and Training
Unit (SDTU) who manage WebCT to ensure two-way communication
regarding the latest WebCT developments and issues
confronting students.
A considerable drop (50%) in the number of students
choosing to do voluntary training was experienced, to some
extent probably reflecting the continuation of students from
one WebCT course to another. However it was of concern that
this drop was paralleled by an increase of 20% in the number
of queries answered by the desk. This will continue to be
monitored, with programs adjusted accordingly.
Developing the electronic library
- A collection development policy for electronic
information resources has been developed outlining selection
criteria to be considered when comparing print and digital
resources. Advantages of e-resources were identified in the
policy, including the valuable support they provide for the
university's flexible delivery programs. The policy gives
preference to the purchase of electronic resources, subject
to consultation with relevant stakeholders and application
of the rigorous selection criteria.
- A review of electronic books was undertaken in
June to determine the feasibility of their introduction in
the library, particularly for use in Reserve. It was decided
not to commit resources to e-books at this particular time,
as the limited products available had significant
shortcomings. A watching brief is being kept on future
developments in this area.
- The digitisation of the university's examination
papers up to mid 2001 was completed and the exams made
accessible via the library's web page.
Branch Libraries
Law Library
Teaching took place in an intensive mode over the summer
and the library extended its hours to provide access to the
Law Library. The distribution of these hours was
co-ordinated with the School of Law. An effort was made to
co-ordinate these hours with the University of Adelaide Law
Library to ensure a spread of library hours available to law
students in the Adelaide metropolitan area. While the
University of Adelaide was unable to proceed with
after-hours summer opening, this matter will be revisited in
the lead up to summer 2002/2003.
During 2001 some 4,500 volumes of a valuable donation
from Justice Gray were processed and added to the Law
Library collection, enriching it in many important
areas.
Law Library staff were involved extensively, in
association with academic staff from the School of Law, in
planning, delivery and assessment of the compulsory 1st year
Law Topic, Legal Method.
For National Law Week the Law Library mounted a large
display in the foyer of the Central Library addressing the
theme of Law @ Work. The display covered issues such as
finding legal resources on workplace law in the Law Library
and also provided legal information leaflets from a number
of agencies.
The Law Librarian continued to serve on the Board of the
School of Law and the Editorial Board of the Flinders
Journal of Law Reform. Formal Liaison with academic staff
was conducted through Jane Knowler and Dr Margaret Davies
(Law) and Ms Cheryl Simpson (Legal Studies); these staff
were also members of the Law Library Subscriptions Committee
at various times through the year.
Gus Fraenkel Medical Library
The reader education programme continued to be a major
focus of staff efforts in the library and it reached, in a
structured manner, students in virtually all programmes of
the School of Medicine as well as students in other relevant
courses of the Faculty of Health Sciences. Sessions were
provided for the members of the various training programmes
operated by the Flinders Medical Centre (FMC). In addition
to the extensive group training, some 70 one-on-one training
and assistance sessions were provided for students and FMC
staff. This represents a considerable increase in service
provision in this area.
Librarians from the Gus Fraenkel Medical Library and the
Sturt Library acted as facilitators in the Evidence Based
Medicine training courses conducted by the Australian Centre
for Evidence Based Medicine.
Support for the Problem Based Learning (PBL) programme of
the School of Medicine continues to be a major component of
the work of the library. This support is provided to
students located on campus and those involved in the
Parallel Rural Community Curriculum programme in the
Riverland. Some experimental work was undertaken with
e-reserve as a mechanism for providing access to readings
for students doing PBL based courses. Following the
successful trial this will be extended to additional courses
in 2002.
Sturt Library
The Sturt Library provided a strong user education
program conducted by the subject liaison librarians. An
increasing focus of the sessions was the use of electronic
resources both locally and remotely. Email, Internet,
electronic resources and WebCT sessions were also conducted.
Other user education sessions conducted by the subject
librarians ranged from basic undergraduate sessions in the
use of the catalogue and CD-ROMs to advanced and complex
instruction for higher degree students and staff. A program,
begun in 2000, for mature age students who were hesitant in
the use of information technology was continued successfully
in 2001. Some postgraduate research seminars were held
after-to ensure training was available to as many students
as possible.
The Teaching Resources Collection (TRC) benefited from a
special allocation of funding to allow the resources held in
the collection to be updated. The TRC was further improved
by a transfer programme, which moved outdated resources to
the Joint Library Store. Special allocations of funds for
binding led to improvements in the serials collection.
All first year topic required readings were made
available electronically via the e-reserve system. Initially
to support the students studying at the Betanien College of
Nursing in Bergen and the Bjorknes School in Oslo (as part
of the University's NurseWay Programme), access was
subsequently extended to all Flinders nursing students.
Students quickly became accustomed to this mode of delivery
and rated the system quite highly in a questionnaire
administered by the School.
A Harvard referencing guide was created at the request of
academic staff and co-published by the library and the
School of Nursing and Midwifery. All new nursing students
and all staff received a copy of this guide at the start of
the year. It was also made available on the Nursing homepage
and the library's website.
The contract to supply information services to the
Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) was renewed in July. The
service delivered 983 items to ANF members and staff of whom
250 were registered to use the service as of the end of the
year. The ANF library collection was incorporated into the
Sturt Library, providing useful backsets in good physical
condition of a number of journals that had been subject to a
great deal of use over a long period of time.
Staff Development
Staff development and training received priority within
the library through two programs, the library management's
program and the Staff Development Committee's program.
Particular highlights include the trainee librarian
programme, which continues to supply the library with high
calibre junior professional staff, and the staff rotation
scheme, on which the University was congratulated by the
Director of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace
Agency.
A key staff development issue was Voyager training, with
all library staff extensively trained during a 3 month
programme. The library continued exploring avenues for
collaboration, supporting a Goup of Five proposal for a
library study tours programme, and the development of a
UniLibraries SA joint workshops program for 2002 with the
University of Adelaide and the University of South
Australia.
Collaborative Alliances
Adelaide College of Divinity
Since 1998 the library has provided OPAC, acquisitions,
cataloguing and information technology services to the
Adelaide College of Divinity (ACD) on a contractual basis.
The alliance entitles users from both institutions to
reciprocal borrowing privileges at each other's
libraries.
CAUL
The library is a participant in CEIRC, the CAUL
Electronic Information Resources Consortium, which seeks to
increase access to scholarly information in Australian
universities via collaborative purchasing agreements with
publishers. Through CEIRC the library was able to purchase
licences to two major new resources: Proquest, a
multidisciplinary database containing over 3,200 titles and
Wiley Interscience, which provides access to 400 titles.
AVCC
The library elected to participate in the National Site
License initiative with ISI to provide web access to Current
Contents and Web of Science. WOS comprises Science Citation
Index, Social Sciences Citation Index and Arts &
Humanities Citation Index. As part of the arrangement, the
library will also purchase a five year backset to WOS. The
national site license will provide remote, multi-user
access, and will provide links to full-text where the
library has a current subscription.
UniBooks
Unibooks, the campus bookshop, and the library co-sponsor
a series of literary events entitled 'Fridays at the
Library'. There were five very successful events in 2001
SAGULSA (Systems Advisory Group, UniLibraries SA)
Voyager implementation helped make one of the busiest and
most productive years yet for cooperation between the three
South Australian university libraries. The three libraries
cooperated throughout the implementation phase, with weekly
conference calls with the supplier, Endeavor, and the
sharing of relevant email correspondence. SAGULSA
coordinated the testing of data migration and software
functionality and shared aspects of staff training.
AARLIN (Australian Academic Research Libraries
Information Network)
The Flinders library is one of the six participants in
the trial phase of the ARC/DEST funded AARLIN project. The
aim of the project is to provide university staff and
students with seamless access to the information resources
required to support Australian research.
Joint Library Store and CAVAL
Negotiations continued between the partners of the Joint
Library Store (Flinders and Adelaide universities) and those
of the CARM Store (the Victorian academic libraries) to
establish a national cooperative digital and archive
repository linking the regional stores in SA and Victoria. A
business model was developed to progress the proposal
however unsuccessful funding applications have meant that
the viability remains under consideration.
School of Cultural Studies
The library co-sponsored a successful ARC Linkage -
Infrastructure Grant with Professor Gus Worby from the
School of Cultural Studies and eight other collaborating
institutions. The project has been responsible for the
establishment of the Australian Literature Electronic
Gateway, an innovative database to assist literary and
humanities based research in Australia. The library is
contributing staff assistance to the indexing of South
Australian publications onto the database.
Department of Screen Studies
The library acquired approximately 3,000 Australian 16mm
films from the former State Film and Video Library. Housed
in the Joint Library Store, the films are being indexed in a
joint program between the library and the Deptartment of
Screen Studies.
Statistics 2001
|
Total Staff
|
72.7
|
|
Total Loans
|
320,103
|
|
Total Non-Serial Volumes
|
670,795
|
|
Total Serial Volumes
|
462,751
|
|
Total Current Serial Titles
|
36,057
|
|
Total Expenditure on Non-Serial Items
|
$707,000
|
|
Total Expenditure on Serial Subscriptions
|
$2,450,000
|
For more statistics see the CAUL
statistics website.
|
