Standards:

STANDARD SEVEN-A

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION RESOURCES (Library)

7-A Description: Library Resources
Mission and Purpose
	The mission of the J. Eugene Smith Library, in its new 127,000-square-foot 
building, is iterated in the J. Eugene Smith Library Program Profile: The 
purpose of the J. Eugene Smith Library is to provide for the informational, 
instructional, and research needs of the faculty, staff, and students of the 
University as well as the community at large. This support is provided to those 
groups and individuals through the continued efforts of a professional and 
support staff who select, acquire, organize and maintain the collections and 
access to materials (in many formats)." 
(http://www.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/library/doc_021.htm)

Collections and Services 
	The J. Eugene Smith Library is the sole library of the university. It houses 
247,000 volumes; 2,113 paper and 3,748 electronic serials subscriptions; 25,500 
microforms; 2,500 audiovisual materials, plus various special collections and 
the University Archives. The library also provides access to an array of Web and 
CD-ROM resources, including full-text databases, many of which are accessible in 
a time-free and distance-free manner. It has an integrated online catalog 
(CONSULS) that provides organization and access to library materials and 
supports the functions of staff activities in the Acquisitions, Cataloging, 
Circulation, Reserves, and Serials Departments. The library also maintains a Web 
page (http://www.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/library), which describes library services 
and provides links to many of the electronic resources, including CONSULS. The 
library is a Connecticut State and partial Federal depository and collects 
selected Canadian documents. 

	Beginning with spring 2000, the library expanded its hours of service from 84 to 
92.5 hours a week. Reference services are available 75 hours a week. The after-
hours Study Room provides 20.5 additional hours of service. Personal assistance 
is also offered through other desks, e.g., the Curriculum Center, and 
Connecticut Studies/University Archives/Special Collections area. Electronic 
reference services are available to all users via the library's home page. All 
ECSU students, faculty, and staff are entitled to interlibrary loan services, 
which are available within the library or via the library's home page. 
The new library building opened on January 12, 1999. It features a variety of 
individual and group study spaces, including seating for 914 users. The stacks 
have space for nearly 520,000 volumes. There are more than eighty networked 
public computer workstations, and a user education classroom. A 3M library 
security gate protects library materials, and a networked CCTV system provides 
security for the building and its occupants. 

Institutional Support: Financial and Resources
 
	The university administration has made a very strong commitment to support the 
needs of the library. The library's operational budget in fiscal year 2000 will 
be 150 percent of the 1998 level. The library's collection/access budget has 
doubled in the past four years. 

	As the state moves more and more from a "state-supported" to a "state-assisted" 
model of finance, it is mandatory that additional sources of income be 
identified. Among others, the following grants have been obtained: two, 
Culpepper Foundation; one each from the Wolf Aviation Fund, a Japan Foundation, 
and Caribbean Fund; and, annually Canadian Consulate's Library Book Fund.
In addition, the library has been very assertive in soliciting gift collections 
and receives gifts from donors on an ongoing basis, some of which are quite 
large, such collections as the David Philips (1,350 volumes); Robert G. Mead 
(5,000 volumes), and Curran (17,200 volumes). These gifts serve to augment the 
core collection or provide research-specialty depth. 

Staffing
	For two decades, until 1995, the staffing level of the library had stayed the 
same; sixteen positions. In 1995, the library was approved to add a professional 
and a support staff member. Then in 1997, a media engineer was transferred to 
the library to support the planning and service of multimedia. In view of the 
new building, roughly three times the size of the old one (127,000 square feet 
vis-ˆ-vis 45,000), and the fact that four service points were planned (two in 
the old building), 14 positions have been approved to be added, bringing the 
staffing positions from 16 in 1993 to 33 today. The newly hired professional 
staff members have quality credentials and experience, several with a master's 
degree in library science and a second subject master's. Support staff hired are 
all experienced and have passed the state test. With these new talents, the 
library is offering quality and enhanced services. 

Consortia, Networks, and Resource-Sharing Activities
	The Smith Library has steadily been one of the top "net lender" academic 
libraries in Connecticut: this means that every year it lends more items than it 
borrows, thus sharing its resources with smaller libraries. For example, in 
1998/99, the library lent out 6,755 items, while borrowing 3,754 items from 
others. In addition, the library provides very liberal borrowing privileges to 
Connecticut residents; it has issued approximately 1,000 free cards to residents 
over the age of 18. Through its participation in various networks, such as the 
Council of Connecticut Academic Library Directors (CCALD), CONSULS (the 
Connecticut State University Library System), the New England Library Network 
(NELINET), Eastern Connecticut Libraries, the Online Computer Library Center 
(OCLC), the Smith Library actively participates in the local, regional, state, 
national, and international library scenes. Eastern Connecticut Libraries (a 
nonprofit, multitype library-service organization serving northeast and 
southeast Connecticut) has its headquarters in the library. 

Systematic Evaluation and Improvement
	The library staff utilizes a variety of methods to evaluate and plan for 
improvements. Each year (since 1996), full-time staff goes on an two-day retreat 
in which they examine and review the goals and objectives set during the 
previous year and devise new ones with means and ways to achieve them. In 
addition, the library collects use statistics very systematically to evaluate 
its services. For example, new periodical titles are added if high volume of 
interlibrary loan requests has shown their desirability. Also, before 
subscribing to databases, free trials are done to gauge user-friendliness of the 
search engine and potential interest of users. Last but not least, the 
professional staff takes a very personal approach in evaluating services. 
Library liaisons are in close touch with their counterparts in the departments, 
and they interact with the faculty to get feedback about library services, 
collections, and database access.

7-A Appraisal
Mission and Purpose
	As the university moves more and more toward a model of community service and 
distance- learning offerings, the library needs to move toward serving a wider 
audience. With the OnlineCSU courses, as well as Eastern's continuing education 
initiative, the library has to serve those distance and "invisible" users much 
better. Community service resulted in the library's setting aside computers with 
auto logons and also having to staff the reference desk with two librarians on 
weekends. Requirements for outreach services resulted in the library's hiring an 
outreach librarian in 1999 who is charged to do site visits and programming. In 
negotiating database licenses, the librarians consider not only cost but also 
remote access factors.

	Another major challenge is the librarians' resolve to continue as a " teaching 
library." Extra efforts have to be put into incorporating electronic resources 
such as the Internet into user-education, including research skills and 
evaluation of online resources. The User Education Program has to ensure that a 
close working relationship is maintained with classroom faculty; has to do more 
in providing information to users regarding copyright and intellectual property 
rights, including electronic formats; and has to develop more tutorials online.

Collections and Services
	The library collections are adequate for the research needs of students at the 
university and meet the professional standards for college libraries. Subject-
specialist teams, consisting of a librarian liaison and a teaching faculty 
builder from each department systematically develop the library collections. The 
liaison/builder teams collaborate in the purchasing of new materials and in the 
overall development of the collections. During the past three years, the 
monographic stacks collections have increased by 11.82% (3.11% in 1995/96; 5.18% 
in 1996/97; and 3.52% in 1997/98). Periodical subscriptions have also increased 
by 19.95% during that same time period (7.08% in 1995/96; 3.46% in 1996/97; 
9.41% in 1997/98). In addition, the library has a complete and current 
subscription to ERIC RIE to support the education programs. The current array of 
electronic databases is constantly appraised and revised by librarians in 
coordination with recent initiatives of the CSU consortium. There is general 
consensus among librarians, faculty, and users that the library should offer a 
larger variety of electronic resources.

	Since the opening of the new building, use of the library has seen dramatic 
increases, e.g., 121,044 turnstile counts in 1998, and 242,586 in 1999; 41,765 
checkouts in 1998, and 44,081 in 1999). The majority of electronic resources are 
available on campus on a time-free basis, and off-campus users can access Web-
based resources via the CSU proxy server. This past year, the library has 
implemented the new OCLC dedicated TCP/IP communications, enabling library staff 
to do their jobs on efficient, high-speed, networked workstations. The library 
puts out a variety of publications, such as the library Web, ECSU Library 
Newsletter, Guide to Library Services, and various pathfinders to assist patrons 
in the use of the facilities, services, and resources.

	The library environment for the collections, equipment, and users is outstanding 
in the new building. In addition to 912 seats, there are a community/conference 
room, seminar and group study rooms, user education room, an after-hours study 
room, individual research study rooms, the Electronic News Corner, and the 
Special Services Room for the physically challenged. There are more than eighty 
high-speed computers for student use: these "scholar's workstations" provide 
access to library databases and Internet resources, as well as word processing 
and spreadsheet software, e-mail, and access to the campus NT network. The 
building has a fiber-optic and level 5+ wired infrastructure, flexible enough to 
accommodate future technological developments and expansion. A satellite dish 
(with both analog and digital receivers) and cable are available for 
teleconferencing and other uses..

	The library is committed to preserving the collections. The furnishings are new 
and the building is fully air conditioned. Current periodicals are customarily 
bound or replaced by microforms. There are excellent repair facilities in the 
Technical Services Department, and worn or damaged materials are routinely sent 
there for processing. Special Collections and University Archives are climate 
controlled. 

Institutional Support: Financial and Resources
	The university administration's support of the library is very strong in both 
collection/access funding and staff positions. There has been a steady infusion 
of funding for the collection, as well as electronic resources expansion. The 
library has had success in obtaining a few grants, gifts, and endowments, but it 
must involve more of its professional staff in writing grant proposals; 
conducting use and user surveys in order to examine its paper, microform, and 
electronic journals expenditures; and seeking additional revenue sources.

Staffing
	Now that the building has been opened for service for more than a year and new 
technologies are brought up and online, staff members need to undergo more 
training. The increase in physical size, the addition of new staff members, and 
the variety of new technologies have posed great changes for staff to adjust to. 
Learning to work with new policies and procedures, new talents, and greater 
service demands from users has proven to be great challenges for some staff 
members.

Consortia, Networks, Resources Sharing
	Eastern and the Smith Library are well served by all the consortia, networks, 
and resource-sharing activities. There are databases that the library could not 
possibly afford on its own, e.g., EBSCOHOST full-text, Britannica Online, 
FirstSearch databases, and so on. Cost sharing in training is another big 
benefit. Group training sessions offered by Eastern Connecticut Libraries, the 
New England Library Network, and others afford staff the opportunity to view the 
"best practices" of other libraries. 

Systematic Evaluation and Improvement
	The annual two-day retreats have worked very well, although so far much time and 
energy have been focused on achieving a smooth transition from the old to the 
new building. Future retreats need to be devoted primarily to service-program 
examination and brainstorming for new approaches. More user surveys need to be 
designed and conducted. Use and other statistics need to be better kept and 
monitored, including electronic and print use. 
 
7-A Projection
Mission and Purpose
	The library will continue to make use of new information technologies as they 
become available and to impart certain research and information-seeking skills 
so that our graduates will be "information literate." Leadership in content 
development and outcome driven user education modules will be cultivated and 
valued for in-person and online delivery. 

Collection and Services
	The library will continue its participation in the CONSULS consortium, and in 
its resource- sharing efforts. It will endeavor to enhance its access to 
electronic resources through local and consortia efforts. This will be 
particularly evident in the library's periodical subscriptions; many are 
currently available both online and in print, challenging the management of 
materials budget to achieve a good mix to meet our users' needs. Journal use 
studies, an important tool to help in decision making, have to be planned and 
conducted. 
	
	The library will continue to explore and implement technology-based systems to 
provide enhanced services for users, especially users enrolled in distance-
learning courses. Pilot studies for electronic reserves, document delivery, and 
the wireless are the initiatives currently on trial. Reference librarians are 
finding that they spend more time troubleshooting technology-related questions 
than teaching information-retrieval skills. The library took an innovative 
approach in training student assistants to help with these questions. Library 
staff need to be continuously learning new IT methods and brainstorming for new 
approaches.

	The library will continue its efforts to develop the core book collection. 
Collection development activities will focus on the last stage of the Books-for-
College-Libraries project, in which the librarians will attempt to identify and 
purchase core academic materials not added to the collections during the 
fiscally deficient decades of the 1970s and 1980s. 

Institutional Support: Financial and Resources
	It is anticipated that the library will expand its fund-raising activities and 
write more grant proposals seeking extramural support. Also, it should put into 
practice the Friends of the J. Eugene Smith Library proposal that was 
submitted and approved by the university administration in 1998. The 
establishment of such a group would not only engender good will but assist the 
library in fund-raising and cultural activities.

Staffing
	As stated in the "Evaluation" section above, coping with the much larger library 
organization and higher user-service demands will be the major task for the 
library's existing and new staff. Team building is anticipated to be top 
priority. And because the library relies heavily on student assistants, new 
approaches to the training of cohorts each year will be explored. 

Consortia, Networks, Resource Sharing
 
	It is very important that the library fully participate in the activities it is 
engaged in while forging new partnerships with the likes of the University of 
Connecticut Libraries. Because Eastern Connecticut Libraries, Inc. (ECL) moved 
into the new building in June 1999, the staff of the library needs to work 
closely with ECL to capitalize on the strengths of both organizations to better 
serve their constituencies. 

Systematic Evaluation and Improvement
	Annual two-day retreats have been strongly supported by the university 
administration because it believes, as does the library staff, that involvement 
of the entire staff is critical to achieving a very user-driven organization. 
Minutes of the two latest retreats and the program profile are all posted on the 
library's Web page (http://www.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/library), where faculty, staff, 
students, and the entire university community can learn of the library's efforts 
and direction. Library staff will work with the Office of Institutional Planning 
and Research to consider possible revision of the library component of the 
annual Survey of Services.