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The 1997/98 year has been rewarding. We continue to build on many of the successful projects and programs begun last year. Transformations in higher education are dictating immense changes in the way libraries deliver information and respond to user needs. We continue to be responsive to these changes and some of the things we have done during this period of time indicate our commitment to meet the challenges of the new environment in higher education.
Strategic Direction 3.1: In our undergraduate programs, we will help all students reach their full potential by providing a multifaceted, supportive learning environment in which we strive for both disciplinary competence and education of the whole person. University Libraries has maintained an active, visible front in providing a teaching and learning environment for the academic community. Our increased presence in the classroom is due in part to the increased awareness of faculty and students eager to learn how to access information through structured databases and the Internet. Access to full text electronic research materials has increased and has been instrumental in librarians offering classes to the university community on utilizing these new tools. In addition, we have continued many traditional instructional avenues through library tools, one-on-one assistance at public service points, and tutorial training in using major online tools such as DIALOG. During the 1997-98 year, we have focused on numerous instructional activities that have played a major role in the educational experiences of Virginia Tech students.
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Instructional |
|
Bibliographic classes taught |
675 |
Number of participants |
10,500 |
Bibliographic guides for students |
36,646 |
Training, workshops, conferences for staff & faculty |
20 workshops |
Circulation |
456,023 |
Reserve |
842,806 |
Strategic Direction 3.2: To enhance Virginia Tech's status as a major research university and center for graduate education, maintaining its position among the top 50 such institutions in terms of sponsored research expenditures (top of those without medical schools) and among the top 10 in industrially supported research.
Virginia Tech plays a major role in advancing research in numerous fields of endeavor. The university is playing a key role in the building of the country's first smart road; 21 U.S. patents were awarded to Virginia Tech researchers; sponsored research grants accounted for $1.6 million awarded by outside agencies at the beginning of the 1998 calendar year. Through its collections, services, and outreach programs, the University Libraries is assuming a key role in assisting the university in maintaining this type of research competitiveness.
Encyclopaedia Britannica FirstSearch Info Trac STAT-USA Cambridge Scientific Abstracts MathSciNet IDEAL Electronic Journals GaleNet MUSE Electronic Journals Periodicals Contents Index (PCI) |
Collection Statistics
Volumes |
2,004,684 |
Purchased Serials |
10,849 |
Microforms |
6,043,349 |
Computer Files |
7,250 |
Maps |
131,472 |
Audio Tapes, Cassettes, CD's |
8,640 |
Photographs |
65,173 |
Film & Video |
8,870 |
Users Services Statistics 1997-98
Reference/Informational Queries |
209,820 |
Shelving Humanities/Social Science current periodicals
Science current periodicals
Humanities/Social Science Reference Room
Science Reference Room
In-House Use
Microforms Use
ILL Borrowing |
58,924 70,278 15,913 5,854 524,498 35,941 22,588 |
Tech Connect
Consulting questions
Electronic questions
Distributed software |
16,399 3,822 5,713 |
Strategic Direction 3.3: We will position the university as the leading provider of outreach services in the Commonwealth of Virginia by reconceptpualizing and restructuring the service component of our land-grant mission.
The University Libraries recognizes that higher education has a leadership role to play in developing a globally literate citizenry and workforce. As the largest university in the Commonwealth, University Libraries' collections, services, and especially its staff, represent a great research source within the state and nation. The libraries play a unique role in helping the university community reach out beyond the Blacksburg campus. Our collaboration with other higher education institutions, such as the University of Virginia and George Mason University, continues to develop a broad-based offering of electronic resources to students both on and off campus.
Wherever our students are located, to be academically successful, they need access to the rich and varied resources of the University Libraries. One of our major achievements this academic year was to provide to all extended users authenticated access to the licensed library databases. The library is committed to equalizing access to information to all Virginia Tech students regardless of whether they are in Abingdon, Norton, or Arlington. To achieve that end we have:
Interlibrary loans to other institutions |
22,831 |
New Media Center       Total Users       Total Classes |
11,304
300 |
Special Services, use of the facility |
221 |
Strategic Direction 3.4: We will enhance the university's status as one of the leading innovators nationally in the application of advanced communications and information technologies in instruction, research, outreach, and administrative support.
"From computing to engineering to business to the humanities to the arts, technology influences how we learn and do, and it hastens change in our learning and doing as the technologies themselves rapidly evolve" (Cross Cutting Initiatives: Case Studies Focusing on the Future April 1988, p. 6). To respond and to support the university's status as a leader and innovator in the development and use of informational technologies, the University Libraries:
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Strategic Direction 3.5: We will more fully integrate an international dimension into the university's major programmatic endeavors in order to prepare the entire university community for full participation in the global society of the next century.
Virginia Tech recognizes that students need to develop skills and knowledge that are global. The University Libraries through its diverse collections plays a key role in educating and informing our students about how other people think, and how other cultures work. We have helped to provide international enrichment through collaborating in a USDA grant project, assisting in the hosting of the 3rd International Meeting of the VTLS User's Group, and establishing and moderating a listserv (VETLIB-L) to foster cooperation and the exchange of ideas among veterinary medical libraries world-wide. Other specific achievements this past fiscal year are:
Addison Introduced
The Name the Catalog Committee announced the winning entry for the name of the web version of the catalog to be ADDISON. Known to his friends as Add or Addison, William Addison Caldwell was the first student to enroll in Virginia Tech, which was then called the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College. This name was chosen from 206 entries, after substantial discussion, debate, and analysis, because it 1) has a specific connection and value to Virginia Tech and the southwestern Virginia community; 2) it conveys a certain sense of dignity and class; and 3) it was an opportunity to celebrate those ordinary individuals who, while never attaining fame or fortune, lead good, honorable, and kindly lives. Since the person submitting this entry chose not to include their name, the Dean decided to apply the prize money to a commemorative book or books which will highlight the unique qualities of Virginia Tech, Southwest Virginia and the Southern Appalachian region. Further, as a way of officially announcing the web interface and the new name for the online catalog, the committee has been charged with planning a celebratory event for Fall 1998.
Susan Ariew's article, "The Internet and the English/Language Arts Teacher," was published in the Winter '98 issue of the Virginia English Bulletin, 48(1).
Mary Hansbrough was named editor of the Virginia Library Association's newsletter, the VLA Newsletter, effective January 1998.
Tamara Kennelly published an article, "Merchants of Thought Meet the Many-Headed Hydra of Speculative Fiction," in Virginia Libraries, 43(2) (April/May/June 1997). Her article, "Celebrating Blacksburg's Bicentennial," appeared in Library Friends, 2(2)(spring/summer 1998).
Vicki Kok and Dr. Blair Meldrum's Outreach Grant Proprosal "Prevention of Plant Poisonings in Livestock and Pets" was funded by V.P.I.& S.U. in December 1997. The information from this research program will be in CD-ROM format available to the public in November 1998.
Harry M. Kriz gave the invited presentation "ILLiad: the Strategic Solution for Automating Interlibrary Loan," at the American Library Association Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., June 27, 1998.
Harry M. Kriz, with former Virginia Tech employees M. Jason Gover, and Kevin C. Ford, published "ILLiad: Customer-focused Interlibrary Loan Automation" in the Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery and Information Supply, 8(4),(1998).
Gail McMillan and Joanne Eustis's article "Libraries Address the Challenges of Asynchronous Learning," was published in the Journal of Asynchronous Learning, 2(1), March 1998. http://www.aln.org/alnweb/journal/vol2_issue1/eustis/htm
Gail McMillan, with Edward A. Fox, John L. Eaton, et al., published "Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations: An International Effort Unlocking University Resources," D-Lib Magazine, Sept. 1997; http://www.dlib.org/dlib/september97/theses/09fox.html
Gail McMillan gave a number of invited presentations including the following:
CAUSE 97, Orlando, Dec. 3rd, "Technology Initiatives and Organizational Change: Higher Education in a Networked World," with Joanne Eustis.
Asynchronous Learning Network 3rd International Conference, New York, Oct. 4th, "Libraries Address the Challenges of Asynchronous Learning," with Joanne Eustis.
Laura Katz Smith's article, "A Mold by Any Other Name: One Librarian's Battle Against a Mold Bloom," appeared in College and University Libraries, 4(2) fall 1997. She also published, "Preserving Your Water and Fire-Damaged Papers and Memorabilia," in Library Friends, fall/winter 1997 and "A Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections of the Preston Family," in the Smithfield Review (May 1998).
Ginger Young, College Librarian for Human Resources, received a ReachOUT grant to mount a low cholesterol web site; http://lowfat.lib.vt.edu.
Editor, Donald J. Kenney Associate Dean of Administrative Services
Assistant Editor & Layout Special thanks to all the Department Heads for their contributions.
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