Extreme Makeover: Reference Edition

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Extreme MakeoverReference Edition

• This Library Reference Area Needs A MAKEOVER !

Bring in the Team !
Mame Purce, Collection Development/Reference
Librarian mpurce_at_wcupa.edu
Pat Newland, Cataloging Librarian,
pnewland_at_wcupa.edu
Jane Hutton, Electronic Resources/Reference
Librarian jhutton_at_wcupa.edu
Walter Campbell, Library Assistant II, Cataloging
Department wcampbell_at_wcupa.edu
Other Crew members / Reference Librarians Stephen
Marvin, Walt Cressler, Amanda Cain, Kerry
Walton Serials Sally Fort, Chris McCawley
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Before, Jan. 2005 Location 1

• Biblio contains abstracts, catalogs, national
  bibliographies, etc. distant from Reference Desk

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Before, Jan. 2005 Location 2

• Abstracts and Indexes
• Print Reference
• Encyclopedias
• separated from
• Reference Desk
• by a glass wall

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Before, Jan. 2005 Location 3

• Indexes adjacent to Reference Desk

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Information Commons We Want One!

• Info
• Commons

QVC Grant for IC
Compact Shelving Donation

• For Location 1
• Requires move of Biblio

• Makeover Plan A
• Move Print Reference shelving books in
  Location 2 to Location 3
• Install compact shelving in Location 2
• combine move abstracts, indexes, catalogs, etc.

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Structural Problems?

• OOPS !

Location 2 Doesnt meet structural specifications
for compact shelving weight load
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Time for Plan B ! Summer 2005

• Rapidly devised by available librarians
  administrators (several new hires)
• Biblio Indexes/Abstracts same as Plan A but
  now on existing shelving
• Compact Shelving to Location 3 for Print
  Reference

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Behind the scenes

• Technical Services staff
• Automate labeling (pre-summer 2005, labels for
  all material typed on electric typewriter)
• Classify and cutter indexes, abstracts, and some
  national catalogs
• Label more than 8,000 volumes with newly assigned
  call numbers

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Physical/Virtual Locations
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On the Construction Front

• Information Commons is Coming!
• Compact Shelving is erected !No Time, No
  Weeding Shift Shift Shift!

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The Result Fall 2005
Unfriendly to users How do I get in?
Nuisance manual opening requires 2 hands
Blocks Natural Light
Narrow Aisles Accessibility, NOT !
Multi-users NOT!
Dark in many aisles No lighting reconfiguration
Crush-potential Like the footstool !
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Spring 2006 Makeover Plan C

• Administrative Support
• Improved Lighting still inadequate
• Consider relocating Compact Shelving
• But
• This time lets Bring in a Team!

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The Team Fall 2006

• New Collection Development Librarian
• Coordinate Weeding
• Bibliographies in Circulation collection
• Bibliographies from Ref to Biblio
• Reference collection subject librarians
• 2 Reference librarians
• Consult with University facilities designer
• Draw up floor/space plan for new shelving
  Location 3
• Plan for shelf-to-shelf move
• Cataloging
• Location changes
• Withdrawals
• Re-classifications

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Weeding Issues

• Collection neglect
• Relevancy to current curricula, physical
  condition, timeliness
• Librarian styles
• the cautious
• the systematic
• bare bones
• All needed to buy in

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Electronic vs. Print?

• Literature Resource Center
• Gale series Contemporary Authors, Contemporary
  Literary Criticism, etc.
• Credo Reference
• Blackwell Reference Online
• Single Titles such as
• CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics
• Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

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Cataloging Issues

• Clean up database
• Re-examine physical processing of reference and
  circulating materials
• Resolve problems with standing order instructions
• Automate location changes

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Portable Barcode Scanner

• ScanPal2 Handheld inventory scanner by
  Metrologic.
• Used by student workers to rapidly scan items
  that needed location changes.
• Batch process list of barcodes with Voyager Pick
  and Scan.
• Reprogramming for catching errors

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ScanPal Programming

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Statistics

• Current project counts
• Biblio
• 26 titles (bibs) and 249 volumes (physical items)
  weeded, post 2005
• 2,679 volumes needed holding and item data
  corrected in the catalog 738 were done manually
  and 1,941 using the ScanPal
• Reference
• 1,799 titles and 3,204 volumes removed from
  Reference. 263 volumes re-cataloged to
  circulating, 2,941 withdrawn
• 374 titles and 907 volumes added to Ref, many of
  which replaced obsolete and poor condition items

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QVC Information Commons
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Makeover Success! Fall 2007
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Next Episode.?

• Finishing Touches in Location 3
• Paint, furniture, new signage
• Finishing Touches in Location 2
• Weeding electronic versions shifting
• Inventory Reference update catalog records
• Finishing Touches in Location 1
• Expand Information Commons group study

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Electronic access to Print Reference Collection

• Reference Universe
• Vendor Paratext
• Search print electronic books
• term mickey mantle
• term plato
• Not perfect ! - again, teamwork needed

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Lessons Learned

• Ongoing Collection Development
• Plan Plan Plan
• Teamwork include ALL departments
• Communicate Communicate Communicate!

What are your experiences with Reference
renovations?
SSHELCO Annual Meeting, March 28, 2008