Gordan McKay Library: Usage, Function Current and Future

1
Gordan McKay LibraryUsage, Function Current
and Future
ES 96 Thursday, February 19, 2004

• Kit Randolph
• Ross Feller
• Jonas Corl
• Trent Hudson

2
Function

• Current Journals
• Archived Journals
• Reserves
• Archived Theses
• Circulation books
• Study Areas
• Misc. Library Activities
• Photocopying, faxing, internet access, printing,
  etc

3
Usage

• Circulation
• Roughly 8000 for last fiscal year
• Hard to quantify journal usage
• Cannot determine exact usage because journals
  cannot be removed from library
• HOLLIS
• (Harvard Online Library Information Service)

4
HOLLIS

• Current
• Directed Searching
• Specific Keywords
• Known book or topic
• Does not facilitate serendipitous browsing

5
Space

• Current
• Breakdown of space
• Roughly 7500 (1250BH) linear shelf ft
• 500 ft (8) Current journals
• 4800 (1250BH) ft (64) Archived journals
• 2200 ft (30) Circulation books
• Future
• Reduced space
• Roughly 50 of current space

6
Needed Information

• Quantitative analysis of current usage
• Departmental survey of future needs/desires
• Possible methods
• quick, informal written survey of users
• Email questionnaire of ES undergrads, DEAS
  grads/profs

7
Future Function

• Opinions of 4 ES undergrads
• More group study space
• Current journals on display
• Increase number of computer terminals
• Possible individual video capability

8
Possible Solutions

• Reduce archived journal space
• Depository
• Movable Stacks in basement of Pierce
• Electronic archive of journals
• HOLLIS
• Serendipitous Browsing
• Display of similar books
• Books indexes and table of contents online