10 Science, Technology, Engineering and Medical (STEM) Library
In 1997 the STM branch comprising the Biomedical and Hargrave libraries focused
on the provision and promotion of virtual library services and training in
information literacy.
1997 was a challenging year as a large number of staff resigned after
accepting the Monash package which made it increasingly difficult to continue to
provide client services. The flexible deployment of staff across the STM
branches was essential to prevent disruption of services. It is to the credit of
STM staff that, through their motivation and dedication, both libraries
fulfilled 95% of their 1997 Business Plan objectives.
The University approved funding to extend one of the STM branch libraries to
permit the creation of an STM library with merged collections and services to
achieve economies of scale. The merger will permit the continuing provision of
quality user services despite the reduced level of funding for salaries.
The Biomedical and Hargrave Library Committees were asked to nominate an
advisory group to assist the library in planning STM client services.
Consultation on STM services is expected to commence in 1998. The advisory group
met with Library Management to develop a list of refurbishment requirements.
At the request of Library Management, an STM Restructuring Working Party was
established to consider the staffing structure of the STM library. The Working
Party was chaired by Paul Wilkins, Technical Services Librarian, and comprised
the Human Resources Management Librarian, the Biomedical and Hargrave Deputy
Librarians and the STM Librarian. A report with recommendations was submitted to
Library Management in December 1997. The Working Party consulted with STM
library staff both formally and informally throughout its deliberations.
Use of public photocopiers declined in both STM branches compared with the
previous year. Similarly door counts indicated a slight drop. Demand for
reference services increased compared to 1996. Statistics of general user
services could be interpreted as an indication of the beginning of client
acceptance of virtual library services.
In March 1997, a Document Delivery service quota was introduced to control the
growth in expenditure due to a 60% increase in requests for document delivery
during 1996. Except for Medicine, the Science, Engineering and Computing
Faculties' notional allocations were adequate to cover expenditure for document
delivery requests generated by these STM faculties. Usage in the Medical Faculty
reflects the geographically dispersed structure of the Faculty. Previous year
usage should be taken into account in calculating notional sums, to ensure that
the Medical Faculty's special needs are met. DocDel requests from eligible
Medical Faculty staff were processed even when the quota had been exceeded.
The Web based direct client access document delivery service developed by the
Hargrave Library in collaboration with the Monash Library Document Delivery
Service was enhanced to include contents pages of journals covered by the
service. The need for this enhancement was identified by clients. The service is
still in trial mode.
The WWW Home Page serves as the gateway to virtual library services. The
Biomedical and Hargrave Library Home Pages were revised and expanded to provide
access to an increasing range of STM information resources available in the
Monash libraries and on the Web. The OVID page was constantly updated and
remains the most frequently visited page. The Home Page was also used to support
information literacy classes for content, documentation for some tutorials, and
for class times. A virtual handout was prepared for Open Day showing sites with
the latest news and current affairs in Science and Medicine.
The growing acceptance of electronic information services is best illustrated
by the growth in the use of Medline since its availability through OVID, which
improved the flexibility of the search interface and allowed access by
off-campus users. In July to September 1997 Biomedical clientele carried out a
total of 17,797 searches compared to 1996 when over the same period the usage
was 5,046 sessions by all Monash clientele using the CD-ROM network.
An Information booth housing the "Electronic Information Desk" was
installed in the foyer of the Hargrave Library. This touch screen electronic
guide to resources and services was developed by Hargrave Staff.
CAUL Consortium access to databases continued to expand the range of
electronic information resources available to STM clientele. The availability of
Academic Press journals via the Ideal trial significantly increased
access to full text journals of interest to many researchers. Undergraduates
were able to access useful material through the IAC SearchBank Expanded
Academic Index database offered through the CAUL trial. The popularity of
the BioMedNet trial proved the need for online access to full-text journals.
A shared printer and UNICARD unit were installed for clients in the
Biomedical Library in conjunction with stand alone PC's. An Internet terminal
for client use was also made available.
In Hargrave, CD-ROM network PC's were upgraded to Pentiums to enable the new
MONALISA menu to operate effectively. The Hargrave IT room demonstrator's PC was
upgraded to a Pentium with multimedia capabilities.
Electronic journals and other online services available through different
vendors were promoted in classes, brochures and in the Hargrave Library's New
Products and Services Electronic Noticeboard.
In the Chemistry area, the Hargrave Library participated in a national trial
of the electronic version of Beilstein, Gmelin and the Chemical Abstracts
Service CAS-Crossfire. Academic staff were enthusiastic about the trial.
The trial indicated that the content of the service was valuable, although the
setting up of the software was complex and the performance over the Internet was
unsatisfactory.
STN offered a trial of a number of databases including INPADOC, a patent
database through the STN Easy Web Service. Feedback from postgraduate students
who used the service was positive
A proposal was submitted to the Engineering Faculty for an Information Literacy
Unit to be incorporated into the new Engineering Context subject to be offered
to all first year engineering students. The Hargrave Library is waiting for a
response from the faculty. In 1997, as in earlier years, Information Literacy
classes were offered at both general and advanced subject levels. The program
was tailored to support course work, research and sometimes was accompanied by
assignments corrected by library staff. User Education relied on information
technology for flexible delivery of instruction and reduction of contact hours.
For Medicine, several printed library guides were converted to HTML format.
Similarly, in Science and Engineering three virtual subject guides, a generic
web guide and a subject prototype were produced. A Self Guided Library Tour of
the Hargrave Library with clickable maps was produced for the Web. Internet
classes for academic staff and postgraduate students were conducted which
covered an introduction to the latest Search Engines, Databases and Electronic
journals on the web. Hands on practical classes were an integral part of
instruction. Class evaluation by students and staff indicated high satisfaction
with relevance, content and delivery.
A written Collection Development Policy was produced by Hargrave staff covering
Physical Sciences, Engineering and Computing for the Clayton campus. It is
planned to extend coverage across all campuses and to include the Biomedical
area, subject to adequate staffing levels.
In 1997 serials subscriptions were reviewed as in earlier years. An 11.2%
reduction in expenditure was achieved in the Biomedical area by serials
cancellations and the transfer of some titles to Research Infrastructure
Funding. In the Hargrave area, where a minimum 5% reduction has been implemented
annually since 1991, the 1997 Hargrave Library's share of Research
Infrastructure Funding was used for expenditure transfer for serials.
Membership of the SESTICON Consortium continued to play an important role in
the provision of cost-effective access to the serials literature.
Staffing levels were critically low throughout the year. Staff training and
professional development was emphasised to ensure that STM staff had the skills
and knowledge to deliver a quality, cost-effective service. The use of
Information Technology played a central role in the delivery of client services.
Internal benchmarking as part of serials processing was implemented involving
the Caulfield/Peninsula campuses and the Biomedical and Hargrave libraries.
Benchmarking was initiated by the Caulfield/Peninsula Divisional Librarian.
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