One area of importance within the USF Virtual Libraries Virtual Library Project was an analysis of how the electronic resources at the USF Libraries compared to those at similar institutions. Fifteen universities were selected as peer institutions based on ARL (Association of Research Libraries) or ACRL (Associa- tion of College and Research Libraries) statistics for enrollment, staff size, collection size, and budget. A survey instrument was prepared and distributed to each institution that had agreed to participate in the survey. The goal of the survey was to determine the status of virtual library development, including the examination of specific details concerning electronic collections and services, the status of catalog- ing for electronic resources, the hardware available, staffing, and fiscal support for electronic resources.
I. OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog):
A. What type of OPAC do you use? (NOTIS, DRA, CARL, etc.)?
B. How do you use it?
1. Is it command line driven?
2. Does it have a graphical user interface?
3. Is it WWW-based?
4. What kinds of electronic services (other than databases) are available through your OPAC? Please describe. (for example, ILL requests, electronic reserve, online book requests, etc.)
II. Electronic Collections/Services:
A. CD-ROM databases and databases on diskette:
1. Estimate the number of titles of "commercially" produced CD-ROM and databases on diskette available to the end-user:
2. Estimate the number of federal depository CD-ROM titles that are available for public use:
3. How do you provide access to the commercially produced CD-ROM and diskette based products? (check all that apply)
a. single use on-site workstation b. multiple users-on-site
c. LAN
d. campus network e. restricted dial-up*
f. open dial-up*
4. How do you provide access to the federal depository CD-ROM titles? (check all that apply) .
a. single use on-site
Technology, Organizational Change and Virtual Libraries 15
b. multiple users on-site c. LAN
d. campus network e. restricted dial-up*
f. open dial-up*
B. Online commercial databases:
1. How do you provide access to these resources? (check all that apply)
a. single use on-site workstation b. multiple users - on-site c. LAN
d. campus network e. restricted dial-up*
f. open dial-up*
C. Locally produced databases:
1. How do you provide access to these resources? (check all that apply)
a. single use on-site workstation b. multiple users - on-site c. campus network d. restricted dial-up*
e. open dial-up*
2. Briefly describe the content of the locally produced databases:
D. Full-text databases:
1. Do you provide access to full-text databases?
2. If full-text is provided, is it text only?
3. Text and image?
4. Text, image and multi-media?
E. Provide basic information on utility software available to the public (word- processing, spread sheet software - database management):
F. Library home page on WWW:
1. Full-text materials on WWW: Are they:
a. in-house databases
b. special collections materials c. dissertations
d. journals, newspapers e. other:
2. Do you use electronic forms on your homepage?
a. ILL
b. materials for purchase
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c. holds
d. reference questions e. bi requests
f. reserve forms g. suggestion box h. other:
G. E-journals:
1. Does the library receive e-journals?
2. Are they cataloged on OPAC?
3. Are they archived?
H. Electronic Course Reserve:
1. Do you have a full-text online course reserve system or are you developing one?
a. If yes, are you including locally produced materials?
b. Copyrighted materials?
c. How does the student access the electronic course reserve collection?
I. Document Delivery/Resource Sharing:
1. What are the "main" commercial vendors that you use?
2. Do you provide funding to patrons for direct document delivery services? (requests that are not mediated by library staff) 3. Do you utilize Ariel for resource sharing?
4. What is the average delivery time for an ILL request?
III. Staffing/Infrastructure A. Integrated library system:
1. What integrated library system do you use?
2. What functions does it support?
3. Vendor:
B. Describe the staffing that supports your digital library efforts.
1. Do you have a collaborative arrangement with academic/
campus computing at your institution? If yes, describe:
2. Can you estimate how many FTE staff support the virtual library:
(development, maintenance, selection of electronic resources, training, etc.)?
3. Does your library staff have responsibility for training users on all computer applications in the library? (electronic databases, Internet, utility software, e-mail) Describe:
4. What percentage of time is trained staff available to assist users?
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5. Please describe your staff training program in relation to the virtual library. Include technical and public services programs:
C. Cataloging:
1. Do you classify and catalog digital/electronic materials for your OPAC?
2. If yes, what do you catalog (online databases, CD-ROMs, full text titles available through a gateway service such as LEXIS/
NEXIS/FirstSearch, etc.)?
3. How do you classify/catalog these records (title only, holdings, full cataloging, records, in OPAC, etc.)?
4. Who maintains these kinds of records in the OPAC (currency, holdings, location, etc.)?
5. Are you using any metadata standards/analysis for relational databases? If yes, describe:
6. Do you provide enriched MARC records with links to HTML documents (i.e. URL, subject headings, notes field)? If yes, who maintains those records?
7. If you are cataloging resources on the Web, who decides what is added to the collection?
D. Hardware/Equipment/Labs:
1. Do you have a public access computer lab in library?
2. If so, teaching lab only?
3. General patron use?
4. Other:
5. How many terminals are available for:
a. library staff:
b. public access:
6. How many PCs/MACs are available for:
a. library staff:
b. public access:
c. Briefly describe the generation of computers (PCs or MACs) you are using (286s, 36s, 486s, Pentium, Power MAC, etc.):
7. How are the public access workstations used? (check all that apply)
a. online catalog
b. Internet/Gopher/Lynx c. WWW
d. e-mail
18 Hanson, Levin, Heron & Burke
e. word processing, spreadsheets (utility use of software)
f. CD-ROM/online/diskette-based resources g. electronic kiosk
h. tutorials/CAI
i. other, please describe:
8. Is your network running 10 MBps or 100 MBps?
a. If 10 MBps, do you have plans to migrate to 100 MBps?
9. What type of printing capabilities are available to the user?
a. How many draft printers?
b. How many laser printers?
c. Are the printers networked?
d. Debit/card reader system?
e. If you charge, how much per page?
IV. Budget
A. What was the total operating budget for your library for the last fiscal year?
B. Budget Categories:
1. Is there a separate budget for electronic resources?
2. Databases and software?
3. Amount allocated last fiscal year?
C. Budget for Hardware:
1. Is there a separate budget for hardware?
2. Amount allocated last fiscal year?
3. If not a separate budget item, can you estimate how much is allocated for electronic resources/databases and hardware?
D. Document Delivery:
1. Can you estimate how much you are spending on document delivery?
2. How are you fiscally supporting document delivery?
3. Amount?
V. A Future Look at the Virtual Library at Your Institution
A. What are your library technology plans for the next one to two years?
B. What resources will be necessary to realize these plans?
C. What forces do you see on the horizon that will help to shape the virtual library at your institution?
(*dial-up=on-campus and off-campus access)
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