- Email: [email protected]
Collection management for off-campus library services
Library Acquisitions: Practice & Theory, Vol. 11, Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.
pp. 75-84, 1987
0364~6408187 $3.00 + .OO Copyright 0 1987 Pergamon Journals Ltd.
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT AND ACQUISITIONS IN A DISTANCE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, II
COLLECTION MANAGEMENT FOR OFF-CAMPUS LIBRARY SERVICES JEAN S. JOHNSON Head of Extension and Special Services University of Wyoming Libraries Box 3334, University Station Laramie, Wyoming 8207 1
Abstract - Off-campus library services present some unique situations that may
completely alter the normal perspective of collection management, including collection development, acquisitions, cataloging, processing, and most importantly, information access. The University of Wyoming currently places extension classes and external degreeprograms among its top six priorities. How the University of Wyoming Libraries have met the challenge of providing library services to offcampus students and faculty in support of those programs is described.
A Council on Library Resources (CLR) grant in 1984 made possible a comparative study of the library use and preferences of on-campus and off-campus students at the University of Wyoming (VW). One conclusion was that the needs of off-campus students and faculty can be both similar to and very different from those on campus. In the case of UW the institution has been providing extension classes and credit programs throughout the state since 1891, but only in 1983 did the UW Libraries begin to develop a major program in off-campus library services [l]. Collection management has played an important role in developing that program.
BACKGROUND The University of Wyoming is the only four-year institution in a state large in area but small in population (see Fig. 1). There are approximately 500,000 people living in an area that covers 97,000 square miles. Some 10,000 students are enrolled in courses on the Laramie campus, located in the southeast corner of the state, with about 2000 in graduate programs and 8000 75
76
J. S. JOHNSON
P n
1 m..-.., PARK
t
I
I)
II t
NO CAYCDELL 4onwsoI(
wtsron
l
indicates community college sites
R Indicates the University of Wyoming (Larsmie) Figure 1.
Collection Management for Off-Campus Library Services
77
in undergraduate studies, as well as an equal number of off-campus students enrolled in one or more courses at various sites throughout the state. Off-campus students may enroll in extension classes, external degree programs, and correspondence study courses. Independent study is a recognized and indispensable part of American education. The UW correspondence course program allows up to 24 semester hours of correspondence study credit to be used toward fulfilling requirements for a bachelor’s degree [2]. There are also seven two-year community colleges in the state, which are operated independently of the University. At the upper division level, students are frequently confronted with a trip of several hundred miles in order to complete coursework for a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Because Wyoming’s population is small, there is a sense of family in the state; and both the State Legislature and the University have a strong commitment to make these credit courses and degree programs available to students who are generally site-bound. Such a commitment places outreach among the top priorities of the University [3]. The UW Libraries and the Wyoming State Library also work closely together in delivering information services to residents in the state and in library development matters. For example, the University Libraries’ database serves as the foundation for the statewide circulation system which is being developed by the State Library. Another example is a cooperative project between the University and the State Library funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan to develop programs which will provide better lifelong education and information access opportunities for rural citizens. Funding is part of a regional grant to support Wyoming in a multi-state project called Intermountain Community Learning and Information Services (ICLIS). One further example is the University Libraries’ participation in a rigorous long-range Wyoming State Library planning process which will help shape State Library programs and services through the year 2005. UW also reaches out to the community colleges through articulation conferences, a newsletter, and other forms of contact. Two major programs have been developed for off-campus delivery: the baccalaureate nursing degree program and the extended degree program in elementary education. Originally the off-campus nursing program was designed to meet the needs of people who were site-bound.. However, a Wyoming Nursing Manpower Study [4] determined that by 1986 there would be an oversupply of associate degree nurses and an undersupply of baccalaureate degree nurses and so the nursing program was developed. In the area of elementary education there are a large number of site-bound women in Wyoming who are in their mid-thirties and are extremely interested in teaching. Many are working and have families, while others are single mothers. Through the elementary education degree program, students may complete the two years of upper division courses off campus in three or four years while only spending one summer session on the Laramie campus [5]. These programs currently enroll a total of about 35 students in nursing and 160 in the elementary education bachelor’s program plus another 30 who are working toward certification or recertification. Classes are made available at sites around the state when enrollment demand justifies the curriculum. In 1976 the University developed a resident learning center in Casper (UW-Casper), the largest city in the state, located 150 miles northwest of Laramie, with a population of about 50,000. The center includes classroom and administrative space in a former school building and a small temporary office building. The library is located in the basement of the Natrona County Public Library building, approximately two miles away. There are a dozen resident full-time and part-time faculty at the center plus an administrative staff. Laramie faculty are also rotated on a semester or year basis to teach specific courses in Casper. Between 200 and 300 students are enrolled in the programs which offer degrees in arts and sciences, business administration, nursing, and social work, plus a master’s degree in business administration.
78
J. S. JOHNSON
Casper also has a community college (Casper College) which provides the lower division course work for students preparing to pursue baccalaureate degrees from UW in Casper or Laramie. Faculty who teach off-campus courses may be UW faculty or individuals in the state who have been approved to teach a particular course. In a semester as many as 175 courses may be offered off campus and may involve 115 faculty, half of whom are located off campus. Because of the distance involved in traveling between communities, UW has been very creative in transporting its faculty around the state. In addition to the normal methods of travel, such as university car or public transportation, a university plane is available to fly instructors from one site to another. Three afternoons a week during the semester the plane leaves Laramie with faculty, flies to two or more co~unities dropping off faculty and picking up others who are flying to another site. After the class sessions have been completed, the pIane makes a return trip arriving back in Laramie about midnight. In 1984 teleconference courses were first offered to off-campus students. These courses, though few to date (two or three per semester), have been quite successful. Audio conferencing is the only form of instruction thus far, but can be used in conjunction with videotapes and other visuals. An instructor may teach a course from Laramie (VW), Casper, or another site. Often students enrolled in such a course are located in five to eight communities spread around the state. Until July 1983 off-campus students and faculty were limited to the library resources of the local community college or public libraries or what library materials the instructor checked out from the UW Libraries and took to the students. It was up to the individual students and faculty members to take the initiative in determining how local library resources could be utilized. UW-Casper, the only exception, had established a small UW library in 1976. The CLR grant provided valuable information about the students in Wyoming. The purpose of the project was to study two groups of students, “traditional” and “nontraditional,” but the results showed that, in fact, there are three groups of students in Wyoming, “traditional” (Laramie campus), “nontradition~” (extension), and the “in between” group (UWCasper). The results lead to speculation as to what factors determine traditional and nontraditional students. While the Laramie students might sometimes use other than campus libraries, a large proportion of UW-Casper and extension respondents used public libraries rather than academic libraries, thus posing problems about where to send reserve materials. In the case of UW-Casper, where the students have access to college and public libraries as well as a UW library, they tended to use the coflege library most, with the UW library in third place. This is probably due in part to the fact that until August 1983 the UW collection was housed in the college library and is now housed in the basement of the public library. As is the case with many college and university students, too large a proportion of both on-campus and off-campus students do not seem to need to use the library for their coursework. The implication is the need to increase publicity on what IJW can do for students, particularly those off campus. Despite the fact that many students indicated no need for library services, over half the respondents in all groups indicated a need for information about the UW library system. Again, publicity and descriptions of UW’s services are needed. Since UW only began providing library services to off-campus students in the latter part of 1983 this study was particularly timely in giving an indication of what the students need. More information provided directly to the students is certainly indicated, beyond contact with instructors. The full report of the study is available as ERIC Document 256 348 [6].
Collection Management for Off-Campus Library Services
OFF-CAMPUS
79
LIBRARY SERVICES
With the advent of a new Director of Libraries in 1983, the UW Libraries made a major commitment to provide library services to off-campus students and faculty. A senior librarian was reassigned to head a department of extension services, and while the department is small, about 30 hours of student assistance plus the librarian, its activities have increased substantially since its inception. Extension requests processed increased from 223 in 1983-84 to 606 in 1984-85. During the first eight months of 1985-86, 806 have been processed. The main purpose of the UW Libraries Extension Services Department is to provide library resources to students and faculty as quickly as possible. This is done in two ways: faculty may request reserve reading materials be sent to the local library for student use; or students working on individual research for a paper, thesis, or other coursework may, through the use of class reading lists, bibliographies, or bibliographic database searches, request photocopied articles and books. Faculty who request reserve reading materials provide the library with a reading list or syllabus. Depending on the time available before the class is scheduled to begin, books, if in print, are purchased, provided from the extension collection, or are pulled from the general collection as long as they are not needed for a course being taught at the same time on campus. Further program enhancements are anticipated with the implementation of a microcomputer network for electronic mail, a telefacsimile transmission system, and the involvement of library personnel in the planning for library resources and services at the time courses are being designed and developed. Processing student requests and mailing the materials have become the major activities of the department. Students usually request resources by mail; the methods used include an Extension Services request form (see Appendix l), a bibliography of some sort, or a letter. Students may also call the department using a toll-free number that is answered in the Reference Department of the main library and then is transferred to Extension Services. Generally phone requests are limited to only two or three items, but when students are particularly short of time more requests are accepted. When the Wide Area Telephone System (WATS) line was first installed in 1983, it was felt that Reference was the best location for it; Reference is open the most hours, and the staff can provide general reference help if a student is not sure exactly what is needed. At present very little reference assistance is requested by the students, since they usually already know what they want. The possibility of moving the WATS line to Extension Services is under consideration. If the transfer comes about, the line will be installed with an answering machine to take messages when staff are out of the office.
COLLECTION
MANAGEMENT
Materials Selection A regular departmental acquisitions allocation has been set aside for the purchase of books and periodicals as needed for extension classes. Thus far the allocation of $10,000 per year has been quite adequate. In addition the UW-Casper Library budget includes $43,000 per year for acquisitions in two major academic program areas, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program and the Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science (BA/BS) programs. Initially any title on a reserve list was purchased if it was in print. As the program developed a pattern became noticeable; many books were used only once, some did not arrive until after the class was over, and some classes were cancelled and the books were not needed. A
80
J. S.
JOHNSON
new procedure has now been developed for acquiring extension books. When a reading list or bib~o~aphy is received from a faculty member, the librarian endeavors to discuss the needs of the course with the instructor. Before books are purchased, efforts are made to determine if the course might be taught again at another site in the next year or two. With greater selectivity before purchase, more books are used at least once and many more are used several times. This collection has been designed to be very active, but there are no plans to develop a massive extension collection. A few hundred books plus those available from the general collection have proved very satisfactory. Since records are kept on how often books are sent out for reserve, it is easy to determine which are not being used and which should be withdrawn. When a book is determined to be no longer needed, it is evaluated for its usefulness to the general collection. If it is not already owned by the library, it may be added to the collection and at that time goes through the norrn~,~~t~o~ng procedures. (The methods used in processing books for Extension Services are described later.) Titles that are duplicates of ones already owned by the library are then evaluated by the Collection Development Officer for their value as second copies. Any books not needed in the general collection are then discarded through the semi-annual book sale or by other means. A small collection of journals and indexes, which duplicate the main collection, are purchased for use in curricula such as nursing and elementary education. The University also has a cooperative agreement with a community college in the northern part of the state to provide a dental hygiene baccalaureate degree. The community college provides the dental hygiene courses, and then the students must complete the other upper division courses on the Laramie campus. Since UW does not teach any dental courses, it does not have dental journals in its collection. The demand from students for inter~br~y loan articles has grown to the point where not all demands can be met because of copyright restrictions. A limited number of dental journals are being purchased by Extension Services and housed in the community college on an indefinite loan in order to supplement the college’s journals and help to alleviate some of the copyright problems. The UW-Casper Library approaches collection development in a manner different from the main campus. The University of Wyoming is a research institution that requires the maintenance of a research collection in the library system. The faculty are vital in determining research and other resource needs that are important to the collection. The Casper faculty also play an important part in determining what materials should be purchased for the Casper collection, but only in the area of support to the instructional programs offered in Casper. It is not the intention of the library system to put a research library in C&per. Casper faculty are encouraged to suggest research materials for purchase for the Laramie campus. Other means must be found to meet the research needs of students and faculty. Books, periodicals, and reference materials are purchased to support the instructional course demands of the academic programs, and at the same time new technologies are being explored and implemented to provide information access for Casper students and faculty.
Acquisitions UW had no planned library services program for off-campus students and has had to learn and experiment as it has gone along. At first it was difficult to determine what books were needed for off-campus courses. In most instances very little time was allowed for purchase; frequently faculty provided reading lists or bibliographies only two or three weeks before classes were scheduled to begin. In some cases a course would not get the required enroll-
Collection Management for Off-Campus Library Services
81
ment and it would be cancelled. This, of course, was never known until registration, which was a week or two before the first class session. These circumstances required that the librarian and technical services personnel examine the procedures normahy used in the acq~sition of other library resources. It was decided that all order cards for books needed in a short time would be submitted as rush requests. The Acquisitions Department has been very cooperative in processing extension requests quickly. Several efforts aid in facilitating acquisitions. The School of Extended Studies and Public Services uses a control form for extension credit classes, called the “Extension Class Organization Form,” a copy of which is sent to the Extension Services Department. A correspondence contact is then made with each faculty member. Response has been limited. Plans to involve the libraries in course design and development may improve on the effectiveness and efficiency of the acquisitions program. The UW-Casper Library is treated as a branch library of the UW Libraries system and is supervised by the Extension Services Department. It now has a collection of 10,000 volumes with a three-quarter time librarian plus about two FTE support staff. Monographs and periodicals which support the MBA and BA/BS instructional programs make up the bulk of the collection. Space constraints necessitate the purchase of microform journals beyond the current year rather than binding. Through the cooperation of the Casper faculty, it has recently been decided to buy some subscriptions in microform and not maintain a current subscription in paper. Because UW-Casper is a branch library, acquisitions are handled in the same way as on campus. Orders are initiated in Casper, sent to Laramie for purchase, cataloged in Laramie, and then the books are sent to Casper.
Processing Since 1982-83 the acquisitions budget of the Libraries has doubled without an increase in cataloging staff. Cataloging duplicate monographs, which would include most of the extension books, is one of the most time-consuming processes in the department. The item must be entered into the Libraries’ shared cataloging system, OCLC, the database management system for the online catalog, and the pending automated circulation system. New titles need only be entered in OCLC. While rush acquisitions could be accomplished without an undue burden on the Acquisitions Department, it was quite apparent that cataloging was another matter. Most of the books ordered are duplicates of titles aheady in the general collection and four or five books at a time for rush cataloging would greatly hamper the normal operations in Cataloging. After discussions with the head of Cataloging, it was decided not to catalog the extension books in the normal manner. The procedure is that Acquisitions gives all books directly to Extension Services. With a UW property stamp the books are end stamped and a small label (VW Ext. Lib.) is affixed to the cover of each book. An acquisitions list of ah holdings is maintained in Extension Services through the use of a word processor, and the books, when not in use, are stored alphabetically by title in a closed area of the library. Because the collection is small (fewer than 500 books) and some books, such as for nursing, are loaned to a community college library for an indefinite period, it is quite manageable. Cataloged books housed in UW-Casper are shown in the online catalog in Laramie. Books not owned by the Laramie campus may be borrowed from Casper. Every effort is now being made to duplicate orders for the Laramie campus when books are ordered for Casper. Casper serials are not shown in the Laramie automated union list of serials, but they are ordered through Acquisitions.
82
J. S. JOHNSON
Information Access Access is a vital part of any off-campus library services program. At present, students off campus have limited ways of determining what materials are available from the main campus. The community college libraries have microfiche copies of UW’s automated (LINX) serials holdings file. The community college and public libraries also have microfiche copies of the Wyoming Union Catalog which provides access to many monographic holdings in the libraries throughout the state. The union catalog is part of the GEAC automated circulation system that will soon connect all of the major academic and public libraries in Wyoming. Students who live in communities having online access to the GEAC system will have online access to much of what the University Libraries own. GEAC is expected to be operational in the first phase libraries during the fall of 1986, the UW libraries in the fall of 1987, and in the balance of the libraries which will have online capability possibly by 1989. The remaining libraries in the state, mostly small branches, have microfiche access through the Wyoming Union Catalog to the holdings in the system. The Extension Services Librarian, along with the UW-Casper Librarian, is exploring ways to improve information access for students and faculty in Casper who ware involved in research. Basic reference materials and indexes will be supplemented by means other than the US Mail to transmit information from Laramie to Casper. For example, 1986 should see the implementation of access to the online catalog from Laramie, either by means of dial-up or hard wire. The personal computer used to access the online catalog will also be used for bibliographic database searching which is currently being done in Laramie. Telefacsimile transmission of information between the two sites is also expected to occur in 1986. If faculty and students have evidence that they can receive much of their research needs in 24-48 hours rather than 4-8 days, they should not feel quite so isolated from the main campus and the need for an extensive library is diminished.
CONCLUSION Off-campus library services present some unique situations that may completely alter the normal perspective of collection management in an academic setting. Books and articles are needed rapidly, but then might not be needed again. Classes may be cancelled so that the books might not be needed at all. UW restricts additional purchases of materials that have limited usefulness. The general collection is used to a large extent to satisfy reserve needs. A toll-free telephone number, plus online access to UW’s holdings, as well as the potential use of telefacsimile transmission of resources are all ways that can make information more readily available to off-campus students and faculty. Flexibility is extremely important. Library personnel must accept that the needs of off-campus students and faculty may not be the same at all locations and that the needs may change over time. Willingness to grow and change with the changing needs of the academic programs is of prime importance. Effective off-campus library services are dependent on institutional commitment to address planning, student/faculty relations, and collection management. Any academic library which expects to support an active off-campus academic program must also accept the responsibility of appointing a librarian who can lead such an operation in order to maintain continuity in day-to-day operations and still accept major responsibilities of planning and development.
Collection Management for Off-Campus Library Services
83
REFERENCES 1. Johnson, Jean S. “The Wyoming Experience with the ACRL Guidelines for Extended Campus Library Services,’ n College and Research Libraries News, 45, 2 (February, 19&), 76-78, 81-82. 2. The Correspondence Study Department of the University is a member of the Division of Independent Study of the National University of Continuing Education Association. A copy of the Division’s Standards is available from National University Continuing Education Association, One DuPont Circle, Suite 360, Washington DC 20036. 3. University of Wyoming Budget Planning Guidelines for 1986-88 state as one of six planning and decision-making principles: “The University will continue to seek a budget base of support for off-campus instruction and degree programs” (25 January 1985). 4. State Health Planning and Development Agency, Division of Health and Medical Services, Wyoming Department of Health and Social Services. Wyoming Nursing Manpower Plan. 1982-86. Cheyenne: Wyoming Department of Health and Social Services, 1981. 5. Rush, R. Timothy and Willems, Arnold L. “Rural Teacher Education: A Cooperative Model That Works,” The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 34, 3 (Summer/Fall 1986), 16-19. 6. Miller, Keith A., Johnson, Jean S., and Shoreland, Michael D. “Library Use and Preferences: A Comparison of On-Campus and Off-Campus Students at the University of Wyoming.” Report to the Council on Library Resources, 25 September 1984, ED 256 348.
84
1. S. JOHNSON
APPENDIX 1 University of Wyomirzg: Loan Request (Send to Jean S. Johnson, Coe Library, Box 3334, University Station, Laramie, WY, 82071.) Date of request Student/Faculty
name
Address Zip Code Phone number where you can be reached during the day Have you checked in your local library?
Course name and number
yes -
Instructor PERIODICAL
no
(Abbreviations must be spelled out.)
Periodical Title Volume
No.
Date
Pages
No.
Date
Pages
Author (last name first) Title of article Source or Index Volume BOOK OR ERIC DOCUMENT Document number (if ERIC document) ED
Call number _ Author Title Date
Publisher
Place
Source or Index Volume
Pages
Date
No.
DO YOU HAVE A DEADLINE FOR USING THIS MATERIAL?
_
Please give DATE:
_--------_-_-----------------------------------------------------NOTICE WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. Patron signature
pp. 75-84, 1987
0364~6408187 $3.00 + .OO Copyright 0 1987 Pergamon Journals Ltd.
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT AND ACQUISITIONS IN A DISTANCE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, II
COLLECTION MANAGEMENT FOR OFF-CAMPUS LIBRARY SERVICES JEAN S. JOHNSON Head of Extension and Special Services University of Wyoming Libraries Box 3334, University Station Laramie, Wyoming 8207 1
Abstract - Off-campus library services present some unique situations that may
completely alter the normal perspective of collection management, including collection development, acquisitions, cataloging, processing, and most importantly, information access. The University of Wyoming currently places extension classes and external degreeprograms among its top six priorities. How the University of Wyoming Libraries have met the challenge of providing library services to offcampus students and faculty in support of those programs is described.
A Council on Library Resources (CLR) grant in 1984 made possible a comparative study of the library use and preferences of on-campus and off-campus students at the University of Wyoming (VW). One conclusion was that the needs of off-campus students and faculty can be both similar to and very different from those on campus. In the case of UW the institution has been providing extension classes and credit programs throughout the state since 1891, but only in 1983 did the UW Libraries begin to develop a major program in off-campus library services [l]. Collection management has played an important role in developing that program.
BACKGROUND The University of Wyoming is the only four-year institution in a state large in area but small in population (see Fig. 1). There are approximately 500,000 people living in an area that covers 97,000 square miles. Some 10,000 students are enrolled in courses on the Laramie campus, located in the southeast corner of the state, with about 2000 in graduate programs and 8000 75
76
J. S. JOHNSON
P n
1 m..-.., PARK
t
I
I)
II t
NO CAYCDELL 4onwsoI(
wtsron
l
indicates community college sites
R Indicates the University of Wyoming (Larsmie) Figure 1.
Collection Management for Off-Campus Library Services
77
in undergraduate studies, as well as an equal number of off-campus students enrolled in one or more courses at various sites throughout the state. Off-campus students may enroll in extension classes, external degree programs, and correspondence study courses. Independent study is a recognized and indispensable part of American education. The UW correspondence course program allows up to 24 semester hours of correspondence study credit to be used toward fulfilling requirements for a bachelor’s degree [2]. There are also seven two-year community colleges in the state, which are operated independently of the University. At the upper division level, students are frequently confronted with a trip of several hundred miles in order to complete coursework for a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Because Wyoming’s population is small, there is a sense of family in the state; and both the State Legislature and the University have a strong commitment to make these credit courses and degree programs available to students who are generally site-bound. Such a commitment places outreach among the top priorities of the University [3]. The UW Libraries and the Wyoming State Library also work closely together in delivering information services to residents in the state and in library development matters. For example, the University Libraries’ database serves as the foundation for the statewide circulation system which is being developed by the State Library. Another example is a cooperative project between the University and the State Library funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan to develop programs which will provide better lifelong education and information access opportunities for rural citizens. Funding is part of a regional grant to support Wyoming in a multi-state project called Intermountain Community Learning and Information Services (ICLIS). One further example is the University Libraries’ participation in a rigorous long-range Wyoming State Library planning process which will help shape State Library programs and services through the year 2005. UW also reaches out to the community colleges through articulation conferences, a newsletter, and other forms of contact. Two major programs have been developed for off-campus delivery: the baccalaureate nursing degree program and the extended degree program in elementary education. Originally the off-campus nursing program was designed to meet the needs of people who were site-bound.. However, a Wyoming Nursing Manpower Study [4] determined that by 1986 there would be an oversupply of associate degree nurses and an undersupply of baccalaureate degree nurses and so the nursing program was developed. In the area of elementary education there are a large number of site-bound women in Wyoming who are in their mid-thirties and are extremely interested in teaching. Many are working and have families, while others are single mothers. Through the elementary education degree program, students may complete the two years of upper division courses off campus in three or four years while only spending one summer session on the Laramie campus [5]. These programs currently enroll a total of about 35 students in nursing and 160 in the elementary education bachelor’s program plus another 30 who are working toward certification or recertification. Classes are made available at sites around the state when enrollment demand justifies the curriculum. In 1976 the University developed a resident learning center in Casper (UW-Casper), the largest city in the state, located 150 miles northwest of Laramie, with a population of about 50,000. The center includes classroom and administrative space in a former school building and a small temporary office building. The library is located in the basement of the Natrona County Public Library building, approximately two miles away. There are a dozen resident full-time and part-time faculty at the center plus an administrative staff. Laramie faculty are also rotated on a semester or year basis to teach specific courses in Casper. Between 200 and 300 students are enrolled in the programs which offer degrees in arts and sciences, business administration, nursing, and social work, plus a master’s degree in business administration.
78
J. S. JOHNSON
Casper also has a community college (Casper College) which provides the lower division course work for students preparing to pursue baccalaureate degrees from UW in Casper or Laramie. Faculty who teach off-campus courses may be UW faculty or individuals in the state who have been approved to teach a particular course. In a semester as many as 175 courses may be offered off campus and may involve 115 faculty, half of whom are located off campus. Because of the distance involved in traveling between communities, UW has been very creative in transporting its faculty around the state. In addition to the normal methods of travel, such as university car or public transportation, a university plane is available to fly instructors from one site to another. Three afternoons a week during the semester the plane leaves Laramie with faculty, flies to two or more co~unities dropping off faculty and picking up others who are flying to another site. After the class sessions have been completed, the pIane makes a return trip arriving back in Laramie about midnight. In 1984 teleconference courses were first offered to off-campus students. These courses, though few to date (two or three per semester), have been quite successful. Audio conferencing is the only form of instruction thus far, but can be used in conjunction with videotapes and other visuals. An instructor may teach a course from Laramie (VW), Casper, or another site. Often students enrolled in such a course are located in five to eight communities spread around the state. Until July 1983 off-campus students and faculty were limited to the library resources of the local community college or public libraries or what library materials the instructor checked out from the UW Libraries and took to the students. It was up to the individual students and faculty members to take the initiative in determining how local library resources could be utilized. UW-Casper, the only exception, had established a small UW library in 1976. The CLR grant provided valuable information about the students in Wyoming. The purpose of the project was to study two groups of students, “traditional” and “nontraditional,” but the results showed that, in fact, there are three groups of students in Wyoming, “traditional” (Laramie campus), “nontradition~” (extension), and the “in between” group (UWCasper). The results lead to speculation as to what factors determine traditional and nontraditional students. While the Laramie students might sometimes use other than campus libraries, a large proportion of UW-Casper and extension respondents used public libraries rather than academic libraries, thus posing problems about where to send reserve materials. In the case of UW-Casper, where the students have access to college and public libraries as well as a UW library, they tended to use the coflege library most, with the UW library in third place. This is probably due in part to the fact that until August 1983 the UW collection was housed in the college library and is now housed in the basement of the public library. As is the case with many college and university students, too large a proportion of both on-campus and off-campus students do not seem to need to use the library for their coursework. The implication is the need to increase publicity on what IJW can do for students, particularly those off campus. Despite the fact that many students indicated no need for library services, over half the respondents in all groups indicated a need for information about the UW library system. Again, publicity and descriptions of UW’s services are needed. Since UW only began providing library services to off-campus students in the latter part of 1983 this study was particularly timely in giving an indication of what the students need. More information provided directly to the students is certainly indicated, beyond contact with instructors. The full report of the study is available as ERIC Document 256 348 [6].
Collection Management for Off-Campus Library Services
OFF-CAMPUS
79
LIBRARY SERVICES
With the advent of a new Director of Libraries in 1983, the UW Libraries made a major commitment to provide library services to off-campus students and faculty. A senior librarian was reassigned to head a department of extension services, and while the department is small, about 30 hours of student assistance plus the librarian, its activities have increased substantially since its inception. Extension requests processed increased from 223 in 1983-84 to 606 in 1984-85. During the first eight months of 1985-86, 806 have been processed. The main purpose of the UW Libraries Extension Services Department is to provide library resources to students and faculty as quickly as possible. This is done in two ways: faculty may request reserve reading materials be sent to the local library for student use; or students working on individual research for a paper, thesis, or other coursework may, through the use of class reading lists, bibliographies, or bibliographic database searches, request photocopied articles and books. Faculty who request reserve reading materials provide the library with a reading list or syllabus. Depending on the time available before the class is scheduled to begin, books, if in print, are purchased, provided from the extension collection, or are pulled from the general collection as long as they are not needed for a course being taught at the same time on campus. Further program enhancements are anticipated with the implementation of a microcomputer network for electronic mail, a telefacsimile transmission system, and the involvement of library personnel in the planning for library resources and services at the time courses are being designed and developed. Processing student requests and mailing the materials have become the major activities of the department. Students usually request resources by mail; the methods used include an Extension Services request form (see Appendix l), a bibliography of some sort, or a letter. Students may also call the department using a toll-free number that is answered in the Reference Department of the main library and then is transferred to Extension Services. Generally phone requests are limited to only two or three items, but when students are particularly short of time more requests are accepted. When the Wide Area Telephone System (WATS) line was first installed in 1983, it was felt that Reference was the best location for it; Reference is open the most hours, and the staff can provide general reference help if a student is not sure exactly what is needed. At present very little reference assistance is requested by the students, since they usually already know what they want. The possibility of moving the WATS line to Extension Services is under consideration. If the transfer comes about, the line will be installed with an answering machine to take messages when staff are out of the office.
COLLECTION
MANAGEMENT
Materials Selection A regular departmental acquisitions allocation has been set aside for the purchase of books and periodicals as needed for extension classes. Thus far the allocation of $10,000 per year has been quite adequate. In addition the UW-Casper Library budget includes $43,000 per year for acquisitions in two major academic program areas, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program and the Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science (BA/BS) programs. Initially any title on a reserve list was purchased if it was in print. As the program developed a pattern became noticeable; many books were used only once, some did not arrive until after the class was over, and some classes were cancelled and the books were not needed. A
80
J. S.
JOHNSON
new procedure has now been developed for acquiring extension books. When a reading list or bib~o~aphy is received from a faculty member, the librarian endeavors to discuss the needs of the course with the instructor. Before books are purchased, efforts are made to determine if the course might be taught again at another site in the next year or two. With greater selectivity before purchase, more books are used at least once and many more are used several times. This collection has been designed to be very active, but there are no plans to develop a massive extension collection. A few hundred books plus those available from the general collection have proved very satisfactory. Since records are kept on how often books are sent out for reserve, it is easy to determine which are not being used and which should be withdrawn. When a book is determined to be no longer needed, it is evaluated for its usefulness to the general collection. If it is not already owned by the library, it may be added to the collection and at that time goes through the norrn~,~~t~o~ng procedures. (The methods used in processing books for Extension Services are described later.) Titles that are duplicates of ones already owned by the library are then evaluated by the Collection Development Officer for their value as second copies. Any books not needed in the general collection are then discarded through the semi-annual book sale or by other means. A small collection of journals and indexes, which duplicate the main collection, are purchased for use in curricula such as nursing and elementary education. The University also has a cooperative agreement with a community college in the northern part of the state to provide a dental hygiene baccalaureate degree. The community college provides the dental hygiene courses, and then the students must complete the other upper division courses on the Laramie campus. Since UW does not teach any dental courses, it does not have dental journals in its collection. The demand from students for inter~br~y loan articles has grown to the point where not all demands can be met because of copyright restrictions. A limited number of dental journals are being purchased by Extension Services and housed in the community college on an indefinite loan in order to supplement the college’s journals and help to alleviate some of the copyright problems. The UW-Casper Library approaches collection development in a manner different from the main campus. The University of Wyoming is a research institution that requires the maintenance of a research collection in the library system. The faculty are vital in determining research and other resource needs that are important to the collection. The Casper faculty also play an important part in determining what materials should be purchased for the Casper collection, but only in the area of support to the instructional programs offered in Casper. It is not the intention of the library system to put a research library in C&per. Casper faculty are encouraged to suggest research materials for purchase for the Laramie campus. Other means must be found to meet the research needs of students and faculty. Books, periodicals, and reference materials are purchased to support the instructional course demands of the academic programs, and at the same time new technologies are being explored and implemented to provide information access for Casper students and faculty.
Acquisitions UW had no planned library services program for off-campus students and has had to learn and experiment as it has gone along. At first it was difficult to determine what books were needed for off-campus courses. In most instances very little time was allowed for purchase; frequently faculty provided reading lists or bibliographies only two or three weeks before classes were scheduled to begin. In some cases a course would not get the required enroll-
Collection Management for Off-Campus Library Services
81
ment and it would be cancelled. This, of course, was never known until registration, which was a week or two before the first class session. These circumstances required that the librarian and technical services personnel examine the procedures normahy used in the acq~sition of other library resources. It was decided that all order cards for books needed in a short time would be submitted as rush requests. The Acquisitions Department has been very cooperative in processing extension requests quickly. Several efforts aid in facilitating acquisitions. The School of Extended Studies and Public Services uses a control form for extension credit classes, called the “Extension Class Organization Form,” a copy of which is sent to the Extension Services Department. A correspondence contact is then made with each faculty member. Response has been limited. Plans to involve the libraries in course design and development may improve on the effectiveness and efficiency of the acquisitions program. The UW-Casper Library is treated as a branch library of the UW Libraries system and is supervised by the Extension Services Department. It now has a collection of 10,000 volumes with a three-quarter time librarian plus about two FTE support staff. Monographs and periodicals which support the MBA and BA/BS instructional programs make up the bulk of the collection. Space constraints necessitate the purchase of microform journals beyond the current year rather than binding. Through the cooperation of the Casper faculty, it has recently been decided to buy some subscriptions in microform and not maintain a current subscription in paper. Because UW-Casper is a branch library, acquisitions are handled in the same way as on campus. Orders are initiated in Casper, sent to Laramie for purchase, cataloged in Laramie, and then the books are sent to Casper.
Processing Since 1982-83 the acquisitions budget of the Libraries has doubled without an increase in cataloging staff. Cataloging duplicate monographs, which would include most of the extension books, is one of the most time-consuming processes in the department. The item must be entered into the Libraries’ shared cataloging system, OCLC, the database management system for the online catalog, and the pending automated circulation system. New titles need only be entered in OCLC. While rush acquisitions could be accomplished without an undue burden on the Acquisitions Department, it was quite apparent that cataloging was another matter. Most of the books ordered are duplicates of titles aheady in the general collection and four or five books at a time for rush cataloging would greatly hamper the normal operations in Cataloging. After discussions with the head of Cataloging, it was decided not to catalog the extension books in the normal manner. The procedure is that Acquisitions gives all books directly to Extension Services. With a UW property stamp the books are end stamped and a small label (VW Ext. Lib.) is affixed to the cover of each book. An acquisitions list of ah holdings is maintained in Extension Services through the use of a word processor, and the books, when not in use, are stored alphabetically by title in a closed area of the library. Because the collection is small (fewer than 500 books) and some books, such as for nursing, are loaned to a community college library for an indefinite period, it is quite manageable. Cataloged books housed in UW-Casper are shown in the online catalog in Laramie. Books not owned by the Laramie campus may be borrowed from Casper. Every effort is now being made to duplicate orders for the Laramie campus when books are ordered for Casper. Casper serials are not shown in the Laramie automated union list of serials, but they are ordered through Acquisitions.
82
J. S. JOHNSON
Information Access Access is a vital part of any off-campus library services program. At present, students off campus have limited ways of determining what materials are available from the main campus. The community college libraries have microfiche copies of UW’s automated (LINX) serials holdings file. The community college and public libraries also have microfiche copies of the Wyoming Union Catalog which provides access to many monographic holdings in the libraries throughout the state. The union catalog is part of the GEAC automated circulation system that will soon connect all of the major academic and public libraries in Wyoming. Students who live in communities having online access to the GEAC system will have online access to much of what the University Libraries own. GEAC is expected to be operational in the first phase libraries during the fall of 1986, the UW libraries in the fall of 1987, and in the balance of the libraries which will have online capability possibly by 1989. The remaining libraries in the state, mostly small branches, have microfiche access through the Wyoming Union Catalog to the holdings in the system. The Extension Services Librarian, along with the UW-Casper Librarian, is exploring ways to improve information access for students and faculty in Casper who ware involved in research. Basic reference materials and indexes will be supplemented by means other than the US Mail to transmit information from Laramie to Casper. For example, 1986 should see the implementation of access to the online catalog from Laramie, either by means of dial-up or hard wire. The personal computer used to access the online catalog will also be used for bibliographic database searching which is currently being done in Laramie. Telefacsimile transmission of information between the two sites is also expected to occur in 1986. If faculty and students have evidence that they can receive much of their research needs in 24-48 hours rather than 4-8 days, they should not feel quite so isolated from the main campus and the need for an extensive library is diminished.
CONCLUSION Off-campus library services present some unique situations that may completely alter the normal perspective of collection management in an academic setting. Books and articles are needed rapidly, but then might not be needed again. Classes may be cancelled so that the books might not be needed at all. UW restricts additional purchases of materials that have limited usefulness. The general collection is used to a large extent to satisfy reserve needs. A toll-free telephone number, plus online access to UW’s holdings, as well as the potential use of telefacsimile transmission of resources are all ways that can make information more readily available to off-campus students and faculty. Flexibility is extremely important. Library personnel must accept that the needs of off-campus students and faculty may not be the same at all locations and that the needs may change over time. Willingness to grow and change with the changing needs of the academic programs is of prime importance. Effective off-campus library services are dependent on institutional commitment to address planning, student/faculty relations, and collection management. Any academic library which expects to support an active off-campus academic program must also accept the responsibility of appointing a librarian who can lead such an operation in order to maintain continuity in day-to-day operations and still accept major responsibilities of planning and development.
Collection Management for Off-Campus Library Services
83
REFERENCES 1. Johnson, Jean S. “The Wyoming Experience with the ACRL Guidelines for Extended Campus Library Services,’ n College and Research Libraries News, 45, 2 (February, 19&), 76-78, 81-82. 2. The Correspondence Study Department of the University is a member of the Division of Independent Study of the National University of Continuing Education Association. A copy of the Division’s Standards is available from National University Continuing Education Association, One DuPont Circle, Suite 360, Washington DC 20036. 3. University of Wyoming Budget Planning Guidelines for 1986-88 state as one of six planning and decision-making principles: “The University will continue to seek a budget base of support for off-campus instruction and degree programs” (25 January 1985). 4. State Health Planning and Development Agency, Division of Health and Medical Services, Wyoming Department of Health and Social Services. Wyoming Nursing Manpower Plan. 1982-86. Cheyenne: Wyoming Department of Health and Social Services, 1981. 5. Rush, R. Timothy and Willems, Arnold L. “Rural Teacher Education: A Cooperative Model That Works,” The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 34, 3 (Summer/Fall 1986), 16-19. 6. Miller, Keith A., Johnson, Jean S., and Shoreland, Michael D. “Library Use and Preferences: A Comparison of On-Campus and Off-Campus Students at the University of Wyoming.” Report to the Council on Library Resources, 25 September 1984, ED 256 348.
84
1. S. JOHNSON
APPENDIX 1 University of Wyomirzg: Loan Request (Send to Jean S. Johnson, Coe Library, Box 3334, University Station, Laramie, WY, 82071.) Date of request Student/Faculty
name
Address Zip Code Phone number where you can be reached during the day Have you checked in your local library?
Course name and number
yes -
Instructor PERIODICAL
no
(Abbreviations must be spelled out.)
Periodical Title Volume
No.
Date
Pages
No.
Date
Pages
Author (last name first) Title of article Source or Index Volume BOOK OR ERIC DOCUMENT Document number (if ERIC document) ED
Call number _ Author Title Date
Publisher
Place
Source or Index Volume
Pages
Date
No.
DO YOU HAVE A DEADLINE FOR USING THIS MATERIAL?
_
Please give DATE:
_--------_-_-----------------------------------------------------NOTICE WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. Patron signature