CSI Library

Dr. Edit SzantoLibrary and Instructional Technology Center Director

April 19th 2004

The Present

• I am very excited about this new opportunity

• I enjoy challenges as well as being a change agent

First Thing First

• Observe, ask questions, listen, and learn– Our library– Our users – Our current users’ needs– Predicting our future users’ needs –

“thumb generation,” tomorrow’s faculty and staff, community members

– Customization and personalization of services offered

First Thing First

• Observe, ask questions, listen, and learn– How we (library and ITC) can serve

the mission of the College– What other libraries are doing (visit all

academic libraries in the state; as well as some public and school libraries)

– What works, what doesn’t, what meets our unique needs

First Thing First

• Marketing focus - users

• Monitor shifts in:– demographics– constituents’ behavior– lifestyle choices– technology adoption– economic health– educational practices– communication, interaction and

collaboration

• Develop a clear picture of our strengths and weaknesses

• Be aware of opportunities and challenges

• Know all the trends – and how those trends will impact what we do:– To whom we will provide services– The types of services we will offer– The way we will offer those services

First Thing First

“The future ain’t what it used to be”

Yogi Berra

“The future ain’t what it used to be”

Yogi Berra

Trends

• Monitoring trends carefully

• Knowing the implications

• Being willing and able to meet the new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities

Trends

• The one constant is: Change• Embracing change, fostering innovation • The role and function of libraries are

changing – cultural change• Traditional definition of a library: “A place in

which literary and artistic materials, such as books, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, prints, records, and tapes, are kept for reading, reference, or lending.”

Trends

• Libraries must be:– Customer oriented – Flexible– Pro-active– Entrepreneurial and creative – Team players– Friend/fund raisers - the right relationships

managed right

Trends

• The Library as: – The primary information provider to the College. – Campus learning center – fostering the learning

environment– Promoter of new methods of scholarly

communication and collaboration– Community anchor

Trends

• Continually increasing demand for convenient access (any time, anywhere) to information, resources and services

• Role of technology – seamless integration into library and information services

• Variety of media formats: DVDs, e-books, electronic journals, digital images and videos, etc.

• Users no longer want to photo copy materials, they want to be able to e-mail the article to themselves or burn it on a CD/DVD

Trends

• Online resources, information, and services

• “Competing with Google”

• Changing role of librarians – cyberians

Trends

• Online Learning• Online courses, training, and

seminars (Webinars), even whole programs

• Blackboard• Distance learning• Telecommuting

Trends

• Enabling patrons to effectively and efficiently find and retrieve information (removing all the barriers)

• e-Reserves • Virtual reference • Online homework help• Online interaction, communication and

collaboration• Electronic document delivery• Digital and online databases

• Online library information, resources and services

Trends

• Lifelong learning (“K through life”)• Diversity of the population we serve (age, gender,

race/ethnicity, geographic location, education level) • Alumni - services for life – patrons for life • Continuing education, professional development,

training and re-training

Trends

• Importance of information literacy in a knowledge economy

• The value of intellectual capital • Training students, faculty, staff, and community

members how to recognize the need for information (when information is needed; how much information is needed; what kind of information is needed), how to access, retrieve, critically and objectively evaluate, save, manage, organize, summarize, synthesize, communicate (orally or in writing) and legally and ethically use information.

• Information literacy

Trends

• Demand for increased efficiency and effectiveness

• Finding ways to use our existing resources more efficiently

• Evaluating at processes and making them more efficient and effective

• Finding ways to cut cost • Seeking outside grants• Collaborating with other institutions and

organizations to share resources and expertise• Consortia

Trends

• Library staff will be engaged, networked, and "transparent"

• Continuous improvement and professional development for library staff: – Keeping up with trends in the industry -

online information and resources, Webinars – Ability to provide information services – Knowing how to use the tools – Being able to help our customers effectively

and efficiently • Actively contributing to improving processes • Cross-training • Becoming involved on campus (formal and

informal channels) 

Trends

• Collaborating with other entities and organizations – strategic partnerships

• Continually improving the integration of Library/Web/instructional technology into the campus – taking advantage of the synergies that exist

• Working closely with faculty/staff/students to meet their needs

• Focusing more on marketing and public relations (internal/external) 

Trends

• Some legal and ethical issues are becoming more and more important  – Copyright and intellectual property

• Fair Use: to what extent can we substitute access for ownership?

– Intellectual freedom – Equal access and digital divide – Security (of information,

communication, processes) – Privacy (Family Educational Rights

and Privacy Act/FERPA, Patriot Act, etc.)

Strengths

Strengths

• Well-designed facility

Strengths

• Staff

• Automation system

• Web site

• Some access to online databases

• Computer lab inside the library

Weaknesses

Weaknesses

• Somewhat isolated• Collaboration has not been great• Computer lab area too crowded - needs to be

reconfigured to be more user-friendly (more room for users)

• Relatively limited access to online information, resources and services

Weaknesses

• Marketing and public relations have not been the strongest areas– Product: type and number of services offered– Place: access to information and services– Promotion: public relations and advertising – Price: grants, consortia, collaborative endeavors

• On-campus involvement needs improvement• Off-campus awareness

• The weaknesses identified are relatively easy to overcome

• Change will take time• Change will also take resources

– Concentrating on increased efficiency and cost savings

– Taking advantage of the synergies between information services and instructional technology

– Grants

We’ve Already Started

• Twin Falls Public Library connection• Visiting other libraries and making connections• Celebrating National Library Week• Already working on addressing some of the

weaknesses and taking advantage of the opportunities that exist

• Develop vision statement; revise mission statement• Presentations to community members• CSI Foundation• Collaborative grants with the Herrett Center museum

• Responsive to our users’ unique needs• Ongoing communication with students,

faculty, staff, community members • Collaboration with other libraries and

organizations

Bottom Line

From service providers to influencers Relationship management Libraries are mission critical for learning,

teaching, training and professional development, economic development, information literacy, life-long learning

Bottom Line

Serving the mission of our CollegeServing the mission of our College