From your 1999-2000 OCLC Users' Council Delegates:
Arlene Luster Marcia Talley
[log in to unmask] [log in to unmask]
ph: 808-449-2209 ph: 410-293-6905
I thought the following readings, compiled for the upcoming OCLC Users'
Council Meeting in October, would be of general interest to Fedlink
librarians, so I am forwarding them on to you.
Happy reading!
-- Marcia
16 September 1999
OCLC Users Council Memorandum
TO: User Council Delegates
CC: User Council Alternates
From: Jennifer Morris, OCLC User Council Executive Committee,
Delegate-at-Large
Subject: Discussion Preparation and Optional Readings for October
1999
Users Council
The theme for the coming year is "A New World: OCLC, Libraries, and Users in
the 21st Century." As requested by the Executive Committee, I have
identified some materials you may want to browse in preparing for the
October Users Council Meeting. The topic for this meeting is "The User View
of the Expanding Library World." Each of the speakers we have lined up
should offer provocative and useful insights into how libraries, networks,
and OCLC are expanding information availability to users. Specifically, we
will address the following key questions:
* How are library users changing in their composition, expectations,
and experiences and how do they access and use both information and
knowledge?
* What are the likely impacts of these changes on libraries and OCLC?
* What will constitute a successful and sustainable library in the
21st century?
* What can libraries, networks, and OCLC do together to better serve
library users?
During the type-of-library small group discussions on Monday, October 4 from
3-4:30, you will be asked to consider especially the last two questions:
What will constitute a successful and sustainable library in the 21st
century? And, what can libraries, networks, and OCLC do together to better
serve library users? Some electronic and print sources are suggested below
from which you may want to select a few to read either before or during the
October meeting. As usual, workstations in the Communications Room at the
Smith Building will be configured to offer access both to the Web and
e-mail.
Opening Keynote Speaker, Steve Coffman
There continues to be a great deal of discussion following Steve's initial
article on Building Earth's Largest Library. You can visit the web4lib
archive and do a search on Coffman. This will pick up most of the
discussions in the thread. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Web4Lib/archive.html
Coffman, Steve. "Building Earth's Largest Library: Driving into the
future," Searcher, March 1999
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/mar/coffman.htm
And the follow-up by Coffman:
"Response to Building Earth's Largest Library," Searcher, July/August 1999:
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/jul/coffman.htm
Mike Dahn's response: "Building Earth's Largest Library: One Librarian's
Plan of Action,"
Searcher, July/August 1999 (web-only):
HTTP://www.infotoday.com/searcher/jul/dahn.htm
Walt Crawford's response: "Gutting America's local libraries: Informal
comments on "Building Earth's Largest Library." (web-only) August 30, 1999.
http://home.att.net/~wcc.libmedx/gutting.htm
OCLC ILL Task Force
Shirley Baker of Washington University and Chair of the OCLC ILL Task Force,
will report on progress to date. Information on the Task Force objectives
is at http://www.oclc.org/oclc/ill/objectives.htm
Library Users and Usage Changes
David Ferriero from Duke University will be speaking on "What Changes are
Taking Place in Library Users and Usage?" His colleague John Lubans, Deputy
University Librarian at Duke University has written two articles on student
use of the Internet:
http://www.lib.duke.edu/staff/orgnztn/lubans/john.html
Another study of student use of the Internet is the fall 1998 survey
conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA's Graduate
School of Education & Information Studies. In it, more than half (54.2
percent) of all freshmen said they participate in Internet chat rooms.
Nearly three-quarters (72.9 percent) engaged in "other Internet use." A full
80.4 percent of students said they play computer games at least
occasionally.
http://ace-webtest.nche.edu/stylesheet/news/press_release/1999/01January/fre
shman_survey.html
Beloit College in Wisconsin has once again assembled a list of ways in which
entering first-year students differ in their frame of reference, not only
from their teachers and advisors, but from those just a few years older than
themselves. Below is their "peek into the mindset of today's first-year
college students... through the class of 2003 list."
http://www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/releases/mindsetlist.html
This is a very current, useful summary of how various libraries are focusing
on new services for library patrons, using the 'My Library' technique to
create a user-centered, customizable, Web-based portal service to the
library's set of information services.
Winter, Ken. "'MyLibrary' can help your library," American Libraries 30 (7)
August 1999: 65-67.
And finally, an actual book (!) on user expectations.
Hernon, Peter and Ellen Altman. Assessing Service Quality: Satisfying the
Expectations of Library Customers. ALA, 1998. c.256p. bibliog. index. ISBN
0-8389-3489-7. pap. $40.
"The authors suggest new ways to think about library services, clarify the
distinction between service quality and customer satisfaction, present
strategies for developing a customer service plan, identify procedures to
measure service quality and satisfaction, and challenge conventional
thinking about these powerful principles. ...The bibliography is replete
with library literature indicating the wide-ranging adaptation of these
vital components in libraries and the prevailing awareness of how important
it is to focus the operations of a library around the expectations of the
customer. Numerous excellent tracking forms and survey and satisfaction
instruments provide mechanisms to carry out a commitment to satisfying the
needs of customers, especially for leading librarians who long ago tossed
that useless suggestion box." (From a review by Dale F. Farris in Library
Journal; New York; Apr 15, 1999.)
CORC, Metadata, Dublin Core
Due to high interest in these topics at our May 1999 meeting, Terry
Noreault, V.P. Office of Research has been asked to not only bring us up to
date but give us a glimpse into the future.
An introduction and description of the CORC project by Thomas B. Hickey,
Chief Scientist at OCLC.
http://www.oclc.org/oclc/research/publications/review98/hickey/corc.htm
A paper proposing a mechanism for using the Dublin Core for search and
retrieval in Z39.50, by Ralph R. LeVan, Consulting Research Scientist at
OCLC.
http://www.oclc.org/oclc/research/publications/review97/levan/dublincoreandz
3950-v1_1.html
Gorman, Michael. "Metadata or cataloging? A false choice." Journal of
Internet Cataloging 2 (1) 1999: 5-22. Gorman recommends a "both-and"
solution, a four-pronged hierarchical approach whereby resources deemed most
valuable would get full MARC/AACR2 treatment. The next level down would get
enriched Dublin Core records; below that, minimal level Dublin Core
treatment, followed by full-text keyword searching via web search engines.
