State of the Library
Jennifer A. Younger
Edward H. Arnold Director of University Libraries
January 23, 2001
 

Thank you Margaret. Thank you also to ELF and the Staff Steering Committee for sponsoring my State of the Library address. When Nathan Hatch became provost in 1996, he addressed the University faculty and identified six priorities for academic life at Notre Dame. When I began in November 1997, I did not make a formal address with priorities because I felt there was much I wanted to learn first about the University Libraries and Notre Dame. Three years have gone by and this is the right time for me to speak with you about the state of the library and my vision for the future. From all of you, from those with whom I regularly interact on campus, and from the Libraries' Advisory Council, I have learned about Notre Dame - its presence today and its aspirations for tomorrow - and am pleased to be here looking to our future.
 

Let me go back in time briefly though to my first day - Monday, November 3 - which was momentous on two dimensions. Most of you know that day was my 50th birthday, complete with cake and company, which I have been celebrating each year. It was also the day I acted on the recommendation of the Libraries' Task Force and conveyed to the provost that we had selected Aleph 500 as our new on-line system, setting a pace for action that doesn't seem to have slowed much since then. While I probably did other things that day, they have dropped from memory.
 

This afternoon, I want to start by thanking all of you. The state of the University Libraries is outstanding which is a direct result of your commitment to excellence in all that you do. I know this from my own use of library services and the collections. I also regularly receive very positive comments about the Libraries walking across campus or during meetings, and this is one opportunity to thank you once again. To more fully articulate all that we have done right would clearly take a very long time. Instead, let me do what public television programs do. I will speak selectively of some of our collective accomplishments and refer you to department annual reports on our Web site for more complete accounts.

SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The post-Colloquy Report of the Ad hoc Committee on University Libraries (1994) set the stage for dramatic improvements in library collections and services through its fourteen recommendations for action. Most importantly, the recommendation to grow the library annual budget (target was $11,282,800 in 99/00; actual was $11,520,000 in University allocation) has been met over the last six years. We have added 25 new positions, improved salary levels for faculty and staff, subscribed to new serial titles, made retrospective book purchases, expanded interlibrary loan services at the branch libraries, provided staffing and databases at the Mahaffey Business Information Center (BIC), joined the NorthEast Research Libraries (NERL) for consortial database licensing opportunities, continued the initial deacidification of brittle books work, gained space in the Hesburgh Library building as the basement was cleared, achieved representation on the Provost's Advisory Committee and enjoy a restructured University Committee on Libraries.

Additionally, there were two one-time expenditures recommended in the post-Colloquy report which are largely complete: first, purchase of a new on-line system and second, building renovation ($10 m. recommended, $8 m. allocated to date) to recapture the space in the basement for library use.

On January 10, 1999, the Aleph 500 catalog was opened for campus use. Full implementation of this technologically advanced system remains a work in progress, with enhanced functionality in reporting and searching across databases among the immediate goals. Future plans include use of the system by the University Archives and the storing, indexing and retrieval of databases in formats other than MARC.

We have in place a visionary and flexible master plan which has been accepted by Father Tim Scully, Executive Vice-President, on behalf of the University officers. This master plan anticipates the future - expanded print and digital collections, new partnerships with users in electronic learning and clear pathways to library services, a greater emphasis on inquiry-based education, extended collaboration between teaching and library faculty in the creation of digital collections, a greater ability to teach in proximity to special resources and the continuing use of the library as a dynamic, academic gathering place for beginning and expert scholars alike. It addresses these conceptual requirements in full recognition that future events, such as the cooperative archiving of print materials, will shape and reshape specific plans over the next fifteen years, yet it provides a solid foundation for realizing our dream of becoming a great library in a great Catholic university.

The renovation of the Math Library is nearing completion while the first phase of the Hesburgh Library is just beginning. Renovation coupled with innovation is a very short poem expressing the certainty of the link. Renovation fosters new ways of thinking. Innovation suggests new ways of arranging the physical space. The Math Library has integrated books, journals, and computers in ways not possible in their current space. The five working groups planning the renovation of the Hesburgh Library lower level will play leading roles in the design, but opportunities for innovation as a result of the renovation project will exist in every library department and library.

COMMUNICATION

Talking among ourselves - in annual reports, in department and library meetings - about our accomplishments, is of course a good thing as we benefit from stepping back to contemplate our progress, but I place great importance on making our accomplishments visible beyond the Libraries. I was invited in October to address the Board of Trustees Committee on Faculty and Academic Affairs. For the Libraries, this was a wonderful opportunity for me to speak about our accomplishments, the significance of the library in a university, and most importantly our goal of becoming a great library in a great Catholic university. Borrowing liberally from the president of Stanford University, I titled that talk "Who Needs a Library?" believing that in this instance, I was "preaching to the choir." A condensed version of my remarks appeared in Access (2000).

There are other modes of communicating our accomplishments as well as our goals to the broader University community. We have sent out press releases, such as the one sent when we signed the contract to purchase Aleph. During the last year, I have received various reports from college deans. Several of you brought my attention as well to the Indicators of Excellence brochure put out by Notre Dame. We would like to read some about the Libraries which means more emphasis on finding indicators and ensuring others are informed. I will be working on expanding our avenues for getting our message out.

SLIDE 1 University of Notre Dame Libraries A great destination for learning and research
 

**Note to readers: The slides are HERE.
 

Our accomplishments have built a solid foundation for the future. When I met with the college deans on September 14, 2000 as well as with the Board of Trustees, I stated my vision for the University Libraries in words put to paper by Kathy Blackstead: A great destination for learning and research. Just seven words in length, it is a short statement but one that expresses the ideal toward which we aspire. And it is a vision that will accommodate the twists and turns sure to come in the next ten years yet with a clear focus on our goals.

"Go Irish! Go digital!" introduced my remarks. We are Notre Dame and it was the football season when I first wrote this. There are three things I want to speak to today:

A Digital Library Services Environment

Three challenges at Notre Dame in providing library collections and services

Expanding our knowledge and skills

SLIDE 2 Go Digital! Support E-learning, E-research and E-programs!

Defining and creating a digital library services environment is an action that must underpin everything we do. Let me start by listing the key characteristics of a digital library services environment and then speak to why it is so important for us to create this concept amongst ourselves and on campus.

The library is a system for selecting, organizing and managing knowledge and access to that knowledge. A digital library services environment builds on this definition. In the words of Dan Greenstein, who is the president of the Digital Library Federation, it is a "networked and Web-accessible information space in which users can discover, locate, acquire access to, and increasingly, use information." (CLIR issues, March/April 2000, p.1)

Key characteristics are:

* all formats in a digital library services environment

library collections and electronic holdings

books and e-books

journals and e-journals

pre-prints and e-prints

archives and e-archives

video, film and streaming video

sound recordings and digital sound

traditional and digitized collections

* varying paths to access library and information resources

library catalogs, indexes, citation databases, finding aids

search engines on the Web

librarians, faculty and colleagues

There are three means of path development. First, there is the human analysis and organization that results in catalogs, indexes, etc. Second, there are search engines that match queries to full text or use other high quality content-based computational techniques to retrieve information. Third, there is the informal network in which you ask your friends in conversations or follow their footnoted references in their writings.

* access to information resources managed by the library or made available by individuals or other organizations

We are creating access via catalogs and web sites to information we have purchased or licenses, but also creating access by pointing to information made available by other organizations or companies, or through references to important Web sites.

* delivery of library services via the Web as well as access at the library

There is a fifth characteristic to be added to this list, and that is the critical cultural role of the library as a safe haven for ideas. While easily visible in a library building, our activities in acquiring and preserving ideas is not limited to the physical realm.

With some knowledge in hand now of the characteristics of a digital library, I will turn to why is it important for us to communicate the idea of a digital library services environment to others on campus. We must define the concept of the library in its broadest dimensions so as to easily transcend the all too familiar question of "Who needs a library when we have the Web?" which according to one recent count has over 7.1 million sites (OCLC Annual Report 2000). The idea that institutions such as universities, libraries, and the press are on the road to disappearance has been popular for over a decade in many circles. At the root of "endism" as it is labeled by John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid in their recent book The Social Life of Information is the notion that because individually we will have all the access to information we need, that we won't need these institutions to work on our behalf. (2000, p. 16).

The Social Life of Information challenges the finality of "endism" by identifying the critical social networks that every day provide critical assistance to individuals in finding and using information. It is certainly true technology empowers individuals but in their view it will not obliterate the need for what they call the "social life" of information, that is to say, the existence of social organizations and their human expertise in working with information. Returning for a moment to the characteristics of digital library services - collections, clear paths to information that include information from many sources, and delivery of services to users, safe haven - we can easily see how our expertise creates more usable entities known as libraries that are valuable intermediaries between individuals and information. We develop Web sites and portals for specific groups, and interactive instruction outside of scheduled classes.

Today's second topic is the challenges at Notre Dame in creating library collections and services. Thomas Jefferson said "I cannot live without books." A modern adaption of his sentiment might say: "I cannot live without access to knowledge." In either terminology, this is what we do - create library collections and services for scholarly use, scholars in all stages, from the beginners to experts.

SLIDES 3 and 4

The first challenge has been with us for a solid decade, and comes from the rising expectations of Notre Dame for more excellence in teaching and research, together with the rising costs of serials and books. The first of these - the demand for excellence at Notre Dame - is bringing distinguished new faculty to the University, establishing more graduate programs with research agendas, and establishing interdisciplinary research centers and institutes. Superinflation in the prices of serials has been in the double digits and while not that high for books, there is inflation above the Consumer Price Index there as well. Despite the new funding resulting from the Colloquy, the bottom line is extraordinary demands on our funding for collections and resource delivery.

I identified ten strategies in a discussion with college deans that we will employ in managing our financial resources to provide collections and resource delivery at Notre Dame. Although we cannot move forward at a rapid and equal pace on all, let me mention some that are underway. Two committees - Collection Development Committee, under the leadership of Scott Van Jacob, and JCER under Carole Richter - are moving forward to define situations where we can successfully move from holding the same serial title in two formats - paper and electronic - to electronic only. They are addressing multiple issues, including reliable access and permanent archiving. There will be some slight dollar savings in subscription cost but the more important savings are likely to come over time in reduced processing, binding and shelving costs for a reduced number of printed volumes.

A second strategy lies in developing more flexible budget models so we can manage our collection budgets more efficiently and reflect more directly University priorities. This week, Gay is circulating a draft charge to members of the CDC for a task force that will seek to simplify the accounting. The University landscape has changed dramatically in the number of centers, institutes and interdisciplinary programs. Later, perhaps next year, we should look at how effectively their needs are represented in our largely department-based collection allocations structure.

A third strategy employs collaboration on campus for reducing duplicative purchases of data sets and locally with other institutions where we have mutual interests, such as in education.

Not mentioned in the list of strategies is our participation in SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, a coalition founded to introduce new solutions in scientific publishing and encourage competition. SPARC is enjoying some success with a recent example seen in the announcement: "SPARC influence cited as Wiley cuts the price of its anthropology journal , the American Journal of Physical Anthropology (SPARC e-news, August-September 2000)." The Notre Dame journal American Midland Naturalist is joining BioOne, a SPARC sponsored database of journals in the life sciences which should be more willing to keep the needs of the library community in mind than are the journals of other commercial publishers.

SLIDES 5 and 6

The second challenge is seen in the profusion and ready availability of information. The Web has magnified what had already been an information explosion of contents and formats into not only an often uncomprehensible mass of information but also an ill behaved mass of sites. Queries routinely result in weird and unexpected hits, putting new demands on users to interpret what they have found. Despite the imperfections of shelving arrangements in libraries, users developed a knowledge of the range of resources, where they are less likely to have developed a good mental model of the Web, which they will need to access information effectively in a global context. In creating digital library services, we take more responsibility for creating effective access to a world of information even beyond what we own. We do this in two ways - in creating and linking catalogs, databases and other tools - and in teaching users how to find, evaluate and manage information.

Eleven strategies are listed, which as is true with the first and third challenges as well, do not constitute all possible strategies, only those which I pulled together in early fall.

Last week, I received a memo via e-mail from an emeritus professor in the Law School, asking the Law Library and the University Libraries to work together, specifically to recreate the ability to search our respective catalogs together. He remembers the union catalog. I responded affirmatively, that technology now offers two modes - creating a union catalog or providing simultaneous searching of multiple catalogs. And, without knowing the precise timetable or choice of technology, I assured him we will reinstate the functionality lost in our initial implementation of Aleph.

Another strategy calls for developing indices and databases that complement access to information resources via the library catalog. There are several areas already identified where this should happen. We want to provide access to archival and manuscript holdings of the University Archives as well as to similar kinds of holdings in Special Collections, to visual resources stored and indexed in other database management software, and to numeric data. This will require development of the library system to have the capability of accessing non-MARC formats.

Another strategy calls for expanding library Web sites and developing subject portals to create access to a wide range of subject resources, including library collections as well as Web-based information resources not owned by the library, and engage in such efforts collaboratively. We have many good Web sites done at Notre Dame on our library page but it will be important to bring together access to subject collections in many institutions. One example is in the subject of Catholic collections, and we are initiating collaborative efforts with Boston College and other Jesuit academic libraries for the purpose of identifying and creating clearer access to important Catholic collections in Catholic or secular university libraries.

Creating organized paths to finding information is one part of the job. We also have an ongoing program to teach users skills in finding, evaluating and using information, and are developing strategies to extend our teaching capabilities into a digital library services environment.

Two projects are underway which are closely linked to this strategy: Developing Web-based instructional tools (two year project). This project is being led by Joni Kanzler to learn from students how they want to learn skills such as finding information and what are the most effective methods for delivering this instruction. We anticipate one answer might be Web-based interactive programs, which is why we used that terminology. Also, if funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), we will be participating in the University of Michigan led project to assess the effectiveness of interactive multimedia technology in delivery of library education to users.

Deans are often thought of as up there in the sky somewhere, but they can and do have good insights that translate into new library services. The Training and Development Committee either has or will soon conduct a workshop on the use of EndNotes, which manages bibliographic references. This is the last strategy listed here: Provide new services to enhance users' ability to manage information, e.g., bibliographic reference management. ;

SLIDES 7 and 8

The third challenge is the space that no longer provides the essential physical support for a dynamic academic gathering center. While "go digital" may connote the absence of space requirements, it is the physical library and digital library together that comprise the digital library services environment. Although we are projecting a slight decrease in the physical growth rate of library collections, we do not anticipate reaching a zero growth rate in the next 15 years. On campus, the establishment of the Kaneb Center, discussion of the Boyer Commission report, the revamped First Year Composition Program, and the report of the Teaching, Learning, Technology Roundtable are signs of intensified examination and changes, proposed or implemented, in teaching practices at Notre Dame. Students speak clearly to their desire for comfortable study space, some of which would be available twenty-four hours.

Again, I have listed eleven strategies that are encompassed in the very ambitious master plan for the renovation of the Hesburgh Library. As Provost Hatch stated in his letter to the faculty (September 18, 2000) the master plan "involves reconfiguration of the existing space and transformation of the library into an integrated service environment for library and information resources and information technology." The assumptions, framework and objectives are far-reaching in their re-imagining of the kind of library Notre Dame needs for the next generation. Students need comfortable study arrangements, 24-hour access, a café, social and work space, collaborative and individual study areas and access to computers. We will put in a new microform center with adequate equipment and the ability to deliver scanned images via the network. Openly accessible compact shelving will accommodate books and journals. Upgrading the Audio/Visual Center for on-site use as well as for delivery of sound via the network may have to start before the renovation of the second floor, at least in part.

There are opportunities here to expand our links with Indiana libraries. One small step has been taken and discussions are scheduled with IU and Purdue to talk about developing last copy archiving policies in Indiana, especially for electronic journals and other resources we intend to access primarily on-line. Perhaps this can be an opening to an "IndianaLink" as other states have their links, e.g., OhioLinks. Nationally we will participate in the Center for Research Libraries program including the program for storing one last copy of superceded reference books. We have predicted a slight decrease in our physical growth rate, and cooperative last copy archiving is one means to help us achieve that decrease. Another strategy suggests we will archive some digital information resources through participation in national archival repositories, e.g., JSTOR.

SLIDES 9 and 10

Two answers to the question "What brings greatness?" led me to the last topic for today and that is "Expanding our Knowledge and Skills." These answers are:

* expert, dynamic, professionally active library faculty and staff who design collections, services and programs, who are as well a scholarly destination in and of themselves

* enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff and faculty who generate excitement about the library, provide regular assistance in the use of library resources and instill a love for using libraries

Within the Libraries, it is clear we all know that the maintenance of our knowledge and skills is the starting point and on from there, we must all be in the business of acquiring new knowledge and skills on a regular basis. Workshops are regularly held on topics ranging from conducting performance reviews, finding electronic books, conserving books and other printed material, and searching the library catalog. My purpose today is to give kudos to all of us because I see much evidence that acquiring new knowledge and skills is integral to the library culture.

Once convinced of the need, which we are, we face the question of knowing what knowledge and skills to acquire. Many organizations use their scan of the environment to determine what events are taking place, how these events are likely to affect them and what to do to get ready, the latter of which includes deciding what new knowledge or skills might be needed. For example, the University of Notre Dame 2000 Annual Report and other documents such as college reports describe their academic programs and highlight those which are particularly prestigious or significant to the University. Although no one document will necessarily be definitive on its own, a close reading of these will suggest to us that we need to refresh our knowledge of University aspirations and that further conversations with deans and faculty are in order. This new knowledge is needed on a continuing basis as we determine appropriate collection goals, particularly discerning between building premier collections and meeting information needs.

A second example started with an environmental scan as well. The OIT Annual Report identified a Knowledge Management Group with responsibility for examining new avenues for document management in the University. Three groups were set up initially to look at specific work flows, including hiring of student assistants, and the Libraries were represented on these groups. Knowledge management is an emerging interdisciplinary field that deals with the use of total knowledge assets in an organization. We are also interested in better management of our own organizational knowledge, and for that reason Dan will be inviting a group of individuals from the Libraries to attend a two-day seminar on knowledge management intended for staff with responsibilities for determining how library information is captured, organized and accessed, such as the information now posted on the Libraries' Web site for staff.

Sometimes the ideas for training come from individuals pursuing new functions, such as was the case with the Grantsmanship Initiative Group that sponsored workshops about various aspects of grants. Sometimes, the training ideas stem from events such as the implementation of a new campus network or the introduction of new software.

Anyone of us can suggest areas where training might be useful. We have two committees in the Libraries - Library Faculty/Staff Training and Development, and the Professional Development Committee of the Library Faculty - ready and willing to provide assistance in organizing and holding a successful workshop. Continuing education and training is often committee sponsored but it is also individually directed. In support of continuing education, the Libraries' budget has more than doubled in the last six years as we continue to see the benefits to us.

CLOSING

In ending my formal remarks, I want to return briefly to some key thoughts. First, the University Libraries is doing an excellent job in supporting the University mission, and the credit belongs to all of us. Second, we have an important job ahead of us in defining our aspirations - which I have phrased as "a great destination for learning and research," and ensuring that our library is a "digital library services environment." Third, we know we face significant challenges - because we always have - but that through multiple strategies, we will be successful. Fourth, our emphasis on continually expanding knowledge and skills prepares us well and gives us great confidence in our ability to become great.

Where do we go from here? I have put forth my vision, a definition of a digital library services environment, challenges and strategies, yet there is much I did not say in regard to other important topics, department plans or individual goals. This is a beginning conversation, not an ending, as we develop and implement our goals.

Thank you. The floor is open for questions.

REFERENCES

Access: News from the University Libraries of Notre Dame, no. 77, Fall 2000, pp. 3-4.

Brown, John Seely and Duguid, Paul. The Social Life of Information. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2000.
 

OCLC Annual Report, 1999/2000. Dublin: OCLC, Inc., 2000.

University of Notre Dame. Report of the Ad hoc Committee on University librariesto Provost Timothy O'Meara and the Academic Council. May 1994.