University
Library Committee Minutes
September 17, 2002
The meeting was held in room B23 of the library starting at 3:30 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Arnold Barkman.
Present: Arnie Barkman (Accounting), Pam Marcum (Physics), June Koelker (Library), Bob Seal (Library), Ellen Page Shelton (Ballet and Modern Dance), Lee Daniel (Spanish), Sue Anderson (Education)
Absent: Couch, Woodworth, Mackay, Payne, Blevins, Bansal, Gabor, Polisetty
Introduction by Arnie Barkman
Arnie Barkman asked the members to introduce themselves and also reviewed the charge of the committee according to the TCU Faculty and Staff Handbook. Our new faculty member who was present is Lee Daniel.
Comments by Bob Seal
Bob Seal reviewed highlights of the Library’s operations starting with the Information Commons. Over the next 3 years
plans are to modify the reference room to be home to the Information Commons which will include library staff,
information services people, and information technology staff.
Phase 1 for this year is to expand the existing computer lab into the reference room by removing the wall separating
them. There would be a “super help desk” with librarians and information services people together. That would be
available during the entire time the library is open which is 101 hours a week. Also planned is an “information commons
web page” which would allow people to get various types of information.
The library applied for and just received from the State of Texas a grant of $175,000 from the Telecommunications
Infrastructure Fund (a few years ago we received some $400,000 which went in large part for the computers in the library
computer lab). This new grant will be used for acquiring computers for the expanded lab. Desks, rewiring, and
remodeling costs would be the responsibility of the library, and Seal is working now on obtaining those funds.
Sue Anderson asked about use of laptops. Bob Seal answered that he has been disappointed at both the lack of use of the
ones available for check-out, and the small number of students bringing their own laptops into the library.
Next year plans would be to create collaborative study rooms, wired for computer access, but one half-million dollars
are required for this project.
Bob Seal then distributed copies of the spring 2001 student survey. Overall student responses are positive, but Bob
Seal would like to see greater use made of the facilities. He has formed a public relations committee charged with
providing a marketing plan by December to better publicize the good things going on in the library. Use, by headcount,
is double what it was 3 years ago, and he attributes that in great part to the computer lab and the café.
In response to student requests, the library is now open on Thursday nights until 1am instead of 11pm. The library
plans to better publicize that fact to encourage greater usage. Will also look at possibility of seeking additional
funds for staffing longer hours on Friday and Saturday as well as a 24-hour study room.
Areas of student concern: Lighting—-some areas, such as the periodical reading room, need improvement.
Fred Oberkircher (Design, Merchandising, and Textiles) will help with a survey of needs. Students have some
complaints about noise, in particular, the excessive use of cell phones.
Bob Seal distributed copies of the Planning Outline for 2001-2002. One item is looking at various outcome measures
to track progress towards meeting the Library Mission and Vision statements. Keri Bouchard (library systems) wrote
My Library, a system for establishing individual pages within the library. 450 people have created such pages.
The library is at the brainstorming stage of dealing with library resource delivery using Palm-type devices
(Bob sees more students with Palms than with laptops). Sue Anderson wondered if there might be some way of encouraging
greater laptop use when the Information Commons is in place.
The Fulltext Journal Locator has just been implemented. Serial Solutions, costing about $2000 per year, permits
one to enter a journal citation and determine whether the library has that journal, in what form, and in which data base.
TCU has some 1400 journals on-line, and many more are available elsewhere.
One of the plans is to do a program statement to define what the library needs are which is a critical first step
in moving toward a new building. The update of the Music lab has been a problem since there are only 2 businesses
in the country in a position to take care of upgrading the current facilities which are about 25 years old.
The library is now at the point of going out for bids for a new security system.
A detailed analysis of our holdings is now underway. Space remains a constraint. 85% of capacity is considered to
represent “functionally full” and library is now at 86%.
June Koelker is obtaining various statistics on electronic resource use, both for internal use and external comparison
(other schools, TX, etc.). The statistics are required for reporting to the US Dept. of Education.
Traditional reporting measures such as circulation no longer tell an accurate story. Better reporting can show the
TCU administration just what the enhanced role of the library is. For example, reference questions may be declining,
but data base use is way up. Of particular interest are statistics regarding use of electronic resources such as full
text e-journals, data bases, E books, and electronic reserves.
The Phoenix group (TCU, UTArlington, SMU, UNT, TX Woman’s, TX A&M – Commerce, TX Tech, UTD) are schools in area
that are considering some way of sharing hard copy of JSTOR – available journals. Each school would maintain some
non-overlapping set of journals so that in the aggregate, hard copies of all JSTOR journals would be available for
backup, but each individual institution would need not take hard copy of all titles. Such an arrangement would release
some 600 shelves at TCU for other use.
TCU has over 10,000 titles of electronic books in our catalog.
Bob Seal just approved a directive that if a faculty member requests a title, and it is available in both print and
electronic versions, the library will acquire the electronic version. This will be tried on an experimental basis.
Sue Anderson suggested that we order electronic versions by default unless specifically requested to obtain the print
version.
Given the TCU mission statement regarding a global community and the library vision statement dealing with being a
gateway to the world of information, the library will add some international journals and newspapers (Paris Match,
Newsweek in Spanish). June Koelker mentioned a web site which leads one to newspapers from all over the world. Arnie
Barkman suggested adding that link to the library web page.
A “hot topic” in libraries is Internet chat; the ability to ask questions of a reference librarian on line. The
library hopes to have this available if not by end of fall, than during the spring.
The library has acquired ILLiad software as a way to further move to paperless interlibrary loan.
Bistro Burnett programming is being considered. This might involve readings, dance, art, or some other type of
activity in the lobby. The café has turned out to be very successful, exceeding all expectations.
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