Library Faculty/Staff Scholarship and Research

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/11

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Author: search.filters.author.Wray, TannerSubject: search.filters.subject.Collaboration

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Ethnographic Research and Participatory Design at the University of Maryland Libraries: Pioneering Partnerships Beyond Library Walls
    (2012-06-24) Wray, Tanner; Ippoliti, Cinthya; Williams, M Jane
    Problem statement: The central library of the University of Maryland urgently needs a total redesign. The 320,000 square-foot building houses approximately two million volumes and serves a campus of 27,000 undergraduate and 11,000 graduate students, plus 4,000 faculty. McKeldin Library is largely a book warehouse, with a layout that doesn’t support students’ needs for technology-rich, flexible and multipurpose spaces and services. The dissonance between what McKeldin provides and what users need continues to grow, so efforts have mounted in recent years for a total library re-envisioning and re-design. Problem significance: In unstable times a physical re-programming can no longer depend on traditional, professional experts (architects and librarians), for whom precedent is now unreliable. We looked to our user community’s expertise. We extended beyond previous ethnographic studies by collaborating, from start to finish, with anthropology and architecture students, two deans, an architectural firm, and consultant Nancy Fried Foster. The engagement of three classes of students on the project also furthered the role of the libraries as leaders in fulfilling the university’s academic mission. This project directly relates to the ACRL Plan for Excellence, Student Learning, Objective 1, “Build librarian capacity to create new learning environments (physical and virtual) and instructional practices.” The skills and partnerships we developed will be valuable as we modify our practices and environments in McKeldin and the other seven UMD libraries. Project objectives: The objective is to re-program the McKeldin Library building. The Fall 2011 research project was to provide an informational context for a building design process. Three groups (Participatory Design Project Team of library staff, anthropology course students, and architecture seminar course graduate students) gathered information about current library use, academic work practices of students and faculty and activities that patrons need to accomplish within library spaces, and also developed an understanding of the current programming of McKeldin Library. School of Architecture graduate students, under the guidance of the Architecture dean and a practicing architect, will use the information gathered in the Fall to develop a new design during Spring 2012. Methodology: The library team used three anthropological/ethnographic methods to collect information: 1. Participatory design workshops in which students, faculty and library staff drew their ideal library spaces; 2. Structured observations in selected spaces in McKeldin; 3. On-the-spot interviews in outdoor spaces around campus. The anthropology class conducted on-the-spot interviews of undergraduate and graduate students. The architecture students gathered quantitative data about current McKeldin programming and engaged library management on anticipated future trends. Status of research: Fall 2011 research was transmitted to the architecture studio class to complete Spring 2012 design work.
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    Bridging libraries: the merger of a school district library and an academic library
    (2010-06-27) Münster, Irene; Bailey, Gail C.; Wray, Tanner; Negro, Toni; Biggs, Janet
    In January 2008, The Universities at Shady Grove (USG), Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS), and University of Maryland Libraries signed an agreement to merge the MCPS Professional Library collections, staff and services into USG’s library to provide enhanced library resources and services to both clienteles. Administrators and librarians of the three institutions have learned how to partner and collaborate in this unique environment, while maintaining library services to both the USG (academic) and MCPS (professional educator) communities. The collection merger required retrospective conversion of 15,000 records, conversion from Dewey to Library of Congress classification, and physical integration, without interruption of service. Library cultures (special vs. academic) were dramatically different and adjustments have been made to combine and share knowledge, while providing some distinctive services. Staff adjusted to new responsibilities and to working with different systems and new patrons. Now that the merger is complete, the immediate future is demanding new adjustments from each partner to improve some services already provided and to satisfy users’ expectations, while looking for new ways to enhance the outreach to this diverse clientele. The poster will present challenges faced in merging the two libraries, solutions developed, and impact on services for library users.
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    ILLiad and Resource Sharing in the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions Consortium of Libraries
    (2006-03-16) Wray, Tanner; Vaeth, Carol; Moskal, Robin; Bush, Jamie; Miller, Stephen
    The mission of the USMAI (University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions) consortium is to support effective access to library resources by providing and promoting a range of resource sharing services which support the objectives and maximize resources of the individual libraries of the member institutions. The consortium has a long-established service through which patrons can request that books be sent from one campus to another via a patron placed hold function, most recently within the Aleph OPAC. Beginning in 2004 the consortium’s Council of Library Directors (CLD) established a Resource Sharing Task Group (RSTG) to “address issues relating to USMAI resource sharing activities, including patron placed holds, direct borrowing, ILL, and delivery systems.” This group was established particularly to ensure the continuity of ILL services as Passport and the ILL Microenhancer were ‘sunsetted.’ As part of its charge the RSTG undertook an analysis of applications available to enhance member ILL services, and also to enhance article delivery between consortium members. At the time of the analysis, the consortium had 6 separate live or planned ILLiad implementations. In 2005 the RSTG recommended to the CLD that ILLiad be implemented consortium wide during the fall of 2005. A panel of USMAI librarians and staff will present our vision for resource sharing, how the combination of ILLiad, Odyssey and Aleph are being used to request materials between our campuses, the various approaches to authentication used across the consortium, and how support is being done for a consortium in which 7 members have separate ILLiad installations and the remainder are supported from a newer central site.
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    Making Consortial Resource Sharing a Reality: ILLiad and Resource Sharing in the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions Consortium of Libraries (http://usmai.umd.edu/)
    (2007-03-15) Wray, Tanner; Bush, Jamie; Moskal, Robin; Vaeth, Carol
    The mission of the USMAI (University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions) consortium is to support effective access to library resources by providing and promoting a range of resource sharing services which support the objectives and maximize resources of the individual libraries of the member institutions. In 2005 and 2006, the USMAI undertook an initiative to enhance resource sharing by making ILLiad available consortium-wide at all 16 USMAI campuses. Building on eight existing ILLiad implementations within the consortium, the USMAI Resource Sharing Task Group worked in conjunction with the Information Technology Division of the University of Maryland, College Park Libraries to host, license and implement ILLiad for eight additional member sites. A panel of USMAI librarians and staff will present an overview of the project and what was learned from it, including a discussion of our vision for resource sharing, and how the combination of ILLiad, Odyssey and Aleph are being used to enable resource sharing between our campuses. Particular attention will be paid to authentication issues, ILLiad integration with other systems including SFX and openURL, the implementation and training model, and how support is being done for a consortium in which eight members have separate ILLiad installations and the balance are supported from a newer central site.
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    Collection Development Based on Patron Requests: Collaboration between Interlibrary Loan and Acquisitions
    (Elsevier, 2003) Ward, Suzanne M.; Wray, Tanner; Debus-López, Karl E.
    Libraries are exploring new models of collaboration between interlibrary loan, collection development, and acquisitions. This paper presents two models in which libraries set aside acquisitions or other funds to purchase books requested by patrons through interlibrary loan processes. Workflows, scope criteria, and departmental relationships are described. The article reports on several aspects of the effectiveness of these models, such as turnaround time (comparable to traditional ILL loans), average cost per book ($37.00), and patron satisfaction (very high). The authors also address the subsequent circulation of titles and report on the bibliographers’ analysis of the relevance of the titles to the collection of one of the libraries.
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    Patron-Focused Services in three US libraries: Collaborative Interlibrary Loan, Collection Development and Acquisitions
    (2003) Allen, Megan; Ward, Suzanne M.; Wray, Tanner; Debus-López, Karl E.
    To improve service and increase user satisfaction, some libraries are exploring new models of collaboration among the Interlibrary Loan, Collection Development and Acquisitions departments. One public library and two university libraries present models in which funds were set aside to purchase materials requested by library users through interlibrary loan. The models differ in some details but in all cases Interlibrary Loan staff select the titles to be purchased and Acquisitions staff rush order the requested titles. Titles are then either rush processed in Technical Services and circulated to the user, or are received un-processed in Interlibrary Loan for immediate patron use and are cataloged later. All three models have been in operation for two years or more and have moved from the pilot project stage to permanent implementation. Data are presented on the effectiveness of these models, including turnaround time, average cost per title, user satisfaction, and subsequent circulation of titles. These models accomplish several major goals including: obtaining users’ requested items quickly; building collections by adding titles with user interest and which have a high potential for subsequent use; and demonstrating that the rush acquisitions processes are both efficient and cost-effective.