The Citadel - Office of the Associate Provost

Library Resources and Services

The Daniel Library of The Citadel participates in the teaching, research, and public service programs of The Citadel: by providing access to scholarly information; through the acquisition, organization, management, preservation, and arrangement of collections for access and use; through the provision of supportive reference and instruction services; and through a variety of cooperative and reciprocal programs in the local area, the region, and the state. The Daniel Library will continue to be a place where information resources are physically and electronically available. However, through electronic networking we seek ways to deliver information to users at the place and moment of need.

The Library has five major areas in which it delivers services and expects concrete, measurable results. Those major areas are:

The provision of access to scholarly information through circulation and

inter-library loan services;

The acquisition, organization, and management of scholarly collections;

The provision of instruction and reference services both to groups and one-on-one;

The organization of networked systems;

Public service through the Daniel Library Friends.

Information regarding student access to and use of library resources is gathered through a variety of methods:

1. Circulation and Interlibrary Loan statistics are gathered and analyzed;

2. A Student Research Survey was initiated;

3. Pre/Post-Test results are analyzed from workshops for students on how to use library reference sources, on-line databases, and the Internet.

Assessment Results and Actions Taken

If there were one single theme to this report it would be that the Library is increasingly becoming an electronic service point. Students come to the Library to use electronic databases and the Internet more than they come to check out books. Database hits have skyrocketed. Students report that they increasingly connect to library resources from the Barracks. Students’ satisfaction level is highest with an easy connect to a full text database, and lowest when they go through the process of locating and using microfiche or film. The expenditure implications for this trend are obvious. More funds are being spent each year on full text, electronic resources. Document delivery accounts have been set up with national vendors. Interlibrary loan uses sophisticated Internet delivery software to speed delivery of far-flung articles.

There are several challenging implications from the assessment data:

1. Faculty tend to be more print reliant than students. Some departments, especially Chemistry, Physics, and Math are reluctant to switch to electronic alternatives--maintaining files in both print and electronic format is expensive.

2. In the preceding academic year the Library paired its print serial holdings by over $80,000 using the savings to invest in electronic, full text databases. Continual culling of print files is problematic. Finding other monetary sources to fuel an expanding electronic effort will be difficult.

3. Electronic alternatives for books are in the incipient stages. For example, Blackwell, our book vendor, has an emerging electronic book archive composed of many out of copyright books plus a smattering of new titles. Until this promise bears fruition the Library continues to invest substantial sums in printed books.

Increasingly the Library is a connecting point, bringing together the expertise of library faculty and staff to interact with student needs. Librarians are locating, training and teaching students, listening and helping solve their research problems. Their service gets top marks. The Citadel is a regional university that prides itself on its teaching. Good teaching involves extensive use of library resources. It is interesting to note that the Faculty Survey of spring 2000 bears this out. When asked whether they had assigned a paper or project this semester that required library use, an amazing 74% responded yes. Learning at The Citadel is not a passive, textbook and lecture only affair. It is an energetic, student oriented process. The Library continues to play a central role in that process.

A. Information Access through Interlibrary Loan and Circulation

1. According to the Freshman Pre/Post Test, students checked out books from the Daniel Library 4.7 times during the school year.

2. According to the results of the Student Research Survey, 100% of the students used books and journal articles from the Daniel Library, while 50% of those students used materials from Interlibrary Loan, borrowing on average 4 items.

3. According to the Daniel Library User Survey of October 1999, 96% of Cadets rated the service they received as excellent or good, while 81% of those students reported that they were able to find what they were looking for.

Actions taken included:

a. reorganization of staffing of Circulation Services so that all LTA’s served on.

the public service desk.

b. improvement of seating options with the purchase of 40 new carrels and

chairs.

B. Provision of Scholarly Collections

1. The Daniel Library User Survey, October 1999 showed that 76% of graduate students came to the library to do research, while 48% of Cadets came to the library to do research.

2. When students in The Student Research Survey of April 24, 2000 were asked where they did their research, 79% stated in the Daniel Library, while 29% stated on their own computer. The comments section of this survey revealed collection gaps: "…Library did not have any of the resources needed." And "Should have more books on military matters." And "Rather spare on military, political and diplomatic history", and "Daniel Library had only 2 sources that I needed, bulk of my research was done at C of C using many journals and primary sources, especially J Stor", and "Library does not have enough research materials on hand—need to expand."

Actions taken included:

a. An additional $60,000 worth of full text electronic subscriptions were added

including IDEAL, a full text version of ABI Inform, full text Education

ProQuest, and many more electronic titles.

b. The Library worked with the Education Department to assure accreditation

by NCATE and purchased over $15,000 in new material for the

Education Resource Room.

c. The Hardin collection of over 2,000 German language materials wa

cataloged and dedicated.

d. Over $10,000 of CDF funds were spent to enhance the Criminal Justice

Collections.

C. Bibliographic Instruction and Reference Services

Bibliographic Instruction and Reference Statistics

1. Three Reference Tallies were taken, in October, November and April, with totals of 408, 374, and 384 research questions answered. Bibliographic Instruction classes taught: 177 with a total of 3,955 students.

2. Significant improvement was shown on the freshmen pre/post test scores, with an average pretest score of 2.15 and an average post test score of 5.23. Freshmen students were given a quiz at the beginning of the freshmen orientation and again at the end of the school year. The posttest showed that students visited the Daniel Library approximately 40 times during the school year and used a computer database at least 31 times during the year.

3. The Student Research Survey of April 2000 revealed that 71% of the students felt that devoting 2 whole class periods to bibliographic instruction was worthwhile and important. When asked if they had received adequate reference assistance when they individually visited the Library, 64% responded that they did. Comments were telling: "yes, incredibly helpful," and "Yes, Nath is God," and " Wonderful and hospitable" and "The research experience was as close to perfect as it could possibly be," and "good experience, able to find all resources without having to go anywhere."

4. The Daniel Library User Survey of October 1999 showed that for the Cadets the need for a place to study (51%) was slightly ahead of the need for research (48%). Graduate students, on the other had, had a greater need for research (76%) than for a place to study (43%). This survey also gave the library high marks for service; 97% of the student group, which included both Cadets and graduate students, gave a positive rating to the library staff/faculty and 95% of the faculty were also positive in their assessment of service.

Actions taken included:

a. full implementation and use of the new Library Instruction Laboratory with a

goal of improving student information literacy and retrieval skills

b. full maintenance of in house databases including the Web Subject

Guides, Knob Knowledge, and Nath Knowledge.

D. Networked Systems

1. Web Statistics showed that over 84,000 hits were made on our Web site during the year with AbI/Inform used over 11,000 times, the IAC full text databases used over 21,000 times, and PsycLit used over 22,026 times. The Web site receives high praise as being user friendly and up to date. The Web Team met regularly to improve and enhance the web site.

2. OCLC costs were closely monitored with expenditures including $12,234 for cataloging, $4,294 for communications, $7,156 for Interlibrary Loan, and $44,640 for electronic databases.

3. The Student Research Survey of April 2000 showed the great importance of electronic web based databases to research. When asked what sources were used to find research material for their paper, students responded: 57% Historical Abstracts, 68% America: History & Life, 48% Expanded Academic Index, 54% World Cat, 89% Daniel Library catalog, and 43% Internet Web sites. All of these resources are electronic systems based sites.

4. Even more telling was the Freshman Pre/Post Test. While students came to the Library 4.7 times a year to check out a book, they came to the library 31 times a year to use a computer database.

Actions taken included:

a. The DRA system performed at an acceptable level. Improvements include

implementation of on-line renewals of books. Major efforts were undertaken

to make the system Y2K compliant.

b. Cataloging was completed for Proquest electronic journals including

ABI/Inform, CJPI, Education Complete. This is a unique achievement

as it makes all journals available through our online catalog.

» 2000 IE Summary Report

» 2000 IE Data Report