A SCIENCE LIBRARY FOR THE BLOOMINGTON CAMPUS

DISCUSSION DOCUMENT PREPARED BY

THE SCIENCE LIBRARIES DEPARTMENT
OF THE IUB LIBRARIES

(April 4, 1995)

INTRODUCTION

Historically the IU Libraries have provided collections and access to information for most IUB science departments through branch libraries housed in academic buildings. This arrangement facilitates individualized collections, personalized services, and organization and management of the library with a view toward both the specialized needs of the departments served and the policies and procedures of the IU Libraries.

Inadequate space for most of the science branch libraries has been a problem for some time, however, and additional space is not likely to be available in the present locations. The solution of building a new Science Library, separate, but in proximity to most of the science departments, is therefore being explored once again. This is a trend in large research universities in recent years. In the Big Ten alone, Michigan and Ohio State have created science libraries on their campuses within the last five years (Appendix 1).

A Science Library at IUB should be large enough to contain material currently in the Biology, Chemistry, Medical Sciences and Swain Hall Libraries and perhaps selected material from other collections. In addition, space should be available for the anticipated growth of these collections over the next twenty years. At present, seven branch libraries and one sub-location comprise the Science Libraries Department. Five of these science libraries are on or near Third Street: Biology, Chemistry, Medical Sciences, Optometry, and Swain Hall Library (which serves Astronomy, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics). The Cyclotron Library, located off the State Road 46 bypass, the Geology Library, located on Tenth Street, and the HPER Library, north of Seventh Street would not be integrated into this new facility. In 1996 the Medical Sciences Library will be merged with the Biology Library. See Appendix 2 regarding the space inadequacies of these facilities.

Although the Science Library would exclude the HPER Library, it is possible that the more medically-related aspects of the HPER collection might join the new library. The Optometry Library has adequate space in its present facility. The primary users served by the Geology and Cyclotron Libraries are not conveniently located near the site of the proposed Science Library, the area formerly occupied by Mitchell Hall between the Chemistry Building and Myers Hall. Thus, there are no plans at present to include those four collections in the Science Library.

We believe that the time is right to put forth a strong case for the Science Library, and this document is intended to stimulate discussion on that topic.

USERS SERVED AND THEIR NEEDS

This library will be used by a wide spectrum of individuals, the largest number falling into the following categories:

faculty within the science departments and other related disciplines
students majoring in the sciences
students fulfilling degree requirements through a science class
staff members
members of the public

For these patrons, the most important services to be provided are:

access to an in-house materials collection as relevant as possible to patron needs, with circulation privileges for many items
access to assigned readings or other materials related to classroom support
access to needed materials not owned by IU Libraries
access to a wide range of electronic resources available via scholar's workstations
assistance with acquiring specific information either through materials immediately at hand or through literature searches
instruction about how to use library resources
provision of media facilities

The Science Library would allow us to continue the present functions of the individual libraries more efficiently, while adding new or improved services. We shall continue to be responsive to the information needs of scientists, most of whom rely on a very current and rapidly changing store of knowledge that is increasingly interdisciplinary.

COLLECTIONS

Funding for the purchase of books, journals, and other materials and library services for the Science Library will remain at the level now allocated to the science branch libraries. Combining the reference collections and journal subscriptions of the individual branch libraries could result potential savings, which will be used to strengthen the collection through enhanced electronic access. Combining the reference collections will produce a single stronger reference collection that can be used in one location. Combining the libraries will also provide library users with more efficient access to the science collections. As the sciences become increasingly interdisciplinary, combining the collections will eliminate the need to use more than one science library, enhance the serendipity factor in shelf browsing, and make available those books and journals not currently in open stacks. At present, each library has materials stored both on and off campus. Appendix 3 lists these storage areas and the amount of material in them.

DESIGN OF THE FACILITY

The new Science Library will serve more than five thousand undergraduate majors, graduate students, and faculty in addition to students who enroll in science courses but are not majors (see Appendix 4). Every attempt should be made to provide an optimum building layout for diverse user groups and needs. The Science Library will have street-level access, ergonomically designed lighting and workstations for staff and users, and carrels, tables, and equipment for users with special requirements. Users with limited mobility now have difficulty getting into all of the Science Libraries. They are often unable to use the science branch libraries independently because of narrow aisles and stairways. A reading area for users of reserve materials will be set apart. A seating area for those readers who frequently consult or browse through new journal issues will be available. A display area to browse through new books will be provided. Space will be provided for faculty and graduate students who are involved in long-term research and require quiet workspaces. A learning laboratory for hands-on instruction in information retrieval will also be included in the design. In all of the design considerations, attention will be given to traffic flow and noise control.

The facility will be designed for the optimal use of new technology. Space is required for computer workstations, printers, scanners, FAX machines, photocopiers, microform equipment, audiovisual equipment, and other related equipment which is increasingly needed to provide access to information. The electrical, computer networking, and mechanical systems will be state-of-the-art, and sufficient numbers of network connections, both for present and future needs, should be strategically placed in the library.

The security of the collections, users, and staff will be considered in the design of the Science Library. Careful thought will be given to entrances and exits, security gates, and general layout.

Environmental controls will be provided in the Science Library. Temperature, humidity and noise will be controlled to provide for the comfort of the library's users, while ensuring the preservation of the materials and equipment housed in the library. In addition, adequate and appropriate shelving will be provided for the collections.

STAFFING

Librarians in the Science Library will continue to have direct liaison with academic departments. Careful planning will insure that close contact is maintained with faculty and students of each department.

It is anticipated that the centralization of services will reduce the amount of administrative tasks required of four separate unit heads, thereby allowing more time for public service activities. These will continue to include reference, collection development and fund management, and increased roles in instruction of information research methods and literature searching.

In a centralized facility, each support staff position will be more specialized with less overlap of activities among positions. Science Library users will benefit from having librarians and full-time staff members available for consultation over a greater number of hours each week, including evenings and weekends. Librarians and staff will be able to work more directly with users. The combined staff will be better able to initiate and maintain new or improved services. These will include identifying through literature searches appropriate information sources for library users; rapidly obtaining materials not held in the Science Library; working with local, regional, and national groups to share infrequently used titles; and better information literacy instruction. Librarians would have more time to develop information products and services specific to the Science Library's clientele.

POLICY ISSUES

A Science Library Advisory Committee with representation from each department will be established for the Science Library. Separate departmental advisory committees will work closely with appropriate librarians and staff. The science faculties will continue to have a strong advisory role in regard to policy matters and collection development. Areas which need to be considered include access, collection arrangement, duplication of materials, loan policies, and special services. Each of these areas is highlighted below.

Access

One of the major objectives for the Science Library is to provide maximum access to information. The standard operating hours would be at least those of the Main Library (which are considerably longer than those of any of the four branch libraries). Full-time staff will be on duty most of those hours. At the present time, part-time student workers operate the libraries a significant portion of the time. The Science Library could have an area with 24-hour access.

Collection Arrangement

The key question to consider for the arrangement of material in the Science Library is what arrangement is likely to be most useful and logical to the users and staff. In the Science Library, the existing collections will be integrated into one with the final shelving arrangement of the integrated collection to be determined after consulting with the Science Library Advisory Committee.

Duplication of Materials

Despite considerable cancellation of duplicate journals in the sciences and curtailment of duplicate purchases of monographs, there is still some duplication of new material. In addition, there remain in the separate libraries some older journals, monographs, and reference materials that are duplicated in other locations. These titles will need to be examined, and decisions on their retention in the Science Library will need to be made.

Loan Policies

The loan policy for the Science Library will be set for type of material (e.g. book or journal) or for status of borrower (e.g. student, faculty, non-IU user). Variations in current loan policies will need to be resolved.

Special Services

There are some services performed in the separate branch libraries which, for the most part, are limited to the clientele in those buildings. Among these services are job files, maintenance of teaching equipment, placing personal orders for hard-to-obtain materials (technical reports, patents, etc.), informal telephone requests for library materials held by other academic institutions, and routing of certain material to individuals. Centralization will allow such services to be extended to others when appropriate.

SUMMARY

The success of this project is contingent on gaining the support and assistance of both IU Libraries' faculty and staff and of faculty, students, and staff in the departments to be served by the Science Library. Some of the benefits are obvious- -the freeing up of space in the departments, the convenience of having the collections in one place, the possibility of re- assigning responsibilities to staff and librarians so that specialized skills can be best utilized or developed.

We want this to be a model, state-of-the-art science library, an exemplar of the service possible when both space and staff are fully optimized. Working together, we believe it is completely within the realm of possibility to see the Science Library become a reality in the near future.