   
Section of University Libraries and Other General Research Libraries
Annual Report 1994-1995
John Willemse (University of South Africa, POB 392, Pretoria 0001, South Africa (fax: +(27-12) 4292925; e-mail: willej@alpha.unisa.ac.za)) was re-elected Chair of the Section of University Libraries and other General Research Libraries. Gerard A.J.S. van Marle (Twente University of Technology, POB 217, 7500 AE Enschede, Netherlands (fax +(31-53) 341578)) was re-elected Secretary.
The annual report and minutes of meetings were not received.
There are 19 members from 16 countries, plus three corresponding members on the Standing Committee. Section registration stands at 410, the highest of any Section.
The Section held its open session with the theme, "Document Delivery versus Ownership: Cost Implications and Decision Making". Together with the Round Table on User Education, it held a half-day workshop with the theme, "Internet Training and Use Internationally".
Access versus Ownership: How Real an Alternative Is It?
by MAURICE B. LINE
Abstract:
The assumption that access is to be preferred to ownership as a matter of policy needs to be questioned. Browsing and serendipity are lost in the access model. Access is better for periodicals than for monographs on the criteria of speed of supply, reliability and ease of use, but for both is generally inferior to on-the-spot access. If cost were the only criterion, the current relative costs of access and ownership, which favor access, may change substantially as and when access becomes electronic. Alternative forms of control and publication of research material have advantages and disadvantages. Ownership has limits: it can never approach comprehensiveness. Ownership of and exposure to a wide range of current material should be combined with access to older material. A strong case could be made for larger acquisition funds in view of the coming emphasis on self-directed learning.
Access versus Ownership: A SUNY University Center Libraries Study of the Economics of Document Delivery
by BARBARA VON WAHLDE
Abstract:
This paper examines a research study funded by CLR (Council on Library Resources) and the SUNY (State University of New York) central administration and looks at issues surrounding the ownership and borrowing costs of scientific journals at the four SUNY Centers (Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo and Stony Brook). Access to the journal articles is compared in three ways: a consortial approach, traditional interlibrary loan, and commercial delivery services. Data was collected and analyzed in 1994/95 for scientific articles requested through ILL offices at the Center Libraries. Requests were coded and tracked and user satisfaction and opportunity costs were measured via a survey instrument. A decision rule based on cost factors related to ownership versus delivery will be developed.
Measuring Quality: The IFLA Guidelines for Performance Measurement in Academic Libraries
by PETER TE BOEKHORST
Abstract:
The author describes the project undertaken by the IFLA Section of University Libraries and other General Research Libraries to developing guidelines for performance measurement in academic libraries using the following criteria: 1) to concentrate on academic libraries; 2) to include only measures that would be applicable in all countries, developing as well as developed, and to all kinds of academic libraries; 3) to measure effectiveness, not efficiency; 4) to include overall indicators as well as indicators for separate activities; and 5) to concentrate on user-oriented indicators. The choice of performance indicators was determined by the principle of user-orientation, and include the following: availability, document delivery, collection use, acquisition speed, book processing speed, interlibrary loan speed, and user satisfaction. The goals of the guidelines are to make it possible to obtain comparable results by applying the same indicators in the same way; to help obtain reliable results with a reasonable expenditure of work; and to promote acceptance of performance measurement as an important tool for effective management.
Internet Training in the United States
by ISABEL A. STIRLING
Abstract:
Internet training in the United States is a topic too broad to cover in one paper or presentation. The literature on Internet training is not extensive, and what there is focuses for the most part on specific issues in training and development. This paper will attempt to generalize on the basis of similarities that exist in the evolution of Internet training in the United States.
Design of WWW Browser Navigation Applications for Improved Internet Access
by IRMA PASANEN-TUOMAINEN
Abstract:
Different design aspects of the navigation method applications of the WWW browsers for improved access are presented as issues for discussion. The approach highlights the similarities to the present environment where the guidance in an electronic library bears a resemblance to the physical libraries and there is a likeness between the Internet and the structured databases concerning information searching procedures.
Teaching Internet to Different User Groups in a University Library: Users' Points of View
by OILI KOKKONEN
The Challenge of Technology: Document Delivery Versus Ownership from Developing Countries Perspective
DILEK CETINDAMAR KARAOMERLIOGLU
Abstracts:
Not available.
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