The expressed intention of the University is to
provide Monash students with a first class education by giving them
experience of a learning environment "which is open to the
perspectives and experiences of individuals and groups from different
backgrounds and which is supportive of all students" (Leading the
Way Monash 2020, p. 12). The
Library has adopted a number of strategies to support this goal, the key
features of which are to encourage student-centred learning and to
increase student choices through the provision of flexible learning
programs.
Library Web Site Enhancement
The Library's web site was redeveloped in
accordance with the new Monash templates which are standard across the
University's web site. To
provide a simpler, more user-oriented approach, the individual branch
and section sites were redeveloped into a single uniform site.
The focus in the new site is on services rather than the
organisational unit that provides the service.
The increasing emphasis on remote delivery of
online services via the Web continued to gain momentum during 2000 with
decreasing reliance on CD-ROMs and on-campus only access to electronic
resources. Major new
electronic products acquired included Proquest5000, Elsevier
ScienceDirect, APAIS Full Text, SciFinder Scholar and AusStats.
Further availability of online Law Library databases was
implemented, including Butterworths Online, CCH Online and LBC Online,
all via the Law databases web page.
Another example was LEXIS, with eligible users able to access
their individual LEXIS identification and password information from the
database web page using Authcate.
Faculty teams focussed on updating and improving
web pages as well as adding new subject pages.
A web based approach was developed to the Hargrave-Andrew Library
video and map collections. At
the request of the Faculty of Medicine, a one-step web page of
electronic journals in Biomedicine was developed.
This page is regularly refreshed with data extracted from
Voyager, to ensure that the title listings and the associated uniform
resource locators remain current. The planning and production of the
prototype involved Library Systems Support, Technical Services, and the
Hargrave-Andrew team of subject and reference librarians.
As part of the Business and Economics team's ongoing promotion
of the team's web page, an email is sent bi-monthly to the Faculty's
postmaster alerting faculty members to new web sites.
This information also appears in the What's New part of the
team's web page. Subject
librarians continued to nominate web sites for inclusion on the faculty
teams' homepages and for cataloguing in Voyager.
Information Literacy
A primary target of faculty teams was marketing the
library resources to the faculties by presenting formal classes to
students and by face-to-face contact with academics.
Web based classroom training, individual tuition, drop in
sessions and research classes in a range of undergraduate and
postgraduate subjects and specialist areas such as EndNote were
conducted. In addition to library site tours, classes on using Voyager
catalogue and library databases, sessions were presented at Faculty
Orientation welcomes and information tables were staffed at Monash Open
Day. Specialist information
classes were held for Summer Schools as well as after hours and at
weekends. Subject
librarians continued to produce print and/or electronic format database
guides, class session notes and handouts as appropriate.
The Rare Books Librarian gave a number of seminars and talks in
areas of specialised study based on the Rare Books collections.
Library staff also worked in conjunction with academics in
faculties on research projects and attended faculty events.
In 2000, 937 information literacy sessions were provided to
16,394 participants. Staff
contact hours totalled 985. Although
there was a 9.7% decrease in the number of sessions provided in 2000 on
1999 figures, participation increased by 2.9%.
Off campus students were provided with an
information literacy program by the Flexible Library Services Unit (FLISU)
in conjunction with CeLTS (Centre for Learning and Teaching Support) and
Information Technology Services. Evening
programs were provided at a range of campuses.
A number of in-depth programs were offered as part of weekend
residential schools.
Library faculty team members participated in the
promotion of electronic resources to selected university groups
including CeLTS and CHED (Centre for Higher Education Development) and
faculty staff. Road shows
of subject resources for Arts, Business and Economics, Education and
Engineering were made at the various campuses and were well attended.
Reference and Information Services
A total of 213,651 reference and directional
inquiries were received at library service points.
This is a decrease of 14.2% on 1999 figures. Most of this decrease is directly attributable to changes in
work patterns at service desks and streamlined booking practices,
particularly the introduction of Monash Lectures Online as a replacement
for the staff-intensive taped lecture service.
Some inquiries which previously would have been included as
reference statistics were responded to by the e-Query email
inquiries service. E-Query
was incorporated into the Library's range of services to meet the
needs of users who access the Library after hours and who may not come
on campus at all. This service is global and inquiries are received from around
the world. Of the 3,445
inquiries received, 64% were completed by FLISU, 27% were referred to
other library and university staff and 9% were outside the guidelines.
MULTELS centralised library telephone inquiries service responded
to 18,666 calls, compared with 25,164 calls in 1999. MULTELS completed 72.4% of the incoming calls at the time of
the call, the other 27.6% requiring referral to other numbers.
Greater availability of library information on the Web and the
opportunity for patrons to use request forms and renewals on Voyager
library system are perceived to be the main causes of the decline in
telephone calls.
Virtual Librarian
The Virtual Librarian continued to grow and
develop, providing a valuable self-paced learning resource for students
and enrichment for face-to-face teaching by library staff.
The site continued to receive about 10,000 hits per week, peaking
at 22,000 during the orientation period.
Eighteen tutorials were added during 2000 and eight were
rewritten. In addition to
the generic tutorials and virtual library tour featured on the Virtual
Librarian, subject teams worked with academic staff to integrate the
content of the VL tutorials with teaching courses.
As a result, a number of programs on the Virtual Librarian relate
to specific courses and subjects. In
some cases, the tutorials are mandatory and the librarian is involved
with marking of responses. The
library component of the Engineering Context subject was offered on all
Monash campuses teaching Engineering including Malaysia.
An increasing number of requests are being received from other
organizations for permission to use particular tutorials on their own
sites.
Monash Lectures Online
This initiative, which enables students to listen
to lectures via the Internet at any time they desire, continued to
thrive. Seventy seven
subjects were recorded, an increase of 22 over the previous year.
During 2000, lectures were activated online 69,619 times.
In addition to previously wired up lecture theatres at Clayton
for Arts and Law studies, theatres at Gippsland, Berwick and Peninsula
and three additional theatres at Clayton were equipped for recording.
There was increased on campus availability for Law students
within the Law Library via networked Law faculty laboratory PCs as well
as that previously available via dedicated PCs outside the first floor
library laboratory.
Collection Development and Management
Faculty team members provided input on the format
and content of the Library's Collection Development Policy.
The document has been completed and will appear on the Web in
2001.
The analogue collections continued to grow with
46,020 monographs added to the collections and 9,747 serial volumes
added. Overall, the
Library's analogue collections increased by 32,025 volumes during
2000. Current serial titles
(non-electronic) totalled 16,372 across all sites, slightly fewer than
in 1999 (16,626 titles).
As well, the
Library provides access to 176 online databases, 121 CD-ROM databases
(networked and non-networked), and has catalogued 3,926 electronic
journal titles. In total,
5,301 electronic resources have been catalogued.
Expenditure on electronic resources increased from $1,024,383 in
1999 to $1,133,200 in 2000. The
increased availability of full text aggregated electronic serials
packages again impacted upon the holdings of print serials subscriptions
with a number of cancellations being made.
During second semester an audit was held of all
items cited on reading lists to identify the percentage of items held or
on order. Most library
sites undertook this exercise and at each site over 97% of material was
held. The success of the Library's objective of ensuring items
cited on course reading lists are available was assisted by the
arrangements with the Monash University Bookshop to check the library
catalogue on behalf of the Library for University book list titles, and
then order copies if required according to a formula.
Data was also obtained from Voyager to identify the most used
materials for the purpose of ordering additional copies.
A new service initiative from Technical Services was a rush
cataloguing request option from Voyager OPAC.
Intercampus Loans and Photocopies
A centralised Intercampus Loans service for
undergraduates was introduced. Previously
the service was available only to postgraduates and staff.
A trial of an Intercampus Photocopying Service was successful and
has been incorporated into the range of services provided by the
Library.
Serials Review
In the Science, Engineering and Medicine
disciplines, 507 serial titles were cancelled following a review which
took into account faculty operational plans, research priorities, usage,
availability and strategic directions.
The cancellation of print subscriptions was compensated by the
acquisition of full text electronic journals.
The Elsevier ScienceDirect Consortium purchase of Elsevier
electronic-only journals, doubled the number of electronic journals
available to clients at less than the price paid for half the number of
print titles.
Collaborative Initiatives
A Collection Development procedures manual was
drafted for the Matheson Library Arts and Education teams after meetings
with collection management librarians from the University of Melbourne.
This manual is now available on the web for team members of all
faculties. Meetings between
the University of Melbourne and staff of the Asian Studies Research
Library have continued in relation to the Melbourne Asian Research
Libraries Consortium (MARLC).
Global Expansion
Planning for the new South African campus library
commenced in February 2000. A
business plan was developed in which staffing, establishment,
operational and book budget costs were presented to University
Administration. Marie
Pernat was seconded as Library project coordinator to develop the
library budget, space planning requirements, staffing profile, book
selection, policies and services to be offered.
A Technical Services staff member, Helen Wolff, was seconded to
work on site at a major local library supplier to import records of
items ordered and to copy catalogue the foundation monograph collection.
The supplier handled all aspects of acquisition, processing and
freight to South Africa. In
setting up a separate Voyager database for South Africa, there were
numerous decisions required in regard to configuration and size of the
database, bandwidth necessary for telecommunication between Continents,
quality control, extension of licenses of databases for overseas
campuses, authentication and copyright issues.
Plans were made for the two Library project staff to train local
South African staff in Voyager in early 2001 and to implement proposed
library policies and procedures.
Rare Books
Two successful exhibitions were held in conjunction
with functions of the Friends of the Library and for which the text of
the catalogues along with some colour images have been loaded on the Web.
The first, Early Australian History, showcased holdings of
pre-1900 Australiana. In
conjunction with this exhibition, there were two promotional seminars
- one on the History of the Book in Australia Project, the other
on Early Australian Images of the Australian Aborigines.
The second exhibition was Outside the Main Stream:
an Exhibition of Private Press Books from the Rare Books
Collection. The
seminar by Monash botanical artist Celia Rosser to promote the
publication of the third and final volume of her Banksias led into this
exhibition. Also at this
exhibition the latest Ancora Press volume The Poems of Callimachus,
poetry by Jean Whyte, was launched.
Material was acquired in both popular culture and
more traditional scholarly areas. This
included significant donations of Left-wing and Right-wing Australian
political material, more of Dr Travers' medical collection and more of
Lindsay Shaw's children's literature collection.
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