Electronic Reserve
A review of reserve operations at all sites was conducted in 2001
to establish the future directions for provision of student required
reading materials. A working group was formed to implement recommendations
for a consistent approach at all sites. This included the preparation
of web pages for each course which would be accessible via subject
course code in Voyager library catalogue. It was agreed that, in
accordance with copyright legislation and wherever the format was
viable, an electronic copy would be made of chapters of reserve
books, articles in journals and lecturers' notes. Staff in the
Digitisation Centre scan material on behalf of library staff who
have received student reading lists from lecturers and also scan
items received directly from lecturers. The reserve/loans staff
at library sites continued to liaise with lecturers. Library staff
also created links to articles upon request from fulltext electronic
journals and databases subscribed to by the Library.
Digitisation Centre
During 2001, the Digitisation Centre located in the Library processed
5,953 items and scanned 88,851 pages. These files were accessed
786,554 times. Some service issues were encountered and refinements
were made to improve the printing of PDF files, the time required
to download lengthy items, and the maintenance of adequate quality
control of the bibliographic records. Overall, the Digitisation
Centre successfully achieved its objective of supplying licensed
digital reproductions to the University.
Electronic Journals Pages
The biomedical electronic journals web page was launched by the
Dean of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. The popularity of
this style of one-stop approach to electronic journal titles relevant
to a particular faculty resulted in the introduction of similar
pages for the faculties of Information Technology and Law. Users
of these web pages are directed to an alphabetical list of electronic
journal titles and holdings. Direct links to fulltext articles
selected by the user can be activated. The web pages also prompt
the user to search Voyager library catalogue for other electronic
journals which might be of interest. The material is accessible
to authorised Monash users off campus using their Authcate password.
The electronic journals pages are at www.lib.monash.edu.au/ejournals/
Cataloguing of Individual Electronic Titles
A major accomplishment in 2001 was the provision of access through
Voyager library catalogue to full text serial titles in the major
aggregate databases through the acquisition of vendor-supplied
MARC records. Individual titles from the following databases were
machine loaded into Voyager in 2001: ProQuest 5000, Expanded Academic
ASAP International, Computer Database, LegalTrac and Lexis. A policy
change to allow the creation of multiple records for serial titles
received in different formats and from different aggregators was
required to allow for machine loading and frequent updating in
response to changes in the databases. Links to more than 5,000
full text journals were added, many of which were not previously
held. By year-end, it was possible to directly access more than
13,000 electronic journal titles through Voyager library catalogue.
Individual journal titles for the following collections were added
manually to Voyager: Informit full text collections (including
Australian Public Affairs), Meditext, IEEE/IEE Electronic Library
(IEL), Annual Reviews, and Emerald Library.
Records were also added for many individual electronic journals,
individual titles of electronic books available in online collections
such as NetLibrary, databases, websites, government publications
and other free internet resources.
Voyager
Voyager library system was upgraded in November 2000. However,
problems with this new version did not surface until February/March
2001. Eventually, a better software installation and the purchase
of new hardware fixed the problem. New initiatives with online
ordering and the ability to interface with Voyager, Voyager Access
reports, new books lists, and revaluation of commitments went ahead
in 2001. Records were updated and more informative status messages
were implemented in the online public access catalogue. The previous
exams database was replaced by a new Voyager exams database. To
enable this to occur, about 6,000 records were converted in bulk
and imported into Voyager. During 2001, 14,860,864 searches were
made on Voyager and there were 352,305 requests for patron information.
Electronic Publishing
For a number of years the Library has been involved on a modest
level in electronic publishing by supporting the publication of
three scholarly journals. In 2001, the catalyst for more involvement
was the Working Party on Electronic Publishing established by the
Vice-Chancellor's Group, with senior academics as members and the
University Librarian as the chair. The Working Party recommended
that the University should seriously consider establishing a Monash
University electronic press. In connection with this, the University
appointed a consultant to develop a business plan which will be
considered in 2002.
Electronically-supported Teaching and Learning
The University Librarian is a member of the Electronically-supported
Teaching and Learning (EsTL) Steering Committee. This committee
was established in 2001 primarily to identify appropriate strategies
for electronically-supported teaching and learning, both on and
off campus. Another of its terms of reference is to determine an
integrated and prioritised set of strategies, projects, systems
and standards for IT infrastructure supporting teaching and learning.
The Library actively supports the University's initiatives by:
working with lecturers to develop WebCT tutorials; scanning full
text articles in the Digitisation Centre and making them available
in Voyager library catalogue; the acquisition, and linking in Voyager
library catalogue, of full text journals and electronic monographs;
extensive online help and tutorials; the e-Query email inquiries
service; and the provision of services to off campus students by
the Flexible Library Services Unit.
Monash Lectures Online (MLO)
The Monash Lectures Online service provided by the Library enables
students to listen to digitised audio recordings of lectures via
the Internet. Further growth of the service occurred in 2001 with
a total of 25 lecture theatres now being equipped across Clayton,
Gippsland, Berwick and Peninsula campuses. During each semester,
audio recordings for 100 units were made available to students.
This was an increase of 23 units per semester over the previous
year. The number of extended live audio streams delivered to students
was 102,528. This was an increase of 32,909 (47.2%) streams over
2000.
Also during 2001, the Monash Lectures Online operation was relocated.
Previously in the Music and Multimedia section of the Matheson
Library, it now operates from within the Library Systems Support
Unit.
Network Printing
A new server was purchased in May to facilitate faster network
printing at metropolitan library sites. Software was re-imaged
to enable it to be automatically updated on more than 200 PCs in
libraries on five campuses. There were lengthy negotiations to
ensure software and the Unicard charging mechanism attached to
the printers were compatible in order to avoid problems when students
were charged for printing files. Some problems which were initially
encountered during the first few months of service were resolved
by the purchasing and upgrading of hardware and software. By the
end of 2001, there were print stations installed at: Hargrave-Andrew
Library, Hargrave-Andrew Annexe, Berwick, Caulfield (2), Law, Matheson
(5), and Peninsula Libraries.
Overall it has been an enormously successful service, with more
than 10,000 pages being printed at some print stations per month.
There are issues remaining regarding slowness of printing and quirky
instructions that need to be activated occasionally when Unicard
readers lock up. However, these only occasionally cause problems
for users and library staff.
South Africa Campus Library
The Library at the South Africa campus opened in January 2001.
The project to establish, stock, furnish and equip the Library
was coordinated from Monash University Library, Clayton campus.
The collections in Monash South Africa Library support courses
taught in the Faculties of Arts, Business and Economics, and Information
Technology at the campus. The Campus Librarian, Ms Sarah Kibirige,
was previously Acting Deputy University Librarian at University
of the North West. There are two other fulltime staff and they
are supported by student assistants. The Library has a full range
of services including Voyager library catalogue (South Africa database),
access to most full text journals and databases available to Monash
students and staff in Australia, information literacy classes,
interlibrary loans, and reserve services including electronic reserve.
The South Africa Campus Library website is at www.lib.monash.ac.za/
Monash Centre in Prato
The Library established an electronic information kiosk at the
University's centre in Prato. The kiosk provides a resource for
Monash students at Prato and can be used to promote Monash University
Library's resources and services to visitors. A small reference
collection was also developed in conjunction with library staff
at Clayton campus. |
