Search UW System

UW System Home > Council of University of Wisconsin Libraries > CUWL Documents

2005-07 Biennial Report

The University of Wisconsin Libraries seek to provide library services and information resources to make teaching, learning and research more productive and rewarding.  The following accomplishments during the 2005-07 biennium illustrate how the libraries have collaborated to advance key strategic directions and initiatives that support and advance this vision.

Diversity Initiative

• In November 2004, CUWL appointed a Diversity Task Force to investigate and recommend ways in which to recruit and retain racial and ethnic minority librarian, classified staff, and student employees in UW System libraries.  Following an in-depth look at the ways that UW libraries promote diversity, the Task Force recommended a series of strategies to improve diversity recruitment and retention, to enhance the library environment to reflect inclusiveness and appreciation for racial/ethnic/cultural diversity, and to reach out to underrepresented groups to consider librarianship.  In addition, a selected set of diversity resources was organized on the CUWL web page to help librarians learn more about diversity in libraries.

Assessment

• UW libraries administered the LibQual+ survey to solicit and analyze users’ perceptions of library service related to collections, user service, and library as place.  Libraries have worked individually and collaboratively to improve service and market the library based on the survey results.  Libraries are planning to conduct the survey again in Spring 2008 to gather comparative data.

Organizational Structure

• CUWL took an in-depth look at its organizational structure to address the perceived need for UW System library staffs to be more connected with one another.  A new structure was implemented in July 2007 that includes subgroups appointed to work on projects related to collections and resource sharing, user services, library technology, and digital initiatives.  The cross-functional nature of these subgroups will allow staff from across the system to participate in the development and implementation of library initiatives.

Collections and Resource Sharing

• The Collection Management Task Force and Book Bid Working Group formulated several key recommendations addressing ways that the UW libraries will collaborate to develop a strong UW collection that reduces unnecessary duplication of titles.  CUWL selected a primary book vendor that all libraries now use to purchase domestic monographs.  This primary vendor allows libraries to develop collections more collaboratively and also provides a significant discount for the $2,500,000 spent annually for monographic material.  Library users benefit because they will have access to a larger and more diverse collection of materials.
  
  
• The Shared Electronic Collection continues to provide a core set of research databases to all UW campuses.  The Collection Development Committee carefully monitors the collection and recommended that the System change vendors for selected databases to update the user interface while keeping the cost within budget.  UW libraries continue to augment the budget with individual contributions.
  
  
• Library resource sharing policies and loan periods across UW System were reviewed with the goal of achieving greater consistency for users.  CUWL agreed to implement a semester term loan for all UW faculty/staff for books effective Fall 2006. 
  
  
• CUWL expanded delivery of journal articles across the System by implementing two resource sharing initiatives.  Libraries that lend more articles than they borrow are now compensated for their net loans.  The System is also funding the delivery of articles, when they are not available in UW libraries, from the British Library Document Supply and the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information.
  
  
• System continues to support the South Central Delivery Service to all UW libraries.  This service speeds the delivery of materials between libraries and in conjunction with Universal Borrowing, is an essential part of our resource sharing program.

User Services

• The Learn@UW-Library Integration Task Force made a series of recommendations aimed at increasing student awareness of library resources at the course level within the course management system.  Libraries are encouraged to work with their campus D2L administrators to implement a link in the navigation bar of all course pages in D2L.  Libraries can select one of four models for how library content will be displayed at those links.  Members of the Task Force are serving as consultants to assist libraries in fully implementing the recommendations.
  
  
• CUWL representatives played an active role with the Wisconsin Library Services in conceiving and implementing BadgerCat, a catalog of Wisconsin library holdings developed from the records already cataloged in OCLC’s WorldCat by members of the group.  BadgerCat facilitates the efficient discovery of library materials held by Wisconsin and worldwide libraries, and customized scopes allow users to limit their search for materials to various subsets of libraries

Library Technology

• The Ex Libris Voyager catalog continues as an integral tool that UW libraries use to organize and make accessible the millions of items in all formats available throughout the System.  To ensure that this vital tool functions at an optimal level, System staff implemented a test server to test new releases of Voyager.
  
  
• Eleven campuses now participate in the Voyager “hub” server.  Their Voyager systems are hosted and managed by UW Madison’s DoIT staff.  This move to an expanded hub allowed the UW System to realize cost savings for both the hardware and the staff required to support the Voyager system.
  
  
• Libraries continue to implement and integrate Ex Libris’ SFX and MetaLib software into the suite of services offered to users.  SFX allows users to link to electronic content in a variety of information resources, and MetaLib allows users to identify electronic resources in subject categories and search those resources either singly or across multiple resources with a single search.  UW Libraries contract with DoIT staff to manage the SFX and MetaLib servers, and staff in the UW Madison libraries serve as application specialists on behalf of System libraries.

Digital Initiatives

• The UW Digital Collection Center celebrated a milestone in 2006 with the addition of its one-millionth item.  Since 2000, the Center has worked with faculty, staff, and librarians throughout the System to develop digital collection of unique, rare, or fragile items that support the teaching and research needs of the UW community.
  
  
• System continues to support MINDS@UW, the system-wide digital repository project hosted and supported at UW-Madison.  MINDS@UW is designed to gather, distribute, and preserve digital materials related to the University of Wisconsin's research and instructional mission.