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Annual Report FY 2002-2003
Collection Services
PROVIDING ACCESS TO INFORMATION
Scholarly Journals Purchasing Environment
This year the Libraries undertook a communications initiative to raise
awareness among the faculty about problems posed by the journal publishing
environment. While high inflation for scientific, technical and medical
journals has been a constant since the 1980’s, the pressure on the
Libraries’ budget has been exacerbated by the transition to dual-format
publishing, that is, publishing journals in both print and electronic
form. The large commercial publishers have developed a new set of strategies
aimed at maintaining market share in this environment: licensing e-journals
in packages along with print subscriptions, contractual requirements for
maintaining spending levels, and very small incentives to switch to electronic
versions only. Continual price increases, combined with limited purchasing
flexibility, result in reduced opportunities to buy books or add new journal
titles or databases. Licensed packages constrain the Libraries’
ability to make title-by-title journal selection or cancellation decisions
related to the needs of the MIT community.
Reducing the dominance of high-profit commercial publishers requires
pressure at several points in the chain of scholarly communication. Since
the faculty create the ‘raw materials’ in this chain, they
can play a critical role in changing the system. The Libraries carried
out the following activities this year to bring the attention of the faculty
to this issue: The Director of Libraries and the Associate Director for
Collection Services made presentations to the Academic Council and the
Faculty Committee on the Library System. The Academic Council recommended
that we contribute an article to the Faculty Newsletter. The Chair of
the Faculty Committee agreed to contribute a letter to his faculty colleagues,
which introduced the article by the Associate Director for Collection
Services in the December/January issue. In turn, the Chair of the Faculty
Committee was invited to one of the regular faculty dinners to engage
in a discussion of the issues with his colleagues. The Director of Libraries
and the Chair of the Faculty Committee wrote letters to editors and editorial
board members of journals that cost more than $5,000, to call their attention
to the issues. MIT’s Intellectual Property Counsel was invited to
the last session of the Faculty Committee to provide clarification on
issues surrounding intellectual property. Finally, the Libraries mounted
a website on scholarly communication issues in June.
ACQUIRING INFORMATION RESOURCES
Purchasing and Leasing
Funding for inflation in journal prices continued at the 8% level this
year, representing the fifth of a five-year funding agreement with two
successive Provosts. A title by title comparison of journal prices indicated
an 8.76% increase in prices, and the Libraries will undertake a small
(1%) cancellation project during the summer months to bring expenditures
back into balance with the budget.
As in the previous year, the Libraries budget included $125,000 in one-time
funding for digital information resources. $40,000 of this was utilized
to continue products purchased in the previous year. $85,000 was used
for new products that do not require a continuing commitment: British
Standards Online and ASTM standards, Past Masters, the
New York Times archive, Geology and GSA Bulletin archives,
and the JSTOR Language and Literature collection archive. These
purchases provide retrospective coverage of resources serving a broad
spectrum of disciplines at MIT. In addition, approximately two-dozen new
products were purchased through review and redirection of funds from existing
digital and print subscriptions.
For the second year in a row, the Libraries received $100,000 funding
for collections in support of emerging areas of research and education
at the Institute. Both last year and this year, substantial monies were
allocated to the support of biotechnology and biomedicine. In addition,
this year we allocated funding to interdisciplinary work related to the
environment, to the purchase of data sets for Geographic Information Systems
and social sciences data, and to Asian and Asian-American Studies initiatives
carried out in several sections of the Humanities Department. These successive
annual budget increments have been extremely beneficial in enhancing the
support the Libraries are able to provide for important new programs at
the Institute.
Gifts
In addition to adding to existing administrative and manuscript collections,
the Institute Archives acquired four new manuscript collections this year:
the papers of Rudiger Dornbusch (Economics), Peter Eagleson (Civil and
Environmental Engineering), and Edward David (MIT Corporation, science
advisor to President Richard Nixon), as well as selected records of the
Arthur D. Little company. Major gifts of library materials were received
from Thomas Hedden, Chin Kung, and the estates of Rudiger Dornbusch, Mark
Steven Foltz, Kenneth L. Hale, and Philip Kubzansky.
CREATING AND ENHANCING RECORDS TO FACILITATE USE OF THE COLLECTIONS
Cataloging
Monograph cataloging continued to struggle with backlogs created by
the transition to the ExLibris Aleph system. A break-through occurred
this spring when staff pulled together for two “big pushes”
– quick cataloging of items with high quality copy, discarding the
usual practice of “first in, first out”. This reduced the
backlog by half. Both special formats cataloging and electronic books
cataloging have been delayed while the department focused on the book
backlog. Progress was made, however, in the area of maps with the implementation
of a pre-cat system whereby maps are sent to Lindgren Library, with access
available via a brief record, while they are awaiting cataloging. There
was steady output of records for MIT theses, technical reports, rare books,
and serials (both print and electronic). Addition of records for musical
scores to Barton, the Libraries’ online catalog, resulted from two
special projects. Grant funding was obtained to provide cataloging for
the significant collection of approximately 1700 violin scores gifted
by the widow of Stephen Prokopoff. In addition, a collection of 87 manuscript
scores from the library of the MIT Concert Band was cataloged.
Database Maintenance
In the Database Maintenance Section of Bibliographic Access Services,
much effort was expended in testing and implementing Patch 5, the first
upgrade to the Aleph system installed two years ago. The patch was implemented
in June 2003, and will enable the completion of many projects which have
been pending since installation, such as loading Tables of Contents data
and Authorities records. In addition, DMS carried out an unusual number
of database cleanup projects this year. Together, the projects completed
this year and those we are now poised to complete in FY04 will greatly
enhance the value of the of the Libraries on-line catalog.
Processing Project
The special effort undertaken in the second half of FY02 to dedicate
staff time in the Archives to processing collections continued into the
first half of FY03. The office records of President Jerome Wiesner and
Chancellor Paul Gray (in addition to several smaller collections) were
processed. These large, tandem collections document a very significant
period in MIT’s history (1970s). Descriptive finding aids for each
collection are currently being edited for publication and distribution.
Use of the Archives Collections
Manuscript collections most used this year were the papers of mathematician
Norbert Wiener, engineer Harold Edgerton, MIT President Jerome Wiesner,
and architect Kevin Lynch; the records of Science for the People and the
Rotch Traveling Scholarship; and the Recombinant DNA Oral History Collection.
MIT Presidents’ records, records of the Corporation, and records
from the former Planning Office were also used frequently. Copies of the
MIT Presidents’ Reports from 1930 to date were supplied to Tsinghua
University in Beijing, China. They will be translated and published by
Tsinghua University, with a preface written by President Vest. Various
documents were provided to the Sloan School and the Department of Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science in preparation for anniversary projects.
The following 2002-2003 publications cited materials held by the Institute
Archives and Special Collections:
Blackmer, Donald L. M. The MIT Center for International Studies:
The Founding Years 1951-1969. Cambridge: MIT Center for International
Studies, 2002.
Conant, Jennet. Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret
Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II. New York:
Simon & Schuster, 2002.
Etzkowitz, Henry. MIT and the Rise of Entrepreneurial Science.
London and New York: Routledge, 2002.
Hughes, Agatha C., and Thomas P. Hughes, eds. Systems, Experts,
and Computers: The Systems Approach in Management and Engineering, World
War II and After. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2002.
Laird, Thomas. Into Tibet: The CIA’s First Atomic Spy and His
Secret Expedition to Lhasa. New York: Grove Press, 2002.
McElheny, Victor K. Watson and DNA. Cambridge, Mass: Perseus
Publishing, 2003.
CARING FOR COLLECTIONS
Conservation Lab
The services of the Preservation Services Unit were expanded this year
to include a conservation program. A renovation and expansion of the physical
space was completed in September, and a conservator was hired and began
work in February. Both the space renovation and the position were made
possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor, and the new program
will enable the Preservation Unit to provide appropriate treatments to
some of the Libraries’ most valuable and unique materials. An additional
donation established an endowed fund to support the conservation work,
and the laboratory was named in honor of the donors: the E. Martin and
Ethel Wunsch Conservation Laboratory.
Disaster Planning and Response
A disaster planning team was formed to strengthen disaster preparedness.
The Preservation Librarian met with 10 departments to inform staff about
disaster response, and the emergency phone list was updated and distributed.
In March, the Rotch Library suffered a major leak from an air conditioning
unit, resulting in water damage to approximately 1,000 volumes. The Libraries
contracted with Munters, a company specializing in disaster recovery,
to vacuum freeze dry the volumes. The volumes were returned in June, some
ready for the shelves, others requiring additional repair work.
Storage of Library Materials
The Libraries continue the necessary transfer of materials to two storage
facilities, the RetroSpective Collection (RSC) and Harvard Depository
(HD). Until Institute space planning results in additional on-campus library
space, it is necessary to continue moving materials to storage facilities
in order to create space for new additions to the collections. Barker
Library completed a three-year project to review its collections and select
materials for storage, with a total of 38,500 volumes shifted during the
three years. Dewey Library led the way in implementing the new storage
strategy of shifting print journals for which the Libraries license online
versions. While the print copies are owned and provide the assurance of
continuing access for future students and faculty, the leased online versions
serve the primary interests of current students and faculty.
The effort to create online records for the Dewey Decimal Collections
housed in the RSC continued in its fifth year. This project, originally
projected as a five-year project, is now expected take about six and a
half years. Creating the records for both monographs (under contract with
OCLC) and serials (an in-house project), and the associated bar-coding
of the items, also makes it possible to transfer these materials to HD.
Non-TEXT Survey
As a Library Council strategic initiative, the Head of Collection Management
Services coordinated an assessment of the Libraries’ non-text holdings.
Each library completed a survey form, recording cataloging, housing and
preservation needs for these collections. Responses were submitted in
April, and the results will be compiled early in FY04.
Managing Digital Collections
Also as a Library Council strategic initiative, a small group began
to explore the options for an appropriate system to manage scanned images
from the Libraries’ collections. In addition, an ad-hoc working
group explored the issues related to moving the Libraries’ electronic
theses collection into the DSpace environment. Both efforts were ongoing
at year-end.
NEW SERVICES
Metadata Services Unit
During the last two years, the department head of Bibliographic Access
Services has chaired a Metadata Advisory Group to increase awareness of
Libraries’ staff related to a broad range of metadata schemas and
to begin to provide metadata services to MIT, beyond the cataloging of
library collections. The goals were realized this year in the presentation
of a Metadata Unit Business Plan to the OpenCourseWare Initiative. The
Libraries’ proposal to provide metadata services was accepted and
funded by OCW. Work began in April and staffing was completed by July
1, 2003. The service plan includes the following:
1) training and the creation of training materials for faculty liaisons
2) quality assurance of metadata created at the input stage
3) enhancement of initial metadata to conform to various standards and
broaden subject access and
4) consultation services.
The metadata enhancements the Libraries provide will improve searching
and retrieval of the resources in OCW. Once the staff are trained and
have reached the expected production levels, the Metadata Services Unit
will seek opportunities to market its services to other Institute initiatives.
The Metadata Advisory Group continued its exploration of other metadata
schemas this year, particularly XML. Outreach activities included a presentation
to MIT’s Educational Technology Partners Group and consulting on
image metadata to DSpace.
In a separate effort, the original monograph cataloger provided consultation
to Information Systems regarding indexing their online list of products
and services.
A New Navigation Tool
Under the direction of the Head of Serials and Acquisitions Services,
the Libraries implemented the Ex Libris SFX linking tool in the spring.
SFX facilitates linking directly from an article citation in an online
database to the full text of that article. This provides users with a
powerful new way to move among electronic information sources. This capability
depends on KnowledgeBase, a new database maintained by SAS staff. The
design of the menu and public FAQs are the responsibility of the Web Advisory
Group, and the technical support is handled by Systems and Technology
Services staff.
Article delivery from the RSC
A service providing Web delivery of articles from journals housed in
the RSC was initiated in September. This is a cooperative project with
Document Services, utilizing Web-Docs. A fee-based service, it enables
direct online delivery of articles to users, in lieu of shipping volumes
to the various libraries for pick-up by users. 1,216 requests were processed
during the year, mostly for non-MIT users.
NEW WAYS OF WORKING
E-Metrics
As a Library Council strategic initiative, several small groups worked
with the Associate Director for Collection Services to define metrics
for measuring the acquisition and use of electronic information sources.
They based their efforts on an E-Metrics report from a working group of
the Association of Research Libraries. By year-end, a set of metrics related
to the number of patron accessible electronic resources and expenditures
for networked resources were agreed upon and the data will be collected
starting with FY03. In addition, a trial collection of data related to
use of networked resources and services was planned for August/September
2003.
Cataloging Methodologies
The Database Management Section expanded its contribution to BAS by
taking over the shelflisitng for all LC copy. In response to rule revisions
in the national cataloging code, the responsibility for cataloging “integrating
resources” was shifted from Bibliographic Access Services to Serials
Cataloging. This newly named category reflects the growth in the number
of electronic databases with continually changing content.
Expanding Role of Cataloging
A mission statement was created to recognize expansion and transition
in the role of cataloging units:
Cataloging Mission Statement
The cataloging units of the MIT Libraries develop and apply creative
solutions to manage and facilitate the use of information resources.
We continually build expertise in metadata standards and database structures,
as well as knowledge of the resources and their scholarly context. We
use this expertise to define, create, and manage metadata for multiple
uses, current and future. In collaboration with others, we design and
manage tools that enable users to effectively discover and access information
resources. In these processes, we provide quality control to ensure
the currency, accuracy, and coherence of the data. We continually redesign
both methods and tools to anticipate and respond to changes in technology
and user needs. In carrying out our work, we partner with other groups,
within the libraries and beyond. (March 2003)
Staffing for digital resources
In the continual evolution of staff positions and organizational structure
to support the shift to electronic scholarly resources, this year we transformed
a serials copy cataloging position into a “hybrid” position.
In addition to serials copy cataloging work, this position now includes
several activities related to managing electronic resources data: performing
quality control tasks in the VERA database, managing e-journal package
maintenance, and keeping the data in Barton and VERA synchronized. In
addition, the person in the position participates in Digprob, the team
that responds to access problems related to digital resources. There is
general consensus that this position has been highly beneficial, blending
the expertise and knowledge of cataloging and acquisitions staff. It is
a striking example of the expansion of the cataloging mission.
License Negotiation and Compliance
This year we recognized that negotiation of licenses for digital products
was beginning to be more labor intensive than we could accommodate. Therefore,
we developed an MIT Libraries Standard License and began to ask providers
of individual e-journals to use it. This has proven more successful than
we had hoped, with 60% of providers adopting our license.
As our range of electronic information products expands, license compliance
investigation and communication requires more time and attention. This
year we received at least nine reports of breaches of licensing terms.
The Digital Resources Acquisitions Librarian documented a protocol for
handling breaches and began working with providers to clarify their responsibility
for publicizing rules of use at their sites.
Managing E-Resources
The Digital Resources Acquisitions Librarian worked throughout the year
with colleagues at Harvard Libraries and ExLibris, our Libraries’
system vendor, to develop functional specifications and data elements
for a new electronic resources management product. This effort may lead
to a next generation e-resource management system, replacing our “home-grown”
VERA system. Our intense participation in the development phase should
ensure that the system will meet our needs more precisely than the usual
off-the-shelf system would.
Streamlining Acquisitions Processes
Several refinements to workflows and reports resulted from our increasing
ability to maximize use the of the Aleph system: automated e-mailing of
purchase orders to vendors, automated production of claim and cancellation
letters, downloading OCLC records to create order records. The Serials
Acquisitions Librarian tested the EDI invoice loading for major serials
vendors, in preparation for production use in 2004. In another streamlining
initiative, we transferred nearly 60 monographic series from serials vendors
to our major book vendor for receipt on our existing approval plan. A
multi-year review of our profile for receipts of government documents
through the Federal Depository Library program was completed.
Financial Data Retention Project
Archives staff participated in this project, sponsored by the Institute
Auditor, the Director of Libraries, and the Associate Controller, marking
a new collaborative model for record retention decisions. Business rules
and legal requirements for financial records were reviewed and new record
retention schedules are in preparation. The project also motivated the
request to the President for a Presidential designee for records management
decisions; Kathryn Willmore, Vice-President and Secretary of the Corporation,
will fill this role.
Records Management Process Improvement Project
The Archives presented a proposal to the Executive Vice-President to
transfer non-permanent Institute records to Iron Mountain, a company specializing
in records and information management. He approved the project and will
provide funding for it. Beginning in FY04 the records currently housed
in N57 will be transferred and the Archives will arrange with MIT offices
to begin to ship records to Iron Mountain for temporary retention. The
Project will result in lower costs in the long-term and improved service
to MIT offices. It will also allow the Archives staff to redirect its
efforts to coordinating and consulting with Institute offices on record
maintenance, retention, and disposal.
OUTREACH
Two Collections Services’ units provide direct service to users:
the Institute Archives and Special Collections, and the RetroSpective
Collection. In addition to the on-going regular use of these facilities
by members of the MIT community and by many outside users from all over
the world, there was a notable expansion of Collections Services outreach
initiatives this year.
- The Archives displayed examples of the special and unique materials
in its collections through displays of the “Object of the Month.”
- The Archives hosted a meeting of the Northeast Victorian Studies
Association.
- The Acting Institute Archivist gave a presentation at Family Weekend
2002: “A Great Plan Becomes a Reality: A Look at MIT’s History.”
- The Reference Archivist and the Preservation Librarian participated
in the presentation: “The Science of Libraries: Information Technology
from the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution” as part
of MIT’s Exponential Occasion.
- The Preservation Librarian presented IAP programs on preservation
and on pamphlet binding; the Reference Archivist presented an IAP program
on the Archives collections.
- The Archives staff worked with students in the MIT Seminar in Historical
Methods.
- Preservation Services participated in the dedication of the E. Martin
and Ethel Wunsch Conservation Laboratory
- The Preservation Librarian and the Conservator worked with students
in a Chemical Engineering class.
RECOGNIZING STAFF
Two Collection Services staff members and two Collection Services staff
teams were recognized with the Libraries’ Infinite Mile Awards (see
Appendix A).
TRANSITIONS IN DEPARTMENTAL LEADERSHIP
- Sarah Mitchell, Department Head of Bibliographic Access Services
since 1988, retired from her position on June 6, 2003.
- Tom Rosko was appointed the new Head of the Institute Archives and
Special Collections, effective May 1, 2003.
Carol Fleishauer
Associate Director for Collection Services
webmaster@libraries.mit.edu
This page was last updated on
08/09/07
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