Libraries
by Ann Wolpert

Public Services
by Steve Gass

Collection Services
by Marilyn G. McSweeney

Administrative Services
by Keith Glavash

Technology Operations
by MacKenzie Smith

PDF version of entire Libraries report

About Us > Annual Reports

MIT Libraries
Annual Report FY 2006-2007

Collection Services

The activities described in the following pages reflect the highlights of the past year’s accomplishments of staff members in Collection Services, composed of four departments – Acquisitions and Licensing Services, Cataloging and Metadata Services, Collection Management Services, and the Institute Archives and Special Collections.

Acquiring Information Resources

Acquisitions highlights

The Libraries purchased 23,000 tangible books this year through a combination of single orders, approval plans, and standing orders for books in series.  We also added 3,400 books through our Gifts Program, the most significant being a gift of 900 fiction titles from Michael Bronski.  We have purchased collections of books in electronic form for many years, but this year for the first time, we have ordered more individual e-book titles and e-reference sources.  The number of vendors capable of EDI (electronic data interchange) invoicing was expanded and many subject specialists began to use an electronic selection tool with our primary book supplier.  We continued to purchase many print journal subscriptions and standing order arrangements with organizations for their printed publications, but 43% of subscription titles are now electronic and 54% of the total serials budget is being spent on electronic versions.

Acquisition of administrative records in the Institute Archives included significant additions to existing sets from the Office of Sponsored Research, the Office of the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Office of the Vice President for Research.  New programs represented include the Office of Study Abroad and Campus Activities Complex Talbot House. A total of 618 cubic feet of administrative records from 28 offices were received.

New faculty manuscript collections were acquired from several individuals:  William Schreiber (information on the Advanced Television Research Program), Vernon Ingram (early research on sickle-cell anemia), James W. Driscoll (work on the Scanlon Project), and Lotte Bailyn (study of the workplace).   Materials were added to existing collections of previous faculty donors:  Douglas Ross, Arthur Steinberg, and Laurence Young, as well as donations for the Arthur D. Little, Inc. collection.  Manuscript collections from 18 donors totaled 154 cubic feet.   

Transition from print to electronic collections

The MIT Libraries have been in a gradual transition from print to electronic collections for several years.  User demand for online resources in every discipline has grown as the availability of published scholarly output in online form has increased. This year we took steps to actively move the transition forward more quickly through collection development decisions as well as operational changes.

We continued to subscribe to print plus electronic because for many years, print was the only guaranteed archive available.  The recent launch of the trusted digital repository, Portico, allowed us to re-consider that policy.  We became a library member of Portico in July 2006.  This electronic archiving service has proven to be of great interest to many significant publishers who have joined in the last year.  We defined a process to review dual-format titles from member publishers for potential cancellation of print copies, beginning with Elsevier.  We considered over 400 subscribed titles, canceling 96% of our print Elsevier subscriptions effective with January 2007. 

One of the top requests from the 2005 Library Services Survey was to expand the historic depth of our online collection by providing more electronic access to older journals.  Although we added a number of journal back runs in the past, the high pricing remained a barrier. Using the savings generated by canceling Elsevier print subscriptions, we created a fund designated to purchase back files of journal content.  With the help of this strategy we were able to purchase six Elsevier subject back files, as well as selected other publisher back files.  We will continue to add retrospective content over the next few years by reviewing print subscriptions from other Portico publishers as they begin depositing their content.

The purchase of subject collections added online back runs for approximately 650 Elsevier titles in the following areas, as well as several JSTOR collections of journals:

• Elsevier Computer science, Engineering and technology, High energy/nuclear physics and astronomy, Materials science, Mathematics, and Neuroscience.
• JSTOR Arts & Sciences Complement, Arts & Sciences V, Ecology and Botany.

Selected individual title back files were also added:

• Andewandte Chemie, 1962-1997
• Nature Archive, 1950-70
• Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 1956-1996
• Proquest Historical Newspapers:  Atlanta Constitution, 1868-1929; Chicago Tribune, 1849-1985; and Los Angeles Times, 1881-1985
• Society for Industrial & Applied Math (SIAM) – Locus, 1952-1996
• Times Literary Supplement, Centenary Archive.

Operational change

In June 2006 R2 Consulting delivered a report following their review and analysis of our workflows supporting print collections.   Using their report and recommendations as a blueprint we defined a systematic approach to identify ways to streamline our operations and move us towards a future with less printed materials.  An implementation team examined options and worked with staff across the Libraries to develop the implementation plan for improving print processes and reducing our staffing effort over time.  Some changes have already happened; more will be implemented in the next year.

Emerging Focus on Energy

To address the campus-wide focus on MIT’s Energy Initiative, a subgroup of the Collections Management Group surveyed our existing collections to determine strengths as well as to identify subject areas that will require more support. In FY 2008 we intend to increase our energy-related resources with the assistance of funds allocated by the provost.  Our choices will be informed by a growing list of titles requested by faculty and graduate students as well as resources in energy-related fields identified by our subject specialists. Because the Energy Initiative addresses problems in a wide spectrum of areas our collections similarly must support a broad range of interests.

Access to Information Resources

Improved Access to Collections

Access to the Libraries’ collections takes many forms.  Several units within Collection Services create metadata to identify items within our collections or tools to facilitate access to collections.  Several different efforts this year endeavored to improve the bibliographic access to specialized collections, as well as to enhance the access to underutilized materials.

The Cataloging and Metadata Services (CAMS) staff initiated changes to the indexing of records within Barton, the online catalog, to improve the sorting of search results.  The sources of bibliographic records were expanded by outsourcing projects with new vendors.  Working with external vendors CAMS staff managed projects to catalog foreign language materials for which we have no in-house expertise. We also found a solution to improving access to an important, but largely inaccessible historic collection of industrial relations materials, creating digital bibliographic records by scanning typed cards.  These new records are being matched to physical volumes and loaded into Barton.  By partnering with staff in the Rotch Library, CAMS organized a pilot project for Rotch staff to catalog a collection of Boston maps.  Workshops in cataloging visual images were held for both CAMS and Rotch staff.

A study was conducted to evaluate the costs and benefits of the historic practice of locally tailoring a portion of the call number for works by and about literary authors, artists, and architects. This practice groups works together to enhance shelf-browsing. The alternative is to accept call numbers assigned by the Library of Congress as we do for most other materials.  A task group from CAMS, Humanities, and Rotch investigated options, sampled user opinion, and recommended that LC call numbers be accepted from now on for this material.  To preserve shelf-browsing for Humanities disciplines there will be a conversion of existing non-standard call numbers to match the new system.  In Rotch where materials were already split by artist’s medium, it was agreed no conversion of the existing collection was necessary.
 
As part of R2 Implementation, CAMS staff participated in the exploration of ways to eliminate the separate pre-cataloged books collection in each library.  In FY 2008 they will develop a workflow that will allow us to discontinue the practice of sending uncataloged materials to the divisional and branch libraries.

Some of the primary tools for providing access to archival collections are finding aids to specific collections and virtual exhibits via the Institute Archives and Special Collections web site.  As an example, this year the Institute Archives staff made available digital finding aids for the papers of Roman Jakobson and the records of Arthur D. Little, Inc.  Web exhibits were created for the 55th reunion of the Class of 1951, Student Life: Then and Now, as well as about Arthur D. Little, complementing the newly processed collection of business records.  A grant from the J. William Brotherton Jr. Foundation provided funds to assist with the conservation of and improved access to the William Barton Rogers papers.  One hundred letters were selected for conservation treatment and the existing finding aid was encoded to provide digital access via the Archives web site.  Work on this collection will be completed in FY 2008. 

Enhanced article delivery

An important step in improving access to print-only journal articles stored off-site was a pilot project conducted this winter to test a new service that will provide free delivery of digital copies of article-length resources from these stored collections to MIT faculty, students, and staff.   Beginning in November 2006 the Library Storage Annex staff, assisted by Document Services staff, explored the technical, staffing, and workflow requirements of this type of service.  The user response was very positive and we are now ready to apply that learning in the roll out of a full-scale service in 2008 with increased scanning capability and desktop delivery of content.

Library management system changes

In summer and fall of 2006 the Ex Libris library management software, Aleph, was upgraded to version 18.  This upgrade offered a number of small enhancements to operational tasks as well as some benefits to the online public catalog.  More staff time and effort has been invested over the last two years in co-development and testing of another Ex Libris product, Verde, an electronic resources management system.  Verde, 2.0, was tested during FY 2007 and found to be acceptable with a few outstanding issues that are being resolved by Ex Libris.  We anticipate implementation during FY 2008 to replace the operational functions of our locally-developed management tool, Vera.  The public display portion of Vera is also to be replaced with a locally-enhanced interface utilizing two other Ex Libris products, Metalib and SFX.  The new interface will serve as a discovery and display system for both e-journals and online databases.

The Institute Archives staff began testing an open-source archives management system, the Archivist’s Toolkit.  This addresses a long unmet need within the archives community for a standardized tool for collection management and description. There is great interest in the project to test this product and to evaluate its usefulness; testing will continue into the next fiscal year when a final recommendation will be made.

Preservation of collections

Another aspect of increasing access to collections is the preservation of our physical collections, the work that is coordinated and performed by the staff of Preservation Services.  After filling four vacancies during the past year, the unit was fully staffed by December 2006.  Now at full strength, this re-invigorated unit has been engaged in training, reorganization, and team building.  New activities included disaster preparedness planning and training, outreach and education of staff, as well as participation in R2-related workflow changes.  Conservation efforts included condition and treatment assessment of the Vail balloon prints, and the conservation of 100 William Barton Rogers letters, funded by a grant from the Brotherton Foundation. 

Outreach and Development – Outreach to our Community

The Institute Archives serves a vital function within the MIT community by providing reference assistance and specialized information to a broad range of campus offices regarding the collection of administrative records and faculty manuscript collections.  Through outreach and instruction efforts with several faculty members, a growing number of students became aware of the use of archival and primary resources as a complement to their classroom work.

Records Management

The Archives staff worked with manuscript donors and administrative officers on records management and potential donations and transfers.  Over 100 contacts were made and Archives continued to be involved in a variety of complex access and intellectual property issues.

The Institute Archivist and the Institute Auditor met regularly throughout the year to discuss MIT’s enterprise-wide records management needs and concerns.  The primary role of the Archives continued to be consulting with offices on records review, establishing their functionality and long-term value, creating or updating the records schedules, and advising on creating in-office records management procedures.   In the course of the multi-year effort with MIT’s Environment, Health, and Safety Office, staff worked on a standard records management operating procedures document intended for distribution to all departments, laboratories, and centers in the future.

Reference Service and Research Use of Archival Collections

The Institute Archives continues to experience steady use by both MIT community members as well as numerous external scholars seeking information found in both administrative records as well as a broad range of manuscript collections. Some of the most frequent users of the Archives collections were MIT administrative offices with requests ranging from information about specific MIT figures, to legal questions, or to historical facts.  The most heavily used records were from the President’s Office over the span of MIT’s existence, followed by the records of the deans of the schools, and several specific departments.  In all, materials from 136 different archival administrative collections were examined.  Researchers from outside MIT also made extensive use of the Archives resources, consulting 130 manuscript collections over the past year.  

Outreach efforts included tours for alumni groups, donors, class groups, development staff, and library committees as well as slide shows, exhibits, and formal presentations. As a member of the Institute-wide planning group for the MIT 150th anniversary in 2011, the Institute Archivist has been involved in one of the earliest projects – oral histories gathered from notable MIT personalities.  Another contribution to the 150th initiative is the growing research assistance provided to several authors who began writing two separate books related to MIT history.

Space improvements

The Libraries were fortunate to receive several much needed space improvements this year.  With funding provided by the Committee for the Review of Space Planning (CRSP), the first floor of the Library Storage Annex gained a dramatic boost in quality and usability of space with the installation of compact shelving (donated by the departing Burndy Library).  The thorough cleaning, scraping, and re-painting of the first floor walls, ceiling, and support columns significantly raised the standard of this space for housing library materials.  Next fiscal year will see replacement and re-configuring the shelving on the fourth floor to accommodate journal volumes available only in print for easy retrieval or article scanning. 

Through the generosity of several donors, a state-of-the-art exhibit gallery was constructed in space adjoining the Institute Archives.  A team of Libraries' staff worked diligently with the architect, contractor, and MIT Facilities staff to address the challenges presented by the space, the needs, and the budget.  The new exhibit space is scheduled to open in the fall of 2007.  This will provide for the first time a secure, climate-controlled space that will allow the Libraries to present exhibits demonstrating the strengths and depths of the MIT Libraries' archival and book collections in a way that reflects sound stewardship of the valuable materials entrusted to us. 

Digital Library Infrastructure

One of the most exciting developments this year has been the foundation of the MIT Libraries' Digital Collection Infrastructure.  Begun with a pilot to convert architecture teaching images from analog to digital, deliberations have continued about how best to expand the infrastructure, how to focus the identification of the next appropriate collections, and most importantly, how to move beyond the pilot into more mainstream activity.  Although we are still very much at the beginning, the demands for this kind of service are many.  We will ultimately need to create not just the technical infrastructure to store and serve born digital materials from MIT and outside publishers, but also to develop the policies and procedures for determining what from our existing print collections might warrant digitization – whether it is unique, exists in a fragile medium, or deemed by users too difficult to use in print.  Many paths may lead to expanding our ability to provide our user community whatever digital materials they need, regardless of whether commercially published or locally identified as significant and appropriate for digitization.

Digital Library Projects

Work on several projects this year has helped us begin to form ideas about the possibilities for digital collections – funds provided by Thomas F. Peterson, Jr. (1957) will allow us to conserve and digitize 1200 printed items related to ballooning from the Vail Collection.  This effort is in the project planning stage now.     

The PETE (Planning for E-Thesis Enhancement) project to develop a user-friendly and sustainable system for submission of electronic theses was completed this year.  The project manager gathered data from faculty, graduate students, graduate administrators, and Libraries staff to create specifications for online e-thesis submission.  The final report and recommendations will be reviewed in summer 2007.

Conclusion

The staff of Collection Services has worked collaboratively with colleagues across the Libraries, around MIT, and beyond to meet the daily challenges of building, managing, and servicing the Libraries’ collections in all their forms.  Their work contributed significantly to meeting the following Collection Services goals:

• To support MIT’s teaching and research programs with critical and necessary information resources
• To provide information for current users in formats that best serve their needs
• To ensure access to the retrospective research record for future students, faculty, and researchers
• To move deliberately from primarily print-based collections to a future of information resources in digital form.

It has been a privilege and a pleasure this year to work with such creative and dedicated staff members, who proactively endeavor to support the missions of MIT and the MIT Libraries.

Marilyn G. McSweeney
Acting Associate Director for Collection Services