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No. 294............................................June 2004

A New Library Catalog and More LibQUAL+ 2003 Survey Results
TOUGH Decisions More Carpeting to be Installed
Spotlight on ITS Staff Brown Retires After 39 Years
Thank You! Recent Additions to DUMCL Online
MCL News Moves to Online Only E-Journal Enhancements
Library Educational Offerings To Subscribe

A New Library Catalog ... and More

Pat Thibodeau, Associate Dean for Library Services

About eighteen months ago, the Duke Libraries embarked on a review process to compare some of the major library catalog systems. As with any software package or computer program, enhanced features and functions prompt libraries to decide when a new system will provide a better service for its patrons.

Duke will be implementing a new library catalog in July! The Aleph Integrated Library System, developed by Ex Libris, will go live this summer and offer new functions and features beyond the traditional online catalog.

Why a new catalog?
Like other major software systems, online catalogs keep changing – adding new functions and improving services to patrons. When our current system required major changes, Duke Libraries reviewed three major catalog systems and decided to move to the Ex Libris product.

Why is it more than just a catalog?
First, an integrated library system is not just a way to find what a library owns. It includes important work modules for staff to circulate books and other materials, track when journals are received and bound, support the creation of detailed catalog records for items owned, and perform other management tasks such as creating the ever popular overdue notice. Updates of these modules allow library staff to be more efficient and streamline workflow. The implementation of the Ex Libris library system will offer an online catalog with new and enhanced features for our patrons as well.

What are some of the new features?

These are just a few of the functions that will be available with the new integrated library system. Over the next two months, the staff at the Duke Libraries will be busy implementing the remaining components of the system and preparing for a July 24 launch date. Watch the Medical Center Library Website and newsletter for more details about additional features and functions of the new online catalog and how it will help you in your work at Duke.

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LibQUAL+ 2003: Survey Results and Future Planning

Rick Peterson, Deputy Director

libqual

In 2003, the Medical Center Library participated in the LibQUAL+ survey for the second consecutive year. Findings were consistent with what we learned from the initial survey in 2002. Additional information about the survey instrument is available at http://www.libqual.org.

Survey highlights are as follows:

*  The highest expectations were in the areas of Personal Control and Access to Information. You placed great importance on availability of print and electronic resources, a library Website that allows you to locate information on your own, and access to electronic resources from your home or office.

*  It is interesting to note that our Library’s results for Personal Control and Access to Information were consistent with the aggregate data of the other 221 college and university libraries and the 22 academic health sciences libraries that participated in the survey. All survey participants wanted to see improvement in these areas. Therefore, this will be the primary focus of our follow-up actions.

* The results indicated that there were also very high expectations for Affect of Service. This means you placed a high value on a courteous and knowledgeable staff. We consistently came close to meeting all desired expectations in this area.

* Results for the Library as a Place dimension often exceeded your expectations. You continue to recognize and appreciate the recent improvements we have made to our physical space.

* The responses to the questions for General Satisfaction and Information Literacy Outcomes indicated that our users were satisfied and valued the levels of service they received.

* Users who made daily visits to the Library also made the most extensive use of non-library gateways like Google. Weekly, monthly, and quarterly visitors preferred to use the Library’s Website. While we suspect that many of the daily visitors were using gateways like Google to search for non-medical information, the results were not totally conclusive.

The LibQUAL+ survey has provided the Library with a wealth of information to help us evaluate our services. Our action plan to follow up on the issues identified in the two most important dimensions, Personal Control and Access to Information, will include the following strategies:

* A major revision to the Library’s Website (already well underway) to include:

* Continued use of the Library’s Newsletter and Website for communicating updates on:

* Implementation of a new integrated library system that features seamless access to full-text and cross database searching

* Follow-up surveys to focus on particular areas of concern

Please feel free to invite our staff to attend your departmental meetings to discuss library issues. For additional information about the Medical Center Library survey results and follow-up plans, contact Pat Thibodeau, Associate Dean, at thibo001@mc.duke.edu or 919-660-1150.

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TOUGH Decisions

This column focuses on tough decisions the Library must make while coping with increasing costs for print and electronic resources.

Resource: New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)

 Print version: $400

 Current Ovid site license: $3,800 per year; 4 users; HTML format

 New NEJM site license: $5,400 per year; unlimited users; both PDF and HTML formats

Issue: Although the increase in cost for NEJM was a surprise, the new contract represented a major increase in the number of simultaneous users as compared to the Ovid version. The real issue then became one of contract term negotiations, since the new contract included a clause that would make our Library liable for what another library did with an interlibrary loan article, if we sent it to them in electronic format. While this may not seem like a major issue, as a resource library for the National Library of Medicine network, we do provide many articles to smaller health facilities and other types of libraries using electronic copies as our preferred method of delivery. However, once the Medical Center Library explained the issues to the New England Journal of Medicine, they agreed to modify the contract language and address our concerns.

Decision: Good news! We are signing a contract with NEJM for expanded and enhanced access to this important electronic journal.

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More Carpeting To Be Installed This Summer

carpet installationThe Medical Center Library will be somewhat chaotic this summer while new carpeting is installed on the First and Second Level Stacks and in an area on the Mezzanine Level. This undertaking will give the stacks areas a whole new look. Installation is slated to begin in June and last about a month. We will do everything possible to keep disruptions to a minimum and maintain accessibility to the collections, but there may be times when the carrels, study rooms, computer workstations, journals, and other services may not be available. Please watch for more information and updates about these renovations on DUMCL Online (http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/) and in the Library’s lobby.

carpet installation1

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Spotlight on ... Information Technology Services

Maurice Reece, Access Services

Computers were meant for libraries, and today it is hard to conceive of a library without them. The Information Technology Services (ITS) group at the Medical Center Library, or Systems staff, as they are commonly referred to, is headed by Sally Wardell, who came to the Library in 1979. Working initially in the Circulation Department, Sally did not get involved with computers until the late 1980’s. Like most systems staff of her generation, she has mastered this incredibly complex science, step-by-step, through on-the-job training, as the technology has grown and changed over the years.

Sally says the most frustrating part of her job is also the most challenging, which is coping with the constant change and learning curves as technology continues to develop. She added that many new innovations may not pan out down the line. Therefore, we have to be careful in what we bring into the Library’s system and realistic about what will work and what will fit the budget. Over the past few years, security issues have become an increasingly time consuming part of her work, as well as coordinating the Library’s network and systems with the larger Medical Center and Duke University systems.

ITS Staff

(l. to r.) Eugene Lofton, Argie Burnette,
Sally Wardell, Derrick Vines
Eugene Lofton (“Gene”) joined the ITS staff as Network Administrator in 2001. He came to Duke after an Air Force career as a meteorologist, where he received first hand experience and training in the early development of computer networks and systems from 1976 to 1996. After retiring from the Air Force, Gene enrolled at Durham Technical Community College and broadened his technical expertise by learning about the different computer applications used in the civilian business and educational sectors. Part of Gene’s responsibilities is to maintain the Library’s Novell network for staff applications, but he is quick to point out the importance of the ITS team’s efforts and cross responsibilities. “All of our jobs overlap so much that there is no single and clear cut area that each of us can say we are solely responsible for.”
Derrick Vines, Desktop Support Manager, came to the Medical Library in 1992 after graduating from Morehouse College. Before joining the ITS group, he worked in the Circulation and Interlibrary Loan departments. Like his fellow staff members, Derrick’s knowledge of computers has grown through on-the-job experience. He spends much of his time managing individual workstations throughout the Library, keeping the computer programs updated, and correcting any problems that arise.

Argie Burnette began his employment at Duke as a temporary receptionist in the Office of Grants and Contracts. As a graduate of Appalachian State University with a political science degree, he found that writing grant proposals was not his cup of tea. The pursuit of a degree in computer programming from Durham Technical Community College soon led to his becoming a technical support computer specialist for Grants and Contracts. In 1997, he joined the Library’s ITS group as a Web Assistant, splitting his work time between the Library and Grants and Contracts. Argie provides backup support for the hardware and software programs for the Medical Center Library’s Website.

When asked what they liked about their work with complex computer systems, all of the ITS staff agreed that problem solving and the challenges of finding answers were most rewarding. Given the forever changing environment of technology, it is unlikely that ITS staff will ever run short of problems to solve and challenges to pursue.

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Mary Ann Brown Retires After 39 Years

Maurice Reece, Access Services

Mary Ann Brown has been an integral part of the Medical Center Library staff for thirty-nine years, a long time by anyone’s measure. This June, she will retire from her library work that has spanned more than half of the Medical Library’s existence. To talk with her is to talk with an eyewitness to the history of this Library and it’s growth and development into a major educational facility.

Mary Ann Brown

Mary Ann came to Duke as a reference librarian in 1965 from the medical Library at Emory University, where she had worked after earning her Master’s degree in Library Science from Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University). At that time, the Library had just celebrated its 35th anniversary and was located in the dark cramped quarters next door to the mortuary in the basement of what we now call the South Clinics. Terry Cavanagh was the director of the still growing medical library, having replaced the founding director, Judith Farrar in 1962.

Mary Ann’s tenure covers the growth of the library from the paper and card file era to the complex computerized organization that we know now. “The electronic wonders that we have today did not suddenly appear full blown with the Internet and computers of the ‘90s, but it developed gradually over the decades,” she says. “We had a computer for MEDLINE searching in the old Library in 1971-72, before we moved into the new Seeley G. Mudd building. It looked more like a typewriter or telex machine and did not have a monitor screen, but it worked!”

What was the most significant single event in her long career at Duke? “Probably when we moved into the new Library building in 1975. Everything was so bright and spacious and beautiful,” she says. “It was like moving from a dark barn into a palace! We finally had the space to bring our materials from several offsite storage facilities and make them all available here in our new location.”

During her career at Duke, Mary Ann has worked in almost every department in the Library, with the primary emphasis on reference work. Most recently, she has been in charge of the Library’s collection development activities. From 1984 to 1991, she served as Associate Director of the Library under Warren Bird.

With the onslaught of all the modern technology available today, does Mary Ann ever miss the good old days? “Absolutely not,” she replies. The changes are great … we now have a wealth of information readily available that we never dreamed possible years ago.”

Thank You For Your Donations!
The Medical Center Library sincerely thanks everyone who contributed books for the Afghanistan and Iraq Book Drive.
 books

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Recent Additions to DUMCL Online
http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/

Ovid Tutorial Revised  revised
http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/training/ovid

The Ovid Tutorial has been reviewed and revised for 2004. In response to user comments, we have added a Table of Contents to improve navigation. We are also able to better maintain and update the tutorial, which is now powered by Zope, a Web content management program. You may access this resource via the Tutorials option from the “Services & Facilities” dropdown menu on the main Web page.

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MCL News Moves to Online Only

Beginning with the October 2004 issue, The Medical Center Library News will no longer be distributed in print and mailed to subscribers. For your convenience, we will continue to offer an HTML version and a portable document format for printing at http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/about/news/newsletter.html.Current subscribers will continue to receive the print version of the newsletter until the transition takes place. If you want to be notified by email when the electronic versions are available, you may send an email message to mclnews@mc.duke.edu or complete the Notification Form at http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/about/news/mailform.html.

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E-Journal Enhancements

Judy Woodburn, Head, Journals Department

The Medical Center Library will be changing electronic access from the Ovid platform to HighWire Press for the following ten major clinical journals. HighWire, the electronic publishing division of the Stanford University Libraries, offers more up-to-date content, formats in both PDF and HTML, and access to some electronic-only data not available via Ovid. Look for these changes to take effect early in the summer as the subscriptions are renewed.

Anesthesia & Analgesia
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis & Vascular Biology
Circulation
Circulation Research
Hypertension		   Neurology
New England Journal of Medicine
Pediatric Research
Psychosomatic Medicine
Stroke

The Library’s “Full Text Electronic Journals” page (http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/find/ejournals) has been streamlined to direct you to the single best source for those titles available from more than one vendor. The primary vendor is indicated by the highlighted and linked journal title, and a note following the title with the starting date of coverage. The secondary source is displayed in a parenthetical note, preceded by the years for which the link should be used. The secondary source will only direct you to what is not covered by the primary source, although it may cover more years than what is actually noted on the page. Here are a couple of examples:

Primary source linetriangle JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association (HighWire)
Full text 1998 forward
(for 1993-1997 issues, use this Ovid link)

American Journal of Gastroenterology (Synergy)
Full text 2000 forward
(for 1998-1999 issues, use this Elsevier link)
 triangleline Secondary source

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Book Drop Locations and Schedules

The main book drop slot for the Medical Center Library is located near the main lobby entrance. A 24-hour book drop is located near one of the entrance doors of the Library on the walkway between the South Clinics and Duke Hospital North. Materials deposited in the 24-hour book drop are picked up three or more times each day.

* Duke South Clinics
Personal Rapid Transit Lobby. Pickup: Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m.

* Duke Hospital North
PRT Lobby, Lower Level near the walkway to Parking Garage II. Pickup: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday ONLY at 9:30 a.m.

* Sands Building
Sands Building, on the Jones Building side near the rear exit door. Pickup: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday ONLY at 9:30 a.m.

To avoid overdue fines, please pay particular attention to the pickup schedules, or return all journals, books, and interlibrary loan items directly to the Library. Audiovisuals should be returned to the Library Service Desk to avoid damaging them.

The Medical Center Library staff welcomes your suggestions and comments. Please feel free to drop them in the Suggestion Box located on the Entrance Level across from the Library Service Desk.

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Library Educational Offerings
The Medical Library Education Center (MLEC) is located in Room 104 on the Lower Level of the Library.

INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SESSIONS
Please contact the topic instructor to arrange for a session

MEDLINE

Using the Web Gateway
Call the Library Service Desk
919-660-1100

PubMed
Anne Powers, 919-660-1128

Library Orientation
Megan von Isenburg, 919-660-1131

Grant Information On The Web
~ COS and Other Resources ~
Anne Powers, 919-660-1128

Introduction To EndNote
Ginger Carden, 919-660-1184

Introduction To Reference Manager
Ginger Carden, 919-660-1184

Introduction to Sources for Health Statistics
Hattie Vines, 919-660-1125

SELF-INSTRUCTION

MEDLINE: Ovid Interactive Tutorial
This 40-minute tutorial is designed to show you step-by-step the basic
components of a MEDLINE search using the Ovid Web Gateway.
http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/training/ovid

EndNote Tutorial
Tutorial designed to assist users who have completed a search in the Ovid Web
version of MEDLINE and would like to import citations into EndNote.
http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/training/endnote/

EBM Tutorial
This tutorial identifies the steps in the EBM process and key issues related to critical appraisal.
http://www.hsl.unc.edu/lm/EBM/index.htm

Virtual Tour of Library
This online tour provides you with information about the Medical Center Library,
its services, and where to find them within the building.
http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/about/virtualtour/

For more information about these offerings, connect to the Library's Website at http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/training

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To receive notification by email when the electronic version of the Medical Center Library News is available, please send your name, department, box number, and email address to the Medical Center Library, Box 3702, DUMC. You may also send email to mclnews@mc.duke.edu or complete the Mailing List Form at http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/about/news/mailform.html.

Duke University Medical Center Library News is published bimonthly.

Pat Thibodeau, Associate Dean....................Beverly Murphy, Editor

Editorial Board:

Mary Ann Brown ...............Jennifer Glasier

Maurice Reece ...............Julie Walker

Anne Powers


DUMCL Symbol  Questions?  (919) 660-1127  mclnews@mc.duke.edu  DUMC 3702 Durham, NC 27710 USA 
http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/about/news/ln06-04.html    Last modified: 8-26-2008  
© 2008 Duke University Medical Center Library 

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