The 1998/99 year was one of accomplishments. Many things which had begun in prior years reached fulfillment. I t would be impossible to list every achievement that the Libraries made, but here are some highlights:
1. PULSe: The implementation of a new online library system was completed, with a new online catalog, PULSe, becoming active in December 1998 and other modules following shortly thereafter. PULSe delivers the catalog of our library holdings through a web-based interface, permitting faster and easier access for library users all over the world. PULSe is based on Endeavor Information Systems Inc.'s Voyager product and gives the library a fully client-server based system that is completely Y2K compliant. The implementation process involved all members of the library staff since the new system supports the acquisitions and cataloging process, circulation and reserves process, and of course is the user interface as well. The system provides a module that can handle the management of an image database as well, which will lead to the development of new services in the next few years.
2. Web Access: During spring break 1999, all of the Libraries' workstations in the public areas were replaced with high-end workstations that support graphical interfaces and access to the World Wide Web. This, coupled with the implementation of PULSe, brought the Libraries into a full state of readiness to meet the Year 2000 problems. The advent of Web access into library service areas created high user demand during the second half of the spring semester, and we anticipate continued high use in the future.
3. UTA Libraries Online: The Libraries’ Web Services, the newest library department, continued to develop the Libraries’ website, totally revamping and reshaping it. Since the Libraries’ home page has become the primary entry point to digital library services and resources, the emergence of the UTA Libraries Online in this new website is particularly important.
4. Electronic Resources: The Libraries’ online offerings of information resources, both databases and full text information, continued to increase. By year's end, the full text of more than 6,000 journals was available through the Libraries' home page, representing approximately two-thirds of all journal holdings. Many of the earlier titles appear only as text, and only some of the articles are available from them, but an increasing number of journals are now available in the full page image and include the entire journal, complete with graphs, charts, and illustrations. Full text resources are a particularly important means of meeting the needs of UTA's growing distance learner population and of the many UTA students and faculty members for whom the flexibility of remote access is critical to their academic success. The Electronic Resources Working Group continued to catalog electronic resources so that they appear in the online catalog and to identify policy areas and procedures that needed to be revised to accommodate these new formats.
5. Document Delivery: After several pilot projects, the Libraries announced in January 1999 a new service for UTA faculty members. For journals that the Libraries do not own, faculty members can order direct from a document supplier, who normally is able to fax the required article to the faculty member directly within twenty-four hours, and sometimes much faster. The Libraries pay for the article up to a specified dollar limit. Even in its first few months, this service became very popular with the busy UTA research faculty.
6. Remote Storage: Years of planning preceded the first shipment of materials to a remote storage facility in Austin, Texas. The Libraries were given space to hold the equivalent of 25,000 volumes as a first increment, and in December 1998 the first truckload was prepared and shipped. Remote storage has long been considered one of the important strategies for the management of the physical library collection and existing space in library facilities. The program is designed to identify blocks of materials as well as individual items that are important for research but which receive low use and remove them from the active collection to relieve crowding. Once thought to be a stopgap measure for libraries, remote storage has been proven to be an effective means of reducing the cost of library operations while not eroding overall service. When materials are needed, they are shipped back to the campus by overnight mail, or in the case of journal articles, photocopied and faxed to the user. When the use of items or collections increase as program interests change, materials are transferred back to the active collection.
7. Development: During the summer of 1998, the Libraries partnered with the School of Architecture in a telefund effort to raise funds for the improvement of the architecture library collections. Over $14,000 was raised in that effort, and with that success in mind, another telefund was carried out in the summer of 1999. The target this time was the collection that supports undergraduate classwork. Individuals active in the UTA Alumni Association were contacted and over $11,000 was pledged. The Libraries will be selecting titles, including electronic titles, over the coming academic year.
8. Houston Endowment: Negotiations with the Houston Endowment led to the receipt of a grant for $200,000 to fund a project based on the Libraries’ cartographic collections, particularly the Virginia Garrett Cartographic History Library. Working with a number of teachers in Texas high schools, library staff and faculty from the Department of History and School of Education are developing a curriculum that can be used in the high schools using significant maps from the collections. The maps are to be digitized and delivered over the Internet to the classroom. This is an exciting opportunity to exploit the wonderful map collections and to partner with Texas educators.
9. Mini-semesters and Distance Education: When UTA announced the development of abbreviated semesters to be held over the winter and spring intersessions, the Libraries responded quickly. These are times that the Libraries normally have shortened hours and undertake projects that cannot practically be carried out during the busy semesters. Every faculty member who was to teach a course in these mini-semesters was contacted by library staff to ensure that students who needed any specialized assistance would be accommodated. In addition, library hours were kept at the normal level. Continued efforts were made to meet the needs of those students who were enrolled in the many distance education programs at UTA. A web page specifically addressing their needs was developed, and packets defining library services and options for receiving materials were sent to each student. A service was developed that allowed these students not just to receive interlibrary loan materials by mail but also to deliver books and photocopies of journal articles from the Libraries’ own collection as well. A toll free telephone line was installed so that students could have access to library staff when needed without incurring long distance charges.