Annual Report, 2001-2002

North Carolina State University Libraries

I. PROGRAMS

A. Changes in Scope of Activities

Special Achievements. This year NCSU Libraries celebrated a significant move up, from place 35 to 32, in the Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) rankings of its 113 North American academic library members. A funding milestone was reached this year when a major seven figure unrestricted gift was made, representing the Libraries' largest single gift in its history. The Libraries' Fellows Program has received national attention and the number and quality of applicants continue to rise: two of the three Fellows who accepted appointments for 2002-04 are graduates of top-ten library and information science programs. The Fellows program is meeting its objective of increasing the diversity of librarians and attracting librarians with background in the sciences or information. The first-offer acceptance rate for 2002-04 was 100%. In face of severe market shortages and through the Libraries' aggressive recruitment and retention efforts, the vacancy rate of librarians improved from nearly 33% to approximately 9%. The Libraries' Hill of Beans Coffee Bar opened for business in March 2002 to the acclaim of the campus community. As it offers a safe, convenient source of refreshments, library users can now stay in the library, using their library time better, while enjoying a beverage of their choice.

Learning and Research Center for the Digital Age. Bids for this renovation project were reviewed in 2002. Work is currently underway, at a cost of $1.3 million, being paid from the Libraries' budget.The LRCDA will lead the way to the Libraries' digital future while giving NC State a prominent national profile in the digital library arena.

Improved Access to, and Delivery of, Digital Information.

• Web delivery of articles requested from other libraries was introduced as an information delivery mechanism and used over 2,500 times by users - including distance education and extension students.
• The delivery of information via PDA's (Personal Digital Assistants) was tested and evaluated by both students and faculty in an ongoing project at the Veterinary Medical Library.
• Laptop Lending "loans" increased by 30% (to 8,400), and the Libraries' wireless networking capability was expanded.
• SearchAssist, a new service helping users with online database queries, attracted users from over 36 university departments and units in its first nine months.
• Ask a Librarian LIVE handled 5,726 web queries through May 2002, a 20% increase over last year.
• The new software and hardware products added to the Libraries' Assistive Technologies Center give users with disabilities much better access to the Libraries' digital and print resources.
• The Libraries selected and purchased a major upgrade for its computer-based library system. The upgrade, Unicorn from the Sirsi Corporation, will allow the Libraries to keep its current library catalog search interface, while giving users easy integrated access to both the print and electronic resources in the Libraries collection. There will be efficiency gains also due to the new functionality the system will bring to almost every operation, from acquisitions to cataloging. Implementation will be in 2003.

Advancement of Teaching and Learning through Digital Library Systems. The Libraries increased its digital services and enhanced its website. New digital resources and new technologies were introduced:

• Course-related and special collections were digitized and made web-accessible, including print material as well as 35mm slides and music. The slide and music projects are leading-edge efforts.
• The Libraries' Electronic Reserves Service offered over 7,100 documents this year (through May 2002); these were accessed 462,067 times via the Libraries' website, a 35% increase over last year.
• The Libraries' award-winning Geographic Information Systems and Data Services unit, continued to add data to the collection, and promoted geographic information understanding and usage by providing both online and classroom-based workshops.

Development of the Libraries' Collections. While the collections budget was set this year (2001-02) at just over $8.1 million, the Libraries reduced its collections expenditures in response to the state budget crisis, bringing total expenditures down to approximately $7.6 million. The Libraries maintained last year's level of serials subscriptions at just over 47,680 titles, but now expects to cancel approximately 800 titles in order to pay the costs of inflation. Further collection cuts can be expected due to overall budget constraints in 2002-03. As part of a Triangle South Asia Consortium (TriSAC) grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the Libraries expanded its South Asia collections with its TRLN partners. This past year the group appointed a South Asia Joint Bibliographer. NCSU Libraries' Special Collections, in collaboration with the Biltmore Estate Company in Asheville and the Forest History Society in Durham, is creating a major online resource for research on forest history in North Carolina. Funds, nearly $50,000, for the project come from an NC ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage Online) Grant.

Campus Community. The Libraries' NC State University Authors Database, which provides a web-accessible record of publications by faculty and other authors at NCSU, expanded from 9,577 to 11,502 citations for articles, books, and patents. This represents works by 3,808 faculty, 2,149 students, and 654 staff.The Libraries finished enhancements to give browser-accessible searching capabilities to the public. The database had more than 230,000 web hits during the year.

B. Volume of Activities: NCSU Libraries Statistics (2000-01, 1999-00, 1995-96, 1990-91)

Collection Statistics

Year	Volumes in Library	Volumes Added (Gross)	No. of Serial Subscriptions	Microform Units	E-Resources Owned/Leased
00/01	3,061,005	127,099	47,680 (a)	4,986,164	53,572 (a)
99/00	2,945,119	123,367	37,247	4,900,821	38,981
95/96	2,540,328	71,695	21,589	4,427,896	3,023
90/91	1,407,875	42,710	16,860	3,290,749	29

Library Services

Year	User Visits to Library	Total Circulations	Instructional Sessions/Students	Reference Transactions
00/01	1,562,660	833,876	472 / 10,882	87,774
99/00	1,554,212	668,964 (b)	419 / 7,739	96,908
95/96	1,512,067	461,860	315 / 4,488	133,424
90/91	1,806,904 (e)	352,238	255 / 4,395	91,453

Library Services (continued), Expenditures, and ARL Ranking

Year	Items Loaned to External Organiz.	Items Borrowed from Ext. Organiz.	Expenditures ($) on Library Materials	Total Library Expenditures ($)	ARL Index/Rank
00/01	14,899	18,415	8,079,743	22,350,859 (c)	32 out of 113
99/00	14,849	15,984	7,937,259	19,442,069 (c)	35 out of 112
95/96	19,771 (d)	6,966 (d)	5,681,248	13,528,175	56 out of 108
90/91	30,417	5,063	3,199,698	8,699,832	101 out of 107

For footnotes, see Appendix A at end.

C. Special Achievements of Significance (see also Special Achievements paragraph I. A., p.1)
The NCSU Libraries:

• held two Scholarly Communication events at the Libraries - a panel discussion on the "Library of the Future" and a colloquium on copyright term extension, a topic now before the U.S. Supreme Court, featuring Professor Dennis Karjala of the University of Arizona;
• awarded Professors David Danehower and Ross Whetten the 2001-02 Libraries Faculty Award;
• held the I. T. Littleton Seminar; Associate Professor Howard Besser of the University of California at Los Angeles, addressed the social effects of information technologies;
• sponsored a reception and exhibit, "An American Philosopher, the Career of Tom Regan" honoring NC State's Professor Regan, who is recognized as the father of the animal rights movement;
• held Bug-o-Rama "2" to promote awareness of Libraries' special entomology collections;
• held University Authors Days to feature readings and presentations by NC State authors; and
• hired persons from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, accounting for 15.5% of appointments.

D. Special Program Reviews, Studies or Plans

The Master Plan project for library facilities broke new ground in fall 2001 by actively seeking ideas about the future of NCSU Libraries from the campus community using focus group sessions known as charettes. The final draft of the Master Plan, completed in spring 2002, was presented to the University Space Committee and to the University's Executive Officers and will be presented in the fall to the Buildings and Property Committee of the NC State Board of Trustees. Following significant delays, renovations of the Satellite Shelving Facility are now in progress, with completion expected this summer. Nearly 200,000 volumes are ready to be moved. As documented in the Libraries' renovations plan, the Department of Insurance required the installation of an emergency egress stairwell, a new ADA-compliant elevator, new electrical and HVAC systems, and ADA-compliant restrooms in the East Wing, D.H. Hill. Funding comes jointly from the university's and Libraries' budgets. Completion is expected late 2002. A review of the Libraries' materials management procedures was carried out this year. The process concluded with campus-wide acceptance of a proposed new approach, eliminating most library fines. The new rules go into effect in July 2002. The Libraries Reduction in Force (RIF) Plan was implemented in May 2002, with over 25 staff leaving in June. These together with other projected reductions will impact many library programs.

II. COMPACT PLAN: Major Initiatives

• Partnerships: Transformation of Scholarly Communication: Educational efforts relating to copyright, intellectual property, research journal and database price issues, electronic resource license terms, bills impacting fair use, and library of the future issues were expanded with classroom presentations, web tutorials, consultations, lectures and panel discussions. In all, over 880 people were reached, not counting web users. The Scholarly Communication website showed a total of 43,758 hits, a 20% increase over last year. Of special note, the Scholarly Communication Librarian worked to help the process of understanding, adoption and implementation of the NC State Administrative Regulation pursuant to the University of North Carolina Copyright Ownership and Use Policy.
• Partnerships: NC LIVE: NCSU Libraries continued in the successful partnership with public/private universities and colleges, community colleges, and public libraries to support and offer NC LIVE, a statewide electronic resource project.
• Business Model: Restoration of Inflationary Increase: Previously, annual inflationary increases maintained the purchasing power of the Libraries' collections budget. Since 1999-00, the Libraries has either bridged its budget gap by using other funds or has had to cancel serial subscriptions.In this time of high inflationary pressure (9%) and major budget cuts, close to 800 serials may be cancelled, impacting the level of scholarship and research on campus. Annual funding to cover inflation is needed.
• The Libraries needs Space. Expanding library study and collaborative space for faculty and students is one of the most critical tasks at NC State in the next five-to-ten-year period. Projections for student enrollment, faculty headcount, and corporate/government partners show that nearly 40,000 students, faculty and corporate partners will expect access to quality library resources by 2010. A Libraries' goal is to maximize, create, and effectively use space through the approval and implementation of its Master Plan, completion of its Satellite Shelving Facility Project, and completion of its current renovations plan.
• Information Access and Delivery: The Libraries curriculum-integrated library instruction program won national recognition as well as support on campus. The Libraries was also involved in the development of the Geographic Information Systems Certificate Program, established at the Graduate School spring 2001. To date, nine students have earned the certificate, and more than 25 are in progress. (see also section I.A., pages 1-2, for other Access and Delivery achievements.)
• Library Services for Distance Learners: Library staff communicated directly with all faculty and students involved with distance education courses each semester; delivered over 900 requested documents to distance learners; publicized a toll-free number for information services; offered in-person instruction at Henderson, Clayton, and Asheville, as well as instruction via videoconference.
• Recruitment and Retention: The Libraries improved its recruitment of librarians, going from a vacancy rate of almost 33% to approximately 9%. Of note, the Fellows program, which recruits talented entry-level librarians, helps the Libraries deal with the current critical shortage of librarians. Declining library school enrollment, competition from the private sector for information professionals, and the aging of the profession (40% of librarians will be eligible to retire within the next seven years) all contribute to constant turnover of library positions. Without real improvement in salaries, the Libraries will not be able to attract or retain experienced staff. The Libraries had a significant drop in every category of salary ranking comparison this past year, due largely to the low, flat $625 salary increase.

III. DIVERSITY: INITIATIVES AND PROGRESS

Data for combined EPA/SPA hires in 2001-02 show that 15.5% of appointments made were to persons from targeted ethnic backgrounds; four ethnic minority librarians were appointed. Susan K. Nutter served as a mentor in the Association of Research Libraries Leadership and Career Development Program (2001-02), designed to increase the number of librarians from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in positions of influence and leadership in research libraries by helping them develop the skills needed to be more competitive in the promotion process. She was paired with Vanessa D. Middleton, Electronic Services Librarian and Research Support & Consultation Coordinator, Wayne State University.

IV. STAFF

A. Major New Appointments. Kristin Antelman (formerly Head of Systems and Networking at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Library) as Associate Director for Information Technology; Laura Blessing (formerly University Libraries Human Resources and Budget Manager, University of Texas at Arlington) as Director of Personnel Management; Scott Devine (formerly Head of Preservation and Conservation Services at Texas Tech University Libraries) as Head of Preservation; Karen DeWitt (formerly Architecture Librarian at Texas Tech University) as Head of the Design Library; David Goldsmith (formerly Assistant Head of both the Distance Learning Services Department and the Collection Management Department at NCSU Libraries) as Head of the Acquisitions Department; Jan Kemp (formerly Interim Associate Dean at Texas Tech University Library) as Associate Director for Collection Management, Organization, and Preservation; Steve Morris (formerly Librarian for Spatial and Numeric Data Services at NCSU Libraries) as Head of Digital Library Initiatives; Honora Nerz, (formerly Textiles and Engineering Services Librarian) as Head, Textiles Library and Engineering Services; Terri Overton (formerly Assistant Director of the North Carolina State University Budget Office) as Director of Finance, Business, and Budget; Nancy Vaupel (formerly Vice President for Library Science at Wavo Corporation) as Assistant Director for Scholarly Communication and External Relations.

B. Kudos, Professional Activities and Recognition. The Libraries' Andrew K. Pace was named Librarian of the Year at the 15^th Annual Data Research Associates Inc. Users Conference; Peggy Hoon won recognition as one of Library Journal's fifty "Movers and Shakers" in the library profession; Orion Pozo won the 2002 Homer I. Bernhardt Distinguished Service Award given by the American Society for Engineering Education; David DeFoor won one of the NC State Provost's Awards for Excellence; Tamika Barnes received the Horizon Award from the North Carolina Chapter of the Special Library Association; Verna Riley-Broome was awarded one of the prestigious, renewable graduate school stipends from the Association of Research Libraries' "Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce;" and Susan K. Nutter was elected to the Executive Board of the Digital Library Federation.

V. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCERNS FOR THE FUTURE

• A new, additional library building on the Centennial Campus appears to be the most effective long-term solution to the Libraries' space problems. The Libraries has completed a detailed Master Plan that now needs final approval and support.
• Impending budget cuts, combined with the elimination of the annual legislative inflationary increase for collections, will force the library to cancel a substantial number of journals, reduce acquisitions of monographs and other material, and reduce library services during 2002-03, with devastating effects over time on research and learning, and on our ARL ranking.
• The Libraries' exemption from the sales and use tax for journal subscriptions is providing money (over $275,000 annually) for renovations in the Satellite Shelving Facility and supports operating expenses. If the legislature reinstates the tax, the budget impact will be severe.
• Pending litigation threatens to redirect receipts from library fines to the county school system. In a worst case scenario, NC State will forfeit approximately $650,000 (retrospectively to 1996-97) to the school system, and lose $142,000 annually in overdue book fines. Over the years, library fines provided incentive for students to return borrowed State-owned materials as well as funds to offset staff, paperwork, and database costs. In anticipation of forfeiture, staff has already been reduced. Depending upon the final amount of money the court orders the Libraries to pay, the budget impact may be staggering. The University administration's support is needed, especially to help deal with any crippling costs.
• Projected enrollment growth will have major effects on resources, services, and space, during a time when journals may be cut drastically, librarians are in short supply, and space is at a premium.
• In accordance with national accreditation standards/guidelines, the library has implemented an active service and outreach program for distance learners. As distance education enrollment increases, demand for these services will grow and special budgetary support will need to increase.
• Recruitment and retention of information professionals continues to strain the Libraries' staff resources, budget, and technological infrastructure, with approximately a 25% staff turnover rate. The ability to offer competitive salaries continues to be the primary challenge.

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APPENDIX A: FOOTNOTES TO NCSU LIBRARIES STATISTICS

1. Includes NC LIVE resources.
2. Includes reserve circulations, both print and electronic reserve circulations (beginning in 98/99).
3. Excludes benefits.
4. Decrease in lending and increase in borrowing reflect serials cancellations, reductions in books purchased, and initiation of TRIPSaver expedited delivery service.
5. Based on estimated counts. This figure also reflects the existence at that time of an additional entrance to the main library on Hillsborough Street, resulting in gate counts inflated by people who used the library as a walkway to the Brickyard.