The VTF had an intense two day site visit and tours of the following libraries and museums on May 21st and 22nd:
San Jose StateUniversity and Public Libary (http://www.sjlibrary.org/)
The Technology Museum of Innovation (http://www.thetech.org/)
Sonoma State University Library (http://library.sonoma.edu/)
The Charles Schultz Museum and Research Center (http://www.schulzmuseum.org/)
Our purpose was to learn about what worked and what didn't when planning their buildings, what trends do they see in libraries and museums, and what mistakes should we avoid in our building. We learned so much and brought back so much information! Our brains are spinning from all of the new ideas and trends that we learned about. I have asked each member of the VTF to post some of the most interesting features or services that they learned from our visit.
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Members of the Vision Task Force
Welcome to our visioning blog. Please share your ideas about how you envision library services evolving in preparation for our move into the new building.
Charge
The Vision Task Force has been charged by Dean Peter McDonald to address all aspects of services, technology and partnerships for the new Library building that is scheduled to be completed in 2008. Our work will be based on Dean McDonald's Vision 2008: An Introduction for HML Staff and Fresno State's Strategic Plan for Excellence III: 2006-2011. The commitee is to suggest ideas, vision and initiatives that relate to four themes: User Services, Physical and Virtual Space, Information Technology, and Outreach, Communication and Staff Development.
We cannot accomplish our task, however, without the input of you! Please respond to the questions related to our themes that are posted on our blog with your best ideas so that we can bring foreword the most innovative suggestions possible!
Members
- Lucia Vega (student rep.)
- Aaron Collier
- Monica Fusich (chair)
- Glenda Harada
- Michelle Johnson (student rep.)
- Ida M. Jones (ex-officio)
- Ross T. LaBaugh
- Tammy Lau
- Susan Mangini (ex-officio)
- Julie Moore
- Christine Tarvin
- Donna Taylor
Labels
- communication and staff development (3)
- other (1)
- outreach (3)
- physical and virtual space (5)
- user services (3)
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10 comments:
We did learn a lot while gone on our site visits. A few main things were:
1. When both the San Jose State and Sonoma Library were being built, they had a good deal of space added. And when they moved into the new building, they couldn't afford enough staff to man all of the desks.
2. Signs and sign placement is vitally important. The wording on signs needs to be very clear so that the patron (all patrons) know what the sign means. And, it has to be visible or it might lead to the same questions being asked by patrons over and over again.
3. A welcome or directions desk is very important. Having someone there to answer directional question and greet the patron saves a lot of time for Circulation and Reference.
These are just a few thoughts off the top of my head (I left my notes at home today). So, I'll post more when I get a chance to look at them.
San Jose and Sonoma State University Visits
The trip was very helpful... I did not know what to expect, but I believe we all learned a lot of new things we may or may not contribute to OUR new library...
* @ San Jose State: This was a very busy library, not only because it is the heart of the campus and in the middle of the city, but it also partnered with the San Jose public branches... As we spoke to three Representative from the library, I learned that it is okay to try new things and make mistakes... Our new library must be flexible because when the three representative were speaking about their challenges, they mentioned that they were encountered with factors for stuff they thought were going to work and some stuff they thought were not going to work, were suprinsingly very popular...
Something that really caught my mind was how San Jose had a theme in mind and was very well shown through their art display... For example, if you walk onto the first floor you see a counter on the wall which have been the books that have checked out since the library has opened...
As far the information commons in the university, that was one of my favorite places to be... I would have loved to have been there to study... The furniture is great; it is a combination of soft and CLEANABLE furniture... As we were leaving the building, I noticed that they had fliers in the commons, that told you of all the softwares found in the commons, and I must say, they had quite a bit of compatible software, which I think would be helpful in our library (technology compatibility)...
Ultimately, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the study rooms... I think those would make studying so much easier and as far as reserving a room, online reservation would make one more thinkg self servant for us students....
* @ Sonoma: Sonoma was a very beautiful campus...This was an all academic library... Their services were geared mostly for students...
The thing that was emphasized in the sonoma campus, once again, was FLEXIBILITY of the building; one never knows what will need to be changed...
I believe the most interesting thing that I found in sonoma was the Automated Retrieving System... This is basically a huge room with different sized boxes that contain the books...This would actually work like our storage system, but differences include that it would be found in the building and the students would get their material that same day... I think it is fascinating technoloy, but it would not work very well with our library. The reason it would not work very well would be because our students like to browse and enjoy physically looking through the pages of the book and selecting the needed materials through that process, rather than choosing the book online based on the title of the book and/or the brief summary...
Overall very great and informational trip...
Lucia is so right! The flexibility of the space is so important. You never know what a space will be like until you live in it in three dimensions. And people make their own paths, not necessarily where you plan they will be.
There may also be uses for our spaces which we cannot yet imagine. Who would ever have thought when the South Wing was built in 1980 that we would need so many internet ports? We may need parking spaces for our hovercraft outside the new building one day!
I also like the 24 hour opening of the first floor and cafe during finals week. Provided an alternative place to study during finals week.
I learned so much on this road trip. The trends that I learned about are reducing multiple service desks, having an information commons, and that flexibility in staff attitudes and physical space is a key element to providing effective service.
I know that the main focus was on the users and initial impressions of the buildings, but I was curious if you were able to visit Technical Services ? Did you see anything there that was done in a new or exciting way?
I am so bummed that I could not go!
:-(
But it sounds like you all had both a fabulous and fruitful tour!
Lucia,
What was it about SJS's Commons area and study areas that were so appealing to you? Can you describe some of the specifics to us ... who have not seen those before?
The way that you describe the feeling of the place gives me the idea that it was quite welcoming and exciting to you. Please elaborate!
Lucia wrote about SJS: "I learned that it is okay to try new things and make mistakes ..."
I think that's a major hurdle that our library needs to clear. We need to get over the idea that everything needs to be perfect before it is presented to the public. You cannot move forward without taking some risks ... and part of that is trying new things. Some will work and some will not. But it's the only way to move onward and upward. Otherwise, you just flatline ... and nobody wants that.
Yes, Julie I asked several questions about processing in TS at SJSU. First, they use YPB as their vendor and get 80% of their books cataloged and shelf ready. 20-30% of those must be touched in house--the rest go on the shelf. GovDocs gets Marcive for FEderal docs and catalogs California docs.
Monica,
We touch 100% ... and we do everything to make them shelf ready. We use YBP, so this outsourcing would be an option for us. Of the 80% that they are buying with cataloging and shelf ready, do you know if those are all DLC (Library of Congress) cataloging? Or are they just any records that they could find? Also, did they express if they were satisfied with this arrangement?
With the deluge of retirements on the horizon here at HML, we need to start thinking in this direction. We will not be able to touch 100% in the very near future. I would much rather have YBP via OCLC PromtCat do the donkey work of the brain numbing cataloging that takes really little or no thought -- the DLC copy cataloging. It would kick those items out fast.
This would leave the library staff and catalogers with the local work that really matters to us, especially with regard to subject analysis, CA originals and cataloging for our special collections, etc.
The in between area is the copy cataloging that is not DLC. I know that many libraries outsource those as well. I think if we ever get into the outsourcing business, it would have to start with the DLC copy cataloging only.
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