This past summer was not as dramatic in the library as a year ago, when we changed from one library system to another. This summer was more one of refinements, enhancements, and updating, all in the name of providing the most useful and efficient library services. Another productive and busy summer for the library staff nevertheless.

Electronic reserves

One brand new service is our venture into providing some reserve materials (articles) electronically through the campus network. We will be working with a few select faculty during this first semester while we learn the system (a commercial product called Docutek) before branching out more broadly. Other schools, such as Illinois Wesleyan, are using this same system and are finding that both faculty and students are quite enthusiastic about it; and we are looking for the same result here. The system also can handle sound and image files, though these will probably not be the first things we try. I will keep you posted on the progress of this project. (more)

Library statistics

Every year I complete a major national survey of library statistics (the library portion of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, or IPEDS) along with responding to numerous other requests for statistical information about the library, its holdings and its services. While it is not always clear to me what these statistics mean (other than that we continue to be busy), they are always interesting nevertheless. Some observations from the year just past (2002/2003) as well as from the latest official survey (for 2001/2002).

• The size of our collection continues to grow, although more from better reporting on what we actually own than because of any dramatic collection building. Last year's system change-over reported our actual collection to number somewhat over 210,000 volumes, and the count in June 2003 was 212,145 physical volumes (books, periodicals, videos, musical recordings, etc.). 

• The number of physical periodicals to which we actively subscribe (that is, pay for) on the other hand is declining, this in response to the dual realities of 1) rising subscription costs coupled with a reduced budget and 2) declining in-house use coupled with more extensive use of electronic full-text articles to which we also subscribe. Two years ago we carried 787 paid subscriptions to periodicals in paper, while the number in June 2003 was 580. This number will be reduced further for the coming year (calendar 2004).

• Circulation of our books and other physical items has remained relatively steady in recent years. In 2002/2003, we lent 32,795 items through our circulation system.

• In terms of interlibrary loans, for many years we have lent to other institutions more than we have borrowed from them for our own users. This past year that was reversed, here due to our purchasing fewer new books while at the same time even more Millikin students and faculty are using the ease of self-initiated interlibrary loans through Illinet and OCLC. (Illinet, by the way, this year has been enhanced by the availability of an additional over three million volumes from new ILCSO members.)

• Our instruction program remains very active, and we continue to reach about 1,000 MU students every year through CWRR, University Seminar, and subject-specific classes. This is a particularly impressive record in both relative (% of student body reached) and absolute (compared to Millikin's  peer and aspiration institutions) terms.

Earlier newsletters