Standard VI--Physical Resources and FacilitiesStandard VI.1A program has access to physical resources and
facilities that are sufficient to the accomplishment of
its objectives.
The School moved to the Library and Information Science Building (a remodeled fraternity house) at 501 E. Daniel Street in January 1994. In summer 2001 two new wings that more than doubled the size of the building were completed and fully occupied. Now all GSLIS units, with the exception of Prairienet (in a rented house at 510 E. Daniel St.), are co-located. The addition was accomplished under the leadership of Dean Leigh Estabrook through a creative partnership with the Illinois Library Computer Systems Office (ILCSO), which provides planning, operational support, and user training programs for sixty-five member libraries in a statewide consortium known as the Illinois Library Computer Systems Organization. The new space provides offices for ILCSO and a computer training laboratory and auditorium that can be used by both ILCSO and GSLIS. In addition to the facilities shared with ILCSO, the new wings include a new classroom, a conference room, student lounge, several meeting spaces, expanded administrative office space, space for the Center for Children’s Books (formerly in an old house some distance from the main LIS building), an expanded doctoral study, and office and computer lab space for research groups working within the Information Systems Research Laboratory. The new space provides an excellent environment for teaching, research, and service activities as well as making GSLIS a more visible presence on campus. GSLIS can now schedule most of our courses in our own building and LEEP students in residence for their required on-campus sessions also benefit from these expanded facilities. Sources of Evidence:
Standard VI.2Physical facilities provide a functional learning
environment for students and faculty; enhance the
opportunities for research, teaching, service,
consultation, and communication; and promote efficient
and effective administration of the school's program,
regardless of the forms or locations of delivery.
The Library and Information Science Building that the School occupies has many good features. All full-time faculty have private offices of adequate size in the central section of the building, floors 1-3. Resources used most intensively by students within the building are all on the ground floor and first floor levels—classrooms, the lounge and kitchen area, and the computer laboratory. Because all auxiliary units, with the exception of Prairienet, are also housed at the same site, students and faculty can easily consult with the staff and use the resources of those units, such as the Center for Children’s Books. The School’s own information technology and instructional technology support staff have offices in the building, so that help is readily at hand when problems arise. Space is currently being reconfigured to enable all IT staff to be co-located on the second floor for improved communication and consultation. Office staff are co-located in an office suite, enabling students to easily locate staff to answer questions and provide assistance when needed. The co-location of several research groups in the Information Systems Research Laboratory wing enhances informal communication among staff involved in different projects. Having a building serving as the hub of all GSLIS activities fosters a sense of community among students, faculty, and staff. During on-campus sessions LEEP students also spend much of their time in the Library and Information Science Building, giving them an enhanced sense of being part of the School.
Standard VI.3Instructional and research facilities and services for
meeting the needs of students and faculty include
access to library and multimedia resources and
services, computer and other information technologies,
accommodations for independent study, and media
production facilities.
All students and faculty have access to the library and technology resources needed to support teaching and research. The instructional technology and information technology user services staff are responsible for assisting GSLIS faculty, staff, and students (on-campus and LEEP) with GSLIS computer resources. A variety of group and individual workshops, online tutorials and training materials, and technical support are provided. In addition, IT staff provide equipment and set-ups for audio-visual needs on-campus and broadcast LEEP live sessions. An information technology user services desk is staffed 8 am - 6 pm Monday-Friday for walk-in or telephone assistance with technical problems. The Learning Resources Laboratory (LRL), located on the ground level of the LIS Building , is a technology resource center that supports the curriculum and instructional mission of the GSLIS. The LRL provides physical computing facilities and access to electronic library-related resources and equipment. The LRL's physical configuration consists of IBM compatible computers with links to the GSLIS network and the Internet. The LRL also houses a copy machine. Higher end computer support is available to researchers and selected classes through the Information Systems Research Laboratory. A wireless network is being installed in parts of the building to enable more ubiquitous access to computing resources. Online documentation provides guidance to users on: accounts and passwords, UIUC and GSLIS computing resources, hardware and software, HTML and web pages, and ways to get help. Staff also direct students to other campus units for training to complement that available through GSLIS. The initial ten-day on-campus stay for LEEP students includes several workshops to familiarize them with technologies to be used in their subsequent courses. On-campus students who enroll in LEEP courses on a space-available basis are also expected to attend special technology training sessions. Broad preparation in computer competencies has enabled the use of technology to be more pervasive throughout the curriculum. The University Library recently celebrated the acquisition of its 10 millionth volume and is the third largest academic library in the U.S. , behind Harvard and Yale. While working to build and preserve its outstanding print collection, the Library is also placing increasing emphasis on delivering resources and services to the desktop, whether on campus or at a distance. Links are given below to the Library Gateway, Online Research Resources, Virtual Reference, and Library Help. GSLIS is fortunate that the Library maintains a separate Library and Information Science Library with a staff eager to serve GSLIS students and faculty. Under the leadership of LIS Librarian Susan Searing, many new services have been introduced. Linked from the LIS Library's web page are a user's guide, electronic reserves, LIS journals, a guide to off-campus services, virtual new books shelf, workshops and tutorials, express links to key databases, links to live chat and email reference services, and other LIS links of interest. LEEP students can also call on the document delivery services of the Academic Outreach Library under the direction of librarian Patricia Cardenas. Sue and Pat collaborate on instructional sessions for LEEP students and Sue is available to provide reference, instruction, and research consultation for all users of the LIS Library. Some specifics on resources, staffing, and facilities of the LIS Library include: SIZE OF NON-ELECTRONIC COLLECTION (figures have been rounded):
SIZE OF ELECTRONIC COLLECTION (figures have been rounded):
STAFFING 1 FTE librarian (Associate Professor, head of library) PHYSICAL FACILITY (LIS Library) 3,250 square feet SERVICES Approximately 530 items on electronic reserve in Spring 2004 semester Sources of Evidence:
Standard VI.4The staff and the services provided for a program by
libraries, media centers, and information technology
facilities, as well as all other support facilities,
are sufficient for the level of use required and
specialized to the degree needed. These facilities are
appropriately staffed, convenient, accessible to the
disabled, and available when needed, regardless of
forms or locations of delivery of the school's
program.
As noted in VI.3, Library and Information Science Librarian Susan Searing works closely with faculty and students to ensure availability of needed library materials. She attends GSLIS Curriculum Committee and faculty meetings to stay in touch with developments in the School. The Library and Information Science Library provides evening and weekend hours and remains open on a full schedule in the summer to allow student access to materials. Sue also makes a special effort to accommodate any special needs of Fridays Only and LEEP students, including staffing extra reference hours during LEEP on-campus sessions. GSLIS has provided the LIS Library with some financial support to increase staffing for production of electronic reserves, ensuring availability of these materials in a more timely manner. As the Library worked to select materials to move from the main stacks to remote storage in its new Oak Street facility, Sue consulted with GSLIS faculty and PhD students to ensure that materials needed frequently for research would remain in the main or LIS Library stacks. Sue e-mails regular “L4's”—Little LIS Library Lessons—to alert GSLIS faculty and students to new resources and services (such as how to access netLibrary e-books, participating in trials of new databases, and noting the availability of ARBAonline). The most recent evaluative data for the LIS Library is included in the University Library's Graduate and Professional Student Survey, conducted online in spring 2004. All graduate and professional students were invited via email to participate in the survey. As anticipated, GSLIS respondents reported using campus libraries frequently, with 65% identifying the LIS Library as their “most often” or “second most often” used library. Other highly-used libraries include the Reference Library, the Main Stacks, the Undergraduate Library, the Education & Social Science Library, the Grainger Engineering Library, and the Center for Children's Books. GSLIS students mirror the general population of graduate and professional students in their overall positive assessment of the library. Students who identified the LIS Library as their primary library were slightly less satisfied than their counterparts with library services, and slightly more satisfied with library collections: LIBRARY SERVICES
LIBRARY COLLECTIONS
The primary cause of dissatisfaction with LIS Library services, according to the survey results, is hours. When asked if the library they use most is open when they need it, students who identified the LIS Library as their primary library responded: The GSLIS Learning Resources Laboratory is staffed by volunteers who maintain a schedule of evening and weekend hours as well as during the day. The LIS building has an ID-card operated security system for access after 5 pm , allowing all students access to the building during the hours the computer lab is open. One of the bulletin boards on the LEEP server is designated for Tech Support (“Post your Tech questions here and either a staff member or a fellow student will respond”), with rapid response to technology-related questions posted there. The GSLIS building has an elevator, so that offices, classrooms, and labs are fully accessible to people with disabilities. More generally the UIUC campus is a leader in working to make the campus accessible and to provide support services for students with disabilities. In particular there is an Illinois Center for Instructional Technology Accessibility to provide developers of web-based instructional materials a resource on how to design their materials to be more accessible to people with disabilities. GSLIS is committed to supporting students with disabilities, including those wishing to study via LEEP. We have found ways successfully to accommodate the needs of both hearing-impaired and blind students enrolled in LEEP courses. Sources of Evidence:
Standard VI.5The school's planning and evaluation process includes
review of the adequacy of access to physical resources
and facilities for the delivery of a program. Within
applicable institutional policies, faculty, staff,
students, and others are involved in the evaluation
process.
There is ongoing attention to monitoring the adequacy of resources and facilities. A newly-established IT Advisory Committee will provide regular input to the information technology staff on possible improvements in information technology infrastructure. Instructional technology staff regularly gather and respond to feedback from students and faculty on possible enhancements of the LEEP virtual classroom environment. Input from students, staff, and faculty has led to improvements in facilities as we settled in to the new wings of the Library and Information Science Building over the past three years. The LIS Librarian has gathered feedback through a variety of approaches from a conventional suggestion box to focus groups and “Live with Sue” sessions open to LEEP students. She also participates in faculty meetings and seeks input from faculty on issues facing the LIS Library. Limits on financial resources mean that not all requested improvements can be realized, but faculty, staff, and students know that suggestions for improvements are welcome and will be considered.
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The Graduate School of
Library and Information Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 501 E. Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820 (217) 333-7197 voice, (217) 244-3302 fax |
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