Library Budget Cuts The UAMS Library's budget has been cut 8% ($200,000) during the past year. The following cuts have been made to accommodate this budget decrease:
Personnel (cut 3 full-time and 4 half-time positions)
Maintenance budget ($61,303)
Collections budget
In addition to the cuts listed above, we are having to cut a significant number of journal subscriptions for the following reasons:
We already have the lowest number of journal subscriptions of any of our "peer" institutions.
We will continue to try to preserve services and the collections as much as possible during these difficult financial times. If you have any input concerning the cuts we have made, please let me know.
The UAMS Library hosted the "Making Technology Work for Distance Education" Conference on April 14, 2000. The conference was an opportunity to capture the essence of distance education in Arkansas and a good chance to talk with some national leaders in distance education. One hundred and fifty-one individuals attended the conference, including 50 librarians from higher education institutions in Arkansas.
The UAMS Library received grant funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) and the National Library of Medicine to support this conference. The Arkansas Library Association College and University Division held their semi-annual meeting in conjunction with the conference.
Distance education for health care professionals and for all distance education students in Arkansas depends on the strength and breadth of the technological infrastructure and the support for distance education among our legislators, administrators, governmental agencies and the other higher education institutions. Individuals targeted for the conference were those who have an interest in or responsibility for the success of distance education in Arkansas, Included were UAMS faculty and administrators, representatives of the distant sites to which UAMS serves distant education courses; members of legislative committees, staff from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and the Arkansas Division of Information Services, distance education coordinators, teaching faculty, and librarians from the 47 higher education institutions in Arkansas. Getting all of these people together to see what is being done, to hear distance educators tell about their experiences, to listen to national leaders in distance learning, and to share enthusiasm among the group were major objectives of the conference.
Darcy Hardy, Director of the University of Texas Telecampus, and Tom Abbott, representing the University of Maine System, gave keynote addresses on the role and importance of library and student services in distance education. Dwayne Buttler, University of Indiana Copyright Center, provided the latest information on copyright issues in distance education. Faculty from UAMS and Arkansas State University demonstrated and discussed their distance education efforts. A student from the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope described how distance education enabled her to earn a degree via compressed video.
The speakers hosted tables during the lunch break and also led breakout sessions. Several librarians demonstrated products, discussed digitization of special collections or discussed resource sharing plans at breakout sessions as well. Participants finished the day with a reception.
Contact Jan Hart at 686-6751 or HartJanK@exchange.uams.edu if you would like more information on the conference or to view the video tapes of the presentations.
The UAMS Library celebrated National Library Week April 9 - 15, 2000 to increase awareness of the importance of libraries across the country. This year's celebrations included drawings for prizes and special posters proclaiming that the savy patron should "Plug Into the World at Your Library." In addition, the library staff was treated to a special lunch in appreciation for all their hard work and dedication.
For the first time, a Library Quiz was created for patrons to test their library knowledge using the Library's new web-based catalog. Those answering both questions correctly were placed in a drawing for a grand prize. The grand prize winner, Tony Johnson of UAMS Central Supply, won a Jansport backpack donated by the UAMS Bookstore. Prizes for other drawings included: READ book bags, keychain, Spanish-English medical translation pocket cards, $10 gift certificates to the bookstore, UAMS t-shirts, $20 vendacards & $5 vendacards.
We'd like to express our appreciation to all those who participated in this year's NLW activities and hope you will all join us again next year.
A "new" statue now resides on the second level of the Library, near the Arts of UAMS exhibit. A statue of Aesculapius, the Greek god of medicine, once (according to the 1950 UAMS Yearbook) resided in the Library at the McAlmont location. The base was added by the class of 1965 in memory of medical students who died while obtaining their medical education ( Medico, Dec. 1965, p.3). For many years it was at the entrance of the auditorium in the Education I building (now the Shorey building). It was removed when the Shorey building was remodeled, and now it has come home to the Library again.
A new Library Advisory Committee is being established. Its purposes are to:
The Committee is composed of representatives from the Colleges, a student, and a member of the Library faculty. The terms of office are for two years. The Committee will begin meeting quarterly in June or July. The current members of the Committee are as follows:
This summer the Library faculty will be preparing to cancel from $100,000-$150,000 worth of journal subscriptions in 2001 due to the rapidly rising cost of journal subscriptions and the decrease in the amount of College Savings Bond money for the Library. In the review of the journal collection we will be looking principally at the amount of use and the cost per use of each title. In cases where the cost is over $100 per use, we have decided that it makes more sense for us to buy individual articles for our patrons. The Library has transferred a third of its book budget to fund the purchase of such articles on a trial basis.
We are also evaluating the journals that have been requested through Interlibrary Loan to determine which titles would be more economically provided by an electronic or print subscription. Adding these new titles will increase the number of current subscriptions that will need to be cancelled. Electronic access to journal titles is one of the Library's goals. What we are finding currently is that most journals are not offered electronically without the print subscription. When the journal is available electronically without the print, it is almost always priced higher than the print subscription. We will continue to monitor the availability of electronic access for journals needed by our faculty and students.
We will be asking for your feedback while making decisions concerning cancellations. Lists of potential journal cancellations will be made available through the Library's web page and through the Library Advisory Committee, which represents the students and each of the colleges.
If you have questions, please contact Mary Hawks, Collection Management Librarian, at HawksMaryS@exchange.uams.edu or 686-6749 or Mary Ryan, Library Director, at 686-6730 or RyanMaryL@exchange.uams.edu.
As mentioned in the last issue of the UAMS Library News, Edwina Walls Mann is taking early retirement June 30th after 35 years of service to the UAMS Library. During her many years of dedicated service, she established and developed the Historical Research Center (HRC) into a thriving program. A reception was held in Edwina's honor on May 12th in the Library, during which remarks/presentations were made by Dr. Harry Ward, Dr. Tom Bruce, Rose Hogan, Dr. Jon Wolfe and Mary Ryan. Over 150 people attended the reception. Edwina has been a very valuable member of the Library faculty, and we will miss her talents and dedication. We wish her much success in her future endeavors.
Margaret Ann Johnson, MLS, has been selected as the new Head of the Historical Research Center, and thus the treasurer and director of the History of Medicine Associates program of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Library. Following a nationwide search, the Committee announced her selection in late April. Her educational background includes a BS in Microbiology and Education from Louisiana Polytechnic Institute in 1963 and 1964 respectively, and a Master in Library Science degree from George Peabody of Vanderbilt University in 1981. A UAMS Library employee since 1973, Mrs. Johnson has held several positions in the library, first as Interlibrary Loan Librarian and currently as Head of Document Access Services. Her knowledge of the UAMS Library's resources and her acquaintance with UAMS personnel will make this transition a smooth one. Mrs. Johnson is a Louisiana native but has lived in Little Rock since 1965. Her hobbies include gardening, hiking, and bird-watching. Her primary reading interest is biographies, particularly those of current political figures. She will assume her new position July 1, 2000 when Ms. Mann retires.
Donna Waldron, the Library's LRC Audiovisual Manager will be retiring as of July 7, 2000. She joined the Library in 1978, just as the LRC was taking form. She has been so instrumental in the development and continued success of the Audiovisual Area of the LRC that she is almost synonymous with the Audiovisual Area for many faculty, staff and students at UAMS. Donna has hired, trained, and supported staff with consideration and interest over the past 22 years. She has worked diligently with her staff to ensure that patrons coming into the Audiovisual Area find a knowledgeable, helpful staff member ready to assist them. She has found time to take an active interest in the computer based areas of the Learning Resource Center, as well as in the activities of the Library, and through the House of Delegates, UAMS as a whole. She will be missed.
"Congratulations to All" is the title of the new exhibit in the Library Exhibit cases. Honored are UAMS Year 2000 Graduates, the Chancellor's Award Winner, and 50 and 25 Year College of Medicine Graduates who will be on campus for reunions in June. Don't forget to wish them well when you see them around campus. The exhibit will continue until June 30th and may be viewed during regular library hours.
This is the last print issue of the UAMS Library News. Due to budget considerations, the decision has been made to make it a totally electronic publication beginning with the July/August 2000 issue, which will be issue number 100.
It will be available as a link from the UAMS Library Home Page (http://www.library.uams.edu), as well as directly at http://www.library.uams.edu/newsletter and will continue to be published 6 times a year: January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October and November/December. Each issue can be printed, or downloaded, and a "subscription" to the electronic issues can be entered by sending an e-mail message requesting a subscription to the editor at SaarAmandaE@exchange.uams.edu. The newest issue will NOT appear in your email when it is posted to the Library's site, but an e-mail with the correct live link will pop up. There will also be a FAQ available to answer most questions, or questions can be addressed to the editor at the above address.
Soundwords will continue to be a part of the publication, and there will be an online form available for those interested in any of the titles listed in that part of the News.
There will be a text-only version as well as a version using graphics and tables. The primary version is compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and higher, and Netscape 4.5 and higher. For this electronic version, a screen resolution of at least 800x600 should work fine.
If you have other questions or comments about this change in format, please contact Amanda Saar at 686-8517 (or at the e-mail address above), or Mary Ryan, Library Director, at 686-6730 (RyanMaryL@exchange.uams.edu).
UAMS Library: Editor,
Amanda Saar
Soundwords: Editor, Fred Bassett
Contributors: Jan Hart, Edwina Walls Mann,
Mary Hawks, Mary Ryan and Susan Steelman.
Published by the UAMS
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