E-Reserves in Transition: Exploring New Possibilities in E-Reserves Service Delivery

Nearly all academic libraries offer course reserves and most have long considered it a core library service. However, expanding use of course management systems in academia have opened new opportunities for libraries interested in exploring changes to electronic reserves services. Budget constraints and staffing shortages have also led several institutions to consider eliminating or modifying their e-reserves operations. Potentially difficult challenges, however, also accompany making significant changes to often well-established practices. This environmental scan of selected academic libraries across the United States discusses institutions which have maintained the status quo in e-reserves services, as well as those who have changed or discontinued these services. The article also provides insight on why some of the latter decided to make these changes

Incrementally Building Community & User Engagement in the UC San Diego Library

The University of California, San Diego Library’s inaugural Learning Spaces (LSP) Program was formally established on July 1, 2013 through a library-wide reorganization process spanning 2012-2014.  As a new program whose offerings remain in development, 2013-2014 presented opportunities organizationally to initiate new services and amenities and to adopt a new path based on the program’s initial strategic objectives.  This chapter details several ways in which the program began during its first year to accomplish its goals of engaging library users, building a sense of community and patron ownership within the library’s learning spaces, establishing a culture of assessment among program staff, and developing spaces where students feel welcomed and supported in their academic life.  Activities detailed in the chapter are provided as examples for others working toward similar outcomes.  Additionally, a limited literature review of library engagement and community building in libraries is presented, along with research support for many of the Learning Spaces Program’s new initiatives

Incrementally Building Community and User Engagement in the UC San Diego Library

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Library’s inaugural Learning Spaces (LSP) Program was formally established on July 1, 2013 through a library-wide reorganization process spanning 2012-2014. As a new program whose offerings remain in development, 2013-2014 presented the opportunity organizationally to initiate new library services and amenities and to adopt a new path based on the program’s initial strategic objectives.  This chapter details several of the ways in which the program began during its first year to accomplish its goals of engaging library users, building a sense of community and patron ownership within the library’s learning spaces, establishing a culture of assessment among program staff, and developing library spaces where students feel welcomed and supported in their academic life.  Activities detailed in the chapter are provided as examples for other libraries working toward similar outcomes.  Additionally, a limited literature review of library engagement and community building in libraries is presented, along with research support for many of the Learning Spaces Program’s new initiatives

Incrementally Building Community & User Engagement in the UC San Diego Library

The University of California, San Diego Library’s inaugural Learning Spaces (LSP) Program was formally established on July 1, 2013 through a library-wide reorganization process spanning 2012-2014.  As a new program whose offerings remain in development, 2013-2014 presented opportunities organizationally to initiate new services and amenities and to adopt a new path based on the program’s initial strategic objectives.  This chapter details several ways in which the program began during its first year to accomplish its goals of engaging library users, building a sense of community and patron ownership within the library’s learning spaces, establishing a culture of assessment among program staff, and developing spaces where students feel welcomed and supported in their academic life.  Activities detailed in the chapter are provided as examples for others working toward similar outcomes.  Additionally, a limited literature review of library engagement and community building in libraries is presented, along with research support for many of the Learning Spaces Program’s new initiatives

Get What You Need & Get On Your Way: Empowering Users with Staff Paging & Self-Service Holds

Presented at the 2017 Access Services Conference, Georgia Tech Global Learning Center and the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, November 15-17, 2017, Atlanta, Georgia.Access Services Conference Track : Customer ServiceKymberly Goodson, Director of Access Operations and Learning Spaces at University of California, San Diego Library.Learn how self-service hold shelves were implemented at the UC San Diego Library, how the service enhancement has benefited staff and users, and what challenges were faced in adopting this service approach

Surf, Sand, and Sun:  Gathering Library Feedback from Users through a Beach-Themed Event

The UC San Diego (UCSD) Library offers a variety of student-focused, de-stress events throughout the year to help students withstand the rigors of long hours of study in the library and the demanding nature of UCSD’s 11-week academic quarter.  While each event offers relaxing or stimulating activities and snacks to the student attendees, opportunities for sharing targeted feedback with the library are also provided.  One such event is the Spring Beach Party, held in April, which aligns with the campus’ location on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.  At the event, attendees receive free lemonade and iced tea, beach-themed snacks, and information about library services.  They can also play with kinetic sand, compose poetry with beach-themed magnetic words (also in celebration of National Poetry Month in April), enjoy beach-themed coloring sheets, and more.  To enable feedback gathering at the 2018 Spring Beach Party, 13 large, colorful posters were created showing a variety of beach-related images, including surfing, friends, tunes, grub, relaxing, bonfires, treasures, and more.  Each poster was accompanied by a comment card with 3 questions associated with the theme, along with 2 related tips about library services or offerings.  For example, the “crowds” poster asked attendees about difficulties they experience finding a seat in the library during different times of the term, finding an available outlet in the library, and about the locations where available outlets are hardest to locate.  Tips on the card alerted attendees to the additional computers and study seats in a smaller, lesser-known library building, and about a recently-launched app with a live map of how busy library spaces are at any given time. Attendees were encouraged to complete all or some of the comment cards, exchanging them with a staff member at the event for an equal number of raffle tickets.  Drawings for prizes were held throughout the event, though one did not need to be present to win.  Prizes included packages of kinetic sand, campus gift cards, snacks, and library-imprinted items. Approximately 50 students completed at least some comment cards at the event.  To gather additional feedback, the same posters and cards will be hung in the library in the second part of the spring term, with additional prize drawings to be given out before Finals Week.  During the summer of 2018, all feedback from this initiative will be compiled and evaluated, so that actionable recommendations can be presented.  The poster will show how, while not necessarily statistically representative, this low-cost, easy to implement approach can garner valuable, immediate, and actionable feedback directly from users in a fun and unique way that students find compelling.  Such an event, or a similar feedback initiative without a corresponding event, can easily be adapted to suit the needs, staffing, and budgets of a variety of other libraries.  The poster will visually share details of the event, display the feedback results, and outline the actions taken as a result of what was revealed in the student feedback.  Images will include the event itself, as well as the posters and comment cards used

Walk It Off:  Assessing Use of WalkStations in the Library

Presented at the 2016 (Fall) Library Assessment Conference in Arlington, VA. In October 2014, the UC San Diego Library installed two WalkStations in its popular East Learning Commons (also the overnight study space) after receiving on-going requests from library users for furnishings that allow active seating and working, and in light of studies showing that exercising while studying helps maintain alertness and focus. Each WalkStation features a treadmill (up to two mph), a safety clip to stop the treadmill if the user falls, an adjustable-height worksurface, and a tabletop electrical outlet to power a laptop or other devices. Lightweight mesh screens are positioned near the machines to provide for additional privacy for users.During service desk hours, student workers at the nearby Learning Commons desk tally the number of times they see users on the WalkStations, providing at least a limited picture of overall use.  With the exception of declines during Library closures and in the summer, statistics of WalkStation use have risen steadily since their installation.  These statistics, along with anecdotal observation of the machines, justify the purchase of additional WalkStations.  However, it was important to gather user feedback on the equipment to complement the picture painted by the statistics. Upon their installation, comment posters were placed near the WalkStations to solicit user comments. The nearly 100 comments received were overwhelmingly positive, while also offering ideas to enhance use of the machines.  This initial round of comments offered suggestions that we were able to accommodate and facilitate return communication with users when we placed signage at the machines responding to what we heard.To prepare for summarizing the WalkStations one year after their purchase, a second brief survey was conducted in September and October 2015 soliciting not only qualitative, open-ended comments on the machines, but also responses to specific questions.  The simple, paper instrument placed near the WalkStations asked about user satisfaction with the equipment and their location, frequency of use, length of time used per session, and whether one had to wait for an available WalkStation.  Survey results were compiled into both quantitative and qualitative insight to consider any ways to improve the WalkStation service for users.  Open-ended comments were again primarily positive, and along with the quantitative data gathered, offer additional enhancements, as well as support for purchasing more WalkStations. This poster will visually present statistics of WalkStation use and satisfaction, examples of compelling comments received in the two rounds of feedback gathering, and recommendations or actions taken as a result of what was learned.  It will also show how, while not necessarily statistically representative, this low-cost, easy to implement method of feedback gathering can garner valuable, immediate, and actionable feedback directly from users of a specialized offering such as WalkStations.  This practical and sustainable process also quickly allows identification of and responsiveness to user needs or preferences. Such a method has also been used in the UC San Diego Library for a variety of applications, and could easily be adapted by those at myriad institutions to better understand use of spaces, services, or equipment in other settings

Building Community among Staff through Engagement and Recognition

The Access Operations Program at the UC San Diego Library consists of 29 staff based at 3 locations, working 2 shifts, and a variety of weekly schedules.  Its current merging with another 6 staff from the Library’s Learning Spaces Program adds more complexity to establishing a sense of community among program staff.  Goals of effectively working together to support library users through diverse service offerings are served when staff are bound by shared purpose, connection with peers, and an overall sense of community.  Recognition of staff and their achievements also builds morale and motivation and contributes to community.  This poster will share some simple tools and activities implemented in the UCSD Library to address the leadership challenge of recognizing staff contributions and helping to build a sense of community among staff spread across a variety of work locations, schedules, and shifts.   Examples include “remote BINGO” games, quarterly staff celebrations, staff engagement posters, and an intranet recognition board

Streamlining Library Computer Purchases through a Vision Statement and Purchasing Plan

Creation of the new Learning Spaces Program at the University of California, San Diego Library in 2013 consolidated responsibility for much of the Library’s public computing and technology within the new program. Thereafter, Program staff established a four-pronged Public Technology Vision to guide the way they would serve and support user technology within the library. A complementary Computing Purchasing Plan was developed to support space and budget planning to update technology offerings across the library and to ease related decision-making. The plan included proposed purchases over each of three years for a variety of public computing options. These two documents are described in the chapter, along with highlighted technology-related actions stemming from them