Library of Theology and Religious Studies

The Services working group was appointed with effect from 1 January 2011 as successor to the BB Services working group. All the specialist libraries are represented.

The working group held four meetings during 2011. The following subjects were discussed:

• Practical matters relating to ILL (inter-library loans) from libraries within and outside the Netherlands, e-mail recalls, problems relating to the registering of new borrowers at the beginning of every academic year (a manual has been produced for this) and proposals for text amendments in LBS
• Communication: links sometimes go unrecognized and communication is not always satisfactory; this remains an important point for attention
• Information from other working groups: because there are not many other working groups, or they have not held meetings, there is not much to report on this

A priority is the reformulation of the working group’s objective. The past objective is no longer appropriate, following the reorganization and new developments.

There are currently no concrete plans for the future. The aspects on which the working group will focus in the coming period are knowledge-sharing, the simplification of work processes and effective communication. Input from all Library staff is essential in this regard.

Jacqueline Strijker

Knowledge Session, April 14, 2011: colleagues try out iPads, and more ...

The newly appointed Knowledge Sessions working group is tasked with the following:

• Furthering expertise
• Meeting the need for activities that transcend locations and sectors

Videos, photographs and PowerPoint presentations of the knowledge sessions were made available on BINT, the Library intranet. In addition, a form was produced so that participants’ opinions of the knowledge sessions could be evaluated.

Sessions held in 2011

1. Smartphones, iPads and e-readers – uses, technology and apps (14 April 2011)

2. Social media and the Library (21 June 2011)

3. LibGuides (5 July 2011)

4. NVB study trip to Canada (4 October 2011)

5. Project: Library Support for Digital Readers (BODR) (1 November 2011)

6. NVB study trip to Canada in cooperation with the Hanze Media Centre and Biblionet (24 November 2011)

7. Publication of research results via Metis/repositories/open access (5 December 2011)

Members of the working group

Gretha Landman, Dorien van Rheenen, Jitka Vavra, Hilda Schram, Gert-Jan Bokdam

Library of Behavioural and Social Sciences

The E-book working group held five meetings during 2011. The main purpose of the meetings was to share knowledge and inform each other about the various aspects of online e-books.

The following points were discussed at the meetings:

• Orientation on the various e-book platforms: A distinction is made between publisher platforms and DRM platforms.
• Our preference is to order e-books on the publisher platforms, because there are hardly any restrictions in terms of print and download facilities. We order individual titles from a number of publisher platforms: (Cambridge Books Online); Elsevier e-books (Science Direct); Wiley/Blackwell e-books (Wiley Online Library); Walter De Gruyter e-books (De Gruyter Reference Global).
• The DRM platforms (DRM = Digital Rights Management) all have specific conditions relating to price, multiple simultaneous users, readability and the permitted number of pages that can be printed and downloaded. We order books from DRM platforms if they are not (yet) available from the publisher platform (ebrary, MyiLibrary). A separate group of DRM platforms uses the credit-point system, whereby a certain number of credit points is paid for a book – usually one point per day. The advantage of this model is that more than one user can consult the book at the same time (EBL, Dawsonera).
• The advantages and disadvantages of each platform have been thoroughly assessed. This information is essential in order to select the most appropriate platform for the required books. It should be emphasized that we prefer to order from a publisher platform, but if the title is not available we order it from a DRM platform.
• The ordering procedure for e-books: the advantages and disadvantages of the platform types and experiences with ordering e-books were discussed in detail.
• EBL and its possibilities. One of the meetings focused on EBL. Each book purchased has 325 credit points per year. A one-day loan costs one point per borrower. The books can be borrowed by more than one reader at the same time. The book can be read online and downloaded as a PDF file. EBL offers the option of PDA (patron-driven acquisition). If required, the full EBL list is made available to patrons, and the collection is built on the basis of their borrowing history and suggestions for acquisitions. We were allowed to make use of this option by way of a trial.
• Trial with handhelds at the Faculty of Behavioural & Social Sciences: In order to assess user experiences with handhelds (devices for reading e-books), a trial is being prepared at the Faculty. Experiences with downloadable books from EBL will be an important aspect of the trial, in addition to experiences with books in PDF format from other publishers.

Which other subjects are included in the programme?

• Drawing up an overview of characteristics of various platforms and posting it on BINT, the Library intranet.
• In connection with the previous point: how to inform users in an effective and efficient way about the possibilities offered by the platforms.
• Appoint a focus group for e-book use to deal in greater depth with the various aspects of the user experience.
• Develop the trial with PDA, preferably with a publisher platform such as Brill, Cambridge or Springer. Several scenarios are possible, but this basically involves the publisher making an e-book list available for a specified period. The most-used books from the list will ultimately be purchased for a pre-agreed sum.
• Evaluation of e-book use with the help of usage statistics.
• Trials with new packages/platforms.
• What are the experiences with e-book packages for which we hold a licence? (including Brill Classical Studies, ebrary History & Political Science, Palgrave Connect Political & International Studies, Oxford Handbooks, Cambridge Companions, Thieme e-book Library).

Alie Bijker

Library of Arts

The Nestor coordinators planned to conduct a survey to assess students’ wishes with regard to Nestor. The Library would take part in the survey. However, the plan was shelved. At the end of October, the Nestor coordinators conducted a limited consultation exercise among students. Unfortunately, this did not include input from the Library.

It was also agreed that the Nestor coordinators at the specialist libraries would record the wishes of colleagues with regard to Nestor. This was postponed until after the student survey, but has now been initiated.

Consultations are being held with the UOCG (now CIT) on a number of concrete items – with regard to upgrading/maintenance and other matters.

Joke Bos

studying with a basket

Background

LibGuides are the successors to the electronic literature guides for each subject on the library website. A LibGuide is a basic guide that provides an overview of sources and tools for a certain subject area. They are designed primarily for students (MSc) and junior scholars.
The editorial board has a mandate from the MT to complete the body of basic guides, i.e. a guide must be produced for every subject area. The guides are compiled by I&C specialists who work in the area concerned and therefore have the relevant knowledge. The editorial board therefore works closely with the I&C specialists.

Basic guides

By the end of 2011, 41 basic guides had been produced. These can be accessed via http://libguides.rug.nl/. An inventory revealed that guides are still required for eight subjects. These are small subject areas. Certain subject areas seem to be too small to warrant a separate LibGuide. This is being discussed with the I&C specialists responsible for these areas.

Phasing-out of literature guides

Given that the body of LibGuides is almost complete, the editorial board proposed that the outdated literature guides be removed as soon as possible. This has been raised with the website editors.

Support

The editors provide three types of support for I&C specialists:

1. Provision of a basic guide
   A beginners’ guide has been produced and is available on BINT, the Library intranet.
2. Technical support
   This mainly involves creating boxes (including Search boxes) and placing them in the Toolbox. This enables the boxes to be linked to the individual LibGuides.
3. Editorial advice
   The editors give feedback on new LibGuides in feedback sessions. The editors advise on the relevant LibGuide in an open discussion. Editors focus on the following points:
1. Language and spelling (must be correct)
2. Layout (must be clear and uncluttered)
3. Relevance of sources.

Given the speedy production of basic guides, the editors imitated two campaigns in the autumn.

1. Promotion
   The editors have launched initiatives to promote LibGuides.
1. A poster for the noticeboards
2. An associative link on the web platform
3. The editors want to encourage I&C specialists to make use of LibGuides in instructions. In order to realize this, contact has been initiated as a priority with the Information Skills working group.
2. The current editorial board’s mandate commenced in February 2011. However, some of the LibGuides date from well before this. The editorial board is committed to optimizing the quality of the whole body of basic guides. Feedback sessions have therefore been organized for this category of guides.

Bert Huizing