UVA Journal Review Project Update

The entire journal collection has been reviewed and 256 titles have been designated as core.   All print issues from these core titles will be retained in our collection.  Print copies of issues from non-core titles that are available online are being pulled from the collection.  Below is a picture of the issues that have been pulled.  (Click on thumbnail for larger image.)

Benchmarking Print Journal Collections

Many of us are faced with the need to reduce our print collections in order to free-up space for other purposes. We’d like to identify those libraries in MAC that have taken on this initiative and are willing to share their experiences. To get things started, how many print journals did you subscribe to and shelve in the year 2000 and what will that number be in 2007?  (Please submit your answer/comments using the comments button below.)

Himmelfarb Library Blog

Himmelfarb Library at George Washington University has a nice blog. Looks like Laurie Lyons does most of the postings.

Policy Information Center Blog

Here’s a direct link to the Policy Information Center blog that Jana refers to in a comment to the Library Blogs posting.

Library Blogs

Here’s a rather comprehensive international listing of library blogs.  Are there currently any MAC libraries maintaining a library blog?

Compact Shelving

As the need for space becomes more pressing, many of us are discussing alternative ways to use compact shelving.  While compact shelving was once the location of choice for low-use items, such as older journals, it has become prime real estate as more sources are available online in full text, and collections are being weeded.  During the summer of 2005, the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library moved its entire book collection to compact shelving (see photo below) in order to create space for expanded group study rooms.  In retrospect, we have found that we anticipated more problems than we actually had.  The book collection has been in compact shelving now for over 15 months and we have seen little impact of this move on usage statistics and user access.

Have you incorporated compact shelving in redesigning space in your library?

A Closer Look

Here’s a closer look at the entry room (‘A’ on the floorplan in the previous posting) of the new after-hours study space at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Library.  The space is also available when the library is open, and we have observed that this room is a favorite of the students.  The students seem to like to create their own environment, and the portable whiteboards allow them to create rooms within a room without using a sense of community with other students studying in the room.  The room is also outifitted with the tools they need to study: computers, whiteboards, and a printer/copier.  (Note: the artwork is by Roberto Rios, Gabe Rios’ father.)

After-hours Study

Over the past summer, the University of Virginia Health Sciences Library expanded its after-hours study area to include two large quiet study spaces and a group study room. This space is accessible to UVA Health System affiliates through card access during times the Library is closed.

(Click on images for larger view.)

Floorplan

Entry Room (A on Floorplan)
This room is designated “talking allowed.” Tables, chairs, and moveable whiteboards are available to make this space conducive to group study. In addition, 5-6 computers are available in this room with the same image as the computers in the Learning Resources Center.

Hamlin Reading Room (B on Floorplan)
The Hamlin Reading Room is for quiet study area with study tables and comfortable chairs.

Reading Area (C on Floorplan)
The area next to the journal stacks is also designated as quiet study. This area features a mix of furniture including study carrels, study tables, and comfortable seating, with plenty of outlets for laptops. A collection of medical textbooks is housed in this room.

Group Study Room (D on Floorplan)
This room is available on a first come, first served basis.

Day One Summary

Thanks to all for checking out the new MAC Showcase blog. A total of 126 views were recorded today, which far exceeded our expectations.

You will note that Day Two begins with a new theme (look). This theme is easier to manage and it has a default RSS feed link on the right hand column. Use the RSS feed to read new postings of this blog in a news reader, such as Bloglines.

Be sure to check out the Showcase Photographs. Once there, please add comments to individual photographs.

Finally, keep sending along your feedback. As stated in the Welcome posting, this is a continual work in progress. We are trying to keep this as free-form and responsive as possible.

Welcome!

The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association is filled with many talented and forward-thinking individuals, in libraries of all sizes. As these individuals collaborate with others (and in some cases on their own), they create synergies that produce innovative ideas and creative solutions. The goal of the MAC Showcase is to present these ideas and solutions to the entire community of MAC libraries in order to promote benchmarking activities.

Here’s how it works:

To get things started, we will regularly present a topic that is of interest to our libraries. The first topic is Space Planning. If you have an example of a creative use of space in your library that we can showcase here, please send pictures and information about the space to me, Dan Wilson (dtw2t@virginia.edu). I’ll post and categorize the information to the blog and all can comment on the posting. As postings increase, we will be able to search the blog either by category or by using the search box in the right column of the page.

Another feature of the blog is using Flikr to display photographs (located on the right column of the blog). Feel free to comment on the pictures through the Flikr site. If you have a picture that you’d like to submit, please send it to me an I’ll post it.

With your help, we should have a repository of valuable information by the time we all meet in Baltimore in 2007.

The MAC Showcase is maintained by the MAC Benchmark Educator, and is supported by a team of volunteer MAC members who serve as liaisons for hospital libraries, special libraries, and academic libraries. The MAC Showcase team is responsible for developing content and for promoting the blog.

 

MAC Showcase Team

Dan Wilson, Chapter Benchmark Educator

Marian Taliaferro, Special Libraries Liaison

Mary Fran Prottsman, Hospital Libraries Liaison

Susan Nash Simpson, Academic Health Sciences Libraries Liaison