Introduction [ Jump to Objectives ]

This Technology Plan details the mission, goals, and objectives of the library of Solano Community College (SCC). The purpose of using information technology in the library is to provide students, faculty, and staff access to the powerful resources rapidly being made available by new technology. These resources are not limited to information in electronic form. By using technology it is possible for someone on the smallest campus to quickly identify the print resources of the library, and of other libraries in the area.

The library seeks to provide expertise in exploiting these resources, and an environment that enhances study, research, information exchange and the acquisition of knowledge.

Mission and Goals

The mission of the library is to provide and make accessible the best possible informational, educational, cultural, and recreational materials and services to its users.

The library's primary information technology goal is to give all of its users access to information regardless of format, and regardless of where the information is stored. The secondary information technology goal is to make that access available from anywhere in the service area insofar as possible, including from libraries of differing sizes and types, from homes, and from offices.

Objectives

The library has adopted the following objectives to achieve its information technology goals:

1. Maintain an automated library system with broad functionality.
           
2. Share the automated library system with other libraries in the area.
           
3. Participate in a governance agreement for cooperative information technology programs.
           
4. Seek to conform to all relevant standards and legal requirements.
           
5. Maintain an "electronic access center" for use by library patrons.
           
6. Use only PCs as remote peripherals, and utilize a multi-tier PC strategy.
           
7. Configure all of the PCs, existing and future, with a Web browser.
           
8. Monitor bandwidth requirements and make adjustments as needed.
           
9. Provide access to a CD-ROM server from all workstations.
           
10. Maintain staff training and patron orientation programs.
            
11. Maintain a biblographic instruction lab.
            
12. Maintain a spares inventory.
            
13. Use competitive bidding for online reference services.
            
14. Avoid proliferation of the same information in multiple formats.
            
15. Upgrade staff work surfaces to accommodate information technologies.
            
16. Accommodate information technologies when building or remodeling library facilities.
            
17. Maintain an electronic security system.
            
18. Seek funding from external sources.
            
19. Phase in implementation over a four-year period.

These components are discussed in detail on the following pages.

1. Maintain an automated library system with broad functionality.

The library will maintain an automated library system which supports the internal automation of acquisitions with online ordering; serials control with online claiming; cataloging with authority control and bibliographic utility interface; circulation with off-line back-up, patron telephone and e-mail notification, and telephone renewal; patron access catalog; Z39.50-based linkages to other automated library systems; and interlibrary loan.

Staff productivity in small libraries usually is not improved when acquisitions and serials control are automated. The automation of acquisitions and serials control will be undertaken in fiscal year 2000/2001 if SNAP, the consortium with which the library shares its automated library system, makes the modules available by then. Automating acquisitions will allow library staff and patrons to determine what is on order regardless of where they are. Patrons will be able to place hold requests so that they will be notified as soon as the needed materials have been received and

processed. Automating serials control will allow library staff and patrons to determine the most recent issue received of any serial subscription, and whether a specific issue for which is citation has been found is held and currently available. There is no additional software licensing cost for the acquisitions and serials control functionality.

Online ordering and claiming will be implemented, but only when EDIFACT is adopted by the book jobbers and subscription agents used by the libraries. EDIFACT is an international standard which links the automated systems of libraries and their suppliers. The industry has been slow to implement EDIFACT because there has been confusion about two older, now obsolete standards: BISAC online ordering and EDI x.12 online claiming. EDIFACT will probably be implemented in fiscal year 2001/2002, or later if CARL, the vendor of the automated library system, or SNAP, does not make it available by then. The cost has not yet been determined.

The cataloging module will be linked to a bibliographic utility--OCLC for the foreseeable future. If some books are supplied pre-processed, the book wholesaler will be asked to log onto the system and transfer machine-readable records online by FTP, rather than sending records periodically on magnetic media.

The database will be complete, including not only the book collection, but also bibliographic records for periodicals, course reserves, non-print materials, and electronic resources. The major cost in completing the database is staff time. The target date for completion is the end of fiscal year 2002/2003.

Circulation will be configured with off-line back-up so that the library can continue to charge and discharge library materials when the host or server is not available. The cost for circulation back-up may be as high as $1,500 unless the library can take advantage of a site license agreement. The implementation will be sought in 2000/2001 as the system will be more vulnerable to failure as it ages.

Circulation will also include patron telephone and e-mail notification for overdues and recalls. Telephone renewal will be made available. The additional cost is not yet known, therefore, a decision about implementation will be deferred.

The library will seek to utilize a graphical user interface (GUI) for all staff modules as this has been shown to increase staff productivity. The additional cost is not yet known, but information will be sought from SNAP no later than fiscal year 2000/2001.

The patron access catalog will be configured with a Web-based user interface as this type of interface is more intuitive than a text-based user interface. The Web-based user interface also has the advantage of being familiar to many users because of its use with the Internet, and it allows a common user interface to a number of sources of electronic information. The text-based user interface will be phased out when the vendor of the automated library system ceases to support it--something that is expected to happen in the next two to three years. There is no additional software license charge for this functionality, but it does require the continued use of PCs as remote peripherals.

Z39.50 linkages will be maintained with other automated library systems. It will be augmented with SuperSearch, an interlibrary loan system maintained by the North Bay Cooperative Library System. At such time as Z39.50 linkages mature and interlibrary loan modules become available from CARL and the vendors of the other systems in the area, it may not be necessary to use SuperSearch.

Rather than maintaining a community information module (also known as information & referral) so that staff and patrons will know which agencies in the community provide what services to whom, and on what terms, the library will rely on campus agencies to place their information on the College's Web site and will rely on the public libraries in the area to provide information about community-based agencies.

Other modules will be considered, but they must be demonstrated to be cost and/or service effective before an investment will be made in them.

The library will emphasize that its reason for automating its internal operations is to improve service to patrons, not to reduce costs. A major way of improving services is to provide rapid access to the resources of the library regardless of where the library user is at the time of the search.

2. Share the automated library system with other libraries in the area.

Rather than maintaining its own automated library system, the library will share a system with the other academic and public libraries of the area. That will not only make it possible for someone in any library to see the resources of all of the libraries of the area, but will also facilitate the movement of patrons among the public and community college libraries. The library will seek to emphasize its own resources; those of its partner libraries will complement the Solana College collection.

When software becomes available which allows local holdings to be displayed first, the library will take advantage of it.

The library will maintain a membership in SNAP, a regional consortium of four public and two community college libraries, which operates a CARL automated library system system with broad functionality. The system is located at the Solano County Library. The SCC Library is connected to the central site via a 128 KPBS frame relay circuit. SNAP provides a higher level of staffing for the system than the library could afford on its own. SNAP also maintains a reserve fund so that system upgrades do not require major capital outlays.

Not only do the libraries participate in sharing an automated library system, they also undertake other cooperative programs through SNAP, including resource sharing and joint subscriptions to online reference services. SNAP is beginning to develop a training program for library staffs.

3. Participate in a governance agreement for cooperative information technology programs.

Libraries which share information technologies need a written agreement among them which spells out their rights and obligations. The library wishes to be flexible in the content of such an agreement, but has adopted the following terms which it believes should be incorporated for such an agreement:

a. The automated library system shall consist of all central site hardware and software (CPU, disk drives, tape drives, UPS, etc.), telecommunications network, and remote peripherals (PCs, side printers, lightpens, etc.) necessary for the libraries to support their internal operations and access remote electronic resources.

b. The central site and telecommunications network shall be owned by the consortium; remote peripherals-which is that hardware and software in the individual libraries connected to the telecommunications networkCshall be owned by the individual libraries.

c. The designated service bureau shall be responsible for housing and operating the central site and telecommunications network-a service for which it shall recover reasonable operating costs from the participating libraries.

d. The procurement of hardware and software for the central site and telecommunications network shall be the responsibility of the service bureau.

e. The procurement of the remote peripherals shall be the responsibility of the individual participating libraries. Remote peripherals shall be owned by the individual participating libraries.

f. All applications software modules (acquisitions, serials control, cataloging, circulation, patron access catalog, etc.) available from the vendor selected shall be made available on the automated library system if any one of the participating libraries requires it. However, no participating library shall have to share financial responsibility for the purchase or maintenance of a specialized software module which only one or two participating libraries use.

g. The purchase price of central site hardware and software, and the telecommunications network, shall be apportioned among the participating libraries on the basis of the number of concurrent user licenses they require or another formula agreed upon by the participating libraries.

h. The service bureau shall be responsible for keeping the central site hardware and software, and the telecommunications network under maintenance, including field-maintenance support from the automated library system vendor or a third-party maintenance organization, at least 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (local time) weekdays.

i. The maintenance charges for the central site hardware and software, and the telecommunications network, shall be allocated among the participating libraries on the basis of the number of concurrent user licenses they require or another formula agreed upon by the particpating libraries. However, no participating library shall be required to pay for the maintenance of hardware or software which it does not use.

j. The service bureau shall be responsible for operating the central site all of the hours any of the participating libraries is open to its users, including evenings and weekends.

k. The service bureau shall have an operator available at the central site between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily. The operator need not be dedicated to the automated library system.

l. The service bureau shall have an operator on call by telephone or pager during those hours that any one of the participating libraries is open to its users outside the 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays period.

m. The cost of operation of the central site-which shall include the cost of the operators' wages and benefits pro-rated among the automated library system and other systems for which they are responsible; floor space rental; and management overhead shall be allocated among the participating libraries on the basis of the number of concurrent user licenses they require or another formula agreed upon by the participants.

n. A participating library which seeks to withdraw from the Agreement prior to five years of participation shall not be reimbursed for its share of the value of the automated library system unless one or more other libraries is prepared to purchase the capacity surrendered.

o. A participating library which seeks to withdraw from the Agreement prior to five years of participation shall be reimbursed for the amount of its initial capital contribution toward the central site hardware and telecommunications network purchase, less 2 percent per month of system use, if one or more other libraries has agreed to purchase the capacity surrendered.

p. If additional libraries are accepted for participation, they shall be required to pay the same amount for central site hardware and software, and telecommunications network, per concurrent user, or other formula agreed upon by the participants, that the original participants have paid. The amount in excess of the incremental cost of adding these libraries shall be distributed among the initial participating libraries as credits toward future financial obligations in proportion to the number of concurrent user licenses each hold or another formula agreed upon by the participants.

4. Seek to conform to all relevant standards and legal requirements.

Conformity to all relevant standards is a high priority. All cataloging will conform to the Anglo-American Cataloging Code, Second Edition (AACR2). The database of the automated library system will be developed and maintained in full-MARC format, including bibliographic, authority, holdings, and patron records.

The vendor of the automated library system will be required to conform to EDIFACT (ISO 9735) for online ordering and claiming. It will also be required to commit to conformity to the Z39.50 linking standard and the Z39.63 interlibrary loan standard (or ISO 10160 and 10161). The library will also expect conformity to the Z39.70 format for circulation transactions within a year of the time it is published.

The automated library system must support the TCP/IP network protocol and the SMTP electronic mail protocol. The automated library system and the network must conform to IEEE standard 802.3 for 100 Mbps data transmission over Category 5 UTP (unshielded twisted pair) wire and the TIA/EIA 568A95 standard for cable installation.

UNICODE compliance will be sought to facilitate multi-lingual user interfaces.

The library will seek to comply with all legal requirements, including the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

5. Maintain an "electronic access center" for use by library patrons.

An "electronic access center" will be maintained for use by library patrons. It consists of a cluster of PCs which provide access to the patron access catalog and a variety of electronic publications, whether mounted on the local automated library system, local CD-ROM towers, another library's platform, or an online reference service. The resources accessible through the center will complement the library's print collection, rather than replace it. While the most widely consulted electronic publications today are indexes and the full-text of journal articles, an increasingly wider range of electronic sources of information is becoming available.

The Internet, especially that part of it known as the Worldwide Web, will be available from the "electronic access center," but the emphasis will be on identifying the most appropriate sites, rather than facilitating aimless "surfing." While frequently used useful sites may be identified by an icon, the vast majority will be cataloged and searchable through the patron access catalog. A subject or keyword search will retrieve a bibliographic record for the URL and a "hot link" will make it possible to access the site. The American Library Association has identified nearly 1,000 useful sites and the OCLC database has machine-readable records for almost all of them. Given staff constraints, it may require an externally funded special project to launch the URL cataloging effort.

The "electronic access center" will be near the reference desk so that staff will be able to observe users who are having difficulty. There will be no fewer than one PC for each 25 persons, or significant fraction thereof, entering the library in the course of a day. As of early 1999, 16 PCs were required.

Ideally, each PC in the center will have its own side printer, with each PC printer configured with a debit card reader to recover the cost of the printer, paper, and other supplies. Not only is it annoying to have to wait for copies printed on a network printer, but it is confusing when printed pages for two or more patrons cannot be easily differentiated. Network printing, while more convenient for a library to administer, does not offer patrons the level of convenience to which they are entitled. A debit card machine can measure the number of pages, and allows the rate to be adjusted as needed. When configured to accommodate credit cards, the amount to be charged will be determined by the service which the patron accesses.

Given the high cost of debit card readers ($500-750 each), the library will not consider this approach until the predicted sharp reduction in debit card reader prices occurs. Until then, one or more networked laser printers will be used. When debit card readers are purchased, they will also be installed on photocopiers and microform printers.

Patrons will be allowed to download to their own diskettes, but not allowed to load their software onto these machines.

Security, while a concern, has not been a major problem for libraries. Nevertheless, each PC will be configured with Centurion Guard, Fortress, or another PC security product which controls access to the PCs operating system and utilities. Except for library staff, access to the automated library system will be limited to the patron access catalog. CD-ROM server software is limited and, if properly backed up, can be reloaded in a very short time. The CD-ROMs are not erasable.

The "electronic access center" will be configured to support multimedia access. Multimedia is a combination of television, personal computing, and optical storage, such as CD-ROM or Laserdisc. An enhanced PC which conforms to the multimedia standards can retrieve not only bibliographic files, but also full-text files, still images, audio, and motion images. Audio listening will require earphones, rather than speakers.

The library will equip the "electronic access center" with high-end PCs, typically a model which is at the third-level. It is this level which generally offers the best price/performance. For example, if the latest technology were a Pentium 450, the library would purchase Pentium 350 machines.

At least two "electronic access center" workstations will be ADA compliant, including zoom text, a second keyboard with large keys, and audio with headset.

Insofar as space and available funds permit, PCs will be installed in carrels 48 to 52 inches wide and 30 inches deep. This size provides sufficient space for PCs and printers, in addition to user books and personal possessions. At least two of the carrels will have work surfaces which can be adjusted to accommodate wheelchairs.

The PCs, which will cost $2,000 each or $32,000 for 16, will be acquired as part of general College PC procurements, and will be maintained under the College's general technology support program. Carrels for the "electronic access center" will cost approximately $1,000 each, or $16,000.

6. Use only PCs as remote peripherals, and utilize a multi-tier PC strategy.

"Dumb" terminals--remote peripherals without memory--on the automated library system will not be used on the automated library system. Now that high-end Pentium PCs with printers have dropped to as little as $2,000, it is realistic to use PCs in lieu of $600 terminals. There are two reasons for doing so: PCs can support a wider range of tasks than "dumb" terminals, and the vendors of automated library systems are redesigning their systems to support only PCs as remote peripherals. The redesign will make it possible for the remote peripherals to control the "presentation" of the information on the screen.

"Third-level" PCs, those which are two levels below the highest priced machines, will be specified. In early 1999 that is the Pentium 350 with 32 MB of memory. In fiscal year 2000/2001 the Pentium 400 with 64 MB is expected to be the "third-level" machine. Each will be Multimedia enabled, and will include a Web browser. Insofar as possible, each PC will be configured with a side printer. A three-year onsite warranty will be required.

As new PCs are purchased they will be installed in the "electronic access center" and the machines replaced will be reallocated to other applications which require less robust machines. Typical of such applications is word processing. Older PCs will also be used for circulation charge and discharge--an activity which involves no substantial movement of data. The expectation is that machines will remain in the "electronic access center" for no more than three years.

No more than half of the machines are expected to be usable after five years. The rest will be cannibalized for parts. The machines will declared salvage after a total of six years regardless of condition.

As of early 1999, the library required a total of 46-48 PCs, all but three of them at least Pentium II/350s. The distribution was two in technical services, three in reference, one in the circulation/reserve office, two in administration, 16 in the "electronic access center," and 19-21 in the bibliographic instruction lab. Three less robust machines were required for circulation charge and discharge. Only two high-end machines were available, as well as the three machines needed for circulation charge and discharge. The 19-21 PCs for the bibliographic instruction lab had been budgeted. The shortfall, therefore, was 22 high-end PCs.

Twenty-two machines will be purchased in fiscal 2000/2001 at a cost of $44,000, $32,000 of which has been included in objective 5. Machines equal to no fewer than 25 percent of the total number deployed will be purchased each year thereafter. The estimated cost is $24,000 per year.

7. Configure all of the PCs, existing and future, with a Web browser.

There is a strong trend toward Web-based user interfaces. Almost all vendors of automated library systems have introduced a Web-based patron access catalog, and many plan to introduce Web-based user interfaces for other modules by 2000. Many online reference services and CD-ROM publishers are also changing to a Web-based user interfaces. The prospect for a common user interface for a wide variety of electronic products and services by 2000 is very good.

CARL's Everybody's Menu Builder will continue to be used. The number of icons on the first screen will be limited, and the Internet will be de-emphasized. Instead, Web sites will be "selected" just as books and periodicals, and icons or pull-down menus will be provided for those which are considered particularly useful. Other useful URLs will be cataloged when resources permit.

Consideration will be given to having the first screen of the "electronic access center" machines provide users the option of specifying the broad subject area of their inquiry: business, consumer affairs, environment, history, literature, science, etc. The next screen will provide the options, with no emphasis on the source of the information: CD-ROM, Web-site, etc. Interdisciplinary resources such as general encyclopedias will appear on each screen.

The cost of moving to Web-based user interfaces is incorporated in the purchase prices of the PCs.

It will be necessary to maintain a Web server in the automated library system to provide access from Web browsers, both within a library and coming in through a Web home page. This need not be separate hardware, but does require software. The software will make it possible to require the entry of a patron ID to gain access to electronic products and services, therefore, limiting such access to registered patrons. The library will seek to use the PIN number required for online registration to authenticate users. This will be a major step forware to providing students participating in distance learning with the same electronic resources as those on the campuses.

The library will consider purchasing "Internet Watchdog," a software package from Charles River Media of Rockland, MA or a similar product for recording the number of times each application, product, or service has been accessed via the Web browser. This will make it possible to determine which resources are most used. This is particularly important in the case of resources for which the library pays a subscription fee. [If the online reference service provides usage data, it will be possible to verify the accuracy of the data]. The cost of the software will be $29.95 per PC. It may be possible to negotiate a site license.

8. Monitor bandwidth requirements and make adjustments as needed.

The number of PCs in the library and their use, including access to the shared automated library system and the Internet, requires an increasing amount of bandwidth. Increasingly, Web sites are adding color, motion, and audio, each requiring additional bandwith.

The library currently is connected to the automated library system's central site via a 128 Mpbs circuit. Given the fact that half or more of the 46-48 PCs the library will soon have may be accessing the automated library system at one time, there is a need to increase the bandwidth to 256 Kbps. Alternately, all of the PCs in the bibliographic instruction lab will access the system via the Internet. In that case, additional bandwidth will be required for Internet access.

The library will seek to provide an average of 56 Kbps per Internet user. Assuming that as many as half of the library's 46-48 PCs will be accessing the Internet at any one time, there is a need for a T-1 circuit no later than 2001. The cost may be as high as $6,000 per year. At the point that it has 60 PCs installed, but in no event later than 2003, the library will reexamine its bandwidth requirements.

9. Provide access to a CD-ROM server from all workstations.

Electronic publications on CD-ROM will continue to be acquired as some publishers offer only that medium, and others offer more favorable pricing for CD-ROM products than for online services. Insofar as licensing restrictions and prices permit, they will be mounted on a CD-ROM server and made accessible from throughout the campus, and from off-campus. If licensing restrictions or prices make it more cost effective to limit access to the library or the campus, that will be done.

If response times for popular titles--especially multimedia titles--deteriorate, one or more 9.0GB hard disks will be connected to the CD-ROM server, and the content of the titles loaded onto it. This will increase the number of concurrent users who can be accommodated and improve response times.

The library's present CD-ROM equipment was purchased in 1996. It will be obsolete by fiscal year 2000/2001. Before that time, CD-ROM drives rated at less than 32x will be replaced as needed with 32x drives--the speed which offers the best price/performance.

A new CD-ROM server will be purchased in fiscal year 2000/2001. It will be specified as "self configuring," meaning that it can be directly connected to a network without having to spend time configuring it. The cost will be approximately $6,500.

10. Maintain staff training and patron orientation programs.

As systems become more complex, staff training increases in importance. Not only will the library purchase staff training from the vendor of each system or product at time of initial purchase, but it will budget for refresher training each year. The typical automated library system requires two days of on-site training per module; refresher training typically is one-half day per module. The cost is approximately $1,500 per day, or $3,000 for refresher training in the core modules.

Training will be limited to groups of six as that provides both hands-on experience and close monitoring by the trainer. If more than six staff need to be trained, the library will have the vendor train a core group, and have that group train the others. That core group will also train new staff as they are hired.

Online reference services also provide training, but it usually is done regionally, rather than on-site at a library. The library will seek to send a group of two to six staff to such training, and will have that group train the others.

CD-ROM products generally come without training, therefore, the library will assign a staff member to become familiar with each product using the manual and hands-on practice. The staff member will then be asked to demonstrate the product to other staff members.

The library will provide regular orientation sessions for patrons. These will be limited to 18-20 persons and will include an overview of the automated library system, the Internet, and CD-ROMs, and the basics of library research in a mixed print and electronic environment. Skills in using specific electronic resources will also be taught. As much as possible, orientation will be undertaken in conjunction with a class assignment and the cooperation of the course instructor. The purpose of the orientation program is "information competency," not "computer literacy." The latter is a College responsibility.

A special effort will be made to orient faculty to electronic resources. Each academic discipline will be invited as a unit to spend 75 minutes in the library for an overview of electronic resources in that academic area.

Other than library courses which are part of the curriculum, training programs will not be offered to patrons, but the library will maintain a roster of campus and community training opportunities.

11. Maintain a bibliographic instruction lab.

The library will maintain a bibliographic instruction lab in which to conduct its staff training, patron orientation, and formal instruction by library staff. It must be possible for classes to come into the library for a group assignment or for orientation without tying up all of the workstations in the library, therefore, a dedicated lab is required.

The present lab, which is outside the library's entrance and limited to word processing, may be retrofitted as an assessment testing center. The new bibliographic instruction lab will have a minimum of 18 to 20 workstations, plus an instructor's station. If space permits, it will be as large as 30 workstations. It will be within the library. Faculty at other community colleges which have bibliographic instruction labs have complained that it is difficult to work with a class when some are in the library and others in a lab away from the library. They wish to work with the entire class a group using all aspects of a library's resources.

While the workstations in the lab will have the same capabilities as those in the "electronic access centers," they will be in addition to the number required by the library attendance formula adopted by the library. The lab will have an instructor's workstation linked to a digital projector so that everyone in the room can see what is on the instructor's screen.

As of early 1999, funds were available for the establishment of the bibliographic instruction lab. The support of the hardware will be funded from the College's general technology support budget.

The bibliographic instruction lab will not be made available as an open lab. Instead, students will be referred to the large open lab being installed on the library's mezzanine. That lab is not planned to be under library control.

12. Maintain a spares inventory.

In order to minimize the impact of having equipment out for repair, especially when it ages, a spares inventory will be maintained. It will include at least two PC, two printers, two lightpens or scanners, and one debit card reader at such time as they are installed on printers. When a failure occurs, the failed unit will be replaced from the spares inventory within one hour.

PCs in the spares inventory will be configured with all of the software used in the library. Security software will be used to restrict access to the applications which are suitable for the location in which the spare is placed.

A spares inventory, if established in 2001-2002, will cost approximately $6,000 to establish.

Insofar as possible, the staff member responsible for the bibliographic instruction lab will be responsible for all of the library's PCs. Other full-time library staff will not seek to undertake trouble shooting beyond reboots and clearing of paper jams, and will not repair equipment; instead, maintenance will be referred to the staff member responsible for the PCs. If he cannot resolve a problem in a time manner, repairs will be referred to the College's technology support center.

The library will train several student assistants to check PCs, remote components which are not working, and install working components. One appropriately qualified student assistant will be scheduled for each hour the library is open. Normally, the student assistant will be assigned to shelving library materials or working at the circulation desk, with release for PC hardware duty as needed. Software configuration will not be part of the responsibility of student assistants. Each PC will be configured with a "standard load" which can be turned on selectively using the remote PC management software controlled by the College's technology support center or by security software under the control of an authorized library staff member.

13. Use competitive bidding for online reference services.

The library cannot afford to purchase all of the online reference services which may be of interest to its patrons at their published prices, nor would it want to purchase those not used frequently enough to justify the subscription price. It will, therefore, seek to reduce the cost by undertaking competitive procurements and, insofar as possible, sharing the procurements with other libraries--including SNAP, the North Bay Cooperative Library System, and academic libraries statewide through the Community College League.

It is likely that an online reference service which provides access to the full-text of 1,500 or more periodicals will continue to be of wide interest to both academic and public libraries in the state. SNAP subscribes to EbscoHost, including its Master File, Health File, and Newspaper File. As of early 1999, the library augmented it with Ebsco Academic from its own funds. The sharing of that subcription will be pursued with other academic libraries. Other services which will be considered are those offered by Chadwyck-Healey, IAC, OCLC, OVID, UMI, and H.W. Wilson--several of which offer services which are similar in their content to EbscoHost and Ebsco Academic.

If no partner(s) can be found, the library will pursue a competitive procurement on its own.

While an online reference service provides full-text for many journal titles, many will continue to be supplied from the library's print collection. The identification of what is available from a library's own holdings is facilitated by the serials control module of the automated library system provided that the library maintain records for all of its subscriptions in the database. All holdings, including the most recent check-in information, will then be available to patrons and staff.

Costs for online reference services vary widely, but a useful "rule-of-thumb" is $.50 to $1.00 per anticipated use. As many as 10,000 uses per year are expected by fiscal year 2000/2001 at a cost of approximately $7,500, with a 25-30 percent per year increase thereafter.

14. Avoid proliferation of the same information in multiple formats.

Hundreds of titles are now available in multiple formats, including print, microform, and electronic. A primary format will be chosen for each title using criteria to be developed, and the purchase of the same title in another format will be avoided unless the level of use warrants the additional copy. While the best decision basis would appear to be the latest well established format, the decision has to be made in light of cost. The electronic format is not always the most cost effective. For example, a three-year backfile of 300 popular periodicals may cost $30,000 to bind, counting in-house labor costs, plus $1,500 per year to service, for a total five-year cost of $37,500. Or it may cost $25,000 to purchase the same backfiles on microform, including equipment, plus $2,500 per year to service, for a total five-year cost of $37,500. But, the cost per year for the same information on CD-ROM, including the cost of equipment, would be $15,000—plus $3,000 per year for service, for a total five-year cost of $90,000. Access to the full-text of the same titles will be a minimum of $5,000 per year through an online reference service, for a total five-year cost of $25,000.

While an electronic format is the format of the future for many publications, the library will continue to purchase a great deal of printed material and some microform for the next decade.

15. Upgrade staff work surfaces to accommodate information technologies.

Staff who regularly access automated systems in their work cannot be expected to work efficiently at small desks and tables which are filled with PCs, printers, books, and notebooks. Each such staff member will be provided an ergonomically correct desk which has space for each piece of equipment and places the keyboard and monitor at the right visual height and reach. The standard is articulated in the College's Technology Plan.

The cost of upgrading existing workstations is estimated at $3,500. The upgrade will be undertaken in fiscal year 2002/2003.

16. Accommodate information technologies when building or remodeling library facilities.

A standard has already been adopted for data cabling within the library: Category 5 UTP (unshielded twisted pair) wiring which can accommodate data transmission rates of up to 100 Mbps. As new facilities are constructed or remodeling is undertaken, "premises wiring" will be required so that it will not be necessary to continually install wiring to locations where data access is needed.

The availability of "clean" electrical power in all areas where electronic equipment may be installed will also be required. This consists of installing separate conditioned electrical circuits.

It will be assumed that each staff member's desk and each staff member's workstation at a service counter will require a data outlet and a "clean" duplex electrical outlet. All carrels in a reference area will also require similar treatment. Group study rooms will also be wired.

Instructions to architects and/or contractors will specify that fenestration and lighting must minimize glare as glare on display screens is a major source of discomfort and inconvenience. All furniture and equipment must be of ergonomic design.

The cost of the rewiring--both data and electrical--will be approximately $75 per data jack or electrical outlet if undertaken during construction or remodeling; $200-300 if undertaken at another time.

17. Maintain an electronic security system.

Libraries are experiencing significant losses from their collections. It is, therefore, necessary to maintain an electronic security system at the library's entrance/exit.

The targets will be the type that require de-magnetizing at time of check-out, and remagnetizing at time of check-in. Periodical issues will have targets randomly inserted at time of initial receipt.

An electronic security system does not eliminate losses completely, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the reduction in losses will be at least 50 percent, and as high as 70 percent; therefore, it is cost effective in almost all libraries which have a collection of more than 20,000 volumes.

As the system is already installed, the cost is limited to maintenance and targets for new materials--a total of approximately $750 per year.

Patron self-charging will be considered when the cost of the systems drops below the current price of $26,000 per station ($22,000 to 3M or Kingsley (manufacturers of the self-charging stations) and $3,000 to the vendor supplying the automated library system). Several vendors have begun to develop units which may be priced as low as $5,000. The installation has tentatively be scheduled for fiscal year 2003/2004.

By interfacing a circulation workstation to a "desensitizing" unit, it will be possible for patrons who have no renewals or fines to quickly charge materials and remove the charge on the target in side the materials.

18. Seek funding from external sources.

While it is not realistic to obtain general operating funds from any source other than a library's appropriating authority, there is reason to believe that external funding is available for the capital purchase of information technology and ongoing data communications costs.

Contact will be maintained with the state library agency to determine what funds may be available, and the requirements for applying. This may include both federal and state funds for capital purchases. It may also include some funds for ongoing data communications costs under the Universal Services Fund.

A special effort will be made to identify foundations by conducting an annual database search of foundations which have funded information technology for libraries in the past few years, especially those which have made such funding available in this area or to special needs groups which may be represented in the local population.

The library will adopt the grant application format developed by the National Network of Grantmakers, a consortium of more than 40 foundations which have agreed to a common grant application. The structure of the grant application is very similar to that of hundreds of other foundations, corporations, and federal agencies. It includes a summary sheet, a description of the organization submitting the application, a description of the request, a means for evaluating the success of the project, an overview of the organizational structure of the applicant, financial information, and supporting materials, including published articles about the organization. By adopting this application as "boilerplate," the library will have a foundation for the rapid preparation of grant requests.

19. Phase in implementation over a four-year period.

The components of the Information Technology Plan will be implemented over a four-year period. This amount of time is required not only for financial reasons, but also because library staff cannot be expected to do everything at once.

The plan will be updated each year and a detailed schedule of activities will be drafted. It will include updated specifications and cost figures.

New costs (ongoing annual costs in parentheses) as of the time the plan was prepared in 1999 were:

[Dated July 1, 1999]