Conference Overview

1. We're going from the library as a physical entity (building) to the library with no walls (virtual).
2. Our selection methods are not only buying books, journals and conference proceedings but selecting Web Sites to point to as well (web mining)
3. Just as we catalog and classify books there is a need for Web organization.
4. Not only are librarians struggling to keep up with the new technology but so are publishers.
5. How does the Net affect peer review and information authority?
6. More and more licensing of information is going on rather than the outright purchase of this information.
7. Some of the organizations we're working in are changing as they go from a traditional hierarchical management model to a more team based approach.
8. Many of us are looking at going to a client-based server model in the automation of our libraries.

Assignment: write down questions/topics of interest to you. Some suggestions are Internet, Patents, Dissemination of Government Information, Innovative delivery of services, Digital Library Update. Questions will be gathered and then grouped together by like topics.

These topics are:

1. Collection Development
   • Definition of the role of the library (archival vs access)
   • Cutbacks in format type/subject discipline materials/equipment
   • Software/format/equipment is helping to determine what goes into the collection
   • Ownership/leasing
   • Identify resources on the campus and make available on the OPAC
   • Selective electronic resources support (there is only so much money to go around how is priority determined)
   • develop a collections policy for electronic formats
   • campus departments will buy enduser equipment for access instead of library
   • new bibliographic utilities with client/server applications
   • weeding (especially how to do it for electronic resources)
   • still using subjects as a basis for collection and not format

2. National Engineering Information Initiative (NEII)
   • what is it really all about?
   • how can librarians have a lasting impact on this (especially input and instruction)?
   • need to bring NEII to the forefront
   • define ASEE's role in relation to NEII
   • executive committee should keep a pulse on NEII
   • what direction is NEII going and what are librarians/institutions roles?
   • what is ASEE's direction?
   • ELD division needs to take the lead within ASEE in regards to NEII

3. Internet
   • workshops for course related homepages (next year's conference)
   • sharing Web/curriculum-based resources (e.g. ICE) in coordination with the ELD homepage.
   • how do we assure the maintenance of important Web resources we all use, such as ICE. Can we share the burden among us? (NOTE: UC Riverside's INFOMINE is taking this approach) Is there funding available to help support?
   • how do we point to (i.e. organize) valuable web resources and how do we inform others of these sites?
   • how does this relate to ELD's literature guides? We sell them now do we just put them up on the Web?
   • need to explore corporate (not just ASEE) sponsorship of Web initiatives
   • training of staff to use HTML and design Web pages

4. Doing it all
   • dealing with new technologies (learning, instructing, etc.) yet getting the "old job" done as well
   • need for practical, time-saving tips
   • learn to prioritize (do less with less)
   • learn to say no
   • what can you stop doing (and how do you get feedback from users on this)

5. Team Building/Partnering/Cooperation
   • what do our faculty really want?
   • we need to foster/nurture a relationship between the librarian and the faculty member
   • what is the role of the "digital librarian" on the campus? How is it being redefined?
   • where do we look for money
   • share case studies (e.g, curriculum based use of the Web) among colleagues
   • share lessons learned
   • share different models and processes used
   • evaluate different models and processes used (cost-benefit)
   • we need to balance partnering as it can work to our advantage in obtaining resources but also add unattainable expectations (and get us into trouble)