University of South Carolina Sumter
Act 629 - Summary Reports on Institutional Effectiveness
Fiscal Year 1999 - 2000

Submitted by: Anthony M. Coyne, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (803) 938-3749 acoyne@uscsumter.edu Star Hunter Kepner, Institutional Research (803) 938-3785 stark@uscsumter.edu USC Sumter Sumter, South Carolina 29150-2498

Assessment of Library Resources and Services

Indicators:

1. A variety of up-to-date resources that support the institution’s mission and needs of library users will be provided.
2. Faculty and students will become regular independent users of library collections and resources.
3. Faculty and students will have access to the online catalog and electronic databases.
4. Faculty and students will have access to materials not owned by the library through interlibrary loan and other consortial arrangements with area libraries.
5. Adequate library facilities will be provided for housing the library’s collections and equipment, for accommodating distance learners, and for studying.
6. An organizational structure and financial operation conducive to the effective pursuit of the library’s mission will be maintained.

Assessment Methods:

Because libraries are complex systems, any given assessment method will be on several indicators. The methods are listed below together that they assess.

• Evaluation of print and electronic collections against standard bibliographies and institutional course offerings (1, 3 & 4)
• Compilation and a review of Circulation statistics (2, 3 & 5)
• Review of Interlibrary loan statistics (1 & 4)
• Compilation of user surveys to determine adequacy of programs and services (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6)
• Informal patron feedback (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6)
• Review of library standards for staffing and space (5 & 6)

Assessment Results:

Up-to-date resources are available in a variety of formats in all subject areas to support the institution's course offerings. Materials are available electronically which some students have access to new technology as well as traditional resources. Faculty members actively participate in collection development and are encouraged to select materials in their subject areas that will aid them with research and scholarship.

Evaluating the collection and recommended resources against standard bibliographies is an integral part of the library's collection development program and ensures that the best resources are selected for patron use. The library has completed the evaluation of all resources against standard bibliographies and is now in the process of working with individual faculty members to select new resources to support course offerings. (SEE Chart 1: USC Sumter Collection Comparison, Chart 2: USC Sumter Library Collection In Subject Areas, Chart 3: USC Sumter Periodical Collection, Chart 4: Percentage Of Periodicals USC Sumter Carries That Are Indexed In Major Bibliographic Sources. Note: this information is also available on the Internet at: http://www.uscsumter. edu/~library

Providing effective and efficient services to users are the primary functions of the library. Student and faculty surveys and circulation statistics clearly show that patrons are demanding more electronic resources, particularly those that are full-text. The increased awareness of what is available electronically has also brought about student requests for more of these types of resources and that they be available via remote computer access. Electronic resources are also having a great impact on the way students use the library and what materials they use. Full-text articles from a database are preferred over books off the shelf. (SEE Chart 5: USC Sumter Circulation Statistics, Chart 6: 1998-1999 Discus User Statistics. Note: this information is also available on the Internet at: http://www.uscsumter.edu/~library

Surveys also continue to reflect the students' desire for longer library hours; although when the library extends hours, few students take advantage of the opportunity. The library is currently open 58.5 hours per week, and this appears to meet user demands.

Students and faculty alike stress the need for additional orientation programs that are in-depth and subject specific. Surveys reflect positive responses for the library's efforts but clearly indicate that students want more in-depth training on the uses of Internet and other computer resources and they want that training done by qualified staff. Formal and informal patron feedback also indicates a need for more services and trained staff to perform them. (SEE Chart 7: Library Survey Responses: What Would Help You Find Library Material?, Chart 8: Library Survey Responses: How Can The Library Improve Service?, Chart 9: Bibliographic Instruction Classes 1999/2000. Note: this information is also available on the Internet at: http://www.uscsumter.edu /~library

The library's collection of resources is organized according to the Library of Congress Classification and is easily accessible through USCAN, the university's online catalog. Electronic resources are also readily available on the 14 library reference computers, and most of these resources are available across campus via the campus network. (See the Anderson Library’s webboard at: http://webboard. uscsumter.edu/~library

Students and faculty have access to materials not available at USC Sumter through the university's interlibrary loan system, as well as through consortial arrangements with local libraries. Interlibrary loan requests are processed electronically and are received either by regular mail, e-mail, electronic transfer via AERIAL, fax, or shuttle delivery. (See Chart 10: Interlibrary Loan Book Requests and Chart 11: Interlibrary Loan Journal Requests)

The Anderson Library facility is spacious and well equipped with individual and group study rooms, (all of which are wired to receive distance education courses) individual study carrels, 14 individual viewing and talk-back carrels for distance education students, a newspaper and periodicals reading room, comfortable seating areas for individuals and small groups and study tables. The library will seat more than 450 users.

(Library floor plan is located on the Internet at: http://www.uscsumter.edu/~library )

Computers, microfilm reader/printers, photocopiers, tape and CD players, TVs, VCRs, and assorted projectors are available for patron use.

The organizational structure and operation of the library supports the mission by providing programs and services that support the educational program and life-long learning. The staff is highly trained and all report a high degree of job satisfaction with the exception of the fact that there is not enough staff to meet user demands. The need to add people resources in the library was addressed by SACS in 1991 and in a 1995 study by the library processing center which showed that, compared to library standards, the library had 5.2 staff members, when the minimum required of this type of library is 7. The 5.2 figure also includes 1.2 staff from the processing center leaving the on-campus staff at 4 full-time positions.

The library participates in the ongoing campus goal setting and planning process, and this has resulted in campus-wide support for the library's programs and services. Such support has brought about increases in the library's acquisitions budget, audio-visual equipment budget, and the allocation of funding for staff. The library committee also serves as an effective advocate for the library and is integal to planning library services and programs.

Use of Assessment Findings:

The library has developed a long-range plan based on the needs of its users. Currently, the greatest user need is for additional instruction on the use of the vast array of resources now available. In an effort to meet this need the library staff has studied current literature and found that, in fact, many other libraries are facing this same challenge. The American Library Association, along with the Association of Educational Communications and Technology suggest that two-year college libraries must be involved in instruction and instructional development. Librarians are challenged to become involved with "teaching, administrative, and other staff members in the design, implementation, and evaluation of instructional and educational systems of the institution."

Librarians at USC Sumter have employed a number of methods to deliver library instruction ranging from formal credit courses to self-paced individualized instruction to course- integrated library skills modules. Our findings from student and faculty surveys indicate that course integrated library skills instruction is the best method. This finding is supported by research from other libraries as well.

The problem is that this type of course-integrated library skill's instruction takes place only in University 101 classes and occasionally in a few science and humanities classes. A review of current library literature provides clear documentation that the students who have opportunities for this type of instruction have not only better research skills, they also retain what they have learned for a longer period. Students who receive high quality instruction on a two-year campus are better prepared to continue their studies at senior institutions. Therefore, to adequately prepare students, we must work with faculty by seeking ways of providing course-integrated library skills instruction to as many of our students as possible, including those students who are at the Shaw Air Force Base site and other sites off-campus.

Since we already have good ongoing relationships with our faculty, developing such a program of library instruction is a logical follow-up for acquainting students with new resources as well as existing ones. This will require faculty and librarians to develop a course-specific library component. For example, a library component for the Strategic Management class (AMGT 478) might be how to research a Fortune 500 company and locate information on the company's stocks, assets, annual reports, and corporate officers. A library component for General Biology (110) could be how to research resources that provide information on different areas in the biological sciences and compile a bibliography of those sources. A variety of assignments can be developed for individual courses but the goal of all assignments will be to introduce students to a wide span of library resources and to make them comfortable in using these resources. Components will be presented by faculty and/or librarians in the classroom and will also be Web-based. Videos are also planned so those students who miss a class or are not on the Sumter campus site will have access to library instruction. In addition to changing and expanding bibliographic instruction programs, the Anderson Library develops printed handouts and posts information to the library's home page and Web Board.

The staffing problem has been addressed with the hiring of a full time temporary staff member, with plans for the position to be made permanent. Additionally, the library continues to be a significant part of the campus long-range plan and is in line for another temporary position in the next fiscal year. The library is making significant progress in this area and the quality of library programs and services is improving as a result.

The following full-text databases have been added or are in the process of being added to the USC Sumter periodical collections.

• JSTOR: An online full-text journal collection containing 126 titles primarily in the social sciences and humanities. Nine of the titles are currently available in the General Science Collection.
• Lexis-Nexis: A web-based database specifically tailored for universities and colleges. Nearly 5,200 publications on the service span news, financial, medical, and legal information. The vast majority of the titles are available in full-text with a limited number available in abstract form.
• CommSearch: A CD-ROM searchable reference tool for research articles in Communication Studies. There are 6 titles available in full-text on this resource.
• American Chemical Society Publications: Provides Internet access to all 37 American Chemical Society Publications.

Achievement of Students Transferring from Two to Four-Year Institutions

Transfer reports for the USC Regional Campuses can be found at http://kudzu.ipr.sc.edu/IEReports/transfers/tran2000.htm