PROPOSAL FOR ENHANCED LIBRARY CO-OPERATION

BETWEEN

OMAFRA AND THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

Submitted by

Alan Gale and Michael Ridley University of Guelph Library

. and

Judy Wanner Horticultural Research Institute of Ontario

July 8,1996

1. _ Executive Summary

Strong library services support and enhance effective research and educational programs. TIlls proposal describes a library network that integrates the libraries of the OMAFRA Education, Research and Laboratories Division (ERLD) with the University of Guelph Library. Such a coordinated approach to providing library services and allocating resources will enable ERLD library facilities to maintain local strengths while being supported with additional resources and services provided externally; all done in a cost-effective fashion. However, by accepted academic standards (percentage of parent institution's budget) the OMAFRA libraries are currently modestly funded.

A thorough review of the present status oflibrary services within ERLD leads to the following specific recommendations for maintaining and enhancing services under the proposed merger:

• the University of Guelph Library should be designated the "lead" library providing core services, resources an~ expertise to a network of libraries located at the colleges (Alfred, Kemptville and Ridgetown), laboratories (Food Lab and Vet Labs) and the Horticultural

. Research Institute of Ontario (HRIO). • the Librarian at HRIO, Judy Wanner, should be transferred to the University of Guelph

Library as Library Coordinator, Colleges, Laboratories and HRIO. The Library Coordinator will play an important role in the integration and ongoing development of the OMAFRA libraries. A new library technician will have to be hired as the Library Manager for HRIO.

• all Library Managers at the colleges and at HRIO should be employed on a full-time basis.

• the libraries must be incorporated into the academic and research program decision making of the Colleges, HRIO and"the laboratories.

• a strong infonnation technology infrastructure (networks, workstations, technical support) is required to facilitate access to services, resources and expertise. This infrastructure is the essential glue that holds the partnership together.

The benefits to ERLD staff and college students include, among others, networked access to several major research databases and the University of Guelph Library collection (the latter via a "state of the art" library catalogue), as well as the rapid delivery of documents (e.g. periodical articles) not held by the University's Library. Members of the University community will gain enhanced access to the substantial number of trade publications and periodicals of an applied nature held in the OMAFRA libraries.

The projected costs for this proposal are listed in Table 1; on page 7. One-time costs (database conversions, equipment purchases etc.) are estimated not to exceed $150,000. The additional, annual operating and maintenance costs (salaries, datab~e subscriptions etc.) are $117,000.

Although it was not part of the initial mandate of this investigation it is clear that there is a need to consider the i5\5\ue oflihr::nv c;:pnnC'PC: tn OM A l<~ A "" ., ",1,,,1,,, "T'h", ~l~~ .. p~ ~~+l.~ 'r~P~_"_ 1~1.. ___ _

2. Introduction

This study was initiated following a meeting between Jeremy Gawen, Office of Research and Michael Ridley, Chief Librarian, University of Guelph on May 3. To complete the work, the assistance of Alan Gale; Co-ordinat~r for Network Access Services and J~;w.~er, Manager, Library Services, HRIO was enlisted. . '.

The goals of the project were taken to be to:

• determine the current library systems and arrangements in the OMAFRA system, • determine how the OMAFRA system may be most effectively linked in with Guelph and

the benefits of such a linkage, and • determine the costs of implementing such a linkage and the ongoing costs and benefits of

providing such a service. I

Information for this report was gathered from a number of sources:

• site visits to BRIO and the OMAFRA colleges. At each location an attempt was made to speak to the Library Manager, Director of the Institute or College, and several faculty or researchers. Some students were also consulted, as the occasion arose,

• a site visit to the Agriculture and Food Laboratory Services Branch. Conversations were held with the Director and interested researchers,

• responses to questions submitted to the representative of the Veterinary Laboratory Services Branch on the OVC library committee,

• interviews with University of Guelph staff, • interviews with OMAFRA information technology staff and • background documents and memos supplied by Judy Wanner.

A list of those consulted is given in Appendix 1, at the end of this report.

When the first draft of this report was completed, the managers of the OMAFRA libraries were invited to Guelph to review and discuss it. Copies of the draft report were also circulated to the staff of the University of Guelph Library. Throughout the study an attempt was made to inform all interested parties of developments.

3. Service Criteria

. In undertaking this work, the following criteria were set to ensure a strong and effective library service:

• support for the educational and research j:!;oals of the collej:!;es, HRIO and laboratories,

• cost effectiveness of services, • library involvement in academic and research program decision-making; for example,

college information technology or curriculum committees, and • establishing effective liaison, co-ordination and standardization of procedures among the

OMAFRA libraries and the University of Guelph Library.

4. Proposed Program

The approach recomniended in this report has the following key elements:

Lead Library - the closure of the OMAFRA Corporate library in 1995 left the college libraries and other ministry users without important services such as database searching, computer support for the library catalogue system and co-ordination of co-operative activities like resource sharing. This scheme re:"establishes and extends the central, co-ordinating or 'lead library' function for the OMAFRA libraries.

The University of Guelph Library will be responsible for the overall functioning of the OMAFRA libraries, in consultation with the appropriate, on-site administrative staff. It will also be responsible for enhancing co-operation among these libraries. To do this, it is recommended that the librarian at HRlO, Judy Wanner, be transferred to the University of Guelph Library and given liaison, co-ordination and oversight responsibilities regarding the OMAFRA libraries. A library technician position would be created for HRlO.

Library Managers at the Colleges and HRlO will report within their local unit (preferably to the Director or another senior administrator). However it is vital, if the goal of shared, integrated services and resources is to be met, that the Library Managers and the Library Coordinator (College, Laboratories and HRlO) work closely together. It is recon1mended that the Library Coordinator have significant administrative responsibility for developing and promoting library services within the new partnership.

The Coordinator will:

• • • • • • • • •

manage the integration of the libraries, establish library services and policies, provide specialized information services, coordinate staff development and training, facilitate collection development, initiate electronic services and resources, determine user needs, undertake library evaluation, and coordinate library network planning.

_ T ~'L ____ £"'1 _ _ ~..1~ ___ ~__ __ .'1' 1

Librarians at the University of Guelph Library are increasingly involved in co-operative ventures with colleagues at the libraries of the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. Further, as a condition of their academic status, these librarians are responsible for remaining abreast of technical developments in their field and participating in professional associations. Their experience and learning constitute a rich resource for the staff of the OMAFRA libraries.

Among the benefits of this proposal for University of Guelph users is enhanced access to the substantial number of trade publications and periodicals of an applied nature, held in the OMAFRA libraries. These materials will complement the holdings of their own library.

Centralization of Services - to take advantage of economies of scale, some services would be centralized at the University of Guelph Library, to the extent reasonable. For e"?,ample, the University of Guelph Library acquires and catalogues considerably more books and periodicals than all of the OMAFRA libraries combined. The treatment of materials in French will be discussed carefully before any final decisions are taken. A further example would be interlibrary loan. It is proposed that requests for materials available only at other libraries throughout the world would be handled through the University of Guelph which currently processes a high volume of such requests from users. Increasingly, current network-based technologies allow for the rapid delivery of documents.

Document delivery is growing dramatically in importance as periodical subscriptions are cancelled to offset rising costs. The net effect is to increase staff workload. The projected impact of the merger on .document delivery traffic necessitates one additional staff member at the University of Guelph Library.

Enhanced User Focus - freed from much of the task of acquiring and cataloging materials, the Library Managers will have more time to devote to library education, reference work and the specialized information needs of researchers. In addition, staff can participate in professional development activities which will be reflected in better service to users.

Full-time Positions - all Library Managers at the Colleges and HRIO would be employed on a full-time basis, throughout the year. Currently, some staff work reduced hours in the summer which prevents their getting caught-up on important library tasks or taking programs to upgrade their professional skills.

Information Technology - information technology would be leveraged to the fullest extent possible to save time, money and provide enhanced levels of service. Here are some examples:

• a constant stress on libraries is the rising cost of monographs and periodicals on paper. A comprehensive, integrated collection development policy will allow the most effective use of resources by minimizing duplication. This approach can be extended to networkable teaching resources that are purchased jointly. Electronic interlibrary

agriculture (Agricola and CAB), biology (Life Sciences) and medicine (Medline). The librruy is also a beta test site for a new and innovative software product that will simplify external network access to these databases. Depending on licensing costs, the librruy will provide as many of these databases as possible to the OMAFRA libraries and ERLD users. Current Contents, an important "current awareness" tool for applied scientists and researchers, can also be made available, under the terms of the University Librruy's site licence. The possibility of providing access to SwetScan, another "current awareness" tool, available through the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI), in Ottawa, is also being investigated.

It must be emphasized that, in general, licensing costs will prevent access to these databases by those in OMAFRA who will not become employees of the University of Guelph.

• in the summer of 1997, Guelph and the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University will implement a state-of-the-art, large-scale, integrated librruy catalogue system. Among many other things, this system can be used to provide integrated access to holdings of the OMAFRA libraries as well as the three universities. It will be easy to request a monograph or other item from one of the other libraries, if the item normally circulates. Electronic documents can also be made available through the catalogue.

Library Services for Other OMAFRA Divisions - with the closure of the Corporate Librruy in Toronto important information services were lost to the Ministry. It is clear from this investigation that OMAFRA will still require specialized library and information services. These services are beyond the scope of typical academic library services.

It is proposed that following the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement the Chief Librarian and the Librruy Coordinator (Colleges, Laboratories and HRIO) at the University of Guelph Librruy initiate discussions with appropriate OMAFRA administrators on a fee­based, specialized information service that would address the needs of OMAFRA.

5. Requirements

Networking and Transportation Infrastructure - The approach described above depends very heavily on a strong network infrastructure, including Internet connectivity. To the extent possible, there should be an integrated networking plan governing the Colleges, HRIO and the University of Guelph. On-site computer support is of vital importance. Access to the OMAFRA courier service for the transportation of library books and documents is important, too.

Staffuig - This proposal represents a significant change in some aspects of the service delivery ____ ..1 _1 ("'0.'1"" ... - -- - - -

; ,

Organizational Role - Library staff at the Colleges and HRlO and the Library Coordinator (Colleges, Laboratories and HRIO) at the University of Guelph Library need to be involved with the committees and decision making groups addressing infonnation technology developments, curriculum changes and research program focus in order that library resources and services continue to serve the needs of the user communities.

6. Financial Considerations

It should be noted that for academic institutions it is typical that the library's budget be approximately 5.5% of the total institution's budget. By this measure the OMAFRA libraries (which on average represent less than 2% of the total college or institute budget) are significantly underfunded.

In order to achieve the goals of integrated, shared services and resources it is recommended that:

• there should be no budget reductions to any of the libraries. It is important that the specific budgets of the libraries be clarified and that the Library at the University of Guelph be responsible for managing these budgets in cooperation with the college, laboratory or institute.

• as income from the colleges, laboratories and HRlO increases, library budgets should also be increased. Increased student enrollment or changes in research focus will have an impact on library services.

• savings that arise from the elimination of duplicate journal subscriptions, the adjustment of services or the introduction of other cost reductions be used to offset increased expenses incurred by the University of Guelph Library.

• the acquisitions budgets for all the libraries be centrally administered by the University of Guelph Library with separate accounting for each college, laboratory or HRIO.

The projected costs for enhancing services among the OMAFRA libraries and the University of Guelph Library are shown in Table 1, on the following page. The four "application servers" will be purchased only if needed to ensure acceptable perfonnance (network response time) of the Library's catalogue system, at the Colleges and HRlO. Final quotes have yet to be received from all the database producers and so the subscription costs for the 3 databases deemed "most important" (Agricola, Medline and Life Sciences) have not been finalized. Therefore, the figure for database licensing costs is approximate. Unfortunately, under the terms of current licensing agreements, it would have cost more than $50,000, as a one-time cost, to provide access to the CAB database at an acceptable level (number of simultaneous database users).

Table 1. Costs for Enhancing Library Services

Implementation

Converting college librruy collections to Librruy of Congress system ..... $20,000

Converting catalogue data for new Guelph librruy system ., ..... , .......... $10,000

Workstations (for libraries, 12 @ $3,000) ........ , ..... , ..... , .... , ..... , ..... $36,000

Application Servers (4 Sun Sparc Stations, only if necessary) ., ..... , ..... $60,000

Document Delivery (for libraries; scanners, printers etc.) ........ , .......... $16,000

Miscellaneous costs (computer, office furniture for Librruy Co-ordinator in Guelph) .................................. $8,000

Subtotal ..... , ..... , .... $150,000

Operating and Maintenance (additional and annual)

Librruy Associate (to manage librruy at HRIO) .. , ............................ $40,000

Librruy Assistant (for document delivery, Guelph) .... ,. ....... ....... ... ... $30,000

Librruy Manager (Ridgetown, moving to full-time) .............. , ... ... .... $7,000

Database licensing costs (pending further negotiations with vendor) ...... $30,000

Licensing costs (for new Guelph librruy system) ............. , .... , ........... $5,000

Hardware'upgrading ........... , .......... , ..... , ........................... , ..... $5,000

Subtotal ..... , : .... , ..... $117,000

Appendix 1 - Contacts for Project Information

Agriculture and Food Laboratory Services Branch John Lynch ........... , ........ , ........ Chief Microbiologist . Bruce McNabb ......................... Epidemiology and Risk Assessment

Co-ordinator Deborah Stark ........ , ................. Director Glen Ward ... . .. . .. .. . . . . ... .. .. . . . ..... Co-ordinator for Laboratory Information

Management System

College d' Alfred Pierre-Alain Blais ...................... Faculty Member Martin Croteau ....... , ................. Researcher Normand Kirlsey ..................... , Computer Technician William Kollard ........................ Researcher Diane Lefebvre .....•......•.......... , Faculty Member Lyne Gagne Lalonde .................. Library Technician Charles de Maisonneuve .... , ........ Faculty Member Dan Malcolm ................. , ........ , Researcher Robert St. Amant .... , ........ , .... '" . Head, Comrhumcations Section Jocelyne Sarault ......... '" ............ Faculty Member

Horticultural Research Institute of Ontario Frank Eady ................. , ............. Director Dick Smith '" ........................... Researcher Judy Wanner ., ......... , ............... Manager, Library Services

Information Technology Services (OMAFRA) Patricia Wright ....... , ................ , Client Services

Kemptville College of Agricultural Technology David Beattie ........................... Director Aurele Labonte ......................... Administrative Officer John Morgan ........................... Faculty Member Paul Sharpe ........... , ....... , ......... Faculty Member Debra Simpson ......................... Library Manager

. Ridgetown College of Agricultural Technology lona Roadhouse ....................... , Library Manager Warren Seton ........................... Systems Officer

University of Guelph Jim Brett ................................. Co-ordinator for Interlibrary Loan and

Documentary Delivery Ralph Daehn ............................ Systems Librarian David Hull ............................... Reference Librarian, Veterinary Science Section George Loney .......................... Manager, Library Systems Sean Reynolds ......................... Manager, Networking Services, Computing and

Communications Services Donna Sartori ... .. . ... . .. ... ..... . . . ... Supervisor, Circulation Services, Library Ellen Tom .............................. Head, Technical Services, Library

Veterinary Laboratory Services Branch Phil Lautenslager ....................... Scientist

PROPOSAL FOR ENHANCED LmRARY CO-OPERATION

BETWEEN

OMAFRA AND THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

Submitted by

Alan Gale and Michael Ridley University of Guelph Library

~

and

Judy Wanner Horticultural Research Institute of Ontario

July 8, 1996

1. Executive Summary

Strong library services support and enhance effective research and educational programs. This proposal describes a library network that integrates the libraries of the OMAFRA Education, Research and Laboratories Division (ERLD) with the University of Guelph Library. Such a coordinated approach to providing library services and allocating resources will enable ERLD library facilities to maintain local strengths while being supported with additional resources and services provided externally; all done in a cost-effective fashion. However, by accepted academic standards (percentage of parent institution's budget) the OMAFRA libraries are currently modestly funded.

A thorough review of the present status oflibrary services within ERLD leads to the following specific recommendations for maintaining and enhancing services under the proposed merger:

• the University of Guelph Library should be designated the "lead" library providing core services, resources and expertise to a network of libraries located at the colleges (Alfred, Kemptville and Ridgetown), laboratories (Food Lab and Vet Labs) and the Horticultural Research Institute of Ontario (HRIO).

• the Librarian at HRIO, Judy Wanner, should be transferred to the University of Guelph Library as Library Coordinator, Colleges, Laboratories and HRIO. The Library Coordinator will play an important role in the integration and ongoing development of the OMAFRA libraries. A new library technician will have to be hired as the Library Manager for HRIO.

• all Library Managers at the colleges and at HRIO should be employed on a full-time basis.

• the libraries must be incorporated into the academic and research program decision making of the Colleges, HRIO and"the laboratories.

• a strong information technology infrastructure (networks, workstations, technical support) is required to facilitate access to services, resources and expertise. This infrastructure is the essential glue that holds the partnership together.

The benefits to ERLD staff and college students include, among others, networked access to several major research databases and the University of Guelph Library collection (the latter via a "state of the art" library catalogue), as well as the rapid delivery of documents (e.g. periodical articles) not held by the University's Library. Members of the University community will gain enhanced access to the substantia! number of trade publications and periodicals of an applied nature held in the OMAFRA libraries.

The projected costs for this proposal are listed in Table 1, on page 7. One-time costs (database conversions, equipment purchases etc.) are estimated not to exceed $150,000. The additional, annual operating and maintenance costs (salaries, database subscriptions etc.) are $117,000.

Although it was not part of the initial mandate of this investigation it is clear that there is a need to consider the issue oflibrary services to OMAFRA as awhole. The closure of the Toronto l1hnlTV

2. Introduction

This study was initiated following a meeting between Jeremy Gawen, Office of Research and Michael Ridley, Chief Librarian, University of Guelph on May 3. To complete the work, the assistance of Alan Gale, Co-ordinator for Network Access Services and Judy Wanner, Manager, Library Services, HRIO was enlisted.

The goals of the project were taken to be to:

• determine the current library systems and arrangements in the OMAFRA system, • determine how the OMAFRA system may be most effectively linked in with Guelph and

the benefits of such a linkage, and • determine the costs of implementing such a linkage and the ongoing costs and benefits of

providing such a service. l

Information for this report was gathered from a number of sources:

• site visits to HRIO and the OMAFRA colleges. At each location an attempt was made to speak to the Library Manager, Director of the Institute or College, and several faculty or researchers. Some students were also consulted, as the occasion arose,

• a site visit to the Agriculture and Food Laboratory Services Branch. Conversations were held with the Director and interested researchers,

• responses to questions submitted to the representative of the Veterinary Laboratory Services Branch on the OVC library committee,

• interviews with University of Guelph staff, • interviews with OMAFRA information technology staff and • background docm;nents and memos supplied by Judy Wanner.

A list of those consulted is given in Appendix 1, at the end of this report.

When the first draft of this report was completed, the managers of the OMAFRA libraries were invited to Guelph to review and discuss it. Copies of the draft report were also circulated to the staff of the University of Guelph Library. Throughout the study an attempt was made to inform all interested parties of developments.

3. Service Criteria

In undertaking this work, the following criteria were set to ensure a strong and effective library service:

• SUDDort for the educational and research goals of the colleges, HRIO and laboratories,

• cost effectiveness of services, • library involvement in academic and research program decision-making; for example,

college information technology or curriculum committees, ~d • establishing effective liaison, co-ordination and standardization of procedures among the

OMAFRA libraries and the University of Guelph Library.

4. Proposed Program

The approach recommended in this report has the following key elements:

Lead Library - the closure of the OMAFRA Corporate library in 1995 left the college libraries and other ministry users without important services such as database searching, computer support for the library catalogue system and co-ordination of co-operative activities like resource sharing. This scheme re:'establishes and extends the central, co-ordinating or 'lead library' function for the OMAFRA libraries.

The University of Guelph Library will be responsible for the overall functioning of the OMAFRA libraries, in consultation with the appropriate, on-site administrative staff. It will also be responsible for enhancing co-operation among these libraries. To do this, it is recommended that the librarian at HRIO, Judy Wanner, be transferred to the University of Guelph Library and given liaison, co-ordination and oversight responsibilities regarding the OMAFRA libraries. A library technician position would be created for HRIO.

Library Managers at the Colleges and HRIO will report within their local unit (preferably to the Director or another senior administrator). However it is vital, if the goal of shared, integrated services and resources is to be met, that the Library Managers and the Library Coordinator (College, Laboratories and HRIO) work closely together. It is recommended that the Library Coordinator have significant administrative responsibility for developing and promoting library services within the new partnership.

The Coordinator will:

• manage the integration of the libraries, • establish library services and policies, • provide specialized information services, • coordinate staff development and training, • facilitate collection development, • initiate electronic services and resources, • determine user needs, • undertake library evaluation, and • coordinate library- network planning.

A ~~ ___ 1-,---_

Librarians at the University of Guelph Library are increasingly involved in co-operative ventures with colleagues at the libraries of the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. Further, as a condition of their academic status, these librarians are responsible for remaining abreast of technical developments in their field and participating in professional associations. Their experience and learning constitute a rich resource for the staff of the OMAFRA libraries.

Among the benefits of this proposal for University of Guelph users is enhanced access to the substantial number of trade publications and periodicals of an applied nature, held in the OMAFRA libraries. These materials will complement the holdings of their own library.

Centralization of Services - to take advantage of economies of scale, some services would be centralized at the University of Guelph Library, to the extent reasonable. F or e~ample, the University of Guelph Library acquires and catalogues considerably more books and periodicals than all of the OMAFRA libraries combined. The treatment of materials in French will be discussed carefully before any fmal decisions are taken. A further example would be interlibrary loan. It is proposed that requests for materials available only at other libraries throughout the world would be handled through the University of Guelph which currently processes a high volume of such requests from users. Increasingly, current network-based technologies allow for the rapid delivery of documents.

Document delivery is growing dramatically in importance as periodical subscriptions are cancelled to offset rising costs. The net effect is to increase staff workload. The projected impact of the merger on document delivery traffic necessitates one additional staff member at the University of Guelph Library.

Enhanced User Focus - freed from much of the task of acquiring and cataloging materials, the Library Managers will have more time to devote to library education, reference work and the specialized information needs of researchers. In addition, staff can participate in professional development activities which will be reflected in better service to users.

Full-time Positions - all Library Managers at the Colleges and HRIO would be employed on a full-time basis, throughout the year. Currently, some staff work reduced hours in the summer which prevents their getting caught-up on important library tasks or taking programs to upgrade their professional skills.

Information Technology - information technology would be leveraged to the fullest extent possible to save time, money and provide enhanced levels of service. Here are some examples:

• a constant stress on libraries is the rising cost of monographs and periodicals on paper. A comprehensive, integrated collection development policy will allow the most effective use of resources by minimizing duplication. This approach can be extended to networkable teaching resources that are purchased jointly. Electronic interlibrary

agriculture (Agricola and CAB), biology (Life Sciences) and medicine (Medline). The library is also a beta test site for a new and innovative software product that will simplify external network access to these databases. Depending on licensing costs, the library will provide as many of these databases as possible to the OMAFRA libraries and ERLD users. Current Contents, an important "current awareness" tool for applied scientists and researchers, can also be made available, under the terms of the University Library's site licence. The possibility of providing access to SwetScan, another "current awareness" tool, available through the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI), in Ottawa, is also being investigated.

It must be emphasized that, in general, licensing costs will prevent access to these databases by those in OMAFRA who will not become employees of the University of Guelph.

• in the summer of 1997, Guelph and the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University will implement a state-of-the-art, large:-scale, integrated library catalogue system. Among many other things, this system can be used to provide integrated access to holdings of the OMAFRA libraries as well as the three universities. It will be easy to request a monograph or other item from one of the other libraries, if the item normally circulates. Electronic documents can also be made available through the catalogue.

Library Services for Other OMAFRA Divisions - with the closure of the Corporate Library in Toronto important information services were lost to the Ministry. It is clear from this investigation that OMAFRA will still require specialized library and information services. These services are beyond the scope of typical academic library services.

It is proposed that following the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement the Chief Librarian and the Library Coordinator (Colleges, Laboratories and HRIO) at the University of Guelph Library initiate discussions with appropriate OMAFRA administrators on a fee­based, specialized information service that would address the needs of OMAFRA.

5. Requirements

Networking and Transportation Infrastructure - The approach described above depends very heavily on a strong network infrastructure, including Internet connectivity. To the extent possible, there should be an integrated networking plan governing the Colleges, HRIO and the University of Guelph. On-site computer support is of vital importance. Access to the OMAFRA courier service for the transportation of library books and documents is important, too.

Staffmg - This proposal represents a significant change in some aspects of the service delivery model for thp. C'.ollp.O"p. lihT!'I";"''' <InrI <It Ul]Ttl TJ.._~ ~~~...1~ +- L_ -._£".£":. -, ___ L L'_

Organizational Role - Library staff at the Colleges and HRIO and the Library Coordinator (Colleges, Laboratories and HRIO) at the University of Guelph Library need to be involved with the committees and decision making groups addressing information technology developments, curriculum changes and research program focus in order that library resources and services continue to serve the needs of the user communities.

6. Financial Considerations

It should be noted that for academic institutions it is typical that the library's budget be approximately 5.5% of the total institution's budget. By this measure the OMAFRA libraries (which on average represent less than 2% of the total college or institute budget) are significantly underfunded.

In order to achieve the goals of integrated, shared services and resources it is recommended that:

• there should be no budget reductions to any of the libraries. It is important that the specific budgets of the libraries be clarified and that the Library at the University of Guelph be responsible for managing these budgets in cooperation with the college, laboratory or institute.

• as income from the colleges, laboratories and HRIO increases, library budgets should also be increased. Increased student enrollment or changes in research focus will have an impact on library services.

• savings that arise from the elimination of duplicate journal subscriptions, the adjustment of services or the introduction of other cost reductions be used to offset increased expenses incurred by the University of Guelph Library.

• the acquisitions budgets for all the libraries be centrally administered by the University of Guelph Library with separate accounting for each college, laboratory or HRiO.

The projected costs for enhancing services among the OMAFRA libraries and the University of Guelph Library are shown in Table 1, on the following page. The four "application servers" will be purchased only if needed to ensure acceptable performance (network response time) of the Library's catalogue system, at the Colleges and HRiO. Final quotes have yet to be received from all the database producers and so the subscription costs for the 3 databases deemed "most important" (Agricola, Medline and Life Sciences) have not been finalized. Therefore, the figure for database licensing costs is approximate. Unfortunately, under the terms of current licensing agreements, it would have cost more than $50,000, as a one-time cost, to provide access to the CAB database at an acceptable level (number of simultaneous database users).

Table 1. Costs for Enhancing Library Services

Implementation

Converting college library collections to Library of Congress system ..... $20,000

Converting catalogue data for new Guelph library system .... , ...... , ...... $10,000

Workstations (for libraries, 12 @ $3,000) ..................................... $36,000

Application Servers (4 Sun Sparc Stations, only if necessary) .. , .......... $60,000

Document Delivery (for libraries; scanners, printers etc.) ..... , ............. $16,000

Miscellaneous costs (computer, office furniture . for Library Co-ordinator in Guelph) ........ , ...................... '" $8,000

Subtotal ... '" .... ,. .... $150,000

Operating and Maintenance (additional and annual)

Library Associate (to manage library at HRIO) ., ............................. $40,000

Library Assistant (for document delivery, Guelph) ., ...... , ........... '" ... $30,000

Library Manager(Ridgetown, moving to full-time) .................. ....... $7,000

Database licensing costs (pending further negotiations with vendor) ...... $30,000

Licensing costs (for new Guelph library system) ... ... ........ ... ... .......... $5,000

Hardware'upgrading .............................................................. $5,000

Subtotal ................. $117,000

Appendix 1 - Contacts for Project Information

Agriculture and Food Laboratory Services Branch John Lynch ............................. Chief Microbiologist Bruce McNabb ......................... Epidemiology and Risk Assessment

Co-ord.i.llator Deborah Stark .......................... Director Glen Ward ... . .. ... .. . .. . . . . .. . . . .. ... .. Co-ordinator for Laboratory Information

Management System

College d' Alfred Pierre-Alain Blais ...................... Faculty Member Martin Croteau ......................... Researcher Normand Kirlsey ...................... Computer Technician William Kollard ........................ Researcher Diane Lefebvre ........................ Faculty Member Lyne Gagne Lalonde .................. Library Technician Charles de Maisonneuve ............. Faculty Member Dan Malcolm ........................... Researcher Robert St. Amant ...................... Head, Communications Section Jocelyne Sarault ........................ Faculty Member

Horticultural Research Institute of Ontario Frank Eady .............................. Director Dick Smith .............................. Researcher Judy Wanner ........................... Manager, Library Services

Information Technology Services (OMAFRA) . Patricia Wright ......................... Client Services

Kemptville College of Agricultural Technology David Beattie ........................... Director Aurele Labonte ......................... Administrative Officer John Morgan ........................... Faculty Member Paul Sharpe ............................. Faculty Member Debra Simpson ......................... Library Manager

Ridgetown College of Agricultural Technology lona Roadhouse ........................ Library Manager Warren Seton ........................... Systems Officer

University of Guelph Jim Brett ................................. Co-ordinator for Interlibrary Loan and

Documentary Delivery Ralph Daehn ............................ Systems Librarian David Hull ............................... Reference Librarian, Veterinary Science Section George Loney .......................... Manager, Library Systems Sean Reynolds ......................... Manager, Networking Services, Computing and

Communications Services Donna Sartori ... ... . .. . .. . .. .. ... . . . ... Supervisor, Circulation Services, Library Ellen Tom .................... , ......... Head, Technical Services, Library

Veterinary Laboratory Services Branch Phil Lautenslager ....................... Scientist