Task Group on Non-Traditional Media

FINAL REPORT

July 1994

2. Trends and Recommendations

2.1 Trends

Readily available material
1. Duplicated material
  1. There are 23 known subscriptions to sections of Current Contents (includes the Library's subscriptions to 7 parts) on campus costing over $14,000 U.S.
  2. Several users have access to Medline (Index Medicus on line) through one of a number of sources.
  3. While many faculty, staff and students use the Internet for e-mail, readnews, and library catalogues, few of them know what is available and have used many of its resources or know how to find their way around the Internet.
2. Unique materials
  1. There are some CD-ROM and on-line databases that have been subscribed to by individual faculty members that have not been subscribed to by the Library nor by faculty members in other departments. Most subscribers tell their colleagues about these databases and do searches for them if requested.
  2. Many CD-ROM publications (non-database text and audio) have been purchased by faculty members for their teaching and research, e.g., animation in Kinesiology; maps in Biology. These CDs may be of interest to others.
  3. There are many slide and photograph collections around the campus. The largest collections are located in the Fine Arts Department and the School of Architecture. Some slides have been purchased from commercial vendors while many have been created by faculty members for their own purposes.
  4. Most videos are provided or created by the Audio/Visual Centre; some have been purchased by the user and others have been created by faculty members using camcorders.
  5. While most data files purchased by the Library and individual faculty members are located in the Data Resource Centre and the Leisure Studies Data Bank, some are are held by academic departments and faculty members. Of those not held by either the Centre or the Data Bank, sizeable collections are held by the School of Accountancy and the Centre for Election Studies.
  6. Members of the Faculty of Environmental Studies have a large collection of satellite and aerial images (Landsat, Spot, SAR, etc).
Fugitive material (material created by students, faculty or staff members at the University of Waterloo or elsewhere and not readily available to others.)

2.2 Recommendations

The Task Group on Non-Traditional Media makes the following recommendations to ensure the effective acquisition and organization of, and access to non-traditional media.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

Readily available material
1. Duplicated material
  1. The Library continue to pursue a consortium subscription to Current Contents on tape and that the service be provided across the campus backbone.
  2. Academic and non-academic departments be encouraged to provide students, faculty and staff members with resources that will facilitate access to the Internet.
  3. The Library cooperate with other departments and groups (Department of Computing Services, Teaching Assistants, technical support staff and student associations) to train students, faculty and staff members in the use of the Internet.
  4. The Department of Computing Services be encouraged to develop a software facility (help desk) that would put new users of a software package in touch with someone who has had experience with the package.
  5. The Library review all CD-ROM and on-line services subscribed to by members of the campus community to determine if these services should be subscribed to by the Library or recommended to any other service unit on campus.
  6. The Library and the Audio Visual Centre take a leading role in cooperating with other departments to establish a media centre to serve all members of the University community.
  7. That the following items be reviewed by the appropriate bodies for purchase/implementation/etc:
    - the Library provide access to as many of its CD-ROM and other electronic databases as possible through a Local Area Network (LAN) and that campus wide access to these resources be pursued;
    - the digitizing of slide collections be investigated as recommended in recommendation number 9 following;
    - end user access to on-line databases be investigated by the Library;
    - and that each of the items on the 'Desired' lists be considered in the review.
2. Unique materials
  1. Owners of CD-ROM publications (including audio) who are willing to provide access to personal and departmental holdings be encouraged to work with the Library to facilitate access.
  2. The formation of a slide library be discussed with interested parties on campus. Discussions should include matters relating to storage format, copyright, organization and access of commercially produced material.
  3. Owners of commercially produced films (video, disc, etc.) that are not a part of the Audio Visual Centre's collection and who are willing to provide access to their holdings be encouraged to work with the Centre staff to facilitate access.
  4. The efforts of the Library to provide access to the resources of the Data Resource Centre and the Leisure Studies Data Bank be encouraged and supported and that departments and individuals willing to provide access to their holdings be encouraged to submit their files for processing.
  5. A system that will readily support the transmission of map/graphic images to faculty, staff and student workstations be developed by the Library in cooperation with the Faculty of Environmental Studies and other image oriented individuals and units on campus and that holders of images who are willing to provide access to their holdings be encouraged to submit the m for processing.
Fugitive material (material created by students, faculty or staff members at the University of Waterloo or elsewhere and not readily available to others.)

INDEX

WWW version: July 5, 1995

Secretary to the University Librarian
Last Updated: April 23, 2007