v.8 no 2                                                                                                                                        April 2004

Table of Contents

 LibQUAL Survey 2003 Results
CyberTools 2004 Set for August 4-5
Disaster Recovery Plan Nears Completion
New Proxy Offers "EZ" Access to Off-Campus Users
ILLiad Simplifies ILL Requests
LTS Collaborates in NSF Grid Computing Project
LTS People
Lehigh Inaugurates Pennsylvania Digital Library of Illuminated Manuscripts


LibQUAL Survey 2003 Results

During spring semester 2003, Library and Technology Services conducted a web-based survey of students and faulty designed to assess user perceptions about important aspects of the Lehigh University libraries. Twenty-five questions covered desired, perceived, and minimal levels of service for print and electronic collections, facilities, services, and overall convenience.

 The LibQUAL survey instrument was developed over a period of three years by the Association of Research Libraries and the Texas A&M Library. Their efforts have been supported by two grants, one from U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) and another from the National Science Foundation (NSF). LibQUAL+ derives from a more general survey instrument called SERVQUAL used by many large service corporations.

LTS was grateful for both the good response rate and the 481 substantive comments that helped immensely in fleshing out numerical results. The overall response rate was 18% with the following breakdown: 14% of undergraduates, 21% of graduate students, and 24% of faculty. As promised, ten respondents received the Palm Pilot prizes!

The survey also allowed respondents to indicate the location and extent of their library use. With the ability to cross-tabulate this response with comments, it was easy to link those comments with the proper library building. The reported use of the libraries and of library resources was very encouraging, specifically:

* Use of resources on premises: daily/ weekly 63%, cumulative with monthly/quarterly to 98%
* Use of library Web pages, including electronic information: daily/weekly 56%, cumulative with monthly/ quarterly to 92%

LTS has studied the survey results and has implemented many improvements in response. Many of these new services were already in the planning stages but not yet implemented. The list below categorizes the major areas of investigation, summarizing the survey responses* and related listing improvements in a numerical sequence.

Category I: Access to Information Findings* and Related Improvements (#1-5)

* Expressed high levels of satisfaction with electronic resources
* Desired more library materials, especially humanities books, journals and electronic resources and deeper (electronic) back files
* Desired less complexity in accessing online information

1. Acquired Web of Science, e-reference and other electronic resources throughout FY 03-04
2. Many materials are either not available electronically at all or only at a premium cost (especially back files)
3. Acquired and implemented "SFX" software to simplify access from citations to electronic full text articles from most sources
4. Introducing EZProxy software to simplify off-campus access to licensed library resources
5. Initiating Information Literacy program in cooperation with College faculty

CategoryII: Service Findings* and Related Improvements (#1-2)

* Desired more consistency in service, especially evenings and weekends
* Expressed appreciation for knowledge and service orientation of librarians
* General satisfaction with library hours
1. Completed multi-session customer service training for full-time staff at service desk. Investigating options for providing more training and supervision of student workers
2. Introducing "Iliad" software that enables users (1) to track status of interlibrary loan requests for articles to the same degree now provided for book loan requests and (2) to receive digitized articles at the desktop

Category III: Library Buildings and Equipment Findings* and Related Improvements (#1-5)

* Expressed affection for Linderman Library, desiring it to retain its character, desiring improvements in lighting, climate control, etc.
* Expressed dissatisfaction with noise levels, especially disruptive use of cell phones
* Desired more computers and wanted more reliable copiers, microform readers, and printers
1. Proceeding with Linderman Library Project to renovate, restore, and enhance while retaining historic character
2. Posted signs designating quiet areas, developed and posted policy on cell phone use
3. Acquired 20 new library loaner laptops and extended wireless access throughout Fairchild
4. Acquired two digital microform scanners that provide improved printing and allow users to scan microfilm or fiche to create their own portable CD at no cost
5. Re-networking copiers so that problems on one device does not render all copiers inoperable

CyberTools 2004 Set for August 4-5
by Sherri Yerk Zwickl

The Annual CyberTools Symposium will be held at Lehigh University August 4th and 5th, 2004. CyberTools offers a unique context to discuss critically the application and efficacy of instructional technologies used by faculty. The primary focus is to provide an open forum for the discussion of research findings and user evaluations of "cyber" tools, defined as any tool used by faculty for classroom enhancement, pedagogical improvement, or instructional effectiveness. CyberTools is sponsored by the colleges and universities represented by the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC), Lehigh University Library and Technology Services, and Gateway. Faculty members from these institutions are the major contributors to the symposium. The CyberTools Symposium is divided into two sections: a one day Conference, and a one day "a la carte" Instructional Application training seminar. The one-day conference, to be held on Wednesday, August 4th, consists of faculty presentations related to the application of specific instructional technologies. On Thursday, August 5th "a la carte" instructional mini-workshops will be held that provide instruction on the use and application of a variety of technology tools. For more information on CyberTools, or to submit a presentation or Institute proposal, see the CyberTools website at www.lehigh.edu/cybertools.

Disaster Recovery Plan Nears Completion
by Manny Pena

Several years ago Library and Technology Services recognized the need to update its disaster recovery plan. After a competitive bidding process, IBM was engaged to provide consulting services for a three phase project. The first phase was a business impact analysis. Key Lehigh University staff members were interviewed to ascertain the business functions that they were most reliant upon, and to determine which systems supported those business functions. The business impact analysis is now complete. The second project phase was a recoverability assessment to obtain additional specifics about the hardware that support key business systems and to ensure that procedures are in place for those systems both for backup and recovery. In addition, various recovery options were identified and their advantages and disadvantages analyzed. In its report IBM recommended a "hot site" subscription and Lehigh is in the procurement process for this service. A hot site subscription is a kind of insurance policy with a firm specializing in disaster recovery wherein that firm will provide services to allow for the speedy recovery of a failed system or systems off site. The final project phase is composing a disaster recovery plan and testing it at the hot site. This will include the creation of documented procedures that would be utilized at the off-site facility in the event of a disaster at Lehigh. It is anticipated that this project phase will be completed by the second quarter of 2004.

New Proxy Offers "EZ" Access to Off-Campus Users
by Sharon Siegler

LTS is changing the way off-campus users access Lehigh's various subscription services, such as databases and electronic journals. For years, the "proxy server," a setting in browsers that makes it appear that off-campus users have Lehigh IP addresses, was used by subscription services to authorize users. Although this worked well for many people, it did not work for those who used certain Internet service providers (such as AOL) or who were behind "firewalls." The new system is EZProxy and has now been implemented on the LTS Databases page (http://databases.lib. lehigh.edu/finder/) which now features separate links for "on -campus" and "off-campus". During each session, off-campus users are asked once for their Lehigh userid and password, and then enjoy the same ease of access that they would on campus. Browser settings, browser update issues, Windows versions and cookies settings no longer present problems. The next phase of implementation, to take place over the summer, will include adding EZProxy links to ASA to handle journal subscriptions and other electronic resources. At this time, users still need to retain the old proxy for journal and e-book access. Once the EZProxy conversion is complete, users will be advised to remove the current proxy settings.

ILLiad Simplifies ILL Requests
by Gail Kriebel

Lehigh Libraries have just implemented ILLiad, a new Interlibrary Loan interface that makes requesting both articles and books from other libraries easier. Some of the many advantages of ILLiad are: * Single entry for personal information. Enter personal information such as name, address and delivery preferences once. This information is automatically entered into the ILLiad form whenever a registered user makes a request. * No need to retype bibliographic information. ILLiad is linked to most of the Lehigh Library's online databases through SFX. When possible SFX links users to an electronic version of the publication needed or to a print copy owned by Lehigh. If these options are unavailable, it links to ILLiad which then completes the ILL form with all the necessary bibliographic information. * Quick and easy status reports on all ILLiad requests. Login to ILLiad to see the status of all current requests including processing, shipping and receipt dates. * Email notification. ILLiad sends an automatic email when an item is ready for pickup, if it is being mailed directly to a user, or if a loan is overdue. To register as an ILLiad user go to http://lehigh.hosts.atlas-sys.com/illiad/logon.html and type in your Lehigh user name and password to begin. To make an ILLiad request from an online database, look for the SFX link.

LTS Collaborates in NSF Grid Computing Project
by Gale Fritsche

Lehigh University Library and Technology Services (LTS) in collaboration with Marist College, SUNY Geneseo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and IBM were awarded an NSF grant for researching methods for creating a multi-institution grid computing network. The primary network hub for this project is based at Marist College where the majority of the project staff is located. Currently, LTS has three undergraduate students working part-time on the project as well as various faculty and LTS staff members. A grid computing lab and test network, consisting of various Linux PCs and a SUN workstation, has been developed and is located on the first floor of the Fairchild Martindale Computing Center. The project team is currently enrolled in an on-line course through Marist College in order to upgrade skills on the Globus grid computing software that is being used for the project.

LTS People

 LTS congratulates Executive Secretary Barbara Holva and Faculty Development Director Dina Wills on their retirements in March and June 2004 respectively.
 Tim Foley and Christy Roysdon, Directors for Client Services and Library Systems and Collections respectively, presented a paper entitled "Portals: Selection,  Implementation, and Content Development" at the ACM Computer Services Management Symposium in March in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
 At the March SCT Summit meeting in Philadelphia, Senior Enterprise Systems Analyst Jerry Lennon and Willa Ostrosky Director of Information Systems for  Advancement presented a session on Lehigh University's implementation roadmap for various SCT Banner modules.
 Senior Analyst Mark Miller recently received his CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert), the most rigorous of Cisco's Career Certifications that identifies the  upper echelon of networking experts worldwide.
 Team Leader Elia Schoomer's article "Center Focus: Instructional Media Services at Lehigh University" was published in the Fall/Winter issue of College and  University Media Review, a semi-annual publication of the Consortium of College and University Media Centers.
 Science Librarian Brian Simboli published "Clustering Concepts," a review of the new text-analysis software RefViz developed by Thomson ISI. The review was  co-authored with Min Zhang and appeared in the February 6, 2004, issue of Science (Vol. 303, Issue 5659).
 Sherri Yerk-Zwickl and John Early were co-presenters at the 2004 Summit Conference in Philadelphia. Their topic, "Window to a New World: Online Freshman  Orientation Using the Luminis Portal" was based on Lehigh's experience using the Campus Portal to accommodate first year students in pre-orientation activities  such as advising, course selection, and calculus-readiness testing.

Lehigh Inaugurates Pennsylvania Digital Library of Illuminated Manuscripts
by Phil Metzger

The Pennsylvania Digital Library of Illuminated Manuscripts is a new Lehigh digital library project designed to bring together scattered holdings of illuminated manuscripts across Pennsylvania. These holdings may go unnoticed by themselves in libraries with only a few or even a single example. When "collected" together digitally, however, they have the potential to constitute a resource of great usefulness to students and scholars in art history and other fields. The present site, at http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/manuscripts/, with digitized manuscripts from Lehigh University and Villanova University, has been under development for several months. It has become publicly available in order to solicit contributions. Julia Maserjian, LTS Digital Library Project Coordinator, and Robert Weidman, Digital Library Technical Coordinator, are responsible for the development of the site. Ann Priester, Lecturer in Art and Architecture, is advising the project, and Philip Metzger, Curator of Special Collections, is developing the content. This project is the latest addition to a set of Lehigh digital library projects that includes "Digital Bridges," "Lehigh Valley Geology: Historical Works", and "The Problem of Planets: Astronomy Online" all of which can be found at http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu.

Note: Photographs included in the Feb 2004 LTS Connection newsletter were taken by graduate student Haley Burns.