A DIGITAL REFERENCE LIBRARY EMERGES AT STANTON LIBRARY.

This case study traces the development and stages in the emergence of a public digital reference library. The lessons learned along the way make an interesting story of utility to all libraries beginning this journey or already midway down the track

This paper covers a thirteen year period at Stanton Library, the public library of North Sydney Council, 19882001. Supported by the library director, Martin Ellis, key members of the Stanton Library's staff have conceived, birthed and continued to parent the service. The development and provision of this digital reference library has been driven by the reader services team, which has as one of its major focuses client satisfaction.

Embryo

The idea

Its creation was a mixture of idealism and love but within practical constraints. The reader services team understood that the computer could transform the library's reference service. Knowledge of how to do this in 1988 was scant but the level of enthusiasm was high. With an attitude of `let's give it a go' the service started. The idea was an amalgam of professional foresight, concepts taught in university courses, experience from personal/home use of computers, and the reading of journals ranging in subject from libraries and computers to business. The idea was easy--to provide access to computerised databases, both in the library and externally through dialup access.

At the time, the library provided one microcomputer for public use, one database and performed only fourteen online searches during 1988/89.

The budget resources

Next came the money--to convince council that the idea had merit it become necessary to formalise it into a product to improve services in the library and enhance council's services.

Who were the users going to be? All those people using pcs at home, at work and at school. This was perceived as a growing market.

The answer to this question was also influenced by the demographics of the municipality, the council's social data and staff knowledge of library users.

Snapshot of Stanton Library in 1988

* local population 53,300

* borrowers 40,887 comprising 23,299 residents and 17,588 nonresidents

* bookstock 187,735

* one public use computer

* 35 eft staff

In the library itself, the aim was to provide access utilising cdrom databases then available on the market--indexing services, encyclopaedias, government databases eg births deaths & marriages, census data.

For external access, the major drawcard was remote access to council documents: minutes of meetings and agendas. To this was added access to the library's catalogue, a static dump three or more months old. Peripheral data, such as an abridged version of the Macquarie dictionary, were also available. This service was called Freenet.

Finance for the acquisition of hardware and software was a patchwork of nonrecurrent funds from council; grant monies and portions of the reference resources budget.

The staff resources

No staff resources were added to the reader services team. Based on skill levels and interest, members of the team absorbed the workload of creating, promoting and maintaining the new services.

A major contributor to the creation of the service was David Bell, a budding IT specialist masquerading as a reference librarian. Not only did he provide the start up skills but he also taught the rest of the team. The teams skills developed whilst answering questions from coworkers and the public. The strategies used by the team were varied

* talking through the problems

* attending courses, networking

* reading journals, promotional flyers, brochures

* learning by trial and error

The promotion of the service started with training for all the staff on every aspect, from supplying information, fielding enquiries from the public to hands on one on one training. This was followed by the provision of ongoing user education classes to educate the public. The reference desk staff provided personal training for the public at any time.

Growth of Lan and internet

        Cdrom
        work-                              Public
Year   stations   Cdrom use               internet        Internet use

1990      1        on line searching 75      0
1991      1        unknown                   0
1992      2        unknown                   0
1993      4        unknown                   0
1994      5        4,394                     0
1995      7        4,451                     0
1996      7        unknown                   Staff only
1997      8        unknown                   1            833
                                                          (3 months)
1998      8        unknown                   3            6035
1999      8        unknown                   3            9137
2000      7        unknown                   17

Note: statistics on use are scant and irregular, System administrators
and library staff are now grappling with the provision of accurate
statistical data and the interpretation of data

Infant

Next came the gangly uncoordinated phases of the services development. The system grew. The number of databases increased, public demand increased, not all software was compatible, council's technology developed, cdrom storage increased and the internet arrived. The single pc increased from one to two and finally to a Lan.

Paralleling the library's developments in digital reference services, the council was developing its technology. The IT department came into existence. David's role became institutionalised. The position was based in the library but was under the management of the IT department. David gained a promotion and moved to a new position working in another council's IT department.

The IT department solved problems of security, maintenance and functional compatibility. The Lan grew, the small cdrom stackers were replaced with larger stackers until finally the IT department purchased a 100 cdrom stacker

The purchasing of hardware was centralised and the library began to lease the hardware from the IT department, thus solving the problem of breakdowns, malfunction and hacking. The IT department offered increased technological skill and management of the system, which improved the services.

This was a period in which the level of consultation between the IT department and the library was at its highest as the library learnt what the department could do for it. The question in this situation was `Did the benefits offered by the IT department out weigh the loss of the library's autonomy?' The IT department was also learning a great deal about the library's services, what the staff needed, what the services priorities were, the demands of the public and establishing communication lines which functioned 9-5 as well as after hours.

The Freenet continued, but slowly use dropped. Frequently members of the public asked `When will the library be providing services on the internet?'

In response to public demand, the Lan continued to grow, increasing to eight workstations providing a secure system with an up time of 95 per cent or better. Hacking became a memory. Whereas staff and the public had complained of the system being more down than up, now it was down so little that any such periods were a surprise. The IT department's quick response to problems gave a level of service not previously experienced.

During this continual change, what happened to creating, promoting and maintaining the service?

The creation or evolution of the service began to be influenced by other computer services in the library. The library management system (BookPlus) was under review as its deficiencies became obvious--inability to interface with the internet and outdated software design. The cost effectiveness of the Lan became questionable as the cost of adding hardware and the attendant sink fund costs increased. Space to house the equipment in the library became problematic as well. Increasingly the team could see the advantages to moving to an internet environment. Since the creation of the digital reference service, the reader services team members had immersed themselves in the internet by self training, attending courses and home use. It became apparent the service needed to change course drastically; the inhouse Lan would remain and development of an internet based reference service would be explored.

The Freenet would be replaced with a new internet based service capable of providing a library management system incorporating a digital reference library. The council was planning the development of a website providing access to council documents.

Promotion of the services continued. The library staff were retrained at regular intervals to keep their knowledge and skills levels up to date on the various software packages on the Lan. The reader services team provided short courses for the public, How to use the Lan and An internet course for beginners. Use of the Freenet dropped dramatically as the public moved from the old Dos based environment to the internet.

Maintaining the Lan was now institutionalised in the library's budget, the IT department's management plan and in the senior reference librarian's job description. The library's baby had become the council's child.

Teenager

For the teenager to emerge some major changes had to occur. Both the library and the council had to move into an internet environment. This entailed the IT department securing each component of the council's system whilst providing access to internal and external users. Major upgrading of hardware and software was undertaken. The library followed the same path as the IT department by purchasing a new management system (Sirsi) and also upgrading or replacing hardware. For the library, the arrival of puberty was the arrival of the internet.

The Freenet service ceased, as council's web site provided access to council documents, agendas, minutes and much more. The arrival of a webmaster at council has allowed for the continuation of the growth of the digital reference service. The Lan remains and is kept up to date, but when evaluating a digital reference service the internet version is now preferred. Slowly, services that were once only available on the Lan are now becoming available on the internet.

As a teenager, the two services of the Lan and the internet are provided in the library via the Lan, but drawbacks to this system are slowness in the updating of information eg quarterly or annually, access is limited to users in the library, format limitations exist as most are text based and lacking graphics, and pc availability is restricted by the budget which in turn restricts user access.

The digital reference library is now available on the internet as a component of the library's Webcat. The number of access points is currently limited to the number of terminals. The information base is huge, the update is rapid--often by the minute, hour or day--search capabilities are wonderful and the number of possible external users is unknown yet the cost of providing the service is the same for 1,000 or 1 million.

The creating is now the domain of the senior reference librarian who selects databases, arranges licensing agreements, trialing of products and coordinating the access with council's webmaster and Shorelink, the consortial administrator of the library management system. Advice on selection and trifling is still provided by the reader services team. Access to the database is now available on the council's website as part of the library information system. The users access the database by entering their library membership number. Access is twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

Promotion is now multifaceted

* the web itself

* the staff--word of mouth `did you know ...'

* the library's monthly newsletter

* library `how to' brochures

* use of the Webcat in the library creates awareness

The reader services team is still conducting internet courses for beginners, demand now outstripping capacity to provide--classes are booked out 1-2 months in advance. In addition, the number of staff able to conduct the basic internet class has increased from four to twelve.

Maintenance is now in the hands of the system and internet specialists. The Lan is still maintained by council's IT department as a routine part of its work no longer requiring high levels of consultation with library staff. The internet services are the domain of Shorelink and the council's webmaster, as the library's catalogue and digital reference library are available on the council's website. The digital reference library provided on the internet is still developing. Databases number four, with another available soon. In view of budget limitations, each product is trialed before purchase to assess its potential value to users.

The future

Reference librarians from the five Shorelink libraries are discussing the provision of a 24 hour email reference service.

The Australian government has invested large research and development funding in wireless application protocol (Wap) technology. The mobile phones currently on the market are only the first generation, offering internet access. Statistics show that Australians are hooked on mobile phones and as Wap technology improves, access to the digital reference library may become just another service, accessible like `12456 connect'.

The death of the cdrom may eventuate as users move to the internet. Alternatively, perhaps cdroms will become an information medium for those who cannot afford, or are unable to access, the internet.

Summary

The teenage digital reference service is now ready to become an adult. The developmental stages have been completed. Professional roles have been institutionalised and budgets provided to ensure the continuing development of this service. The Stanton librarians, as information providers, must now hone their skills at selecting and withdrawing resources--in other words, apply the same skills used to create an excellent monograph collection to creating an excellent digital reference library.

Marilyn Taylor BA(LibSci) is Senior Librarian, Stanton Library, North Sydney Council. She is a librarian with a passion for change. Marilyn has had twelve years experience in public libraries during which her professional knowledge has been developed in library management, reference and information services, children and young adult services, collection development and administration. Address: Stanton Library 234 Miller Street North Sydney NSW 2060 tel[phone] fax[phone] email [e-mail]