The Birth and Growth of Library Resource Sharing in Wayne County
by
Diane D. Kester and Shirley T. Jones
The history of library cooperation and resource sharing spans sixty years. The earliest recorded library cooperation in North Carolina is the efforts of the libraries of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University in the 1930's. Each institution accepted responsibility for collection development in specific subject area. While there were several other successful cooperative programs in the state dating from this date the earliest evidence of public library cooperation in the state is in 1941 when state aid was made available to public libraries. As a result of the legislative appointment of a Commission on Library Resources in 1964, a study of the libraries of North Carolina was begun. (Downs, 1965).
A Conference on Interlibrary Cooperation in June 1967 was one of the first activities under the Title III of the Libraries Services and Construction Act (LSCA). This federal legislation provided grants for public library construction and multitype library cooperation. Recommendations from the Title III Advisory Committee led to the formation of the North Carolina Libraries Services network in 1970. The concept for the network was to link all the significant information resources and services in the state to improve service to the citizens of North Carolina. (North Carolina Library Services Network, 1971). However, it was not until 1977 that the General Assembly of North Carolina designated responsibility to the Department of Cultural Resources for coordinating cooperative programs among various types of libraries within the state and for coordinating state development with regional and national cooperative library programs (N.C.G.S. 125-2 (10)). Thus, the State Library Ad Hoc Committee on Multitype Library Cooperation began a mission to build multitype library cooperation in the state (Smiith, 1981).
In 1979 the Ad Hoc Committee on Multitype Library Cooperation merged with the North Carolina Library Association (NCLA) Networking Committee to form the North Carolina Library Network Steering Committee. The newly formed committee contracted King Research, Inc., to study the feasibility of establishing a statewide library network in North Carolina. The resulting report, distributed in August 1982, was comprehensive. It introduced the concept of Zones of Convenience, later changed to Zones of Cooperation (ZOCs), formed by libraries sharing a common geographic boundary, types of patrons, or special relationships among libraries or librarians (Griffiths and King, 1982).
The North Carolina Library Networking Steering Committee held its first meeting in October 1982 and formed seven task forces on various aspects of a statewide library network. One of these Task Forces administered proposals for ZOC projects (North Carolina Library Networking Steering Committee, 1983) and awarded grants from 1983 until 1985 as library groups and communities formed unique resource sharing projects. These pilot projects explored configurations and organizations for local library services cooperation.
Early history of cooperation in Wayne County
Wayne County, located fifty-five miles southeast of Raleigh, is a rural community of farms, small businesses, and traditions. Within its boundaries are a community college, a private college, an Air Force Base, two hospitals, a public library, twenty-six public schools and four private schools. All are providers of library services to Wayne County citizens.
When the State Library requested proposals for multitype library cooperation in 1983, Ed Sheary, then director of the Wayne County Public Library, shared the announcement with other librarians in the county. The librarians had been meeting informally for several years and frequently loaned materials or referred patrons to other area libraries. Dr. Shirley Jones, Dean of the Learning Resources Center at Wayne Community College (WCC) and a member of the trustees of the Wayne County Public Library, saw the potential for a more structured, formal arrangement in Wayne County. Diane Kester, then media coordinator at Eastern Wayne Junior High School and a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, had been researching the use of computers to share information in libraries and provided the research base. By 1984 the group wrote a proposal that envisioned a computerized network of all the Wayne County libraries. The administrative heads of the public library, the public schools, the Air Force Base, the local hospital, and both academic institutions endorsed the proposal. However, the time was not right and the "ZOC" grants that year provided funds for completing the North Carolina Health Sciences Union List of Serials.
The Wayne County librarians continued to meet informally two or three times a year, keeping the human network active. The librarians discussed common problems and worked on solutions to provide service to the citizens in Wayne County, while individual libraries moved toward automation. Wayne Community College computerized its records and prepared to move to a new facility, the Learning Center Building on the North Campus. Wayne County Public Library and the Moye Library at Mount Olive College library started retrospective conversions, preparing to enter their holdings into the North Carolina Information Network (NCIN) Union Catalog.
The library professionals scrutinized activities in other rural counties in eastern North Carolina. Beaufort County Community College had started the DEAN (Down East Area Network) service that connects area high schools with Beaufort County Community College. Students in remote sites in Beaufort County use terminals that provide direct access to the online catalog of the college. Pitt Community College, working in cooperation with the Tech-Prep program in the Pitt County schools, had formed PEP (Pitt Education Project). Schools can dial into the Pitt Community Collect catalog and request materials. Ideas gleaned from these grassroots efforts assisted in the building of the Wayne County Library Cooperative, later named the Wayne Information Network (WIN).
In addition, Kester, a member of the Wayne County Library Cooperative, was conducting research in the field of library cooperation, especially with schools. Her model, published in 1992, described a natural progression of human networking leading to formal library networking (Kester, 1992). As in the Kester Model, local informal arrangements were evolving and in the spring of 1991, the loosely knit group became an official organization with bylaws and written cooperative agreements. Although the bylaws officially named the organization as the Wayne County Library Cooperative, members began to refer to the organization as WIN. In 1995 the name was officially changed.
Initial grant
The loosely organized group of librarians continued informal resource sharing without assessing fees or dues. With no operating capital for the cooperative, the librarians discussed a variety of funding sources to begin the networking project. Jones and Kester collaborated on a grant proposal to install dial-up access to the Wayne Community Collect campus. The grant request presented to the Foundation of Wayne Community College proposed three options for funding. The Foundation agreed to provide support at the WCC location only. WIN was born at this time, as this funding provided the phone lines and computer equipment at the community college to provide dial-up access by other libraries in the community. With the cooperation of the WCC Information Services Director, the members of WIN log into the PRIME computer system. Three options exist: the online public access catalog, the community college library network gateway (cc.libnet), and the electronic mail function of the Dynix Library System.
The phone lines and ports for the PRIME computer became operational on November 2, 1992. Joining in the initial usage were Wayne Community College (WCC), the WCC Business and Industry Center, the Wayne County Public Library (WCPL), Mount Olive College, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the Professional Collection of Wayne County Schools, and Kester, the WIN consultant. As libraries added their equipment and installed phone lines, WCC library staff members provided training . The following libraries were able to access the system: Wayne Country Day School (November 15, 1992), Charles B. Aycock High School (November 10, 1993), Goldsboro High School (November 19, 1993), Rosewood High School (November 24, 1993), Southern Wayne high School (December 9, 1993), and Eastern Wayne High School (January 1994).
Because using telecomputing equipment was often a new experience for the librarians, initial training had three components: one-on-one directions for using the telecommunications software, training for accessing the community college computer, and experience in using the electronic mail (e-mail) function of the Dynix Library System. Users received supporting documentation, instructions, and training exercises to be inserted in a loose-leaf notebook. WCC library staff were also available to provide telephone support to new users.
Activities of WIN
I. Communication
E-mail. Of the four major activities of WIN, electronic mail is the major component. The miles between libraries seem to decrease as electgronic communications increase. Libraries announced special programs, communicate potential theft in specific subject areas, and arrange meeting dates and training schedules. Members also post holiday hours, closings due to unforeseen situations, and staff development workshops.
ILL. Another use of the communication function is to request interlibrary loan of materials and photocopies of articles. Wayne Community College, Mount Olive College, and Wayne County Public Library use fax machines to fill requests. With the installation of a fax machine in each public school, the ILL requests are growing. In response to the increased activity, a committee wrote an interlibrary loan agreement. Again, keeping the process informal, the members of the Wayne County Library Cooperative agreed to avoid charging for photocopies and fax service within its service area. First year records revealed that copying and faxing expenses did not overburden any library; therefore, the policy of free service is continuing.
Relocation. A third use of the communication function is the relocation of withdrawn materials from one library to another. When an older edition or an additional copy of a valuable reference book is of possible use to another library, users are notified by e-mail. The first respondent to the message receives the discard. This procedure has proved important as the librarians adjust to shrinking budgets.
Collection development. The newest use of the communication function is for collection development. When preparing purchase orders, librarians are in contact with other librarians who might be considering acquiring the same or similar titles. The libraries form informal agreements in which they alternately purchased expensive reference sets. The strengths of Wayne Community College collection include literary studies and technical education. Moye Library at Mount Olive College, a selective government publications depository, also has a strong history of religion collection. Wayne County Public Library houses a local history collection with an emphasis on genealogy. The Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Library, with its military history collection and the recent acquition of ProQuest, contributes extensively to meeting the information needs of the citizens of Wayne County. Cooperative collection development began with reference materials for business since WCC offers eleven programs in the Business Department and houses a Small Business Center, and WCPL has a Business Reference service.
2. Location of Resources in Wayne County
Dialing into the Wayne Information Network leads a librarian directly into the WCC Dynix Online Public Access Catalog. Users may perform searches just as if they were on campus. In 1994, the Wayne County Public Library initiated dial-up catalog access for members of the community as well as WIN users, while Seymour Johnson AFB Library began dial-up access to its holdings in 1995. Librarians request items from other sites through e-mail
3. Location of Resources Outside the County
Upon dialing into the WCC computer, a member has the option of selecting access to the community college library network gateway (cc.libnet). The gateway menu provides a link to over fifty services. The North Carolina Information Network (NCIN) was the first service introduced to all users. All libraries have an NCIN user ID. The North Carolina Division of State Library designated the schools as branches of the community college for OCLC code purposes.
In 1994, the North Carolina Division of State Library gave WIN an opportunity to be a pilot group for the new online database service from OCLC, FirstSearch. The Foundation of Wayne Community College funded initial searches for participating libraries. This procedure gave each library one year to adjust its budget request to include the cost for FirstSearch, which has now become an ongoing budget item for reference services. FirstSearch is also available through cc.libnet.
As librarians gain experience and confidence in using the system, they explore other cc.libnet options, including weather services, other library catalogs, and links to additional types of gateway services, such as Learning Link (UNC Television).
4. Document Delivery
The fourth activity of WIN is the delivery of books, audio-visual materials, and periodical articles. Patrons may go to another library to obtain the desired item, pay for mailing, or wait for delivery of the item. The delivery system, at present, depends upon individuals willing to drop off items as they travel to and from work. This year, a local delivery service located in the county and its services are being investigated. The recent acquisition of fax machines in the school media centers greatly expedite the delivery of articles to patrons in the schools.
Training
Initial
As previously mentioned, librarians at WCC provided initial training. Upon the scheduling of an appointment for training, the WCC computer systems administrator issued a user ID. The WCC librarians went to the new user to provide the training on site with the user's equipment and software. This procedure also provided the opportunity for the WCC staff to experience dial-up connections at off-campus sites
Train-the-Trainer
After initial training of one or two persons at each site, the training function was passed to the trainers. This procedure was especially true in the public schools. The high school media coordinators, having had a year's experience, became trainers for the middle school and elementary school media coordinators.
Continuing Education
Staff development has expanded beyond initial one-on-one instruction on using the software and e-mail. At the WIN meetings, the consultant demonstrated NCIN and other available options. The Director of Media Services of the Wayne County Schools continues to include telecommunications training in the staff development program for the media coordinators and teachers.
Evaluation Results
Evaluation of the services and activities of WIN has been both informal and formal. Jones has kept a record each e-mail message sent to her or to all users. From these, she has made suggestions to individuals as well as advocated additional handouts and staff development. Meetings, which once were sporadic, now are scheduled quarterly, with called meetings as members find a face-to-face discussion necessary. During these meetings, members feel free to ask questions, make comments, pose problems or potential problems, and search for solutions. Members are free to make suggestions. Requests for expanded services reflect the benefits of WIN.
Electronic logs of activities provide quantitative data. Additionally, users of FirstSearch keep a log of activity next to the workstation. Librarians analyze these data as they consider additional budget requests. In the spring of 1995, librarians in the county completed a questionnaire. Planning and Research staff at WCC analyzed the data using Bubble Publishing and Scantron software.
In the survey, 54 percent of the respondents were from the public schools; 20 percent, academic libraries; 11 percent, public libraries; 6 percent, medical libraries; and the remaining 9 percent, other library categories.
Communications
Respondents indicated the frequency of their communication. The community college librarians, having had access to e-mail for several years, were the heaviest users, with three using e-mail more than once a day and the other two, at least once a day. Of all the users, 94 percent indicated that they read their e-mail at least once or twice a week. Of the total number of users, 80 percent check at least three times a week and 48 percent daily.
| Frequency of E-Mail Use (n=35) | Percentage |
|---|
| Twice or more daily | 14% |
| Once a day | 34% |
| Once or twice a week | 14% |
| Three or four times a week | 32% |
| Only as needed | 6% |
Requesting magazine articles and books from other libraries has become a regular service, especially among the academic and school libraries. The WCC library serves as the interlibrary loan agency for those libraries without SOLINET service.
Location of Resources in Wayne County
To evaluate the use of WIN for locating resources within the county, participants indicated how frequently they searched catalogs. Fifty-one percent of the respondents search the WCC catalog at least once a week; 54 percent, the WCPL catalog at least once a week; and 7 percent, the SJAFB library catalog that recently provided dial-up access. The nature of the respondents' job responsibilities influenced this number. For libraries without dial-in access to their catalogs, users relied on e-mail messages. School media coordinators used the
| Weekly online catalog | Percentage |
|---|
| WCC catalog | 51% |
| WCPL catalog | 54% |
| SJAFB catalog | 7% |
Location of Resources Outside Wayne County
Respondents indicated the frequency the used WIN to located resources outside Wayne County. Sixteen percent used the system to search the library catalog of East Carolina University (available through cc.libnet). The schools are users of Learning Link, the telecommunications service of University of North Carolina Television. Survey results indicate Learning Link is used at least once a week by 13 percent of the respondents. The availability of this access is especially beneficial during times that the Learning Link toll-free number is busy or not in service. Twenty-one percent of the respondents access FirstSearch at least once a week; its use fluctuates as instructors make research assignments. All high school respondents use FirstSearch.
Other cc.libnet services selected were LaUNCHpad, DIALOG, MEDLINE, the Internet, and NCIN (especially the State Library catalog and NCADMIN database).
Training
To identify continuing education needs, the respondents indicated specific areas or services for which they would like to have additional workshops and programs. Over 60 percent indicated they need additional training. Areas specifically listed include FirstSearch, searching the ECU library catalog, Learning Link, the Internet, Division of State Library catalog, LaUNChpad, cc.libnet, collection development, and assistance in cataloging. Each of the items listed involves resources beyond the county. With confidence gained in using one area, the members explore another resource.
For an overall rating of the activities and seravices of WIN, the respondents indicated how well WIN has met their needs. Most rated WIN as "Good" (50 percent) or "Excellent" (38 percent).
The open question in the survey asked participants to list services that they would like added to the WIN activities. The most frequent request was for complete Internet access and an online union list of serials for the Wayne County libraries. The latter will be an addition in the coming months.
Comments were complimentary and enthusiastic: "I have found the services to be very useful -- love it!!' "I just wish I had the time to investigate more!"; "Excellent service - hope it will continue to expand"; "It is the greatest thing that ever happened."
Summary
Word of the success of WIN activities is beginning to spread. Most recently, the librarian at James Sprunt Community College (JSCC), located in adjoining Duplin County, visited WCC to learn more about the WIN logistics and organization. He received training and access to the WIN activities. By communicating with other WIN members, the JSCC staff will expand library services in Duplin County.
It has been over twelve years since the idea of establishing electronic communications and access to resources in area libraries was discussed in the county. Progress has been slow; but the interest has grown steadily as each new user accesses the Wayne Community College computer or Wayne County Public Library catalog. The activities of the members of WIN are following the Kester Model of Networking as members adopt the innovation of multitype library cooperation.
Other communities exploring the feasibility of a local library cooperative should develop an awareness of the administrative organizations and policies of participating institutions, identify strengths of library personnel, share responsibilities for activities and cooperative policies, identify needs of the community, and investigate multiple resources for funding and support. The benefits of a local library cooperative extend beyond enhanced service to patrons. The librarians, as well as staff members, share ideas, solutions, and personal strengths, thereby providing professional growth to all participants.
References
Downs, Robert B., ed. (1965). Resources of North Carolina Libraries. Raleigh: The Governor's Commission on Library Resources.
Griffiths, Jose-Marie and King, Donald W. (1982) North Carolina Networking Feasibility Study. Rockville, MD: King Research, Inc.
Kester, Diane D. (1992). "School System Adoption of Library Networking," Resource Sharing and Information Networks, 7(2), 887-97.
North Carolina Library Networking Steering Committee. (1983). 1982-83 Report to the State Library Commission. Unpublished paper.
North Carolina Library Services Network. (1971) The Next Step for North Carolina Libraries: A Library Services Network. Raleith: North Carolina State Library, North Carolina Library Association,. State Board of Education, and State Board of Higher Education.
Smith, Alberta. (1981) Access to Information for North Carolinians, Multitype Library Cooperation Working Paper No. 1. Ad Hoc Committee on Multitype Library Cooperation and North Carolina Library Association Networking Committee. Raleigh: Division of State Library, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.
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