Library Self Study April 2008

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University of Puerto RicoMedical Sciences CampusConrado F. Asenjo Library

Self-Study Report of the Conrado F. Asenjo Libraryof the Medical Sciences Campus

2001-02 to 2006-07According to the Standards of the Association of College

and Research Libraries

Submitted by:Prof. Victoria Delgado Aponte

Director

Self-Study Committee:Prof. Irma Quiones-Coordinator

Prof. Nilca ParrillaProf. Francisca Corrada

Mrs. Luz Evelyn AcevedoMiss Vernica Guevara

Other collaborators:Prof. Efran Flores

Mrs. Amariliz Burgos


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Content

Introduction .............................................................................................................3

Library Assessment Project ...................................................................................4

ACRL Standards

Planning...........................................................................................................7

Assessment......................................................................................................16

Assessment Results........................................................................................21

Services ............................................................................................................31

Information Skills...........................................................................................55

Resources.........................................................................................................68

Access...............................................................................................................85

Human Resources..........................................................................................93

Physical Facilities ...........................................................................................107

Communication and Cooperation...............................................................113

Administration ...............................................................................................126

Budget..............................................................................................................134

General Recommendations....................................................................................141


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Introduction

The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) is the public system for higher education on the

island. It has eleven university campuses, including the Ro Piedras, Medical Sciences and

Mayagez campuses. It has approximately 70,000 registered students. The academic

offering of the UPR includes 495 programs that offer associate degrees, degrees in Bachelor

of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts or Science, doctorate in philosophy (PhD.) and

Education (EdD), and Juris Doctorate.

The UPR Medical Sciences Campus (MSC) is made up of six schools: the School of

Medicine, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Dentistry, the School of Public Health, the

School of Health Professions and the School of Nursing. The Campus also has three deans

offices that provide support: The Office of the Dean of Administration, the Office of the

Dean of Students and the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs. More than 2,000 fulltime

employees and approximately 3,000 students work on the Campus.

Its diversity of services, complexity, and state-of-the art offerings in the area of health, have

made the Medical Sciences Campus, with all its schools, responsible for higher education in

all the disciplines it covers and makes it the leading university in research, service, and

clinical aspects. This ensures our mission to educate, take care of, and maximize the health of

all Puerto Ricans and identifies us as leading professionals in our fields throughout the world.

The Conrado F. Asenjo Library of the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus,

is the principal resource for information on health sciences on the island. It has the most

complete collection of bibliographical resources in it class in the Caribbean. The Library

offers its students and faculty multiple services and supports the curricula of the different

schools. Its resources and services are also available to the personnel of the complex of the

Medical Center, the University of Puerto Rico Hospital in Carolina, to health professionals

in Puerto Rico, and to the general public (See the Library Profile, Appendix 0.1).


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Library Assessment Project: Description of the Self-Assessment Process

Since 1998, UNESCO has maintained that:

Quality in higher education is a multidimensional concept that should embrace all its

functions and activities--teaching and academic programs, research and scholarships,

staffing, students, buildings, facilities, equipment, and services in the community and

the academic environment. Internal self-assessment and external review, conducted

openly by independent specialists, if possible with international expertise, are vital for

enhancing quality. Independent national entities should be established and

internationally recognized comparative standards of quality should be defined1.

In keeping with international trends in higher education, the Administration of the

University presents its work agenda in the document Diez para el Dcada (Ten for the

Decade) and, as an initiative of the president of the University of Puerto Rico, Antonio Garca

Padilla, an assessment was undertaken in 2007 by different professional organizations,

including the Library, to accredit the academic programs. The initiative of the president and

the Board of Trustees is presented in Certifications Nos. 136 and 138 (2003-2004), which

establish that it is necessary to promote and maintain the accreditation of the academic

programs and services that require accreditation.

In the summer of 2005, Dr. Julia Vlez was named as the coordinator of the Project to

Evaluate the Libraries of the UPR Library System. Coordinators were also designated in the

campuses and working committees. The process includes the following phases:

1UNESCO (1998). World Declaration on Higher Education for the Twenty-First Century: Vision and Actionand Framework for Priority Action for Change and Development in Higher Education.Accessed at:http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/wche/declaration_eng.htm


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Phase 1 - Study of standards, criteria, and indicators

Phase 2 - Preconditions

Phase 3 - Internal Assessment Self-assessment

Phase 4 - External Assessment

Phase 5 - Integration of both

The quality standards for libraries, established by the Association of College and

Research Libraries (ACRL) were used. The ACRL is the professional organization with

expertise in academic libraries.2 ACRL includes academic librarians and other stakeholders.

It is the largest division of the American Libraries Association (ALA) and has a diverse

membership. For this, and other reasons, the external assessment will be conducted by

experts from the ACRL.

Also during the summer of 2005, the director of the Conrado F. Asenjo Library, Prof.

Victoria Delgado, named Prof. Irma Quiones to coordinate the library assessment process.

Both attended meetings and training activities. In 2007, Prof. Irma Quiones was named co-

coordinator of the assessment project at the UPR system level. The Assessment Committee

is made up of:

Prof. Victoria Delgado, Director

Prof. Irma Quiones-Coordinator

Prof. Nilca Parrilla-Director of Technical Services

Prof. Francisca Corrada-Director of Serial Publications

Mrs. Evelyn Acevedo-Director, Circulation and Reserve Department

Mrs. Vernica Guevara-Assistant Librarian

2 http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/index.cfm


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This task force attended several activities and, together with the rest of the staff, carried

out different tasks, such as: analyzing standards, assessing strengths, areas of development,

opportunities, and pitfalls (See Appendix 0.2), revising the vision and mission, drafting

values, and identifying strategic areas.

A great part of the process included identifying and gathering documents essential to

self-assessment.

The committee met periodically. Other members of the staff met with the task force. Prof.

Efran Flores drafted the standard for Information Skills and Mrs. Amariliz Burgos, the

library administrator, drafted the budget standard. Later, these standards were discussed

and edited by the committee in dull. All members of the staff collaborated by providing

data, revising documents, and carrying out many other functions. The preparation included

frequently informing the staff on the status of the assessment process. The information was

updated at every meeting and the project was discussed with all employees. The

coordinator also conducted meetings in the different departments of the Library. The service

was promoted in different forums, such as the Institutional Assessment Committee and the

Council on Educational Integration and Planning, which is made up of the associate deans.

Student organizations were contacted and a space was opened on the Librarys website to

include documents and information on the project: http://rcm-

library.rcm.upr.edu/autoestudio/index.html.

The self-study includes the 2001-2002 and 2006-2007 academic years and used a

combination of strategies to gather qualitative and quantitative information.

The following describes, analyzes, and interprets how the Library meets the ACRL

standards, strengths, and areas of development and recommendations to continue

developing services of excellence.


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1. Standard Planning

Introduction

It is extremely important for Library administration and staff to plan their services and

functions. The principal purpose of planning is to establish the mission, vision, goals,

objectives, strategies, and actions to be taken. It is an organized and coherent effort to achieve

the Librarys goals with its resources and needs. The emphasis on organization and planning is

evident in different documents,3 such as:

Policies and procedures for developing and maintaining the Library collection

Revised in January 2008 (Appendix 1.1).

Manual of Procedures for the Serial Publications Section. 2006 (Appendix 1.2)

Manual of Procedures for Special Collections (Appendix 1.3)

Procedures for Inter-Library Loans of the Medical Sciences Campus (Appendix 1.4)

Virtual Reference Service Policy-2007 (Appendix 1.5)

Policy for the evaluation and development of the Reference Collection (Appendix 1.6)

Mission, Goals, and Classification System of the Historic Archives of the Conrado F.

Asenjo Library (Appendix 1.7)

Evacuation Plan for the Conrado F. Asenjo Library 2002 (Appendix 1.8)

Plan of Action in case of a partial shutdown of the air conditioning system in the

Library -2006 (Appendix 1.9)

Annual Work Plans (Appendix 1.10)

Strategic Library Plan (Appendix 1.11)

Library Assessment Plan (Appendix 1.12)

3 At present, we continue updated other documents, such as, for example, the Library Regulations.


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1.1Objective The Library will have a mission and goals that serve as the framework for

its activities.

1.1.1 Does your Library have a mission?

From 2005-2006, the teaching staff of the Library underwent a formal revision of the

Librarys mission and vision. Both of these were discussed with the rest of the staff.

The Library of the Medical Sciences Campus has the following vision:

To be the heart of the Medical Sciences Campus academic and research activities by meeting

the information needs of our users in a dynamic and innovative way.

Our mission reads as follows:

We are a public academic library specialized in health sciences dedicated to meeting the

information needs of the academic community of the Medical Sciences Campus, the

professionals who work in public health in Puerto Rico, and the general public. We actively

participate in the teaching, learning, and research processes, providing health services and

promoting patient health by providing access to sources of quality information and by

educating users on how to access and make critical use of the information.

In order to achieve our mission, we have bibliographic, educational, and personnel

resources that facilitate and promote access to information and learning. This mission was

drafted to serve as the pivotal point in offering our services. An analysis of the mission was

conducted. (Appendix 1.13)

After undertaking a brainstorming process, we also drafted the values of the library. We are

committed to excellence through:

Satisfying the information needs of our users in a dynamic and innovative way.

Educating users on how to access and make critical use of the information.

Providing access to sources of quality information that promotes health services and

health care.


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Being an integral part of the teaching-learning and research processes of the Medical

Sciences Campus.

We subscribe to the Library Bill of Rights, established by the American Library Association

(ALA), particularly with regard to:

Offering free access to information and fostering the development of ideas.

Providing materials and information presenting all points of view.

Not excluding anyone from our services because of race, color, sexual orientation,

gender, birth, age, physical or mental disability, ethnic origin, or social conditions, or

because of political or religious ideas.

Opposing any type of censorship.

1.2 Objective The mission and goals of the Library shall be compatible and consistent

with the mission and goals of the institution it serves.

1.2.1 Is the mission compatible or consistent with the mission of the institution?

Mission and Vision of the Medical Sciences Campus:

The Medical Sciences Campus is the unit of the state university system whose mission is to

train the human resources who will make up the interdisciplinary staff to foster and maintain

the best possible health conditions for the people of Puerto Rico. It is a multidisciplinary center

whose institutional uniqueness gives it the responsibility of assuming leadership in teaching

and in research on the prevailing health conditions in Puerto Rico. It is made up of three

complementary educational components: Education, Research, and Service.

Certification #071, Academic Senate 2003-2004

Vision:


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To become a renowned institution and interdisciplinary center of international prestige

dedicated to higher education in health sciences, and to the development of new knowledge

and models for providing health services in Puerto Rico.

Certification #24, Academic Senate, 1997-98

The mission of the Library is compatible and consistent with the mission of the Medical

Sciences Campus. It stresses leadership and training of professionals in the fields of health,

research and the wellbeing of the community in general.

Mission of the Campus Mission of the Library Emphasis

The Medical SciencesCampus is the unit of thestate university systemwhose mission is to trainthe human resources whowill make up theinterdisciplinary staff tofoster and maintain the bestpossible health conditionsfor the people of Puerto

Rico.

We are a public academiclibrary specialized in healthsciences dedicated tomeeting the informationneeds of the academiccommunity of the MedicalSciences Campus and theprofessionals who work inthe area of public health inPuerto Rico.

Training professionals.

maintain the best healthconditions amongst thepeople of Puerto Rico.

dedicated to meeting theinformation needs of theacademic community of theMedical Sciences Campus,the professionals who workin the area of public health inPuerto Rico, and the generalpublic.

The wellbeing of thecommunity in general.

responsibility ofassuming leadership inteaching and research.

We actively participate in theteaching, learning, andresearch processes.

Leadership.

It is made up ofthree complementaryeducational components:Education, Research, andService.

We actively participate in theteaching, learning, andresearch processes, as well asin health care services and

Education, research, andservice.


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promotion of patient health.

1.3 Objective The assessment of the Librarys quality and efficiency shall relate to the

specific mission and vision of the institution.

1.3.1 Does the Library have an Assessment Plan?

The Library has had an assessment plan since March 2006 (Appendix 1.12). It was prepared

and discussed with the Library staff and is continually revised. Work plans submitted by

department directors include two columns, which include information on how the roles,

processes and services will be evaluated.

1.4Objective Library programs and services within the context of the institution will be

developed in a planned manner, using formal procedures and methods, such as strategic

plans.

1.4.1 Does the Library have a Strategic Plan?

The Library has a strategic plan that was designed in 2005-2006 (Appendix 1.11). In order to

comply with this purpose, previous strategic plans were revised. The plan was prepared for

the purpose of complying with the established vision and mission, thus achieving a paradigm

change regarding our facilities, services, and resources. This plan presents the direction the

Library will take from 2005 to 2010 and can be modified according to changes in our internal

and external environment.

In order to comply with all our projects and commitments with the community of the

Medical Sciences Campus, the Library must act strategically and ensure that this plan is carried

out. The plan is a flexible tool and is subject to annual evaluations and revisions.

1.5Objective- The Library plan will be developed with the participation of the university

community. These planning methods require feedback from a broad sector of the

institutions community. It helps the institution prepare for the future by clearly defining


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a vision and a mission, establishing objectives and goals, and implementing specific

strategies or courses of action designed to reach these goals.

1.5.1 How does the Library staff participate in the institutions general planning process?

The director and teaching staff actively participate in the general planning process through

the different committees and institutional forums (Appendix 8.3). These include:

Academic Senate Director and one librarian

Council on Integration and Educational Planning Director and one alternate member

School Accreditation Committees

Faculty Representatives Committee (FRC)

Liaison librarians with the Schools (Functions of liaison librarians, Appendix 4.6)

The Director and Coordinator of the Assessment Committee attend different

institutional strategic planning activities.

Strategic planning establishes the course the Medical Sciences Campus will take, how it will

achieve that goal, and the deadline to attain it.

Members of the Library staff contribute to developing the plan by making suggestions to their

supervisors who, in turn, include staff projects in their strategic and work plans that are

subsequently considered for the strategic plan. The Library Administration encourages

participation and suggestions. (Also see Standard 8 of Communication and Cooperation).

1.6 Objective The strategic plan will be developed by including such aspects as

evaluation, updating, and fine-tuning.

1.6.1 How was the strategic plan developed?

The plan was developed according to the guide developed during the retreat, Encounter:

Breaking Paradigms in Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating the Professional Staff of the

Academic Library, held June 9-10, 2005 in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico. The principal purpose of

this workshop was to instruct academic library directors and coordinators of the assessment


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project in the different campuses of the University of Puerto Rico in how to prepare a plan of

action to develop and implement the Library Strategic Plan of the University of Puerto Rico

libraries.

The plan was initially drafted to include the years 2006-2010. The process was conducted as

follows:

Conceptualization and requirement of the plan.

Analysis of the document Diez para la dcada (Ten for the Decade) (Appendix 1.14)

and the strategic plan of the Medical Sciences Campus (Appendix 1.15)

The following strategic areas were identified:

- Developing new services and virtual information resources to meet the

educational, research, and clinical needs of our users.

- Establishing a new virtual education program for users to promote the

development of information skills of students and professors of the Medical

Sciences Campus.

- Training our human resources to develop our virtual information services and to

teach information skills as part of the curriculum.

- Developing a formal liaison librarian program to strengthen the links with

Campus schools, entities, and faculties.

- Providing the Library with the necessary infrastructure to offer new virtual

information services.

- Identifying the necessary fiscal resources to comply with our strategic plan.

- Continuing the Library remodeling process.

Several proposed goals and plans were presented by the different departments.

The goals were integrated into the strategic areas.


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Subsequently, the strategic plan was revised.

Currently, the plan for analyzing compliance with the proposals for 2006-2007 is being

revised and evaluated. This document was developed taking into consideration the MSC

document. During this semester, representatives from the different schools, dean offices, and

the Campus administration are updating the MSC strategic plan, which was to be in effect from

2003-2008.

Goal 6.2 of the Strategic Plan of the Medical Sciences Campus reads as follows:

To maintain a quality library on the Medical Sciences Campus that serves as the pivotal

point for teaching, research, and creative activity for the academic community. The

MSC strategic plan includes some of the areas that we have chosen as our focus of

attention.

The Director and the Coordinator of the Library Assessment Project have attended

discussion activities on the strategic planning of the Campus. Strategic objective 8.2.1 states

that emphasis will be placed on the participation of the academic community in the strategic

planning. During these activities, discussion focused on new trends and events that are part of

our external environment, which we are integrating into our planning process. Some of the

most important activities include all the actions aimed at strengthening research4 and creating

Academic Medical Centers. The introduction to Public Law No. 136 of 2006 (Appendix 1.15)

reads as follows:

To create Regional Academic Medical Centers in Puerto Rico in order to

ensure workshops for training healthcare professionals, particularly in

medical education and, as a result, to stimulate the development of teaching

4 Zerhouni E. (2005, octubre). Transnational and Clinical Science-Time for a new vision. The New EnglandJournal of Medicine. p.1621.


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and clinical, epidemiological, and social medicine research, healthcare

services; and other purposes in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Electronic access: http://www.rcm.upr.edu/MisionVisionRCM.aspx

UPR Plan Documento Diez para la Dcada

Electronic access: http://www.certificaciones.upr.edu/certificaciones/

1.7 Objective The process will help the community focus on its essential values and

provide general direction that helps guide its daily activities and decisions.

1.7.1 How is the strategic plan used to implement library services and programs?

The plan guides the actions and tasks carried out in the different departments. At the end of

the fiscal year, each unit submits a report that sets forth the goals achieved.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Puerto Rico. Ten for the Decade: Planning

Agenda for the University of Puerto Rico. (2005) Accessed June 1, 2006, at:

http://www.certificaciones.upr.edu/certificaciones/

The Board of Trustees of the University of Puerto Rico. General Regulations of the

University of Puerto Rico. Accessed February 2, 2008 at:

http://www.upr.edu/sindicos/reglamento.htm

Summary:

The Library is involved in an ongoing planning and plan revision process, when needed.

We participated in the planning of the Campuss strategic plan and the institutional

assessment. Nevertheless, we recognize that the Librarys participation in both documents is

still limited. Partial aspects of the Library situation are included. It has not been possible to

equally integrate all its functions. We now have an opportunity (we have positions on

institutional committees) and, at the same time, a challenge since this process requires great

dedication, effort, and openness.


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The Library has a library assessment committee made up of four teaching

librarians (the project coordinator, the Library director, the technical services

supervisor, and the Serial Publications supervisor) and two assistants. One of the

assistants directs the Circulation and Reserves Department.

2.1. Objective The assessment will be an ongoing process and will include different

techniques.

2.1.1. Does the assessment plan include a broad range of techniques to evaluate the

quality and effectiveness of the Library?

The self-assessment processes conducted by the Medical Sciences Campus to renew the

operating license granted by the Puerto Rico Council on Higher Education and accreditation

by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, provide very valuable information

for assessing the Librarys services. The Library is also evaluated by professional accrediting

agencies for academic programs requiring accreditation (See Appendix 2.1. for a list of

professional accrediting agencies).

The Library Assessment Plan (Appendix 1.12) includes a variety of quantitative and

qualitative techniques that provide essential information for the ongoing improvement of its

services. These techniques include: gathering statistics on services, document analysis,

surveys, focus groups, and workshop evaluation questionnaires. The Evaluation Plan also

contains indicators to evaluate the Librarys efficiency.

Our projects for developing an evaluation culture include the focus group strategy. We

worked on this strategy during March 2002. The following is a list of the objectives:

1. Identifying the information needs of users real and potential- of the MSC Library and

how these can be met.


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2. Identifying new services that help Library users meet their information needs.

3. Identifying the most effective means to inform users of the Librarys services.

4. Identifying other type of services the Library can offer, in addition to providing

information.

5. Evaluating the services currently offered by the Library.

(See more information in the report entitled: Information and Service Needs of Users of

the Medical Sciences Campus Library of the University of Puerto Rico Focus Groups

Report (Appendix 2.2)).

Based on the results of this focus group and other sources, new services were designed:

Professors requested remote access to a greater number of electronic journals, more

frequent orientation and workshops, virtual references, proper facilities for the use

of portable computers, and bookmarks for the most important Internet pages.

Students requested group study areas and computers with access to software, such

as Word and Excel.

The development of these services included planning processes (See Strategic Plan,

Appendix 1.11). Many of these were considered when remodeling the Library. In the

case of virtual references, a questionnaire (Appendix 2.7) was prepared and

administered to the Campus faculty in order to know, among other things, whether

or not they knew what a virtual reference service was and the hours during which

they would use the service.

See also other assessment sources, such as:

1) Reports on the survey results (Appendices 2.3, 2.4, 2.5)

2) Annual work plans (Appendix 1.10)


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3) Annual Library Reports.

4) Evaluation of activities (Appendix 2.6)

5) Evaluation of collections or services (Appendix2.8)

2.2 Objective The assessment plan will be used to evaluate the Librarys mission,

vision, and goals in order to improve quality and efficiency.

2.2.1. How are the results of the assessment plan used to improve the quality and

efficiency of the Library?

At the end of each academic year, the Library departments submit an achievement report

that analyzes whether or not the goals proposed for that year were met.

The activities are evaluated and actions are taken in accordance with the results. We are

in the process of gathering the information that was included in the different plans.

During the current year, we are working with the results of the assessment plan to

improve the quality and efficiencyof the Library.

2.3 Objective Library users will be given the opportunity to make comments and

suggestions on the Librarys services and resources.

2.3.1. Does the plan provide for feedback on all the components of the Campus

community?

The Library continually receives feedback from users. In addition, it has conducted focus

groups and user surveys. From November 2006 to February 2007, we conducted a survey as

part of the self-study process. We distributed three questionnaires on the services offered by

the Library.

We had one questionnaire for the faculty, one for students, and another for employees. The

questionnaire was distributed on all service desks of the Library. They were also sent to

some schools and departments through liaison libraries. The Student Council also

collaborated with the process.


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These instruments (Appendix 2.9) made it possible to gather information on facilities,

equipment, access, services, and staff. The personal questionnaire includes the degree of

satisfaction with the individuals work environment, communication and other areas. The

three instruments included open questions (Appendices 2.3, 2.4, 2.5)

Summary:

The Library has begun to develop an assessment culture. It provides for user

participation in the assessment process. This is because a number of Campus program

accreditations include the participation of the Library. We found the following strengths of

this standard:

It has a tradition of gathering and analyzing data on its collections and services.

These activities contribute to the development of an assessment culture.

Recommendations on academic programs and accrediting agencies are taken into

consideration.

The librarian in charge of the assessment project is a member of the institutional

assessment committee.

We identified the following areas of development:

Many services are not evaluated periodically.

This self-study process has led us to recognize the need to develop more effective

quantitative and qualitative information gathering strategies.


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3. Standard Assessment of results

Introduction:

The assessment of results is a mechanism used to improve Library practices. It indicates

to what degree the Library has achieved the results it expected in order to reach the goals

and objectives it established. It allows us to learn about the general panorama and identify

areas of opportunity.

3.1. Objective An assessment of the results will measure and demonstrate how the

Librarys mission, vision, goals, and objectives are achieved.

3.1.1. Does the Library staff and the institutions administration have a clear

understanding of the Librarys mission? Is the mission revised periodically?

The Librarys administration has endeavored to have the Library staff learn about and

understand the Librarys mission. (See presentations to the staff, Appendix 3.1)

The mission was revised in 2005-2006. The statement was the result of several meetings of

librarians. All the members of the staff who work in the Library have a copy of the vision,

the mission, and other documents that have been presented and discussed at several staff

meetings (Presentations: Appendix 3.1) It was also published on the Library website:

http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu. Documents including the previous mission drafted in 1987

are maintained as evidence of this process (Appendix 3.2).

3.2.1 How does the Library incorporate the institutions mission into its goals and

objectives?

As discussed in Standard 1, the library planning processes are carried out in accordance

with those of the Medical Sciences Campus. The institutional goals of the library, as well as

the strategic areas of the plan, are geared toward complying with the Campus mission,

within the planning agenda of the University of Puerto Rico. Ten for the Decade (Appendix

1.14).


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With this purpose in mind, several documents, including policy documents and

procedures manuals were revised (Appendix 1.1-1.7).

3.3 Objective - The library will maintain a systematic, ongoing program to evidence its

compliance in informing, identifying, and implementing necessary improvements.

3.3.1 How does the library maintain a systematic ongoing program to evaluate

performance, to inform the institutions community about its achievements, and to

identify and implement the necessary improvements?

As mentioned in the assessment standard, staff meetings are held at the end of the

academic year, during which each supervisor presents and discusses the years

achievements (Achievement reports, annual reports).

3.4 Objective Generating mechanisms for evaluating results in order to improve library.

The focus is on the achievement of the results that were identified as desirable in the

librarys goals and objectives. Identifying performance benchmarks that indicate how

well the library is doing what is has established in its goals and objectives and what it

wants to do (self-assessment).

3.4.1. How does the library evaluate itself?

The library uses different strategies for its self-assessment, such as surveys, focus groups,

and analysis of documents such as reports, plans, and others. The librarys success in

achieving the objectives established for the population it serves is measured. These efforts

are reflected in different documents, such as survey reports (Appendices 2.3, 2.4, 2.5), the

focus group report (Appendix 2.2), and the analysis of strengths, opportunities, areas for

development, and pitfalls (Appendix 0.2) and in the assessment of user training activities

(Appendix 2.6).

The Library has been able to establish ongoing collaboration with several professors from

different faculties and schools in order to formally integrate the teaching of information


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access skills into their courses. As a result, workshops or talks have been integrated into the

syllabuses of different courses, placing special attention on research courses and courses

that require intensive use of information. In many of these cases, what is learned in the

activities offered by the library staff forms part of the evaluation requirements of the course.

3.4.2 Does the library revise and update its assessment procedures together with the

campus planning process and the actions of the academic departments?

The Library's integration into the institutional processes begins at the service planning

stage. In addition:

The Medical Sciences Campus has an institutional assessment committee with

representatives from all the schools and deans offices. The library has a

representative on this committee. It participates in discussions on and the drafting of

institutional assessment documents. During the meetings, assessment plans of the

different schools are presented. This is very useful for learning about the projects

and activities of the Campus community.

The library staff participates in workshops sponsored by the institutional assessment

committee.

Program accreditation processes also call for rigorous preparation. The faculties of

the different schools, together with the librarians, evaluate collections and other

activities. Some of these efforts are presented in the annual reports of the technical

services section and assessment summary, in addition to the following documents6:

- Conrado F. Asenjo Library Physical Therapy Resources

- Conrado F. Asenjo Library Resources for the School of Pharmacy

6 These and other evaluations of the collection for purposes of program accreditation are included in Appendix3.5.


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- Conrado F. Asenjo Library Resources for Veterinary Technology Program College of

Allied and Health Professions

- Professional Nursing Journals to Be Acquired For the Doctoral Program

- Doctoral proposal: Nursing, Section Learning resources

- Librarians draft the report on strengths, opportunities, areas of development, and pitfalls

(Appendix 3.6). Problems and solutions are identified in this exercise.

The plans are drafted and updated in the library, taking into consideration the plans and

activities carried out by the departments and campus administrative offices. Resources

added to the collection and the development of new services are decisions that are made

taking into consideration institutional projections. (See: Institutional Strategic Plan and the

Library Strategic Plan, Appendices 1.15 and 1.11).

3.4.3 Is the library assessment plan an integral component of the institutions assessment

and its accreditation strategies?

There are different institutional areas for which the assessment of the librarys services

and its collections are an integral component for assessing the institution and its

accreditation strategies. First, periodic self-studies conducted by the campus for MSA

accreditation and CES licensing, respectively, include assessments of library services and

their contribution to the teaching-learning process as components of great importance.

Evaluations conducted by the academic departments to develop proposals to create new

programs include evaluating of library resources and information and how these support

proposed programs.

Lastly, self-assessment processes for professional accreditations conducted by the

departments include an evaluation of available bibliographical resources and the integration

of information and technology skills.


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The electronic platform WeaveOnline, Assessment Management System7 was acquired as

part of the institutions evaluation efforts. All the departments and programs, including the

library, are expected to maintain their assessment plans on this platform. In this way, the

results of the assessment process at the different levels of the institution will be

documented.

The following is a list of the institutional assessment committees areas of work for this year

and how it is integrated into the library:

Institutional Assessment CommitteesAreas of Work

How it is integrated into the library

Development of Guidelines or Proceduresfor institutional assessment andassessment of student learning.

Recommendations of the director andlibrarians.

Participation of assessment projectcoordinator in institutional assessmentcommittee meetings.

Development of strategies, instruments,and indicators of student learning in

activities sponsored by the library.

Graduate profile The document8 was sent stating thecharacteristics of a person who is capableof accessing and using information. Thesecharacteristics are:

Determining the scope of theinformation required.

Accessing the information

effectively and efficiently.

Evaluating the information and its

7 Online Assessment System. Additional Information at: http://weaveonline.com/

8 The ability to access and use information is the basis for continuous learning throughout a person's life. It is common to all

disciplines, learning environments, and levels of education.

ACRL. (2000). Normas sobre aptitudes para el acceso y uso de la informacin en la enseanza superior. Accessed at:

http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetencystandards.cfm


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sources critically.

Incorporating selected informationinto ones knowledge base.

Using the information effectively tocarry out specific tasks.

Understanding the economic, legal,and social issues surrounding theuse of the information, andaccessing and using informationethically and legally.

Assessment plan for student learning Including student learning strategies,instruments, and indicators in activities

sponsored by the library.

Institutional assessment plan Updating the library assessment plan inkeeping with the changes and trends of theinstitutional assessment.

Satisfaction surveys Using different strategies to learn if usersare satisfied with library services andresources.

3.5 Objective Design and use strategies that allow the compilation of library results.

3.5.1. Which results are measured by the library? How are they measured?

The achievement of the goals set at the beginning of the academic year is measured.

Supervisors conduct that analysis, together with the staff from the different departments

and they prepare an achievement report. Operational plans are drawn up, taking into

consideration the following institutional goals of the library:

1. To provide information resources and services, based on the MSCs curricula,

programs, and projects.


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2. To develop and administer collections so that they can be duly catalogued,

organized, classified, described, updated, kept in good condition, and available to

users.

3. To develop and offer reference services to allow users to obtain the information

they need.

4. To encourage the training of life-long learners with skills for critical thinking by

developing the information skills of the users.

5. To develop, apply, and administer electronic information resources and services

to meet user needs.

6. To acquire, maintain, and provide pertinent information on the history of health

sciences in Puerto Rico.

7. To preserve, organize and make available documents of the Medical Sciences

Campus that are valuable to the history of the institution.

8. To promote the professional development of the library staff.

9. To periodically evaluate whether the librarys information resources and services

respond to the needs of the users.

10.To promote the librarys resources and services.

11.To efficiently use the available physical space of the facilities.

The document Ten for the Decade gives us the opportunity to reflect on our work. The

librarian in charge of the Title V proposal made the following analysis:

Goal II: Updating, experimentation, and renewal of academic cultures We comply

with this by developing proposals and projects such as those under Title V; there

have been experiences with co-teaching between professors and librarians. There

have been processes to integrate information skills into the curricula. We have


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increased accessibility to bibliographical resources, databases, complete texts of

journals and audiovisual resources.

Goal III: Research and competitive work We have projects related to access to

databases and information to develop research in any area, particularly the ISI Web

of Science and Direct Science (Elsevier).

Goal V: Updating technology The librarys technological equipment has been

increased and updated.

Goal X: Strengthen the institutions identity Access will be given to unique digital

collections, which will contribute to the history of health sciences in Puerto Rico and

serve as a resource for public health.

In addition, forms and questionnaires will be used to evaluate the different library

activities.

3.5.2 What quantitative and qualitative data does the library compile on its performance?

How does it take into account special needs, for example, the needs of users with physical

disabilities?

All departments gather date to evaluate their work. Annual reports present different

statistics that are discussed in depth in the resource and services standards. Some include:

Circulation by type of user and resources

Consultations and other interventions in the Reference Section

Activities to develop skills

Attendance Inventory of collections

Recommended, acquired and cataloged resources

Use of resources by type and format

Others


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With regard to services for the disabled, the library complies with the requirements of the

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Facilities: Ramps, water fountains, and bathrooms

We have a representative on the Public Law 51 Committee

Equipment: terminals, scanners

Staff skills are updated (sign language, among others).

Services are provided in accordance with the law of reasonable accommodation.

3.6 Objective To compare the library with other libraries with similar characteristics

3.6.1 How does the library compare with other libraries that have similar characteristics?

The library compares favorably with other libraries of the Consortium of Southern

Biomedical Libraries (CONBLS). It participates in the exchange of services and has received

recognitions.

According to the report of the CONBLS Salary Survey, the library compares favorably,

except for the directors salary (CONBLS Salary Survey, Appendix 3.9).

Summary:

The Conrado F. Asenjo Library carries out different quantitative and qualitative activities to

evaluate the effectiveness of its services and the quality of its collections. Some of these

activities include compiling statistics, questionnaires, and workshop evaluation sheets,

among others.

The following are some of the strengths of the process:

The director of the library has ensured that staff learn more about the librarys

mission and vision.

A librarian was put in charge of the evaluation process of the unit.


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Both the strategic and work plans (Appendices 1.10 and 1.11) contain indicators to

evaluate the librarys efficiency.

Some of the areas of development include:

The results of the assessment process have not been systematized.

The statistics necessary and essential to complete our assessment process have not

been identified.

As part of our work plan, we will begin to analyze the statistics we gathered. We will

also identify the sources of qualitative information that we will continue to use. In

addition, we will renew our participation in the survey conducted by the Association

of Academic Health Sciences Libraries.


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4. Standard - Services

One of the most important strengths of the Conrado F. Asenjo Library is the quality of its

services. They support the mission, objectives, and curricula of the MSC academic

programs. The staff provides competent help and library hours are reasonable and

convenient for its users. Reference services and other special aids are available when the

Campus community most needs them.

4.1 Objective The library will establish, promote, maintain and evaluate a variety of

quality services that support the mission and goals of the institution.

4.1.1 How well does the library establish, promote, maintain, and evaluate the wide

variety of quality services that support the institutions academic programs and the

optimum use of the library?

The library services are geared to supporting curricular offerings and information needs.

Therefore, services have been established for the public. In addition, in response to new

trends, the library has established new services, such as virtual reference.

As mentioned in Standard 2, the library responded to the needs of the community and

administered a questionnaire to provide services in keeping with user specifications.

The library also offers a variety of core services for the Campus community. We serve a

population of 2,808 students, 879 faculty members and nonteaching employees who work in

the institution.

We also provide services to students and professors from the other units of the system,

offering them universal an services interlibrary loans and others. Services are offered to

students from other universities and to health care professionals, particularly to the Carolina

Regional Hospital and other nearby hospitals.

The services are promoted online: http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu, through the design

and dissemination of information brochures, through the RCM News electronic


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dissemination tool, in meetings, and during different orientation sessions. As stated before,

services are evaluated frequently using evaluation sheets, direct communication with users,

and other means. The principal services include:

Reference-Orientation (group and individual), information searches, workshops, and

others. Beginning in 2007, virtual reference has been offered through two service

modes: e-mail and chats. In this way, we are complying with one of our priorities,

to provide our users with remote access.

As part of an initiative to maintain active and updated communication with

students, professors, and the academic community at large, the library has

developed blogs that are useful and valuable in meeting information needs and

integrating trends and technologies. The reference weblog address is:

http://referenciarcm.wordpress.com/

The library also developed a tool for news, points of view, information, and

experiences in the field of virtual reference, as well as communication tools, such as

Web 2.0 and applications for Library 2.0 at: http://llamadavirtual.wordpress.com/

The Reference Department offers a wide range of workshops and other educational

activities. For example, it offers a workshop on the use of the electronic catalogue

(Horizon), which is an essential tool for locating books, printed resources, and

audiovisual material available in our collections.

Demonstrations and workshops including practice on the different electronic

databases available on our web page: PubMed/MEDLINE, EBSCOhost, ProQuest,

MDConsult, and others. In this way, students and professors learn how to locate

bibliographical references and the complete texts of our extensive collection of

electronic journals and books.


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In addition to teaching how to use databases effectively, the reference librarians offer

workshops and talks on other essential aspects of the effective use of information, as

part of academic and clinical research. This is the case of workshops like the

Introduction to APA and AMA manuals of style. These discuss, using concrete

examples, core issues for all researchers; for example, how to paraphrase and quote

correctly, how to prepare a list of references and basic aspects, and how to format a

document for publication.

The library also offers workshops on the new program, RefWorks, an online research

management program that allows the user to import his/her references directly from

the database and prepare the bibliography according to the rules of APA, AMA, and

hundreds of other publication styles9.

The librarians, in general, design and offer other workshops, adjusting them to the

particular needs of the students, professors, and general public. Some recent

examples of these workshops include: information search for womens health,

preparation of papers, poster presentations using PowerPoint, using PubMed for

Evidence-Based Practice, databases of the National Library of Medicine and the

universe of information resources on the library web page.

The library has an area of specialized resources on womens health, located in the

reference section. The librarian in charge of this section offers a variety of

information services, including:

- Facilitating access to a specialized collection on womens health (professional

journals, books, reports, brochures, databases, the Internet, and the Women

and Health Center site: http://whcpr.rcm.upr.edu)

9 Workshop topics are dealt with in more detail in Standard 5, Information Skills.


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- Coordinating and developing workshops on integrating gender and

womens health topics into the curriculum; the use of resources and services

related to the collection.

- Conducting bibliographical searches.

Circulation and Reserve This is the section in charge of lending, recovering, and

organizing the different bibliographical resources. The staff provides services seven

days a week, during day and evening hours:

The Circulation collection is located permanently on the sixth floor, on open shelves

that allow independent use. The Reserve Collection is the section that is made up of

the principal textbooks and materials that professors use in the courses offered in the

MSC. The Thesis Collection was recently integrated into this section. In order for these

resources to always be available for the students, these resources are loaned only for

internal use and for a limited time.

At this time, the professors reserve materials are in a transitional stage; with support

from the Title V cooperation project, it is being changed from the traditional reserve

section to an electronic reserve section. The objective is for the student to be able to

access materials assigned by the professors from any computer, retrieve them and

either copy them onto a physical device or print them.

Special Collections (SE) This section includes the Puerto Rican Collection of Health

Sciences, the Dr. Bailey K. Ashford Collection and the History of Medicine Collection.

These collections include local material on health sciences and material of historical

value in general. The SE is a small library in and of itself since different functions are

carried out there, including service to the public, such as technical processes, sponsor


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searches, dissemination tasks, and research (See the Manual of Procedures for Special

Collections, Appendix 1.3).

The following is a summary of some of the quantitative data for the period.

From 2006-2007, there was a considerable drop in the number of visitors to the area

compared to previous years. In general terms, it can be said that the decrease is due to

lack of space. This was due to the fact that areas usually used for his purpose were not

available because they were being renovated. Secondly, because the collection was

moved to the fifth floor of the library for several months and other remodeling

situations.

The Resource Center for learning collects, provides access to and circulates audiovisual

teaching material. Is provides access to videos over the librarys web page.

The Serial Publications Section processes, organizes, and maintains the journal

collection, coordinates their binding and offers interlibrary loan services.

The interlibrary loan service is very efficient and effective. Through this service, the

faculty, students, researcher, and healthcare professionals who need an article from a

journal that is not available in print or electronic format in the library can request it and

have it sent to them in digital format to their e-mail or in hard copy. The library is able to

do this because it has collaboration agreements with the United States National Network

of Medical Libraries, with libraries of other units of the UPR system, and the Veterans

Library; it is also able to request materials or resources found in the United States

Library of Congress.

Visitors,Researchers

CatalogedMaterials

AddedMaterials

Other Publications TopicsAdded

Total

13 201 5,131 148 24 aprox. 5,590


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Loans can be requested in the office, at the Circulation desk, online from the web page,

by fax, e-mail, regular mail or through the telephone.

Interlibrary Loans10

2005-2006 2006-2007 %

Requests Received(From United States users)

1,383 1,116 -19%

Requests Served(For United States users)

987 832 -15%

Requests Made(By Puerto Rico Users)

1,583 1,704 +8%

Requests Received(For Puerto Rico Users)

1,327 1,675 +26%

Non DocLine Requests Served (fromPR to PR) 1,271 1,273 ----

Non DocLine Requests Made (to UPRlibrary)

56 34 -39%

Analysis of Significant Data of Comparative Statistics of Interlibrary Loans

Requests received from libraries in the United States decreased, possibly due to the

globalized tendency of increased direct electronic access to the complete text of articles

in electronic format.

Requests from users in Puerto Rico continued to increase by 15%.

During this year, by analyzing the statistics, we can see a decrease in internal use of

printed journals, from 11,891 in 2005-2006 to 10,327 in 2006-2007. This could be due to

the fact that many journals are available in electronic format as, for example, Elsevier,

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins de Ovid and annual reviews. In fact, there was an

10Statistics from July 2007 to February 2008 show the following totals: Professors = 478

Researchers = 998, Students = 234, and Others = 190


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increase in the use of A to Z and access to electronic journals from 2,070 in the 2005-2006

academic year to 4,888 in 2006-2007, an increase of 1.36%.

The historic archive contains institutional documents that are of value for the history of

the Medical Sciences Campus. Since 1992, the historic archive has collected institutional

documents generated by the units of the Medical Sciences Campus that date back to

1966. This is the year the legislature approved Medical Sciences as a campus of the

University of Puerto Rico.

The Technical Services section provides the following services to the Campus

community:

Information on what is being published and/or produced (A-V) in health sciences.

Information on publishing houses and/or production houses

Information on providers

Information on collections

Lists of bibliographical resources by topic to evaluate the collection.

Self-study documents of the programs are worked on for accreditations in the area of

library services and resources.

Bibliographical lists of new curricular program syllabuses are checked against the

catalog published online.

Lists of bibliographical resources are checked from core lists for the purpose of new

acquisitions.

The library continues to develop virtual as well as in-person services. We have users who

access resources online only, others who visit the facilities and some who combine both

strategies. This is illustrated by the faculty members who participated in the survey.

Twenty-two (22) percent of the professors go directly to the facilities to receive services,


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34.5% mentioned that they access materials online and 39% use both strategies. Thus, we

can say that 56% use online access (combining the figures of those who use only online

access and those who use both strategies) and 61% come to the facilities, although some of

these also access electronic resources outside the MSC (Report of survey results) (Appendix

2.3, 2.4, and 2.5).

4.1.2 How are students and faculty informed of the librarys services?

Different methods have been developed to inform users of the changes to and details on

the librarys services. These strategies allow for very active and efficient feedback. Some

examples are:

1. Bulletins- Cyberbulletin http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu/ciberboletin

2. Home page http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu

3. Virtual reference page: http://llamadavirtual.wordpress.com/about/

4. Brochures (Appendix 4.1)

5. Blogs, for example: http://rcmlibraryweek.wordpress.com/

http://referenciarcm.wordpress.com/

http://llamadavirtual.wordpress.com/

6. Interactive message boards

7. Alert services

4.2 Objective Reference services and other special aids (resource loans) must be

available when users need them the most.

4.2.1 How do student and faculty expectations affect library services?

Student and faculty expectations affect library services since our goal is to meet their

needs as identified in different points of service. The library is a center for study and

research. The services are totally designed to benefit our users. For example, in general


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terms, professors expressed their satisfaction with the different areas mentioned here,

especially with those in the reference section, which reflects 83.3% satisfaction.

The faculty has the option of recommending books and other resources for the curricular

offerings (Report on the Results of the Survey, Appendix 2.3, 2.4. and 2.5).

4.2.2 Does the library maintain and use quantitative and qualitative measures of their

capacity to serve users?

The library uses different quantitative and qualitative measures for the variety of services

it offers its users. It is important to note that there was a significant increase in requests from

the faculty and administration. This could be due to the workshops that have been offered

and have served to inform them of the services we offer. The administrative staff who visits

the library also presents different information needs, such as health and academic topics for

them as well as for members of their families. There has been a decrease in questions from

students from private universities.

The following table shows some statistics on reference services:Requests

2005-2006 2006-2007 %

Students 1296 1503 16

Faculty 259 401 55

Administration 74 105 42

Residents 146 195 34Healthcare professionals 179 201 12Private Individuals 557 502 -10

TOTAL 2,511 2,907 16

1. Reference Questions

2005-2006 2006-2007 %

Direct 207 264 28

Information 1,517 1865 23Telephone 300 345 15

Fax 80 104 30

E-mail 374 321 -14

Referral 41 40 -2

TOTAL 2,519 2,939 17


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The decrease in e-mail questions may be due to the fact that many are channeled through

virtual reference (See the Title V report for the federal fiscal year, Appendix 4.2)

Workshops and Orientation (Persons per workshop)

Workshops 2006-2007

Internet 32

Library web page 77

PubMed 60

Databases 127

Others

- ENFE scientificliterature search 46

- APA 118

- AMA 10

- Womens health 2

- RefWorks 45

- Posterpresentations 18

- Databases/PubMed 33

- Databases / libraryweb page 70

- PubMed / EBM 103

- PubMed / EBP 28

- PubMed / libraryweb page 49

- library web page /orientation tour 44

TOTAL 862


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Number of workshops 72 Hours invested 146 Individuals trained _862_

The number of workshops has increased by offering combined workshops, for example:

Orientation/Tour together with an explanation of the library web page. A RefWorks

workshop was added.

Under others, most requests are from pharmaceutical companies or medical insurance

plans. Professors and researchers represent 78% of the requests and students represent 12%,

for a total of 1900 requests so far this year.

The Circulation and Reserve Department reflects the following statistics: From July 2005

to June 2006, the library was visited by 173,864 users, which represents a + 9% increase in

attendance. It is necessary to note that the attendance is an approximate figure, since the

number shown on the resource control sheet is the total number of times people enter and

leave the library. Statistical data shows that there was a decrease in student use of the

permanent and professors reserve areas. The data also shows a decrease in the use of

resources in the following categories: faculty, students (except students from the School of

Dentistry), employees, hospitals, MSC residents, and universal loans. However, there was

an increase in transactions in the categories of healthcare professionals, visiting professors

and students from the School of Dentistry.

Library Attendance

Year 2004-2005 2005-2006 Changes

General attendance 159, 151 173.864 + 9 %


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Library Hours

Schedule for the facilities, including the Study Room Total number of hours

Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Monday to Friday 7:00 a.m to 2:00 a.m.

Saturday 8:00 a.m to 2:00 a.m.

130

Weekday hours for service to the public

Sunday 9:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m.

Monday to Thursday 7:00 a.m to 11:00 p.m.

Friday 7:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m.

Saturday 9:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m.

105

Comparatives

Year 2004-2005 2005-2006 Changes

* Books on shelves 14,400 14,554 + 1 %

Resources loaned/Books 6,862 7,336 + 7 %

Resources loaned/journals 3,466 2,443 - 30 %

** Renewals 4,060 3,714 - 9 %

Notices generated 2,411 2,519 + 4 %

* Includes data on books that are not circulated and books turned in.

** Books loaned


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User transactions by category

YEAR 2004-2005 2005-2006 Changes

Employees 1,556 1,144 - 26 %

Special* 460 532 + 16 %

Students 7,112 6,411 - 10 %

Faculty 1,098 1,015 - 8 %

Hospitals 876 686 - 22 %

MSC Residents 679 629 -7 %

Universal loans 54 33 - 39 %

Total 11,835 10,450 - 12 %

* Health care professionals and visiting professors.

Statistics on the use of the reserve section

Year 2004-2005 2005-2006 Changes

Permanent ReserveCollection

10,080 8,580 - 15 %

Professors Reserve 75 68 - 9 %

Use of professorsreserve section

3,536 3,252 - 8 %

This report presents the most outstanding aspects of the Circulation and Reserve Section.

In preparing the report, statistics generated in the Horizon statistics module were


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considered, as well the observations of Circulation and Reserve Section staff while on duty

during the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

The data are presented mostly in tables and include the following components:

transactions according to the type of resource, by book topic, students by category,

general users by category, use of the permanent and professors reserve sections and

library attendance.

The most relevant data show that during the 2005-2006 academic year, there was an

increase in the number of users who visited our library and in the number of

transactions made by students from the School of Dentistry (we must note that in this

item, in addition to statistical data from Horizon, we noticed an increase in the use of the

library by dentistry students, visiting professors, and health care professionals while

providing our daily services.

It should be noted that the continued decrease in journal loans and transactions by users

in some categories are indicative of the continued strengthening of the different online

information options that are currently available on both campus and personal

computers.

4.3 Objective The library must provide competent and fast help to our users.

4.3.1 Are reference, circulation, and other services designed to allow students to reap the

most benefit from available resources?

All the services are designed to allow students to reap the most benefit from

available resources. The resources respond to the curricular needs of the six (6)

schools of the institution. The printed and electronic collections are developed in

accordance with recommendations from the faculty, students, and liaison librarians


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in each school. During the program accreditation process and the revision or

establishment of new programs, the collections that are pertinent to the programs

are reviewed. This makes it possible to acquire the necessary resources.

Professors are given a space, the professors reserve section, to provide the resources

that the library has not been able to acquire. Currently, work is being carried out to

computerize many of the professors reserve resources in order to establish a virtual

reserve.

The library web page also provides electronic resources that support all the

academic programs. All these products have been tested before acquiring them and

statistics on use have been one of the criteria used for acquiring and maintaining

them. We have a proxy server that allows the academic community to use the

resources online to maximize their use. It should be noted that user prefer this

method, a fact that can be seen in the annual statistics.

Workshops are offered on the effective and efficient use of all databases, online

catalogs, and other electronic resources.

We have a virtual reference service that guides users through the program

Question Point. This service helps or guides the user on how to obtain the

information needed, in consultation with an online librarian. The librarian answers

the questions through chat and e-mail.

The library has an extended schedule, a computer laboratory, computers on all

floors and photocopiers/printers.

The collections are open and labeled, which provides easy access and independent

use of the resources.


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It loans resources for a reasonable time, which maximizes the use of the resources.

Resources can be renewed by telephone or e-mail. Questions on reference materials

and requests for bibliographical searches can be made in the same way.

Wireless Internet access throughout the library, its surroundings and the Student

Center broadens access since many users have their own laptops. Electrical outlets

have been added on the floor and under the tables in response to student requests.

Many students spend hours in the library and their laptop batteries do not last long

enough.

All of these mechanisms that are part of the librarys services are designed to allow

students to gain maximum benefits from the available resources. Students have

provided feedback through recommendations made directly to the staff, through

conversations, and through the participation of librarians in academic activities and

on curriculum committees.

In addition, some of the results of the student survey are as follows:

69.6 % of the students are very satisfied or satisfied with the work and study

environment; 16.1% are neutral and 10.6 % are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with

the work environment.

76.9 % of the students are very satisfied or satisfied with library hours.

56.7% of the students are very satisfied or satisfied with the summer schedule.

Nevertheless, 28.1% selected the neutral option in response to this question. A

low percent of 3.7% stated that they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the

summer schedule.


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A large majority of 82.1% is satisfied or very satisfied with the library web page and

only 2.8% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. The library is working on keeping its

web page up to date, given the dramatic changes in providing electronic services.

A majority of 75.6% is satisfied or very satisfied with the online catalog. A minority 2.8% is

dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. This is one of the core services that, in turn, promotes

access to other resources.

A majority of 75.1% is satisfied or very satisfied with the databases and only 3.3% are

dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.

34.6% of the students replied that they were very satisfied with the circulation service

and another 34.6 % indicated that they were satisfied, for a total of nearly 70%. Twenty-

three and a half (23.5 %) stated that they were neutral. 2% percent indicated that they

were dissatisfied.

35.9% of the students selected the neutral option and 29% indicated that they were

very satisfied with the interlibrary loan system. As seen in the statistics, this service is

used more by researchers. Therefore, most students did not indicate that they were very

satisfied since they are not the principal users of the service.

Students commented that they were satisfied with the services. They included

expressions such as Excellent treatment, The quality of the services is excellent, They

always help me a lot, The library employees are excellent, and are very willing to help.

Their principal complaints are related to hours, since they want the library to be open 24

hours a day or to have extended hours during final exams. They also noted that the cold and

noise bothered them.


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Many of these situations will be resolved once the remodeling of the library is finished.

Nevertheless, we must remember that to expect a library to be completely quiet is an

educational paradigm of the past. Libraries must provide individual quiet study spaces, but

certain areas are dedicated to the exchange of ideas and interaction between employees and

users.

Other frequent complaints that we hope to resolve once the remodeling is completed refer to

the quality and availability of equipment, including photocopiers, terminals, printers, and

electrical outlets for laptops.

Students requested more electronic journals, the most recent edition of books, more labeling,

and staff.11 The professors survey provided more data showing how adequate the service

areas are:

Reference A large majority of 83.3% indicated that they were satisfied and only a

small minority of 1.2% was dissatisfied.

Reserve A large majority of 82.2% indicated that they were satisfied or very

satisfied and only 1.2% indicated that they were dissatisfied.

Digital reserve - 54.8% are satisfied, 2.4% unsatisfied, and 31.0% are neutral. Some

may be unaware of this service, which, is fact, is currently in the development stage.

Circulation A majority of 70.3% are satisfied or very satisfied and only 1.2% are

dissatisfied.

Audiovisual Collection A minority of 42.9% are satisfied or very satisfied.

However, only 3.6% indicated that they were dissatisfied and 36.9% were neutral.

This seems to indicate that they are unaware of the service.

11 This is a summary of the comments. The complete version is available upon request. A more detailed analysisof the survey is found in the Self-study Section of the librarys web page.


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Journals A majority of 77.4% are satisfied or very satisfied and a small minority of

2.4% is dissatisfied.

Special Collections - 54.7% are very satisfied or satisfied and only a minority of 2.4%

is dissatisfied and 27.4% are neutral, which may mean that those surveyed have not

had to use these special collections.

Updated information resources A majority of 73.8% are very satisfied or satisfied

and a minority of 3.6% is dissatisfied.

Loans A majority of 66.6% are very satisfied or satisfied and only small minority of

1.2% is dissatisfied.

Interlibrary loans in PR A majority of 64.3% is very satisfied or satisfied and no

one indicated being dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.

International interlibrary loans - 57.1% are satisfied or very satisfied and only 2.4%

are dissatisfied.

It is important to note that with the exception of Books, that shows rate of 9.5%

dissatisfaction, the other areas do not exceed 5% dissatisfaction. Therefore, we can deduce

that, in general terms, for the areas mentioned here professors are satisfied with these

resources and services, especially the reference section that reached a level of satisfaction of

83.3%.

Professors made the following comments in relation to the acquisition of resources:

When I have had the opportunity to identify books for courses, the librarians have given

me options, and when I submitted lists of new books, they acquired them.

The questionnaire also described relations between some members of the faculty and the

library. They mentioned that, at times, professors do not communicate enough. They


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understand that the faculty must have close links with the library, and participate in

updating the library and in its successes. Librarians indicated that professors could make

better use of the librarys resources. One professor believes that, in his case, his relationship

with the library is excellent, but that in other cases there is practically no relationship and a

case by case evaluation is needed.

Good relations between the library and the faculty helps keep the collection, databases,

and books acquired for courses up to date. (See: Survey Report, Appendices 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5)

and the letter of recognition for excellence in interlibrary loan services granted by the

National Network of Libraries (Appendix 4.5)

4.3.2 How well do interlibrary loan services and the delivery of resources support the

needs of users who are eligible for this service?

As a part of the CONBLS, the interlibrary loan service is based on the criteria of quality

and speed of its services. This service has been recognized both locally and internationally

for its excellence as illustrated by the letter of recognition for excellence in the interlibrary

loan service issued by National Network of Libraries (Appendix 4.5)

This self-study included an in-depth-analysis of the work carried out from July 2007 to

February 2008 in the interlibrary loan section, which indicated the following:

We provided a total of 505 articles to users in the United States. Of these, 466 requested

were responded to the same day they were received, which represents 92.27%; 36 or 7.12%,

were responded to the next workday, and 3 articles or 0.61% requests took 2 or more days.

4.3.3 What services do librarians provide for programs outside the campus?


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The Medical Sciences Campus has combined programs with the Natural Science Faculty, the

University of Puerto Rico in Bayamon, and the Central University of the Caribbean. There

are academic collaboration agreements that include lending services and resources.

In addition, services are provides to health professionals in hospitals outside the

Campus. For example:

The director of the Reference Department coordinates and offers workshops on the

Cochrane database for resident physicians ate University Hospital at Carolina Regional

Hospital. Also, during the 2004-2005 academic year, she designed an online course titled,

The Physician as a Life-Long Learner in Medical Informatics, using the WebCT software

for the Center of Academic Excellence of the School of Medicine.

4.3.4 What method is used to identify user needs and their satisfaction with the places

were services are provided?

There are several strategies that can be used to identify the information needs of our users

in all the places where services are offered:

Liaison librarians participate in curriculum development activities in the schools

(Appendix 4.6). They are involved in these processes and, as a result, in their

information needs.

The professionals who work in these schools are:

Prof. Carmen Santos-Graduate School of Public Health

Prof. Efran Flores- School of Nursing

Prof. Pedro del Valle-School of Dentistry

Prof. Zaida Garca-School of Pharmacy

Prof. Nilca Parrilla- Health Related Professions College


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Prof. Margarita Gonzlez-School of Medicine

The library also has a liaison librarian with the Center of Excellence in Womens Health

of the Women and Health Center: Prof. Irma Quiones.

We have forms to evaluate user satisfaction with the different activities carried out

in the library. (Activities evaluation sheet, Appendix 2.6).

Every day our users express their information needs personally, by e-mail, or

telephone. These data (needs, concerns, and recommendations) are included in

searches, orientation workshops, informal offerings, and other services. There is lot

of daily information that is not necessarily gathered.

The library makes great efforts to learn what the information needs of its users are.

A good example of this are the focus groups that sound out the feelings of the

different sectors of the MSC community, including some who do not use the

library. As mentioned in the Focus Groups Report (Appendix 2.2):

Five one-hour focus groups were held during March 2002. Students and professors from

all the faculties of the UPR Medical Sciences Campus were invited. Two groups were made

up of professors from the schools of medicine, dentistry, public health, nursing, pharmacy,

and the health related professions. Another two groups were made up of day students from

the schools of public health, nursing, dentistry, and health-related professions. The fifth

group was made up of evening students from the schools of public health and nursing.

When selecting participants, an effort was made to include regular library users and

individuals who never use or services, or who do so in frequently. A librarian from the

reference section telephoned professors to invite them to the meetings. They were then sent

a letter to remind them of the details of the activity. Academic counselors from the different


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faculties were responsible for inviting students. Librarians from the reference section

personally invited other students.

Responses were grouped in seven thematic areas, to wit: (1) information needs; (2)

services needs; (3) other types of needs; (4) characteristics of an ideal library; (5) strategies

for informing users of services; (6) evaluation of services currently offered in the library;

and (7)

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