Linda R. Musser

Video Resources for the Engineering Curriculum

Abstract The incorporation of video recordings into college and university curricula has become almost total. The most recent survey of media collections in Association of Research Libraries member institutions shows that 84% of survey respondents collect video within their library and an additional ten percent of the respondents state that while the library does not collect video, another department on campus does (Brancolini and Provine 1993, 4). Videos relevant to every discipline are being produced and most academic libraries are collecting them. One area of study, however, seems to be lagging behind in volume of video titles produced, in library acquisitions and in faculty use in the classroom. That subject is engineering. This article explores the topic of engineering videos by reviewing the literature, categorizing types of engineering videos, considering why engineering instructors choose to use or not use videos in the classroom, and discussing collecting patterns of videos by academic engineering librarians. Although it is a common practice to videotape lectures for asynchronous learning and distance education purposes, the focus of this article is on commercially produced video materials.

Impact of a Discovery System on Interlibrary Loan

Web-scale discovery services such as Summon (Serial Solutions), WorldCat Local (OCLC), EDS (EBSCO), and Primo (Ex Libris) are often touted as a single search solution to connect users to library-owned and -licensed content, improving discoverability and retrieval of resources. Assessing how well these systems achieve this goal can be challenging, however. This article describes the use of interlibrary loan borrowing request data as a means to evaluate whether the Summon discovery system was achieving its goal of improving retrieval. Four years following implementation of the discovery system, there was a 22 percent decrease in interlibrary loan borrowing requests. Requests by undergraduates dropped at a higher rate than faculty, staff, and graduate students. Undergraduate requests for articles dropped more than requests for loans. Two years’ postimplementation of the discovery system, the number of interlibrary loan borrowing requests by undergraduates for locally owned or licensed materials dropped by 57 percent, freeing up interlibrary loan staff to expand services into new areas. This study indicates that implementation of a discovery system can lead to a reduction in interlibrary loan borrowing.