Beth Homicz
Head of Circulation
Preston Library
411 Letcher Avenue, Room 511C
Direct: 540.464.7248
Service Desk: 540.464.7129
A note from Pongracz Sennyey, Director of Preston Library:
Dear Faculty,
In examining the usage of materials placed on Course Reserves with us, it has become clear that use has shifted from print to electronic materials in a rather dramatic way. Last year, we placed about 110-120 print items on reserves each semester, and collectively they circulated just a dozen times or so each term. Electronic course reserves, on the other hand, circulated about 1,100 times per semester for slightly fewer total items. (See table below.)
In light of the staff effort and shelf space required to make this service work, I would like to propose a new path forward that better matches the needs of our Cadets:
Library staff will continue to support you by scanning to PDF the portions of our print materials that you would like to put on reserves under fair-use copyright guidelines, and by providing the permanent links to articles, eBooks, and other currently held electronic resources that you designate for reserves. Whenever possible, we will purchase the e-book(s) you need for course reserves – though not every title is yet available in electronic format. Some lead time may be required for this option.
For overall Course Reserves support and requests, please continue to contact Beth Homicz, our Head of Circulation, at homiczbj@vmi.edu. For specific support on permalinks to our existing digital resources, such as streaming video, online articles, and eBooks, please contact the Head of Research and Instruction Services, Liz Kocevar-Weidinger, at kocevar-weidingerea@vmi.edu.
Do let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Pongracz
_______________
Pongracz Sennyey
Director - Preston Library
Virginia Military Institute
sennyeypj@vmi.edu
540-464-7573 Office
512-592-1560 Cell
Preston Library Course Reserves Data |
Fall ‘21 |
Spring ‘22 |
Total faculty members served |
13 |
11 |
Total courses served |
17 |
12 |
Physical items put on reserve |
121 |
105 |
Physical items checked out |
14 |
11 |
Electronic items placed on reserve |
110 |
81 |
Electronic resource views |
1160 |
1052 |