SENATE 

SENATE LIBRARY COMMITTEE 

SENATE 

REPORT OF THE SENATE 

LIBRARY 

"lv"....... 

982

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T

A

10

AUGUST 

FOR INFORMATION 

R

SENATE LIBRARY COMMITTEE? 

ANNUAL REPORT 1981-82 

Since the last report there have been three meetings 

of the Senate Library Committee -- November 10, 1981; 

December 19, 1981; and April 6, 1982. 

After a considerable period of discussing and 

examination of the most appropriate and effective manner 

of proceding, the Senate Library Committee recommended 

to Senate that it be authorized to make minor changes in the 

Library Loan Policy. These in turn would be reported to the 

Senate at the earliest opportunity. 

Concern had been expressed over one feature of the 

Library Loan Policy -- the Semester loan period. Some have 

argued that even with the provisions for recall, this 

length of loan period handicaps students by reducing access 

to

books thus vitiating well developed schemes 

of

While the Librarian stated that our present 

Loan System was not flexible enough to provide varied loan 

periods an experiment was agreed to. A selected number of 

books on 

history have been put in the Reserve Room 

on a three day loan period where their circulation over one 

year will be monitored. 

The Library has conducted two one-week periods of 

twenty-four hour service prior to the Fall and Spring exam 

periods. Although there was considerable enthusiasm on the 

part of most people questioned, it is debatable whether the 

actual use of the Library over-night will justify continuance 

of the practice. 

• ? 

An inventory of 161,000 books, 28% of the Monograph? 

Collection, was taken. Initial results indicated 4,931 

•

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items missing (3.1%). This is not a loss rate and there is 

no means of telling how or when any particular book dis- 

appeared. Further inventories in the same areas would be 

required to establish a loss rate. 

Page 2. 

There was an amalgamation of service points and 

reference collections of the Humanities and Social Science 

Divisions on the fifth floor. The intent was to extend the 

hours of service available for users in both of these areas 

and to reduce the need for staff from other Divisions to 

assist at the Information Desk. A preliminary examination 

indicates that service has been improved at a savings to 

the Budget, rather than a cost. Prior to this move the 

Library has already reduced staff in various areas for a 

savings of $87,000. 

A questionnaire was sent to all Faculty and Graduate 

Students to help estimate the extent of off-campus use of 

libraries by those most directly involved in research. Of 

those answering, which totalled 38% of Faculty and 13% of 

Graduate Students, over 80% indicated that they did use 

other libraries, usually for their research interests. 

The major problem from last year, the run-away 

backlog of books awaiting cataloguing, has been brought 

under control and plans are being developed for a more soph- 

isticated approach to uncatalogued material. 

Fiscal problems continue to be of concern, essentially 

the result of inflation and an,uncontrolled U.S. exchange 

rate, but they have not as yet caused serious deterioration 

of collection or service. 

CMD/dab ? 

A114, 

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July 20, 1982 