2008 Woodie Awards
Library adapts to gradual shift in online resources
By: Angela Ludwinski
Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: News
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With the advent of new technology, a library's role in education is changing. Webster University's Emerson Library has been modifying its goals because there has been a shift from print resources to online resources. The library staff wants to allow students to have increased access to new resources.
"Our main goal is to meet the needs of our students worldwide, two-thirds of which aren't on campus," said Laura Rein, dean of Webster University Emerson Library.
Rein works with librarians at other Webster University libraries to ensure their libraries have the necessary resources, such as books, videos and CDs.
The creation of the Passports system in 1996, an online database of articles and books, has helped make resources available to all students. Passports has increased from five to 110 databases, which contain journal and magazine articles, books, encyclopedias and information on a variety of topics.
According to reference librarian Mary Anne Erwin, the library has 1,600 print copies of scholarly journals as opposed to 22,000 titles available online. The decision to favor online instead of print is because of students.
"Students definitely want online sources," Erwin said.
According to Erwin, students want use the online databases because of convenience. Once sources were offered online, students gravitated to them.
Lucas Smith, a senior marketing and advertising major, mainly uses the library's online resources as opposed to the books and articles physically present in the library.
"I don't really use the library," Smith said. "I do use the system to look up books and articles at home."
Although students are inclined to use online sources, the change from print to online did not begin overnight.
"It was a gradual shift," said Gregory Kettinger, electronic resources coordinator for Emerson Library.
Erwin believes the movement from print to online began when the print periodical index went on a database sometime around 1995. Previously, the index was located in a large book called "The Reader's Guide." Students would have to manually look up topics that would lead to a print periodical. They would then have to find the periodical in the card catalog before locating the article they needed.
"Our main goal is to meet the needs of our students worldwide, two-thirds of which aren't on campus," said Laura Rein, dean of Webster University Emerson Library.
Rein works with librarians at other Webster University libraries to ensure their libraries have the necessary resources, such as books, videos and CDs.
The creation of the Passports system in 1996, an online database of articles and books, has helped make resources available to all students. Passports has increased from five to 110 databases, which contain journal and magazine articles, books, encyclopedias and information on a variety of topics.
According to reference librarian Mary Anne Erwin, the library has 1,600 print copies of scholarly journals as opposed to 22,000 titles available online. The decision to favor online instead of print is because of students.
"Students definitely want online sources," Erwin said.
According to Erwin, students want use the online databases because of convenience. Once sources were offered online, students gravitated to them.
Lucas Smith, a senior marketing and advertising major, mainly uses the library's online resources as opposed to the books and articles physically present in the library.
"I don't really use the library," Smith said. "I do use the system to look up books and articles at home."
Although students are inclined to use online sources, the change from print to online did not begin overnight.
"It was a gradual shift," said Gregory Kettinger, electronic resources coordinator for Emerson Library.
Erwin believes the movement from print to online began when the print periodical index went on a database sometime around 1995. Previously, the index was located in a large book called "The Reader's Guide." Students would have to manually look up topics that would lead to a print periodical. They would then have to find the periodical in the card catalog before locating the article they needed.
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