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Statement of Need

To fulfill the mission and instructional support function of the 33 Community and Technical College libraries for training independent life-long learners and skilled workforce in the Information Age, the Library Media Directors Council (LMDC) is committed to establishing:

1.  A system of current library materials, efficient services and information competency  instruction that provides ready access for on-site and distance education students, faculty and staff in professional/technical, academic, and other programs;

2.  A system with the capability for students, faculty and staff from any campus to have:

• Easy access to information about the holdings of all the libraries
• Access to shared electronic databases
• The ability to request library materials from any Washington community and technical college
• Delivery of requested materials to local campuses, or desktops, if available electronically;

3.  Collaboration in the purchasing of information in multiple formats for students, faculty and staff;

4.  Linkages with the four-year public universities’ Cooperative Library Project, state library initiatives, local consortia, and K-12 efforts; and

5.  A system-wide network infrastructure capable of accommodating a wide range of multimedia resources that will serve all our constituents into the next century.

Project Description and Scope

At present, the libraries of the Washington State community and technical college libraries need industry standard technology to help us meet the diverse information needs of our students, faculty and staff, including our distance learners. Inadequacies have been cited during accreditation visits at most college libraries. Increased ability to meet the information needs of our constituencies will directly improve student success.

The 33 community and technical college libraries will be able to collaborate and share resources effectively with compatible systems for student access, student learning, and curriculum support.

In order to collaborate in the resource and information sharing system of the 6 four-year public institutions, as envisioned by the legislatively funded Cooperative Library Project, the community and technical college libraries need compatible information technology. The college libraries are seriously lacking the funds needed to develop information systems and network infrastructure for connectivity among themselves and with other public institutions. The technological resources of the community and technical college libraries are significantly below that of the four-year public institution libraries.

The envisioned system for the Washington State Community and Technical College libraries can not be developed until:

1.  All college library/information systems are fully established and operating. Currently these systems are in various stages of development. This process includes:

• Installing automated systems where none currently exist
• Upgrading older, outdated systems
• Insuring that all automated systems are compatible.

2.  All community and technical college libraries have adequate network infrastructure and communications equipment for on campus and external connectivity.

3.  All community and technical college libraries have sufficient collections to meet the curricular needs of students and faculty.

Expected Benefits

The implementation of the Cooperative Library Project for the community and technical colleges will provide students, faculty and staff with:

1.  Adequate library/information systems to support distance learning. Students, faculty, and staff will have access to on-line catalog and local web based products (such as material from individual instructors) from home, office, or remote site.

2.  Expanded and easy access to increased information resources, both on-site and remote. Students, faculty, and staff will have access to commercial and internally produced databases from home, office, or remote site.

3.  Improved library materials in a variety of formats to support diverse student populations and current and new modes of instruction. Students, faculty, and staff will have access to materials to support different learning styles as well as those that make use of adaptive technology including, where appropriate, web based material, CD-ROM’s, graphic and visual information, traditional print material, audio, and full-motion video. Students, faculty, and staff in professional/technical programs will have access to specialized materials to support their unique learning and instructional requirements.

4.  Expanded availability of information through coordinated resource sharing between and among institutions of higher education. Students, faculty, and staff will be able to search for library materials at all Washington State public higher education institutions as well as other information centers.

5.  Enhanced instructional role of the library to improve student learning in the area of information competency. Library faculty will have a system that will facilitate instructing users in on-line searching techniques and in determining the reliability of information found in various electronic resources. Teaching faculty will be able to work with librarians to incorporate critical thinking in the use of library resources in all formats and environments.

6.  Improved operational efficiency supported by a state-of-the-art network infrastructure and system connectivity. The library systems will comply with industry standards.

7.  Effective selection and acquisition of information resources through coordinated and cooperative purchasing of library materials thus maximizing scarce dollars. The colleges will be able to coordinate buying of library materials (including electronic), thus reducing costs to individual campuses while at the same time increasing the total resources available to library users.

8.  Value-added quality user services to strengthen the teaching and learning process, student satisfaction and success. Students, faculty, and staff will be able to initiate requests for materials and services from remote sites. Library staff will be able to effectively integrate use of library resources in to the curriculum, regardless of where or how the class is taught (i.e. professional/technical, on-campus, remote site, on-line, etc.).

Considerations

The system-wide collection analysis, already funded by the Washington State Library, will give the community and technical college libraries the data necessary for cooperative and coordinated purchases. This analysis will provide information regarding collection overlap, age, and subject area deficiencies.

A community and technical college coordinated RFP process is currently underway which will allow local purchase of standards compliant integrated library systems. This RFP process will establish an optional-use contract which may be used by individual libraries or consortial groups throughout the state.

The project will include review, revision, and development of cooperative agreements/protocols for:

• interlibrary loan
• reciprocal borrowing
• collection development
• selection of shared databases

This project anticipates a continued robust K-20 network.

If this project is not funded:

• The objectives of accreditation standards II and V of the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges will not be met
• Distance education and ONLINE consortium library students will remain underserved.
• Cooperative and coordinated purchasing will remain difficult.

Alternatives Considered

Continue the status-quo: independent non-coordinated purchasing of systems and resources.

Continue to pursue other avenues of fiscal support, such as grants.

Recommendation

The Library Media Directors Council recommends that all Washington State Community and Technical College libraries have standards compliant systems, adequate infrastructure, and increased instructional information resources to support the diverse needs of our students including distance learning students.

The Library Media Directors Council further recommends that this project be included in the State Board’s legislative requests for 1999-2002.

Costs and Resource Impact

Library Media Directors Council proposes that this project be funded in two phases over a three year period.

Phase 1 (FY 1999-2000 and FY 2000-2001): $ 6,600,000 to upgrade infrastructure, increase bandwidth capacity and create a network of integrated library systems that conform to inter-connectivity standards by equipping the 33 community and technical college libraries as needed. It is estimated that the funds specified could to be applied in the following manner:

• $ 3,400,000     New integrated library systems
• $    600,000     Upgrading and expanding existing systems
• $ 1,650,000     New hardware required for enhanced systems
• $    950,000     Wiring and other infrastructures on each campus

The library network will use the K-20 infrastructure for inter-campus communication.

Phase 2 (FY 2001-2002): $ 5,775,000 to increase instructional information resources to support the diverse needs of our students including distance learning students and Professional/Technical students and encourage system-wide information sharing. It is estimated that the funds specified could be applied in the following manner:

• $ 2,475,000     Initial cooperative purchases of electronic databases system-wide
• $ 2,300,000     Initial cooperative purchases of databases by subject specialties
• $ 1,000,000     Coordinated purchases of library materials in a variety of formats.

Budget Notes:

• Recurring and personnel costs will be borne by the individual institutions.
• Training costs are included in the requested funds.

Conformance with Strategic Plan

The project proposed in this document is in concert with many of the strategies of the WACTC Strategic Plan for Educational Technology. Specifically:

• Policy Area I. If funded, this project would allow the libraries at each college to achieve universal electronic connectivity following minimum standards.

• Policy Area II. The project supports the libraries collaboration and cooperation in delivery of education via the Internet and other distance education mechanisms.

• Policy Area IV. The technology envisioned in the project would provide direct support for educational technology systems and provide resources that can be used in system-wide technology training programs.

• Overall Conclusion/Prediction. This project directly supports the Strategic Plan in that it provides expanded access to library resources, it assists in the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning, and it greatly facilitates the efficiency of each college. As stated in the conclusion, failure to secure funding for this project will result in a "caste" system of library service for the students in our colleges.

In addition, the project is essential to the successful provision of library resources by individual colleges as part of their participation in the Washington State Community and Technical Colleges ONLINE Consortium.

This project also anticipates a continued robust K-20 network and takes full advantage of the facility, thus maximizing the state’s investment in the network.

Endorsement

Unanimously endorsed by the Instruction Commission

Paul Greco, Chair
Date: 4/21/98

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This page last modified: October 30, 2001