Table of Contents

• Continuing and Changing Roles of Library
  
  
• Searching for Business Info
  
  
• The Merrifield Competition's First Decade
  
  
• Enhancing Archival Access

Continuing and Changing Roles of Library

Throughout history, the Library has been the place where people sought knowledge, where they escaped into the imaginations of fiction writers, and where they investigated the ideas and activities of past generations. The library has served as the institution that acquired and organized books, journals, newspapers, manuscripts, and other materials, items which promoted an educated and informed society. A truly great library was one that held within its walls publications needed by anyone who entered. The world is changing and libraries are adjusting to new methods of information storage and delivery. No longer are bound publications the only method of organizing and delivering ideas and stories. Digital formats and the electronic delivery of information across high speed networks have changed library operations and library user expectations. Indeed, new formats have created a variety of challenges for librarians as they continue to serve educational institutions as the gatekeepers to scholarly information.

With the advent of technology, the expectations and processes of research and learning have changed significantly, and with them so have libraries. In recent years, the Chester Fritz Library has evaluated and acquired access to electronic journals and databases, which are rapidly growing both in content and popularity. These electronic resources offer the researcher and scholar an opportunity to explore large volumes of information with the assistance of sophisticated computerized searching tools that can isolate relevant information in a matter of seconds. Digital formats also allow access that is convenient to the researcher. The term 24/7 has appeared in our lexicon in recent years and it represents the shift to information access anywhere and at anytime. No longer is it necessary to come to the library. Seekers of information may have it delivered to their desktop in their office, lab or at home.

The Chester Fritz Library provides information to University of North Dakota students, faculty and staff using both traditional paper formats and new digital formats. While some believe that all information may be found through the Internet, a great deal of scholarly information is still available only in paper format and thus the Library continues to purchase books and journals. Library bibliographers offer an important service to the University through their specialized knowledge of the publishing industry. Through these individuals, books are ordered and journal subscriptions are managed as they have been since the establishment of the University.

Librarians utilize technology in all facets of acquisitions and the storage and delivery of materials. Even though new relationships have developed with publishers and information providers to enhance the delivery of information, the role of the librarian remains constant. Whether information is printed on paper, transferred to microfilm, or converted to computer bytes, the librarian fulfills the role of the specialist who facilitates the exchange of scholarly information within and among universities and research organizations.
One of the unexpected benefits of working with electronic resources is the opportunity for libraries to join together to evaluate content and negotiate access to digitized scholarly information. At the University of North Dakota, the Chester Fritz Library has worked closely with the Thormodsgard Law Library and the Harley E. French Library of the Health Sciences to provide digitized resources across campus whenever possible. This cooperative activity has produced a better understanding of the role and mission of these libraries within the University.

The Chester Fritz Library has also joined with libraries from other states to form evaluation and purchasing groups. The Library is a member of the MINITEX Library Information Network, which is a publicly supported network of academic, public, state government, and special libraries working cooperatively to improve library service for their users. MINITEX is a Minnesota-based organization, but libraries in North Dakota and South Dakota participate in MINITEX programs through contracts between the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office and North and South Dakota State Libraries. MINITEX has played a very important role in the acquisition of electronic resources. Recently a librarian from the Chester Fritz Library participated in an extensive MINITEX-sponsored evaluation project, which will help bring electronic resources to libraries throughout North Dakota. This cooperative work has saved and is expected to continue to save thousands of dollars through volume discounts negotiated by MINITEX on behalf of libraries in the three state region.

EPSCoR Science Initiative Group (ESIG) is another important library consortium that has facilitated the acquisition of significant electronic resources for the University. This group was formed by libraries in EPSCoR states to increase access to journals in science and technology, access critical to faculty for advancing research and teaching programs. EPSCoR, the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, is a joint program sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and several states and territories. Through EPSCoR, participating states have enhanced science and technology resources through partnerships between universities, government and the private sector.

In the same way, ESIG libraries have joined together to enhance their purchasing power. By negotiating with information providers as a group, ESIG libraries have benefited from more attractive purchasing packages. The Chester Fritz Library, as an ESIG participant, has expanded the number of science and technology journals by more than one thousand titles and at a fraction of the cost of individual subscription prices.

The University has greatly benefited from the Library’s participation in these consortia. The results of these cooperative efforts have improved the Chester Fritz Library’s ability to provide those scholarly information resources necessary to fuel dynamic research and diverse teaching programs at UND. As educational and scholarly communications continue to expand and formats continue to change, the Chester Fritz Library looks forward to supporting and enhancing the research, learning and scholarship that make UND an extraordinary institution of higher learning.

Wilbur Stolt, Director of Libraries