University of Puerto Rico

Medical Sciences Campus

Conrado F. Asenjo Library

Self-Study Report of the Conrado F. Asenjo Library

of the Medical Sciences Campus

2001-02 to 2006-07
According to the Standards of the Association of College
and Research Libraries

Submitted by:
Prof. Victoria Delgado Aponte
Director

Self-Study Committee:
Prof. Irma Quiñones-Coordinator
Prof. Nilca Parrilla
Prof. Francisca Corrada
Mrs. Luz Evelyn Acevedo
Miss Verónica Guevara
Other collaborators:
Prof. Efraín Flores
Mrs. Amariliz Burgos
Content

Introduction .............................................................................................................3

Library Assessment Project ...................................................................................4

ACRL Standards

Planning...........................................................................................................7

Assessment......................................................................................................16

Assessment Results........................................................................................21

Services ............................................................................................................31

Information Skills...........................................................................................55

Resources.........................................................................................................68

Access...............................................................................................................85

Human Resources ..........................................................................................93

Physical Facilities ...........................................................................................107

Communication and Cooperation...............................................................113

Administration ...............................................................................................126

Budget..............................................................................................................134

General Recommendations....................................................................................141

2
 Introduction

The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) is the public system for higher education on the

island. It has eleven university campuses, including the Río Piedras, Medical Sciences and

Mayagüez campuses. It has approximately 70,000 registered students. The academic

offering of the UPR includes 495 programs that offer associate degrees, degrees in Bachelor

of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts or Science, doctorate in philosophy (PhD.) and

Education (EdD), and Juris Doctorate.

The UPR Medical Sciences Campus (MSC) is made up of six schools: the School of

Medicine, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Dentistry, the School of Public Health, the

School of Health Professions and the School of Nursing. The Campus also has three deans’

offices that provide support: The Office of the Dean of Administration, the Office of the

Dean of Students and the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs. More than 2,000 fulltime

employees and approximately 3,000 students work on the Campus.

Its diversity of services, complexity, and state-of-the art offerings in the area of health, have

made the Medical Sciences Campus, with all its schools, responsible for higher education in

all the disciplines it covers and makes it the leading university in research, service, and

clinical aspects. This ensures our mission to educate, take care of, and maximize the health of

all Puerto Ricans and identifies us as leading professionals in our fields throughout the world.

The Conrado F. Asenjo Library of the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus,

is the principal resource for information on health sciences on the island. It has the most

complete collection of bibliographical resources in it class in the Caribbean. The Library

offers its students and faculty multiple services and supports the curricula of the different

schools. Its resources and services are also available to the personnel of the complex of the

Medical Center, the University of Puerto Rico Hospital in Carolina, to health professionals

in Puerto Rico, and to the general public (See the Library Profile, Appendix 0.1).
3
 Library Assessment Project: Description of the Self-Assessment Process

Since 1998, UNESCO has maintained that:

Quality in higher education is a multidimensional concept that should embrace all its

functions and activities--teaching and academic programs, research and scholarships,

staffing, students, buildings, facilities, equipment, and services in the community and

the academic environment. Internal self-assessment and external review, conducted

openly by independent specialists, if possible with international expertise, are vital for

enhancing quality. Independent national entities should be established and

internationally recognized comparative standards of quality should be defined1.

In keeping with international trends in higher education, the Administration of the

University presents its work agenda in the document “Diez para el Década” (Ten for the

Decade) and, as an initiative of the president of the University of Puerto Rico, Antonio García

Padilla, an assessment was undertaken in 2007 by different professional organizations,

including the Library, to accredit the academic programs. The initiative of the president and

the Board of Trustees is presented in Certifications Nos. 136 and 138 (2003-2004), which

establish that it is necessary to promote and maintain the accreditation of the academic

programs and services that require accreditation.

In the summer of 2005, Dr. Julia Vélez was named as the coordinator of the Project to

Evaluate the Libraries of the UPR Library System. Coordinators were also designated in the

campuses and working committees. The process includes the following phases:

1
UNESCO (1998). World Declaration on Higher Education for the Twenty-First Century: Vision and Action
and Framework for Priority Action for Change and Development in Higher Education. Accessed at:
http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/wche/declaration_eng.htm

4
 Phase 1 - Study of standards, criteria, and indicators

Phase 2 - Preconditions

Phase 3 - Internal Assessment– Self-assessment

Phase 4 - External Assessment

Phase 5 - Integration of both

The quality standards for libraries, established by the Association of College and

Research Libraries (ACRL) were used. The ACRL is the professional organization with

expertise in academic libraries.2 ACRL includes academic librarians and other stakeholders.

It is the largest division of the American Libraries Association (ALA) and has a diverse

membership. For this, and other reasons, the external assessment will be conducted by

experts from the ACRL.

Also during the summer of 2005, the director of the Conrado F. Asenjo Library, Prof.

Victoria Delgado, named Prof. Irma Quiñones to coordinate the library assessment process.

Both attended meetings and training activities. In 2007, Prof. Irma Quiñones was named co-

coordinator of the assessment project at the UPR system level. The Assessment Committee

is made up of:

• Prof. Victoria Delgado, Director

• Prof. Irma Quiñones-Coordinator

• Prof. Nilca Parrilla-Director of Technical Services

• Prof. Francisca Corrada-Director of Serial Publications

• Mrs. Evelyn Acevedo-Director, Circulation and Reserve Department

• Mrs. Verónica Guevara-Assistant Librarian

2
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/index.cfm
5
 This task force attended several activities and, together with the rest of the staff, carried

out different tasks, such as: analyzing standards, assessing strengths, areas of development,

opportunities, and pitfalls (See Appendix 0.2), revising the vision and mission, drafting

values, and identifying strategic areas.

A great part of the process included identifying and gathering documents essential to

self-assessment.

The committee met periodically. Other members of the staff met with the task force. Prof.

Efraín Flores drafted the standard for Information Skills and Mrs. Amariliz Burgos, the

library administrator, drafted the budget standard. Later, these standards were discussed

and edited by the committee in dull. All members of the staff collaborated by providing

data, revising documents, and carrying out many other functions. The preparation included

frequently informing the staff on the status of the assessment process. The information was

updated at every meeting and the project was discussed with all employees. The

coordinator also conducted meetings in the different departments of the Library. The service

was promoted in different forums, such as the Institutional Assessment Committee and the

Council on Educational Integration and Planning, which is made up of the associate deans.

Student organizations were contacted and a space was opened on the Library’s website to

include documents and information on the project: http://rcm-

library.rcm.upr.edu/autoestudio/index.html.

The self-study includes the 2001-2002 and 2006-2007 academic years and used a

combination of strategies to gather qualitative and quantitative information.

The following describes, analyzes, and interprets how the Library meets the ACRL

standards, strengths, and areas of development and recommendations to continue

developing services of excellence.

6
1. Standard – Planning

Introduction

It is extremely important for Library administration and staff to plan their services and

functions. The principal purpose of planning is to establish the mission, vision, goals,

objectives, strategies, and actions to be taken. It is an organized and coherent effort to achieve

the Library’s goals with its resources and needs. The emphasis on organization and planning is

evident in different documents,3 such as:

• Policies and procedures for developing and maintaining the Library collection –

Revised in January 2008 (Appendix 1.1).

• Manual of Procedures for the Serial Publications Section. 2006 (Appendix 1.2)

• Manual of Procedures for Special Collections (Appendix 1.3)

• Procedures for Inter-Library Loans of the Medical Sciences Campus (Appendix 1.4)

• Virtual Reference Service Policy-2007 (Appendix 1.5)

• Policy for the evaluation and development of the Reference Collection (Appendix 1.6)

• Mission, Goals, and Classification System of the Historic Archives of the Conrado F.

Asenjo Library (Appendix 1.7)

• Evacuation Plan for the Conrado F. Asenjo Library 2002 (Appendix 1.8)

• Plan of Action in case of a partial shutdown of the air conditioning system in the

Library -2006 (Appendix 1.9)

• Annual Work Plans (Appendix 1.10)

• Strategic Library Plan (Appendix 1.11)

• Library Assessment Plan (Appendix 1.12)

3
At present, we continue updated other documents, such as, for example, the Library Regulations.
7
1.1 Objective – The Library will have a mission and goals that serve as the framework for

its activities.

1.1.1 Does your Library have a mission?

From 2005-2006, the teaching staff of the Library underwent a formal revision of the

Library’s mission and vision. Both of these were discussed with the rest of the staff.

The Library of the Medical Sciences Campus has the following vision:

To be the heart of the Medical Sciences Campus academic and research activities by meeting

the information needs of our users in a dynamic and innovative way.

Our mission reads as follows:

We are a public academic library specialized in health sciences dedicated to meeting the

information needs of the academic community of the Medical Sciences Campus, the

professionals who work in public health in Puerto Rico, and the general public. We actively

participate in the teaching, learning, and research processes, providing health services and

promoting patient health by providing access to sources of quality information and by

educating users on how to access and make critical use of the information.

In order to achieve our mission, we have bibliographic, educational, and personnel

resources that facilitate and promote access to information and learning. This mission was

drafted to serve as the pivotal point in offering our services. An analysis of the mission was

conducted. (Appendix 1.13)

After undertaking a brainstorming process, we also drafted the values of the library. We are

committed to excellence through:

• Satisfying the information needs of our users in a dynamic and innovative way.

• Educating users on how to access and make critical use of the information.

• Providing access to sources of quality information that promotes health services and

health care.
8
 • Being an integral part of the teaching-learning and research processes of the Medical

Sciences Campus.

We subscribe to the Library Bill of Rights, established by the American Library Association

(ALA), particularly with regard to:

• Offering free access to information and fostering the development of ideas.

• Providing materials and information presenting all points of view.

• Not excluding anyone from our services because of race, color, sexual orientation,

gender, birth, age, physical or mental disability, ethnic origin, or social conditions, or

because of political or religious ideas.

• Opposing any type of censorship.

1.2 Objective – The mission and goals of the Library shall be compatible and consistent

with the mission and goals of the institution it serves.

1.2.1 Is the mission compatible or consistent with the mission of the institution?

Mission and Vision of the Medical Sciences Campus:

The Medical Sciences Campus is the unit of the state university system whose mission is to

train the human resources who will make up the interdisciplinary staff to foster and maintain

the best possible health conditions for the people of Puerto Rico. It is a multidisciplinary center

whose institutional uniqueness gives it the responsibility of assuming leadership in teaching

and in research on the prevailing health conditions in Puerto Rico. It is made up of three

complementary educational components: Education, Research, and Service.

Certification #071, Academic Senate 2003-2004

Vision:

9
 To become a renowned institution and interdisciplinary center of international prestige

dedicated to higher education in health sciences, and to the development of new knowledge

and models for providing health services in Puerto Rico.

Certification #24, Academic Senate, 1997-98

The mission of the Library is compatible and consistent with the mission of the Medical

Sciences Campus. It stresses leadership and training of professionals in the fields of health,

research and the wellbeing of the community in general.

Mission of the Campus Mission of the Library Emphasis

The Medical Sciences We are a public academic Training professionals.

Campus is the unit of the
state university system
whose mission is to train
the human resources who
will make up the
interdisciplinary staff to
foster and maintain the best
possible health conditions
for the people of Puerto
Rico.
library specialized in health
sciences dedicated to
meeting the information
needs of the academic
community of the Medical
Sciences Campus and the
professionals who work in
the area of public health in
Puerto Rico.

…maintain the best health …dedicated to meeting the The wellbeing of the
conditions amongst the information needs of the community in general.
people of Puerto Rico. academic community of the
Medical Sciences Campus,
the professionals who work
in the area of public health in
Puerto Rico, and the general
public.

…responsibility of We actively participate in the Leadership.

assuming leadership in teaching, learning, and
teaching and research. research processes.
It is made up of
three complementary We actively participate in the Education, research, and
educational components: teaching, learning, and service.
Education, Research, and research processes, as well as
Service. in health care services and

10
 promotion of patient health.

1.3 Objective – The assessment of the Library’s quality and efficiency shall relate to the

specific mission and vision of the institution.

1.3.1 Does the Library have an Assessment Plan?

The Library has had an assessment plan since March 2006 (Appendix 1.12). It was prepared

and discussed with the Library staff and is continually revised. Work plans submitted by

department directors include two columns, which include information on how the roles,

processes and services will be evaluated.

1.4 Objective – Library programs and services within the context of the institution will be

developed in a planned manner, using formal procedures and methods, such as strategic

plans.

1.4.1 Does the Library have a Strategic Plan?

The Library has a strategic plan that was designed in 2005-2006 (Appendix 1.11). In order to

comply with this purpose, previous strategic plans were revised. The plan was prepared for

the purpose of complying with the established vision and mission, thus achieving a paradigm

change regarding our facilities, services, and resources. This plan presents the direction the

Library will take from 2005 to 2010 and can be modified according to changes in our internal

and external environment.

In order to comply with all our projects and commitments with the community of the

Medical Sciences Campus, the Library must act strategically and ensure that this plan is carried

out. The plan is a flexible tool and is subject to annual evaluations and revisions.

1.5 Objective- The Library plan will be developed with the participation of the university

community. These planning methods require feedback from a broad sector of the

institution’s community. It helps the institution prepare for the future by clearly defining
11
a vision and a mission, establishing objectives and goals, and implementing specific

strategies or courses of action designed to reach these goals.

1.5.1 How does the Library staff participate in the institution’s general planning process?

The director and teaching staff actively participate in the general planning process through

the different committees and institutional forums (Appendix 8.3). These include:

• Academic Senate – Director and one librarian

• Council on Integration and Educational Planning – Director and one alternate member

• School Accreditation Committees

• Faculty Representatives Committee (FRC)

• Liaison librarians with the Schools (Functions of liaison librarians, Appendix 4.6)

• The Director and Coordinator of the Assessment Committee attend different

institutional strategic planning activities.

Strategic planning establishes the course the Medical Sciences Campus will take, how it will

achieve that goal, and the deadline to attain it.

Members of the Library staff contribute to developing the plan by making suggestions to their

supervisors who, in turn, include staff projects in their strategic and work plans that are

subsequently considered for the strategic plan. The Library Administration encourages

participation and suggestions. (Also see Standard 8 of Communication and Cooperation).

1.6 Objective – The strategic plan will be developed by including such aspects as

evaluation, updating, and fine-tuning.

1.6.1 How was the strategic plan developed?

The plan was developed according to the guide developed during the retreat, “Encounter:

Breaking Paradigms in Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating the Professional Staff of the

Academic Library,” held June 9-10, 2005 in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico. The principal purpose of

this workshop was to instruct academic library directors and coordinators of the assessment
12
project in the different campuses of the University of Puerto Rico in how to prepare a plan of

action to develop and implement the Library Strategic Plan of the University of Puerto Rico

libraries.

The plan was initially drafted to include the years 2006-2010. The process was conducted as

follows:

• Conceptualization and requirement of the plan.

• Analysis of the document “Diez para la década” (Ten for the Decade) (Appendix 1.14)

and the strategic plan of the Medical Sciences Campus (Appendix 1.15)

• The following strategic areas were identified:

- Developing new services and virtual information resources to meet the

educational, research, and clinical needs of our users.

- Establishing a new virtual education program for users to promote the

development of information skills of students and professors of the Medical

Sciences Campus.

- Training our human resources to develop our virtual information services and to

teach information skills as part of the curriculum.

- Developing a formal liaison librarian program to strengthen the links with

Campus schools, entities, and faculties.

- Providing the Library with the necessary infrastructure to offer new virtual

information services.

- Identifying the necessary fiscal resources to comply with our strategic plan.

- Continuing the Library remodeling process.

• Several proposed goals and plans were presented by the different departments.

• The goals were integrated into the strategic areas.

13
 • Subsequently, the strategic plan was revised.

Currently, the plan for analyzing compliance with the proposals for 2006-2007 is being

revised and evaluated. This document was developed taking into consideration the MSC

document. During this semester, representatives from the different schools, dean offices, and

the Campus administration are updating the MSC strategic plan, which was to be in effect from

2003-2008.

Goal 6.2 of the Strategic Plan of the Medical Sciences Campus reads as follows:

To maintain a quality library on the Medical Sciences Campus that serves as the pivotal

point for teaching, research, and creative activity for the academic community. The

MSC strategic plan includes some of the areas that we have chosen as our focus of

attention.

The Director and the Coordinator of the Library Assessment Project have attended

discussion activities on the strategic planning of the Campus. Strategic objective 8.2.1 states

that emphasis will be placed on the participation of the academic community in the strategic

planning. During these activities, discussion focused on new trends and events that are part of

our external environment, which we are integrating into our planning process. Some of the

most important activities include all the actions aimed at strengthening research4 and creating

“Academic Medical Centers.” The introduction to Public Law No. 136 of 2006 (Appendix 1.15)

reads as follows:

To create Regional Academic Medical Centers in Puerto Rico in order to

ensure workshops for training healthcare professionals, particularly in

medical education and, as a result, to stimulate the development of teaching

4
Zerhouni E. (2005, octubre). Transnational and Clinical Science-Time for a new vision. The New England
Journal of Medicine. p.1621.
14
 and clinical, epidemiological, and social medicine research, healthcare

services; and other purposes in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Electronic access: http://www.rcm.upr.edu/MisionVisionRCM.aspx

UPR Plan “Documento Diez para la Década”

Electronic access: http://www.certificaciones.upr.edu/certificaciones/

1.7 Objective – The process will help the community focus on its essential values and

provide general direction that helps guide its daily activities and decisions.

1.7.1 How is the strategic plan used to implement library services and programs?

The plan guides the actions and tasks carried out in the different departments. At the end of

the fiscal year, each unit submits a report that sets forth the goals achieved.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Puerto Rico. “Ten for the Decade: Planning

Agenda for the University of Puerto Rico. (2005) Accessed June 1, 2006, at:

http://www.certificaciones.upr.edu/certificaciones/

The Board of Trustees of the University of Puerto Rico. General Regulations of the

University of Puerto Rico. Accessed February 2, 2008 at:

http://www.upr.edu/sindicos/reglamento.htm

Summary:

The Library is involved in an ongoing planning and plan revision process, when needed.

We participated in the planning of the Campus’s strategic plan and the institutional

assessment. Nevertheless, we recognize that the Library’s participation in both documents is

still limited. Partial aspects of the Library situation are included. It has not been possible to

equally integrate all its functions. We now have an opportunity (we have positions on

institutional committees) and, at the same time, a challenge since this process requires great

dedication, effort, and openness.

15
We agree with the definition of Chandra (1975) who believes that participation is a constant for

discussion on matters that will be decided and will finally lead to the adoption of a course of

action. It is an ongoing process where giving and receiving information is essential and is one

of the first steps to follow5.

One of the greatest strengths of our planning process is that we developed a mission and a

vision that are compatible with those of the Campus. They are published on the Library web

page. Librarians participate in the planning process through standing committees.

(Institutional assessment, CIPE, FRC, and others). Nevertheless, we understand that we must

make a greater effort to disseminate our plans, including strategic areas.

2. Standard - Assessment

Introduction:

The Library provides opportunities for the full community of users to participate actively

in the assessment process. Users are those to whom services are offered from the facilities

and who receive services from distant places through electronic access, virtual references, or

other means.

The Library has a tradition of data collection which, in turn, helps create an assessment

culture such as the one we want to develop. Statistics compiled from other departments and

offices are used to complement the assessment process. These include the Planning and

Institutional Research Office and the Institutional Assessment Committee, among others.

The librarian in charge of the assessment project is also a member of the Institutional

Assessment Committee, which has facilitated the process and the discussion on the Library

assessment and its relationship with the institution’s assessment.

5
Chandra, R. (1975). Student participation in administration. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers.
16
 The Library has a library assessment committee made up of four teaching

librarians (the project coordinator, the Library director, the technical services

supervisor, and the Serial Publications supervisor) and two assistants. One of the

assistants directs the Circulation and Reserves Department.

2.1. Objective – The assessment will be an ongoing process and will include different

techniques.

2.1.1. Does the assessment plan include a broad range of techniques to evaluate the

quality and effectiveness of the Library?

The self-assessment processes conducted by the Medical Sciences Campus to renew the

operating license granted by the Puerto Rico Council on Higher Education and accreditation

by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, provide very valuable information

for assessing the Library’s services. The Library is also evaluated by professional accrediting

agencies for academic programs requiring accreditation (See Appendix 2.1. for a list of

professional accrediting agencies).

The Library Assessment Plan (Appendix 1.12) includes a variety of quantitative and

qualitative techniques that provide essential information for the ongoing improvement of its

services. These techniques include: gathering statistics on services, document analysis,

surveys, focus groups, and workshop evaluation questionnaires. The Evaluation Plan also

contains indicators to evaluate the Library’s efficiency.

Our projects for developing an evaluation culture include the focus group strategy. We

worked on this strategy during March 2002. The following is a list of the objectives:

1. Identifying the information needs of users –real and potential- of the MSC Library and

how these can be met.

17
 2. Identifying new services that help Library users meet their information needs.

3. Identifying the most effective means to inform users of the Library’s services.

4. Identifying other type of services the Library can offer, in addition to providing

information.

5. Evaluating the services currently offered by the Library.

(See more information in the report entitled: Information and Service Needs of Users of

the Medical Sciences Campus Library of the University of Puerto Rico – Focus Groups

Report (Appendix 2.2)).

Based on the results of this focus group and other sources, new services were designed:

• Professors requested remote access to a greater number of electronic journals, more

frequent orientation and workshops, virtual references, proper facilities for the use

of portable computers, and bookmarks for the most important Internet pages.

• Students requested group study areas and computers with access to software, such

as Word and Excel.

• The development of these services included planning processes (See Strategic Plan,

Appendix 1.11). Many of these were considered when remodeling the Library. In the

case of virtual references, a questionnaire (Appendix 2.7) was prepared and

administered to the Campus faculty in order to know, among other things, whether

or not they knew what a virtual reference service was and the hours during which

they would use the service.

• See also other assessment sources, such as:

1) Reports on the survey results – (Appendices 2.3, 2.4, 2.5)

2) Annual work plans (Appendix 1.10)

18
3) Annual Library Reports.

4) Evaluation of activities (Appendix 2.6)

5) Evaluation of collections or services (Appendix2.8)

2.2 Objective – The assessment plan will be used to evaluate the Library’s mission,

vision, and goals in order to improve quality and efficiency.

2.2.1. How are the results of the assessment plan used to improve the quality and

efficiency of the Library?

At the end of each academic year, the Library departments submit an achievement report

that analyzes whether or not the goals proposed for that year were met.

The activities are evaluated and actions are taken in accordance with the results. We are

in the process of gathering the information that was included in the different plans.

During the current year, we are working with the results of the assessment plan to

improve the quality and efficiency of the Library.

2.3 Objective – Library users will be given the opportunity to make comments and

suggestions on the Library’s services and resources.

2.3.1. Does the plan provide for feedback on all the components of the Campus

community?

The Library continually receives feedback from users. In addition, it has conducted focus

groups and user surveys. From November 2006 to February 2007, we conducted a survey as

part of the self-study process. We distributed three questionnaires on the services offered by

the Library.

We had one questionnaire for the faculty, one for students, and another for employees. The

questionnaire was distributed on all service desks of the Library. They were also sent to

some schools and departments through liaison libraries. The Student Council also

collaborated with the process.

19
 These instruments (Appendix 2.9) made it possible to gather information on facilities,

equipment, access, services, and staff. The personal questionnaire includes the degree of

satisfaction with the individual’s work environment, communication and other areas. The

three instruments included open questions (Appendices 2.3, 2.4, 2.5)

Summary:

The Library has begun to develop an assessment culture. It provides for user

participation in the assessment process. This is because a number of Campus program

accreditations include the participation of the Library. We found the following strengths of

this standard:

• It has a tradition of gathering and analyzing data on its collections and services.

• These activities contribute to the development of an assessment culture.

• Recommendations on academic programs and accrediting agencies are taken into

consideration.

• The librarian in charge of the assessment project is a member of the institutional

assessment committee.

We identified the following areas of development:

• Many services are not evaluated periodically.

• This self-study process has led us to recognize the need to develop more effective

quantitative and qualitative information gathering strategies.

20
3. Standard – Assessment of results

Introduction:

The assessment of results is a mechanism used to improve Library practices. It indicates

to what degree the Library has achieved the results it expected in order to reach the goals

and objectives it established. It allows us to learn about the general panorama and identify

areas of opportunity.

3.1. Objective – An assessment of the results will measure and demonstrate how the

Library’s mission, vision, goals, and objectives are achieved.

3.1.1. Does the Library staff and the institution’s administration have a clear

understanding of the Library’s mission? Is the mission revised periodically?

The Library’s administration has endeavored to have the Library staff learn about and

understand the Library’s mission. (See presentations to the staff, Appendix 3.1)

The mission was revised in 2005-2006. The statement was the result of several meetings of

librarians. All the members of the staff who work in the Library have a copy of the vision,

the mission, and other documents that have been presented and discussed at several staff

meetings (Presentations: Appendix 3.1) It was also published on the Library website:

http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu. Documents including the previous mission drafted in 1987

are maintained as evidence of this process (Appendix 3.2).

3.2.1 How does the Library incorporate the institution’s mission into its goals and

objectives?

As discussed in Standard 1, the library planning processes are carried out in accordance

with those of the Medical Sciences Campus. The institutional goals of the library, as well as

the strategic areas of the plan, are geared toward complying with the Campus mission,

within the planning agenda of the University of Puerto Rico. Ten for the Decade (Appendix

1.14).
21
 With this purpose in mind, several documents, including policy documents and

procedures manuals were revised (Appendix 1.1-1.7).

3.3 Objective - The library will maintain a systematic, ongoing program to evidence its

compliance in informing, identifying, and implementing necessary improvements.

3.3.1 How does the library maintain a systematic ongoing program to evaluate

performance, to inform the institution’s community about its achievements, and to

identify and implement the necessary improvements?

As mentioned in the assessment standard, staff meetings are held at the end of the

academic year, during which each supervisor presents and discusses the year’s

achievements (Achievement reports, annual reports).

3.4 Objective – Generating mechanisms for evaluating results in order to improve library.

The focus is on the achievement of the results that were identified as desirable in the

library’s goals and objectives. Identifying performance benchmarks that indicate how

well the library is doing what is has established in its goals and objectives and what it

wants to do (self-assessment).

3.4.1. How does the library evaluate itself?

The library uses different strategies for its self-assessment, such as surveys, focus groups,

and analysis of documents such as reports, plans, and others. The library’s success in

achieving the objectives established for the population it serves is measured. These efforts

are reflected in different documents, such as survey reports (Appendices 2.3, 2.4, 2.5), the

focus group report (Appendix 2.2), and the analysis of strengths, opportunities, areas for

development, and pitfalls (Appendix 0.2) and in the assessment of user training activities

(Appendix 2.6).

The Library has been able to establish ongoing collaboration with several professors from

different faculties and schools in order to formally integrate the teaching of information
22
access skills into their courses. As a result, workshops or talks have been integrated into the

syllabuses of different courses, placing special attention on research courses and courses

that require intensive use of information. In many of these cases, what is learned in the

activities offered by the library staff forms part of the evaluation requirements of the course.

3.4.2 Does the library revise and update its assessment procedures together with the

campus planning process and the actions of the academic departments?

The Library's integration into the institutional processes begins at the service planning

stage. In addition:

• The Medical Sciences Campus has an institutional assessment committee with

representatives from all the schools and deans offices. The library has a

representative on this committee. It participates in discussions on and the drafting of

institutional assessment documents. During the meetings, assessment plans of the

different schools are presented. This is very useful for learning about the projects

and activities of the Campus community.

• The library staff participates in workshops sponsored by the institutional assessment

committee.

• Program accreditation processes also call for rigorous preparation. The faculties of

the different schools, together with the librarians, evaluate collections and other

activities. Some of these efforts are presented in the annual reports of the technical

services section and assessment summary, in addition to the following documents6:

- Conrado F. Asenjo Library Physical Therapy Resources

- Conrado F. Asenjo Library Resources for the School of Pharmacy

6
These and other evaluations of the collection for purposes of program accreditation are included in Appendix
3.5.
23
- Conrado F. Asenjo Library Resources for Veterinary Technology Program –College of

Allied and Health Professions

- Professional Nursing Journals to Be Acquired For the Doctoral Program

- Doctoral proposal: Nursing, Section “Learning resources”

- Librarians draft the report on strengths, opportunities, areas of development, and pitfalls

(Appendix 3.6). Problems and solutions are identified in this exercise.

The plans are drafted and updated in the library, taking into consideration the plans and

activities carried out by the departments and campus administrative offices. Resources

added to the collection and the development of new services are decisions that are made

taking into consideration institutional projections. (See: Institutional Strategic Plan and the

Library Strategic Plan, Appendices 1.15 and 1.11).

3.4.3 Is the library assessment plan an integral component of the institution’s assessment

and its accreditation strategies?

There are different institutional areas for which the assessment of the library’s services

and its collections are an integral component for assessing the institution and its

accreditation strategies. First, periodic self-studies conducted by the campus for MSA

accreditation and CES licensing, respectively, include assessments of library services and

their contribution to the teaching-learning process as components of great importance.

Evaluations conducted by the academic departments to develop proposals to create new

programs include evaluating of library resources and information and how these support

proposed programs.

Lastly, self-assessment processes for professional accreditations conducted by the

departments include an evaluation of available bibliographical resources and the integration

of information and technology skills.

24
 The electronic platform WeaveOnline, Assessment Management System7 was acquired as

part of the institution’s evaluation efforts. All the departments and programs, including the

library, are expected to maintain their assessment plans on this platform. In this way, the

results of the assessment process at the different levels of the institution will be

documented.

The following is a list of the institutional assessment committee’s areas of work for this year

and how it is integrated into the library:

Institutional Assessment Committee’s How it is integrated into the library

Areas of Work

Development of Guidelines or Procedures Recommendations of the director and

for institutional assessment and librarians.
assessment of student learning.
Participation of assessment project
coordinator in institutional assessment
committee meetings.

Development of strategies, instruments,

and indicators of student learning in
activities sponsored by the library.

Graduate profile The document8 was sent stating the

characteristics of a person who is capable
of accessing and using information. These
characteristics are:

• Determining the scope of the

information required.

• Accessing the information

effectively and efficiently.

• Evaluating the information and its

7 Online Assessment System. Additional Information at: http://weaveonline.com/

8 The ability to access and use information is the basis for continuous learning throughout a person's life. It is common to all
disciplines, learning environments, and levels of education.
ACRL. (2000). Normas sobre aptitudes para el acceso y uso de la información en la enseñanza superior. Accessed at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetencystandards.cfm
25
 sources critically.

• Incorporating selected information

into one’s knowledge base.

• Using the information effectively to

carry out specific tasks.

• Understanding the economic, legal,

and social issues surrounding the
use of the information, and
accessing and using information
ethically and legally.

Assessment plan for student learning Including student learning strategies,

instruments, and indicators in activities
sponsored by the library.

Institutional assessment plan Updating the library assessment plan in

keeping with the changes and trends of the
institutional assessment.

Satisfaction surveys Using different strategies to learn if users

are satisfied with library services and
resources.

3.5 Objective – Design and use strategies that allow the compilation of library results.

3.5.1. Which results are measured by the library? How are they measured?

The achievement of the goals set at the beginning of the academic year is measured.

Supervisors conduct that analysis, together with the staff from the different departments

and they prepare an achievement report. Operational plans are drawn up, taking into

consideration the following institutional goals of the library:

1. To provide information resources and services, based on the MSC’s curricula,

programs, and projects.

26
 2. To develop and administer collections so that they can be duly catalogued,

organized, classified, described, updated, kept in good condition, and available to

users.

3. To develop and offer reference services to allow users to obtain the information

they need.

4. To encourage the training of life-long learners with skills for critical thinking by

developing the information skills of the users.

5. To develop, apply, and administer electronic information resources and services

to meet user needs.

6. To acquire, maintain, and provide pertinent information on the history of health

sciences in Puerto Rico.

7. To preserve, organize and make available documents of the Medical Sciences

Campus that are valuable to the history of the institution.

8. To promote the professional development of the library staff.

9. To periodically evaluate whether the library’s information resources and services

respond to the needs of the users.

10. To promote the library’s resources and services.

11. To efficiently use the available physical space of the facilities.

The document “Ten for the Decade” gives us the opportunity to reflect on our work. The

librarian in charge of the Title V proposal made the following analysis:

• Goal II: Updating, experimentation, and renewal of academic cultures – We comply

with this by developing proposals and projects such as those under Title V; there

have been experiences with co-teaching between professors and librarians. There

have been processes to integrate information skills into the curricula. We have

27
 increased accessibility to bibliographical resources, databases, complete texts of

journals and audiovisual resources.

• Goal III: Research and competitive work – We have projects related to access to

databases and information to develop research in any area, particularly the ISI Web

of Science and Direct Science (Elsevier).

• Goal V: Updating technology – The library’s technological equipment has been

increased and updated.

• Goal X: Strengthen the institution’s identity –Access will be given to unique digital

collections, which will contribute to the history of health sciences in Puerto Rico and

serve as a resource for public health.

In addition, forms and questionnaires will be used to evaluate the different library

activities.

3.5.2 What quantitative and qualitative data does the library compile on its performance?

How does it take into account special needs, for example, the needs of users with physical

disabilities?

All departments gather date to evaluate their work. Annual reports present different

statistics that are discussed in depth in the resource and services standards. Some include:

• Circulation by type of user and resources

• Consultations and other interventions in the Reference Section
• Activities to develop skills
• Attendance
• Inventory of collections
• Recommended, acquired and cataloged resources
• Use of resources by type and format
• Others

28
 With regard to services for the disabled, the library complies with the requirements of the

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• Facilities: Ramps, water fountains, and bathrooms

• We have a representative on the Public Law 51 Committee

• Equipment: terminals, scanners

• Staff skills are updated (sign language, among others).

Services are provided in accordance with the law of reasonable accommodation.

3.6 Objective – To compare the library with other libraries with similar characteristics

3.6.1 How does the library compare with other libraries that have similar characteristics?

The library compares favorably with other libraries of the Consortium of Southern

Biomedical Libraries (CONBLS). It participates in the exchange of services and has received

recognitions.

According to the report of the “CONBLS Salary Survey,” the library compares favorably,

except for the director’s salary (CONBLS Salary Survey, Appendix 3.9).

Summary:

The Conrado F. Asenjo Library carries out different quantitative and qualitative activities to

evaluate the effectiveness of its services and the quality of its collections. Some of these

activities include compiling statistics, questionnaires, and workshop evaluation sheets,

among others.

The following are some of the strengths of the process:

• The director of the library has ensured that staff learn more about the library’s

mission and vision.

• A librarian was put in charge of the evaluation process of the unit.

29
• Both the strategic and work plans (Appendices 1.10 and 1.11) contain indicators to

evaluate the library’s efficiency.

Some of the areas of development include:

• The results of the assessment process have not been systematized.

• The statistics necessary and essential to complete our assessment process have not

been identified.

• As part of our work plan, we will begin to analyze the statistics we gathered. We will

also identify the sources of qualitative information that we will continue to use. In

addition, we will renew our participation in the survey conducted by the Association

of Academic Health Sciences Libraries.

30
4. Standard - Services

One of the most important strengths of the Conrado F. Asenjo Library is the quality of its

services. They support the mission, objectives, and curricula of the MSC academic

programs. The staff provides competent help and library hours are reasonable and

convenient for its users. Reference services and other special aids are available when the

Campus community most needs them.

4.1 Objective – The library will establish, promote, maintain and evaluate a variety of

quality services that support the mission and goals of the institution.

4.1.1 How well does the library establish, promote, maintain, and evaluate the wide

variety of quality services that support the institution’s academic programs and the

optimum use of the library?

The library services are geared to supporting curricular offerings and information needs.

Therefore, services have been established for the public. In addition, in response to new

trends, the library has established new services, such as virtual reference.

As mentioned in Standard 2, the library responded to the needs of the community and

administered a questionnaire to provide services in keeping with user specifications.

The library also offers a variety of core services for the Campus community. We serve a

population of 2,808 students, 879 faculty members and nonteaching employees who work in

the institution.

We also provide services to students and professors from the other units of the system,

offering them universal an services interlibrary loans and others. Services are offered to

students from other universities and to health care professionals, particularly to the Carolina

Regional Hospital and other nearby hospitals.

The services are promoted online: http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu, through the design

and dissemination of information brochures, through the RCM News electronic

31
dissemination tool, in meetings, and during different orientation sessions. As stated before,

services are evaluated frequently using evaluation sheets, direct communication with users,

and other means. The principal services include:

• Reference-Orientation (group and individual), information searches, workshops, and

others. Beginning in 2007, virtual reference has been offered through two service

modes: e-mail and “chats.” In this way, we are complying with one of our priorities,

to provide our users with remote access.

• As part of an initiative to maintain active and updated communication with

students, professors, and the academic community at large, the library has

developed blogs that are useful and valuable in meeting information needs and

integrating trends and technologies. The reference weblog address is:

http://referenciarcm.wordpress.com/

• The library also developed a tool for news, points of view, information, and

experiences in the field of virtual reference, as well as communication tools, such as

Web 2.0 and applications for Library 2.0 at: http://llamadavirtual.wordpress.com/

• The Reference Department offers a wide range of workshops and other educational

activities. For example, it offers a workshop on the use of the electronic catalogue

(Horizon), which is an essential tool for locating books, printed resources, and

audiovisual material available in our collections.

• Demonstrations and workshops including practice on the different electronic

databases available on our web page: PubMed/MEDLINE, EBSCOhost, ProQuest,

MDConsult, and others. In this way, students and professors learn how to locate

bibliographical references and the complete texts of our extensive collection of

electronic journals and books.

32
 • In addition to teaching how to use databases effectively, the reference librarians offer

workshops and talks on other essential aspects of the effective use of information, as

part of academic and clinical research. This is the case of workshops like the

Introduction to APA and AMA manuals of style. These discuss, using concrete

examples, core issues for all researchers; for example, how to paraphrase and quote

correctly, how to prepare a list of references and basic aspects, and how to format a

document for publication.

• The library also offers workshops on the new program, RefWorks, an online research

management program that allows the user to import his/her references directly from

the database and prepare the bibliography according to the rules of APA, AMA, and

hundreds of other publication styles9.

• The librarians, in general, design and offer other workshops, adjusting them to the

particular needs of the students, professors, and general public. Some recent

examples of these workshops include: information search for women’s health,

preparation of papers, poster presentations using PowerPoint, using PubMed for

Evidence-Based Practice, databases of the National Library of Medicine and the

universe of information resources on the library web page.

• The library has an area of specialized resources on women’s health, located in the

reference section. The librarian in charge of this section offers a variety of

information services, including:

- Facilitating access to a specialized collection on women’s health (professional

journals, books, reports, brochures, databases, the Internet, and the Women

and Health Center site: http://whcpr.rcm.upr.edu)

9
Workshop topics are dealt with in more detail in Standard 5, Information Skills.
33
 - Coordinating and developing workshops on integrating gender and

women’s health topics into the curriculum; the use of resources and services

related to the collection.

- Conducting bibliographical searches.

• Circulation and Reserve – This is the section in charge of lending, recovering, and

organizing the different bibliographical resources. The staff provides services seven

days a week, during day and evening hours:

• The Circulation collection is located permanently on the sixth floor, on open shelves

that allow independent use. The Reserve Collection is the section that is made up of

the principal textbooks and materials that professors use in the courses offered in the

MSC. The Thesis Collection was recently integrated into this section. In order for these

resources to always be available for the students, these resources are loaned only for

internal use and for a limited time.

• At this time, the professors’ reserve materials are in a transitional stage; with support

from the Title V cooperation project, it is being changed from the traditional reserve

section to an electronic reserve section. The objective is for the student to be able to

access materials assigned by the professors from any computer, retrieve them and

either copy them onto a physical device or print them.

• Special Collections (SE) – This section includes the Puerto Rican Collection of Health

Sciences, the Dr. Bailey K. Ashford Collection and the History of Medicine Collection.

These collections include local material on health sciences and material of historical

value in general. The SE is a small library in and of itself since different functions are

carried out there, including service to the public, such as technical processes, sponsor

34
 searches, dissemination tasks, and research (See the Manual of Procedures for Special

Collections, Appendix 1.3).

The following is a summary of some of the quantitative data for the period.

Visitors, Cataloged Added Other Publications Topics Total

Researchers Materials Materials Added
13 201 5,131 148 24 aprox. 5,590

• From 2006-2007, there was a considerable drop in the number of visitors to the area

compared to previous years. In general terms, it can be said that the decrease is due to

lack of space. This was due to the fact that areas usually used for his purpose were not

available because they were being renovated. Secondly, because the collection was

moved to the fifth floor of the library for several months and other remodeling

situations.

• The Resource Center for learning collects, provides access to and circulates audiovisual

teaching material. Is provides access to videos over the library’s web page.

• The Serial Publications Section processes, organizes, and maintains the journal

collection, coordinates their binding and offers interlibrary loan services.

• The interlibrary loan service is very efficient and effective. Through this service, the

faculty, students, researcher, and healthcare professionals who need an article from a

journal that is not available in print or electronic format in the library can request it and

have it sent to them in digital format to their e-mail or in hard copy. The library is able to

do this because it has collaboration agreements with the United States National Network

of Medical Libraries, with libraries of other units of the UPR system, and the Veterans

Library; it is also able to request materials or resources found in the United States

Library of Congress.
35
• Loans can be requested in the office, at the Circulation desk, online from the web page,

by fax, e-mail, regular mail or through the telephone.

Interlibrary Loans10

2005-2006 2006-2007 %

Requests Received 1,383 1,116 -19%

(From United States users)
Requests Served 987 832 -15%
(For United States users)
Requests Made 1,583 1,704 +8%
(By Puerto Rico Users)
Requests Received 1,327 1,675 +26%
(For Puerto Rico Users)
Non DocLine Requests Served (from 1,271 1,273 ----
PR to PR)
Non DocLine Requests Made (to UPR 56 34 -39%
library)

Analysis of Significant Data of Comparative Statistics of Interlibrary Loans

• Requests received from libraries in the United States decreased, possibly due to the

globalized tendency of increased direct electronic access to the complete text of articles

in electronic format.

• Requests from users in Puerto Rico continued to increase by 15%.

• During this year, by analyzing the statistics, we can see a decrease in internal use of

printed journals, from 11,891 in 2005-2006 to 10,327 in 2006-2007. This could be due to

the fact that many journals are available in electronic format as, for example, Elsevier,

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins de Ovid and annual reviews. In fact, there was an

10
Statistics from July 2007 to February 2008 show the following totals: Professors = 478
Researchers = 998, Students = 234, and Others = 190

36
 increase in the use of A to Z and access to electronic journals from 2,070 in the 2005-2006

academic year to 4,888 in 2006-2007, an increase of 1.36%.

• The historic archive contains institutional documents that are of value for the history of

the Medical Sciences Campus. Since 1992, the historic archive has collected institutional

documents generated by the units of the Medical Sciences Campus that date back to

1966. This is the year the legislature approved Medical Sciences as a campus of the

University of Puerto Rico.

The Technical Services section provides the following services to the Campus

community:

• Information on what is being published and/or produced (A-V) in health sciences.

• Information on publishing houses and/or production houses

• Information on providers

• Information on collections

• Lists of bibliographical resources by topic to evaluate the collection.

• Self-study documents of the programs are worked on for accreditations in the area of

library services and resources.

• Bibliographical lists of new curricular program syllabuses are checked against the

catalog published online.

• Lists of bibliographical resources are checked from core lists for the purpose of new

acquisitions.

The library continues to develop virtual as well as in-person services. We have users who

access resources online only, others who visit the facilities and some who combine both

strategies. This is illustrated by the faculty members who participated in the survey.

Twenty-two (22) percent of the professors go directly to the facilities to receive services,

37
34.5% mentioned that they access materials online and 39% use both strategies. Thus, we

can say that 56% use online access (combining the figures of those who use only online

access and those who use both strategies) and 61% come to the facilities, although some of

these also access electronic resources outside the MSC (Report of survey results) (Appendix

2.3, 2.4, and 2.5).

4.1.2 How are students and faculty informed of the library’s services?

Different methods have been developed to inform users of the changes to and details on

the library’s services. These strategies allow for very active and efficient feedback. Some

examples are:

1. Bulletins- Cyberbulletin http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu/ciberboletin

2. Home page http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu

3. Virtual reference page: http://llamadavirtual.wordpress.com/about/

4. Brochures (Appendix 4.1)

5. Blogs, for example: http://rcmlibraryweek.wordpress.com/

http://referenciarcm.wordpress.com/

http://llamadavirtual.wordpress.com/

6. Interactive message boards

7. Alert services

4.2 Objective – Reference services and other special aids (resource loans) must be

available when users need them the most.

4.2.1 How do student and faculty expectations affect library services?

Student and faculty expectations affect library services since our goal is to meet their

needs as identified in different points of service. The library is a center for study and

research. The services are totally designed to benefit our users. For example, in general

38
terms, professors expressed their satisfaction with the different areas mentioned here,

especially with those in the reference section, which reflects 83.3% satisfaction.

The faculty has the option of recommending books and other resources for the curricular

offerings (Report on the Results of the Survey, Appendix 2.3, 2.4. and 2.5).

4.2.2 Does the library maintain and use quantitative and qualitative measures of their

capacity to serve users?

The library uses different quantitative and qualitative measures for the variety of services

it offers its users. It is important to note that there was a significant increase in requests from

the faculty and administration. This could be due to the workshops that have been offered

and have served to inform them of the services we offer. The administrative staff who visits

the library also presents different information needs, such as health and academic topics for

them as well as for members of their families. There has been a decrease in questions from

students from private universities.

The following table shows some statistics on reference services:

Requests

2005-2006 2006-2007 %
Students 1296 1503 16
Faculty 259 401 55
Administration 74 105 42
Residents 146 195 34
Healthcare professionals 179 201 12
Private Individuals 557 502 -10
TOTAL 2,511 2,907 16
1. Reference Questions

2005-2006 2006-2007 %
Direct 207 264 28
Information 1,517 1865 23
Telephone 300 345 15
Fax 80 104 30
E-mail 374 321 -14
Referral 41 40 -2
TOTAL 2,519 2,939 17

39
 The decrease in e-mail questions may be due to the fact that many are channeled through

virtual reference (See the Title V report for the federal fiscal year, Appendix 4.2)

Workshops and Orientation (Persons per workshop)

Workshops 2006-2007
Internet 32
Library web page 77
PubMed 60
Databases 127
Others
- ENFE scientific
literature search 46
- APA 118
- AMA 10
- Women’s health 2
- RefWorks 45
- Poster
presentations 18
- Databases/
PubMed 33
- Databases / library
web page 70
- PubMed / EBM 103
- PubMed / EBP 28
- PubMed / library
web page 49
- library web page /
orientation tour 44
TOTAL 862
40
 Number of workshops 72 Hours invested 146 Individuals trained _862_

The number of workshops has increased by offering combined workshops, for example:

“Orientation/Tour” together with an explanation of the library web page. A RefWorks

workshop was added.

Under “others”, most requests are from pharmaceutical companies or medical insurance

plans. Professors and researchers represent 78% of the requests and students represent 12%,

for a total of 1900 requests so far this year.

The Circulation and Reserve Department reflects the following statistics: From July 2005

to June 2006, the library was visited by 173,864 users, which represents a + 9% increase in

attendance. It is necessary to note that the attendance is an approximate figure, since the

number shown on the resource control sheet is the total number of times people enter and

leave the library. Statistical data shows that there was a decrease in student use of the

permanent and professors reserve areas. The data also shows a decrease in the use of

resources in the following categories: faculty, students (except students from the School of

Dentistry), employees, hospitals, MSC residents, and universal loans. However, there was

an increase in transactions in the categories of healthcare professionals, visiting professors

and students from the School of Dentistry.

Library Attendance

Year 2004-2005 2005-2006 Changes

General attendance 159, 151 173.864 +9%

 Library Hours

Schedule for the facilities, including the Study Room Total number of hours

Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Monday to Friday 7:00 a.m to 2:00 a.m. 130

Saturday 8:00 a.m to 2:00 a.m.

Weekday hours for service to the public

Sunday 9:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m.

Monday to Thursday 7:00 a.m to 11:00 p.m. 105

Friday 7:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m.

Comparatives

Year 2004-2005 2005-2006 Changes

* Books on shelves 14,400 14,554 +1%
Resources loaned/Books 6,862 7,336 +7%
Resources loaned/journals 3,466 2,443 - 30 %
** Renewals 4,060 3,714 -9%
Notices generated 2,411 2,519 +4%
* Includes data on books that are not circulated and books turned in.

** Books loaned

42
 User transactions by category

YEAR 2004-2005 2005-2006 Changes

Employees 1,556 1,144 - 26 %

Special* 460 532 + 16 %

Students 7,112 6,411 - 10 %

Faculty 1,098 1,015 -8%

Hospitals 876 686 - 22 %

MSC Residents 679 629 -7 %

Universal loans 54 33 - 39 %

Total 11,835 10,450 - 12 %

* Health care professionals and visiting professors.

Statistics on the use of the reserve section

Year 2004-2005 2005-2006 Changes

Permanent Reserve
10,080 8,580 - 15 %
Collection

Professors’ Reserve 75 68 -9%

Use of professors’
3,536 3,252 -8%
reserve section

This report presents the most outstanding aspects of the Circulation and Reserve Section.

In preparing the report, statistics generated in the Horizon statistics module were

43
considered, as well the observations of Circulation and Reserve Section staff while on duty

during the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

• The data are presented mostly in tables and include the following components:

transactions according to the type of resource, by book topic, students by category,

general users by category, use of the permanent and professors’ reserve sections and

library attendance.

• The most relevant data show that during the 2005-2006 academic year, there was an

increase in the number of users who visited our library and in the number of

transactions made by students from the School of Dentistry (we must note that in this

item, in addition to statistical data from Horizon, we noticed an increase in the use of the

library by dentistry students, visiting professors, and health care professionals while

providing our daily services.

• It should be noted that the continued decrease in journal loans and transactions by users

in some categories are indicative of the continued strengthening of the different online

information options that are currently available on both campus and personal

computers.

4.3 Objective – The library must provide competent and fast help to our users.

4.3.1 Are reference, circulation, and other services designed to allow students to reap the

most benefit from available resources?

• All the services are designed to allow students to reap the most benefit from

available resources. The resources respond to the curricular needs of the six (6)

schools of the institution. The printed and electronic collections are developed in

accordance with recommendations from the faculty, students, and liaison librarians

44
 in each school. During the program accreditation process and the revision or

establishment of new programs, the collections that are pertinent to the programs

are reviewed. This makes it possible to acquire the necessary resources.

• Professors are given a space, the professors’ reserve section, to provide the resources

that the library has not been able to acquire. Currently, work is being carried out to

computerize many of the professors’ reserve resources in order to establish a virtual

reserve.

• The library web page also provides electronic resources that support all the

academic programs. All these products have been tested before acquiring them and

statistics on use have been one of the criteria used for acquiring and maintaining

them. We have a proxy server that allows the academic community to use the

resources online to maximize their use. It should be noted that user prefer this

method, a fact that can be seen in the annual statistics.

• Workshops are offered on the effective and efficient use of all databases, online

catalogs, and other electronic resources.

• We have a virtual reference service that guides users through the program

“Question Point.” This service helps or guides the user on how to obtain the

information needed, in consultation with an online librarian. The librarian answers

the questions through chat and e-mail.

• The library has an extended schedule, a computer laboratory, computers on all

floors and photocopiers/printers.

• The collections are open and labeled, which provides easy access and independent

use of the resources.

45
• It loans resources for a reasonable time, which maximizes the use of the resources.

Resources can be renewed by telephone or e-mail. Questions on reference materials

and requests for bibliographical searches can be made in the same way.

• Wireless Internet access throughout the library, its surroundings and the Student

Center broadens access since many users have their own laptops. Electrical outlets

have been added on the floor and under the tables in response to student requests.

Many students spend hours in the library and their laptop batteries do not last long

enough.

• All of these mechanisms that are part of the library’s services are designed to allow

students to gain maximum benefits from the available resources. Students have

provided feedback through recommendations made directly to the staff, through

conversations, and through the participation of librarians in academic activities and

on curriculum committees.

• In addition, some of the results of the student survey are as follows:

• 69.6 % of the students are very satisfied or satisfied with the work and study

environment; 16.1% are neutral and 10.6 % are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with

the work environment.

• 76.9 % of the students are very satisfied or satisfied with library hours.

• 56.7% of the students are very satisfied or satisfied with the summer schedule.

Nevertheless, 28.1% selected the “neutral” option in response to this question. A

low percent of 3.7% stated that they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the

summer schedule.

46
• A large majority of 82.1% is satisfied or very satisfied with the library web page and

only 2.8% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. The library is working on keeping its

web page up to date, given the dramatic changes in providing electronic services.

• A majority of 75.6% is satisfied or very satisfied with the online catalog. A minority 2.8% is

dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. This is one of the core services that, in turn, promotes

access to other resources.

• A majority of 75.1% is satisfied or very satisfied with the databases and only 3.3% are

dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.

• 34.6% of the students replied that they were very satisfied with the circulation service

and another 34.6 % indicated that they were satisfied, for a total of nearly 70%. Twenty-

three and a half (23.5 %) stated that they were neutral. 2% percent indicated that they

were dissatisfied.

• 35.9% of the students selected the “neutral” option and 29% indicated that they were

“very satisfied” with the interlibrary loan system. As seen in the statistics, this service is

used more by researchers. Therefore, most students did not indicate that they were very

satisfied since they are not the principal users of the service.

Students commented that they were satisfied with the services. They included

expressions such as “Excellent treatment,” “The quality of the services is excellent,” “They

always help me a lot,” The library employees are excellent,” and “are very willing to help.”

Their principal complaints are related to hours, since they want the library to be open 24

hours a day or to have extended hours during final exams. They also noted that the cold and

noise bothered them.

47
 Many of these situations will be resolved once the remodeling of the library is finished.

Nevertheless, we must remember that to expect a library to be completely quiet is an

educational paradigm of the past. Libraries must provide individual quiet study spaces, but

certain areas are dedicated to the exchange of ideas and interaction between employees and

users.

Other frequent complaints that we hope to resolve once the remodeling is completed refer to

the quality and availability of equipment, including photocopiers, terminals, printers, and

electrical outlets for laptops.

Students requested more electronic journals, the most recent edition of books, more labeling,

and staff.11 The professors’ survey provided more data showing how adequate the service

areas are:

• Reference – A large majority of 83.3% indicated that they were satisfied and only a

small minority of 1.2% was dissatisfied.

• Reserve – A large majority of 82.2% indicated that they were satisfied or very

satisfied and only 1.2% indicated that they were dissatisfied.

• Digital reserve - 54.8% are satisfied, 2.4% unsatisfied, and 31.0% are neutral. Some

may be unaware of this service, which, is fact, is currently in the development stage.

• Circulation – A majority of 70.3% are satisfied or very satisfied and only 1.2% are

dissatisfied.

• Audiovisual Collection – A minority of 42.9% are satisfied or very satisfied.

However, only 3.6% indicated that they were dissatisfied and 36.9% were neutral.

This seems to indicate that they are unaware of the service.

11
This is a summary of the comments. The complete version is available upon request. A more detailed analysis
of the survey is found in the Self-study Section of the library’s web page.

48
 • Journals – A majority of 77.4% are satisfied or very satisfied and a small minority of

2.4% is dissatisfied.

• Special Collections - 54.7% are very satisfied or satisfied and only a minority of 2.4%

is dissatisfied and 27.4% are neutral, which may mean that those surveyed have not

had to use these special collections.

• Updated information resources – A majority of 73.8% are very satisfied or satisfied

and a minority of 3.6% is dissatisfied.

• Loans – A majority of 66.6% are very satisfied or satisfied and only small minority of

1.2% is dissatisfied.

• Interlibrary loans in PR – A majority of 64.3% is very satisfied or satisfied and no

one indicated being dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.

• International interlibrary loans - 57.1% are satisfied or very satisfied and only 2.4%

are dissatisfied.

It is important to note that with the exception of Books, that shows rate of 9.5%

dissatisfaction, the other areas do not exceed 5% dissatisfaction. Therefore, we can deduce

that, in general terms, for the areas mentioned here professors are satisfied with these

resources and services, especially the reference section that reached a level of satisfaction of

83.3%.

Professors made the following comments in relation to the acquisition of resources:

“When I have had the opportunity to identify books for courses, the librarians have given

me options, and when I submitted lists of new books, they acquired them.”

The questionnaire also described relations between some members of the faculty and the

library. They mentioned that, at times, professors do not communicate enough. They

49
understand that the faculty must have close links with the library, and participate in

updating the library and in its successes. Librarians indicated that professors could make

better use of the library’s resources. One professor believes that, in his case, his relationship

with the library is excellent, but that in other cases there is practically no relationship and a

“case by case” evaluation is needed.

Good relations between the library and the faculty helps keep the collection, databases,

and books acquired for courses up to date. (See: Survey Report, Appendices 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5)

and the letter of recognition for excellence in interlibrary loan services granted by the

National Network of Libraries (Appendix 4.5)

4.3.2 How well do interlibrary loan services and the delivery of resources support the

needs of users who are eligible for this service?

As a part of the CONBLS, the interlibrary loan service is based on the criteria of quality

and speed of its services. This service has been recognized both locally and internationally

for its excellence as illustrated by the letter of recognition for excellence in the interlibrary

loan service issued by National Network of Libraries (Appendix 4.5)

This self-study included an in-depth-analysis of the work carried out from July 2007 to

February 2008 in the interlibrary loan section, which indicated the following:

We provided a total of 505 articles to users in the United States. Of these, 466 requested

were responded to the same day they were received, which represents 92.27%; 36 or 7.12%,

were responded to the next workday, and 3 articles or 0.61% requests took 2 or more days.

4.3.3 What services do librarians provide for programs outside the campus?

50
The Medical Sciences Campus has combined programs with the Natural Science Faculty, the

University of Puerto Rico in Bayamon, and the Central University of the Caribbean. There

are academic collaboration agreements that include lending services and resources.

In addition, services are provides to health professionals in hospitals outside the

Campus. For example:

The director of the Reference Department coordinates and offers workshops on the

Cochrane database for resident physicians ate University Hospital at Carolina Regional

Hospital. Also, during the 2004-2005 academic year, she designed an online course titled,

“The Physician as a Life-Long Learner in Medical Informatics,” using the WebCT software

for the Center of Academic Excellence of the School of Medicine.

4.3.4 What method is used to identify user needs and their satisfaction with the places

were services are provided?

There are several strategies that can be used to identify the information needs of our users

in all the places where services are offered:

• Liaison librarians participate in curriculum development activities in the schools

(Appendix 4.6). They are involved in these processes and, as a result, in their

information needs.

The professionals who work in these schools are:

Prof. Carmen Santos-Graduate School of Public Health

Prof. Efraín Flores- School of Nursing

Prof. Pedro del Valle-School of Dentistry

Prof. Zaida García-School of Pharmacy

Prof. Nilca Parrilla- Health Related Professions College

51
 Prof. Margarita González-School of Medicine

The library also has a liaison librarian with the Center of Excellence in Women’s Health

of the Women and Health Center: Prof. Irma Quiñones.

• We have forms to evaluate user satisfaction with the different activities carried out

in the library. (Activities evaluation sheet, Appendix 2.6).

• Every day our users express their information needs personally, by e-mail, or

telephone. These data (needs, concerns, and recommendations) are included in

searches, orientation workshops, informal offerings, and other services. There is lot

of daily information that is not necessarily gathered.

• The library makes great efforts to learn what the information needs of its users are.

A good example of this are the focus groups that sound out the feelings of the

different sectors of the MSC community, including some who do not use the

library. As mentioned in the Focus Groups Report (Appendix 2.2):

Five one-hour focus groups were held during March 2002. Students and professors from

all the faculties of the UPR Medical Sciences Campus were invited. Two groups were made

up of professors from the schools of medicine, dentistry, public health, nursing, pharmacy,

and the health related professions. Another two groups were made up of day students from

the schools of public health, nursing, dentistry, and health-related professions. The fifth

group was made up of evening students from the schools of public health and nursing.

When selecting participants, an effort was made to include regular library users and

individuals who never use or services, or who do so in frequently. A librarian from the

reference section telephoned professors to invite them to the meetings. They were then sent

a letter to remind them of the details of the activity. Academic counselors from the different

52
faculties were responsible for inviting students. Librarians from the reference section

personally invited other students.

Responses were grouped in seven thematic areas, to wit: (1) information needs; (2)

services needs; (3) other types of needs; (4) characteristics of an ideal library; (5) strategies

for informing users of services; (6) evaluation of services currently offered in the library;

and (7) general comments.

Two surveys were conducted for this self-study (one for professors and another for

students). Both included questions to learn about user satisfaction with regard to schedules

and services. (See the Report on survey results – Appendices 2.3. 2.4, and 2.5).

4.3.5 Does the library keep a schedule that is in line with the reasonable demand of its

users?

The library administration took great efforts to keep a schedule that is in line with the

needs of the community it serves. For example, the circulation and reserve sections provide

services seven days a week during day and evening hours.

Before the remodeling process of the 5th floor began, the library was open until 2:00 A.M.

At this time it is not possible to keep the facilities open until that time.

Once the remodeling is completed, an area will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a

week. Although, as mentioned before, the majority of students (76.9%) are very satisfied or

satisfied with the library schedule, there are always requests for extended hours under

different circumstances, such as during final exams and summer. These needs are being

addressed with other services, such as virtual reference and the project to computerize the

professors’ reserve section.

53
Summary:

The Conrado F. Asenjo Library has received local and international recognition for the

quality of the information services it provides. It has a committed, experienced staff with

broad knowledge, which allows them to provide excellent information services to all who

request them.

Some of the library’s strengths in relation to this standard include:

• The equipment and access to databases and the Internet make it possible to

help provide excellent services, even in areas not covered by the library’s

collection.

• We have an excellent collection of databases and complete texts, which have been

continually enriched over the years.

• The service has been evaluated as excellent by the Middle States Association and

other organizations.

• In general terms, users have expressed their satisfaction with the services.

Nevertheless, we have included budgetary problems among the areas of development,

since they:

• affect services by not being able to hire staff for weekends;

• do not allow us greater access to electronic journals; and

• make it difficult to address recurring commitments.

54
Standard 5 – Information Skills

Introduction:

Information skills (IS) refer to a group of abilities that transform an ordinary student into

an intelligent information consumer and a lifelong learner. An individual is competent in

using information when capable of clearly articulating his/her information needs, in

addition to locating, accessing, evaluating, and effectively applying the information to meet

his/her original needs. In order to promote the development of information skills, the staff

of the Medical Sciences Campus library offers a variety of formal and informal educational

activities.

5.1. Objective – The library will provide information and instruction through a variety of

reference and education services to users, such as instruction related to and integrated

into courses, practical learning, orientation, formal courses, tutoring, maps or guides,

individualized instruction, and reference interviews.

5.1.1. Does the library provide formal and informal opportunities for instruction?

The library offers formal and informal opportunities to develop the information skills of

students and members of the faculty. These are listed below:

• Educational activities that are offered as part of the courses of the Medical

Sciences Campus: Librarians, in collaboration with professors, plan workshops,

lectures, and presentations to address the academic and research needs of the

students. In general, these activities are integrated into course syllabuses. (See

syllabuses in Appendix 5.1 and a summary of the content of educational activities

integrated into these syllabuses in Appendix 5.2).

55
 • Educational activities to promote the development of the faculty’s information

skills and integrate them into the curriculum: The library offers workshops,

lectures, and other training activities designed for the faculty. Some of these are

sponsored by the Office of Academic Development of the Medical Sciences Campus.

External resources are also invited to offer training sessions to professors on the use

of databases and other resources available on the library web page (See summaries

of examples of recent activities in Appendix 5.3).

• Online Course: As an additional strategy to promote the development of students’

information skills, the library is working on the creation of an online course,

“Information Skills for Research,” using the Blackboard platform. This project is

sponsored by the Title V Project – Cooperation I: “Enhancement of the Teaching-

Learning Process Through Integration of Technology and Information Literacy.” A

course to be taught as an elective without credit for students in the graduate courses

will be submitted for approval during the second semester of the 2007-2008

academic year. (See letter of approval of the proposal in Appendix 5.4 and a copy of

the draft course syllabus in Appendix 5.5).

Informal instruction opportunities

Informal instruction is offered to users of the library services on the use of its information

resources through the following strategies:

• Orientation during the interview and reference consultation, either in person or over

the telephone, e-mail, or the virtual reference service (e-mail and chat).

• Orientation at the Circulation and Reserve desk on the use of the online catalog and

the organization of resources available in the collections.

56
 • Information pamphlets on the use of different databases.

• Power Point presentations are available on the library web page.

• Students and professors are recommended to use their help guide account and

online tutorials available in the research interfaces and in other information

resources used in the library. Among the resources most often recommended are:

PubMed Tutorial, PubMed Quick Tours, and online tutorials by ISI Web of Science,

EBSCOhost, Science Direct and RefWorks. Several presentations (Appendix 5.6),

brochures, and other documents (Appendix 5.7) are available in the library.

5.2 The library, as an academic and educational unit, shall facilitate student success and

foster lifelong learning.

5.2.1 Does the library provide the proper space for teaching information skills to large

and small groups?

The library has sufficient space for teaching information skills to large and small groups.

Two multiple-use rooms with space for 15 people each were recently inaugurated on the

sixth floor of the building. These rooms are separated by a partition that can be opened to

comfortably seat a group of up to 30 people. The rooms have wireless Internet access and

each room is equipped with a digital projector, screen, and multimedia podium. This area

also has a cart with 27 laptop computers that are used in workshops, lectures, and training

sessions.

Once the current remodeling of the building is completed, the library will also have 2

small classrooms, each of which will accommodate up to ten people, comfortably seated.

Both rooms will have wireless Internet access and a plasma screen for presentations. The

library staff will use these rooms for workshops and training small groups.

57
 In addition to the multi-use rooms and the small rooms mentioned above, the library

staff also uses classrooms and computer centers that are available in the different faculties

and schools of the Medical Sciences Campus. As a rule, the workshops or presentations

offered by librarians as part of a course, are offered in the computer centers or in the

classrooms of their respective faculties. In this way, the library is able to expand the space it

has available for teaching information skills. At the same time, the library staff can have a

greater presence in the faculty. The following is a list of the computer centers currently used

by the library teaching staff:

Faculty or school Computer Center Capacity

Nursing Audiovisual and Technology 20 people

Interaction Center (CAIT,
Spanish acronym)
Public Health A-473 Computer Center 20 people
José L. Janer Center 20 people
Medicine Center for Informatics & 25 people
Technology (CIT)
Health Professions12 OIRE 3 rooms (20 people
each)

5.2.2. Does the library provide appropriate available space for practical instruction and

the presentation of all types of resources?

The design of multi-use rooms, recently inaugurated on the sixth floor of the library is

appropriate for active instruction and other resources. Both are equipped with worktables

with semicircular modules that facilitate participant interaction and work in small groups

during the workshops offered by the librarians. The substitution of desktop computers for

12
Currently closed for remodeling.

58
laptops, which can be moved easily for working in pairs or small groups, facilitates

practical instruction.

Likewise, the design of the multi-use rooms facilitates the presentation of all types of

resources since they have wireless Internet access, a digital projector, a screen and a

multimedia podium to for computer presentations, using both VHS and DVDs. Also, if

necessary, both multi-use rooms can be joined to accommodate a group of 30 people, seated

comfortably. In this case, the digital projectors of each room can be synchronized so that

both multi-use rooms can see the same presentation simultaneously.

On the other hand, the design of two rooms for small classes (10 people) to be built on the

second floor as part of the library remodeling process, will be appropriate for practical

instruction and other resources. Both rooms will have modular tables connected in a circle

to facilitate interaction and teamwork during classes or workshops. In addition, both rooms

will have wireless Internet access and will be equipped with flat screens for audiovisual

presentations.

The design of the multi-use rooms that have already been inaugurated, and the

classrooms to be built meet the specifications of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

5.3 To support users in information retrieval, evaluation and documentation methods by

combining new techniques and technologies with the most traditional sources.

5.3.1 Does the library make proper use of technology for instruction?

Librarians effectively use different technologies to facilitate the teaching-learning process

for students and the rest of the teaching staff of the Medical Sciences Campus. They

continually use MS Word, MS Power Point, MSPublisher and Adobe to prepare

instructional materials such as pamphlets, tutorials, handouts, exercises, and presentations

59
for lectures, workshops, and other educational activities. They also use a computer and

digital projector (Infocus) and the Internet as basic teaching tools.

The library staff developed the “RefWorks” tutorial in Spanish as part of the Title V

project – Cooperative I: “Enhancement of the Teaching-Learning Process Through

Integration of Technology and Information Literacy.” They are also working on the

preparation of an online course, “Information Skills for Research,” which will use the

Blackboard platform, as an non-credit elective for students in graduate programs.

5.4 Librarians collaborate with classroom professors by helping to plan the curriculum

and to develop information skills; they also participate in assessing the results of the

teaching/learning process.

5.4.1 How do the librarians work with the professors in developing and evaluating the

curriculum to support specific courses?

The librarians work closely with professors from different faculties and schools,

particularly professors who teach research courses and who require the intensive use of

information. The following are some examples of this type of collaboration:

• Two librarians regularly participate in planning, implementing, and evaluating the

course MPRI 7130: Integration Seminar I, in the School of Medicine and the course

EDVI 7115: Human Development and Behavior Management, in the School of Dentistry.

The librarians participated as facilitators in both courses, using the Problem-Based

Learning Strategy. (See related documentation in Appendix 5.8).

• One librarian participated in revising the course ENFE 4075: Introduction to the

Research Process. As a result of this process, the professor and librarians collaborate in

teaching students how to prepare a well-structured clinical question, locate scientific

60
 studies in PubMed/MEDLINE, and critically evaluate the quality of the information

retrieved. A workshop on the design of presentation posters and another on the style

of the American Psychological Association (APA) were incorporated into the course.

The posters are evaluated with a scale designed by one of the librarians. The

professor who teaches the course and a librarian gave a talk/workshop on their

experience as collaborators in this course. (See Appendices 5.9 and 5.10 – Include the

lecture program and the presentation).

• A librarian collaborated in revising the syllabus for the course NUTR 6528: Seminar

on Nutrition in Public Health, to formally integrate the development of information

skills. As a result of this work, workshops and lectures on the use of the library’s

databases, APA style standards and the use of the RefWorks online bibliographic

management program (See revised syllabus in Appendix 5.11).

• A librarian participated in the creation of the elective course GERO 6990: Special

Topics: Design of Information Resources for Informal Caregivers of the Elderly, in the

Graduate School of Public Health. Part of the course included lectures or workshops

on effective Internet searches, use of the library databases, evaluation of resources

and the creation and management of a blog as a tool to manage content (See the

course syllabus in Appendix 5.12).

• The teaching of information skills has been incorporated into other courses in which

librarians regularly offer lectures, talks, or workshops. (See examples of the

syllabuses in Appendix 5.14).

• Librarians participate on the curriculum committees of the following schools: Health

Related Professions, Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, and Pharmacy. By serving on

61
 these committees, the librarians are able to collaborate with the faculty in revising

and evaluating existing courses or programs and help in preparing proposals to

create new programs.

5.4.2 How does the library facilitate professors’ research?

The library directly supports the research of professors of the Medical Sciences Campus

as follows:

• It offers an extensive collection of full-text databases and printed journals that cover

the main health sciences disciplines. (See Inventory of databases in Appendix 6.1).

Most of the electronic databases provide remote access to their content; in addition,

the library acquired a proxy server to facilitate remote access for the institution’s

users.

• It provides interlibrary loan service to locate, in or outside Puerto Rico, resources

that are not available in the library.

• It provides access to RefWorks, an online bibliographic management program on its

web page that allows researchers to import their references directly from databases

and prepare their bibliographies according to the standards of the APA, AMA, and

hundreds of other publication styles.

• It offers reference services, such as: help in reviewing literature, verifying

bibliographies, etc. It also offers this service virtually, by e-mail or chat.

• It offers workshops, lectures, and presentations to research professors on the use of

databases, the RefWorks online bibliographic management program, the use of the

APA style manual, etc. (Some presentations are available in Appendix 5.2).

62
 • The director of the Reference Section is an active member of the Institutional Animal

Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of the Medical Sciences Campus. As part of her

functions, she collaborates in the evaluation and supervision of research protocols

that are submitted to this committee for approval, and advises researchers on the

literature review process. With this in mind, she prepared the document, Guidelines

to perform searches for non-duplicative efforts and alternatives to painful and distress

procedures. (See Appendix 5.13).

5.5 Users will be offered different ways to develop information skills. This can include

different methods of teaching; for example, detailed consultations for research,

individualized instruction, educational aids in electronic format or in print, or group

instruction in traditional or online classrooms.

5.5.1. Does the library provide a variety of educational programs?

The library offers formal educational activities, such as workshops, lectures, and

demonstrations, to promote the development of students’ information skills. Frequently,

these activities are offered as an integral part of the courses and are included in the

syllabuses. It also offers workshops and other formal activities to professors and other

members of the Medical Sciences Campus staff.

In order to expand its current offer of educational activities for students, the library is

planning to start offering the online course Information skills for research, using the

Blackboard online education platform. This is a non-credit elective course for graduate

students. (See the draft syllabus of the course in Appendix 5.14).

The course Information skills for research includes a series of learning units where students

complete practical exercises in order to learn how to: (1) select and define a possible research

63
topic; (2) design search strategies; (3) learn and use a variety of information sources in print

or electronic format that are available in the library; (4) evaluate the quality and relevancy of

the information obtained; (5) take correct research notes; and (6) draft an academic

document, following the main standards of the APA or AMA.

Prof. Efraín Flores, Prof. Margarita González, Prof. Rossana Barrios and Prof. Charles Seguí,

librarians in the Reference Section, will be in charge of this course. Hopefully, the syllabus

of the course will be submitted during the second semester of the 2007-2008 academic year

so that the university authorities can approve it.

5.5.2. How does the library promote and evaluate its instruction programs?

The library promotes its teaching activities thorough the institutional e-mail service,

handouts (Appendix 5.7), the library web page, during meetings of the curriculum

committees of the different faculties, and over the telephone (in the case of professors).

The workshops and lectures offered by the library staff are evaluated mi means of a

satisfaction scale (Evaluation Sheet, Appendix 2.6). There is no formal analysis of the results

of these evaluations, but they are discussed informally in the library and taken into

consideration for making changes to the content of the activities, the teaching strategies, or

to design new activities.

5.6 The development of information skills as part of user education must be integrated

through the curriculum and appropriate courses, paying special attention to the

evaluation of information, critical thought, intellectual property, copyrights, and

plagiarism.

64
5.6.1 How does the library apply the Information Literacy Competency Standards for

Higher Education?

The application of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education has

led the library staff to expand its regular offering of the workshops offered as part of the

courses. Currently, in addition to teaching how to use the online catalog and electronic

databases, workshops and lectures include aspects such as how to formulate a well-

structured clinical question as the basis for an effective search, how to use RefWorks, and

how to use the APA and AMA style manuals. They also include workshops and lectures on

how to prepare papers, presentation posters, and weblogs. In fact, several courses have been

able to integrate more than one workshop or lecture. (Syllabuses, Appendix 3.4).

The Standards have also been applied in designing the online course mentioned

above, Information skills for research, by including learning units that range from

identifying and defining a research topic to the different information search and retrieval

phases, evaluation of the phases and presentation of the results in a written document. The

standards are available as an appendix in the written version of this self-study (Appendix

5.6) and in electronic format at:

http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetencystandards.cfm

65
Summary:
The library has carried out a variety of activities to develop information skills. It is

continually renewing its offerings. The librarians promote and evaluate the educational

activities that have been integrated into certain curricular areas.

Strengths:

• The teaching of information skills has been integrated into several courses in

different faculties or schools of the Campus.

• The standards of the Middle States Association, one of the agencies that accredit the

programs of the Medical Sciences Campus, require that the teaching of information

skills be formally integrated into the curriculum. This is a tool that supports the

librarians’ efforts toward formal inclusion of information skills in the academic

programs.

• The gradual incorporation of the evidence-based practice model into several

academic programs is an opportunity to continue strengthening ties between

professors and librarians, and to integrate the teaching of information skills into the

curriculum.

• The library has a space and new equipment for its teaching activities. In addition,

the library staff has access to most of the computer centers of the different faculties

for their teaching activities.

• The four reference librarians participate actively as facilitators in workshops and

other activities related to the teaching of information skills.

• The director of the library offers orientation, and other librarians offer workshops

and participate in different educational activities.

66
 • Workshops are offered during the day and evening hours

Areas of development:

• Curriculum revision processes tend to be slow and complex. This makes it difficult

to systematically include the teaching of information skills within the curricular

sequence and in the official course syllabuses.

• The results of the evaluations of workshops and other educational activities are not

formally analyzed.

• The library evaluates only the user’s level of satisfaction with the workshops or

other teaching activities. Even when several professors have incorporated

information skills as part of the evaluation criteria of their courses, this provides

librarians only with informal feedback.

• Reference section librarians have other responsibilities that are inherent to their

teaching functions, which, at times, limit their time needed for teaching-related

work.

67
6. Standard – Resources

Introduction:

The Conrado F. Asenjo Library of the Medical Sciences Campus is the principal resource for

health science information in the country and it has the most complete collection of its type in

the Caribbean. Its collections and services offer support to the academic programs of the School

of Medicine, the School of Public Health, the School of Dentistry, the School of Nursing, the

School of Pharmacy, and the Health Professions College. It also provides services to the

hospitals of the Medical Center and all health professionals in Puerto Rico that request these

services.

The library provides various updated resources for the different disciplines in the campuses

that support the mission of the MSC and the needs of the users. It is fully committed to

providing access and promoting information resources to health professionals and the

community, both in their personal capacities as well as through the affiliated institutions.

The Technical Services Section carries out work related to the acquisition and cataloging of

papers. It also coordinates the inventory processes and the disposal of material, together with

the rest of the staff. The library is also in charge of the electronic catalog, using the Horizon

system. The Serial Publications Sections processes, organizes, and maintains the journal

collection, coordinating the binding of the journals and offering interlibrary loan services.

The Special Rooms Section includes the Puerto Rico Collection of Health Sciences, the Dr.

Bailey K. Ashford Collection, and the History of Medicine Collection. These rooms bring

together local material on health and material of historical value in general. In the Audiovisual

Resource Center, audiovisual didactic material is acquired, cataloged, and circulated. The

historical archive compiles institutional documents that are valuable for the Medical Sciences

68
Campus. The Reserve Collection is the section made up of the principal textbooks and

materials that professors use in the courses they teach in our Campus. In order for these

resources to be available to students at all times, they are loaned only for internal use and for a

limited time.

We continue to work on our collection, in keeping with the strategic area of our plan: to

develop new virtual services and information resources to meet the educational, research, and

clinical needs of our users.

At this time, the professors’ reserve section is in a state of transition. With support from the

Title V Cooperative Project, we are changing from a traditional reserve section to a virtual one.

The objective is to give students access to materials assigned by their professors from any

computer in an electronic format so that it can be retrieved, whether by recording it onto a

physical device or by printing it.

The library offers access to several databases on health sciences and other areas of

knowledge. (See the Inventory of Databases and the Tables of Use, Appendix 6.1). The library

also has an area of specialized resources on women’s health as well as access to the web page of

the Center for Women and Health (http//whcpr.rcm.upr.edu).

The library facilities include two information centers, the Information and Medication

Center and the Hostosiano Institute, that are not part of the library but offer services in the

same physical facility (See Appendices 6.2 and 6.3).

6.1 Objective – The library will provide various updated resources and experts in their fields

who support the mission of the Institution and the needs of its users.

69
6.1.1 What criteria are used to make decisions on acquiring, keeping, and using printed and

electronic material and audiovisual resources? How does the library select resources for its

users?

The library has a policy for developing and maintaining collections (Appendix 1.1) that

describes the criteria for acquiring and retaining collections and other important functions.

Acquisition

• The library will give priority to acquiring bibliographical, electronic, and audiovisual

resources on topics that are taught in the different academic programs of the Medical

Sciences Campus.

• The library takes into consideration recommendations from the faculty, the library staff,

and students.

• The library will acquire resources in other subject areas as allowed by the allocated

budget.

• Retention and use – The development of the collections in the Conrado F. Asenjo

Library of the Medical Sciences Campus is a dynamic and continually evolving process.

The following guidelines have been established in the library’s policy:

ƒ Periodic evaluation of current resources in the library for the different

programs.

ƒ Needs of the users in the academic community.

ƒ Modifications and new trends that are being developed in health care

professions.

ƒ Requirements and standards of program accreditation agencies.

ƒ New curricular developments in the different Campus programs.

70
 ƒ Developments and new trends in information management technologies.

ƒ Availability of federal funds allocated each year for the Institution.

ƒ Changes and trends in disseminating information on health sciences.

ƒ Changes in the offering of health services.

ƒ Environmental changes, diseases, epidemics, and other events that occur and

are researched in health sciences.

In addition, the library will acquire:

ƒ Books for the reference collections, in collaboration with the reference librarians. In

coordination with the director of the department and the reference staff, the library will

revise the reference collection in order to update it.

ƒ Textbooks for the library’s reserve collection, in coordination with the faculty, the staff

members in charge of the Circulation Section, and the director of technical services, and

with recommendations from the users. The library will coordinate the revision the

reserve collection with the director of circulation in order to update it.

ƒ Books and documents for the Puerto Rico Collection and the History of Medicine

Collection. The supervisor of technical services coordinates with Prof. Carmen Santos,

supervisor of Special Collections, to determine which resources need to be acquired for

the special collections for the academic year.

ƒ The director of special collections developed a procedures manual (Appendix 1.3) that

contains a description of the tasks and functions carried out in this section.

ƒ Audiovisual resources will be acquired, in coordination with the person in charge.

B. Methodology to identify bibliographical resources.

The following are some of the select lists that will be used to acquire resources:

71
• Medical Library Association. Collection development section (2007). Subject based resource

list. Accessed at: http://colldev.mlanet.org/resources/subjectlist.htm

• The Library Health Center. Brandon Hill Updates. (2007). Brandon Hill Updates.

http://www.libraryhealthcenter.com/bh.htm

• Doody’s Core Titles (DCT) Online Published by Doody’s Enterprises, Inc.

• Basic Resources for Pharmaceutical Education published by the American Association of

Colleges of Pharmacy.

• Lists and samples of resources from different suppliers.

School liaison librarians, in coordination with the faculty, will carry out activities to gather

recommendation for purchasing resources and developing the collection in different

disciplines,13 such as:

• Participation of library staff in curriculum committees and other pertinent committees

in the School, such as the Council on Integration and Educational Planning (CIPE), the

Academic Senate, and other forums.

• During April and May (before the beginning of the academic year) an e-mail is sent to

every school liaison librarians asking them to coordinate with the faculty a list of their

recommendations for the purchase of resources by reviewing the different disciplines in

the collection, to be sent the Library.

• The library, together with school liaison librarians, will identify which programs will

receive accreditation visits during the academic year.

13
The functions of school liaison librarians are described in greater detail in Standard 8, Human Resources.

72
 • Bibliographical and electronic resources are acquired for new curricular developments

that result from academic proposals that are duly approved by the Academic Senate of

the Medical Sciences Campus.

• Individual recommendations are gathered from the Campus faculty and the library

staff, and are processed for purchase.

The director of the library participates in the annual negotiations with the different

providers of electronic resources, taking into consideration the recommendations from the

library staff and the Board of Directors of the UPR system libraries. As a result of these

negotiations, the libraries of the UPR system will gain access to these Consortium resources.

Recommendations for purchasing resources from the faculty and library staff are received

and processed. Database suppliers provide samples and tests of databases and other electronic

resources. The resources are selected according to how they will be used.

Table 4: Comparative Table of Acquisitions

2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2005-2006 2006-2007

Books acquired 1,169 1,307 2,232 1,217 768 645
Purchased 175 77 1,767 211 230 244
Donated 994 1,230 465 1,006 538 401
Recommendations Received
Library 443 487 1,732 160 140 195
Faculty 331 380 60 125 75 110
112 107 1,672 35 65 80
5
Subscriptions 1,208 1,215 1,245 1,180 1,145 1,145
Purchased 1,125 1,132 1,162 1,097 1,062 1,062
Donated 83 83 83 83 83 83
Audiovisual Material 4 1 28 22 46 38
Purchased 4 0 27 22 22 7
Donated 0 1 1 0 24 31

Interpretation of the table:

73
 The Middle States Accreditation Committee visited the library during the 2001-2002

academic year.

(See Appendix 6.4). The Committee of external evaluators at that time described the collection

as “deplorable.” As a result, the library was given approximately $138,672 to purchase books.

A plan to develop the collection was prepared together with the librarians.

The library checked lists of authorities, such Brandon Hill, to identify books that were

deemed to be “essential.” School liaison librarians coordinated efforts related to the

recommendations for bibliographical resources and, as a result, a large number of books were

acquired. Ever since then, there has been a tendency to reduce the acquisition of resources.

As part of the resource assessment process, the director of the Serial Publications Department

made a study of the availability of journals, according to different lists of authorities. The

results of this assessment are as follows:

Pharmacy:

AACP Core List of Journals for Libraries that Serve Schools and Colleges of Pharmacy: In

the category* = Every library that serves a school or college of pharmacy should consider these

titles for first purchase, we have 97% of the titles.

We have 79% of the titles in the category of additional titles recommended.

Nursing:

Brandon Hill Selected Lists: Nursing journal List: In the category* = Suggested for initial

purchase, we have 100% of the titles. We have 86% of the titles in the category of additional

titles recommended.

74
Medicine

Brandon Hill Selected Lists: Journals for the Small Medical Library: In the category =

Suggested for initial purchase, we have 100% of the titles. We have 100% of the titles in the

category of additional recommended titles.

Dentistry:

Building a Dental Science Collection in a General Academic Library by Eva Stowers and Gillian

Galbraith: We have 91% of the recommended titles.

Health Professions:

Brandon Hill Selected Lists: Journals in Allied Health: In the category = Suggested for initial

purchase, we have 87% of the titles. We have 60% of the titles in the category of additional

recommended titles.

Public Health:

Core Public Health Journals. Developed by the Public Health section of the Medical Library

Association and backed by the Association of Schools of Public Health and the American

Health Association.

Environmental Health Sciences:

In the category = Essential Core, we have 81% of the titles. In the category = Research Level

Core, we have 59% of the titles.

Epidemiology:

In the category = Essential Core, we have 100% of the titles. In the category = Research Level

Core, we have 81% of the titles.

Biostatistics:

75
In the category = Essential Core, we have 75% of the titles. In the category = Research Level

Core, we have 2% of the titles.

Public Health Practice:

In the category = Essential Core, we have 70% of the titles. In the category = Research Level

Core, we have 66% of the titles.

Health Services Administration:

In the category = Essential Core, we have 69% of the titles. In the category = Research Level

Core, we have 65% of the titles

Maternal & Child Health:

In the category = Essential Core, we have 95% of the titles. In the category = Research Level

Core, we have 81% of the titles.

Health Education/ Behavioral Science:

In the category = Essential Core, we have 82% of the titles. In the category = Research Level

Core, we have 88% of the titles

Public Health Nutrition:

In the category = Essential Core, we have 86% of the titles. In the category = Research Level

Core, we have 64% of the titles

One of the challenges we face is updating the “core list” since the Brandon core list of

journals ceased publication in 2003 and only some of the journals were picked up by

professional associations, as in the case of public health, but not in the case of medicine. Based

on this analysis, we can see that the biostatistics area needs attention.

6.1.2 Does the library have an ongoing effective program for evaluating collections,

resources, and online databases both quantitatively and qualitatively?

76
 The collections are examined periodically. To this end, the following activities are carried

out:

• Study of use of printed journals.

• Physical revision of the collections (faculty and library staff).

• Study of use of printed journals.

• The faculty and librarians request lists of collections by topic in order to see how

current they are.

• Evaluation projects.

• Several inventory projects have been carried out in order to record and analyze the

collection.

• Other efforts are geared toward the pondered disposal of certain journals. For example,

journals that had been cancelled or that were not published in English and/or Spanish,

journals in advanced stages of deterioration, and journals that were used 0 to 3 times in

a period of five years were discarded (See Appendix 6.6 Report on Discarded Journals

in the Serial Publications Section).

In addition, the library conducted a survey on user opinion of the collection. The results are

available in the self-study section on the library web page at: http://rcm-

library.rcm.upr.edu/autoestudio.

A large majority of the students indicated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the

library web page and only a minority of 2.8% indicated that they were dissatisfied or very

dissatisfied. Given the dramatic changes that have taken place in providing electronic

services, the library is working on a project to keep the page up to date.

77
Online Catalog:

A majority of 75.6% of the students indicated that they are satisfied or very satisfied and a

minority of 2.8% stated that they are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. This is one of the core

services which, in turn, promote access to other resources.

Databases:

A majority of 75.1% of the students indicated that they are satisfied or very satisfied and a

minority of only 3.3% stated that they are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the library’s

databases.

6.1.3 What role do classroom professors play in selecting library resources and in the

constant development and evaluation of the collection?

The number of classroom professors and those who submit their recommendations for

purchasing library resources is small compared to the number of professors in the MSC. The

following shows the number of professors who recommended that resources be purchased for

the library in 2006-2007:

School of Health Professions -10

Nursing: 3

Dentistry: 3

Public Health: 3

Pharmacy: 1

The number of books recommended by the different schools is as follows:

Nursing-66

School of Health Professions-54

78
 Public Health-4

Pharmacy-2

Dentistry -16

This is an area of great opportunity for developing projects to promote our services and to

collaborate with different Campus sectors.

6.2 Objective –The library will have information resources in a variety of formats, including

hard copy, online images, and electronic texts as well as other media.

6.2.1 Do the printed, audiovisual and electronic resources reflect curricular and research

needs?

The collection was developed by periodically evaluating the existing resources in the library

for the different programs. Liaison librarians conduct different activities in the schools to

respond to curricular and research needs.

Some of their activities include participation on the curriculum committees of the schools,

participation in different forums, such as the Academic Senate and the Council on Integration

and Educational Planning (CIPE, Spanish acronym) (letters of appointment to committees,

temporary positions, creation of committees, positions in the Campus, invitations, and others

are available, Appendix 8.3), activities with schools, such as Problem Based Learning (PBL),

and others (Syllabuses, Appendix 3.4). Liaison librarians also promote and practice interaction

with the faculty and students in workshops on information skills.

6.3 Objective – To provide information resources in the library or from storage places, on the

campus as well as in locations outside the campus.

6.3.1 Does the library have sufficient licenses for their electronic resources to accommodate

primary users (FTE) either on site or remotely?

79
 The library has a sufficient number of licenses to accommodate primary users since most of

these resources have limited access. Some databases with a limited number of licenses are for

one segment of the population. Some of these are MD Consult (5 licenses) for the faculty and

students of the School of Medicine, Micromedex (5 licenses) for the faculty and students of the

School of Pharmacy, and Web of Science (15 licenses) for two campuses (MSC and Río Piedras).

According to statistics, the use of Web of Sciences is more limited. We also have five

simultaneous licenses with the Natural Sciences Library for use with the Biological Abstracts

index. In order to complete our possibilities for access for special circumstances (workshops

and presentations), additional licenses are requested from suppliers and they are provided.

6.3.2 How are the agreements with the Consortium used for purchases and licenses?

Consortiums:

The library acquires a large part of its databases and electronic resources with unlimited

licenses from one source, the University of Puerto Rico, at the consortium price. Subscriptions

to printed journals are also purchased through the same intermediary, EBSCO, which benefits

everyone in the UPR by receiving lower service charges. The library is part of the National

Network of Libraries of Medicine of the United States. It belongs to the southeast region of the

consortium of libraries affiliated with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. As part

of this relationship, it participates in the exchange of resources, such as interlibrary loans and

document delivery and access services. As part of the extended services, it also has

collaborative arrangements with the Veterans Hospital library, with the Natural Sciences

Library of the University of Puerto Rico, and with all the libraries in the UPR system.

The Conrado F. Asenjo library participates in the Consortium of Southern Biomedical

Libraries, composed of 17 medical libraries in the southern part of the United States. The

80
library acquires databases with consortium discounts, offers continuing education and

demonstrations of products for directors, and completes a survey on library staff salaries

every year. The directors meet once a year in the SC/MLA convention and every two years

for a two-day retreat. During the meetings, they discuss matters of general interest, common

problems and possible solutions, and the acquisition of products at the consortium price,

which is more economical than each library buying separately.

Ongoing activities include consolidating lists of journal titles, coordinating the publication of

current serial titles on the SERHOLD database of the NLM, reciprocal activities involving

interlibrary loans, offers of opportunities for continuing education, and an annual survey of

salary scales for librarians and other library support staff. Seventeen institutions are members

of CONBLS, including six states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

In July 2007, we began to participate in the network of virtual health libraries, a part of

BIREME, the Center for Scientific and Technical Information on Health of PAHO/WHO. We

share the same platform for bibliographical searches with many Latin American countries,

which allows us to learn about what they produce and allows them to learn about what we

produce. Development of the Virtual Health Library of Puerto Rico ( began in December 2007,

in collaboration with academic libraries and government and nongovernmental organizations.

6.4 Objective – The library will provide quality resources as efficiently as possible, within

the limitations of its budget.

6.4.1 If the library is responsible for collecting and maintaining the institution’s archives,

how does it respond to these responsibilities?

In accordance with its mission and goals and current archivists principles, the documents in

the historic archive are classified in series subseries, based on the principle of provenance; that

81
is, organized according to the unit that generates the documents. Some series (Accreditations,

Annual Reports) have been artificially created to group documents that should be kept

together for easy consultation. In these cases, the originating unit (School of Pharmacy, School

of Medicine, etc.) becomes the name of a sub-series. This method affords easy access to

documents that provide a wealth of information if organized in sequence. Likewise, this

organization facilitates institutional research from a general or macro perspective.

In 2007, following the remodeling of the facilities, the archives lost half of its original space. As

a result, it was necessary to redefine its collection and send all the serial documents of the

schools of the Campus to the Iron Mountain Company, keeping only the Administration Board

Series (JA), the Academic Senate (SA), Annual Reports (INFO), Accreditation (ACRE), the

Council on Integration and Educational Planning (CIPE), and the Office of the Dead of

Academic Affairs (DAA) and personal papers (PERS) that contain documents from Enrique

Koppisch and Conrado Asenjo.

6.4.2 How do the library’s collection and databases compare with those of other similar

institutions?

Based on this self-study, we will start to integrate our data into the “Annual Statistics of

Medical School Libraries in the United States and Canada.”

6.5 Objective – The collections will be kept up to date and relevant through a pondered

disposal process.

6.5.1 Does the library keep the collection up to date and relevant through a pondered

disposal process?

Due to the problem of physical space in the library and in order to keep the collection up to

date, the disposal process is carried out regularly and systematically. In this process, the first

82
edition of a title is kept (if not deteriorated) as well as any publication by Puerto Rican authors,

particularly if they belong to the Campus faculty. Any paper that has to be discarded because it

is in poor physical condition, and that still relevant for its discipline despite of its year of

publication, will be reacquired for the collection or efforts will be made to repair it.

The following activities are seen in the mini-projects carried out by the employees of the

Circulation Department and the Department of Technical Services:

• Review of the stacks in Circulation (6th floor), Reserve (3rd floor) and Reference (3rd floor).

This also consisted of identifying the labels that need to be changed and, at the same

time, identify books that are in need of repair (different levels).

• The review began in April 2007 and every week staff from Circulation sent lists to the

director of Technical Services. A total of 15 lists were sent. The first list was sent on

April 15th, and after the usual interruptions during holidays and vacation time

(June/July), the last list was sent on September 19, 2007.

• One thousand four hundred sixty-five (1,465) labels that had to be substituted and 1,081

books that needed to be repaired were identified.

• Four hundred fifty-two (452) books were repaired. Work was conducted from May to

December 2007. Once this semester starts, we will begin to work again and our goal is

to complete a good part of the book repairs this semester. The library promotes the

disposal process and tries to involve the specialized faculty in the area where the

resources are to be discarded. The activities are carried out in coordination with school

liaison librarians.

Criteria to be considered in the disposal process:

• Physical condition of the resource (deterioration, mold)

83
 • Multiple copies

• Frequency in circulation over the last five years and topic

• Donations

• First edition of a title

• Titles of historic value

• Titles of topics that are not published frequently or topics that are covered in one

edition and not in another.

These topics are discussed in: Policy for disposal – Included in the policy to develop the

collection, the policy to develop and maintain collections (Appendix 1.1) and annual reports

(annual purchases, subscriptions, and databases)

Summary:

The Medical Sciences Campus Library assigns librarians who serve as liaisons to the

programs. Through their participation, the library maintains a close relationship with the

faculty and stays abreast of curriculum changes, courses revisions, new courses, self-studies for

accreditation, and other curricular proposals. Some of the library’s strengths in terms of

resources are:

• Having school liaison librarians to develop topical areas; they participate in the

Academic Senate, CIPE, and other committees. Letters: Appointments to committees,

positions, temporary positions, creation of committees, positions in the Campus,

invitations, and others (Appendix 8.3).

• Being included in consortiums that add a wide range of opportunities for developing

collections.

84
 • Having an exceptional interlibrary loaning service (See statistics in the Services

Standard).

• Receiving donations of books from the National Library of Medicine, which are added

to the inventory.

The greatest limitations are budgetary: insufficient funds to acquire more resources. We

have found an area of opportunity in Title V federal funds that we have used to acquire

resources. We have also identified other funds through the UPR Central Administration, the

allocation of budget funds from the technology quota and other entities, such as the Pan

American Health Organization (PAHO), with which the library has agreements, as previously

mentioned.

7. Standard – Access

Introduction:

The library makes different, sustained efforts to improve physical, electronic, and

intellectual access. It provides rapid and orderly access to resources through the sections

including: circulation, reserve, interlibrary loan, reference, serial publications, and electronic

and technical services, among others.

7.1 Objective – Timely and organized access will be provided to the library’s resources. The

library collections and catalog to access them must be organized, using international

bibliographical standards.

7.1.1 What methods are used to provide maximum access, both intellectual and physical, to

the library and its resources?

The first aspect that facilitates access to the library is its location. It is strategically located

across the street from the principal building of the Medical Sciences Campus. The Medical

85
Center emergency room is located next to the library. The health care professionals of the

hospital (Industrial, Municipal, Oncology, University, and other entities) and the Carolina

Regional Hospital also receive library services.

The method par excellence for providing electronic access is the library’s web page (http://rcm-

library.rcm.upr.edu), which provides a description of the services, schedules, access to the

catalo, and databases, and other relevant information for our community of users. We have a

proxy server to access the complete text of several electronic journals. Remote access to the

databases through this tool allows users to obtain up-to-date information, most of which is

peer reviewed. Users can access it by using the information in their institutional e-mail

accounts.

The library’s collections and public catalog are organized in accordance with international

standards to provide users with physical and intellectual access to its bibliographical

inventory.

Other methods used to facilitate access include: service areas are designed to simplify access

for the Campus community. The service areas are all labeled, except those that are in the

process of transition due to remodeling. Most of the collections are in open stacks. The library

conducts an ongoing inventory of the collections to ensure the availability of titles. Staff

members are available to answer questions and help users locate and use the resources.

The library has also developed brochures, information sheets, and other literature to instruct

users how to use the databases and printed collections (See Appendix 5.7, list of brochures and

handouts). Users receive orientation in groups or individually. Workshops are also offered to

teach users how to access library resources.

86
Members of the staff of the technical services section are responsible for cataloging and

processing information resources and keeping the online catalog up to date. The director of

Special Collections, the director of the Department of Audiovisual Resources, and the librarian

in charge of services related to Women’s Health also participate in this process. In addition, the

staff of the Serial Publications Section catalogs the journals and adds issues as they arrive.

Title V, Cooperative I and II projects, entitled: Enhancement of the Teaching-Learning Process

Through Integration of Technology and Information Literacy and Improving Outcomes

Through Extensive Assessment, Faculty Development, and Improvement of Library and

Telecommunications Infrastructure, (Appendix 7.1,) respectively, contain a component that is

of great importance in developing the libraries of the Medical Sciences Campus and the

Carolina Campus of the UPR.

The primary objectives of the library projects are:

• To strengthen the development of students’ information skills.

• To increase:

- The number of professors who information skills in the teaching-learning

process.

- The availability of library services and resources over the Internet.

- The infrastructure and technology and telecommunications resources.

The most significant activities to be carried out in order to achieve these goals are: the

publication of tutorials on the MSC library web pages, acquisition of computers for students,

and the implementation of the virtual reference service. The library will also work with the

professors virtual reserve section, access to audiovisual materials, electronic journals, and other

activities geared to developing a more accessible digital library.

87
 RefWorks is an online research management program that helps in drafting articles, papers,

and theses: Its tutorials are designed to develop students’ information skills and are based on

the standards of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, to wit:

• Identification of information needs;

• Identification and evaluation of possible sources of information;

• Evaluation of the content of information found; and

• Production of new information.

Undoubtedly, these proposals have boosted the achievement of the Library’s strategic plan

goals, by developing new virtual information services and resources to meet the educational,

research, and clinical needs of our users. (Cyberbulletin http://rcm-

library.rcm.upr.edu/ciberboletin/titulo_V.html.)

7.1.2 Are the library catalog and other resources available on and off campus?

The online catalog is part of the UPR library system. However, our library’s database is

separate. This was done so that our database, which is smaller and more manageable, could be

used to install and test new versions of the HORIZON system before being installed in the rest

of the UPR libraries. Our catalog was the pilot project. The online catalog is available on and off

campus. Through this site, students have access to the catalog from any computer. This is a

great tool since it informs our students of the vast store of bibliographical material and the

status of the resources. For example, users can find out whether a resource is on loan and the

return date. It also includes links to the catalogs of libraries in all campuses of the UPR system

(see Appendix 6.1, inventory of electronic resources).

88
Students who participated in our survey mentioned that they use the resources both in our

facilities and through remote resources (57.1%). Twenty-six percent (26%) answered that they

go to the library and 12% said they access only virtual resources. The use of the library

predominates with 26.7% (58 students); 7 (3%) did not respond.

With regard to frequency of computer use, 68.6% of those surveyed said that they use

computers two or more times a week, once a week or at least once a month. Almost thirty

percent (29.5%) said that they do not use computers. It should be noted that many students use

their laptops and take advantage of the wireless connections on all the floors of the library.

Remote access is provided to members of the Campus community.14 (Link to the proxy

server over http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu)

7.2 Objective – Multiple users will be provided simultaneous access to central catalog of

library resources clearly indicating all the resources. Access policies must be easily

accessible to users.

7.2.1 How does the library ensure that the catalog is updated and accurate?

The supervisor of Technical Services carries out a process of ongoing revision and quality

control of the public catalog. She receives notices from other colleagues on possible

typographical or other types of errors. The versions of Horizon are periodically changed and,

as a result, a series of activities are carried out to update the catalog. It is important to note that

there are ongoing projects to revise the index of materials in Spanish and English and to revise

the records of the collections in Reference, Reserve, the Puerto Rico Collection and the

Audiovisual Department.

14
Indicador adapted to situation at the Conrado F. Asenjo Library of the Medical Sciences Campus.

89
 All the projects carried out in the collections and the online catalog records are coordinated

with the director of Technical Services. The Department of Serial Publications also conducts an

ongoing review of the catalog in order to keep up to date the changes in the publishing houses

and in journal titles (See Annual Reports, Technical Services Report).

7.2.2 Are the collections organized in a user-friendly way?

Collections are organized by subject and topic, according to the Classification System of the

National Library of Medicine and, in some cases, the Library of Congress for all resources that

do not specialize in biomedical sciences. The stacks are labeled and frequently organized. They

are nicely presented and, in our experience, this motivates users to keep the area neat. During

the cataloging process, different points of access are assigned, including material in English

and Spanish.

There are posters showing the National Library of Medicine classification system to make it

easy to locate books in different places in the library.

7.2.3 Does the library provide sufficient and appropriate computer stations to access

electronic resources?

Computers are available on all floors for users to access the catalog and other electronic

resources. The computers are distributed as follows:

• 3rd floor – 4 computers

• 4t th floor - 2 computers

• 6th floor - 30 (15 + 15) in multi-use rooms and 14 in the computer room.

90
 The 50 computers are visible and easily accessible.15 In order to provide greater access to

electronic resources, wireless connection was added to allow users to access the catalog and

databases on their personal computers from any place on campus.

Once the remodeling process is completed, we will have computers on all floors and, in

some areas, they will be available 24 hours a day. At present, electrical outlets are being

identified to promote the use of laptop computers.

7.3 Objective – To provide interlibrary loans in order to access the resources the library does

not have. This will be done through loan agreements with consortiums and virtual

electronic collections and the delivery of documents.

7.3.1 Does the library provide interlibrary loan and delivery services for resources it does

not have in an effective and timely manner?

The library provides interlibrary loan services to the entire community, including

individuals not affiliated to the MSC or the Medical Center.

Interlibrary loans can be requested in the office, on line, by fax, e-mail, mail, and telephone.

It is preferable to request loans in the office where users can receive orientation, if necessary.

When the office is closed, loans can be requested at the Circulation desk. There is a minimum

charge for the loans.16

The excellence of this service is recognized in the charter of recognition for excellent

service in interlibrary loans, granted by the National Network of Libraries (Appendix 4.5)

7.3.2 Does the library participate in available consortiums for loan programs?

The library belongs to different consortiums:

15
This number will increase after remodeling. This topic is discussed in detail in the Facilities Standard.
16
Free or an average of $3.00.

91
 • In the United States: Consortium of Southern Biomedical Libraries - CONBLS,

http://www.uab.edu/conbls

• In Puerto Rico: UPR libraries

• PRAABRE (Puerto Rico Alliance for the Advancement of Biomedical Research

Excellence)

• Veterans Hospital

CONBLS Members Directory- (Appendix 7.2)

• Letters on participation in consortiums (Appendix 7.3)

• Annual reports (Consortiums are mentioned)

Summary:

The Conrado F. Asenjo Library provides intellectual and physical access to various

resources for its community of users. Efforts are made to facilitate the location of books,

journals, audiovisual materials, and other library resources. The central location of the library

encourages different healthcare professionals to use it serves frequently. Services, such as

interlibrary loans, are offered to provide information that is not available immediately. The

staff organizes and labels the sections and wireless Internet connection is available.

The library’s web page offers rapid access to the online public catalog, databases, and

information on resources available to the Campus community and the general public. This

page is updated frequently and includes all the necessary information with regard to the

library. Library resources are organized by recognized classification systems (NLM and Library

of Congress). This facilitates the organization, location and access to the resources.

The following are some of the strengths in relation to the library resources:

• The online public catalog available anywhere with Internet access.

92
 • Its web page.

• Access to different updated databases and electronic journals.

• The proxy server that ensures that the Campus community has access to the

resources they need for teaching, learning, and research.

• The printed inventory of several collections that make the library a leader in the

Caribbean.

• The interlibrary loan service is very efficient and has received several recognitions.

• Title V funds

In terms of areas of development, it is worth mentioning that the remodeling of the facilities

has resulted in that many of the areas are not labeled. This, and other situations, will be

resolved when the process is completed.

8. Standard – Human Resources

Introduction:

The library staff offers a service of excellence to the academic community and the general

public. Librarians contribute to the teaching-learning and research processes in the Campus,

serving as resources in academic activities. They provide services of excellence for which

they have received several recognitions. They develop innovative services that respond to

the offerings and programs of the Medical Sciences Campus.

8.1 Objective – The library will have sufficient staff to meet program needs and to offer

the services to users, taking into consideration the size and quality of the staff.

8.1.1 Does the library have sufficient qualified librarians, other professional staff, skilled

support staff, and student aides to meet user needs?

93
 The librarians have graduate studies in library sciences, information sciences, and second

master’s degrees in different disciplines. The director has graduate courses in business

administration. Assistant staff members have a combination of skills, experience, and

academic degrees. Three teaching librarians have two master’s degrees, one librarian has

two bachelor’s degrees, and two teaching librarians are completing doctoral studies. One

librarian has a certificate in advanced studies. Some members of the non-teaching staff also

have master’s degrees or are currently pursuing master’s degrees.

The library has a total of twenty-nine staff members (12 teaching and 17 non-teaching).

There are three individuals with technical, secretarial, and administrative classifications. We

also have three student aides. For more information, see the table on staff, with detailed

information on professional librarians, assistant librarians, and other library staff (See the

Staff Distribution Table, Appendix 4.4).

Three librarians have a IV ranking (Full Professor), three have a III ranking (Associate

Professor), three have a II ranking (Assistant Professor) and two have a I ranking

(Instructor). Teaching librarians promote the development of new leaders in the library.

They design projects in which librarians and assistant librarians participate. They are

encouraged to continue graduate studies, which many members of the non-teaching staff

are already doing.

The library staff stands out for its professionalism and the quality of their work. This is

seen in the excellent performance of the activities they conduct in and outside the library.

Teaching librarians participate in the Academic Senate and other deliberation forums in the

institution. They also participate in standing and ad hoc working committees and working

committees in our professional organization, Southern Chapter/ Medical Library

94
Association, and in other local and international professional organizations (See Appendix

8.1, Membership list of the Southern Chapter).

As mentioned in Mozenter et al. (2000),17 academic librarians are undergoing numerous

changes. These can be seen in their functions and expectations vis-à-vis liaison librarians.

Each school of the Campus has one. Their functions include coordinating educational

activities, participating on curriculum committees, preparing accreditation processes,

recommending resources, promoting services, inquiring about information needs,

developing projects, integrating information skills into the curriculum, among others.

The professional and support staff are constantly trained in light of the changes in new

technologies. The teaching staff also participates actively on different committees in our

Campus, in Central Administration of the University of Puerto Rico, and in professional

organizations in and outside of Puerto Rico.

As proof of this, we can mention the following achievements:

2000-2001:

• The director of the Historical Archive coordinated the self-study process for the

accreditation of the Campus by the Middle States Association, and accreditation was

obtained.

• Several members of the teaching staff (library director, reference, technical services,

systems administrator) participated in activities during the final phase of the Health

Information Gateway to the Caribbean project through workshops and the

development of collections and advisory services in Puerto Rico and Haiti.

17
Mozenter, F., Sanders, B.& Welch, J. (2000, septiembre). Restructuring a liaison program in academia
library. College and Research Libraries.

95
 • The director of technical services served as an evaluator in the Eighth Meeting of the

Atlantea Project (a UPR organization to promote projects in the Caribbean).

• Several members of the teaching staff worked on a project to revitalize the library of

the Island of Vieques (workshops, development of collections).

• The director of technical services offered consultancy services and workshops on the

development, organization, and electronic cataloguing of health-related collections

to the staff of several universities in Puerto Rico, a hospital, and the staff of the

Autonomous University of Santo Domingo.

• Part of the assistant and support staff was evaluated and considered for

reclassification (2 people) and for merit steps (5 people).

Two members of the Section staff presented a paper: Helping to Improve the Quality

of Health Care and Services in the Republic of Haiti: An Outreach Project of the Medical

Sciences Campus Library of the University of Puerto Rico, in the Eighth World Congress of

Medical Library Science in London.

• Two assistant librarians were hired and a regular position was created in this

category to address the service needs during evening hours and on weekends.

• An assistant librarian was recruited for the Technical Services Section to support

cataloguing procedures.

• The director of Technical Services served as a member of the thesis committee of a

student from the Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences.

• Two continuing education courses were offered for librarians under the auspices of

the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Southeastern/ Atlantic Region.

96
2002-03:

• Collaboration projects were developed with Caribbean universities, especially with

the Dominican Republic, through the Atlantea Project, under to the Office of the

President.

• A new course was created: Evidence-Based Medicine: In Search of the Best Evidence.

This module was prepared to train the faculty and first- and second-year medical

students. Several librarians participated on the committee to include this course in

the School of Medicine curriculum.

• Librarians collaborated and served as facilitators in the course entitled, “Changing

the Culture: Integrating Evidence-Based Practice to Problem-Based Learning,”

sponsored by the Campus Faculty Development Program.

• The library provided remote access for electronic resources and databases to

students and faculty in clinical areas of the San Juan Municipal Hospital and the

University Hospital. We are currently negotiating with other hospitals.

• The library faculty has stood out for its active participation in planning the

international convention of the Association of Caribbean University, Research and

Institutional Libraries (ACURIL XXXIII).

2003-04:

• One of the reference librarians taught the course “Development of Information

Skills,” using Blackboard, the online education program, in the Graduate School of

Sciences and Information Technology.

• The director of the Reference Department designed and offered workshops on the

Cochrane database for resident physicians of the University Hospital and the

97
 Carolina Regional Hospital. She also designed the online course “The Physician as a

Life Long Learner in Medical Informatics,” using the WebCT program, for the

Center for Academic Excellence of the School of Medicine.

• The director of the Archives Unit continued to provide advisory services to the

Museum Committee and the Archives Unit of the School of Health Professions and

designed a plan to protect the institutional documents of that unit during its

remodeling.

• A librarian from the Technical Services Section offered workshops on the design and

preparation of World Wide Web pages in the Universidad de la Tercera Edad

(University of Senior Citizens) in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic,

sponsored by the UPR Atlantea Project.

• Two librarians (Technical Services and Special Collections) were evaluated and

promoted.

2004-05:

• Several librarians served as resources by offering workshops and making

presentations in conventions and other local and international activities.

• Four librarians were evaluated and promoted.

• On June 10, 2005, the library received the Leadership in the Use of New Information

Technologies to Expand and Facilitate Access to Serials Content Award, granted during

the annual meeting of ACURIL in Martinique, for his Prof. Charles Seguí’s work in

facilitating access to complete texts in journals through the PubMed LinkOut Service

(See Certificate of Recognition, Appendix 8.2)

98
2005-06:

• Two librarians (Serial Publications and Reference) were evaluated and promoted.

• All the librarians participated on different committees and in activities to plan the

Annual Assembly of the Southern Chapter/Medical Library Association in San Juan,

PR, which we hosted.

2006-07:

• January 2007-Virtual reference service began.

• A librarian in charge of electronic resources was evaluated and promoted.

• The director of Technical Services was included in the Oral History Project of the

Oral History Committee of the Southern Chapter/Medical Library Association for

her experience as an active member of the professional organization over the years.

(Published in the organization’s web page.)

• The library, in collaboration with several librarians, created the Cyberbulletin that

appears on its web page.

• The Virtual Professors’ Reserve was created, in collaboration with librarians and

assistant librarians.

2007-2008:

• Seven teaching librarians are participating in the communities practice project.

99
8.1.2 How do library staff policies and procedures compare to the guidelines of the

Institution and sound management practices, particularly in the areas of recruitment,

hiring, appointments, contract renewals, promotions, tenure, dismissal, and appeal?

The library’s policies and procedures concerning staff management are established in

accordance with the requirements of the University of Puerto Rico and, therefore, are

regulated under the General Regulations of the University of Puerto Rico. A personnel

committee elected by professional librarians advises the director of the library on matters

dealing with hiring, recruitment, promotions, and professional librarians.

The Office of Human Resources is responsible for matters related to support personnel. In

addition to the regulations of the University of Puerto Rico, the Office of Human Resources

is governed by agreements between the University and different unions (Brotherhood of

Non-teaching Employees and the Workers Union). When there is a vacant position, the

Office of Human Resources sends five candidates to the director of the library to be

interviewed. The library’s staff policies and procedures are compatible with the guidelines

of the institution and sound management of administrative personnel (General Regulations

of the University of Puerto Rico, Appendix 8.4 and the rules and procedures for

appointments, tenure, and promotions, Appendix 8.5).

8.1.3 Does the library employ staff that can support and provide information in all

available formats, including electronic formats?

Their academic background and their participation in continuing education activities

keep library staff up to date on information management technologies (Annual reports).

100
 The staff provides support and information for all available formats. (Table of staff

distribution, Appendix 4.4)

8.1.4 What is the relationship of the library staff with the goals and services of the library,

the programs of the institution, the degrees, registration, number of faculty and staff and

auxiliary programs?

The library staff carries out countless activities in order to comply with the mission of the

library and of the MSC. For example:

• During the 2001-2002 academic year, the faculty of the Reference Section participated

in community outreach projects, which helped project the mission and commitment

of the library and the MSC with its users and with the general public.

The relationship of the library staff with the mission and services: The library staff

responds to the mission and services in terms of the number of faculty members and

programs.

The ratio between the number of employees and the number of members of the Campus

community is as follows:

Number of people 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005- 2006-07 2007- Avera
06 08 ge
FTE Students 3,215 3,015 2,940 2,938 2,849 2,860 2,808 2,946
Library employees* 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29
Ratio 115 108 106 105 102 102 100 105
FTE Faculty 788 828 842 865 842 879 879 846
Ratio 28 29 30 31 30 31.3 31.3 30
* When a position is vacant, the recruiting process to fill it begins as soon as possible. Ten
(10) student aides who work 20 hours a week are not included in these numbers.

The ratio of the number of employees has not changed much over the past 7 years. The

number of populations has not undergone any drastic changes. This is very positive since it

101
makes it possible to plan services while taking into consideration an estimate of our

principal users. It also implies that there has not been a drastic decline in the library’s

human resources.

8.2 Objective – Librarians must have a graduate degree from an ALA accredited

university program. Other members of the professional team must also have appropriate

combinations of training, experience, and university degrees.

8.2.1 How does the institution guarantee that the professional library staff has the proper

academic degrees and how does it encourage them to participate in the proper

professional activities?

According to ACRL standards, a degree in library sciences from a library science

program approved by the American Library Association (ALA) is the degree recommended

for an academic librarian. All the librarians have master’s degrees from ALA accredited

graduate schools. The teaching and non-teaching staff also have academic background in

different disciplines, such as business administration, humanities, social sciences, natural

sciences, communications, information systems, secretarial sciences, education, among

others. The academic background of the staff is suitable for providing different services. The

diversity of the staff’s preparation is shown on the staff distribution table (Appendix 4.4).

8.3 Objective – The staff will be responsible for participating in professional activities.

8.3.1 Is sufficient budget allocated to ensure the ongoing training of all members of the

staff?

102
 The professional development of the library’s employees is essential and the library has

available funds for its employees to attend conferences, professional meetings, and other

activities. Some activities are fully covered by the library and others in part. Employees are

given time to attend workshops and other activities.

At the beginning of each academic year, the University teaching staff receives a grant of

$450 that they can use to purchase professional journals and other didactic materials, to pay

memberships, or to attend professional activities in or outside the country.

In special situations, they also receive funds from Central Administration to participate

in activities outside Puerto Rico.

8.3.2 How do the members of the staff acquire sufficient knowledge and skills to be

effective teachers?

The staff attends different professional development activities to update their knowledge

and skills related to their duties and other areas of general interest. The Institution provides

financial support, such as time to promote the professional development of the staff.

Staff members who are responsible for instruction keep their knowledge and skills up to

date in order to be effective teachers. (See the standard on Information Skills).

8.4 Objective – The library promotes training for its staff in safety, emergencies, and the

conservation of resources.

8.4.1 How does the library provide staff training on safety, emergencies, and the

conservation of resources?

The library gives its staff the opportunity to participate in training sessions related to

safety and emergency management. A day and evening emergency evacuation plan was

103
developed (Appendix 1.8). However, we recognize that the plan must be updated since the

facilities have undergone changes due to remodeling. A plan of action was also developed

in case of partial shutdown of the library’s air conditioning system (Appendix 1.9).

One of the teaching librarians is coordinating a workshop on information searches

related to disaster preparedness for the MSC community in collaboration with the School of

Medicine.

The following is a sample of the different safety and emergency topics by year:

ACTIVITY DATE
Workshops: Windows; Internet; E- July 10-14, 2006
portfolio; Word and Excel.
Workshops: Digital image Dec. 4, 5 and 6, 2006
management; Digital video
editing Tutorial components and
PowerPoint tutorials.
Workshop: Prevention of work- February 22, 2007
related accidents.
Workshop: Laboratory safety, to March 29, 2007
offer first aid in emergency
situations.
Lecture: The ethics of transferring April 17, 2007
knowledge to the workplace and
its assessment.
Workshop: Orientation on April 19, 2007
Evacuation.
Professional ethics: “An April 26, 2007
uncomfortable truth”
documentary.

Lecture: Women’s Health:

Partnerships, Challenges, and May 7-8, 2007
Opportunities,
Workshop: Information Searches May 31, 2007
in PubMed and Medline Plus

104
8.5 Objective – Professional librarians will be covered by a written policy that clearly

establishes their status, rights, and responsibilities. The policy must be consistent with

ACRL Standards for Faculty Status for College and University Librarians (http://

www.ala.org/acrl/guides/facstat01.html).

The policies and procedures that govern the functions and responsibilities of the teaching

staff of the library are established in the General Regulations of the University of Puerto

Rico. Actions related to recruitment, appointments, and evaluations for tenure and

promotions of Conrado F. Asenjo Library teaching staff are stipulated in a document

entitled: Rules and Procedures for Appointments, Tenure, and Promotion for the Teaching

Staff of the library of the Medical Sciences Campus (Appendix 8.5) and the current

assessment instrument (Appendix 8.6).

The library meets the ACRL standards for teaching staff18 in terms of professional

responsibilities and library administration; members of the staff participate in institutional

governance, earn tenure, receive promotions and may apply for research funds and enjoy

academic freedom. In addition, for the past few years, a new evaluation system is being

developed for all the teaching staff of the Medical Sciences Campus, including teaching

librarians. Members of the library faculty belong to the committee that is currently working

on assessment instruments.

Summary:

The library staff stands out for its professionalism, commitment to the Institution, their

professional development and the quality of their work. The librarians continue to

participate actively in different academic, educational, research processes, and services of

18
Association of College and Research Libraries Standards for Faculty Status for College and University
Librarianshttp://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/standardsfaculty.cfm

105
the Campus. As a result of the excellent work of its staff, the library has been the recipient of

local and international recognition for the quality of the information services it provides.

Some of the strengths related to this standard include:

• All librarians show leadership in their profession and in different institutional

roles where they have developed different areas of expertise within medical library

science and the functions they perform in the library.

• The librarians are outstanding in creating and offering workshops on information

searches and using the Internet and other electronic systems, according to the

needs of the users. Other librarians stand out for the evaluation, development, and

management of the collections and electronic bibliographical systems.

• The “Journal Club,” where the librarians discuss and learn about new trends in the

profession, has existed for several years.

Some of the areas identified as needing attention are:

• A librarian manages the library and receives a bonus because the position of

director does not exist as such. Likewise, the current administrator holds a

secretarial position because the position of administrator does not exist as such. It

would be convenient to create the positions of director and administrator.

• There are two basic pay scales for the teaching staff of the MSC; one exclusively

for the Medical Sciences Campus and another for the University system. The

teaching staff of the library is paid according to the latter.

106
9. Standard – Physical facilities

The library’s facilities and equipment are currently being remodeled in order to be more

suitable and functional.

9.1 Objective- The library’s facilities must be well planned and must provide safe spaces,

and environmental conditions appropriate for offering its services, as well as appropriate

staff, resources, and collections to foster study and research.

9.1.1 Does the library provide sufficient, well-planned and safe space to meet the

perceived needs of students and staff?

The remodeling of the library included the reorganization of both personal staff space

and space for providing user services. New technologies and computer rooms were

incorporated. As part of the remodeling process, many meetings were held with all the staff

and users and with the architect and his staff, so that they could identify current and

foreseeable needs. They were then presented with different models that were discussed and

analyzed.

The facilities have a complete inventory of furniture, study space, and equipment for

students. The building has security and fire alarms. The library is also supervised by the

Campus Security Office. They provide continual surveillance inside and outside the

facilities.

The MSC strategic plan (Appendix 1.15), like the library’s (Appendix 1.11), includes keeping

the physical facilities in proper condition. While the self-study was being conducted, the

facilities were being remodeled. This information is contained in the minutes of different

meetings with the architect (Appendix 9.1)

107
9.1.2 What do the students think of the study space, including whether there is sufficient

space and different types of accommodations?

The students indicated the following:

Study Area:

Surveys show, 58.5% of the students are very satisfied or satisfied with the study areas;

20.3% said they were very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with these areas and 17.2% said they

were neutral.

Comfort of the facilities, in general

As with the study area, 58.5% said they were very satisfied or satisfied with the facilities;

17.5% said they were very dissatisfied or dissatisfied and 19.8% said they were neutral.

Working and study environment of the library

Of the students surveyed, 69.6% of the students said they were very satisfied or satisfied

with the work and study environment; 16.1 said they were neutral and 10.6% said they were

very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with the working environment.

Lighting

A majority of 74.7 % said they were very satisfied or satisfied with the lighting and 8.3%

said they were very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with the lighting.

Temperature

A large majority of 64.5% said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the temperature

in the library. However, 11% said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the

temperature, while 18.9% said they were neutral.

108
With regard to library hours, it was also found that students are generally satisfied with the

services (79.9% y 56.7%). In terms of the hours during final exams, only 36.8% indicated that

they were satisfied. In terms signage, 64% of the students said they were satisfied.

The degree of student satisfaction with the study areas and the environment is remarkable

when we take into consideration that we are currently remodeling the different floors of the

library where the environment and study space have been affected (Survey reports,

Appendices 2.3-2.5).

As we saw in the questions on the environment and study areas, most of the students

were satisfied or very satisfied with these aspects (69.9%, 74.7%, 64.5%, 58.5%). After all the

remodeling is completed, the library will have 320 seats for the public (Plans, Appendix 9.3).

Computerized systems, such as the online catalog, are accessible online 24/7. The

equipment in the physical library is available during the regular hours, which contributes to

the availability of different types of accommodations. (See the library’s web page,

http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu)

9.1.3 Does the staff have sufficient working space? Does the layout promote efficient

operations to address present and future needs?

The administration strives to cover any request related to problems with the facilities and

requests for equipment, within the limitations of its budget, in addition to taking

appropriate steps to maintain the equipment. The workstations have sufficient space and

are laid out to promote efficient operations that respond to present and future needs.

The work areas of the employees are comfortable for performing their tasks. As part of the

remodeling process, new ergonomic furniture was acquired for the different workstations.

Computers are updated regularly and new computers were acquired in 2006.

109
9.1.4 Is there sufficient space for the current library collections and the future growth of

printed resources?

The library has an area of 48,440 linear feet, which will be increased by the end of the

remodeling process. When the remodeling was planned, it included the growth of the

collection over ten years. The collection assessment and disposal program is continuous (See

Appendix 1.1). More electronic resources are being acquired and new shelves were

purchased for the collection.

9.1.4 Does the library meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act?

(ADA Accessibility Guidelines-8 http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm)

The ADA is part of the University’s regulations and, therefore, it is a part of the

provisions that must be complied with in the library’s physical facilities and its current and

future equipment (Equipment Inventory, Appendix 9.2).

9.1.5 Are the facilities provided for participants of online education programs in line

with the ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning and Library Services

http://www.ala.org/acrl/guides/distancelrng.html?

The library complies with the ACRL guidelines for online education services, although

there is room for improvement by establishing written policies. The library has developed

tutorials in “slides shows”, blogs and a variety of social markers that are discussed in the

service standard. Both the faculty and students have access to all of the library’s resources

and services. Access was improved with the proxy server. We have a virtual reference

service and we will also soon have a virtual professors’ reference. In addition, equipment

can be used from different geographical locations in the different units of the UPR system.

9.2 Objective - The library equipment will be appropriate and operational.

110
9.2.1 Are the mechanical systems of the library designed and maintained or order to

comply with the recommended levels in temperature and humidity?

Controlling temperature and humidity in Puerto Rico is a great challenge. Climate

conditions change quite frequently and create unstable temperatures. This affects the

humidity.

In order to counteract this situation, we have placed dehumidifiers in strategic places and

have contracted the services of a cleaning and spraying company. As part of the remodeling

process, the library installed a new air conditioning system that includes humidity control.

The library is safe and suitable for studying and research, with environmental conditions

that are appropriate for its services, staff, resources, and collections (Spraying and cleaning

reports, Appendix 10.4)

9.2.2 Over the past few years, how often has the library been closed due to lack of air

conditioning? For how long?

The library has not had to close due to lack of air conditioning in the past five years. The

collective bargaining agreement of the Brotherhood of Non-teaching Employees stipulates

that after three hours without air conditioning or electricity, employees can leave work. The

library has a contingency plan in case there is a partial shutdown of air conditioning, to

guarantee employees a proper environment for carrying out their work.

The library is safe and suitable for studying and research, with environmental conditions

that are appropriate for its services, staff, its resources and collections (Plan of action in case

of a partial shutdown of the air conditioning in the library, Appendix 1.9)

9.2.3 Does the library provide ergonomic work space for users and staff?

111
 When the facilities were designed, ergonomic aspects of the furniture were taken into

consideration. All the chairs are ergonomic (Inventory of equipment, Appendix 9.2)

9.2.4 Are there sufficient electrical cables and networks to meet the needs of electronic

access?

There has been an increase in the number of laptop computers used over the past few

years. The MSC library understands and encourages the use of laptops and, therefore, has

improved (expanded) access for the benefit of the students. (Survey reports, Appendices 2.3,

2.4, 2.5). We also have wireless access to the Internet and sufficient network cables

(Equipment inventory, Appendix 9.2).

9.2.5 Does signage in the library facilitate use and provide proper directions?

The stacks are labeled. For books, the classification numbers of the resources on the

shelves are indicated; in the case of journals, the titles are indicated. The departments are

identified. Users have indicated that they are satisfied with the way all resources are labeled

in the library. (Survey reports, Appendices 2.3, 2.4, 2.5).

Summary:

The library is currently remodeling its facilities. Service development and improvement

has been taken into consideration in the planning and designing of all phases of the process.

Strengths:

o Ample and safe remodeled facilities

o Minimal total closures due to lack of air conditioning

o Spaces for growth

o Installation of new technologies

o Establishment of new services

112
 o Remodeled work areas

o Areas of development. The plans were changed due to budgetary limitations; the

library had planned on acquiring more modern technological equipment.

o In the beginning, the whole building was to be remodeled. Currently, this is

guaranteed for only the third floor (in addition to the 6th and 2nd floors that have

already been remodeled). However, there is an institutional commitment to remodel

the whole library.

10. Standard – Communication and cooperation

Introduction:

The library has effective communications systems and internal cooperation (at all levels) as

well as external cooperation with other units of the Institution. The director of the library is

constantly in contact with the library staff, as well as with the senior management of the

Campus.

The director of the library encourages the participation of the staff in the department’s

decision-making process through periodic meetings, written communications, telephone calls,

monthly, semi-annual and annual reports, e-mails, memoranda, bulletins, and faxes. In this

way, the staff is informed of the decisions that affect them.

10.1 Objective – The operation of the library is guaranteed through communication.

10.1.1 Is communication within the library sufficient to allow for the flow of administrative

and management information?

The library has several ways to facilitate communication at all levels and in all directions.

Each department conducts staff meetings. The director of the library convenes meetings with

113
department supervisors and with the complete staff. She uses printed matter, such as letters,

memos and others (Appendix 10.1), electronic means (e-mail: htps://email.rcm.upr.edu and

the library web page: http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu/), and other materials such as bulletin

boards and faxes.

The library has also developed blogs to promote interactive communication. It participates

in the Campus communication system and can access all the documents included through the

Campus intranet: http://intranet.rcm.upr.edu/ and through the Campus web page:

http://www.rcm.upr.edu

Employees learn about all the Campus events through the publication “RCM News,” that is

sent directly to their e-mail addresses. The Campus also has closed circuit screens, distributed

in different hallways.

10.2 Objective – Communication will flow from all levels of the library: from the director /

dean to the librarians and from the librarians to the director / dean.

10.2.1 Are the members of the staff encouraged to suggest new ideas or procedures to

improve operations and working conditions in the library? Does the library have a

procedure to facilitate this?

The director of the library is constantly in contact with library staff and the senior

management of the Campus. This promotes the flow of new ideas to advance and facilitate

library efforts. To this end, the director delegates functions among supervisors so that, in turn,

they can motivate employees to express their points of view. She also encourages staff

participation in department decisions.

The director and the supervisors are available to meet formally and informally, individually or

as a group with the members of the staff. During these meetings, different matters of interest

114
for library management and employees are discussed. Some of the topics involve new

procedures to improve operations and working conditions or any other matter they wish to

discuss.

Another practice that has been institutionalized is obtaining recommendations in regular

meetings held at least once or twice per semester. Meetings with all staff members are held

periodically to inform them of department priorities, decisions made regarding the services,

and duties of each individual in his/her respective work area. During these meetings, the staff

has the opportunity to express their concerns and suggestions.

Different complaints from the staff concerning lighting, temperature, and needed materials are

also discussed and sent to the departments. The following are some of the responses from the

employee survey.

Do you believe the structure is open to organizational changes?

Cumulative
Frecuency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 0 4 12.5 12.5 12.5
Si 14 43.8 43.8 56.3
No 13 40.6 40.6 96.9
3 1 3.1 3.1 100.0
Total 32 100.0 100.0

This question refers to organizational changes: 43.8% of the employees believe that the

structure is open to change and 40.6% (almost a tie), believe that, as far as organizational

changes are concerned, the structure is still rigid. This perception coincides with studies that

have been conducted at the university and that describe it as a bureaucratic organization with a

structure that is resistant to change. (Ostolaza, 2001).

115
 Is communication
Is communication among thein
among staff staff
yourin your
work arearea effective?
effective?

Cumulative
Frecuency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Si 30 93.8 93.8 93.8
No 1 3.1 3.1 96.9
3 1 3.1 3.1 100.0
Total 32 100.0 100.0

With regard to communication between the staff and their work areas, almost all members

of the staff (93%) believe that there is communication between work areas. This is very positive

and ensures the efficiency of library operations. This is the highest ranked response in this

section of questions.

Is communication between library management and staff effective?

Cumulative
Frecuency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 0 1 3.1 3.1 3.1
Si 21 65.6 65.6 68.8
No 9 28.1 28.1 96.9
3 1 3.1 3.1 100.0
Total 32 100.0 100.0

With regard to communication between management and the library staff, more than

half the staff (66%) believe that communication is good, 28.1% pointed out that communication

is not effective. Sixty-six percent is a rather high rating. However, this shows 28% of areas

needing attention which must be examined and triangulated with other information. It would

be interesting to know whether there are gaps in the way the information flows in printed and

electronic versions or between groups of daytime and evening employees.

116
 Is cooperative work promoted?

Is cooperative work encouraged?

Cumulative
Frecuency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 0 2 6.3 6.3 6.3
Si 21 65.6 65.6 71.9
No 8 25.0 25.0 96.9
3 1 3.1 3.1 100.0
Total 32 100.0 100.0

More than half the staff (66%) believe that cooperative work is encouraged, which is

essential for the operation of the library. This is an essential element for the flow of information

and, as a result, in order to provide good service, efforts must be made to make collaborative

work viable.

Is the staff encouraged to submit suggestions to improve operations and working

conditions?

Cumulative
Frecuency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 0 1 3.1 3.1 3.1
Si 20 62.5 62.5 65.6
No 10 31.3 31.3 96.9
3 1 3.1 3.1 100.0
Total 32 100.0 100.0

According to the responses, 63% of the staff believes their suggestions are taken into

consideration and only 31% believe they are not.

117
 Are professors involved in the decision-making process?

Valid Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent
0 12.5 12.5 12.5
Yes 22 68.6 68.8 81.3
No 6 18.8 18.8 100.0
Total 32 100.0 100.0

As for whether professors are involved in the decision-making process, more than half

(68.8%) of the professors surveyed believe that they are involved and 18% believe that they are

not. Therefore, we must examine this area and triangulate with other sources.

More than half (53.1%) of the staff surveyed believe that students are not involved in the

decisions made on library operations. This response is detailed below:

Are students involved in the decision-making process?

Valid Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent
0 4 12.5 12.5 12.5
Yes 11 34.4 34.4 46.9
No 17 53.1 53.1 100.0
Total 32 100.0 100.0

This number represents almost half of those surveyed and, therefore, thought must be given

to developing more strategies to include the student community in decisions. During focus

groups, some of the recommendations included the following: discussing and developing with

the staff or head of the library sections an effective communication plan on the library’s

services and resources since many of these are not known, including the universal loan system

for professors of the UPR system. (The study reveals that there are discrepancies with regard to

how services are marketed; some think that e-mail is the most effective, while others prefer

118
handouts. It might be best to use a combination of different means). In order to continue efforts

to strengthen communications, documents will continue to be sent in different formats.

Members of the staff suggested new ideas or procedures to improve operations and the

working conditions in the library. (See: Annual reports, Proposals for new projects and the

manuals of procedures, since they incorporate the ideas and recommendations, Appendices

1.1-1.6).

10.3 Objective – The library will have an effective mechanism of communication within the

campus.

10.3.1 Does the library have an effective mechanism to share information with the campus?

Communication with the rest of the campus units is vital for the library’s processes. Different

means are used to share information, such as those mentioned above. The library employees

have developed social and professional links with the staff of the other MSC offices and units.

They participate in educational, cultural, sporting, and professional activities and serve on

committees and other forms of organization with the members of the Campus community.

The participation of librarians in meetings of the faculty, the Academic Senate (the director of

the library is an ex-officio member), and institutional committees make communication and

interaction viable with the senior management of the campus, faculty, student representatives,

and other academic departments.

The integration of professors on different committees and in activities promotes

communication with the campus schools and the university community. These links facilitate

communication. In addition, the library has integrated several educational activities; for

119
example, the integration seminars of the School of Medicine and in a course on human

development and human behavior management.

10.4 Objective – The library staff will work in collaboration and cooperation with other

Campus departments.

10.4.1 Has the library established cooperative working relations with other Campus

departments?

The library has developed several types of cooperative work with other Campus

departments:

• Each school is represented by a liaison librarian. They, in turn, have participated

in projects and committees. As mentioned before, the Center for Women and

Health (Center for Excellence in Women’s Health: http://whcpr.rcm.upr.edu)

also has a librarian who is in charge of developing information services related to

women’s health.

• The non-teaching staff also participates in other activities such as those related to

the Medical Emergency Response Committee and the committee on Evacuation,

Rescue, and Emergency Operations Equipment of the Medical Sciences Campus

(EODRE, Spanish acronym).

• The library staff collaborates with the departments of the school in achieving

institutional goals. For example, they are making efforts to implement Information

Skills. To do this, librarians are working closely with faculty to produce

competent graduates who are capable of independent and life-long learning.

120
 These efforts can be seen in the number of letters that the teaching, non-teaching staff,

supervisors, and the Campus community receive on the different institutional processes in

which librarians participate (Appendix 8.3).

10.5 Objective – A special relationship will be encouraged between the library and the

technologies staff to provide access to electronic information resources.

10.5.1 If the library and information technologies are managed separately, does the

organizational structure provide opportunities for productive communication and

collaborations between them?

The library and the Information Systems Office (OSI, Spanish acronym) of the Campus are

managed separately. Due to the integration of computer technology into the services, the

library maintains close working and communications relationships with the Information

Systems Office at the campus level as well as at the central level. This maximizes the use of

available resources.

The library also stays in contact with the Information Systems Office of Central Administration,

especially with the division in charge of computerizing the resources of the library, from which

it receives advice, guidelines, and instructions concerning the online catalog, computerized

cataloguing modules, acquisitions, and circulation.

The Central OSI offers training on updates and new programs or modules integrated into the

computerized system of the libraries. It also coordinates presentations on new electronic

resources by suppliers, and training on the use of databases.

The organizational structure provides opportunities for productive communication and

collaboration among technology staff.

121
10.6 Objective – The audiovisual and technological resources of the library will be

integrated.

10.6.1 If one administrator is responsible for the library and information technologies, how

well are both functions integrated?

The library has one information systems administrator, who is a specialist in communication

and telecommunication equipment. He is responsible for everything related to systems and

telecommunications. He is also the administrator of the library’s local computer network. This

involves giving maintenance to the library servers, personal computers, and students’

computers. He is in charge of updating technical aspects of bibliographical databases, software

of the different sections of the library, and the web page. He provides maintenance and

technical support to the library network after regular hours. He coordinates everything related

to library systems and products with the staff of Central Administration. He also works in

coordination with the Campus Information Systems Office.

Over the last two years, he has performed outstanding work in installing the proxy server,

which facilitates remote access to the databases; relocating equipment due to remodeling;

supporting the implementation of the Virtual Reference System and participating in the

development of the Virtual Health Library (BVS, Spanish acronym), which will be under the

BIREME, headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil (Annual Report, report on achievements and

projects, 2005-2006, 2006-2007).

The number and the complexity of the electronic resources and services that the library offers

increase on a daily basis. This work is very valuable given how important it is for the services

the library offers. Therefore, information systems must operate under optimal conditions.

122
 Our efforts to maximize the channels of communication and to integrate the Library 2.0

model include Web 2.0 tools, many of which are available on the library web page.

Library 2.0 is an operations model that allows the libraries to respond rapidly to the needs of

the communities they serve. This does not mean that we are abandoning our current users or

our mission. It is a philosophy of rapid change, of flexible organization structures, of new Web

2.0 tools, and of user participation, that will place the library in a much stronger position to

effectively meet the needs of a larger community of users. This redefinition suggests that the

user be included in the design and execution of library services, prompting active participation.

The objective would be its constant updating and review to adapt to the needs of each moment.

Library 2.0 would simply make the space in your library (whether physical or virtual) more

interactive, more collaborative, and guided by the needs of the community (Universia, 2008).

10.7 Objective – The capacity of the technology infrastructure will serve as support in

providing information.

10.7.1 Can the library get technical support from the experts who work for the institution

and who provide electronic resources on site and online?

The library has the support of staff from the MSC Information Systems Office. They collaborate

in identifying and solving problems related to technological infrastructure.

The offices of Central Administration also provide support for everything related to Horizon

(computerized system) and for databases.

10.8 Objective – The library will collaborate to maintain a flow of information between local

and remote resources.

123
10.8.1 Is the capacity of the campus network sufficient to provide timely responses for

remote and local information resources?

The Medical Sciences Campus network has the capacity to offer its users rapid access to

UPR services twenty-four hours a day, either by cable or wireless connections.

A survey in which students participated showed that a majority (64%) was satisfied or

very satisfied with the wireless service. Only 5.5% said they were dissatisfied or very

dissatisfied. This is a very important service due to the proliferation of electronic and

Internet resources.

In a survey of professors, 50% stated that they were satisfied and 36.4% of the users

remained neutral. It can be inferred that only half of the people surveyed are satisfied with

the wireless access because they are really the ones who use the service. No percentage of

responses indicated dissatisfaction.

Summary:

Communications generated within the library between staff members, departments and all

levels of the organizational structure and communication from the library to other offices and

areas of the Campus are a very important element in the overall operation of the library.

Some of the strengths related to this topic are listed below:

• The library has links with each of the schools and librarians participate in different

activities in the courses (Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing), curricular processes,

development of collections and others.

• An effective communications process makes it possible to integrate all the services

to meet the needs of information users. The attitude of the administration and the

124
 rest of the staff promotes the ongoing development of different channels of

communication at all levels.

• There are good channels of communication with academic departments, offices,

staff, the MSC administration and the university in general.

An area in need of attention is a more active promotion the library’s services and resources.

To this end, workshops and other efforts are being planned, including changes to the library

web page and the integration of Web 2.0 into the services.

References:

Ostolaza, M. (2001). Informe del estudio ordenado por la R. del S. 44 (Report on the Study ordered

by the S.R. 44), La transformación de la educación superior en Puerto Rico. Senado de Puerto

Rico, Comisión de Educación, Ciencia y Cultura. (Transformation of higher education in Puerto

Rico. Puerto Rico Senate, Commission on Education, Science and Culture).

UNIVERSIA (2008) Reinventando el concepto de Biblioteca (Reinventing the concept of

Library).

Retrieved from:

http://biblio.universia.es/seccionEspecial.jsp?idEspecial=108&idSeccion=5652&title=REI

NVENTANDO-CONCEPTO-BIBLIOTECA

125
11. Standard-Administration

The library must be managed in way that promotes the most effective use of existing

resources. The responsibilities and authority of the director/dean must be well defined and

in writing. The library must be managed in accordance with ALA principles (“Library Bill of

Rights”).

11.1 Objective- The library will be managed in a way that fosters the most effective use of

its bibliographical resources.

11.1.1 How does the library administration foster the effective use of its bibliographical

resources?

Library administration is the responsibility of the director, who has a master’s degree in

Library and Information Sciences, accredited by the ALA. The person who holds this trust

service position is appointed by the Chancellor (General Regulations of the University of

Puerto Rico 2002), Article 30, Section 30.1.8 – Appointments to trust service positions) and

reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs until 2005. Today, she reports to the Assistant

Dean of Academic Affairs. The administrative offices have one administrative secretary, an

administrator, a librarian in charge of the assessment process and two part-time student

aides.

This office deals with personnel matters related and supports all the activities carried out

to meet the information needs of the academic community. The level of funds allocated

guarantees access to quality information and users are trained in the retrieval and critical

use of the information. The services are extended to health care professionals and the

general public.

126
The purpose of the services we offer is to meet our mission by achieving the goals in the

library’s Strategic Plan. The work plans presented by the sections for each fiscal year also

describe activities that result in better services and more effective use of the resources. The

Strategic Plan is in line with the Strategic Plan of the Medical Sciences Campus, which is

also in line with the Ten for the Decade, the Strategic Plan of the University of Puerto Rico.

The library director and the administrative office staff support all library staff activities that

promote the effective use of the resources in a variety of ways. The offices work with the

allocation of funds and the process for acquiring office materials, equipment, and

bibliographical resources and with continuing education for the library staff and other

administrative matters. The following is a description of the activities designed to provide

the most effective use of the resources.

1. The development of the collection is based on the needs of the academic programs of

the Schools. The acquisition of resources is based on the recommendations of the

faculty, students, and librarians. Liaison librarians with the different schools, gather

input through their participation in curriculum committees and the workshops they

offer, where they are able to share with students and faculty, among others.

2. Checking bibliographical resources for new or revised programs and for program

accreditation. The director of the library and a librarian elected by library faculty

participate in the Academic Senate. The members of the Senate discuss information

needs in general terms and the needs of the newly created academic programs or the

revision of existing programs. The Senate analyzes the necessary resources in its

Committee on Academic Affairs, in which the director of the library participates.

Staff members from the Technical Services and Serial Publications sections

127
 collaborate in checking the bibliographical resources presented in proposed

syllabuses. The necessary funds are earmarked in the budget for these proposed

syllabuses. The process is similar to the one for accrediting some 46 programs. At

times, the library processes the acquisition of resources that are requested or

recommended for purchase and the schools pay for them.

3. The library’s web page is http://library-rcm.upr.edu: Remote access to the online

catalog and the different electronic databases through the proxy server gives users

access to resources 24/7.

4. The labeling on the stacks identifying the materials they contain facilitates rapid

access to the resources.

5. Direct support from the staff to locate resources facilitates access to the resources.

6. Workshops to develop information skills. This is an informal program that prepares

workshops, at the request of professors from the different schools, to train them and

their students in managing different databases (See: Workshop presentations,

Appendix 5.2). These workshops provide better use of printed and electronic

resources. The reference section offers the most workshops, but on occasion, it

collaborates with the staff from other sections, such as Serial Publications. We also

have a virtual reference service to guide students who use remote access:

http://rcm-library.rcm.upr.edu/rv/index.html

7. The professors’ reserve and the permanent reserve collections allow these resources

to be available at all times since they are to be used in the library. Nevertheless, the

library is working on a virtual professors’ reference section so that students can have

access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

128
 8. Through their activities in the schools, liaison librarians also receive input for the

collection of resources that are needed to support the programs. Some of these

librarians participate on curriculum committees and others serve as facilitators in

seminars; PBL; seminars on integration of the School of Medicine and the School of

Dentistry.

9. Participation in federal proposals (Title V – United States Department of Education)

has allowed us to acquire equipment for students, train library staff, hire personnel

to establish a virtual reference service and start to develop the virtual professors’

reserve.

10. The brochures that are prepared in each section describe the collections, services,

databases, and how to use them (Appendix 4.1). They are also documents that help

promote the effective use of the resources.

11.2 Objective- The director of the library/dean will report to the president or the chief

executive academic officer of the institution.

11.2.1 To whom does the director of the library/dean report? Is this appropriate?

Until recently, the director of the library reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs, who has

a direct relationship with the Chancellor in the chain of command. In 2005, the position of

Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs was created. The Assistant Dean is in charge of the

Office for the Integration of Technology and Access to Information. The library and other

units of the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs were then placed under the supervision

of the Assistant Dean. It is appropriate for the library to be under the abovementioned office

insofar as library matters are concerned. The Assistant Dean deals with the main needs of

the library by drafting proposals, which have been approved. (Organizational chart of the

129
library, Appendix 11, and Organizational chart of the Office of the Assistant Dean of

Academic Affairs, Appendix 11.2 and Organizational chart of the Office of the Dean of

Academic Affairs, Appendix 11.3 and Organizational chart of the Medical Sciences Campus,

Appendix 11.4).

11.3 Objective – Will the library have a standing advisory committee?

11.3.1 Does the library have a standing advisory committee? Are professors and students

adequately represented on that committee? How effective is the committee?

The library does not have a standing advisory committee. Nevertheless, faculty and

students make recommendations for the acquisition of resources directly in the library or

through the liaison librarians. The director is a member ex-officio of the Senate Academic

Affairs committee. This committee evaluates the proposals for new programs and the

revision of existing programs. All these proposals have a bibliographical section that is

checked against the library inventory. Recommendations are made for the purchase of

books and for books to be placed in the professors’ reserve section. The committee requests

a list of printed and electronic resources for all programs with scheduled accreditation visits

to see whether the collections are relevant for their programs and to update them by making

recommendations to acquire resources.

11.4 Objective- The responsibilities and authority of the director/dean will be established

in writing.

11.4.1 Is there a document that establishes the responsibilities and authority of the

director/dean?

The duties and attributes of the director are described in the General Regulations of the

University of Puerto Rico (2002), as amended in 2006, Article 25, Section 25.3.3, Duties and

130
Attributes of the Director. The director is the principal executive and administrative official

of the library and she is the official representative of the department to the faculty and other

university authorities. She presides over library meetings and is responsible for

implementing the agreements made and submitting them to the corresponding authority, if

necessary. She is a member ex-officio of the standing committees, except for the Personnel

Committee. The director is a member of this committee, but the chairperson is elected from

among the members of the staff (Rules and Procedures on Appointments, Tenure, and

Promotion of Teaching Staff of the Library of the Medical Sciences Campus (Appendix 8.5)).

11.4.2 What is the legal basis or institutional regulations on which the library activities

are based?

The library’s activities are based on its mission: “We are a public academic library

specialized in health sciences dedicated to meeting the information needs of the academic

community of the Medical Sciences Campus, the healthcare professionals and the general

public. We actively participate in the teaching, learning, and investigation processes,

providing health services and promoting patient health by providing access to sources of

quality information and train users on how to retrieve and make critical use of the

information.” The Strategic Plan of the Library (Appendix 1.11) and the Strategic Plan of the

Medical Sciences Campus, Goal 6.2 (Appendix 1.15) describe the activities that guide us in

order to fulfill our the mission. Article 63, Section 63.3 of the General Regulations of the

University of Puerto Rico (Library Teaching Staff) also describes the activities carried out by

the library staff to maintain a quality library that serves as the pivotal point for teaching,

research, and creative activities in the academic community.

131
11.5 Objective – If online education services are provided, they will be administered as

suggested in the ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services.

The library does not offer distance learning at this time, but it is working on preparing an

online course. This course will focus on developing information skills and will be offered in

all the schools as a free elective. Plans are to offer the course in August 2008.

11.6 Objective – The library will be administered within the parameters of the ALA

“Library Bill of Rights.”

11.6.1 Does the library function within the parameters of the ALA “Library Bill of

Rights?”

The library is governed by the parameters of the ALA “Library Bill of Rights.” The library

provides services and access to information on an equal opportunity basis to all users. It

offers the same quality of service and does not discriminate based on reasons of race,

religion, political affiliation, or social condition.

(Policy of Universal Circulation of the Libraries of the University System, Appendix 11.5).

Resources are acquired to support the academic programs of the Medical Sciences Campus,

without any type of censorship. Library Regulations (currently under revision).

11.6.2 How effective are the policies and procedures that determine the internal

administration of the library and its operations?

The policies and procedures that determine the internal administration of the library are

based on rules or manuals of procedure prepared by library supervisors and staff of each

section (Manuals of procedure of the sections, Appendix 1.1 and 1.6). These guides on how

132
to carry out the different tasks are revised periodically in light of the changes in technology,

software updates, and institutional regulations.

The qualitative and quantitative analysis of the unit presented in the annual reports reflects

the effectiveness of the processes carried out each year. There are other processes related to

recruitment and personnel reclassification, acquisition of equipment, and billing processes

that are governed by the General Regulations of the University of Puerto Rico and other

manuals prepared at the Central level.

Summary:

The Chancellor appoints the library director, who reports to the Assistant Dean of

Academic Affairs. The functions of the director of the library are described in the General

Regulations of the University. The library does not have a standing advisory committee.

Nevertheless, other mechanisms, described in detail in this standard, are used to receive

input from the academic community to meet its information needs. The activities of the

administrative office and the sections are designed to promote the effective use of

information resources. This is demonstrated in the annual reports. The development

curriculum-based printed and electronic resources, the presentations on resources and

services, the documents that describe general information on the library and its services,

and the training sessions that are offered continually, also promote the effective use of the

library’s resources.

Some of the strengths associated with this section include:

• All the activities and services are offered within the parameters of the “Library

Bill of Rights.”

133
 • The Strategic Plan of the library or the work plans (Appendix 1.11 and 1-10) are a

guide of activities that lead to fulfilling our mission.

Areas of development include:

• The need to receive the necessary budget funds and the need to revise the budget

every year to adjust it to prices increases of the resources.

• To establish a link between planning and budgeting.

12. Standard - Budget

The director of the library must prepare, justify and effectively and efficiently managing

the budget.

12.1 Objective – The director of the library must prepare, justify, and manage a library

budget that is in line with the library’s objectives.

12.1.1 Does the library director/dean prepare, justify, and manage the library budget in

keeping with the objectives?

Budget funds for the library are allocated by the Budget Office, which prepares and

submits the budget to the administrative board of the unit for approval. The library budget

is managed by the director of the library, in keeping with the goals and objectives set forth

in the strategic plan and in the work plans for the sections. (See General Regulations for the

Acquisition of Equipment, Materials, and Non-staff Services. Certification 22, 1995-96, pp

10-11, Appendix 12.1)

12.2 Objective – The budget must meet the reasonable expectations of users, in line with

other needs of the institution.

134
12.2.1 Are the annual expenditures authorized for the library sufficient to cover its

recurring and normal needs?

Most of our recurring annual expenditures, which are those that support collections,

surpass the allocated budget. At the close of the fiscal year, the Budget Office of our unit

balances the deficit (See the list of expenses in bibliographical resources, Appendix 12.2, the

Comparative Budget Table, Annual Report (Appendix 12.3), and the Expenditures Report

(Appendix 12.4).

12.2.2 Is the institution’s curriculum taken into consideration when generating the

library’s budget?

The library administration identifies the basic resources for each of the disciplines taught

in our institution. Several guidelines are used to tell identify these resources: core collection

and the Brandon Hill lists. The programs that receive accreditation visits are given priority

and emphasis. At times, special, non-recurring special items are allocated to certain

programs. The databases are equitable and meet the needs of all the programs.

Decisions on the acquisition of resources are based on the guidelines of the policy and

procedures for the development and maintenance of library collections (Appendix 1.1) as

shown in the Comparative Budget Table, Annual Report (Appendix 12.3).

12.2.3 Does the budget provide the proper support for extended Campus programs?

Electronic resources are available on the library web page (http://rcm-

library.rcm.upr.edu) and all participants in all programs can access them by using the proxy

server. In some cases, the program contributes to purchasing its resources. Every year, a list

135
of databases is included in the reports. In addition, they are collected in several documents

as the inventory of electronic resources (Appendix 6.1).

12.2.4 How are the institution’s methods for teaching information skills considered when

the budget is drawn up?

The information skills of the institutions are supported as a library activity, but not as a

specific budget item. This is done through the Reference Section Inventory of electronic

resources (Appendix 6.1).

Every year, consideration is given to technology needs, equipment, training, and the

purchase of the necessary resources to offer workshops and other educational activities.

(See: annual reports, strategic plan of the library, Appendix 1.11 and the annual work plans,

Appendix 1.10).

12.2.5 What methods are used to determine how appropriate the existing collections are?

Is the budget adequate to maintain an appropriate portion in developing collections in

fields related to the curriculum?

ƒ The library has a general policy for developing collections (Appendix 1.1) which

describes the processes for this important function. The policy describes the different

selected lists of health care information resources that are consulted to evaluate the

collections.

ƒ Also, school liaison librarians participate in the school curriculum committees, where

they discuss curricular revisions, new courses, proposals for new programs, changes in

curricular trends within the programs, and new curricular requirements from

accrediting agencies through self-study processes, and new requirements of our

136
 institution. Activities include discussion and consideration of the information resources

necessary to support these requirements. Activities are carried out, in coordination with

the faculty, to evaluate collections and recommend new acquisitions. The Library

director and the faculty also participate in other forums, such as the Academic Senate

and CIPE, where many program needs for information resources are presented.

ƒ As mentioned in Standard 6, Resources, one of the strengths of the collection

development process is the establishment of the following guidelines, which are

included in the Policy:

ƒ The periodic evaluation of existing Library resources for the different programs.

ƒ Recommendations from faculty, library staff, and students.

ƒ Interaction with users from the academic community.

In this line, the Library conducts various activities and tasks to identify the information

needs of the academic community. However, the big challenge is to meet these needs with a

limited budget that does not take into consideration the annual cost increases of these

resources.

12.2.6 How does the actual or projected size of student enrollment and faculty affect the

budget?

The number of students enrolled in the Medical Sciences Campus has remained stable

throughout the years due to the limits established for accepting students into the different

programs. (Budget table, Appendix 12.5)

12.3 Objective – The Library should use its financial resources efficiently and effectively.

12.3.1 Are there funds available and are they sufficient for other Library resources (for

example, archive and special collection materials)?

137
 The recurrent Library budget allocated to resource purchases has not changed in ten

years. Consequently, the annual 7% to 10% cost increase in databases, serial publications,

and books requires us to apply for alternate funds. Proposals are also written to cover the

need for archive and special collections materials. Although not recurrent, these proposals

help us cover the area’s temporary needs and identify budget items related to salary. This

information may be verified in the Bibliographical Resources Expenses List (Appendix 12.2),

the Comparative Budget Table, Annual Report (Appendix 12.3) and material purchase

orders (Appendix 12.6)

12.3.2 Does the budget reflect the Library’s obligations to acquire, process, serve, and

provide access to audiovisual and computer resources?

The Library’s budget is limited. If the department has a request for audiovisual material

or equipment, it submits its recommendation and the administration fills the request as soon

as it can identify the funds. Funding proposals are also being used to convert resources to

digital format.

Additionally, since 2005, a technology allocation has been distributed among

departments. The Library has participated in this distribution and has requested funds for

the purchase of computers and servers. Through Title V grants, we have also purchased

computers for students. We have received several donations, among them a server and a

proxy server (See copy of purchase orders, Appendix 12.7)

12.4 Objetive – The budget should adequately support appropriate staff levels and

salaries.

12.4.1 Does the budget support appropriate staff levels and salaries?

138
 In terms of salary and fringe benefits, the staff receives the compensation established by

the UPR in accordance with federal and state regulations. Staff compensation also complies

with the stipulations in bargaining agreements negotiated by the university administration

and labor organizations. There are two basic pay scales for teaching staff at the Medical

Sciences Campus, one exclusively applied to the Campus and one to the University System.

The Library’s teaching staff is paid according to the latter, as mentioned in the Human

Resources Standard. This information may be verified and additional data obtained in the

Budget (Appendix 12.8) and in the List of Positions and Responsibilities (Appendix 12.9)

12.5 Objetive – The Library director/ dean should have the authority to assign funds as

well as initiate expenses from the Library budget under the policies of the institution.

12.5.1 To what degree does de Library director/ dean have the authority to distribute

funds and initiate expenses from the Library budget according to the policies of the

institution?

The Library director has the authority to distribute funds and initiate expenses from the

Library budget by following the institution’s regulatory procedures, as mentioned in the

General Regulations for the Acquisition of Equipment, Materials, and Non-personnel

Services. Certification 22, 1995-96 (Appendix 12.1)

12.5.2 How does the Library determine priorities and expense schedules?

The Library determines its priorities and expense schedules according to its needs and

those of the faculty, students, and accrediting agencies. Additionally, the program core lists

are analyzed. However, there are always emergency cases which must be addressed and

which alter projections. See Annual Work Plans (Appendix 1.10), Strategic Library Plan

(Appendix 1.11), and Annual Report, achievement reports.

139
12.5.3 How does the Library audit its debts and invoice payments?

The Library submits invoices to the Finance Department of the Campus, which is in

charge of paying them through the Pre-Auditing Office. The Library verifies the payment of

its invoices through the FRS System. The university conducts internal audits in different

departments of every unit, in the same way the Office of the Controller of Puerto Rico audits

the university.

Summary:

The Library’s budget is provided by the University Administration, but it is limited and

has not been revised in many years. Nevertheless, there is a commitment on the part of the

Chancellor to balance the deficit by the end of the fiscal year.

The following strengths are worth mentioning:

ƒ The information needs of the academic community and other non-recurrent

expenses are met through proposals and additional funds.

ƒ In terms of areas of development, we believe that the annual budget assigned to the

Library is insufficient to respond optimally to all the activities outlined in the

strategic plan. The Library administration is aware of this situation and makes the

necessary adjustments in order to maximize the achievement of its goals given the

present budget. We have also been able to maintain a balanced collection of

bibliographical resources to support all the academic programs in our campus.

140
General Recommendations

As a result of this self-study process, we have identified various strengths which have

been written and included in this document. Some of these are:

ƒ Our participation in consortiums, which increases the possibilities for

developing collections.

ƒ The receipt of book donations from the National Medical Library, which are

added to the collection.

ƒ The Proxy Server, through which we ensure that members of the Campus

community have access to the resources needed for teaching, learning, and

research.

ƒ Access to equipment, databases, and the Internet helps provide a service of

excellence, even in areas that are not covered by the Library collection.

ƒ We have an excellent collection of full-text data banks which has continued to

grow through the years.

ƒ Our service has received excellent evaluations by Middle States and other

organizations. Training in information skills has been integrated into the

syllabuses or course descriptions of the different Campus faculties and schools.

ƒ The Library has new space and equipment for conducting teaching activities.

Furthermore, the Library staff has access to most of the computer centers at the

different faculties to support their teaching activities.

The following areas have been identified as in need of priority attention:

ƒ The development of a plan for marketing and disseminating our services.

ƒ The assessment processes and results have not been systematized.

141
 ƒ The necessary, indispensable statistics for all our assessment processes have not been

identified.

ƒ Budget limitations affect all our standards.

These and other areas are taken into consideration in our work plans.

142