PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 20, No. 8, Oct. 19, 2000

Feedback wanted from library users

Becky Mabry, Assistant Editor
(217) 244-1072; mabry@illinois.edu

Faculty and staff members and students are being asked to tell UI library officials exactly what kinds of books and materials they’d like to see in the main and departmental libraries.

Public hearings to express these kinds of desires and concerns are being held throughout the semester by the provost and the Library Allocation Steering Committee. (See chart at right indicating times and places for hearings in October.) A complete schedule of fall hearings is on the Web, www.provost.uiuc.edu/provost/committees/ libraryallocation.html.

Comments also can be sent to the committee through the Web site.

Provost Richard Herman urges faculty and staff members and students to participate in the hearings.

"Insights we gain from library users will affect the future budgetary decisions to support collection development for existing and new programs," Herman said. "We are working strenuously to generate the necessary resources for the Library, but even the most optimistic scenarios show that acquisition budgets will be stressed for the foreseeable future. The wise allocation of scarce resources requires understanding the current and future informational needs of the university, and for this we need input."

Alexander Scheeline, professor of chemistry and chair of the Library Allocation Steering Committee, said this is the first time in nearly three years there has been any kind of broad public discussion about the library.

"This should be of interest to every person on this campus," Scheeline said.

"The library is the central repository of the history of human thought, so if people are going to stand on the shoulders of those who went before, the library provides the information they need," Scheeline said.
But the fields are so diverse and changing so much with new technology, that it is difficult for librarians to know what’s needed for those fields, he said.

"The librarians only know what is needed when people tell them," he said. "So we’re giving people an opportunity to talk."

Upcoming Library Hearings

• Education and Social Science Library (Part II)
  2-3 p.m., Oct. 19, Lucy Ellis Lounge, Foreign Languages Building
  For the departments of anthropology, political science, sociology, speech communication, psychology and the School of Social Work.
  Architecture and Art Library; Music Library; City Planning and
  
  
• Landscape Architecture Library
  2-3 p.m., Oct. 27, 62 Krannert Art Museum
  For the Schools of architecture, art and design, and music, and departments of landscape architecture, theater, and urban and regional planning
  
  
• Applied Life Studies Library
  2-3 p.m., Oct. 27, 209 Huff Hall
  For units in the College of Applied Life Studies and department of dance
  
  
• Law Library
  1-2 p.m., Oct. 30, Room A, Law Building
  For College of Law.
  
  
• Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Library
  2-3 p.m., Oct. 31, location to be announced
  For units in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Science
  
  For hearings later in the semester or for other libraries, go to: www.provost.uiuc.edu/provost/committees/libraryallocation.html