2008 Annual Report - Northeastern University Libraries

Highlights
2008 At A Glance:
1,441,103 visitors to Snell Library
1,372,366 visits to website
123,359 items circulated
1,433,284 catalog searches
58 collections archived totaling 22
cubic feet
11,034 articles scanned and
distributed to other libraries
21,915 items lent to other libraries
651 objects added to the University’s
Institutional Repository (IRis)
17 programs held with partners
across campus
Measuring Student Learning
Northeastern University Libraries partnered
with the Advanced Writing in the Disciplines
(AWD) program of the English Department
to study the ways students use library
resources to identify and access scholarly
information. Results from this assessment
will guide both a refinement of library
instruction sessions and an evaluation of
effective purchasing of library resources.
This project was funded by the Provost’s
Office. Research and Instruction Librarians
Christine Oka and Jamie Dendy, along
with David Kellogg, Director of the AWD
program, presented initial findings at
the 9th International Writing Across the
Curriculum Conference.
Freedom House Collection
The Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners, through a grant from the
Federal Institute of Museum and Library
Services, awarded the Archives and
Special Collections Department $20,336
to digitize and make available on the Web
2,265 photographs and negatives dating
from 1950-1975 from the Freedom House
collection. In 1949, Freedom House was
established by African American social
workers Muriel S. and Otto P. Snowden
to centralize community activism in the
fight for neighborhood improvement,
good schools, and harmony among racial,
ethnic, and religious groups in Roxbury.
The photographs include images of a host
of well-known figures such as Rev. Martin
Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, and
Jacqueline Kennedy. This project continues
the Library’s dedication to preserving and
making accessible the history of Boston's
African American community.
Rapid Scanning and
E-Delivery to Users
In response to ever-increasing volume, the
Library’s Resource Sharing unit purchased
a state-of-the-art, large-format, flatbed
scanner, which accommodates the
scanning of oversized bound journals. We
can now deliver all articles electronically to
users and the turn-around time on requests
is now approximately one business day.
Making Materials More
Accessible to Library Users
The Print and Non-Print Management
departments continued to update and
improve the information in the Library’s
catalog, making it easier for users to locate
Library materials. A major accomplishment
of this past year was reclassifying audio
and video materials so that these items
are now shelved in the main stacks and
thus more readily browsable according
to subject area. Other projects included
the cataloging of 451 art titles from the
collection bequeathed to the Library last
year by John and Susan Juhasz, and the
completion of cataloging a visual music
collection.
Analysis of Collections
Librarians participated in a major
collections analysis project to assess
the strengths and weaknesses of the
Library’s collections across all disciplines.
The results will help librarians continue to
order the most relevant and appropriate
materials.
Strategic Assessment Plan
The Library embarked on an evidencebased
assessment planning process. The
goal of assessment is to discover what
our users want and to develop methods
to continuously improve our services
and operations to meet user needs. The
assessment plan and its findings provide
data that help to optimize how the Library
establishes, maintains, promotes, and
evaluates our services to support the
academic programs of the University.
Digital Media Design Studio
The Northeastern community discovered
the new Digital Media Design Studio
(DMDS) through multiple tours, two
open houses, and twelve multi-media
workshops. The Studio has buzzed with
course preparation, class assignments,
and independent projects since its debut.
Above, left to right:
Muriel and Otto
Snowden, founders of
Freedom House
Grad Student Maria
Babyak '09 working in
the DMDS
Art professor Sara
Doris at the Cynthia
Baron Meet the
Author event
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