The Heart of Texas

With the University of Texas Libraries, wherever you go, there they are

By Andrew Richard Albanese -- Library Journal, 11/15/2006

In 2005, the University of Texas (UT) at Austin made some surprising national headlines when it removed the book collection from its undergraduate library. A year later, over lunch with LJ on a balmy Texas afternoon, UT's library leaders still seem genuinely bemused, even a little amused, by all the fuss. “We just don't understand it,” UT associate director for research services Dennis Dillon says of the attention the move received. “It got an incredible amount of press, but I can say without a doubt it was bigger news off campus than it was on campus. On campus, it wasn't a story at all.”

Behind the sensational headlines, the move was in fact more “life-as-usual” than “radical change.” In today's academic libraries, technology is constantly redefining library services and space, and from its first byte, UT has been one of the nation's most innovative libraries in seizing the digital moment—to the delight of its users. On a recent visit to the UT campus, LJ found vibrant spaces, teeming with students and staff using a mix of media. Still, much of the libraries' action now takes place out of sight, often off campus, via remotely accessible digital resources. Consider this: last year the library web site logged 55 million sessions, with a session being a series of continuous hits by one user. Overall, the library web site logs close to one billion hits annually.

While national headlines made the removal of a book collection from what is now the Flawn Academic Center (FAC) seem like a milestone in library history, on campus at UT, as Dillon suggests, it was more like a moment in time. Students had already voiced loudly their desire for digital resources. Renovating the FAC was just one step in a steady march toward the future.

Still booked

Let's just get this out there once and for all: reports of the death of the book at UT-Austin were greatly exaggerated. With the nation's seventh largest academic library collection, just under nine million volumes, UT still adds about 150,000 new books annually. “Books will always be important to the university,” vice provost and library director Fred Heath says, emphasizing that UT's collection is “a crown jewel” and, thanks to a diverse group of students and alumni, one of if not the most unique book collections in the nation. In fact, Dillon adds, book circulation is trending up at UT, something he attributes to students' ability to find the books they want better thanks to online tools.

And it's not as if the libraries donated the 90,000 general interest volumes formerly housed in FAC to a pep rally bonfire. “We had a floor full of books,” Dillon adds matter-of-factly, “and those books simply went to another library.” In their place, or more accurately, in their space, the FAC was born, a joint initiative of the UT Libraries, Information Technology Services (ITS), Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment (DIIA), Division of Rhetoric and Composition (DRC), and School of Information (iSchool).

Even on a lazy Friday afternoon, with more students concerned with happy hour plans than homework, the space is abuzz with activity. “The typical student at UT,” explains associate director for student and branch services Damon Jaggars, ruminating over the notion of a “typical” student, “looks for a place to sit down and plug in.” That's exactly what the students gathered at the FAC are doing.

“On campus, between classes, I often go to the library to study for a quiz, use the computer to check email and do schoolwork, read for class, catch up on a novel for fun, or take a nap,” says senior Michael Windle, a government major. Off campus, he adds, the library web site offers “great resources and subscriptions to great databases and journal services,” citing LexisNexis for specific news articles or full-text stories and the increasingly popular e-reserves.

UT officials describe the FAC as a “state-of-the-art technology and collaboration” hub—pretty much what the profession has come to call an information commons. Students and faculty and visitors lounge in comfortable seating, even, gasp, reading books. It offers four floors of flexible study spaces, multimedia services, over 200 computer stations, and three computer labs. FAC also houses a writing lab, an auditorium, a number of exhibits, and a career services center.

Just a short walk from UT's main Perry Castañeda Library (PCL), and many of the other campus libraries, FAC is conveniently located for those students who wish to pick up materials or find a quiet space—FAC is many things but quiet is not one of them. So far, the numbers suggest that the main library has benefited from the FAC's transformation, with gate counts at PCL up about ten percent since the FAC opened.

The FAC rates highly. “We have lots of ideas about doing different things, doing things better, but frankly students aren't really clamoring for changes,” says Dillon. “They seem just to like having a space where they can congregate, rest, read, talk, or use computers.” Especially, he notes, when that place has plenty of air conditioning, a library “resource” not to be underestimated in the often brutal Texas heat.

Hook 'em, Horns!

In many ways, the success of the UT libraries takes after Texas itself: a function of massive size, individuality, even eccentricity, and the creativity so evident in its home base of Austin. In fact, it's hard to observe a typical day in the life of UT library users in that facility, because so many library services at UT are pushed out to students, wherever they may be. “We only have room on campus for so many freshmen each year,” Dillon explains, “so by sophomore year, UT students are living off campus, in town.”

Getting to those freshmen, many of whom arrive in Austin with little library experience—and a whole lot of Internet experience—is key, says Jenifer Flaxbart, head reference librarian. “It's very important to connect with freshmen in some capacity,” she says, “through freshman interest groups, freshman seminars, or rhetoric courses, and the librarians in our Library Instruction Services department have worked to increase the likelihood that UT librarians talk to as many new-to-campus students as possible.”

Jaggars adds that he is in constant contact with no fewer than three student governance groups on campus that regularly offer insight into library service. It's a simple, effective idea: want to know what students like or don't like, just ask. “One of our emphases,” he says, “was to look not so much at what was drawing students into the library as what was driving them out.” Not enough computers? Add more. Food and drink were a major issue, and while UT hasn't brought a café into its library, an informal policy looks the other way and allows students to have coffee or a quick snack.

“The more comfortable students are doing research and using library resources, the more confident they become as lifelong learners,” Flaxbart says. “Those who use databases, consult with subject specialists, and explore DVDs, ebooks, and e-audiobooks definitely have an advantage over those who aren't familiar with library resources, how to do research, or the rich, diverse collections available to them on campus.”

“UT libraries do a great job responding to student needs,” Windle says. “UT recognizes that its library services are for students and that the usefulness in those services depends on students understanding what services are available.”

Reference this!

Flaxbart sees firsthand how librarians make a difference in a student's experience, both on campus and, increasingly, off campus, through the libraries' innovative chat and email services, both of which are on the upswing. Using QuestionPoint software, the library gets around 350 questions per month during fall and spring semesters and an additional 50–60 through other supported IM chat options (currently AOL, Yahoo, and MSN). Chat is still a small part of the reference equation, but make no mistake, it is catching on.

“Students who use the services like them, and I think the chat service is often a pleasant surprise,” Flaxbart says. “They get prompt, individualized attention, and they usually get immediate answers,” often in the form of “'pushed' pages/URLs, library catalog records with title/call number information, recommended databases, a keyword search strategy, and even actual answers with source information.”

Student surveys bear that out: “It was fast, to the point, and very helpful. I am glad you have chat,” one student noted. “It was helpful to be able to ask a question from home and get an immediate reply,” wrote another. “The librarians always seem to go the extra mile to help answer questions. This is a really valuable service,” said yet another.

Still, most patrons ask questions “at the point of need,” Flaxbart says. During September of this year Flaxbart says the PCL desk answered roughly 10,000 queries.

Bigger in Texas

To understand the integral role of the UT libraries on campus, it helps to understand a little about the university itself. Keeping with one of the many colorful Texas mottoes, UT is, well, big. It enrolls more than 48,000 students, both undergraduate and graduate, and employs 2700 faculty and 19,000 staff members. It drew a $276 million annual state appropriation last year and brought in $213 million in “gifts.”

The library system is also, of course, big, with 17 library facilities offering an array of spaces and collections and having an annual total budget in 2005 of just over $39 million, $13.1 million of which went to materials. It circulated nearly 2.7 million items last year, tops in the nation. It has one of the nation's largest digital collections, with access to 480,000 ebooks, 12,000 e-journal titles, and 230 databases, which add significantly to e-journal content not subscribed to directly.

The PCL occupies five floors and a basement, and on a Monday morning a visit there seems as essential as that cup of coffee you are now allowed to sneak in. In the morning hours, the lines to use a computer can also get Texas-sized. PCL is currently awaiting a massive overhaul of its main floor, slated for next year, to make better use of the space. But there's a multitude of areas among UT's libraries for patrons to choose from, including the recently remodeled Fine Arts Library and the Architecture Library, also with computer stations as well as reading rooms and quiet spots for students.

UT also holds some of the nation's most treasured special collections, from its world-renowned map collection to the Harry B. Ransom Center, which now houses the papers of Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. UT is also home to the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection. With 950,000 books, periodicals, and pamphlets, 2500 linear feet of manuscripts, 19,000 maps, and 21,000 microforms, as well as 38,000 items in a variety of other media, it is regarded as the nation's best Latin American collection. You get the idea—big.

“Keep Austin weird”

Another local slogan also comes to mind when visiting UT. Austin is a little weird. No, not the town itself, which is a warm, picturesque, and friendly place—and an artistic haven where through seemingly every cracked doorway one hears the strains of live music. But just a few short blocks from the UT campus, the state legislature meets—occasionally, that is.

In Texas, the legislature convenes just once every two years, unless it's called into a special session by the governor. While on the surface, the idea of a legislature rarely in session might sound appealing, you'll recall Texas Democrats fleeing the state in 2003 to avoid a quorum on a redistricting vote—and Gov. Rick Perry sending the Texas Rangers (the cops, not the ball club) hot on their trail. As of this writing, colorful singer/murder mystery author Kinky Friedman is running for governor and has polled near 20 percent in a four-candidate race, on par with Perry's Democratic challenger. You get the idea—weird.

For a public university library facing rampant materials inflation, this kind of government drama can be a bit unnerving. “We are very concerned about cost,” concedes Dillon, noting that the university budget is subject to the state's political idiosyncrasies and requires careful planning and management. Like any public institution, the libraries must work and sometimes pray for every nickel, spend wisely, and constantly reevaluate what's cost-effective. The majority of its materials budget comes from student library fees—essentially part of UT tuition. Tuition increases are, of course, subject to approval by the legislature, and, yes, tuition costs have been on the rise. But, let's face it, no politician is eager to stump on raising public tuition costs.

If there's one thing we all know, no library ever gets all the money it needs, and UT library officials say that the library is treated very well by the administration, which comes through with as much discretionary funding as it can. During LJ's visit, UT officially installed its 28th president, dean of the law school William Powers Jr. In his inaugural address, Powers outlined a Texas-sized agenda for UT's future, including a desire to boost research, lure faculty, and improve the UT undergraduate experience. In his talk, Powers never actually said the word library. Spoken or unspoken, it was clear, nonetheless, that the library will be a springboard for much of his agenda.

Fast-forward

In 2003, Fred Heath, from Texas A&M, took the helm at the UT libraries, stepping into the big shoes of Harold Billings, who retired after 25 years in the top spot. During Billings's tenure, UT gained a reputation for innovation, designing and implementing its own catalog system and becoming an early, enthusiastic booster of digital resources. In Heath, the UT libraries have brought in a leader committed to extending that tradition. One of the pioneers of the LibQUAL+ surveys, Heath also serves on the board of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), is a member of the steering committee of the Digital Library Federation (DLF), and sits on the advisory board of SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), leadership credentials that fit well with UT's reputation for embracing change.

And changes are coming. UT will continue to reengineer public library spaces. The homegrown catalog will be retired and a new Millennium system from Innovative Interfaces implemented. A remote storage facility is in the planning stage for physical volumes not highly used, and, with a number of statewide partners, a new institutional repository is in the works. What would students like to see more of? Windle suggests a mix of space and digital initiatives. “I'd like to see UT have a more cozy feel within the library.” One study area at UT, he notes enthusiastically, recently bought a dozen or so beanbag chairs. “I also think UT could make much larger strides on online course packets,” he notes, citing the libraries great resources and students' stretched budgets. “I'd like to see more articles that we can get for free at UT libraries made available on specific class web sites, possibly through e-reserves.” After all, he notes, showing off some of the research chops he's amassed at UT, “a July 2004 eBay survey showed that 43 percent of students [asked] had chosen not to purchase required textbooks for at least one course in an effort to save money.”