Online Edition | Washington State University | Pullman, Washington | Friday, February 22, 2002

Library vs. Internet
Online research grows, 
challenges role of WSU’s 
traditional libraries
By Rod Foss, WSU Today

A Spokane billboard shows the shocked face of a grade-schooler as his computer screen reports over 9 million "finds" on his "search." The ad is plugging libraries, with the text suggesting that the student would have been better served with the help of a librarian. Virginia "Ginny" Steel, director of libraries at WSU and professional librarian for 21 years would agree. Of itself, the Internet is not the problem. Knowing how to find and evaluate information can be.

But a recent article in the "Chronicle of Higher Education" suggests that students are deserting the traditional library in favor of online information. Dorm rooms and classrooms have Internet connections. WSU’s Samuel H. Smith (CUE) building, with online classrooms and even a "café" sporting the electronic hookups, has been touted as a modern marvel for education. WSU senior Erica Patty may be typical of many when she says, "I don’t study at the libraries anymore at all."

Is the library moving slowly, yet inexorably, towards the scrap heap?

Steel says no.

Tried and true
"Nationally, there is a perception that use is way down, but this is not so at WSU," remarks Steel. Students use the traditional libraries at WSU heavily, she says. A survey from a year ago showed 41 percent of the campus population visited weekly.

"This figure is ‘down’ slightly, but the buildings are far from deserted," said Steel. "Students are lining up for the computers at Holland/New Library, but traditional resources are still being used. Students still come for help and study," she asserts.

WSU has six different libraries with different hours and different focus. The Holland/New Library for social sciences, business, humanities and fine arts is the largest. The Owen library for science and engineering is the second largest. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of study these days, people tend to visit more than one library. Holland’s busiest time is late morning through the afternoon; its busiest days are Monday and Tuesday. Key times of the semester are a factor.

Steel says WSU libraries boast more than 2 million items and some 30,000 serial publications. In the last five years, more than 33 percent of these resources have been checked out. This figure is higher than in many research libraries. Last year, 812,000 items were checked out or used in-house, a figure that is average for a library system the size of WSU’s and yet one that represents a slight decrease for the university.

Funding for WSU libraries overall has declined because of statewide budget reductions. "However, decreased funding for collections has not been continuous," says Steel. "In fact, the latest allocation saw an increase in the collections budget."

Quality and guidance
With the traditional library holding its own, at least at WSU, what does Steel make of the online trend?

She is concerned that students tend to believe everything on the Web. But a researcher can be misled with wrong or obsolete information from sources less than credible. Everyone needs occasional guidance in looking for and trusting information, something she fears is not available with independent online searches.

"Today’s students grew up with PCs," she explains. "Their expectations are different. They need to be taught about print resources." And even though many students have Web "surfing" experience, she feels most still need to be taught how to navigate through the electronic information environment.

The traditional library has items selected by qualified librarians who are really "information specialists." They strive to acquire works from reputable publishers. Internet self-publishers are suspect. A trained librarian can tell the difference in both quality and credibility.

Probably, most people don’t think of the librarian as a type of teacher or as a skilled professional, or realize that a librarian must have a graduate degree. Steel has a B.A. in comparative literature from Rochester, N.Y., and a master’s in library science from the Graduate Library School, University of Chicago. These are typical credentials for librarians. She adds that a librarian’s master’s degree should come from a school accredited by the American Library Association. Universities often hire librarians who have advance degrees in other fields.

Information literacy is the focus. Helping students and faculty understand the world of information — what it is, where it is, how to determine quality, what you can believe — is the specialty of the trained librarian, especially at WSU.

The electronic library
So the traditional library is still viable, but the availability of electronic databases and journals are changing the WSU system.

As one example, the library is canceling print subscriptions if a reliable, archived electronic form is available at a reasonable cost. WSU has and will continue to acquire electronic books, but judiciously and with caution. Libraries must license access to these materials, as opposed to buying copies. And the e-book business is uncertain; early players in the field are dropping out.

"It is a complex and rapidly changing environment," Steel declares. "More than ever, WSU must spend wisely, understanding and minimizing the risk."

Electronically, the WSU libraries link to the Web and to a system with multiple capabilities, including the catalog of holdings and acquisitions system, all shared with Eastern Washington University. Distance education and branches rely on electronic information, but they have not abandoned print.

Steel has to look at all the factors of the electronic scenario. Online doesn’t necessarily mean "better." There are advantages and disadvantages.

For one thing, electronic media is often more expensive. Access to online periodicals isn’t free. The WSU libraries have digital copies of WSU dissertations, but the university can’t digitize published books because of copyright. Digitizing special collections which WSU owns outright or books on which the copyright has expired costs about $7 per page or more if they require special handling.

Steel agrees with Danial Baker that the Drug Information Center at the Riverpoint campus in Spokane (see the Feb. 8 issue of "WSU Today") couldn’t function without its electronic link to the WSU libraries. And electronic links can deliver more than text. For example, audio resources on the Web allow music students to listen to recordings that might not otherwise be readily available.

But those links can’t deliver anything if the power grid goes down. An ice storm like the one that hit Spokane in 1996, or just a downed power line, will send students who are facing research deadlines scurrying back to the library and printed resources.

Steel says WSU’s library staff encourages students to use the best sources available, regardless of format. If online makes more sense, that is where the researcher is directed.

The social library
The computer is not the only change agent in the library.

Libraries are turning "attractive" with comfortable furniture, stylish atmosphere and creature comforts such as food and drink. This is not a passing fad but a reflection of student expectation, based on their upbringing and experience, says Steel. She is sympathetic to someone wanting coffee or a snack to be comfortable in the library environment. And she believes today’s library can and should fulfill a social and cultural role. Art exhibits and other attractions are part of that.

What about the "silence" libraries used to insist upon? Professor Harold Hill, from the movie, "The Music Man," could threaten the public library’s scholarly atmosphere with a bag of marbles, and he disrupted the sanctum by singing and dancing with Marian the librarian. "I remember that movie," laughs Steel. "But I don’t think it will ever go that far."

"People come to see people," she says. "The library is a main gathering place. There are still quiet places for study, but other areas are now available where conversation, collaboration and group study are encouraged."

Solid future
Electronic technology has not rendered the traditional library obsolete, but rather has extended its reach and made it more efficient. And greater technological sophistication will allow the library to keep changing to meet the needs and expectations of users. Keeping pace with these changes will require library professionals to take more technology classes.

But in the stream of change, libraries will still collect printed and bound works and provide on-site services. The traditional library is here to stay.