In 1998-1999 the Library collected demographic data on weekend readers: we wanted to know who was using our services and collections on Saturday and Sunday. From a total of 18,171 users, only 11,235 or 61% were Brooklyn College students. Clearly, Brooklyn's resources are benefitting many students and faculty from sister CUNY campuses. Among the heaviest users were affiliates of City College, Hunter, and Baruch.
It is important to remember that bridges lead in two directions:
not only does Brooklyn College serve the students and faculty of other
CUNY campuses, but we also receive significant assistance from the University.
In some cases (document delivery services; support for electronic information
resources; computer equipment; the New Visions Grant) it is easy to fix
a value for what the University provides us. In others (a new integrated
library system; assistance implementing the TIIAP project; cataloging services)
attaching a specific cost is more difficult. It is safe to say that, absent
the direct assistance the Office of Library Services provides to us, the
Brooklyn College Library would certainly be a lesser place: our students
and faculty benefit greatly from these centrally-administered resources.
Faculty Council's Committee on the Library
This key committee was chaired by Barbara Gerber (English), who also serves on the Steering Committee for the Library Rehabilitation and Extension Project and the board of the Friends of the Library. Library Committee members included David Corey (Student Services/English), Paisley Currah (Political Science), and Betty Levin (Health and Nutrition).
In its annual report to Faculty Council, the committee
recommended that a fund-raising/naming opportunities brochure be developed
for the Library Project, and that greater faculty involvement in the Friends
group be encouraged. The brochure is in development, and the Library Liaison
to the Friends group is planning a membership appeal aimed at the College's
faculty.
The Library Representatives and the Technology Representatives
Each fall, the Library asks every academic department
to choose both a Library Representative and a Technology Representative
as its liaisons to the Library and Academic Information Technology programs.
Library Representatives work with their departments' bibliographers to
shape collections and services, while Technology Representatives serve
as their departments' interface with academic computing. On March 25 the
Library and AIT invited both groups of Representatives for a "state of
the union" lunch, our opportunity to share with them new developments and
to listen to their ideas and concerns. This year, the main topic was the
temporary Library and its impact on service.
Once again in 1997-1998, Student Government sponsored the Core Book Exchange, staged on the first floor of the Library. The exchange offers students the opportunity to buy and sell used textbooks at better prices than the book store typically offers. One dollar from every sale is SG's gift to the Library, a total of $1,433 in this academic year.