11th National Library Technicians Conference

From index medicus to science direct: how research methods are changing

Patricia Murray RMIT University Library

Abstract
This paper will discuss the impact technology is having on the way in which our patrons are conducting research. I will speak briefly on the history of how students did their research when I first began working in libraries, and where we are now. Libraries have taken up the challenge to ensure that they keep up with the changes and hopefully, keep in mind the different ways in which patrons study. In academia, on-line courses, or a mixture of on-line, and class participation are now being offered to students. It is therefore extremely important that libraries grasp the opportunity to work along side those preparing these courses, to ensure accurate information about what facilities the library can offer is included. In this way, students will be aware of how the library can assist them with their studies regardless of the chosen mode of study. Another example of how libraries are changing their services is to offer their patrons the ability to ask reference questions remotely. This allows patrons the ability to ask submit enquires at times that are more convenient to them, even if this is outside of normal library hours. Computer laboratories are also being introduced into libraries and staff have had to ensure that they can assist with queries that students may have with using this facility. On the other hand libraries, however, still have to ensure that they do not neglect their printed collections, and ensure that they have adequate book budgets. We as library technicians, for whatever reason, are constantly upgrading our qualifications, and therefore I believe we will be more than adequately prepared to meet this challenge head on.

Introduction
This paper will discuss how research methods are changing with particular reference to computer technology, and how library staff, have the appropriate skills to keep up with these changes. I will briefly discuss how research was first conducted when I began working in the Biomedical Library, of Monash University, and how research is being conducted today. We, as library staff have, to ensure that our patrons are aware of the many ways in which we can assist them, and therefore encourage them to visit the library to see the range of resources we can offer. It does not matter after this initial consultation whether they decide that they prefer to do all of their research outside the library. Libraries are also able to offer their patrons other means of getting assistance, whether it be them coming into the library, conducting their business by e-mail directly with the librarian responsible for their subject area, or by e-query. Many libraries are now offering these services to their patrons. Another new idea that some libraries are beginning to investigate, is real-time digital reference services or reference chat rooms.

When I first began working in libraries at the Biomedical Library, Monash University, Index Medicus was the major reference tool our patrons used. This was published monthly and had cumulative yearly issues in which you could check under author or subject. There was also a volume that listed the journals indexed. One of my main jobs was to produce lists for lecturers that a reference librarian had compiled using this particular tool. Faint pencil marks would be used to alert me to the chosen citations. To ensure that none had been missed, a form would have also been filled out advising me how many citations could be found in each issue. Naturally after each citation had been typed out, the said pencil mark would have to be very carefully erased. This list would be typed in duplicate using carbon paper, which made corrections difficult. The academics would then decide which articles they required, some of these would have to be obtained via Inter-Library Loan. The librarian, would then check SSAL (Scientific Serials in Australian Libraries), or SALSSAH (Serials in Australian Libraries': Social Science and Humanities). This involved looking up the paper copy, a loose: leaf affair, that of course had to be manually up-dated, to see which library subscribed to the required journal. If you were not careful, your fingers could be crushed if you inadvertently let the cover go. These, of course, were the fore-runner to NUCOM and NUCOS which were to those of you who do not know National Union Catalogue of Monographs, and National Union Catalogue of Serials, and were available on microfiche. Now we have SIAL (Serials in Australian Libraries Online). It must be noted that this tool was only housed in the staff area and not made available to the public. We were permitted to tell patrons if another university library subscribed to the journal they were interested in, as many of the libraries would not allow visits from people not belonging to that particular organisation. Inter-library-loan forms were multiple copied, and had to be typed, they were then sent by post or if they were to another university by courier daily. Naturally, if sent by post, it could be some time before the item was received and passed onto the requestor. If an article was required urgently many libraries would allow phone calls to request the item with a promise to send on the required LAA vouchers in the post. Naturally, we could not avail ourselves of this service too often. However, I do remember one occasion when a hospital library required an article to be urgently photocopied and they sent a taxi to collect it, we all wondered if it was for somebody's operation that afternoon.

There ends the history lesson. Today for example, that same reference I found in an old copy of Index Medicus, with grateful thanks to our branch at Bundoora for keeping a copy, for training purposes, could be located much more quickly using a database. As a result of this, many patrons have elected not to enter a library to do their research. It is hoped, however, that their lecturers arrange for them to attend a library session to be shown which databases are the most appropriate for their use and find out which databases can be accessed from home. With RMIT this may all change with authentication, which once the student has logged makes many of our databases available to them immediately this could also include the exam papers. Prior to this many of the databases could only be accessed on campus via the LAN. This change will give students the ability to use these databases from outside the library at any time. However, depending on the vendors, some databases may still require an additional password to access their products. Vendors will have to be approached to see if these changes meet their requirements due to licensing agreements, as prior to this students or staff would have had to present a current student or staff card before they could obtain any passwords. Our patrons should also be aware of the services their libraries can offer, especially about any trials of databases they are conducting. It is important to emphasise that their feedback is important to the library, as they can give us a better idea of how useful the product is to them, as they have the subject knowledge. Once they have had a library session they should be suitable trained in ensuring that they use all the relevant databases. Libraries should ensure that they advertise to all their patrons the service, and level of training that they can offer. It is important to contact academic staff, to ensure that they are aware of the services available. In some cases, attending these sessions is mandatory, and the library has assignments for the student to complete to ensure they have understood what has been taught. Another way of doing this is to have on-line tutorials, which guide the student through using the catalogue. As part of these on-line courses students can be set a variety of tasks to ensure that they are able to use some of the databases that relate to their subject area. By having to use both a citation and full text database, they will learn what types of databases the library has to offer. Naturally this is where the library's input is so important, as they have the expertise in content of these databases. For those who only want to use full text databases, they can ask to get a list of relevant full-text databases. However, on saying this, they should also be encouraged to use the bibliographical databases as many our patrons could miss some articles that they could find extremely useful. If they wish the article could be obtained via document delivery, unless of course they have left it too late to obtain the item through Document Delivery.

Researchers no longer have to be present in the library, going through, weekly, monthly and yearly issues to find relevant articles. It is so much easier now for them, as long as they have access to a computer. For example, with Science Direct, a researcher can enter their personal profile, using a search strategy and saving it. They will then receive e-mails of any new articles on their chosen speciality, and they can even restrict the search to only the journals in which the are interested in. This personal profile can be changed at anytime, to ensure they are getting only relevant articles.

How do our patrons know how to use these databases effectively? The answer of course is very simple, they need to get training from library staff. With so many databases available, it is important they understand which databases are the most relevant to them. The old saying of you cannot judge a book by its cover could be translated today to "you cannot judge a database's content by its title". For example Science Direct can also be used by those students studying humanities, and in fact it covers the business area very well. With Web of Science, for example, our patrons can find out who else has cited a reference they have found. This can lead them to other articles which they may find useful, as they can expand the list to see what other articles these authors have written, as they would be on a similar topic, and therefore could be of interest to them.

With libraries introducing learning centres, students can use these terminals to do their research and at the same time they can type out their assignments. Staff require the necessary training to be able to assist their patrons with any problems they encounter, and also give advise about the best databases to use. Some university libraries allow their students access to a bibliographic management tools like Endnote. This allows the student to add their citations directly from databases and catalogues and develop a full bibliography of citations they have used. This can then be added to their essays or research papers. This program is also ideal for lecturers wishing to compile reading lists directly from library's catalogues.

Many libraries are looking into the idea of offering their patrons digital reference.
This can be by e-mail, via an electronic form from the library's web page, or by chat. This gives the patron the chance to talk to a librarian live, therefore this mode would be closest to handling an inquiry at the information desk As you have the chance to ask the patron to clarify any part of the question that maybe ambiguous. Training would have to be given to ensure those answering the questions were able to handle the chat sessions. At a demonstration, given by Susan Patrick from Ryerson University of Toronto, we were able to see a session first hand. Another librarian was at home assisting Susan with the demonstration as it was 7pm Toronto time. The librarian was able to either send pages of the results, or take the patron through an escort version, where they would for example see the catalogue or database that was being selected. Images and web-pages could also be sent to the patron. It had to be emphasised that the patron did not start doing any searches of their own as they would then loose the connection to the chat session. As this was only in its trial session, and they are planning to go live in September, the library did not really have any idea of the time that would be required to handle these queries. At the time of the presentation, it was only librarians that would be taking these chat sessions, however, experienced library technicians, after some training may also be able to take part in the scheme. These are some of the ways that libraries are changing their role in order to assist patrons who wish to do their research from computers that are external to the library. This method allows them to ask questions at any time, not just during library hours. Most libraries try to guarantee a response time of twenty-four hours, not including weekends. With the chat sessions, these would most likely only be available at designated times.

On-line courses are also being offered to students, and it is extremely important that the libraries offer a subject specialist librarian's assistance to ensure that information about how the library can help with a student's study is also included. Library staff can then suggest, that part of the course includes a session, which takes the student step-by-step into a database, assisting them to find articles that would be useful to their studies. This would ensure that they are confident about using the databases at their disposal. Academic staff can also have the option of having a session within the library, if the students also attend classes on campus, this would give the students a chance to use the databases during the session, thus ensuring that they can use the databases confidently.

Many patrons do not realise that there are restraints put onto libraries by database companies as to who can use them, and how many users can access the database. This is why, at the time of writing, we had to ask for proof that patrons are eligible to use our databases. Another important issue for some is whether remote access is available, and for some students the fact that it can be used overseas is important. With the proper training students can have all this information literally at their fingertips, and with internet access to the library's homepage, they can study when it is convenient to them, and not only when the library is open.

Once the patrons have selected the articles they need, they can also check which library within Australia hold that particular journal should they require it on document delivery. Many students may then decide to go to another university in order to photocopy the article they require, especially if that university is closer to their home than the one at which they are studying. Even filling out these forms can be done electronically now, as long as they have registered their signature with the library. It should also be suggested that they try going to the web to see if that journal has a site, often as a carrot being dangled, they may be able to get a copy of the article on-line. There are also, of course, databases that just list the contents pages of a particular journal. They can get access to a few years of contents pages on databases such as Uncover, Current Contents, Proquest, to name just a few.

There have been many changes to the ways in which libraries can obtain copies of required articles. Long gone are the typed forms. With the advent of requesting items electronically, the time difference in obtaining an article has been reduced dramatically. Libraries now often order items from overseas, a thing that perhaps in the past would not have been so easy to arrange due to the exorbitant costs involved, and also due to the fact that other libraries holdings were not so easy to check as they are today. Previously there of course was not the choice of how one obtained the article, libraries just photocopied their requests in order - there was no fast-track!

LIDDAS (Local Interlending and Document Delivery Administration System) is being introduced into many libraries, particularly university libraries. This allows clients the ability to request and check up on the status of their requests electronically. By using LIDDAS the patron can ensure that their home library does not own a copy of the item they wish. Prior to this staff would have to advise the patron that they are requesting something that is held by them, thus delaying the delivery of the item. Copyright is also easier to handle, as is will also managed by the system. In some cases it could perhaps be possible, for the item to be delivered directly to the patron. Each library would have to decide on the limits where a patron could request an item, for example only locally, interstate, or overseas. When an item was received, the patron would get an e-mail, alerting them to the fact that their document was waiting for them in the 'document store' and they would then be able to retrieve that article. It is anticipated that this system would cut down on the need for library staff to handle each request and forward it to the patron.

However, having said all of that, it is still imperative that libraries still ensure, and if they have to fight, to maintain a good library budget for the purchase of books. Patrons often complain during surveys that it is never visible that the library is buying books. At Swanston Library (RMIT) we have reinstated a new book display to show our patrons that we still acknowledge the need to purchase new books. Many people still enjoy being the first person to borrow a book and browse amongst the newest books that have been added to the collection

Conclusion
Therefore in conclusion, I believe that there are exciting times ahead and we, as library technicians, have the necessary skills and are willing to learn new skills to ensure that we can assist our patrons to use the ever changing technology our libraries are offering them.

Author
Patricia Murray: Associate Diploma of Library and Information Studies. HEW 5 (Information Services Section), of Swanston Library. This position includes shifts on Information Desks, at Swanston, Aerospace Resource Centre and Business Library, and assisting liaison librarians with a variety of tasks.