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Show PACE 4 THE THUNDERBIRD THURSDAY MAY 7, 1987 Diana Graff seeks to build quality of Library's collection Diana Craff, left, works at a variety of tasks as director of SUSC's Library. She often helps out at the front desk, along with student Laura Nicholes, a sophomore in commercial art. An interview with the director of SUSC's Library; where it is, where it's going UJ Craff joined the SUSC Library staff in September of 1976 working in serials and acquisitions. Within four years she had earned the title of SUSC Library director. In December of 1986, Craff went on to finish her doctorate in education administration at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Now in 1987, with 11 years experience behind her Craff is still committed to serving the students of SUSC. "Diana has done a fantastic job serving as the SUSC Library director. Her enthusiasm has carried the Library forward and the Library staff appreciate the fact that they can all participate in Library matters. We have participatory management with her and we like that," said Thomas A. Challis, who was SUSC Library director from 1959 to 1980 and currently serves as the SUSC Serials Librarian. first For this special edition of The Thunderbird, we spoke to Craff April 29, 1987 about the Library and where it may be headed. Thunderbird: What is the number one issue facing our Library? Craff: I'd say our biggest challenege is that we're really out of space. We're feeling a real squeeze upstairs with the books because we haven't got the shelves to put them on, and if we were to get more shelves, we would have to take out student chairs. We can only seat 6.5 percent of our entire student body. The American Library Association standard for seating is 25 percent. At one time we had 500 seating stalls, but they were pushed out when we implemented additional stacks. We must also address the question of the quality of the collection. More books, of course, heightens the need for a new building. Our collection is inadequate in meeting the present needs of our curriculum. We're trying to meet the curriculum in everything from accounting to zoology and that's a difficult task when the average cost of a book keeps rising dramatically. The cost of books has risen over 63 percent since 1977 and the cost of periodicals has risen over 142 percent. In 1980, we had 970 periodicals and today we only have about 550. We're serving more and more students with fewer and fewer books and fewer people to help them, so they're getting less service and they're not finding the materials that they need. Our students have increased 60 percent while our librarians have stayed the same. So each librarian has to serve more people and that's another need that should be addressed. Thunderbird: How do ou think future enrollment will affect the Library? C raff: In its planning, the College has anticipated an enrollment of 4,000-5,00- 0 students and a faculty of 200 to 250 by the year 2000. If trends continue in the next three years, with projected increases in student body, the need for additional space will be especially urgent. Even if there wasn't an increase in student enrollment, SUSC would still need a new Library. just feel we're not adequate. We're not adequate with our collection, our space, and with personnel, which are all things a library should need. The quality of the students is rising but the quality of the Library is not. I Thunderbird: It's no secret that the Library has a limited staff. How do you feel about that? Craff: Well, we have a great turnover think people just get burned out. We haven't had a new position filled in the Library since 1969 when we only had 1,800 students. Now, with the same amount of staff as in 1969, we have 2,800 students that we have to look after. One of the biggest problems in the Library is that it doesn't have enough staff and student workers to meet up with the demands of the ALA. There have been times that there is only one person at the circulation desk and she'll come and ask me to watch it so she can go help think a student find a book upstairs. it's important that we are willing to help students find information if they car, t find it themselves. Even though our staff is limited, we have had a lot of luck hiring the right people for the right places. We have a lot of dedicated people who do two and three jobs at once. It's not unheard of for our people to take work home, too. because Thunderbird: If you could resolve all of the Library's problems, what would your solution be? Craff: think a new Library building would help us eliminate some of our problems. It would help us have a place for the collection and it would increase the seating capacity tremendously. Students would no longer have to hunt around the Library just to find a decent place to sit and study. We would also be able to house more serials, so those students researching papers would have access to more information. The number of interlibrary loan transactions, with a k waiting period, has increased by over 200 percent since 1982. This is a serious reflection of the Library's think the inadequate collections. overall solution is to obtain a new and bigger Library'that could house enough books to put us back up with American Library Association standards. I two-wee- I Thunderbird: From what we understand, it would cost approximately $13 million for a new Library. How could SUSC possibly raise that kind of money? C raff: believe that ultimately it's the state's responsibility to provide an adequate Library. The money must come from that source. Private funding can help with the elevation of the quality of our holdings, though. Since President (Gerald R.) Sherratt has been here, he has raised something like $75,000 in private funds for the Library to buy materials. We have also applied for some grants. We've only received one and that bought us some materials for special collections. |
