Ka-Neng Au
Microcomputer Coordinator
John Cotton Dana Library
Annual Report
FY2000/2001

Highlights | Presentations | Webpages | CIF | Duties | Goals | Statistics

HIGHLIGHTS

The usefulness of the RUL Business Research Guide is attested to by the increasing number of sites around the world that link to it. For the second year in a row, the Business Research Guide was awarded five check marks (the highest overall rating) in the Argus Clearinghouse, the Internet's premier "selective collection of topical guides." The Research Guide also received the Clearinghouse's Digital Librarian's Award for August 2000. In March 2001, the Research Guide was a selection of the Scout Report for Business & Economics, and was favorably reviewed in Choice.

I spent part of my year on temporary assignment to develop a set of instructional Webpages for RutgersOnline, the distance learning unit of the university. These Webpages were designed to provide an introduction to library resources and basic research skills, and will be available to all RutgersOnline students in the Fall of 2001. Several RUL librarians contributed content for the pages; three samples are: The Course Home, The Overview and Ask a Librarian.

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

One article was published this year:
Ren, Wen-Hua, and Ka-Neng Au. "Integrating Research and Service: The Case of Internet Training for Small Business Executives." College & Research Libraries, 62, 2 (March 2001) pp. 165-72.
I participated in two conference presentations:
Tipton, Roberta, and Ka-Neng Au. "Institutional Frameworks for Instruction: Can We Defeat the Blanche Dubois Syndrome?" 29th National LOEX Conference, Ypsilanti, MI, May 4-5, 2001.

Ren, Wen-Hua, and Ka-Neng Au. "Training Small Business Executives to Search for Government Information on the Internet," Poster Session, American Library Association Annual Conference, Chicago, July 10, 2000.
I was also invited to do a presentation for the New Jersey Entrepreneurs Forum:
Au, Ka-Neng. "Market Research for Your Successful Business Plan." New Jersey Entrepreneurs Forum, Somerset, NJ, November 9, 2000.

WEBPAGES

I am the primary contributor to a seventeen-part business research guide on the Rutgers Libraries website, all of which were recently revised:
Au, Ka-Neng, Theo Haynes, Yoshiko Ishii, Wen-Hua Ren, Roberta Tipton, and Ryan Womack. "Rutgers University Libraries Business Research Guide," created November 1994; last revised June 2001, --2,286 links. [http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/busi/business.shtml]

The following are part of this Research Guide:

In early 2000, the School of Management invited Dana Library to create guides to Internet resources in several business areas; a set of twelve subject guides for this Business CyberLibrary were eventually mounted on the SOM server:

Au, Ka-Neng, Lonnie Johnson, and Roberta Tipton. "Rutgers Business CyberLibrary," created January 2000; last revised March 2001, --417 links. [http://rbsweb2.rutgers.edu/cyber/]
I also maintain two shorter Webpages that serve as an introduction to resources on the Internet.
Au, Ka-Neng. "Other Electronic Journal Directories," created May 1998; last revised May 2001, --25 links. [http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/ejournals/ejour_dir.shtml]

Au, Ka-Neng, and Helen Hoffman. "Patents, Trademarks, and Standards," created September 2000; last revised May 2001, --30 links. [http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/patents/patents.shtml]
Dana Librarians contributed several new Research Guides to the RUL Website: Dana librarians also contributed several new or revised library guides to the Dana Library website:

DUTIES

As the Microcomputer Systems Librarian, I have overall responsibility in evaluating, selecting, recommending, installing, and maintaining all microcomputer software and hardware at Dana. Roberto Crespo, our computer technician, resigned in the Fall of 2000, and Christopher Singh was hired in 2001.

This year, the total number of machines in Newark increased slightly, to 145 (see Table A); new computers installed in Media Services for R&D were offset by the exclusion of machines at the Criminal Justice Collection, now that CRIMJ is administered by the Law Library.

In the Fall of 2000, I was able to write a successful proposal to the Rutgers-Newark Information Technology Advisory Committee for 25 "slightly used" computers to be re-allocated to the Electronic Classroom. Most of the computers that they replaced were decommissioned, while a few were redeployed elsewhere in the building as upgrades.

All of the interior network cabling work associated with RUNet 2000, the University-wide high-bandwidth network infrastructure project, was completed in the building. Two telecommunications equipment closets were also constructed on the Lower Level. We await the installation of network switches (and other data electronics devices) to replace the existing hubs, due this fiscal year.

This was my fourth year teaching an undergraduate course at the School of Management: Computer Network Applications, 29:623:375. In return, the SOM provided compensation for Dana Library to hire a temporary reference librarian. The student evaluations have been very encouraging over the years.

I continue to serve as the Newark representative to the RUL Coordinating Committee, and as a member of the Web Advisory Committee as well as the PC Working Group. I also served on one RUL search committee.

COORDINATED INSTRUCTIONAL FACILITIES

This program, run by Rutgers University Computing Services-Newark, allows the Dana Library to have several student assistants available to serve library users of electronic resources, as well as computer hardware upgrades when necessary. In return, computer workstations are available to students for non-library academic computing activities when they are not used for access to the Libraries website. Applications software available include two office suites, a range of course-related instructional packages, and various image-editing programs; students can also do e-mail and FTP.

Dana Library continued to benefit from the presence of the student assistants in both the Reference Area and Media Services. During the school year, the students provided almost 100 hours a week of coverage. Student assistants were also on duty during the Summer months, for about 50 hours a week. There were many new hires this year, including Mateen Ahmad, Chris Berberabe, Joy Dennis, Sherwin Gorrick, Anthony John, Shevon Jones, Maricar Lakandula, Sherod Okeyo, Nandish Patel, Raksha Patel, Poomarintr Sasinin, Vruddhi Shah, Lisa Stewart, Edison Ty, and Bisrat Zewde. They joined Ivenchy Faife, Sanjay Kulchandra, and Larry Jones from last year. Dana Library does not currently have a Site Manager to oversee the staffing and operation of the two CIF labs; oversight responsibilities have been delegated to the Site Managers from the other two labs on campus.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES FOR FY2001/02

To continue to maintain, update, and expand the Business Research Guide

To revise the webpages of the Business CyberLibrary

To assist in the planning of the CIIT
KNA: 27 Jul 01