Ka-Neng Au
Microcomputer Coordinator
John Cotton Dana Library
Annual Report
FY1996/97

Highlights | CIF | CD-ROMs | Publications | Presentations | Webpages | Duties | Goals | Statistics

HIGHLIGHTS

The completion of the Electronic Classroom on the Lower Level allowed Dana librarians to teach instructional classes with hands-on exercises in the same room. There were twelve microcomputers initially; three machines were added before the end of the fiscal year, and more are expected next year.

The Dana Library homepages were officially unveiled this year. Ray Schwartz and I co-manage the webpages, with assistance from Wen-Hua Ren.

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 in use as CD-ROM workstations and INFO terminals. Applications software available include word processing and spreadsheet programs; students can also do e-mail and access the Internet.

Dana Library continued to benefit from the presence of the student assistants in the Reference Area. During the school year, the students provided approximately 70 hours a week of coverage; student assistants were also on duty during the Summer months, for about 35 hours a week. New hires this year were Tejas Dhruv, Shipra Jain, and Manish Vakil. They joined Vincent Kong, Brian Tan, Simon Tsang, Avi Wadhwa, Shirley Ortiz, and Alex Volkov from last year, and answered well over 9,000 queries.

CD-ROM COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT

The collection grew to more than 300 titles this year. Notable acquisitions of the year included several full-text databases:
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Publications

Occupational Outlook Handbook 1996-97

Publications from the National Center for Health Statistics

Additional titles continued to stream in from the Government Printing Office, including many from the US Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

SCHOLARSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

A paper that Roberta Tipton and I wrote appeared in a conference proceedings:
Au, Ka-Neng, and Roberta Tipton. "Webpages as Courseware: Bibliographic Instruction on the Internet." Proceedings of the 18th National Online Meeting, Martha E. Williams, ed. Medford Lakes, NJ: Information Today, 1997, pp. 21-6.

I had three newsletter articles published during the year:

Au, Ka-Neng. "Marketing Research," SBDC Technology Help Desk Calendar of Events, 5, 3 (May-August 1997) p. 2. Also accessible as a Webpage at http://newark.rutgers.edu/~au/njseven.html)

Au, Ka-Neng. "Money on the Web," SBDC Technology Help Desk Calendar of Events, 4, 5 (November-December 1996) p. 2. (Also accessible as a Webpage at http://newark.rutgers.edu/~au/njsix.html)

Au, Ka-Neng. "'Hot' World Wide Web Sites," RUL Report, Fall 1996, insert. (Also accessible as a Webpage at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~au/favorite.htm)

I also wrote one book review:

Au, Ka-Neng. Review of "The Internet Library: Case Studies of Library Internet Management and Use," Julie Still, ed. (MecklerMedia, 1995), Library Software Review, 15, 3 (Fall 1996), 263-4.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS

I gave presentations on three occasions:
Au, Ka-Neng, and Roberta Tipton. "Web-based Information Literacy for Business Students". Business Reference and Services Section, Reference and User Services Association, ALA Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA, June 28, 1997.

Au, Ka-Neng. "Accountants on the Internet". New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, Conference, West Orange, NJ, May 21, 1997.

Au, Ka-Neng, and Roberta Tipton. "Webpages as Courseware: Bibliographic Instruction on the Internet". 18th National Online Meeting, New York, NY, May 13, 1997.

I also conducted the following workshops:

Au, Ka-Neng. "Introduction to the Internet". Rutgers School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Professional Development Studies Program, Piscataway, NJ, April 15, 1997.

Au, Ka-Neng. "Education and the Internet". Westfield High School, Inservice Workshop, Westfield, NJ, March 5, 1997

Au, Ka-Neng. "Introduction to the Internet". Rutgers School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Professional Development Studies Program, Piscataway, NJ, November 26, 1996.

Au, Ka-Neng. "Non-profit Organizations and the Internet". Rutgers School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Professional Development Studies Program, East Brunswick, NJ, November 21, 1996.

Au, Ka-Neng, and Theo Haynes. "Best Business Sites on the Internet". Rutgers School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Professional Development Studies Program, East Brunswick, NJ, November 6, 1996.

WEBPAGES

I maintain four subject Webguides on the Rutgers Libraries portion on INFO, all of which were recently revised:
Au, Ka-Neng. Stock and Commodity Exchanges, a Webpage on Rutgers INFO, created April 1996; last revised June 1997, 94 links. (http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rulib/socsci/busi/stocks.html)

Au, Ka-Neng. Banks and Financial Services, a Webpage on Rutgers INFO, created March 1995; last revised June 1997, 176 links. (http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rulib/socsci/busi/banks.html)

Au, Ka-Neng. Resources for Entrepreneurs & Small Business, a WebPage on Rutgers INFO, created April 1995; last revised June 1997, 95 links. (http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rulib/socsci/busi/smallbus.html)

Au, Ka-Neng, and Theo Haynes. Rutgers University Libraries Business Resources, a Webpage on Rutgers INFO, created November 1994; last revised June 1997, 234 links. (http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rulib/socsci/busi/business.html)
I also maintain several shorter Webpages that serve as an introduction to business resources on the Internet. The following pages were created or revised this year:
Using the Internet For Job Searches, created October 1996; last revised June 1997. (http://newark.rutgers.edu/~au/jobs.html)

Investing in Stocks and Commodities, created April 1996; last revised March 1997. (http://newark.rutgers.edu/~au/njfive.html)

Web and Gopher Resources for International Business, created November 1995; last revised March 1997. (http://newark.rutgers.edu/~au/njthree.html)

Selected Small Business Resources on the Internet, created April 1995; last revised March 1997. (http://newark.rutgers.edu/~au/njtwo.html)

With the help of Ray Schwartz, the Dana Library webpages were also made available on Rutgers INFO this year; the URL of the homepage is http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rulib/abtlib/danlib/dana.html

DUTIES

As the Microcomputer Systems Librarian, I have overall responsibility in evaluating, selecting, recommending, installing, and maintaining all microcomputer software and hardware. This year, the total number of machines in Newark rose to 119, mostly as a result of the completion of the Electronic Classroom on the Lower Level (see Table A). I also assisted Roberta Tipton in conducting a series of training workshops to improve the computer literacy of Dana Library staff.

I began a three-year term of office as an appointed member of the Planning Committee, and a two-year term as an appointed member of the Scholarly and Professional Activities Committee. I continue to serve as the Newark representative to the Coordinating Committee, and as a member of the PC Working Group. Most recently, I was appointed to serve on the Task Force for Fee-based Educational Programs.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES FOR FY1997/98

To oversee the installation of the new LIS computers

To continue to improve the computer literacy of library staff

Table A:
SELECTED STATISTICS

                                    FY91/92   FY92/93   FY93/94   FY94/95   FY95/96   FY96/97
Microcomputers
Lower Level:
Technical Services Dept                   2         2         2         2         4         4
Serials Department                        3         3         3         4         4         4
Copy Services                             1         2         2         3         1         1
Bibliographic Instruction                 2         2         1         1         2        17

First Floor:
Reference Office                          5         5         6        10        11        12
Reference Department                     30        23        25        31        36        32
ILL Office                                1         2         2         3         3         3
Circulation Department                    2         2         2         5         5         6
Administrative Office                     3         3         3         3         3         3

Second Floor:
Stacks                                    0         2         2         0         0         0

Fourth Floor:
Institute of Jazz Studies                 3         3         3         4         5         5
Media Services                            0         0         0         0        15        23

15 Washington St:
Criminal Justice Collection               9         9         9         9         9         9

Totals                                   61        58        60        75        98       119

Networked (LAN) Microcomputers
Dana Library:  
              Public machines            14        11        16        21        40        56
              Staff machines              0         0         4        11        15        24

Institute of Jazz Studies:
              Staff machines              0         0         0         0         2         2

Criminal Justice Library:
              Public machines             6         8         8         8         8         8
              Staff machines              1         1         1         1         1         1

Total Networked Microcomputers           21        20        29        41        66        91

Public CD-ROM Workstations          	 20        18        24        24        21        25

CD-ROM Titles                       	 91        103      125       212       270      >300
KNA: 970616