Comments on: Letting Alumni Know About The Academic Library http://acrlog.org/2008/11/11/letting-alumni-know-about-the-academic-library/ Blogging by and for academic and research librarians Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:32:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Barbara http://acrlog.org/2008/11/11/letting-alumni-know-about-the-academic-library/comment-page-1/#comment-105373 Barbara Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:10:27 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1134#comment-105373 I have reservations about providing alumni access. It's going to be limited (vendors won't all play, or they'll want a huge amount of money) and will cut what we can give current students - and it drains support / use of local libraries, which often have basic database access. Shouldn't we prepare our students to use libraries - not just ours? Why say "stick around in our walled garden" when we really would like them to be able to use other libraries just as handily. It fosters an unhealthy dependence. I have reservations about providing alumni access. It’s going to be limited (vendors won’t all play, or they’ll want a huge amount of money) and will cut what we can give current students – and it drains support / use of local libraries, which often have basic database access. Shouldn’t we prepare our students to use libraries – not just ours? Why say “stick around in our walled garden” when we really would like them to be able to use other libraries just as handily. It fosters an unhealthy dependence.

]]> By: Brent http://acrlog.org/2008/11/11/letting-alumni-know-about-the-academic-library/comment-page-1/#comment-105326 Brent Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:50:02 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1134#comment-105326 A couple of years ago, C&RL News published an article about libraries providing alumni access to library databases: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/crlnews/2006/jul/alumniaccess.cfm My library partnered with our alumni office in 2007 and started offering access to a database through JBU's secure AlumNet site. I wouldn't mind seeing the resource promoted a bit more, but our usage stats have been decent. ProQuest and EBSCO (and probably others) have info on their sites: http://www.proquest.com/assets/literature/products/databases/AlumniAccess.pdf http://www.ebscohost.com/thisTopic.php?marketID=1&topicID=167 A couple of years ago, C&RL News published an article about libraries providing alumni access to library databases: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/crlnews/2006/jul/alumniaccess.cfm

My library partnered with our alumni office in 2007 and started offering access to a database through JBU’s secure AlumNet site. I wouldn’t mind seeing the resource promoted a bit more, but our usage stats have been decent.

ProQuest and EBSCO (and probably others) have info on their sites:

http://www.proquest.com/assets/literature/products/databases/AlumniAccess.pdf

http://www.ebscohost.com/thisTopic.php?marketID=1&topicID=167

]]> By: Scott http://acrlog.org/2008/11/11/letting-alumni-know-about-the-academic-library/comment-page-1/#comment-105317 Scott Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:24:33 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1134#comment-105317 While we'll be able to help some alumni, it'll be a challenge for a growing proportion given that so many disciplines increasingly rely on econtent rather than print, and since many alums are from elsewhere and may move upon graduation. Open access econtent will help, but it's still pretty far from prevalent. Many campuses continue offering email and other relatively inexpensive single-sign-on-ish services to alumni. How many libraries offer continued econtent access to alumni? While we’ll be able to help some alumni, it’ll be a challenge for a growing proportion given that so many disciplines increasingly rely on econtent rather than print, and since many alums are from elsewhere and may move upon graduation. Open access econtent will help, but it’s still pretty far from prevalent.

Many campuses continue offering email and other relatively inexpensive single-sign-on-ish services to alumni. How many libraries offer continued econtent access to alumni?

]]> By: Barbara http://acrlog.org/2008/11/11/letting-alumni-know-about-the-academic-library/comment-page-1/#comment-105311 Barbara Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:27:53 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=1134#comment-105311 We scored a cover story on the library last year. It didn't hurt that I was willing to write it. Get to know your institution's news office staff. Not only will they be grateful for story ideas and news tips (an, sometimes, copy), they can refer media to librarians as experts to call on, and it will spread the news about what libraries are all about. We scored a cover story on the library last year. It didn’t hurt that I was willing to write it.

Get to know your institution’s news office staff. Not only will they be grateful for story ideas and news tips (an, sometimes, copy), they can refer media to librarians as experts to call on, and it will spread the news about what libraries are all about.

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