cheney.indd Convergence in the Library’s News Room: Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 1 Debora Cheney, Jeffrey Knapp, Robert Alan, and Pamela Czapla The use and importance of newspaper collections in academic libraries have been in decline as acquisition costs have increased significantly as the difficulty obtaining daily issues in a timely manner has grown, and as newspaper readership has declined nationally. In contrast, today’s student and researcher are using television and Internet news sources heavily. This article explores the role of the academic library’s news collections in complementing the university’s Newspaper Readership Program and supporting faculty efforts to develop their students’ critical thinking and media literacy skills.The authors suggest that digital news forms, includ- ing television, should be considered and included as part of the library’s collections. In this light, lessons can be learned from convergence taking place in the news industry. Libraries must also “converge” news sources to provide library users with news sources, which reflect today’s news environment and also reflect the “information cycle.” The newly created News Room at Pattee Library incorporates a three-television news viewing area; a broader selection of newspaper titles (particularly international titles); and a news magazine collection, as well as providing access to a wide variety of news aggregator database, and the library’s significant historical microfilm collection.A temporary television installation and focus groups were used to help inform the development of the News Room and to determine interest and resistance to sound and televisions in the library.The Libraries’ Serials Department provided analysis ofnewspaper delivery options (and reliability) and related subscription costs, as well as suggestions for reducing the number of missing/nonreceipt issues. In addition, greater focus was placed on niche reference service sup- porting news sources and news-related research. Use of the News and Microforms Library has increased. Debora Cheney is Larry and Ellen Foster Communications Librarian and Head, The News and Micro- forms Library in the Pennsylvania State University Libraries; e-mail: dcheney@psu.edu. Jeffrey Knapp is a Reference and Instruction Librarian at Penn State Altoona; e-mail: jak47@psu.edu. Robert Alan is Head, Serials and Acquisitions Services at the University Libraries at the Pennsylvania State University; e-mail: roa1@psulias.psu.edu. and Pamela Czapla is Reference Librarian, Penn State Dickinson School of Law, University Park Campus; e-mail: pjc2@psu.edu. 395 mailto:pjc2@psu.edu mailto:roa1@psulias.psu.edu mailto:jak47@psu.edu mailto:dcheney@psu.edu 396 College & Research Libraries September 2006 “Newspapers have a double life. On the one hand they date more quickly than milk and stale more quickly than bread. On the other hand … they provide a fascinating dipstick into history.” The Guardian (Manchester, U.K.) 1 or many years, academic libraries have paid consider- able a ention to newspaper preservation.2 However, less a ention has been placed on the current newspaper collection: prior to its preser- vation—its content, its accessibility, and its role in supporting the curriculum. There are many good reasons academic libraries have focused on preservation. Until recently, the role of the current newspaper collection was self-evident, as researchers and readers depended on libraries to provide a newspaper collec- tion, typically not available elsewhere. However, the decline in newspaper readership, the plethora of news sources now distributing news via the Internet,3 and the increased availability of news-fo- cused search engines, blogs, and 24-hour television news channels have all seemed to make the library’s daily newspaper less relevant. This has led many libraries to al- low their collections to lie fallow, as they have increasingly relied upon the Internet and newspaper database aggregators. Despite the growing presence of news on the Internet, radio, and television, a library’s current newspaper collection can continue to play a vital role in the academic community. Experts agree that students must begin to develop the “habit” of reading a newspaper, and, as Tom Curley [CEO, Ganne , Inc.] argues, it also doesn’t hurt to make newspapers “easily accessible and cheap. In fact make [newspapers] free or nearly so…,” if one seeks to improve newspaper readership among college-age students.4 The library can provide a place5 where newspapers are easily accessible and free to every user. In addition, the library’s current newspaper reading area can serve as a gateway to the library’s larger collections and services. This may ultimately be the single most important role libraries can play in teaching students about the role of newspapers and libraries in society. Many educators6 believe newspapers should be embedded into the curriculum and undergraduate education. Clearly, a library’s collection extends this principle by providing a study collection to help students hone their critical thinking and media literacy skills7 and potentially to increase their civic engagement.8 News- paper collections can complement cam- pus newspaper readership programs, and can expand the diversity of the library’s collections, by providing access to a wide range of domestic and international newspapers. Yet, if a library’s collection is to serve these roles once again, librarians must begin to recognize increasingly in- fluential digital news forms and integrate these into their news “collections.” This article describes how the Penn- sylvania State’s University Libraries’ newspaper collection was redefined to recognize today’s news environment and to increase use and awareness of the libraries’ news collection. By taking a lesson from the convergence occurring in the media industry and using a tem- porary television installation, enlisting focus groups, and working closely with the Serials Department, The News and Microforms Library was able to determine interest and resistance to creating the News Room at Pa ee Library, which incor- porates a three-television news viewing area and newspaper and news magazine collections. In addition, greater focus was placed on developing a niche reference service focusing on news-related research. The result has been increased use of the News and Microforms Library and its news collections. The idea of “packaging” news sources to provide access to international and domestic news programming alongside other “traditional” news outlets is a unique approach libraries can develop and modify. By combining resources to Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 397 reflect the “information cycle,” libraries can more fully become collaborators and partners in undergraduate education; can establish the importance of the library as place to observe, read, and research the news; and, ultimately, create new types of information commons. This article describes the Penn State University’s news environment and the concept of converging news sources in the News Room at Pa ee Library; provides an overview of efforts to determine interest and resistance to televisions in the library; and summarizes focus group findings that shaped the content and services provided in the News Room and the changes that have resulted following its implementation. Background: the University and the Library’s News Environment The objective is to create a reading and listening area within the Univer- sity Libraries which provides access to domestic and international news sources in a wide range of formats, for current browsing and use; for media and cultural studies research; and for general news research. –A Vision for the News “Collection” of the News and Microforms Library: Proposal to the University Libraries Administration, The Pennsylvania State University Libraries, 2002. The climate and support for increasing newspaper readership is strong at Penn State, which has a thriving and growing Newspaper Readership Program that was begun by President Graham Spanier in 1997.9 Students can pick up copies of USA Today, the New York Times, and the Centre Daily Times from specially designed news- paper boxes widely available throughout the campus.10 Students also have cable television in their dorm rooms, which provides access to most 24-hour news programming and the major networks. In addition, the student union building, public spaces in student housing, and many eating areas provide background television programming. For many years, the university librar- ies newspaper collections had a regular and heavy user-base, who often met the library staff at the door each morn- ing. The newspaper collection was used for everything from job or apartment searches to keeping up with events in far-flung corners of the world. However, the decline could be partly a ributed to a three-year building project and reloca- tion of the newspaper collection, which overlapped with significant change in the news landscape, declining newspaper circulation, and a decline in the number of daily newspapers in the U.S.11 Once the dust had se led, use of the newspaper collection had declined sharply. Of course, the trends affecting use of university libraries’ newspaper collec- tions were part of larger trends affecting newspaper readership, which is down overall as television news, newspaper Web sites, and, increasingly, blogs are used more frequently for news.12 Today, search engines designed to scoop up and present the news have changed the way we read the news. The result—news content that was once only available in the university library—now is seemingly everywhere. Just as the use of the newspaper col- lection has declined, so has the breadth and scope of the newspaper collection, as reliance on newspaper database aggrega- tors increased, backed up by the libraries’ newspapers on microfilm collection.13 Two factors influenced the number of titles in the collection. First was the diffi- culty obtaining a selection of newspapers (especially international newspapers) on, or nearly on, the day of publication via mail delivery, subscription services, or a local news agency. For example, a study of the arrival dates for 75 newspapers revealed that some were received days or weeks a er they had appeared on the newsstand. Although international read- ers and researchers were more forgiving, most had turned to the Internet. Inter- estingly, when staff offered newspaper http:collection.13 http:campus.10 398 College & Research Libraries September 2006 database aggregators as a source for their daily news, most indicated they did not find these sources a suitable replacement for current news. Second, as we evaluated ways to im- prove delivery times, we were faced with significantly increased subscription costs to obtain daily issues in a timelier manner. This reality made the cost of the current newspaper collection increasingly pro- hibitive. In short, although the university libraries had once played an important role in providing access to current newspapers, both changing technology and econom- ics had made it increasingly difficult to provide access to an extensive and viable newspaper collection. Sooner or later, eco- nomic realities, it seemed, would force the newspaper collection into extinction. (See Appendix I: Providing Access to Today’s Newspaper and News Magazines—The Technical Services Perspective.) However, three categories of regular requests indicated a continuing and abid- ing interest in and need for a physical format newspaper collection: • Requests for specific newspaper titles (frequently international newspa- pers), as well as requests for improved delivery of existing titles;14 • Requests for content missing or omi ed from the newspaper database aggregators, combined with significant delay in the receipt of the microfilm (if we even owned it) to supply this missing content;15 • Requests for content that users were unwilling to pay for from a newspaper Web site archive.16 Several television news trends also began to become more prominent: • The 9/11 Effect—in which students converge near televisions to watch cov- erage of news events as they unfold on television;17 • Requests for international news programming, particularly sources such as Al-Jazeera; • Requests for video of news pro- grams or segments for research and classroom use. While the library had provided ac- cess to a wide range of news database aggregators, this approach did not meet the needs expressed by many users. In this environment, it appeared that a dif- ferent definition of the news “collection” was needed. The News and Microforms Library needed to recognize and respond to the very fundamental changes in how news was being created, delivered, read, and viewed. It also presented an opportunity to create a place in the university librar- ies that reflected these changes. The News and Microforms Library could also contribute to developing greater media awareness by providing news sources from the moment of creation (televised and Internet news), which now preceded newspapers and continued on through weekly and monthly news and commen- tary magazines. Just as media industries had begun to converge,18 so should the library’s news “collections” converge. Convergence in the News Room at Pattee Library “Rather, thanks to the proliferation of channels and the increasingly ubiquitous nature of computing and communications, we are entering an era where media will be every- where, and we will use all kinds of media in relation to one another.”19 In Diffuse Libraries: Emergent Roles for the Research Library in the Digital Age, Wendy Pradt Lougee20 argues that “libraries face significant challenges in responding to change while sustaining their traditional functions.” However, she goes on, “as distributed and collaborative models emerge, libraries are taking on far more diffuse roles within the campus community and beyond. That is, libraries are becoming more deeply engaged in the creation and dissemination of knowledge and are becoming essential collabora- tors with the other stakeholders in these activities.” http:archive.16 Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 399 The question was: how best to address the limitations of print newspaper col- lections (date of delivery and subscrip- tion costs) and recognize the role digital news coverage and news and commen- tary magazines play in the information cycle? Sources such as Vanderbilt Televi- sion News Archive (VTNA) are a valuable resource, but what about international news programming and domestic news programming not provided by VTNA? How could we provide an environment that allowed students to congregate and to observe major news events as they happen or to create a place where they can observe and compare differences in news programming and coverage—both domestic and international? Could the library become the place for current news, regardless of its format, as well as provide access to news for tomorrow’s research?21 If the News and Microforms Library could create a unique “collection” of news sources, it would allow teaching faculty and students to become engaged with news sources from the beginning of the information cycle. The goal, then, was to develop a new type of “collection” that allowed students and faculty to use and study news sources as news was created—not just later as it was archived and preserved for future research—and thus to collaborate in and enhance un- dergraduate education. Libraries have integrated nonprint collections (film/video/audio resources, e-journals, and electronic databases, for example) into their collections in response to the changing information landscape. Yet, surprisingly li le information or re- search is available about whether libraries should view television content as part of a library’s collection as an information source. Pat Ensor has acknowledged the benefits of television in general as an edu- cational medium and questioned libraries’ overreliance on text-based sources. She also addressed the potential problems that she believed might result by placing televisions in a library: specifically, the issue of sound disturbing patrons. Most germane was her treatment of why librar- ies should have televisions when most people have them at home and stressed that no ma er how ubiquitous televisions may be, not everyone can access them during the day or can afford the costs of subscribing to the many international channels.22 One well-documented installation of a television in a library focusing solely on news programming is located at the Kapiolani Community College Library (Honolulu, Hawaii).23 Terry Webb dis- cusses the importance of the “channels of information” offered by television, the importance of providing television news services in libraries in light of converging media technologies, and the arrangement of the news sources in the NewsWare Al- cove according to their chronology in the news cycle.24 Webb also makes clear the distinction between simply placing a tele- vision in a public place and focusing on television news. In the case of Kapiolani Community College, news programming is carefully selected and scheduled by a li- brarian for use as an academic resource. Other relevant literature includes the “information commons” model and its use of technology as a means of informa- tion delivery. Laurie MacWhinnie de- scribes libraries that have “reconfigured their physical space and redesigned ser- vices … by adopting … a central location that provides computers, information resources in various formats, and staff assistance.”25 With these ideas, the News and Microforms Library began to inves- tigate the interest of (and resistance to) converging different news formats within the News and Microforms Library that would include: • television news viewing area that would provide only news programming on three televisions from cable and satel- lite dish service26—the concept was to increase international news programming not available elsewhere on campus and to provide three simultaneous television screens to allow users to compare news coverage from different sources; http:cycle.24 http:Hawaii).23 http:channels.22 400 College & Research Libraries September 2006 • current newspaper collection (con- taining more international and selected domestic titles) that would provide additional sources to allow students to compare newspaper coverage in differ- ent regions of the world. The University Libraries’ Serials Department would de- termine how best to improve delivery of daily newspapers (See Appendix I: Providing Access to Today’s Newspaper and News Magazines—The Technical Services Perspective); • news magazine collection that would provide selected weekly and monthly magazines for news and politi- cal and social commentary across a wide range of viewpoints (these magazines were currently sca ered throughout dif- ferent periodical locations in Pa ee/Pa- terno Library).27 These three “current news collections” would be complemented by the existing collection of newspapers on microfilm and the many newspaper aggregator databases offered by the library. As the News and Microforms Library began to develop its vision for the News Room at Pa ee Library (Figure 1: Layout of the News and Microforms Library), a series of questions remained to be answered: • Would users be interested in tele- vision news programming in the library if they already had access to cable news programming in their dorms, classrooms, and in many other public spaces? • Would they be interested in non- English language news programming? • What would the reaction be to tele- visions (and sound) in the library—albeit an application which focused exclusively on news programming and incorporated international and domestic news pro- gramming? Determining Interest and Resistance to Televisions in the Library “to better understand how our patrons feel about this service and determine the types of program- ming our patrons would be most interested in… Programming, no- tification of programming, and scheduling will be determined from the data collected.”—Statement of purpose from the proposal to the Of- fice for Research Protections, Penn State University, 2003. Two approaches were used to deter- mine interest and resistance to televisions in the library. First was a temporary instal- lation of three televisions. The second was the use of faculty and student focus groups that would help us determine any specific resistance to televisions in the library and would allow us to explore, in general, ideal content of the newspaper and news magazine collection. We also needed to take into consideration the lay- out of the News and Microforms Library and the impact the facility would have on the ability to install a television news viewing area. Layout of the News and Microforms Library The News and Microforms Library is a large room, essentially divided in half by a wall that spans slightly more than half the width of the room. (See Figure 1: Layout of the News and Microforms Library.) The News Room at Pa ee Library is located on the front side of this dividing wall, with the televisions located on an inside wall away from the entrance. Us- ers who enter the News and Microforms Library can be entirely unaware of the television area, unless they are looking for it or enter deeper into the room. The News and Microforms Library also has study carrels, large reading/study tables, and some casual seating. The microforms collections are positioned on the other side of the wall that divides this large room. This arrangement keeps the sound and any activity associated with the news side of the room separate from research- ers using the microforms collections. The News and Microforms Library is part of the library’s extended hours area and is http:Library).27 Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 401 FIGURE 1 Layout of the News and Microforms Library, Including the News Room at Pattee Library 402 College & Research Libraries September 2006 open until 2:00 a.m. (the rest of the library closes at midnight). The Temporary Television Installation Media and Technology Services placed three 36-inch televisions in the News and Microforms Library just before the end of the fall semester 2002 in the location we planned to use for the final installation. In the beginning, we used existing furniture to provide seating and tables and changed their orientation to create an area focused on the televisions. The televisions were connected only to the campus cable ser- vice, and the newspaper and news maga- zine collections were not yet changed. Our hope at this stage was to test reactions to the television programming, to determine any resistance to sound generated by the televisions, and to discover whether stu- dents would accept closed-captioning as a replacement for sound. We also hoped to gain some insight into how best to pres- ent programming on three side-by-side televisions. From the beginning, we elected to have sound on only one television at a time; the other televisions would use close-caption- ing. Sound that came from the temporary installation televisions emanated from the television speakers directly into the room. Staff in the News and Microforms Library developed a schedule of news program- ming (and channel changes),28 and staff and librarians at the News and Micro- forms Library reference desk changed the channels according to the schedule. The reaction to the televisions was im- mediate and grouped around three con- cerns. The first concern was about sound. One reason for this concern was that the News and Microforms Library had be- come a sleepy area of the library—the few researchers who used it typically were using the microform collections or using the area as a quiet study and reading area. The second concern dealt with the grow- ing presence of televisions on campus in public spaces. These users questioned the need to add televisions in this area when they were available elsewhere.29 The third concern was from students who used the News and Microforms Library during extended library hours (midnight to 2 a.m.) and who felt the sound would be a disruption, particularly at this time. Because of these concerns, we decided to conduct faculty and student focus groups to determine if the benefits of the television news viewing area outweighed the concerns or if additional concerns would surface. Clearly, we did not want to disrupt researchers and students if few people were interested in additional news sources. The Focus Groups Subsequently, we conducted focus groups to be er understand the impact of placing televisions in a library se ing and to discuss with the participants the content and potential use of news col- lections as we proposed to revise them.30 Students were solicited with classroom announcements and flyers posted around campus. Faculty were solicited through personal contacts, e-mails, and flyers. To thank participants at the end the session, compensation was provided: faculty received a voucher for the library café, and students received a modest amount of cash. Because we wanted to explore re- sistance to the physical location of the television area, the focus group sessions were held in the area where the three- television temporary installation was located.31 Four focus groups were held in April 2003—two faculty groups and two student groups.32 The six questions varied slightly for faculty and students:33 1. Do you watch or read news regu- larly? 2. Do you use or have you been re- quired to use news programming in your courses? 3. Do the televisions in the News and Microforms Library add value to our newspaper and news magazine collec- tions? 4. Is sound important for watching news? http:groups.32 http:located.31 http:elsewhere.29 Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 403 5. During what times of day, or un- der what circumstances, would you be most likely to watch television news the most? 6. Is there anything you would like to add that we have not discussed? What the Focus Groups Told Us The focus groups allowed us to determine interest quickly and easily in the News Room at Pa ee Library generally and any resistance to having televisions focused entirely on news programming located in the News and Microforms Library. They also confirmed our vision for the News Room. Generally, we found that students and faculty were receptive to the idea of the television news area and supportive of the other related services and collections. Several of the participants—both faculty and students—had never been to this area of the library before and expressed sur- prise at its existence, or, if they had used this area, were pleased by the preliminary changes made in furniture layout and the area’s improved appearance since their last visit. “Collection” Content Students told us that generally they prefer Internet-based news sites and USA Today to the New York Times and that they do not systematically seek out other newspapers, except possibly their hometown newspa- per. Students considered the concept of presenting three simultaneous news pro- grams acceptable and suggested for the three televisions a mix of domestic news, international news, and finance and busi- ness news.34 Faculty read a broader mix of newspapers, including international newspapers, but few used the library regularly to do so, since they rely heavily on the Internet for daily news. Both students and faculty expressed the desire to have some international pro- gramming and newspapers, even when reminded that these sources would not be in English. Students, surprisingly, were very supportive of this idea, while those who read or spoke other languages saw this as an advantage. Although no agree- ment was reached on which language or nation should be represented, both faculty and students felt that international pro- gramming was an important component to providing television news in the library. Participants recognized for themselves that international programming was desirable for language acquisition, for presenting alternative news perspectives, and for pro- viding news from home countries. Local news programming was not considered as important as international news, especially to students who didn’t consider the Penn State community their home of interest and considered the campus newspaper the Daily Collegian, adequate to their needs. Sound in the Library Sound was discussed at length. However, there was measured consensus from both faculty and students that sound is a nec- essary component of television viewing. Possible solutions included: headphones, radio-frequency boxes and closed-cap- tioning, although it was recognized that closed-captioning is not always accurate, nor is it available for international pro- gramming.35 The general consensus was that sound was permissible if handled properly. Most seemed to agree the News and Microforms library was not a quiet study area (despite what many users of the area thought) and the students did not expect entirely silent study space in this area of the library.36 Faculty were the least concerned about sound and felt students would find space for quiet study if they needed it. Students acknowledged that at times they might actually want some “down time” with sound and would welcome this area for those times, sound included. They also recognized that there were other quiet study areas throughout the library. However, most students felt that the extended hours (midnight to 2:00 a.m.) should not include television sound since alternative areas for quiet study at this time were less available and students were more likely to be studying. http:library.36 http:gramming.35 404 College & Research Libraries September 2006 The Curriculum Connection Here the results were less clear. Students could not recall assignments requiring them to observe news programming. Faculty danced around the idea of using the television area for classroom instruc- tion—that is, bringing a class to the area and conducting class while observing the news content.37 Most indicated it was a nice idea but did not commit. More- over, the possibility of using the area for instruction generated several potential problems. First, class size and the number of seats in the area did not accommodate the usual class size; second, sound for dis- cussion and instruction would become an additional sound concern for those in the area; third, news programming to be stud- ied might not coincide with the scheduled course time. Finally, taping facilities and capabilities were recommended as one possible solution by faculty. Converging News Sources In general, both faculty and students understood the crossover and relation- ship with the current newspaper and proposed news magazine collection and generally considered it a good idea, de- spite the number of newspapers and news magazines each read and the amount of news programming they watched being limited. Additional titles were suggested from those proposed for the news maga- zine collection. Was it Desirable to Have Television News in the Library? Although both faculty and students liked the idea of television in the library, they did not appear to consider the library a destination for television news; this may be because some of the participants had never visited this area of the library and even expressed some difficulty locating the area for the focus group session.38 Most thought that they were likely to use the area for breaking news (for example, elec- tion coverage, the Columbia Space Shu le disaster, Saddam Hussein’s capture, and similar events) or for a break toward the end of the day. Students felt the most fre- quent use of the area would be for a “quick hit of news.” They felt that using the area for documentaries or other news-related programs would be a distraction from a ending classes. They did not consider this area as a place to linger. Consulting with the Library Services for Persons with Disabilities Office (LSPDO) Over the following weeks, we consulted with the Coordinator of Library Services for Persons with Disabilities, since the entrance to her department was through and past the proposed television news viewing area. We explored several ques- tions with her: Would the television news viewing area be perceived as a service by persons with disabilities since it would include closed-captioning for domestic programming? Would use of the area cause any new problems for persons try- ing to reach the LSPDO? Was sound in the area just outside their office considered a problem? Generally, the responses to these queries were positive. In fact, the Coordinator of the LSPDO felt that the addition of sound and closed-captioning would allow many students with vision and hearing disabilities to use the tele- vision area. Later, as we evaluated our print newspaper collection, we added the New York Times large print edition to the newspaper collection in an effort to meet the needs of these library users. Improving News-Related Reference Services Wendy Pradt Lougee argues that libraries have traditionally separated reference and instruction services from collection sup- port services. However, in light of chang- ing user behavior, libraries should develop “user services that reflect the development of complex and integrating systems of support.”39 In the News and Microforms Library there were several unique and overlapping areas where niche-focused reference services should be improved40 to support news-related reference services: • Developing greater awareness of the newspapers content (selected, full, or http:session.38 http:content.37 Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 405 omi ed stories) and years of coverage in the newspaper database aggregators and how they differed; • Helping researchers identify which specific newspaper were included in the various aggregators; • Clarifying the relationship of the print collection to the microfilm hold- ings—the gap between arrival of the microfilm, database coverage, and the newspaper o en caused confusion; • Helping researchers locate specific stories in newspapers; • Helping researchers conduct sub- ject searches in newspaper sources (in electronic and microfilm formats); • Improving awareness of historical newspapers on microfilm (“hidden col- lections”) sets, such as the Underground Newspaper Collection on microfilm. To improve our services, we used the following approaches: • Increased the number of subject librarians who worked at the News and Microforms Library Reference Desk; • Improved staff and librarian train- ing both in the News and Microforms Library and librarywide by increasing searching and database content; • Created the Find E-Newspapers by Title tool to help users locate newspaper content in the database aggregators;41 • Created Web pages for specific types of information frequently sought, such as the Where Can I Find Nielsen Ratings;42 To increase awareness of the News Room at Pa ee Library, several approaches were used: • Added the News and Microforms Library to the list of possible areas to visit during the Libraries’ Open House—dur- ing this annual event nearly 2,000 stu- dents become oriented to the library as a place; typically the New York Times would provide giveaways that a racted students to this area;43 • Created news-oriented displays at the Pa ee, West entrance that focused on subjects in the news and also promoted the news collections; • Contacted the Newspaper Reader- ship Program, who included a link from their Web page to the News Room at Pa ee Library Web page;44 • Partnered with the Preservation De- partment to create a digital archive of the student newspaper, the Digital Collegian, 1887–1976.45 To support greater understanding of newspapers and how news sources fit into the information cycle, two tutorials were developed with the help of the Libraries’ Instructional Programs Department, The Information Cycle and the Minute Module: How to Read a Newspaper.46 The News Room at Pattee Library— What Change Has Wrought “I use it. I brought my feature-writ- ing class in for a ‘day in the life of the feature section’ session. The idea was simply for everyone to grab several days’ editions of a national paper, note down what the features section was writing about on those days, and report to the rest of the class.”—Russell Frank, associate professor, Journalism Department47 We purchased vertical blinds, com- fortable chairs and tables specifically for the television news viewing area, and painted an interior wall a contrasting color. Together, these changes now dis- tinguish the television area from the rest of the room. The television area includes three 50-inch flat-screen televisions.48 To address sound concerns, directional speakers were placed in the ceiling at the inside corners of the television area. Sound is now rarely an issue,49 as these speakers direct sound only into the televi- sion area, unlike the televisions used for the temporary installation.50 Television programming is controlled by a schedule (See figure 2: Typical News Programming Schedule), that is coordinated by the News and Periodicals Collections Super- visor; staff and librarians help change the channels throughout the day according to the schedule. We regularly receive http:installation.50 http:televisions.48 http:Newspaper.46 http:1887�1976.45 406 College & Research Libraries September 2006 FIGURE 2 Television News Area TV Schedule UNITED STATES SOUTH AMERICA CNN CNN Español SUR CNN Headline News MSNBC MIDDLE EAST CNBC Al–Jazeera Future TV Fox News Channel C-SPAN FRANCE C-SPAN 2 TV 5 GERMANY CHINA Deutsche–Welle CCTV–4 Phoenix North American Chinese Channel ITALY ATV Home Channel RAI International MULTINATIONAL RUSSIA SCOLA NTVA Sunday Time TV 1 TV 2 TV 3 12 p.m.–2 p.m. Fox News SCOLA C-SPAN 2 p.m.–4 p.m. Fox News SUR C-SPAN 4 p.m.–6 p.m. C-SPAN 2 CNN Español CNN Headline 6 p.m.–8 p.m. C-SPAN 2 Deutsche-Welle CNN Headline 8 p.m.–10 p.m. PBS-U Al-Jazeera CNN 10 p.m.–12 a.m. PBS-U Al-Jazeera CNN 12 a.m.–2 a.m. PBS-U CNN Headline CNN Monday Time TV 1 TV 2 TV 3 8 a.m.–10 a.m. CNN Headline CCTV-4 CNBC 10 a.m.–12 p.m. CNNHeadline ATVHC CNBC 12 p.m.–2 p.m. MSNBC Al-Jazeera C-SPAN 2 p.m.–4 p.m. MSNBC SUR C-SPAN 4 p.m.–6 p.m. CNN TV 5 Fox News 6 p.m.–8 p.m. CNN Al-Jazeera Fox News 8 p.m.–10 p.m. CNN Deutsche-Welle Fox News 10 p.m.–12 a.m. C-SPAN 2 CNN Español CNBC 12 a.m.–2 a.m. C-SPAN 2 CNN Headline CNBC Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 407 FIGURE 2 Television News Area TV Schedule Tuesday Time TV 1 TV 2 TV 3 8 a.m.–10 a.m. CNN Headline CCTV-4 Fox News 10 a.m.–12 p.m. CNN Headline Deutsche-Welle Fox News 12 p.m.–2 p.m. CNN CNN Español C-SPAN 2 p.m.–4 p.m. CNN Al-Jazeera C-SPAN 4 p.m.–6 p.m. MSNBC CNN Español CNN 6 p.m.–8 p.m. MSNBC TV 5 CNN 8 p.m.–10 p.m. MSNBC Al-Jazeera CNN 10 p.m.–12 a.m. Fox News SUR CNN Headline 12 a.m.–2 a.m. Fox News PBS-U CNN Headline Wednesday Time TV 1 TV 2 TV 3 8 a.m.–10 a.m. CNN Headline CCTV-4 Fox News 10 a.m.–12 p.m. CNN Headline Al-Jazeera Fox News 12 p.m.–2 p.m. CNBC Deutsche-Welle C-SPAN 2 p.m.–4 p.m. CNBC SCOLA C-SPAN 4 p.m.–6 p.m. CNN CNN Español C-SPAN 2 6 p.m.–8 p.m. CNN Al-Jazeera C-SPAN 2 8 p.m.–10 p.m. MSNBC TV 5 CNN 10 p.m.–12 a.m. MSNBC SUR CNN 12 a.m.–2 a.m. MSNBC Fox News CNN Thursday Time TV 1 TV 2 TV 3 8 a.m.–10 a.m. CNN Al-Jazeera News World Intl. 10 a.m.–12 p.m. CNN CNN Español News World Intl. 12 p.m.–2 p.m. MSNBC Deutsche-Welle CNBC 2 p.m.–4 p.m. MSNBC Al-Jazeera CNBC 4 p.m.–6 p.m. CNN Headline CNN Español Fox News 6 p.m.–8 p.m. CNN Headline TV 5 Fox News 8 p.m.–10 p.m. CNN Headline Deutsche-Welle Fox News 10 p.m.–12 a.m. PBS-U SUR CNN 12 a.m.–2 a.m. PBS-U Fox News CNN 408 College & Research Libraries September 2006 FIGURE 2 Television News Area TV Schedule Friday Time TV 1 TV 2 TV 3 8 a.m.–10 a.m. CNN CCTV-4 Fox News 10 a.m.–12 p.m. CNN CNN Español Fox News 12 p.m.–2 p.m. MSNBC Future TV CNN Headline 2 p.m.–4 p.m. MSNBC Al-Jazeera CNN Headline 4 p.m.–6 p.m. C-SPAN CNN Español CNBC 6 p.m.–8 p.m. C-SPAN SUR CNBC 8 p.m.–10 p.m. CNN Headline Al-Jazeera WPSX 10 p.m.–12 a.m. CNN Headline Phoenix WPSX Saturday Time TV 1 TV 2 TV 3 9 a.m.–10 a.m. CNN CCTV-4 MSNBC 10 a.m.–12 p.m. CNN Deutsche-Welle MSNBC 12 p.m.–2 p.m. C-SPAN 2 Al-Jazeera Fox News 2 p.m.–4 p.m. C-SPAN 2 SCOLA Fox News 4 p.m.–6 p.m. MSNBC CNN Español C-SPAN 6 p.m.–8 p.m. MSNBC Al-Jazeera C-SPAN 8 p.m.–10 p.m. CNN Headline CCTV-4 Fox News 10 p.m.–12 a.m. CNN Headline TV 5 Fox News ***Schedule subject to change due to frequent changes in channel programming. Center television to be accompanied by sound from 8 a.m.–12 a.m.. Sound on the left and right televisions can be accessed by radio frequency. For comments or suggestions, please contact the News and Microforms Library staff at 863–0377: Debora Cheney, Foster Communications Librarian and Head, The News and Microforms Library Lisa Morgan, News and Periodicals Collections Supervisor requests for specific programs and, most frequently, international news, which we try to accommodate. One television (typically the center television) is always devoted to international programming, which is taken from two satellite dishes located on the library roof. This center television always has sound, because international programming does not provide closed-captioning. The remaining two televisions use closed-captioning. The satellite controllers and VHS and DVD players are located in a staff workroom near the Reference Desk. We have had few requests to record specific programs. We have dressed the room with news- related artwork: historical photographs from the New York Times; photographs donated by the student newspaper the Daily Collegian; art posters showing the subjects reading a newspaper; historical front pages of the student newspaper, Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 409 beginning with its first issue; and, finally, a poster-sized display (created by an employee in the News and Microforms Library) of the history of the newspaper. Recently, we added a group study with two flat-screen televisions to allow stu- dents to watch in groups or to allow those who would like to listen to more than one channel. The News and Microforms Library has wireless network access and many library computers, digital micro- forms scanning equipment, a photocopier, public printer, and flatbed scanner. The newspaper and news magazine collections are located in the center of the room on periodical and newspaper shelving (See Figure 1: Layout of the News and Microforms Library). From the reference desk, we observe many different types of users: those who pick up a news magazine or newspaper and read while “listening” to the televisions; those who use only the television area or only the newspaper, news magazine, or microforms collections. Many students study in this area. Faculty now borrow daily issues of international newspapers for use in their classroom (we loan for a two-hour period). We have had few complaints about noise once the ceiling speakers were installed but in response to the student focus groups, we turn off the televisions from midnight, 2:00 a.m. The News and Microforms Library is being used with greater frequency. Based on hourly room counts, there was a 26% increase in users to the television area from FY 2003–04 to FY 2004–05. Use of the microforms collections side of the room has also increased 17% during the same period. The television area has been used as a backdrop for a recruitment video and as the location of a fundrais- ing reception, and it has attracted an endowment from the New York Times to support the collections and services in the News and Microforms Library. We regularly promote scheduled televised events: presidential press conferences and the presidential debates, for example, by using a neon marker “black board” near the entrance to the News and Microforms Library. We have developed signs that we distribute throughout the Library for major events.51 Today, the News and Microforms Li- brary is the home for the library’s news collection and includes news in many formats. The News Room at Pa ee Library includes five distinct “collections”: The Television News Viewing Area; the cur- rent newspaper collection; the O’Toole/ Gray News Magazine Collection; a growing variety of newspaper databases; and the library’s historical newspaper on microfilm collection (See Appendix II: A Summary of the Collections in the News and Microforms Library). We seek to provide students and researchers with domestic and international news coverage of today’s news, tomorrow’s news, and yesterday’s news. Our goal is to serve the needs of students and researchers who have an interest in news as it relates to political, social, and cultural events and who seek to stay informed in a comfort- able and relaxed se ing. Conclusion In the end, creating an area within the News and Microforms Library that fo- cused on news-related library services and “collections” in a variety of formats wasn’t really all that difficult to achieve. By working closely with the Serials Department, obtaining feedback from faculty and students, creating informal liaisons with the Newspaper Readership Program, and establishing the News and Microforms Library as the location for niche reference services related to news sources, we have enhanced and increased use of a li le-used area of the library. The staff and librarians have worked closely to create effective and knowledgeable refer- ence services to meet the needs of news researchers. By placing news sources in relation to one another (“packaging” services and collections) academic librar- ies can become an active collaborator in undergraduate education, in improving http:events.51 410 College & Research Libraries September 2006 information and media literacy, and in helping our users to understand why our collections must be diverse and widely accessible. Our installation proved that users will not abandon the library because of sound emanating from televisions, al- though they (and we) may initially resist their installation. Our world, our stu- dents, our faculty are increasingly using digital news forms. Libraries must begin to explore what our role is in providing access to this information format. It is true not every library will have the appropriate library space or desire to develop a newsroom that incorporates televisions. However, the concept of packaging information sources to at- tract today’s student and researcher to the library is important. In many cases, libraries have not always helped their users recognize, through the way they lay out their collections and services, exactly how the library can support their research needs. In the case of the News and Microforms Library, use of traditional and nonelectronic formats have increased by providing technology (digital scanners are now used heavily by researchers us- ing microfilm and microfiche collections) and by providing knowledgeable news- related reference services.52 Converging information sources may be one approach that will allow libraries to a ract and re- tain today’s researcher and student. APPENDIX I Providing Access to Today’s Newspaper and News Magazines —The Technical Services Perspective by Bob Alan, Head, Serials Department The increasing importance of nonprint media (such as video, audio, and online databases) is now a challenge for techni- cal services departments whose staff skill sets are based primarily on managing print resources. Particularly significant has been the exponential growth in the number of electronic journals, full-text aggregators, and citation databases acquired or licensed by the University Libraries. Convergence of media formats offers technical service departments the opportunity to think beyond traditional boundaries that can impede the library’s user community from using valuable collections, particularly time-sensitive news resources. From a technical ser- vices perspective, then, convergence is about providing users with information, regardless of its format, in a manner that will allow the library to provide these collections as a service to the library’s users. Penn State’s Serials Department 5 3 was increasingly aware of its role in providing improved access to current newspapers. Recently, a ention has fo- cused on providing access to nonprint formats and electronic formats. The role of technical services in providing ac- cess to daily newspapers has been li le studied or evaluated, yet they present particular challenges. In 2002, the Seri- als Department managed subscriptions to approximately 75 print newspapers, representing local, regional, national, and international interests for the News and Microforms Library. The challenge was to provide a wide range of titles, many from international sources; to provide fast access to daily issues at a reasonable cost; and to do so within a centralized technical services organizational structure within the university libraries. Several problems affect the receipt of domestic and foreign print newspapers: • Some newspapers were received in the library days or even weeks a er the publication date; • Many newspapers required signifi- cantly higher subscription costs to ensure more timely receipt; http:services.52 Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 411 • Some newspapers were not re- ceived on a consistent basis; however, nor- mal or typical claiming procedures could not be applied because daily newspaper issues were not recorded in the Innovacq serials workflows, in an effort not to delay their arrival in the News and Microforms Library. Part of the challenge was that the newspapers were acquired from three different sources: • Most local, regional, and a few national titles were acquired from a local news agency; • Subscriptions to most national and a few international titles were maintained with a subscription agent; • Subscriptions to the remaining international titles were received directly from the publisher. The Serials Department began by reviewing collection receipt dates and the vendor source of the newspapers in the collection. We also benchmarked our own procedures and vendors against several Pennsylvania research libraries.54 We determined: • First, we must decrease the lag time between publication date and de- livery (or nonfulfillment) and determine if those libraries experienced similar problems. We learned these libraries also experienced time lags and fulfillment problems and used the same variety of vendor and subscription sources.55 We soon realized we would be able to pro- vide a selected and limited number of daily newspapers in a timely manner to the News and Microforms Library with- out significantly increasing subscription costs; • Second, we must find ways to reduce the number of missing and non- receipt issues; • Third, we must find ways to pro- vide more international titles; using the results of the focus group survey and requests received from library users for specific newspapers, we knew readers of these titles were less critical of the date of receipt. The Local News Agency The first issue addressed was the receipt of newspapers ordered through the re- gional news agency. The regional news agency was thought to be the best solution for providing timely access to the limited number of newspapers available in the agency’s title inventory. Same-day deliv- ery and more efficient billing were the pri- mary reasons for using the news agency versus direct subscriptions. Through this method, we were able to add several newspaper titles at reasonable cost. However, although the Serials Depart- ment maintained a deposit account with the news agency, their business model was not necessarily compatible with a library environment, where reliable and timely delivery of newspapers is important. The news agency’s customer base included a broad array of commercial outlets such as grocery and convenience stores as well as libraries. The agency’s profit margins were directly linked to the sale of publications and libraries; even those as large as Penn State could not necessarily compete with the profits generated from sales through commercial outlets. For this reason, occa- sionally the library would not receive its full complement of newspapers (and other periodicals). A study of receipts over a four-week period revealed few fulfillment problems; however, a study over a longer time period did reveal fulfillment prob- lems for several high-use news magazines and some newspapers. For news maga- zines, the library had maintained multiple subscriptions with the news agency for many titles to address this problem, but we decided on a different approach. The Serials Department decided to split these multiple subscriptions between the news agency and a serials subscription vendor. The goal was to ensure timely receipt of most copies (via the news agency) and ensure fulfillment of any missing copies from the serial subscription agent. Serial Subscription Agents and Direct Subscriptions Domestic and international newspapers http:sources.55 http:libraries.54 412 College & Research Libraries September 2006 maintained with subscription agents or directly from the publishers were the most problematic. The time lag for six major domestic newspapers ranged from 6 to 12 days after publication. Even those high-demand international newspapers experienced time lags that ranged from 3 to 45 days. Management of these subscriptions was time consum- ing for the Serials Department staff, and the service was considered unac- ceptable. Alternatives were explored, including moving some subscriptions to other vendors based on country of ori- gin and changing delivery for selected domestic and international newspapers from standard or ground mail to priority or airmail service. This la er approach would on average more than double subscription costs and in most cases only lessen the time lag and not guarantee same-day delivery. APPENDIX II A Summary of the Collections in the News and Microforms Library by Debora Cheney The Television News Viewing Area In the Television News Viewing Area, we provide news coverage from the campus cable of news channels, such as CNN, CNN Headline News, CNBC, MSNBC, and Fox News Channel. These channels offer 24-hour news coverage in a variety of formats, including global news cover- age from an American perspective, inter- view and commentary programs on “top stories,” and debate programs with guests who offer their “expertise” on the topic at hand from a range of viewpoints. We also incorporate C-SPAN and C-SPAN 2 for its coverage of Congress and its other varied programming. We have added satellite capabilities to offer students and researchers interna- tional news programs from a variety of countries and languages, including Latin America, North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Our goals for in- corporating international news program- ming into our television news schedule are as diverse as the geographical and cultural spectrum we present: • To offer the opportunity for research- ers to keep informed about events in other countries. International news coverage is one way from which researchers can learn about current events around the globe. In addition, international programming pres- ents a diversity of viewpoints by expanding the political and social debate to include the perspectives and opinions of people in other countries and other cultures; • To give researchers the opportunity to see how news is presented in other lan- guages and cultures and to compare and contrast international news broadcasts with domestic coverage; • To provide international students the opportunity to keep up with current events in their part of the globe and to stay in touch with topics of interest to them from home; • To offer foreign-language students exposure to their language of study as it is naturally spoken in the country of origin. International programming is always shown with sound, which requires many different program and channel changes during the day. Our scheduling goal is to provide as much access to as many differ- ent news programs from as many differ- ent countries and languages as possible in relation to channel availability. The other two televisions will play with the sound muted, but with the inclusion of closed- captioning to provide access to dialogue. Closed-captioning also gives patrons with hearing impairment the opportunity to access news coverage from American channels. Radio receivers on the two closed-captioned televisions offer listen- ers the option to listen to the broadcasts through their radio and headphones. Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 413 We also offer viewing accommodations in the News and Microforms Library Group Study for students who request access to news-focused programming for class as- signments. Researchers and students who want to hold discussion groups about news or news-related television content have two televisions for comparative capability in the Group Study. The Group Study can be reserved in advance and will follow the News and Microforms Librar- ies’ wri en policy guidelines available at the News and Microforms reference desk and in the Group Study. Program requests for class assignments should be made in advance. The televisions in the group study room are an extension of the Television Viewing Area, and the purpose is the same for both areas: to provide the availability of news program- ming for researchers and students of the University. The Current Newspaper Collection Adjacent to the television news viewing area is our current newspaper collection, incorporating more than 75 local, na- tional, international, and special interest newspapers from across the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. (For a complete list of titles, see: h p://www. libraries.psu.edu/newsandmicroforms/.) These newspapers effectively extend the university’s Newspaper Readership Program by providing a wide range of international and domestic newspapers and allows students and researchers to compare and contrast coverage of world events or to focus on national and local events. The O’Toole/Gray News Magazine Collection56 The O’Toole/Gray News Magazine col- lection includes 24 popular newsweekly and monthly publications from a range of opinions across the political landscape, from the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and South America, in English, French, Portuguese, German, and Spanish. (For a complete list of titles, see: h p://www. libraries.psu.edu/newsandmicroforms/ otoole.htm). This magazine collection has been particularly popular—it is not unusual to see students reading a maga- zine from the collection while listening and/or watching the news in the Televi- sion News Viewing Area. We provide shelf labels for each title that describes the geographic and political views of the periodical to help users become bet- ter understand the context of the articles included in each issue. A typical label would read: Weekly Standard, Published weekly Covers politics from a conservative angle, but also provides news and com- mentary on other social and cultural is- sues. —Magazines for Libraries, 2002 ed. Past issues available at Pa ee B, AP2.W44 Also available on LexisNexis Academic Universe and ProQuest Direct A Growing Collection of News Databases Of special interest to students and re- searchers for the additional coverage is the variety of electronic news resources that provide access to current and past news articles from many news publica- tions. We have access to the New York Times Digital Archive (1851–2001), The Nation (1865–current), a collection of historical African American newspapers on Accessible Archives (19th century) and the Digital Collegian (1887–1976), in ad- dition to Lexis/Nexis, Readex Newsbank (America’s Newspapers), and ProQuest Research Newspapers databases. We also have the Vanderbilt Television News Archive to provide access to historical television news programming. Newspapers on Microfilm Collection The University has complete holdings of many historically significant news- papers—the New York Times, the Times (London), many African American and underground newspapers, and historical 414 College & Research Libraries September 2006 Pennsylvania newspapers. We have added and have found many researchers are “re- new capabilities for scanning, duplicating, discovering” historical newspapers as an and reading these important resources important source for original research. Notes 1. Alan Rusbridger, “Celebrating All Our Yesterdays,” The Guardian (Manchester, UK) (June 8, 2002): 8. 2. Beginning in the 1950s, academic libraries began to recognize the need to focus their at- tention to the preservation of newspapers and have devoted a great deal of effort and thought to how best to preserve and provide access to newspapers in an effort to provide long-term access to cultural records and the heritage contained in newspapers. This effort continues, and, despite criticism, from Nicholson Baker, newspaper preservation continues to be a concern of newspaper librarians throughout the world. Efforts are focused in the International Coalition on Newspapers. Additional information is available online at: h p://icon.crl.edu. [Accessed July 25, 2006]. 3. David Shedden, “New Media Timeline 2004,” The Poynter Institute (Florida) Online. Available online at h p://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=75950 (also previous years). [Accessed July 25, 2006]. 4. Tom Curley, “Lessons Worth Learning about Young Readers,” Nieman Reports (Winter 2003): 16. 5. Library as Place: Rethinking Roles, Rethinking Space (Washington, D.C.: Council on Library and Information Resources, 2005). 6. See Steven R. Knowlton and Betsy O. Barefoot, Using National Newspapers in the College Classroom: Resources to Improve Teaching and Learning. Monograph #28. Co-produced by the New York Times Learning Network and University of South’s National Resource Center for The First- Year Experience and Students in Transition. (Columbia, S.C.: University of Carolina Resource Center, 1999). Selected articles from this monograph available online at h p://www.nytimes. com/ref/college/faculty/coll_mono_index.html [Accessed July 25, 2006]. The New York Times Learning Network provides lesson plans, summaries of news stories and other resources for teachers online at h p://www.nytimes.com/learning/. [Accessed July 25, 2006] 7. Evere e E. Dennis, “Mounting a Campaign against Media Illiteracy,” Chronicle of Higher Education 38 (July 8, 1992): B1 and “Undergraduate Education Should Stop Ignoring the Impor- tance of the Media,” Chronicle of Higher Education 33 (Feb. 4, 1987): 36. 8. Jerry Schwartz, “Voters with Eyes Wide Shut: How Informed Is the Electorate, Researchers Ask, and Does It Really Ma er?,” Los Angeles Times, August 22, 2004: A1. 9. For a history and overview of Penn State’s Newspaper Readership Program, see h p://www. newspapers.psu.edu/. [Accessed July 25, 2006] 10. Newspapers can be picked up at many locations, including dorms, the student union build- ing, the libraries, eating areas, and classroom buildings. Faculty who incorporate newspapers into their courses are also entitled to a copy of each newspaper. Newspapers are recycled, and profits fund a student scholarship fund. An annual Pulse Survey has measured the use and a itudes of Newspaper Readership at Penn State and has shown over time that students’ newspaper readership is increasing. Available online at h p://www.sa.psu.edu/sara/newspapers.shtml. [Accessed July 25, 2006] 11. Communications Industry Forecast & Report (New York: Veronis Suhler, 2004): 198, 378. 12. State of the News Media: An Annual Report on American Journalism. 2004 ed. (The Project for Excellence in Journalism, 2004). Available online at h p://www.stateo hemedia.org/. [Accessed July 25, 2006] See also, David T.Z. Mindich, Tuned Out: Why Americans Under 40 Don’t Follow the News (New York: Oxford Univ. Pr., 2005). 13. Even digital newspaper archives, while promising, we soon realized served more to fulfill the needs of the historical researcher than today’s newspaper reader. The University Libraries subscribes to several digital archives, including the ProQuest New York Times Digital Archive and has also digitized (using Olive so ware) its campus newspaper The Daily Collegian (from 1887 through 1976). Available online at h p://www.libraries.psu.edu/historicalcollegian/. [Accessed July 25, 2006] Cost of such products and projects requires them to be carefully considered for use related to curriculum and collection needs. 14. Many of these requests were from foreign nationals who were a ending the university or from faculty/instructors of language courses who wanted their students to understand and read newspapers as readers in other countries still did. 15. Categories of missing content include: articles that fall under the Tasini Supreme Court http:h�p://www.stateo�hemedia.org http:newspapers.psu.edu http:h�p://icon.crl.edu Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 415 ruling; classified, display, and other full-page and supplemental section advertisements; photo- graphs, cartoons, and other graphics and charts (for example, the Nielsen ratings), and other visual content; obituaries and other local/historically significant local information. Missing content may also include wire service stories; entire newspaper sections (o en the business section only will be provided by some newspaper aggregators). In addition, significant delays in access to newspaper content—typically based on a publisher-database embargo agreement—can influence content availability. See Victoria McCargar, “Following the Trail of the Disappearing Data,” The Seybold Report 4 (Feb. 9, 2005). Available online at h p://www.loc.gov/standards/premis/TSR-0209.pdf. [Accessed July 25, 2006]; and John Cosgrove, Barbara Norelli, and Elizabeth Putnam, “Se ing the Record Straight: How Online Database Providers Are Handling Plagiarism and Fabrication Issues,” College and Research Libraries 66, no. 2 (March 2005): 136–148. 16. Newspapers have used different business models for their Web content. Most have viewed their Web sites as a way to a ract readers through e-mail alerts and other features but do not give away content free for extended periods of time. For an interesting “take” on this situation, see Adam L. Penenberg, “Whither The Wall Street Journal?” Wired News (Feb. 24, 2005). Available online at h p://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,66697,00.html. [Accessed July 25, 2006]. 17. Students Gather to Watch as War with Iraq Intensifies,” Intercom (March 27, 2003): 8. Avail- able online at: h p://www.psu.edu/ur/archives/intercom_2003/March27/war.html. [Accessed July 25, 2006] 18. For an overview of media convergence see David Hatch, “Media Ownership” CQ Researcher 13, no. 35 (Oct. 10, 2003): 845–868. 19. Henry Jenkins, Technology Review, 104, no. 5 (June 2001): 93. See also, Jane Kolodzy, “Ev- erything that Rises: Media Convergence is an Opportunity, Not a Curse,” Columbia Journalism Review 42, no. 2 (July/Aug 2003): 61. 20. Wendy Pradt Lougee, Diffuse Libraries: Emergent Roles for the Research Library in the Digital Age (Washington, D.C.: Council on Library and Information Resources, 2002), 1. Available online at h p://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub108/contents.html. [Accessed July 25, 2006.] 21. Most news databases, including aggregators, newspaper digital archives, and microfilm, meet the needs of tomorrow’s news “researchers” but not the needs of someone who is interested today’s news content and coverage. The difference is partly between “observing” the news versus “researching” the news. Both are valuable and both contribute to the viewer/reader’s media lit- eracy. Academic libraries have traditionally focused (and should continue to do so) on preserving a record for future research and have focused less on their role in providing current information content. As the Internet has changed the information landscape, libraries must recognize that the information created in the early stages of the information cycle is of equal interest and importance to many researchers and students. 22. Pat Ensor, “The Library: Last Bastion of Text Junkies in a Video World,” Technicalities 16, no. 10 (1996): 1. 23. Other libraries have placed televisions in the library; see “University of Illinois Com- munications Library ‘Newsroom’ has 3 new 27-inch television sets carrying cable news, Internet news, and the web sites for major daily newspapers sit on the shelves among a large collection of daily newspapers from around the country.” Lincoln Trail Libraries System. Connections 23, no. 6 (June 2000): 2. Available online at h p://www.ltls.org/pubs/connectionsjun2000.pdf. [Accessed July 25, 2006]. Other libraries have placed televisions in their extended hours and other areas of their libraries and may be airing SCOLA and other news programming. Whether these libraries view these installations as an extension of their collections or simply an installation of television in a public place cannot be determined. In some cases, these installations are supervised by the media technology services on campus and may not be supervised by librarians. 24. Terry D. Webb, “TV ‘Newsware’ Is the Neglected Network,” American Libraries (May 1996): 52–54 and “NewsWare: Integrating Mass Communications and Library Resources,” in Building Libraries for the 21st Century (NY: McFarland, 2000), 105–121. 25. Laurie A. MacWhinnie, “The Information Commons: The Library of the Future” Portal 3, no. 2 (April 2002): 241. 26. Three televisions were necessary to allow students to compare and view news coverage simultaneously. The idea derives, in part, from President Lyndon Johnson who watched television regularly in the Oval Office. Picture of Johnson watching three televisions in the Oval Office, is available at h p://photolab.lbjlib.utexas.edu/. A poster-sized print of photograph is framed and displayed in the News Room at Pa ee Library. Serial Number A4231-4 27. All of the titles in the news magazine collection are accessible full-text via ProQuest Research Library (and other database aggregators). However, the purpose of bringing the collection together in a single location was to allow library users to “visually” allow users to compare coverage on television, newspaper, and news magazines in a single glance or by browsing, rather than having to use a database to access content. In general, it is my observation that undergraduate students, http:h�p://photolab.lbjlib.utexas.edu 416 College & Research Libraries September 2006 in particular, do not browse the issues of magazines via online databases, but rather search for articles by keywords when it is needed. Thus, like digital newspaper archives (see footnote 13), online databases meet the needs of the researcher rather than the news magazine reader. 28. The News and Periodicals Collections Supervisor manages the television schedule under the direction of the Head of the News and Microforms Library. 29. There was some concern expressed by the patrons of the Library Services for Persons with Disabilities Office (LSPDO), who had to enter the News and Microforms Library to reach this office/support service. At least one patron argued televisions kept her from focusing on her work due to a visual and learning disability, although she did all her work in the LSPDO, which is com- pletely closed off from the television area. However, over time, as the television area developed and was finalized and she came to understand the focus and scope of the area, she complained less. 30. According to university policy, a research proposal was developed and submi ed to both the library administration and the Office for Research Protections at Penn State University Park campus. Upon receiving the appropriate approvals, steps were taken to advertise this study across campus and solicit participants. 31. The research team comprised Facilitator, Observer, Recorder, and Assistant. Each had assigned tasks. The Recorder, for example, both audiotaped the sessions and took notes for later reference. 32. The number of participants was small, in part, because we wanted to conduct the sessions in a public area, with a minimum of interruption to services and users in the area. Two and four faculty respectively volunteered for the two faculty sessions. Six and five students respectively volunteered for the two student sessions. We used Richard A. Krueger and Mary Anne Casey Focus Groups. 3rd ed. (Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Pubs., 2000) as a guide to conducting focus groups. Using this number of participants, we were able to determine fairly quickly some com- mon themes that coincide with some of the concerns expressed about the temporary television installation. 33. Upon arrival, participants were asked to read and sign two copies of the consent form. One copy is kept by the study. The participant kept the other. Subjects were assured that participation was completely voluntary and that they could leave at any time. 34. The Business Library provides access to business news sources. 35. Headphones are an interesting situation. Neither the students nor the faculty in the focus groups habitually carried headphones with them, yet they expressed concern about using head- phones that had been used by other people. However, students in the Music and Media Center in the university libraries regularly borrow headphones for music and video equipment. 36. Because the News and Microforms Library is essentially one large room, divided by a wall that includes a reference desk and staff who are assisting library patrons with microforms equipment, etc., users recognized there was almost always some level of noise in this room. 37. Some faculty were entirely comfortable teaching in a wide-open area; others clearly seemed to question whether they would do so, and some discussion revolved around creating a glass- enclosed room for this purpose. 38. The News and Microforms Library is located immediately near the Pa ee, West entrance to the building (there are three entrances to the Pa ee/Paterno Library). However, this entrance is “understated” and many students and faculty are unaware of its existence. Also at this entrance and immediately next door to the News and Microforms Library is MacKinnon’s Café. This popular service (opened 2000) has increased traffic to this area of the Pa ee/Paterno building. 39. “Library user services have traditionally focused on collection support… or educational activities to help patrons use their libraries more effectively. These activities have largely been distinct; for example, reference services respond to individuals with specific questions, and instructional programs target classes with general educational needs.” Lougee, 13. 40. Debora Cheney became Head of the News and Microforms Library in 2001, as well as continuing responsibilities as the Head of the Social Sciences Library and as the Larry and Ellen Foster Communications Librarian. In 2001, few librarians worked at the News and Microforms Reference Desk, which focused primarily on retrieval of microfilm and maintenance of the news- paper collection. It became clear that additional reference and instruction support was needed for newspaper research, and this became a goal for improving reference services in the News and Microforms Library. 41. The Find E-Newspapers by Title tool is available online at h p://apps.libraries.psu.edu/ fas rack/search.cfm. 42. The Where can I find Nielsen Ratings? Web page is available online at h p://www.libraries. psu.edu/socialsciences/comm/nielsen.htm 43. For additional information about the Libraries’ Open House, see h p://www.libraries. psu.edu/socialsciences/comm/nielsen.htm and h p://www.libraries.psu.edu/openhouse/archive/ http:h�p://apps.libraries.psu.edu Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries 417 newsarchive.html; and Ellysa Stern Cahoy and Rebecca Merri Bichel, “A Luau in the Library? A New Model of Library Orientation,” College and Undergraduate Libraries 11, no. 1 (2004):49–60. For images of the News and Microforms Library during the Fall 2004 Open House, see h p://www. libraries.psu.edu/download/openhouse/fall04/9.html and h p://www.libraries.psu.edu/down- load/openhouse/fall04/8.html. 44. See h p://www.newspapers.psu.edu/faculty.shtml. 45. The Digital Collegian (h p://www.libraries.psu.edu/historicalcollegian/) is an ongoing proj- ect. The digital images are created using Olive So ware and has allowed us to develop a “working relationship” with the current Daily Collegian staff. They now link to our archive for content prior to 1983, and we link to their digital content from 1983 to present. The Digital Collegial has been a popular database by alumni and students, as well as researchers generally interested in Penn State history. 46. Rebecca Bichel and Debora Cheney, The Information Cycle (University Park, Penn.: The University Libraries, 2001–2004) (last revised Mar. 3, 2004). Available online at h p://www.librar- ies.psu.edu/instruction/infocycle/ and Debora Cheney and Ellysa Cahoy, Minute Module: How to Read a Newspaper (University Park, PA: The University Libraries, 2003-2005) (last revised Apr. 5, 2005) Available online at h p://www.libraries.psu.edu/instruction/minutemodule/index.html. 47. “News Room Hones Critical Thinking,” A Great Library: The Newsle er of the Penn State University Libraries 34 (Summer 2004): 13. Available online at h p://www.libraries.psu.edu/de- velopment/newsle er/GreatLibSummer04.pdf. [Accessed July 25, 2006] 48. All equipment, furniture, art posters purchase and framing, installation of the satellite dish service, and changes to the physical space (costs to install speakers, painting, etc.) were funded by the Larry and Ellen Foster Endowment under the guidance of the Foster Communications Librarian. Costs for continuing satellite dish service are also supported by the Larry and Ellen Foster Endowment. 49. In fact, one of the ironies is that we o en find ourselves on the other side of the problem, asking MacKinnon’s Café to turn down its sound. 50. This year we added radio frequency boxes, that students can hear sound on their own headphones and portable radio/walkman if they like. However, few students or faculty have been observed using this technology. 51. A professor in the Journalism Department reports the students in his History of Journalism class regularly indicate they have “enjoyed” their research experience using the historic newspaper microfilm collection. 52. The Penn State Libraries’ Serials Department is one of three departments within Technical Services. The Serials Department is responsible for acquiring and maintaining current receipt check-in records and for cataloging serial-related publications in all formats, including print, microform, and online news sources for all periodicals and other materials housed in each of the university libraries subject libraries. 53. We contacted Temple University, and the State Library of Pennsylvania (Harrisburg) for a Pennsylvania perspective on how newspapers were obtained. 54. They also used regional news agencies and local bookstores and placed subscriptions directly with publishers for local, regional, and a few national daily newspapers. Other national domestic and international newspaper subscriptions were placed primarily with serial subscrip- tion vendors. 55. The news magazine collection uses the name of the donors to the library, the O’Toole and Gray families, who designated a reading area located in the News and Microforms Library.