Overview of the ISU Library

The Iowa State University Library includes the Parks Library, which houses the main collections and library services, the Veterinary Medical Library, and three subject-based reading rooms (Design, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences). The Library provides an extensive array of print, electronic, and non-print information resources and services to support the university's learning, discovery and engagement missions.

Assistance to library users is provided at public service desks in Parks Library and in five branch facilities. The e-Library (http://www.lib.iastate.edu) includes the Library's local catalog, and access to a substantial number of indexing and abstracting databases, full-text publications, and other selected research tools. Moreover, the e-Library provides several electronic-based library services (e.g. reference, interlibrary loan, circulation, reserve, and instruction).

Collections

The Library's comprehensive collections support research and study through the master's level in most fields and at the doctoral level in eighty-four Ph.D. specializations. As a charter member (1932) of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Library's resources are part of a national collection supporting comprehensive research in many disciplines, particularly in science and technology. Also widely recognized are collections in entomology, botany, economics, agriculture, engineering, and veterinary medicine. The Library collects materials in many formats with a rapidly increasing emphasis on electronic resources. The collection of journals and other serials is noteworthy for its strength in scientific publications, and large numbers of complete journal back files in these subject areas, some dating to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, permit unusually comprehensive retrospective study. The Library's extensive collections of scholarly materials include a separate Department of Special Collections (rare books, manuscripts, and archives).

Expenditures for library materials and access during fiscal year 2009 approached $12,411,000. The Library's materials and access budget has grown, on average, about 2.6% annually since 2006, while the standard inflation rate for serial remains high (almost 7.5% for fy10).

Collection Development

The Associate Dean for Collections and Technical Services leads and coordinates overall development and management of library collections, working with library faculty and staff in the Science and Technology (S/T) Department, Social Sciences and Humanities (SS/H) Department, and other units as appropriate. Subject librarians in the S/T and SS/H departments are responsible for reference, instruction, and collection management activities in their areas of expertise. The latter function includes identifying and selecting materials in a wide variety of formats, including print, electronic, and non-print resources. Since 1968, the Library has maintained acquisitions plans by which many newly published books of a scholarly nature from publishers throughout the world are received automatically. In addition, subject librarians work closely with faculty in academic departments and research centers in the assessment of collections and the selection of new materials.

Physical facilities

The Library provides 2,794 seating spaces for general patron use, including 2,515 in Parks Library and 279 in the Veterinary Medical Library and the reading rooms; and 101 individual research studies available to faculty, graduate students, and professional and scientific staff who require intensive research use of the collection. The general collection is available on open stacks in all locations. Books and serials are shelved according to the Library of Congress Classification System.

Use of the Library's facilities continues to be high. In FY 2009, over 1.8 million individuals entered the Library's facilities. Circulation of materials for use outside the Library in FY 2009 totaled 251,683. In-house use of materials was 75,755.

Public computers are available in a variety of locations in the Parks Library and branch facilities, including labs, bookstacks, multimedia production studios, and individual and collaborative study areas. All public computers provide access to the e-Library and Internet, and are networked to fee-based laser printers or copiers. All are equipped with USB ports to accommodate flash drives; many also provide specialized hardware/software features. The Parks Library also houses two classrooms for library instructional activities not requiring hands-on use of computers.