Fast Access to Research Resources

The Libraries’ technical staff create quick and accurate access to a wealth of library research materials for faculty on campus, at home, or around the world.

Finding individual electronic journals was once a challenge, but now Antpac and Melvyl records use powerful search capabilities and link directly to full-text content. Thousands of books are fully cataloged upon arrival for quick and precise access to needed works. Books and journals are at the bindery much less often due to time- and money-saving preservation methodologies. Access to records describing a burgeoning array of electronic resources is available from hundreds of workstations in all four library buildings, as well as in faculty offices, homes, and locations around the world.

Who makes all this happen? And how have so many improvements been made possible?

Faculty may know the staff members who provide direct service, including subject bibliographers, reference librarians, and loan desk personnel. Behind the scenes are 70 Technical Services Division staff members who perform complex, precise, and technically demanding processes to make it all happen.

• Acquisitions executes complicated purchases from vendors and publishers all over the world to bring materials in all formats to UCI.
• Cataloging creates intellectual access to all of these materials, whether physical or digital, quickly and accurately.
• Preservation prepares new acquisitions for the shelves, repairs damaged materials, and oversees projects.
• Systems implements and manages our complex computing needs, including the Antpac online catalog, seamless access to electronic resources, and workstation maintenance.

These departments have always striven to provide superlative service, even as methods change rapidly. Tight budgets require that complex processes and procedures be reviewed for continual improvements in efficiency and cost effectiveness. Technology both presents new opportunities and demands that old practices be revisited. Technical Services managers and staff have met these challenges through countless innovations. As a result, production is up, costs are down, and new services are regularly implemented as technology makes them feasible.

The Libraries’ Technical Services Division is proud of these improvements and remains committed to seeking additional ways to enhance its service to our users. Please let us know how we’re doing.

For more information or to provide feedback, please contact Carole Kiehl, Associate University Librarian for Technical Services (x47221 or ckiehl@uci.edu).