CIS in Academic Libraries: A Managerial Perspective

by Joseph A. Boisse and Mary Larsgaard

CIS is a service increasingly in

demand by users of academic

libraries. Different levels of

service, the general equipment

and staffing requirements of

each, are presented in

this article. Also discussed

are the funding implications

and strategies for

obtaining the funding.

Joseph A. Boisse is University Librarian, and

Mary Larsgaard is Assistant Head, Map and

imagery Lab, University Library,

University of California,

Santa Barbara, California 93 706-9070.

288 The Journal of Academic Librarianship

M uch has been written over the years about the role of the library in an academic institu-

tion. When all is said and done, however, that role can be summed up in a rather simple statement: the role of the library is to provide the information which patrons need to do their work.’ For centuries, that task was relatively straightforward. The library collected manuscripts, books, and journals; organized them; and made them available to scholars. For decades librar- ies have collected very broadly and have clearly accepted the fact that information comes in formats other than traditional print. More often than not, and very appropriately, changes in how and what libraries provide in the way of informa- tion resources has come as a result of patron demand.

GIS ENTERS THE ACADEMIC LIBRARY

The introduction of geographic infor- mation systems (GIS) in libraries repre- sents another of these shifts in format. Libraries have very little choice in the matter: either they find a way to provide information in this fashion, or scholars, students, and others will obtain the infor- mation they need from sources outside the library. If this were to happen, the library would be marginalized for the significant part of the academic community which has increasingly worked with geospatial data in recent years. Libraries that do not respond to user needs are unlikely to pros- per or even to survive.

GIS in the academic library is a part of the analog-to-digital changes that have been occurring since approximately the late 1960s. The development and imple- mentation of the USMARC format which began during that time period marked the beginning of substantial automation in academic libraries. Over the years librar- ies have gone from online shared catalog-

ing, to online public catalogs, to automated circulation and acquisition. More recently, there has been the imple- mentation of library local area networks (LANs) connecting library staff for speedy, easy distribution of information, CD-ROM indexes instead of paper or mediated online searches, online catalogs expanding to offer many online services, GOPHERS in the library, and so on. GIS is just another digital service that users need. A considerable amount has been written about digital and virtual libraries in recent years, as a

4 uick look at Library Literature

will attest. However, because the intro- duction of GIS as a service in academic libraries is relatively recent, very little exists in the literature on this topic gener- ally and especially on the top-level mana- gerial perspective.

“Either we find a way to provide information in this fashion or

scholars and students will obtain the information

they need from sources other than the library.”

UCSB: A CASE IN POINT

At the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), the decision to move in the direction of GIS was not difficult. Indeed, it represented the next step in the natural progression in working with spa- tial data that had taken place over the last 25 years. Early in the 1970s UCSB’s Geography Department redefined its focus and moved heavily into the use of remote- sensed imagery. The library, through its Map and Imagery Laboratory, adjusted to this shift in emphasis and began develop- ing a collection of resources which would

specifically support this new direction. In the early 1980s the library began to invest in computing equipment which would facilitate the use of these resources. Although the shift was made initially in response to the changes taking place in the Geography Department, it has become increasingly obvious that these resources are of interest to a wide variety of disci- plines. The software in use in the early years was primarily image processing software, typically software such as ERDAS or IMDISP, and supported a vari- ety of projects, some examples of which are:

The California Condor database project;

Vegetation classification for Santa Cruz Island;

Tectonics of southeast California;

Structural geology analysis of north- em Arizona;

Change detection in northern Ethio- pian highlands during the drought years of 1979-1987; and

Roof-top area assessment of buildings in the city of Santa Barbara to analyze possible use of rainfall collection cis- terns on roofs.

“GIS is just another digital

service that users need.”

Early GIS software was not easy to use. Only the brave were ready to invest the 40 and often more hours just to become familiar with such software. The effort required quickly weeded out the less seri- ous users and a core of devotees devel- oped: faculty, graduate students, and a small group of upper-division undergradu- ates. It was not until 1991 that GIS, as we know it today, was loaded on the computer systems in the Map and Imagery Lab. Using such software, examples of projects using Lab resources include:

Shoreline migration of barrier islands;

California biodiversity project: map- ping locations of vegetation and verte- brate animals;

Planning for urban subsystems;

Archaeological survey of southeast Alaska;

Yanomamo Indians, Amazon basin- anthopological study;

Deforestation in protected areas of Rondonia, Brazil;

Deforestation in Eritrea; and

Distribution patterns of fish in south- em California Bight.

During the past two years, the ARLI GIS Literacy project has been a major boost to the introduction of GIS in librar- ies. In that project, the ARL organized a series of training sessions during which staff from member libraries gained exper- tise in working with GIS information. Fol- lowing the training sessions, Environ- mental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) supplied the libraries with software (Arc- View) and datasets on CD-ROM to be run on hardware provided by the libraries themselves.3

Most recently, the Map and Imagery Lab itself has become the site of a major GIS project. This is as part of Project Alexandria, one of the six NSF-funded Digital Library rejects currently under-

B . way nationwide. ArcVtew is the software being used for the project prototype; the end result of the project will be the cre- ation and deployment of a distributed, online library for digital spatial informa- tion, including maps, satellite imagery, digitized photography, and associated metadata.

LEVELS OF GIS SERVICE

The development of the UCSB pro- gram was, to a great extent, a trial and error effort. Based on our experience of the past 15 years, there are three levels of GIS service. As an institution moves from one level to another, the outlay of resources increases. The administration of a library planning to offer GIS services should consider the various levels of ser- vice carefully and will probably want to plan a progressively more comprehensive service. It should be noted that computer capabilities and computer prices continue to change very rapidly, with the former going up and the latter going down. The following describes what is currently available; what is now possible only at Level Two or Three prices will very prob- ably decrease in price, as microcomputers approach minicomputer capabilities.

LEVEL ONE

The entrance level is best characterized as the PC stage of GIS service. This level will require at least one image-processing program and one GIS program. In the image-processing PC realm, the choices are quite limited: xv (an excellent, inex-

pensive software) is for UNIX operating systems only; IMDISP and IDRISI are good, inexpensive choices for DOS; and ERDAS/Imagine, in its DOS version, is a good choice for those libraries willing to pay a bit more. For GIS, the field is, com- paratively speaking, much larger. Soft- ware such as Arc/Info (a product of ESRI) and its friendlier front end ArcView, Atlas/ GIS (from Strategic Mapping), MapInfo, and Sammamish are all worth considering. The U.S. Bureau of the Census has avail- able a list of vendors that have software that will deal with the TIGER files, which means with vector databases, which, in turn, means with geographic information systems.

For hardware at this level, the best place to start is with the requirements established for participation in the U.S. depository program of the Government Printing Office. These requirements include:

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

486DX CPU, IBM or IBM-compatible (minimum).

50-66Mhertz preferred (33Mhertz minimum). This refers to how many times per second electricity cycles through the circuitry of the chip. It is an important measure of microproces- sor performance. The number of Mhertz refers to millions of cycles per second.

Floppy-diskette drives, both 3.5” and 5.25”, high density.

200M as absolute minimum-350M- 1.5G preferred; 15ms (minimum) or less access time; SCSI controller, math co-processor, graphics card. SCSI: Small Computer System Inter- face; standard for connecting periph- erals to cpus.

Minimum of three free expansion-bus board slots, one or more additional harddrive bays desirable, and 2 serial ports and one parallet port; ZIF (zero insertion force) CPU upgrade socket.

No less than 16M of RAM (32 is bet- ter).

No less than 1M of display memory.

MS-DOS 6 (built-in file compression)

Windows 3.1.

Support for:

1. CD-ROM (single or multiple-plat- ter drive, compatible with IS0 9660 standard; Multi-Media sup- porting standards are 300 K/byte per second transfer rate, double- speed support, CD-ROM XA sup-

July 1995 289

2. Mouse (Microsoft-compatible to

port, 16-bit sound board for PC,

support programs and Microsoft

Ad-Lib or Sound Blaster compati-

Windows);

ble);

3. Black-and-white laser printer; 24- pin dot matrix as minimum; Epson or IBM Proprinter emulation com- patible; color printer (e.g., HP DeskJet 12OO/PC; 2MB added memory)is advisable; plotters are also an option for color output (e.g., the Calcorp Designmate, at about $2,000);

4. Connection to the Internet (optical fiber as finances permit; other- wise, Ethernet on broadband); a NIC (Network Interface Card) card; modem (9600 bps, meeting V.32, V.42, V.42bis or MNP 5 stan- dards, compatible with Hayes “AT” command set;

5. Large screen (15” minimum), high- resolution color monitor (Super VGA or compatible); 70 Mhz verti- cal-refresh rate at Super VGA reso- lution (800x600); non-interlaced, 0.32 or smaller dot pitch; display card which supports 800x600 reso- lution at 70Mhz or faster; g-bit dis- play (256 colors) is affordable - in contrast to 32-bit displays - but 32- bit is preferable; and

6. Digitizing tablets and scanners since giving users the option to move data from analog to digital form is important. Digitizing tab- lets (as contrasted to the far larger digitizing tables) and scanners (which, except for high-end scan- ers run only on PC’s) are good investments for the library.

“The administration of a library planning to offer GIS services should consider the various

levels of service carefully and will probably want to plan a

progressively more comprehensive service.”

Some of the above may sound quite complicated to libraries not currently involved in GIS. However, none of these items is particularly esoteric. The library should merely list the requirements in the

specifications which it develops. For most suppliers, providing these items will be

Overall costs for moving the library into GIS at the level described above will

fairly standard procedure.

probably range from $3,000 to $6,000.

ated with staffing. It will not be possible to provide this service relying exclusively on the staffing and skills required of a tradi- tional map librarian, or of a general ser- vices reference librarian.

LEVELTWO

The next level is that of a UNIX-oper- ating system workstation. This level has considerable implications in every area, especially those of improved perfor- mance, more or at least different software choices, and greater expense.

“The library should seek to create partnerships with the private sector

and with local and/or state government agencies.”

In terms of image-processing software, one can immediately go to the excellent, inexpensive xv ($25 per license from John Bradley: bradley@cis.upenn.edu).A more powerful ERDASiImagine immediately becomes an option. For GIS software the choices expand considerably, with many different brand names from which to choose, as, for example a more powerful Arc/Info and a public-domain software named GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System). Consult the annual, International GIS Sourcebook,’ for listings of software vendors, along with much other information of use to a GIS user.

At this level, the hardware will be a minicomputer workstation, for example, Sun, DEC, and IBM RS6000. Prices range from $6,000 to $70,000.

When all is said and done, it is likely that the eventual funding will involve resources from several sources. Libraries might wish to start by examining them- selves internally to assess the possibility of reallocating internal vacancies to sup- port GIS. Automation has radically changed how we do our work in libraries. Up until the present the greatest impact of automation has been on technical services activities. Has the library carefully assessed its changing requirements in this area? For instance, with the advent of online public access catalogs (OPACS) in libraries, the need to file and revise catalog cards has disappeared. Can the positions formerly used to hire individuals to do that work be shifted?

LEVELTHREE

The most sophisticated level is one which includes networked PC’s or work- stations, or both. While more users get more sophisticated work done more quickly, there are increasing demands upon the library’s budget. If the library opts to bring up a network to provide GIS service, it will be necessary to have a sys- tems manager on the staff as one increas- ingly learns the truth of the old saying that “what goes up must come down.”

The library administration must also evaluate the skills of current employees to see how well-prepared they are to provide this new service. Is the library prepared to provide career development opportunities for current employees who may have to move into this new area? When positions become vacant and recruitment is planned, job descriptions should be revised to include GIS responsibilities.

There will be demands on the physical plant at all three levels, but these will be greatest at the third level.

Obviously, every academic library should try to obtain additional institutional support to fund this effort. Given the rather bleak economic times that many institutions are facing however, this will be no small task. If the library can point to steps it has already taken to reallocate some internal resources, it is more likely to find a sympathetic ear within the cam- pus administration. Also, the library should not approach the campus adminis- tration by itself. One frequently very help- ful option is to use the political clout of teaching departments. If the library has developed a close working relationship with these departments, and if spatial data in digital form is important to the depart- ment, the library should not hesitate to enlist support in approaching the campus

FUNDINGAND OTHERIMPLICATIONS

Moving into the realm of GIS repre- sents a new direction for most libraries. The library administration will have to assess the needs of the institution very carefully in reaching a decision about how quickly to move in this direction and at what level to take the plunge. The decision will certainly have implications in terms of the cost of hardware and software. But there will inevitably also be costs associ-

290 The Journal of Academic Libmrianship

administration, or indeed to approach the departments for assistance in obtaining computer hardware and software.

The private commercial sector should not be overlooked in the search for fund- ing. Two approaches can be taken here. Commercial firms which provide hard- ware and software in service of GIS are often quite interested in exposure of their products to an audience which can influ- ence purchasing decisions. These firms view faculty, staff, and students as a par- ticularly valuable audience and will often provide equipment and software either at no cost or at a very deep discount to the library. Also, since GIS is a service that can be beneficial to untold numbers of business and government agencies at all levels, the library should seek to create partnerships with the private sector and with local and/or state government agen- cies. These partnerships might provide direct funding to support the effort, or they will help raise the funds on behalf of the library.

Moving into the realm of GIS is not an inexpensive undertaking and as the library moves in this direction, the administration should try to develop a long-term funding strategy, fitting GIS plans into the overall automation plans for the library.

APPENDIX

We include here the names and addresses of firms whose products are referred to in the article.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., 380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373-8100.

ERDAS, 2801 Buford Highway, N.E., Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30329-2137.

GRASS, U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, POB 4005, Champaign, IL 61824- 43005.

MapInfo, One Global View, Troy, NY 12180.

Sammamish Datasystems, 1813 130th Avenue NE., Suite 218, Bellevue, WA 98005-2240.

6. Strategic Mapping, Inc., 3135 Kifer Road, Santa Clara, CA 9505 1.

7. Data User Services Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C. 20233-8300.

NOTES AND REFERENCES 1. The current debate of access vs. ownership does not minimize the actual goal of providing information. It merely addresses how the information will be provided. 2. Library Literature (New York: H.W. Wilson) See the 1993 volume at page 954 and the 1994 volume at page 785. 3. Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI White Paper series). GIS in Libraries: Public Access to GIS (video). 1994. Redlands, CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. 4. The Alexandria Project: Towards a Distributed Digital Library with Comprehensive Services for Images and Spatially-Referenced Information, 1994 [Santa Barbara, CA: University of California] Available via http://alexandria.sdc.ucsb.edu. 5. International GIS Sourcebook (Fort Collins, CO: GIS World, Inc.). See 1991-.

‘*+jnd just the right hotel whether You wait it to t close to

downtyq, under $15Q, or inc&de a fitness center.

*Selectagnatr on the Zagat Surwy information.

ct R&e a complete day i city d*bu don’t have to worry a+ut get&q lost. You can print out a highlyidetailed map, as well

:J + written directions to c-very stop.

Taxl provides all the tools you nq to get around

the city like a local. It’s available for 23 major US

metropolitan areas for either Windows or Macintosh.

ravel planning make you crazy. Call

today for): risk- Mal of this award windg *are.

lBW43BB2B4

M I D D L E G A 1 E 28 Center Street; Clinton, NJ 08809

I&n

July 1995 291