Grainger Engineering Library Information Center
Annual Report, July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013
I.
Unit Narrative.
Introduction
The Grainger Library continues to focus on expanded services to users, including access, liaison, research support, and data management services. Grainger users place a high premium on the provision of enhanced access to licensed and local information resources and in providing quality facilities for research, study, meetings, and collaborative scholarship. We are also very cognizant of the need to adapt science and engineering librarianship to changing research paradigms and methodologies and to focus on the library’s role in the end-to-end knowledge creation processes and scholarly communications activities.
Major Accomplishments
One of the Grainger Library’s fundamental roles, since its opening in 1994, has been to serve as a testbed or laboratory for the analysis and application of emerging information technologies. Working under a series of grants and utilizing supporting Grainger endowment funds (often used as matching funds in grants), Grainger librarians and staff have been involved with leading-edge investigations within a number of service initiatives. This includes:
Development and monitoring work on the Easy Search suite of federated search applications which run in the Library Gateway, the Grainger Library Portal, and the UGL main, UGL advanced, Biology, Library and Information Science, Physics, Music and
Performing Arts Library, ACES, Aquifer America History Online project, and the IMLS
DCC search pages. Implemented Images and Datasets search categories and targets.
Increased targets to over 170. Implemented MyEasySearch module. In 2012, there were
3.7 million user actions in ES, including 1.7 million searches. Conducted online user survey (75 responses) and individual user interviews (6 users). Modified Easy Search version at UIC. (ES Also running at UIS).
Performed detailed transaction log analysis of Easy Search user activities 2010-2011.
Examined effectiveness of search assistance mechanisms and modeled user searching behaviors. In the process of implementing custom title search mechanisms (using capitalized word cues and punctuation cues) to enhance known-item search (constitutes
50% of searches). Enhanced the XML gateway APIs in Easy Search allowing Easy
Search to serve as a target in other applications, in particular Primo.
Implemented Primo as an Easy Search target (maximum of 7 searches into Primo) and developed Primo custom tile with search assistance suggestions and additional searches within our Ex Libris Primo implementation. As part of first Next-Generation Catalog
1

committee and Primo Implementation team, made presentations on Primo search capabilities and features. Custom tile examines user search arguments and Primo results and offers direct links to popular search terms, links back into primo to journal/database results, enhanced author searches in Primo, Libguide matches, title word matches, direct
DOI links, and additional searches in I-Share catalog and HathiTrust. Analyzed user searches in ES that resulted in clickthroughs into Primo.
Continued development of Journal and Article Locator (JAL). JAL provides a one-step link into the publisher/vendor full-text article presentation/splash page and saves the user an enormous amount of time in retrieving the full-text of an article. Enhancements include DOI search, article title searching, and a version that displays DOI, SFX, VuFind,
Scopus, and Ebsco persistent links. JAL sees about 1.5 thousand searches every day and totaled over 250,000 user searches in 2012.
Continued work on what we call the GRIPTS (Group Information Productivity Tools) e-scholarship support service tools for faculty groups. GRIPTs now include author linking, pre-determined Google News matches, author H-index links, pre-stored key search terms which display ES results, a citing references search, and a self-contained version of Journal and Article Locator. Developed a multi-group version. Implemented for several Physics groups, Geology department, a Biophotonics group, a Biophysics group, Mechanical Engineering and Sciences department, Nuclear Science and
Engineering, and GRIPTS are being developed for Chemistry, Civil and Environmental
Engineering, and other departments. With Kyushu University developed a multiuniversity GRIPT for I2CNER (International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy
Research) – see below .
Developed Citing References Search module for Grainger Portal and standalone application at http://search.grainger.uiuc.edu/citedsearch/citeform.asp
. Operates over
Scopus -- using custom proxy software – and provides direct one-step access to a display of articles that cite a specific article.
Participated in the Elsevier Development Partners SciVerse Applications API program.
Grainger team developed a VuFind Library Catalog search applet.
Prepared and implemented a DMP (Data Management Plan) Template for the NSF requirement of a DMP for all grants. With assistance of OSPRA and in conjunction with campus-wide Data Stewardship Committee and Research Support Services initiative, monitored usage of our Template and analyzed NSF DMPs through UIUC grants submitted through Fastlane (NSF). Current analyzed 1,200 proposals; the Grainger template has been used on 142+ NSF proposals.
Made presentations to all incoming graduate students in Materials Science, Mechanical
Science and Engineering, Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, Electrical and
Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Civil and Environmental Engineering – approximately 700 students. Made presentations to Civil and Environmental Engineering
2

390 and research methods classes in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer
Science, and Mechanical Science and Engineering.
With 85% of collection materials inflation covered by Student Fee monies in FY12, funds were made available for additional Elsevier, AIAA, and Taylor and Francis backfiles ,
ASME Journal Archive, Optics Infobase, ArXiV, and the 6 th
edition of the Morgan and
Claypool Synthesis files.
Worked closely with the College of Engineering (COE) administration to implement the
CARE (Center for Academic Resources in Engineering) center aimed at improving student retention and providing tutoring services. Implemented a library information literacy program in CARE. Expended $65K of student IT fee monies for furniture, digital signage, and collaborative workstations. Includes remodeling projects on the 4 th floor; installation of glass wall-boards, CITES project for AV projection on Grainger 4
West, and large-screen monitors for group studies. Worked closely with the COE administration and the Library AUL for Collections on withdrawal/transferring of collection materials for the CARE project on the 4 th
floor of the Grainger Library.
Worked with I2CNER (International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy
Research).
This is a U.S.—Japanese cooperative initiative involving the University of
Illinois and Kyushu University in Japan. Also involved are the Japanese World Premier
International Research Center Initiative (WPI), the U.S. Department of Energy, and the
Japan Ministry for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Visited Kyushu
University to discuss areas of collaboration between the two university libraries. Also entertained a delegation of Japanese visitors, including the President of Kyushu
University, to discuss the areas of collaboration.
Continued work National Science Foundation grant for development and deployment of the
NSF funded National Ethics Portal (the Ethics CORE Digital Library) and National
Center for Professional and Research Ethics. This grant funded a digital librarian, a research programmer, and two 50% graduate assistants.
Worked on transfer of Grainger computing server infrastructure to the DCL server center . Retired the 65 Dell ODDS (On-Demand Desktop Streaming) thin client workstations and replaced them with Library workstations requiring authentication. Set up custom monitor-only stations for students to use with laptops. Implemented Network
Load Balance server for Easy Search.
Worked with COE on banner placement and new names placed in Grainger lobby for the second class of Engineering Hall of Fame members.
With Library Development Office, continued work Bitzer Endowment for Emerging
Information Technologies , including meeting with Donald and Maryann Bitzer during induction of new members of College of Engineering Hall of Fame members.
3

Redesigned Grainger top-level web page to provide a portal to engineering materials. It is designed around identified user information seeking needs and methods and utilizes a portlet-based approach. See: http://search.grainger.uiuc.edu/top/ . The Grainger Portal also contains a custom conference finder search system which utilizes metasearch capabilities that mimic the search behavior of an expert reference librarian. This system performs four different searches of the Online Catalog (conference name, author, keyword, keyword limited to serial) and a search of the EI Village database (over Compendex and
INSPEC) to try to identify conference proceeding holdings and information.
Grants, Presentations, Articles
Grainger faculty and GAs worked on several grants:
A National Science Foundation grant for development and deployment of the NSF funded National Ethics Portal (the Ethics CORE Digital Library) and National Center for Professional and Research Ethics, 2010-2012. $1.5 million over 2 years. Grant PIs were Tina Gunsalus (Business/Law), Nick Burbules (Education), Michael Loui
(Electrical and Computer Engineering), and myself.
A National Science Foundation, Computer and Information Science Directorat e grant, 2011 --current. Research on Agile Full-Text Search Algorithms, with Kevin
Chang, UIUC Computer Science Department. $400K.
A Student IT fee award of $65K for the CARE (Center for Academic Resources in
Engineering), computer and presentation equipment and furnishings.
Grainger faculty made several presentations:
William Mischo, “ Not Everyone Wears a Size 2.0: A Panel Discussion Featuring Primo
Customers Who’ve Made Customizations Based on Usability Testing .” American Library
Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, June 29, 2013.
William H. Mischo and Mary C. Schlembach, “Productivity Tools for I2CNER
Researchers, Kyushu University, February 1, 2013, Fukuoka, Japan.
Jim Hahn, William Mischo, Beth Sandore Namachchivya. “Library Innovation:
Initiatives to Support Content Discovery and eResearch”, Coalition for Network
Innovation CNI Fall Meeting, Washington, DC, December 11, 2012.
William H. Mischo and Mary C. Schlembach, “User Searching Behavior Models:
Implications for Web Scale Discovery”, Internet Librarian International 2012. London,
UK, October 31, 2012.
4

Mary C. Schlembach, William H. Mischo, and Joshua Bishoff. “The Use of Transaction
Logs to Model User Searching Behaviors”, 4th International Conference on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries, Limerick, Ireland, May 22, 2012.
Two book chapters and one conference proceeding paper by Grainger librarians were published in the Annual Report time period.
Major Challenges
The number of Grainger faculty has shrunk dramatically over the last several years, from a high of 5 librarians to 2 librarians, both with additional responsibility for IT activities and the Physics and Geology collections. This situation has been ameliorated with the addition of a Research and Data Services Librarian, a Biosciences Librarian, and the hiring of a Visiting Librarian.
Collection inflation remains as a former and future threat.
Development and fund raising efforts are challenging.
Changes
Barbara Bolser left to take a position as a librarian in New Mexico and Mary Schlembach became Chemistry and Physical Sciences Librarian. Stan Mechling passed away and
Joshua Hollingsead joined the staff as Library Specialist. Christie Wiley joined Grainger as Research and Data Services Librarian and Kelli Trei is Biosciences Librarian. Megan
Mahoney, who was the Ethics CORE Librarian, is now a Visiting Public Services
Librarian in Grainger. .
Contributions to library-wide programs.
The Easy Search, Journal and Article Locator, and Primo custom tile systems are used library-wide by patrons in all subject disciplines. A number of other software systems, such as the OAI-PMH harvesting programs are being used in CAM and in DCC for a variety of purposes. Grainger librarians are involved in the depositing materials and metadata into the IDEALS Institutional Repository.
Grainger librarians are involved in the Research Data Services proposal and will play an important role in future data management activities.
And Grainger facilities continue to be utilized by the rest of the Library for meetings and workshops.
Goals for the Coming Year
Continue fund raising activities and the work toward an endowed chair for the Head of the Grainger Library.
5

Continue work on CARE and additional undergraduate support initiatives involving both the COE and the Library.
Develop a close working relationship with the GEBI (Grainger Engineering
Breakthrough Initiative) Big Data program.
Institute a Bioinformation Services Group comprised of various faculty in the Library.
Continue to foster data management and knowledge creation support initiatives with the
COE and allied faculty.
Continue to enhance and expand Easy Search and other portal and search technologies.
Better integrate engineering, life science, and physical science collection decisions and collection development.
Graduate Assistants
Grainger Library graduate assistants engage in a variety of pre-professional activities, including collection development, reference, instruction, library duty officer and supervision, special projects (including DMP analysis), information system design and implementation, liaison assignments, and grant-funded activities.
There were 9 GAs in FY13, including 3.25 on Library funds and 1.75 GAs on Grainger endowment and grant funds.
GA assignments:
Rachelle Ramer
CARE Info lit sessions
GRIPTS
PBAP
Referral and scheduling databases, updates as needed
Megan O’Donnell.
DMP stuff
Wright Brothers display (with Lillian)
Just finished Geology Webpage redesign
Jenny Wong-Welch
Facebook/Twitter for Grainger
Digital signage
Grainger Webpage FAQ + Handbooks
CARE Info Lit Sessions
Hengyi Fu
Ethics CORE most cited/disciplines pages
Should also be working on editing metadata in splithtml, adding new XTF records for Ethics CORE, and GRIPTS, but these are not on her projects page in the wiki
6

Elias Lopez
Updating Blue Book content
Editing splithtml for Ethics CORE
Sarina Sinick
Easy Search Transaction logs
UTD on DMP records obtained prior to 12/12/12
Adding XTF records to Ethics CORE
Pawel Szponar
Creating data capture page for Physics Alumni to grant permission for dissertations/theses to be open access
Meng Tao
Editing splithtml for Ethics CORE
Digital signage
Evaluating/weeding reference collection
Michael Flierl
CARE Info lit sessions
Writing Two-Minute Challenges for Tina/Ethics CORE
Scientific Integrity Statements analysis/chart for Ethics CORE
Grainger Facebook/Twitter
Facilities
Total user seating: 1486 (with all conference rooms full);
At tables: 707;
At carrels: 464;
At public workstation or index tables: 202;
In group study rooms included in tables;
Informal: 113.
Hours Open:
Fall: 24/5: Sunday – Friday, Saturday 10 AM- 10 PM.
Spring: 24/5: Sunday – Friday, Saturday 10 AM- 10 PM.
Finals Weeks: 24/7.
Summer I and Summer II: 8:30 – Midnight; Monday – Thursday; 8:30 – 6 Friday;
Saturday and Sunday 1 PM – 8 PM.
Other Summer Hours: 8:30 – 5.
Personnel
Faculty:
William Mischo
Mary Schlembach (until June 2013)
Christie Wiley (May 2013 -)
Kelli Trei (July 2013 -)
Megan Mahoney (was grant funded until July 2013)
7

Staff:
Barbara Bolser (left April 2013)
Elisandro Cabada
Sharon McFarland
Lyn Petrie
Joshua Hollingsead
Jamie Hansen (began October 2012)
Sheila McGowan
Magdalena Casper-Shipp (left September 2012)
Ann Silcox
Academic Professionals:
Nikki Wright (on disability)
Robert Ferrer (IT)
Tom Habing (IT)
Jay Heldreth (IT)
Graduate Assistants:
Paid on Grainger Library fund (we are allocated 3.25 FTE):
50% Jenny Wong-Welch (2nd year)
50% Megan O’Donnell (2nd year)
50% Elias Lopez (1st year)
50% Sarina Sinick (1st year)
50% Michael Flierl
50% Meng Tao (1 st
year)
50% total – Pawel Szponar (1st year)
Pawel is 25% on Grainger Library fund and
25% on Grainger Library endowment fund
50% Hengyi Fu (2 nd
year) (thru December 31, 2012 on NSF Ethics Grant then Grainger endowment fund
Paid on Railroad Engineering Association of American Railroads Technology Funds:
50% Rachelle Ramer (2nd year)
Student Wage Budget:
Base Budget: $144,264
Additional temporary: $4,100
Summer GA: $13,785
Student Assistant FE: 43
User Services
Gate Count: 901,592 patrons
Circulation: Charges: 34,269; Renewals: 24,859; Discharges: 35,259
Reference Transactions: 15,751
8

Presentations: 20 presentations, 975 attendees
Appendices (separate word document, Graphs_Grainger_FY13.docx):
Gate counts, patron counts, Finals counts, sweep week counts, wireless counts.
9

600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1000
900
800
700
364
249
867
92
Monday
315
326
863
101
Tuesday
770
629
307
276
306
283
276
110 110
229
153
109
Wednesday
1:00 AM 9:00 AM
Thursday
1:00 PM
Friday
9:00 PM
377
260
Saturday
456
Sunday
701

900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
278
251
72
Monday
844
758
708
290
252
91
Tuesday
265
274
97
286
266
105
476
259
204
144
82
Wednesday
1:00 AM 9:00 AM
Thursday
1:00 PM
Friday
9:00 PM
388
236
Saturday
400
Sunday
630

700
600
500
400
900
800
300
200
100
0
317
250
81
Monday
855
807
734
305
286
95
Tuesday
285
275
103
295
273
107
543
267
215
96
148
382
247
Saturday
381
596
Sunday Wednesday
1:00 AM 9:00 AM
Thursday
1:00 PM
Friday
9:00 PM

250
200
150
100
233
219
215
198
166
161
157
138
127
130
123
114
112
114
109
104
184
162
50
0
Monday Tuesday
10:00 AM
Wednesday
1:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 PM 2:00 PM
Friday
6:00 PM
Saturday Sunday

1000
935
902
900
861
825
800
818
700
600
500
593
489
515
593
550
588
460
555
538
408
452
493
434
366
456
400
343 372
300
292
244
338
204
233
253
200
100
84
133
42
107
50
116
110
118
46
135
91
52
92
173
110
44
0
Monday, October
22, 2012
Tuesday, October
23, 2012
Wednesday,
October 24, 2012
Thursday, October
25, 2012
Friday, October 26,
2012
Saturday, October
27, 2012
Sunday, October 28,
2012
Monday, October
29, 2012
12:00 AM 3:00 AM 6:00 AM 9:00 AM 12:00 PM 3:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM

1000
900
894
800
700
657
683
771
710
691
600
500
558
511
400
445
531
422
594
435
367
528
558
488
300
437
361
349
370
306
250
320
200
145
123
70
150
126
51
126
100
0
56
Monday, March 04,
2013
Tuesday, March 05,
2013
Wednesday, March
06, 2013
35
Thursday, March
07, 2013
12:00 AM 3:00 AM 6:00 AM 9:00 AM
91
46
45
Friday, March 08,
2013
Saturday, March 09,
2013
Sunday, March 10,
2013
Monday, March 11,
2013
12:00 PM 3:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM

1400
1208
1200
1140
1068
1092
1088
1000
800
600
400
200
0
947
965
936
952
954
976
1019
860
820 806
849
743 750
539
620
405
706
739
644
693
698
657
519
601
761
546
531
579
492
690
390
12/9/2012
(Sun)
351
225
326
318
308
223 222
193
260
112
101 131
102
110
62
12/10/2012
(Mon)
12/11/2012
(Tue)
12/12/2012
(Wed)
196
82
136
12/13/2012
(Thu)
12/14/2012
(Fri)
12/15/2012
(Sat)
99
55
155
355
204
180
12/16/2012
(Sun)
12/17/2012
(Mon)
594
335
181
159
704
483
239
437
112
98
510
356
192
27
264
163
143
62
12/18/2012
(Tue)
12/19/2012
(Wed)
12/20/2012
(Thu)
12:01 AM 3:00 AM 6:00 AM 9:00 AM 12:00 PM 3:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM

1200
1083 1086
1000
990
959
923
904
838
832
848
800
793 778
786
739
692
721
631
657
659
600
626
560
561 549
544
566
506
503
511
439
429
436
400
200
0
340
277
250
163
194
155
162
84
95
116 129
4/28/2013
(Sun)
52
4/29/2013
(Mon)
63
4/30/2013
(Tue)
86
5/1/2013
(Wed)
109
46
5/2/2013
(Thu)
5/3/2013
(Fri)
321
81
188
81
17
5/4/2013
(Sat)
56
5/5/2013
(Sun)
684
737
587
269
182
536
5/6/2013
(Mon)
746
213
170
589
5/7/2013
(Tue)
715
618
519
175
114
5/8/2013
(Wed)
349
500
181
162
82
437
320
114
151
5/9/2013
(Thu)
5/10/2013
(Fri)
12:01 AM 3:00 AM 6:00 AM 9:00 AM 12:00 PM 3:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM

2000000
1800000
1600000
1400000
1200000
1000000
800000
600000
400000
200000
0
498643
405138
Gate 1 (North Entrance)
612152
719138
543424
678908
Gate 2 (South Entrance - West) Gate 3 (South Entrance - East)
2011-12 2012-13
1654219
1803184
Total

1200
1071
1018
1000
800
876
940
723
600
400
435
361
419
327
379
298
200
0
Sunday
90
Monday
90
Tuesday
100
95
Wednesday Thursday Friday
1:00 AM
9:00 AM
1:00 PM
9:00 PM

1400
1200
1000
1028
800
600
575
400
200
0
Sunday
1254
1223
1190
983
544
358 420
375
125 190
150
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
424
Friday
1:00 AM
9:00 AM
1:00 PM
9:00 PM

1200
1040
1000
800
870
953
918
654
600
400
200
377
0
Sunday
362
344
96
Monday
435
352
383
346
386
323
98
Tuesday
100
Wednesday
92
Thursday
279
Friday
1:00 AM
9:00 AM
1:00 PM
9:00 PM

1600
1400
1200
1281
1332
1415
1173
1077
1000
800
600
607
644
700
582
1:00 AM
9:00 AM
1:00 PM
9:00 PM
500 401
400
200
407
441
455
385
0
Sunday
120
Monday
118
Tuesday
121
Wednesday
120
Thursday Friday