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Training and Educational Programs

BCR Training Topics Chart In FY 2000-2001 BCR staff provided 143 technical training sessions and workshops at 39 different locations across the region. In addition, we hosted 39 meetings and technology demonstrations at our training facility in Aurora, Colorado, and BCR staff made presentations at 10 state library conferences, six regional library meetings and three national conventions.

BCR continued to develop Web-based distance learning courses and added seven new classes. BCR now offers online workshops on 18 different topics. We had 206 participants in 17 states take one or more of these online classes. More than 2,300 library staff participated in a BCR educational event. BCR continued to provide extensive technical support services, and the staff responded to an average of nearly 900 telephone calls a week, along with hundreds of e-mail requests for help.

New OCLC Cataloging Libraries The BS&S program provides training and support for the 311 libraries using OCLC cataloging, ILL and union listing services. Ten new OCLC cataloging member libraries were trained and brought on line, along with seven new OCLC selective users (ILL only) and four new users of CatExpress. Use of OCLC cataloging services by BCR member libraries increased by 10 percent, while use of the OCLC ILL system grew by over 22 percent. BCR's custom cataloging team processed 129,690 items for 27 different libraries.

The use of Web-based reference databases through the IDS program grew by nearly 10 percent in FY 2000-2001. OCLC's FirstSearch system was the most popular, with almost 3,000 libraries using this service through arrangements with the state libraries and other consortia in Colorado, Kansas, Iowa and Wyoming. The use of LexisNexis databases also grew significantly, as did BCR's discounted contracts for Wilson databases and Online Britannica.

The BCR R&D program grew by over 50 percent in FY 2000-2001. The most widely used R&D services were the netLibrary electronic book shared collections that were used by more than 200 libraries in nine states. But a number of special projects for smaller consortia and state library agencies were administered through R&D. We also brokered successful consortia agreements for Gale and EBSCO databases for libraries in Colorado and Kansas.

During the past year Administrative Services and Business Office staff were heavily involved in finding cost-effective ways to extend BCR services to the hundreds of new BCR member libraries. The continued translation of BCR paper publications into electronic formats proved very popular and helped contain overhead costs. The redesign of BCR's external Web site, as well as the Intranet, were also completed. Nearly a third more invoices were processed and hundreds of new accounts set up, but the financial reports were actually produced in less time, on average, than the year before. BCR administrative and accounting staff were also continually involved in contract negotiations and the ongoing personnel administration and fiscal monitoring of a number of special projects on behalf of state library agencies, local consortia and research institutions.

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