Citation
Dekeyser, R. and Holans, L. (2003), "Around the World to Katholieke Universiteit Library, Leuven, Belgium", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 20 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.2003.23920haf.004
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited
Around the World to Katholieke Universiteit Library, Leuven, Belgium
Around the World to Katholieke Universiteit Library, Leuven, Belgium
Raf Dekeyser and Ludo Holans
On October 1, 2002 the new Arenberg Campus Library for the Sciences and Engineering faculties of the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven was inaugurated by the Minister-President of the Flemish Community. A Web site currently only in Dutch is available at www.bib.kuleuven.ac.be/ub/kijker/exacte.html An English Web site of all libraries associated with the University is available at www.bib.kuleuven.ac.be/English/index.html
The Spanish Architect Raphael Moneo created a new library building, combining an old sixteenth century- style convent with a modern and technological building housing 700,000 volumes, of which 280,000 will be placed in open stacks. Another 300,000 volumes are stored in another convent 1km from the new building. In reality, 1 million volumes needed to be relabelled and moved from 18 departmental and faculty libraries to the two new Library buildings.
The Katholieke Universiteit Library serves 10,000 students and faculty in this new building of more than 13,000 square meters. The construction of the building started in 2000. The library is open from 9a.m. until 10p.m. (Monday- Friday) and on Saturday from 9a.m. until 1p.m.
Owing to the small number of Library staff, only 20.5 FTE, we were obliged to automate all processes that have a repetitive character. Many different processes, procedures and services are examples of this effort. They include:
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Questions at the Main Desk are drastically reduced by introducing a Web-based locating system. This software allows patrons to take a virtual tour of the Library and tracing rooms, books and bound periodicals located on the shelves by using an SVG viewer.
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Most of the loan and return activities are done via self-check counters based on RFID technology.
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Antitheft and security are handled by the electronic article surveillance bit on the I-code tag.
Another staff reduction was realized by installing a powerful Solaris server (24 GigaRam memory and nearly 950 Gigabytes of storage capacity) for steering 100 ultra-thin client machines that can be operated by smart card technology.
A first step towards the e-learning program (faculty-library) was set by offering digitised images of several kinds of maps, e.g. historical, topographic, geological, etc. to academics and students. Some of them can be geo-referenced by library staff. Open source software is offered and taught by library staff, for example, putting drilling data on the maps and stitching parts of maps together.
As we are a user-centred library, we not only serve our patrons but we also assist them with self-guided study facilities, like white-boarding in different seminar and instruction rooms, and also engaging in and utilizing video-conferencing are possible.
The library has a signal function as a meeting spot on the campus and acts accordingly. Not only books and periodicals can be found there, but also receptions for retirements and there is even enough room available for PhD students presenting their theses, etc.
Raf Dekeyser (raf.dekeyser@bib.kuleuven.ac.be) is the Library Director of the Arenberg LibraryLudo Holans(ludo.holans@bib.kuleuven.ac.be) is also at the Katholieke Univwersiteit, Leuven, Belgium