• No opinion/not sure (12 responders)

• Definite no (38 responders: 36 PAM, 2 FR)
  (More than one mention):
  • Networking/socializing valuable -- 14

• Definite yes (34 responders: 31 PAM, 3 FR), generally to reduce open houses rather than eliminate them.
  (More than one mention):
  • Financial assistance to attend conference/lower fees -- 6
  • Support conference programs -- 5
  • Continuing education/distance learning -- 4
  • Support student attendance -- 3
  • Liaison with publishers/vendors/researchers -- 2
  • Local/regional programming -- 2
  • Publications -- 2

• Possibly or probably reduce open houses (22 responders)
  (More than one mention):
  • Financial assistance to attend conference/lower fees -- 6
  • Support conference programs -- 2

24. The print edition of the PAM Bulletin costs a total of $1,400 annually to copy and distribute four issues. This represents about 19% of PAM's total budget. There is also an electronic (web) version of the PAM Bulletin which is available without cost to the Division.

• Should have electronic only/electronic only O.K. (33 responders)
  • Still mail print to those who lack access -- 3 mentions
  • Suggestions:
    • Email reminder to check web site for new edition
    • Mail electronic version out on listserv
    • Make Acrobat version available for those who want to print out.

• Need both/retain both until everyone has electronic access (98 responders)
  • Save money: only send print to those who ask for it -- 20 mentions
  • Should move toward electronic only -- 16 mentions
  • Print edition convenient/portable -- 12 mentions
  • Print edition is archived -- 2 mentions

• Should have print edition only (2 responders)

• No opinion/don't care (2 responders)

25. Are you familiar with the PAM Award and the nominations procedure for it?

20b. Are you familiar with the PAM Achievement Award and the nominations procedure for it?

PART V -- You, PAM, and the Future

26. As a librarian/information professional, what are the biggest challenges facing you today?
(Note: Responses from members and friends are combined for this question.)

• "Keeping up" (60 mentions)
  • With technology and changes in the electronic environment (31)
  • With electronic resources/tools/formats (15)
  • With new developments in librarianship/publishing (5)
  • With change (5)
  • With "the crush of information" and "information not readily available" (2)
  • In general (2)

• Budgets/Costs of Journals (49 mentions)
  • Balancing print/electronic (3)
  • Costs/Prices/Price increases (21)
  • Budgets/Budget cuts/Lack of resources (19)
  • Cancellations (2)
  • Doing more with less money/Where to spend scare dollars (4)

• Time Pressures and Setting Priorities (individual) (30)
  • Not enough time/time management (23)
    • in general/for everything (9)
    • to get work done/do a good job (7)
    • to evaluate services or learn new tools/techniques (3)
    • to stay current in the field/for professional activities (4)
  • Setting priorities/deciding what -not- to do (3)
  • Staying energized and upbeat (2)
  • Dealing with multiples demands/tasks (2)

• User-related Issues (30)
  • Meeting changing user needs and expectations (8)
  • Finding out what users want/staying in tune (7)
  • Teaching/training/instructing users (6)
  • Dealing with users' attitudes and beliefs (5)
  • Marketing/keeping users aware and informed (4)

• Electronic Environment With Options and Choices (28)
  • Ejournals & AI resources including access/copyright (7)
  • Proliferation of resources/Bundling/Choosing (6)
  • Web: site management/design/construction, identifying quality (4)
  • Archiving (3)
  • Integration of electronic services (2)
  • Access issues (2)
  • Acquisition of electronic resources (2)
  • Information management (2)

• Dealing with Hierarchy and Management Expectations (13)
  • Upper management attitudes and expectations (6)
  • Dealing with politics/bureaucracies (3)
  • Justifying value/existence (2)
  • Visibility/integrating function into organization (1)
  • Gaining support/advocates (1)

• Keeping Skills Current/Professional Development (13)
  • Updating skills/keeping skills current (11)
    • Technology/computers/hardware/software/Internet searching (7)
    • General/Not specified (3)
    • Negotiation skills to get what I need/want (1)
  • Professional development (2)

• Change and Changing Roles (12)
  • Scholarly communication/publishing/information delivery systems (5)
  • Dealing with change (3)
  • Value and role of libraries/librarianship in the future (3)
  • Anticipating developments to stay ahead of the curve (1)

• Management/Supervisory Issues and Concerns (7)
  • Dealing with staff cuts (5)
  • Learning management techniques/Dealing with supervisory issues (2)

• Miscellaneous (7)
  • Foreign language physics materials (Japan)
  • Knowing what's going on in a one-librarian library.
  • International relations
  • Not forget the people skills; not everything can or should be computerized
  • I don't know anything about astronomy and science libraries.
  • Right to continue interlibrary loan document delivery needs to be safe guarded
  • Maintaining a quality journal collection.

• Space and Facilities Issues (5)

• Finding/Keeping a Job (2)

• Automation/Migration in My Own Library (2)

27. What can the PAM Division do to help you meet those challenges?

• Have Dynamic Programming at Annual Conference (35)
  • Sample Comments: (9)
    • Conferences very energizing.
    • Good conference programming.
    • Annual meeting has been invaluable in the long run.
  • Suggestions (26)
    • Provide a "learning space" at conferences?
    • Perhaps more training sessions instead of updates?
    • Proceedings via WWW or....print....
    • Share experiences, success stories, and good speakers at conferences.
    • Have more programs, topics, discussions that relate to particular disciplines rather than such broad topics that they are practically meaningless.
    • Focus on practical aspects.
    • Workshops and conference sessions on what's available or how to.
    • Programs/Reports/Workshops/Round Tables about:
      • Collections-related topics (9)
        • Sessions on strategies in collection development issues of electronic resources: selection access, user awareness, etc.
        • Learning about new resources.
        • I'd like reports about new/exciting CS web sites.
        • Focusing on issues like funding for resources.
        • Focusing on issues like space issues at the annual meeting.
        • Continue to sponsor programs at the national conference that address dealing with the costs of journals and electronic products.
        • Getting the most out of my budgets
        • Ideas to make serials monies go farther.
        • Having programs at the national conference that address issues of cost of serials and web services.
      • Technology-related topics (7)
        • Programs on Internet developments (Liz' communications have helped as well as listservs).
        • Current workshops/round tables on the issues of keeping up with technology.
        • Provide programs that help me keep pace with [technology] changes.
        • Offer workshops, talks, etc. in the areas of systems administration, UNIX, electronic publishing.
        • Sponsor workshops on technology.
        • Offer programs in licensing: how to decipher and get the best deal.
        • Continue to sponsor programs at the national conference that address keeping up with changes in information technology.
      • User-related topics (3)
        • How about a program with real physicists and astronomers-talking about how they work and use information?
        • Focusing on issues like achieving and maintaining relevancy for user population at the annual meeting.
        • Having programs at the national conference that address issues of figuring out 1) usage when users are doing library work outside the library, and 2) training users.
      • Time management (2)
        • Maybe some time management skills sessions.
        • Sponsor a serious program on the topic of time management at conference or at the regional level.
      • Other topics (2)
        • Current workshops/round tables on multi-tasking, downsizing, international relations.
        • I'd like to see more discussion of professional problems and exchange of potential solutions.

• Communicate Information about Resources and Services (23)
  • Suggestions:
    • Perhaps have more complete reporting of PAM events through newsletter or post speaker slides, overheads, scripts of talks on PAM web page.
    • It would be very helpful if each person who conducts an informal survey through the listserv about a product or vendor would summarize the results on the listserv or in the Bulletin.
    • Maybe columns that appear occasionally in printed and electronic PAM Bulletin on change in the corporate environment, change in the academic environment, the human side of coping with constant changes.
    • Possibly survey members to find out what decisions have been made about reference tools and collections and WHY!
  • General (4)
    • Communications. (2)
    • Information sharing.
    • News outlet.
  • How To Communicate:
    • Keep members informed by means of publications, conferences, workshops.
    • Publish announcements in the Bulletin.
    • Keep up info service via SLA-PAM list and Bulletin, e.g., lobbying with publishers.
  • Communicate About:
    • Continue alerting me about new web sites in the Newsletter.
    • Good communication among members about new developments and approaches to dealing with those situations.
    • Keep the community informed about newest technolgogy, technical and structural developments. (2)
    • Disseminate information about library practices affected by technological developments.
    • Continue coverage of journal pricing issues.
    • About New Products/Resources/Formats (6)
      • Encourage posting of new formats/titles on the listserv.
      • Continue to share information on resources, regardless of format.
      • New product sessions with evaluations by libraries who have used product.
      • New product reviews in Bulletin and PAMnet.
      • Continue to provide current awareness of new resources and technology.
      • Help with "new" announcements, e.g., "new" electronic journals, publishers' info ---keep us up-to-date as you have been doing so well.

• Communications with Vendors and Publishers (23)
  • As an organization (4)
    • Write more letters to publishers as a division/Lobby publishers. (2)
    • Present/communicate our unified desires/demands to journal publishers. Vendors, government. (2)
  • Publisher liaisons (4)
    • Having PAM publisher representatives is very helpful. (1)
    • Keep up the excellent work in vendor relations. I think it's exemplary for a librarians' organization to have such close ties with publishers, including having liaisons on publishers' boards.
    • Publisher liaisons and liaisons to societies are vital. (2)
  • Publisher Relations/Dialogue (7)
    • Maintain contact with vendors, content providers.
    • Continue to serve as a forum for open discussion on electronic serials issues.
    • Ensure ongoing open dialogs with vendors. (3)
    • Publishers present at round tables and vendor updates.
    • Encourage more vendors to inform us of their latest developments not only at the conference but can announce to us via listserv as things are happening (like what IOP and APS are doing now).
  • Publisher Updates at Annual Conference (6)
    • Continue vendor updates; they are a good way to keep up. (5)
    • Perhaps a mid-year update from vendors would help also.

• Continue PAMnet (22)
  Sample Comments:
  • Very useful for exchanging experience and knowledge.
  • Learn much about trends in ejournal publishing and what other libraries are doing.
  • Very important for communication.
  • Messages have helped me present issues.
  • Helps with staying current with new technology and changes in the [subject] field.
  • Invaluable for creating a "virtual community" of librarians (like myself) who otherwise work "in isolation".

• Continuing Education (13)
  • Suggestions:
    • Sponsor/set up distance education or continuing education program. (3)
    • Develop and deliver continuing education courses in a format other than the annual conference. Utilize distance education developments, maybe experiment with satellite conferencing or video-based distribution of programs. Headquarters might be will ing to take this on as an experiment in member services.
    • Although training classes are offered here, I find it difficult to attend most. When I do attend, the classes don't go far enough. Also, if you don't use the program (or whatever), you forget how by the time you need it.
  • CE Topics (5)
    • New things happening in our field/current subjects. (2)
    • Make us aware of what new skills are needed and then offer classes/seminars/talks.
    • Classes on Word, Excel, FirstSearch, INSPEC on FirstSearch, HTML, ADL Press, etc.
    • While we meet and talk and exchange ideas between ourselves..., nowhere is there an reference to the folk from whom we must request, beg, or wheedle our funds, by fair means or foul.... What I'm leading up to here is to suggest a course on "Funding O fficers - their care and feedings" (usually of egos). I think SLA does this, but the needs of PAM members are generally very different from those who work in other disciplines. It's no good teaching a course on the latest systems and how to use them if the attendees know they are very unlikely to be funded.
  • Regarding cost/value (4)
    • Pay for training professionals as part of the conference.
    • Maybe use money to help local chapters sponsor more educational programs so our local Spring Professional Development Seminars wouldn't be so pricey.
    • Lower prices on their CE courses.
    • Continuing education course would be a good start-provided they course-giver has a very solid background in the whole area, and not just "what I done good in my library". Courses are expensive and must give value for money. I'm glad I wasn't paying for some that I've taken.

• Networking/Information Sharing (13)
  • Suggestions: (2)
    • Open house doesn't have enough PAM people for good networking.
    • Who's in charge of Saturday night get-together? Can we go someplace without one long table?
  • Facilitate conversations/information sharing (6)
    • Share ideas on library management.
    • Continue to promote discussions/sharing of information about resources amd professional issues among members and other listserv subscribers.
    • Continue dialogue with each other and with vendors regarding journal problems, in other works, the things PAM is already doing, and doing very well.
    • Facilitate conversations between other librarians.
    • Moral support.
  • Networking (general) (5)
    • Foster networking among members to support document delivery.
    • Provide network whereby colleagues can share problems and solutions.
    • Further networking and interaction between members' and non-members' work in field. (2)
    • It is hard to meet just CS librarians. Any meeting or other way of meeting them would be great. I know that all are not in PAM, tho.

• Don't know/not sure (12)

• Continue PAM Web Site (7)
  • Sample Comments: (3)
    • Good web site with information and links.
  • Suggestions (4)
    • Be sure PAM web page resources [are] as up-to-date as possible.
    • The web page would be a good place to archive discussions about specific resources.
    • A better designed web page with some pages authored by members knowledgeable about particular areas would be a good thing.
    • Create a central access point (clearinghouse) for electronic journals and other information resources.

• Doing A Good Job; Keep It Up (6)
  Sample Comments:
  • Already doing a good job.
  • More of the same.
  • Keep doing what we're doing.

• Collaborate/Work with Others (6)
  • Work with publishers and authors to keep pricing to realistic levels
  • Foster efforts for consortia among groups of libraries that need support in focused areas, e.g., groups of small astronomy libraries that would benefit from better tailored access to resources such as Web of Science, Ideal (Academic Press), etc.
  • Look into consortium buying.
  • PAM can provide a forum to bring the parties together for brainstorming - help us understand how we can share and influence the future. PAM could provide info on the forces affecting directions in the info industry and in academia.
  • ARL is starting an initiative to see how libraries can "take back" scholarly publishing and PAM would be well placed to participate in something similar.
  • Sponsor forums/workshops/even conference which facilitate getting all the "players"-researchers, librarians, publishers - together to discuss the issues and look for solutions.

• Mentoring (5)
  • Mentoring/mentor program. (2)
  • Provide mentoring in subject areas.
  • Be sure to mentor new members.
  • Have a mentor to help keep at least marginally abreast of rapid changes in electronic techniques and uses for library services.

• Initiatives to Deal with Journal Situation (5)
  • Encourage university presses to take over publication of journals on a gradual basis.
  • Set standards for license agreements for electronic access and for pricing of electronic journals and reference resources.
  • Take a stand on issues like science journal pricing and access to electronic journals.
  • Perhaps PAM could be more aggressive in dealing with publishing issues as when they sent a protest letter last year.
  • Encourage standardization.

• Miscellaneous (5)
  • Sponsor research projects: history of special libraries; produce useful data to help solve problems like electronic-only scholarly communication, e.g., explore publishing habits of researchers at our institutions. (2) (2)
  • Help define a new niche and apply new working techniques in our day-to-day work.
  • SLA to be a lobby for librarians in terms of "image" and public relations.
  • Continue to oppose advertisements on SLA listservs and web offerings (and to communicate that to SLA HQ).

28. Here is a list of possible activities for the Division. Please [check] your top five (5) priorities for the PAM Division.

NOTE: In the table below the first three columns (PAM, FR, ALL) reflect the total mentions, regardless of ranking. The last column (Ave.) is the weighted average of ranks 1-5 only.

* Other

• PAM - 8 responses
  • All PAM members, including minorities, should be given the chance to be officers -- 1
  • Regular updates on astronomical database awareness -- 1
  • Sponsor PAM-relevant research -- 1
  • Represent members on a political level -- 1
  • Encourage mentoring -- 1
  • PAM Division services such as the Union List and the Astronomy Thesaurus -- 1
  • Provide means of professional development via committees -- 1
  • Provide current professional news via PAMnet, Bulletin, etc. -- 1
• Friends - 2 responses
  • Offer continuing education courses at conferences -- 1
  • Reviews or announcements of Web resources -- 1

29. What do you want to tell us that we didn't ask? All comments welcome.

• PAM is GREAT for contacts and relevant information -- 8
• Good survey and thanks for asking -- 5
• Would like to know more about other division and committee members -- 3
• Adding physics to collection/new member so will use PAM more -- 3
• Liz Bryson is Great -- 2
• Not a joiner/Don't get to attend meetings -- 2
• Mentoring never got off the ground -- 1
• PAM is too cliquish with academics controlling what the group does -- 1
• More focus needed on continuing ed. -- 1
• Less focus on national SLA survival tactics -- 1
• Retired member responded - 1
• PAM could examine the creation of new divisions of subject societies relevant to our division -- 1
• PAM could consider sponsoring joint conferences such as LISA but for the Physics and Math Community -- 1
• Monthly updates on what's new -- 1
• Have lunch or dinner with new members -- 1
• Don't move to SLA's HQ's site -- 1
• SLA Bulletin is great resource -- 1
• SLA and ALA should coordinate efforts -- 1
• Encourage smaller vendors/publishers to participate in PAM discussions and listserv -- 1
• Attend meetings to keep up to date -- 1
• More communication on ARIBIB -- 1
• Replace people who are not doing their job in PAM rather than renewing their appointments -- 1
• Appreciate PAM's pragmatic approach -- 1
• Subject focus is important in PAM -- 1
• Newcomers benefit from PAM's mentoring and tutorials -- 1
• Would like to see more emphasis on geophysics -- 1

• Too busy to think about it -- 1
• Survey is too long -- 1
• SLA is an excellent organization but may not renew membership -- 1
• Keep up the good work -- 1

Optional. Would you like to serve the PAM Division in some capacity?

Go to original survey (1998 PAM Survey) (http://bama.ua.edu/~kcroneis/pamsurv.html).

Go to selected survey highlights (1998 PAM Survey Highlights) (http://bama.ua.edu/~kcroneis/pamkey.html).

Go to PAM Division Web Site (http://pantheon.yale.edu/~dstern/pamtop.html).