As the new school year starts, UCLA’s 15 libraries will
open a new chapter as they begin operating under new university
librarian Gary Strong.
Strong succeeds former university librarian Gloria Werner who
retired last summer. The position was filled by Janice Koyama
during the 2002-2003 academic year.
As university librarian, Strong has the responsibility of
representing UCLA libraries both nationally and within the UC
system. He is also in charge of building library collections,
overseeing resources, and making them available to students and
staff.
Strong graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education
from the University of Idaho in 1966 and earned his master’s
degree in library sciences from the University of Michigan in
1967.  Â
As far as existing plans, one of the library’s main points
of emphasis is the Information Literacy Initiative, Strong
said.
According to a document released by the university library,
information literacy is the ability to identify information needs,
locate information efficiently, evaluate information, and to use
information effectively and ethically.
Librarians and staff have joined hands in offering one-credit
classes that will aid students in their research in courses already
offered in the curriculum.
“These courses help students do the research for the class
without adding on to their workload,” said Eleanor Mitchell,
head of the College Library.
These classes will be more helpful to students since there will
be a change in vendors in the near future. This will represent a
change in the format in which the web-based Online Public Access
Catalog is organized and viewed.
This is the second change of its kind in the past five years,
and a team of librarians will be trained to educate students and
staff about these changes.
“I think that the challenge of technology is a big concern
and we are looking for a new vendor and looking to significantly
enhance our presence on campus,” Strong said.Â
A team of librarians will also be trained to educate the
students and staff about these changes.
Protecting the library and making its collections accessible
during challenging budget times is another of Strong’s top
priorities. Â
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“We need to work with the university to make sure we
provide good education,” Strong said, regarding issues
concerning lack of adequate space.Â
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Strong is also continuing to look at issues of privacy and
intellectual freedom and said the libraries are working to create
an environment that allows for the broadest possible pursuit for
ideas.
“It is particularly important in an academic community for
people to research unpopular avenues of discussion “¦ without
accusations,” Strong said. “We continue to look at
issues of privacy and PATRIOT is not the only context.”
The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate
Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001,
better known as the USA PATRIOT Act, is one of the most recent
policies launched involving privacy issues.
Under the act, the federal government has the right to request
information on individuals regarding their library activity. The
person or persons are barred from being notified about the fact
that their information has been disclosed.
Though the UCLA library system has only had to make small
adjustments concerning the act, some local and civic libraries,
like the Santa Cruz Public City-County Library, have taken actions
to contest the act.
“We shred Internet sign-up sheets at the end of the day
and the records of the books returned is not saved on the
computers,” said Ann Turner, director of the Santa Cruz
City-County Library. Â
Strong brings to his job a unique perspective drawn from the
broad range of his experiences. Strong held the position of State
Librarian of California for 14 years and in 1994, he went on to
become director of the Queens Borough Public Library System in New
York, the largest public library system in the United States
““ encompassing one central library and 62 community
libraries.
Strong was one of the creators of the California Research
Bureau, which provides nonpartisan, confidential research to the
governor’s office. Strong also served as associate director,
director and deputy state librarian at the Washington State
Library.