MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 28, 2001 SIRS MEETING  (draft)

Present: Yahaira Norris-Gonzalez, Bob Garber (facilitator),
Mary Winker, Ross Laguere, Glenn Moreton (scribe), Barbara
Nail-Chiwetalu (timekeeper), Susanna Van Sant, Bill Stanek
(Stan), Cindy Todd,  Evelyn Yocco

Single Coverage at the Desk

        SIRS resumed part of the previous meeting's
discussion about single coverage at the desk during Dec.
and Jan.  The discussion paid particular attention to how
to provide back up during the early morning shift in the
case of a scheduled librarian being delayed or absent.
        The group offered several proposals about how to
deal with this situation, including having a "back-up"
person assigned for respective morning shifts, to be
available until the assigned librarian arrived.  Cindy Todd
requested that librarians present talk to their respective
subject team members to get final responses.  All agreed to
get the responses to Cindy by the end of the day, so that
she could create the template for the desk schedule.

Desk Service Guidelines

        SIRS discussed Desk Service Guidelines (previously
called "The Ten Commandments of Good Desk Service") which
they had compiled at the previous meeting.   Members noted
that these guidelines are what the patron should expect
from us and what we will provide.  Also these guidelines
are expectations that we should have of each other.
Eventually the guidelines may be used as a model in the
development of performance appraisal criteria.
        After some discussion, the SIRS Team decided
that this document should be forwarded to the IRS Team, so
that it could be developed for the entire University of
Maryland Libraries.  They also recommended that IRS should
look at the RASD "Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of
Reference and Information Service Professionals" to get
further ideas.

Work Initiation Meeting

        Cindy Todd gave an update on the work
initiation meeting that she had attended on the previous
day.   In addition, she noted that one matter upon which we
still need to decide is where to relocate our subject
guides (a new stairwell entrance will be cut into the wall
against which we now have our guides).

CD ROM Theft

        Cindy Todd announced that the Value Line Investment
Survey CD had been stolen.  She explained that cables would
temporarily used to lock the CD case.  She asked for
suggestions about how to temporarily circulate the Value
Line CD.  SIRS agreed that we would require that users
check out the CD from the reference desk by leaving their
student ID or drivers license.  The group also agreed that
users must use the CD in one of the computers behind the
desk, and must not take the CD for use elsewhere.  Chris
Bunn will write these checkout procedures.  Cindy noted
that we would see if ITD could eventually run Value Line on
their server.

Security

        Cindy Todd gave a brief update on the new security
system that is being installed in McKeldin Library.  The
system will include security cameras and emergency buttons
on each floor.

----------------------
Glenn Moreton
gm30@umail.umd.edu