University Library Council
March 17, 2005
3:30-5:30 p.m.
Dean's Conference Room, McKeldin Library
DRAFT MINUTES

Members Present: William DeWitt (Chair), Sue Baughman, Victor Korenman, Hayim Lapin, Charles Lowry, Carlen Ruschoff, Lee Schwentker, Susanna Van Sant, Gerald Wilkinson
Absent: James Farquhar, Virginia Haufler, Laura Perna

DeWitt called the meeting to order at 3:30 pm.

Review of the February 17, 2005 Draft Meeting Minutes,
The minutes were approved as submitted.

Disciplinary Perspectives on Library Serives and Collections
Dr. James F. Harris, Dean, College of Arts & Humanities, presented his perspective on the library as a resource supporting various disciplines in Arts & Humanities (A&H).

• Although Harris suggested that the budget issue largely affects the quality and quantity of resources the library could provide, he stated A&H was not prepared to incorporate library resource as an expense item in its budget and posed the question why should it
• A&H has several new programs which will affect the level of support expected from the libraries
  • Most are undergraduate programs, save one graduate program (Second Language Acquisition)
  • The perception among the existing A&H programs is that library resource support has come up short
  • Languages are the biggest expansion item in the college
  • The need for Arabic and Persian fluency is exploding in the economic and political arenas
  • In the School of Languages, Literatures & Cultures, Arabic (specifically) and Persian languages and cultures have experienced a huge surge in need and interest since 9/11
  • A&H recently won an overseas contract in the form of an annual grant, which may result in an overseas branch
  • In the event an overseas branch is opened, this will further impact on the need for access to resources
  • It is recognized that language acquisition is best attained in the native country
  • The existing resources supporting the Persian language program are insubstantial
  • When developing the RFP for the Persian language program, it appears that fundraising will be needed
    • Harris stated that materials in Farsi are expected to come in as donations
    • There is an enormous need for student access to books written in Persian, Farsi and Arabic
  • Ruschoff stated that unique problems exist in foreign language cataloging
    • Who will catalog this material
    • There is difficulty finding staff fluent not only in the language and knowledgeable with culture, but also with the library protocol
    • We might need to conscript Farsi readers/speakers to help cataloging
    • Harris offered that A&H may support this endeavor financially
    • Linguists run their own software, platforms, just like the sciences
    • The biggest change in data storage in linguistics
  • Harris also shared that A&H uses a fair amount of resource access software
    • Journal support
    • Classical literature is not available in print
    • Use of non-book type resources (e.g., performances, dance, etc.)
    • Dance is difficult to notate
    • Cataloging visual images
    • Should the libraries maintain access to all of this?
• There needs to be a redefinition of libraries in the computer age
  • The Library of Congress has over 85 million books – how long will it take to digitize this collection?
  • The older the book, the more valuable a resource
  • The trick is to determine a realistic strategy for digitization – do we do it all? How much is enough?
  • The core disciplines that rely most heavily on library use, need access to books for research
  • Some alternate resources, such as the Library of Congress and Folgers, are more robust for scholarly research
  • Arts and humanities are traditional disciplines
• The technology needs for digitization are astronomical.
  • The School of Art is a big user of streaming, which is an extremely expensive in terms of technology, as well as faculty
  • Google’s current digitizing projects consists of material which is out of copyright
  • The dilemma of working with older documents trying to sort out what original was and to improve its readability
  • Archival work is interesting
  • Some A&H programs are not coming into the library – does that matter?
  • Most undergrads are going to electronic resources
  • If resources are digitized, then undergrads will probably access them more readily
  • There continues to be a concern about what is found in the internet and submitted as research data
• It is the Library’s experience that library usage is increasing, which is supported by a check of the database access statistics
  • Libraries are busier now than they were five years ago
• Arts & Humanities is going wireless, beginning with the Art Soc department
  • The cost to start the project is $60K, with additional required funds to maintain the technology
  • The work was started based upon the strong perception that almost all students have laptops
• How is library being redefined?
  • The traditional definition is that it’s a place to store books
  • Sometimes archives are considered in this definition
  • Today’s definition is that the library is an information retrieval center
  • The students will ultimately define the needs that the library must meet
  • The perception is that speed, with a complete encyclopedic approach to knowledge, and access to instantly reusable materials, now drive these needs – how does the library react
  • The new library will also be defined by the new definition of today’s researcher
• Can the libraries work together with colleges to develop programs to share and exchange materials for resources?
  • Staples, from the University of Virginia, suggests that libraries will supplant the role of publishers, because libraries will be able to instantly respond to specific needs
  • Libraries can become the publishers and move from the archival role to become integral in preservation of traditional knowledge
  • Resources are becoming less fragile and more durable
  • Those who are technologically challenged will suffer in the technological revolution
  • Collaborative efforts might require a fee to access to database access
  • Research projects lend themselves to cooperative ventures
  • Databases (like slides) are available on limited bases and maintained by specific discipline rather than under the auspices of the library
  • Inter-disciplinary sharing is not universal
    • Should it be cataloged for access by anyone interested in the material?
    • Example: brain images might be of interest to psychologists, anthropologists, as well as those associated with the medical fields
  • Intellectual expertise will help this along
  • The one hold-out for entry into this age of technology appears to be the Performing Arts, which will accept only “live records” of performances
    • How can one retrieve, use and disburse such information

Libraries' Strategic Plan
Jane Williams, Director, Planning and Administrative Services, presented the Libraries’ Strategic Plan for the Calendar Years 2005-2007

• Williams stated that the Plan was designed with a view to re-orient how we see ourselves – what we will be for users rather than what we will be as a library
• Its development and preparation involved all interested staff and members of the ULC
• A task force was formed to include volunteers who could contribute valuable introspection
• Baughman, in her capacity as Assistant Dean for Organizational Development, served as facilitator for task force meetings, and Maggie Saponaro, Manager, Staff Learning and Development, conducted seminars to elicit thought provoking ideas on how the libraries can best serve the users
• Historically, the strategic plan was prepared in a traditional style
• “The Ubiquitous Library” was a companion planning document required by the Provost
• The latest rendition of the Strategic Plan includes annual implementation plans – tangible, with output explicitly cited
• The goals are stated and accompanied with an evaluation to determine progress
• This new version was produced in part to respond to past complaints that the staff didn’t see themselves in the plan
  • Although the Libraries don’t have formal unit plans, more groups are developing them for self evaluation with the result to determine how do people fulfill their responsibilities here
  • The faculty does the work to fulfill what’s in the plan
• Korenman noted that the Libraries do great things, yet there is no mention of these in the Plan, nor how the Libraries plan to redirect resources for the future
• Lowry stated that this work is an on-going daily process
• Korenman asked why this information wasn’t part of the plan
  • Who is the audience for the plan?
  • What is more what is less – the details help audience understand how and why the libraries have changed
  • The work done with respect to relationships with users re funding should be included in the plan
• The Plan needs more details of who does what and why and when
  • What have we done and where are we going
  • We’re experiencing budgetary difficulties, tremendous changes in the information world
  • We’re moving from print to electronics, which saves money on many levels
  • We’re saving basic costs, processing costs and redirecting staff to new areas to respond to changes and to the budgetary difficulties
  • Electronic journals will increase in the future
  • DRUM will provide yet another benefit
  • Expound on database access – electronic access, improves access for students users
  • So many services are provided of which the user is unaware
• Is the strategic plan a marketing document, a sales document?
• Will this document be sent to the deans?
• The theme to promote is that the libraries are – Easier, Faster, Better
• The Plan as written is good, but it needs embellishment as to accomplishments

Future Meetings
April 21
Stephen Halperin, Dean, College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences will attend to discuss his college’s perspective on the library

May 19

1. Wrap-up session: discussions of the previous meetings with the deans (Review the minutes of each of the deans' meetings)
2. DRUM, D-Space: Archives – direction for the next academic year

Submitted by Irene S. Hruzd