Topic: Digital Collections and Research
Guests: Jennie Levine and Dave Kennedy
Levine and Kennedy provided an update on DCR work. Levine handles the content side of DCR and Kennedy handles the technical side. Newly released collections include the National Trust Library Historic Postcard Collection http://www.lib.umd.edu/digital/ntlpostcards.jsp and the Maryland History and Culture Bibliography http://www.lib.umd.edu/dcr/collections/mdhc/.

• As of May 1, DCR entered a development hiatus that will last through the summer. During the hiatus new digital projects will not be initiated and the emphasis will be on behind the scenes work.
• Administrative Interface Testing will occur over the summer. The interface will permit metadata and direct content loading into digital repository rather than through batch loading processes.
• Hornbake Special Collections has 2000 records being quality checked for image and metadata quality. The records will be released after the summer.
• DCR will load Prange data at the end of July. 1,200 more Prange books are expected to be live at end of September.
• Discussions are underway with Cataloging (G. Ruth, R. Leigh) about metadata best practices.
• DCR is making key changes to core code: upgrading Fedora, reorganizing the code for efficiency and making it distributable to other institutions.
• Authentication and authorization work is being done for the administrative module to control who can work with what objects. This work will also provide better control for public access to our digital collections.
• Audio Toolkit specifications are being written. Work has begun on specifications for handling complex objects and bidirectional linking.
• DCR is migrating to JPEG2000.

DCR has identified discrete technical projects that they can complete in the upcoming months to move DCR into more of a production mode. On content side, previously approved projects are underway (including NTL postcards, Prange, public-initiated scanning). There are workflow issues and a need to move from batch loading and QC into a more steady production flow. The Scanning Task Force recommendations could help with this – and work is underway to develop next steps for that work. Levine and Kennedy anticipate ‘holding the line’ on new projects until 2009. A couple projects (civil war letters projects; literary manuscript collection) are in the pipeline and could be initiated and would help with tool development for complex objects. Unsure if/when a call for new projects will go out. A more flexible project identification and approval process may be established. Hope is that the infrastructure will be in place and future projects can more or less be plugged into that infrastructure. The anticipation is that less overhead will be needed in DCR for project management once the technical issues are worked through.

Future possibilities for DCR efforts include digitizing content to support classroom work; Open Content Alliance (OCA) projects; and participating in the discussions about collections that may fit the Council on Library and Information Resources’ (CLIR) call for proposals.

Topic: Planning for C-team Retreat
Annual C-Team Retreat will be on May 28-30. Draft Agenda:

1. ClimateQUALTM – OCDA Preliminary Results
   Outcome: Complete review of the preliminary results. Formulate next steps (including informing and engaging staff).
2. Workforce Planning
   Outcome: Define goals and guiding principles for the Libraries’ workforce planning efforts. Develop a timeline for implementation of workforce planning.
3. Campus Strategic Plan
   Outcome: Identify areas for which the Libraries are integrally engaged. Discuss timeline and next steps for creating a new Libraries’ strategic plan by December 2008.
4. Priorities for FY09
   Outcome: Identify the top 5-6 priorities for the fiscal year and determine leadership assignments.
Outcome: Identify what duties/responsibilities will need to be temporarily assigned to others, including those of CMSC Division Director, etc.

Topic: Pop-ups
Orienting the new LA Chair to working with LEC. The June 17th LEC meeting will start early to orient Cossard to working with LEC. Williams will organize the topic.

The Web Administration Committee (WAC) is developing a proposal related to reorganizing the Libraries’ staff web pages. The Library Administrative Group (LAG) will provide input to proposal and final decisions about the proposal will be made by LEC.

Topic: Announcements
Williams: The May 19 Library Staff Summit went well. Participants were engaged and thoughtful. The summit demonstrated an effective collaboration between the Library Assessment Review Committee (LARC) and the Facilitators Team.

Topic: Agenda for Next LEC Meeting on May 27, 2008
MDL Activities Update
GIS/Data Repository – Guests: Todd, Ricker