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Library Assembly Meeting Minutes, Oct. 22

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In attendance:

Shelly McDavid, Dustin Hoffman, Sheena Waggoner, Jim Cogswell, Rachel Brekhus, Ann Riley
Wendy Batson, Marcia Strong – security, Sara Bryant, Jeanette Pierce, Jack Batterson, Libby Myre, Kate Anderson, Jim Cogswell, Felicity Dykas, Jackie Blonigen

Introducing and Welcoming:

  • Wendy Batson – Engineering Library
  • Marcia Strong – Ellis Library Security
     
  1. Representatives Felicity Dykas, Head of Digital Services, and Jackie Blonigen, Head of Collections Services Interim
  • Determined that there is a need for Digital Services and Collections Services Departments to have their own Library Assembly Representative

    • Felicity feels these departments need their own representation at the table to speak to what is happening within the departments
    • Ruth Feldkamp has already volunteered to be the Library Assembly representative for Collections Services
    • Need to re-read the Library Assembly Guidelines by the November 2013 Library Assembly meeting to determine what the correct course of action is when a new department is created

      • Jack Batterson informed the committee that this is probably covered within the Library Assembly Guidelines document

        • Jack Batterson also states we would need to add the two new departments to the Library Assembly Guidelines
    • A motion is made to add two new representatives for the two newly formed departments, details to be determined at the November 2013 Library Assembly Meeting

2. Jeannette Pierce, Associate Director for Research and Information Services: Discuss her new position

  • Spending a good portion of her time still getting to know the RAIS Division

    • She has been meeting individually with the Ellis Reference team
    • Still needs to visit the Math Library on campus
    • Talking about the future of Reference and RAIS

      • Drafting a post for the 3 temporary librarian positions, determining what qualifications they are looking for specifically
  • Operations Committee for Distance Learning Position

    • Newest endeavor on-campus
  • Conference on Student Learning Outcome Needs

    • Anne Barker and Jeannette Pierce are attending this conference together
  • Renew Mizzou

    • Particularly interested in supporting student study space
  • Assessment Committee

    • What kinds of things can we assess?

      • Relevant to show our impact on campus via assessments
      • Assessments committee needs to keep current on national trends with assessments
    • LibQual Lite survey

      • Assessment committee will keep repeating the LibQual survey every 3 years
    • The Assessment Committee will be creating an annual statistical review of library activities that will help us reflect on what we are doing more and less of over time
    • Future use of focus groups with students, might provide some key insights
    • Wrote a nice charge for the library assessment committee
    • Webinars, an initiative with ACRL, the Value of Academic Library Assessment

      • Need to bring this to a focus for our libraries
  1. Director Announcements:

Renew Mizzou

  • Ellis Library shoring up the 1935 addition

    • Work starting in December 2013 and running through January 2014 or February 2014
    • Steel beams can be brought in up the stairs, instead of through the windows of Room 202
    • The passageway outside of 202 will be closed during the entire construction project
  • Ellis Library Women’s restroom in the corridor immediately outside of the West Reading Room

    • Closing and being converted in to a handicap gender neutral restroom
  • Ellis Library Room 205

    • Turning this space in to a break room for the Renew Mizzou staff members

      • Possible use of the space after Renew Mizzou, a lactation facility
  • Ellis Library Staff adjusting to the Renew Mizzou changes

    • How will we accommodate all the disruption that our staff will be feeling?

      • Unit heads will need to talk with their staff to give people an opportunity to talk through what they are feeling.
  • Dustin asks, “Is Renew Mizzou providing their own on-site tech support?”

    • Yes, it is just a question of where they will be located

      • Looking into a space to house a single tech position

Renew Mizzou Departments and Visitors

  • Financial Aid housed on 2nd Floor of Ellis Library
  • Admissions housed on the 1st Floor of Ellis Library

    • Admissions reports 35,000 visitors each year
  • Excellent opportunity for all these visiting parents, students and siblings to get to know the libraries better
  • Ellis Library Closure: Vintage plumbing to be fixed

    • On November 27, 2013, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Ellis Library will be closed to the public but not to staff.

      • The 1915 vintage plumbing needs repairs
      • LMT decided the best time to fix it is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving
      • Fixing the pipe in the subbasement and the sprinkler system
    • Staff members can remain in the building working that Wednesday using facilities in other buildings or they may take a vacation day
  • UMLD 2: Sub Terra: Mold Outbreak

    • Discovered mold on an unknown number of volumes at the off-site sub level
    • Belfour Restoration was on site Friday, October 18, 2013 stabilizing the infestation
    • Need to control the humidity levels to control the spread of the outbreak
    •  Considering an alternate place to store the books

      • Jim feels we cannot take a chance of a loss of materials
      • Jim’s preference would be to build the second module of UMLD 1

        • UMLD 1’s HVAC  system was designed to easily accommodate a second building to hook in to the system

          • Jim Cogswell informed the committee that building a second facility will cost somewhere around $4 to $5 million
    • Jack Batterson asks, “What is covered under our insurance policy?”

      • Most likely a humidity induced mold outbreak is not covered under the policy
    • Updating the phone tree

      • Need to add a special addendum to the phone tree to test it to make sure it works
  • Jim’s Evaluation

    • Given yearly by the Provost, current Provost leaving January 1, 2014.

      • Nice compliments given about the library staff
      • The Provost mentioned the budget issue, our shared and biggest issue going forward
      • Library Acquisitions budget is the only one of its kind on campus

        • The Library Acquisitions budget is almost half of the total operating budget for the MU Libraries
        • Working to get significant enhancements to this budget in the coming years
      • Spoke about Renew Mizzou and how to repurpose the space once the construction is over and they vacate the library
      • The Provost thanked Jim for Chairing the search committee for the UM Press Directors position

        • David Rosenbaum has accepted the position and is starting next month
    • Chancellor Brady Deaton

      • Brady and Ann Deaton viewed Ellis Library 104

        • Both Brady and Anne Deaton will be sharing this office space, they will be moving in after the first of the year
        • Good for MU Libraries because important people are always coming to meet with former chancellors
  • Departmental Announcements:

    • Administration – Sheena Waggoner

      • Large tents during sporting events on Lowry Mall will not be setting up in front of the entrance to Ellis Library on Saturday’s for the rest of the year. 

        • The Florida game was the only game we needed to set up a tent for this year.
    • Reference – Rachel Brekhus

      • Library Instruction

        • Library instruction is way up from Fall 2012
        • 114 total instruction sessions
        • More departments served in Fall 2013, then in Fall 2012
      • Office consultations

        • 78 total consultations
        • Helped more graduate students, then undergraduates
        • Offering online versions of the graduate consults and other topics such as Zotero
      • Divided Loyalties

        • Divided Loyalties Civil War Tour on October 12, 2013

          • Two full buses of 28 riders each
          • Evaluations turned in with positive results
        • Beneath Gods and Generals: Human Dimension of a Most Uncivil Conflict

          • Panel Discussion in Ellis Library colonnade, October 23, 2013 from 2-4 p.m.
        • The Great Heart of the Republic: St. Louis and the Cultural Civil War

          • Closing reception for the Divided Loyalties exhibit
          • Featuring historian Adam Arenson
          • November 4, 2013 at 5 p.m. in the State Historical Society Conference Room
      • MU Core Facilities Day and Cyberinfrastructure Day

        • Anne Barker presented
        • Others manned a table
      • Subject swaps

        • Nancy Messina is now the librarian for Religious Studies (formerly Rachel Brekhus) and for Communications (formerly Mike Muchow)

          • Nancy is also taking over Check the List online
      • Government Documents

        • Marie Concannon has been asked to serve on the Data Federation of University Research group

          • “The purpose of the grant is to leverage collective strengths and create a proposal for a scalable and federated approach to the life-cycle management of research data based on the needs of member institutions.”
          • Marie is serving on the Strategy #2 Group: “Strengthen networked repository and storage infrastructure for data derived from research conducted by member institutions.”
      • Government Shut-down

        • Keeping Government Documents Department very busy
        • Marie Concannon created a survey to capture data on how people were being affected by the government shutdown, and used it to promote library services

          • The Missourian did an article entitled: “MU Librarian steps up as federal government websites shut down”

            • Link posted on GPO’s Facebook page and the ALA GODORT Facebook page
    • ACTS: Ann Riley

      • Continuing to work through all aspects of the reorganization

        • Got the phones straightened out
      • Web pages

        • Finding odds and ends to clean up
      • Tech Services

        • Life Cycle Data Growth

          • Pleased that more people are getting involved
      • UMLD 2 Mold Infestation

        • As long as it stays cool and dry, it won’t spread much
      • Digital Services

        • Small grant received from ORCHID organization, money from the Sloan Foundation, developing unique ID’s for MOspace
    • MULAC – Kate Anderson

      • Keeping their ears to the ground with the academic titles project

        • Matt Gaunt is joining them next time to discuss development
    • RAIS – Jeannette Pierce

      • Marie Concannon’s webinar on government documents, small attendance but exploring the possibility of putting it up on MOSpace
      • Library Administration: Ann Riley, Jim Cogswell and Jeannette Pierce all attended the celebration of the new group study rooms in the Engineering Library
      • Dorothy Carner did a unique review, Bernie Riley described it as ‘superb’

        • New digital microfilm, printer scanner machine, amazing

          • In the library starting in November for a few months
    • LTS – Dustin Hoffman

      • Machines running Windows XP, possibility these will be replaced by new machines running 64 bit

        • Working out the kinks before they start passing out new computers
    • Health Sciences Library- Shelly McDavid

      • New exhibit: John Sappington Display

        • Went up last Friday, October 18, 2013
    • Engineering Library – Wendy Batson

      • New group study rooms in library

Meeting adjourned 1:55pm