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Yearly Archives: 2008

Reminder About MU Voting Policy

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With the Feb. 5 ballot issues just around the corner, it seems like a good time to review HR 411, the University’s policy on voting and related requests for time off. To highlight the main points:

MU Policy – HR 411 Voting

The main points:

  • Employees may be excused from work for time necessary to allow them to vote (this includes time away for absentee voting, if necessary).
  • This time may be up to, but not exceed, three (3) successive hours for the purpose of voting.
  • Such period of time includes any off-duty time between the opening and closing of the polls (e.g., lunch).
  • Employees shall be paid for any time requiring absence from duty to allow up to three (3) successive hours; provided, however, that such absence is requested prior to the election. Such time must be recorded on a time sheet or a monthly absence form.
  • Supervisors have the right to specify the time an employee may be absent for voting (e.g. for coverage issues).
  • Employees whose work hours permit three (3) successive hours between the opening and closing of the polls when not on duty, will not be eligible for any paid time off for the purpose of voting.

To clarify:

Polls open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Voting is to take place either before work or after, principally. Only if the employee cannot make it to the polls before or after work, should the employee request release time to vote. This policy is not intended to be used as license to either arrive late or leave early. If time off is truly needed to vote, the policy stipulates that requests for release time be made prior to election day. If the supervisor approves release time, the employee does not have to make up the time. Supervisors can determine when release time takes place that day, based upon departmental needs. Employees with work hours that start at 9:00 a.m. or later are not eligible to request time off citing this policy. Reason: as per the last bulleted item above, their work hours permit three successive hours between the opening of the polls and their start time, i.e., 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Similarly, employees with work hours that end at 4:00 p.m. or earlier are not eligible to request time off citing this policy. Reason: their work hours permit three successive hours between the closing of the polls and the end of their shift, i.e., 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Feel free to contact me at 882-9166 or agnewl@missouri.edu if additional information is needed.

Leo Agnew, Personnel Coordinator

Volumes on Floor in Ellis Stacks – Project Completed

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Thanks to the collaboration of many people, the piles of volumes formerly stacked on 2nd and 3rd floors in Ellis are gone. For many years, at least twenty according to several staff members, the serious space shortage in the Ellis Stacks had led to volumes being piled on the floor at the ends of ranges. The piles created a cluttered look, were not good for the spines of the volumes, and made it difficult for users to locate the books in them. Many observers over the years commented on the piles, and by this past September various library staff were having discussions on what could be done to address this longstanding situation.

As of late January, the volumes have been transferred to UMLD or reintegrated into the regular stacks. This could not have been accomplished without the coordinated efforts and hard work of Ellis Reference, Access Services, and the Catalog Department. Nancy Myers, Gwen Gray, Cindy Cotner, and Geoff Swindells of the Ellis Reference Department identified titles to be reshelved at Ellis or transferred to UMLD. Ryan Bish then sent a list of the titles to Catalog Management. Ryan, Jim Franke-Webb, Jack Stone, Hayden Murphey, Alex Hopkins, David Shay, and student assistants in Shelving followed up by shelving some of the titles and shifting as needed to make space. In less than a week, Dan Dodd, E. S. Bent, Ruthe Morse, and student assistants Karen Marshall, Lingling Qi, and Jimmy Connell of the Catalog Management Department retrieved and transferred 997 volumes to UMLD. Colleen Smith, Catalog Management, took care of the serials check-in record reconciliation in MERLIN. James Keyser-Andre, Dan Akins, Brian Cain, and student assistants picked up the tubs and finished processing the volumes at UMLD1 and UMLD2.

Thanks to everyone for jumping right in and making things happen! Take a walk through the stacks and enjoy the new, uncluttered look!

Marketing Discussion Series: Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

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Tuesday, February 26
10-11 a.m.
Reference Conference Room (Ellis 159)
Ellis Library

The Communications Committee invites you to attend a marketing discussion. We will be discussing signs—both permanent and temporary—in the MU Libraries. (The focus will be on Ellis Library, but these ideas can carry over to the branch libraries.) Please bring your concerns about current signage and ideas for ways to improve signs in the libraries.

We hope you will join us for a lively discussion. Snacks will be provided!

Healthy for Life Resources Available to All UM Employees

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Healthy for Life, the T.E. Atkins UM Wellness Program, has the long-term goal of developing a world-class wellness program for the university. To find out about the Healthy for Life Resources available to you, visit wellness.umsystem.edu.

Resources include:

  1. Discounted fitness memberships

  2. Weight Watchers at work
  3. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
  4. Eat for Life Program
  5. Health Screenings
  6. Health Risk Assessment on-line

For more information or to become a Wellness Ambassador, you may contact Shannon Cary.

MU Libraries and University Bookstore Collaborate to Save Students Money on Course Packs

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Although knowledge is priceless, course materials can be expensive. In order to alleviate some of the financial burden for students at MU, the University of Missouri Libraries and Mizzou Media, a division of the University Bookstore, have identified materials that are licensed to the library and can be distributed to students in course packets.

When the libraries subscribe to electronic journal packages, the licenses may include authorization to use articles for a variety of teaching and research purposes, including the distribution of electronic articles through print course packets and as class handouts. When Mizzou Media create course packets, they typically pay copyright fees in order to reproduce and distribute the materials that professors and instructors choose to include in course packets. This cost is passed on to the students when they purchase the packet. By identifying the journal licenses that allow duplication of materials for inclusion in course packs, Mizzou Media is able to cut the cost of the course packets and pass that savings on to the students. The overall savings is estimated to be approximately $10,000 a year in savings for the students of MU.

“It is the desire of Mizzou Media to balance copyright compliance with affordability,” stated Heather Tearney of Mizzou Media. “By working closely with the MU Libraries to efficiently use materials that the libraries have already paid for access to, we are demonstrating that MU is committed to making course materials affordable for students.”

The MU libraries and Mizzou Media will continue to work together to identify database licenses that allow distribution of articles in course packets. They will also work with database vendors to try and negotiate contracts that allow for this use. Over time this should lead to even more savings for students.

For more information, contact Shannon Cary at carysn@missouri.edu or (573) 882-4703.

New Technology Group Meeting, February 12

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New Technology Group
Tuesday, February 12
9-10:00 a.m.
Room 159
Ellis Library

Diane Johnson will present on how 1CATE (the open URL resolver) is being used in innovative ways. Rachel Brekhus will present on Zotero, an open source citation software program. Please plan to join us. Note that this is being held on a different date and time than usual.