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Library Assembly Minutes, March 19

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Library Assembly
3-19-2013
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
152 Ellis Library

Meeting Minutes

Present:  Jack Batterson, Rachel Brekhus, Laura Buck, Jim Cogswell, Sheryl Cullina, Dana Houston, June DeWeese, PT Martin, Libby Myre, Ashley Nelson, Ann Riley, Sheena Waggoner, Deb Ward, Karen Witt, Rhonda Whithaus

Agenda Items

  • Sheryl Cullina, the new HR Manager for the MU Libraries, was introduced.
  • Rachel reviewed MULSA’s new retirement guidelines.
    • MULSA has updated and revised the old policy to better include MULSA’s role.
    • MULSA’s retirement parties are tailored.
      • A retiree can choose to have or not to have a retirement party.
      • All retirement parties are tailored to the retiree’s wishes, including the location, theme, size, etc.
    • MULSA would appreciate knowing of retirements as soon as they are general knowledge to allow MULSA enough planning time.
  • Ride-Sharing Google Document for Snow
    • Jack had an idea that Rachel helped organize to create a ride-sharing Google Doc for days it snowed. This is a strictly voluntarily list.
    • There was discussion on where the document should be hosted, how it should be publicized, columns to include, and who would sponsor it.
    • The document has been published, is sponsored by MULSA, and is linked to on the MULSA front page.  (http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/staff/committees/mulsa/default.htm – under “MU Libraries Emergency Ride List”). An email was sent to MULIBSTAFF by Rachel on 3-19-13 publicizing the list.

Director Announcements

  • Sheryl Cullina, the new HR Manager for the MU Libraries, was asked to give a quick report and was thanked for her hard work thus far.
    • Sheryl has enjoyed traveling around the Library and branches to meet people and learn more about what everyone does. She has already visited Vet Med, Journalism, and Geology. She plans to visit all remaining branches and departments shortly.
    • Along with a variety of committees and task forces since starting, Sheryl met with the New Employee Orientation Task Force last week and will work with them to have a library-centric orientation.
    • Sheryl is also working on updating the organizational chart and position descriptions, so you may hear from her during that process.
  • Matt Gaunt, the new Director of Development for MU Libraries, started March 18th.
    • He was the director of development for CAFNR and then worked in the private sector.
    • Matt will be invited to a future Library Assembly meeting.
  • The search for the RAIS Division Head will resume on Friday. It was delayed due to snow.
  • Sierra Update
    • Sierra is the new Millennium platform through Innovative Interfaces (III).
    • The MERLIN cluster was originally scheduled for a February upgrade, but due to technical issues, the Sierra implementation has been indefinitely postponed.
      • Sierra requires significantly higher processor and hardware capabilities. For larger libraries, this essentially means a supercomputer is needed to run Sierra, and the library would require more resources than Blackboard.
      • There are also technical issues that other libraries have experienced with Sierra, including erroneous charges to patrons, issues with the bursar interface, faulty interaction with INN-Reach, and concerns about patron information. MERLIN coordinators have determined four critical issues and questions that would need to be addressed by III before implementation of Sierra.
    • Up until this year, the MOBIUS consortium ran our system’s servers, but since last summer, the MERLIN system has managed its own servers.
      • If we bought the server III suggested for Sierra, it would be approximately $78,000-80,000. However, the cost is not the concern; the advisability of updating when there are viability, security, and technical issues is.
      • III has announced that it will continue support of Millennium.
    • General discussion of Sierra.
      • Millennium was implemented at MU around 2002/2003 and took several years to stabilize.
      • When Sierra crashes, Millennium can experience issues as well, even though it is not part of Sierra.
      • Innovative Interfaces (the oldest library system vendor) was recently purchased by a venture capital conglomerate, so the leadership team has changed.
      • Reminder that people at MERLIN and MOBIUS levels are talking and would put careful consideration and planning into any action taken, and that Sierra should not be a cause for alarm.
      • Consensus that Millennium is the clear best choice for now.
  • Campus Capital Campaign
    • MU is going to enter into its capital campaign within the next year or two, and the library will be involved.
    • Over the summer, a “case statement” for the importance of the MU Libraries and its funding will be drafted. This will include a table of needs, ranked by priority.
    • Jim will establish a working group to help plan the centennial celebration of MU Libraries. It will include some library staff members.
      • In 2015, Ellis building will have its 100th anniversary of service to the public.
      • In 1915, the first MU library building opened to the public, and it was formally dedicated in January 1916.

Department Announcements

Health Sciences and Veterinary Medical (Laura Buck)

  • The Vet Med Library is hosting MULSA’s Annual Library Open House on Friday, March 29th, 2013 at 2:30 – 4:00 pm.
    • An email invitation was sent out to MULIBSTAFF on 3-18 with details.
    • With Spring Break, the parking lot should be empty for those who prefer not to walk.
    • From Deb: Billi Heater resigned, but Gayle Mooney has been working in that position as a part time temp (from SOS). Gayle will move to mornings (20 hours a week) next week. Deb wants to fill this position quickly and is working on getting the position posted. There will be a farewell reception for Billi on April 3rd at 10:00 in the HSL Staff Lounge.

Library Technology Services (PT Martin)

  • The application to the Student Fee Capital Improvement Committee for an additional book scanner has been approved (fully paid for).
    • Thank you to Gwen, Rhonda, Anne Barker, and PT.
    • The scanner is here, and will hopefully be up sometime this month, depending on network ports.

Cataloging (Jack Batterson)

  • Matt Miller (previously with Sue Barnes) has been hired to fill the position that was previously Mary Ammon’s. He started in his new position on February 5th, and the position has been adjusted to focus more on cataloging of digital materials, including cataloging locally digitized material and helping test and develop Islandora, a digital library software.
  • Karla Geerlings will now be helping to keep track of digitization projects by keeping track of requests and tracking the progress of material through the process.
  • The cataloging department is learning RDA, the cataloging standards that are replacing AACR2. This is a big change, requiring learning new rules. The goal is to apply RDA guidelines with all new cataloging as of March 31st but will continue to accepts AACR2 records form WorldCat.
  • From Ann: As positions have come open, Cataloging is trying to re-focus and tweak new positions to reflect the updated work that the cataloging department is doing, including working with more digital materials.
    • There are many steps to the digitization process. For example, keeping track of images, OCR, and correction.
    • Materials are being uploaded to HathiTrust, and there are very specific formatting and metadata requirements for adding materials.
    • MST’s institutional repository, Scholar’s Mine, was previously on older IBM software but has been moved into MOSpace. Now, all UM Libraries have collections in MOSpace. https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/
      • David Lindahl, UMKC’s new Director of Strategic Initiatives and Planning, has been involved in digital collections and will come to MU in the future to talk.

SCARaB (Karen Witt)

  • The new display, Kindred Kingdoms: Families in Flora, Fauna and Fiction, is now on exhibit in Ellis.

MULAC Chair (Rhonda Whithaus)

  • The MULIBSTAFF LISTSERV has people on it who are not library employees.
    • Jim suggested that this was related to the distribution of New Notes which has an audience beyond just library employees.
    • A suggestion was made to possibly define LISTSERVS with broad descriptions.
    • Jim said that Admin would look into this and look into setting up a LISTSERV consisting of only library employees, which the group agreed was wanted.

Reference (Rachel Brekhus)

  • The Graduate Workshops went well, with one day of face-to-face instruction and one day of online instruction. The online classes, despite a bit of Blackboard Collaborate issues, were a success.
  • Selectors are spending down their 1 funds and evaluating serials.

Ellis Library Access Services (June DeWeese)

  • Esther Schnase has changed positions and is now the Head of the Circulation Reserve Unit in Ellis Library, replacing John Meyer. If there are any questions about where the duties fall between June, Sara, and Esther, please ask.
  • The MU Libraries is excited to participate with other members of the Greater Western Library Alliance’s (GWLA) in Relais’s Discovery to Delivery (D2D) 3 year-long beta test. The Library is participating and testing on both the sending and receiving side, and June anticipates an upsurge in requests.

LMT (Deb Ward)

  • Received notification on March 18th that the Technology Evaluation Subcommittee (ITC) will fund a new full-time position for an E-Learning Librarian. Annelise’s contract will expire in June, and a new person is hoped to be hired and starting on July 1st. The ITC funding will last three years and is based off the model of ET@MO liaisons.
  • Annelise was on campus March 4-8, where she met with her advisory committee, Jim, Deb, and many more key people across campus.
    • Talked about how to tie the Mizzou Online and Library presence together more closely. Want to look into the Library’s Blackboard tab (currently only linking to E-Reserves) to see how to expand the library’s influence and best use that space.

Upcoming Events (PT)

  • Professor McKenney (a digital musician) will give a talk as part of the digital humanities colloquium Thursday, March 21, 12:30-1:30, at Ellis Library 4F51A. The talk is titled “Composing Music in the 21st Century; Digital Note Setting and Computer Generated Music.” http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/about/events/digitalhumanities.htm
    • Additional information about Professor McKenney from the Columbia Tribune : http://archive.columbiatribune.com/2007/apr/20070401ovat009.asp
    • Rajmohan Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, will speak at the Library Society dinner April 12, 2013  at 11:00 a.m in Stotler Lounge. The talk is titled ““The India-Pakistan Conflict and The Path to Stability.” http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/blogs/Announcements/?p=1080
    • National Library Week is April 14th – 20th.
    • Howard Wight Marshall will present “Play Me Something Quick and Devilish:
      Documenting and Conserving Missouri’s Traditional Fiddle Music” on Tuesday, April 30th, at 1:00 p.m. in the colonnade.

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