Hello everyone,
We have lots of news today, starting with an update on openings and searches.
First of all, most of you know we are and have been having some retirements. Trenton Boyd, Goodie Bhullar, Jim Cogswell, Nina Johnson and Shelley Worden are all moving on to that stage this summer, along with Ellen Blair and Steve Hammer. Esther Schnase moved to Texas, and we have had some other staff move on previously this year. Most of you know we have to be very cautious with our funds and fill only essential positions. Currently we have some searches open or just closed, for a temporary reference librarian, a fiscal officer, a senior library specialist/circulation supervisor, and another senior library specialist in cataloging, our new UMLD supervisor Kevin McFillen (who has been here a week or so) as well as a library specialist for Journalism. You will see new names announced soon, and we will have quite a few introductions at the all staff meeting in August. We have a temporary assistant in Ellis 104 named Whitney Sevy, and she has been with us since summer school began. That position won’t be filled until we hire the new fiscal officer, as it will be combined with the fiscal assistant position. Sandy Schiefer has been working part-time in the Missourian Library. Some of these have been announced previously, but having them all together is helpful. I hope I haven’t left anyone out.
In other exciting news, we have ordered a self-checkout machine that I hope will be in before fall semester. Final location is not yet determined. (Tell Jeannette or Freddy if you have a suggestion.)
This week the Library Assembly met, and discussed its future. Watch for some open meetings to talk about that, probably by the end of July. As a reminder to all, attendance at meetings like these are important, and I know supervisors understand that and will encourage employees to participate as scheduling allows.
In early July I have scheduled two open forums to talk about the Libraries’ mission, vision, goals and objectives. They will be Wednesday, July 13, 10-11am and Thursday July 14, 2:30-3:30 pm in 114A. You will see invitations to them soon; as usual you only need to attend one of them. Attached to the invitation will be the draft documents LMT has produced. I hope you will take a look at them so we can have good discussion about the Libraries’ future directions.
In my last two messages I have talked a bit about the MERLIN-MOBIUS situation. Note that if we do become a stand-alone cluster of MERLIN, almost nothing will change as far as working with the system. Most people will not be affected at all. We will plan to re-fill a professional cataloger position to address loading records and related tasks as needed. The big change is in the contracts and finances. We will still have the MERLIN cluster and catalog, Sierra, Inn-reach, etc. and the changes would be after July 2017. The decision should be made by Nov. 1, 2016, but until then there is little to discuss at the operational level. We stand to save several hundred thousand dollars by making a change in our contract and MOBIUS bills; we are not doing this lightly, and we are mindful of our state-wide mission. It’s been under discussion for years, as I’ve said before, and negotiations are currently underway, so please don’t share this beyond the UM/MU Libraries. Nothing is certain yet but our need to save money.
Our wonderful Campus Library Committee Chair, Assoc. Professor of Religious Studies Rabia Gregory, will not be continuing as Chair next year. She has many pressing research and writing projects, and needs to concentrate on them. We all look forward to learning who the new Chair will be, as that person will be leading the group through our major cuts in collections spending taking effect this fall.
Next week I will be gone to the annual ALA conference, and then I am taking vacation the week of July 4. Mike Holland will be acting director most of the time, ably backed up by Corrie Hutchinson. Jeannette and Deb will also be gone much of that time for vacations and family obligations. I hope it is a quiet two weeks!
I know you all join me in mourning the tragedies in Orlando in the last weeks. Chancellor Foley sent out a message to the University community, and I think he did pretty well.
Thanking you all for your hard work, as always,
Ann