Hello everyone,
There seem to be a lot of things happening during the supposedly quiet summer this year! I’m sorry to report that the steam tunnel work on Lowry Mall will be ongoing all year, with the est side to be torn up as soon as the work on the east side is done. We had heard that was planned, but have confirmed it will be a mess there for a long time.
Most of you know that Ellis Library has new voice-over-IP phones. See messages from Kathy Peters with all the details. Change can be annoying, but the phones look shiny and new, and we don’t get things like that too often anymore!
Today I attended a meeting where we heard that the campus is planning a big event on Carnahan Quad (near the Law School and Cornell Hall) for the eclipse on August 21. Large crowds are expected. Free water, viewing glasses and pizza will be available. Staff are invited. People who can work from home or take vacation that day will want to consider those options to avoid traffic jams and difficult parking. Of course the libraries will remain open, and supervisors are asked to be flexible about allowing people to go out and watch. The University will livestream the event, so those who wish to watch from their desks may do so. A memo from the Provost with more details is coming out soon.
Fall semester will be on us soon. As you all know Ellis will return to 24/5 access after Labor Day weekend. The schedule for the new fall hours will be out next week probably.
Congratulations to the librarians who have earned promotions this year! We will make official announcements and have time for applause for their well-deserved achievements at the August 17 all staff meeting. Two more retirements are coming up—best wishes to Alla Barabtarlo (Aug. 15 or so) and Barb Jones (October) as they transition.
Budget news as usual is not good. The governor is holding funds back due to lowered revenue projections, and the reallocation funds we hoped for from the Provost to help with our collections cuts will not be coming. We still have no firm news on salary planning for next year either, but that should be out soon also. I am still committed to trying to address inequities and salary compression as best we can.
Thanks to you all for patience and flexibility as we try to keep moving forward…
Ann