Library Assembly Minutes, April 26

159 Ellis Library
April 26, 2011

Present: Members: Bette Stuart (chair), June DeWeese, Laura Buck, Suzy Bent, Stephen Clayton, Stephen Stanton, Gary Cox, Mark Ellis, Matt Stottle, Erin Zeller, PT Martin*.  Ex-officio: Jim Cogswell (Director) Felicity Dykas (MULAC), PT Martin (SRC)*. Guest: Leo Agnew.  Absent:

*Listed twice as representative from LTS and ex-officio SRC Chair

• Announcements:
  • Jim C – Director Announcements:
    • News from Development Office: MU Libraries has been given permission to fill Library Development Officer Position (position formerly held b y Gena Scott).  Jim is working on job description and it will be posted soon.
    • Celebration of Service Top Ten List: Jim would like members of Library Assembly to help read off his “Top Ten List” of the Libraries’ accomplishments over the past year.  (No one opposed.) Jim will assign/contact as he assembles list.
    • Jim and LMT will  have their annual retreat in June.  A major topic will be succession planning – Developing a plan to react to upcoming retirements as there are a significant number of library employees (both Librarians and classified staff) reaching retirement age in the near future.
    • Math Library –In response to the concern over the collection and services at the Math Library (since the loss of Math LIS II position), Math Faculty and the Libraries resolved to create a GLA positions (20 hours per week) to maintain the Math collections, supervise Math students and maintain reduced service hours at the Math Library.
    • Library Systems Office – Reorganized  after LSO Director Kurt Kopp retired.  MU Libraries will house 6 (of 10) personnel that were formerly LSO employees.  They will operate as system employees with MU Libraries supervising. The two MERLIN and MOspace programmers will be have been assigned to LTS. The three employees who perform database procurement  functions, will be assigned to Access, Collections and Technical Services .  Details are still being worked out regarding the personnel that worked with digitization.   The number of digitization personnel will be determined by budget.
  • Bette Stuart– Acquisition:
    • LSO staff have been assigned to ACQ and moved into rooms 67 and 68 Ellis Library.
    • A new paper-cutter has arrived, the old one has left the building (no small accomplishment).
  • June DeWeese  – Access Services:
    • Access Services is looking at its ILL services operations. This is done every year but this year, the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), of which we are a member, will be reviewing the GWLA-ILL best practices document in a meeting at Salt Lake City.  Last Best Practices document was written in 2002 – there are many things to update
    • Concerning the web page review, Judy and June are about ½ done with June’s assigned portion of the web review.
  • Erin Zeller – Special Collections:
    • Special Collections maps are currently on exhibit in the display cases.  Special Collections is working on a digital exhibit as well.
  • PT Martin – LTS:
    • Integrating LSO staff has inspired (necessitated) the reorganization of their offices.  They will all still be in either 76 Ellis Library or in the room across the hall, 75 Ellis Library.

• MU Libraries Values Statement Discussion – at the previous meeting Library Assembly representatives were asked by the chair to have discussions with the departments they represented about the Libraries Value statements and bring comments back to the Assembly for further discussion.  They also urged, if possible, to have a member of the Diversity Action Committee present to help facilitate.
  • Library Assembly Discussion took place facilitated by Diversity Action Committee Chair (and Personnel Coordinator) Leo Agnew.
    • Notes and comments will be considered by LMT during their June Retreat.
    • Jim Cogswell hopes to have more discussion among libraries staff about the Values Statement.
    • He thanks everyone for looking at these and initiating serious discussions at their home departments.
    • Jim invites any group that had written notes of their meetings to please forward them to Mark Ellis.

If any employee would like to see the summary notes of the values statements discussion that took place during the Library Assembly meeting, please contact Mark Ellis or your Library Assembly Representative.

• Thanks and next meeting:
  • Bette Stuart:
    • Thanks everyone for discussing with constituents and for bringing back comments to discuss with the group.
    • The next Library Assembly meeting is May 24.
      • Bette has asked Pat Jones to speak with the Assembly about the Ellis Library Space Planning Advisory Group.
      • Please keep in mind the assessment of the Library Assembly as an assessment process is written in the charge.