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Minutes: December 5, 2007: All Libraries Meeting
Libraries Advisory Board (LAB) Announcements:
- Jennifer Davis and Tim Carpenter will co-chair the 2008 LAB
- Alison Graber, Mary Jane Campbell, and Gabrielle Wiersma have completed their terms on the LAB
- The 2008- LAB will consist of 6 members instead of 8 and will meet once a month with the Dean instead of twice monthly.
Technical Services Report—Janet Swan Hill
- There are continual changes and adjustments in TS in response to the R2 recommendations and the changing TS environment. TS asks for your patience as they implement new money saving measures and other changes in workflows.
- Accomplishments:
- Acquisitions
- Significant progress working with the ERM module
- Participation in the Alliance Shared Purchase Pilot Project—they have been developing procedures for PromptCat and Shelf Ready books
- Implemented virtual approval for the sciences and business
- They have updated procedures for ordering rush and out of print books—they have been finding new vendors and checking for new orders more frequently
- Cataloging and Metadata Services
- Cataloged over 40,000 monographs in the last year
- Batchloaded over 120,000 records in the last year
- In the process of converting records to MARC 21; over 40,000 completed to date
- Special Collections and Archives
- Approx. 594 of the Epstein Collection (2-3,000 items) have been cataloged
- Digital Resources Team
- Using METS (Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard) to facilitate cataloging the Sanborn maps
- Added enriched TOC content for over 2,000 imprints
- Preservation
- Continuing the Collection Needs Assessment Project (CNAP).
- Disaster Response Group formed—they have an activity/drill planned for January. They have also responded to water incidents in Math-Physics and Maps.
Learning Commons Update—John Culshaw
- Draft blueprints of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors were on display and open for comments. John mentioned that things are constantly changing, but they have a general idea of what the space will look like.
- Scheduling details are still undecided but construction is slated to begin the Monday after commencement in May.
- 4 floors of Norlin will be under construction in the next year:
- 1st Floor—Learning Commons
- 24/5 or 24/7 space
- Extremely flexible space where the furniture and other fixtures can be moved/change according the needs of the students
- Envision neighborhoods for group or individual study with a central path to navigate the room
- The plaza outside the East entrance will be renovated simultaneously by Facilities Management so there will be outdoor study space equipped with electrical outlets.
- 2nd Floor—Research and Reference Area
- One Desk—Research and Reference Services
- New classroom space will be added
- The furniture and atmosphere will be similar to the commons—will be designed to be flexible space
- 3rd Floor—Graduate Student Space
- The current Mac Lab in N310 will be converted into a Graduate Student study space with carrels, quiet space, a reading room, and more.
- 4th Floor—ADA Access via Lifts
- Facilities Management is funding the installation of two lifts from the 4th to the 4 ½ floor in order to provide ADA access to the classrooms and offices on these floors. The Libraries meeting room in N410 will also be ADA accessible after the installation.
- Administrative Services and Systems offices on the 4 floors will be under construction as well as other offices in the area (Honors).
Q & A about the Learning Commons:
Q: How are we communicating with the campus about the construction and potential disruption?
A: We are communicating the Outreach Office and we will be designing a webpage to keep the campus community informed. We will be holding focus groups with the campus community in January. Since we are partnering and consulting with ITS, we need to coordinate any official campus communications with them. We also need a more firm schedule before any sort of official communication is made.
Q: Is there a ballpark figure for how much the renovation will cost?
A: $5.1 million funded by the students, ITS, and various other donors. The funding for the plaza outside of the east entrance and funding for the ADA lifts for the 4th floor are being funded separately by Facilities Management.
Q: How do you plan to address the air quality in Norlin during construction?
A: After the design is complete, a mechanical engineer will assess the air handling system. We are also partnering with Facilities Management so they will be aware of HVAC or other building issues. However, we will be living and working in the construction and the renovation project will not replace or significantly change the HVAC conditions in other parts of the building.
Q: Will you be replacing windows or implementing any other green efforts in the renovation?
A: Since we are only renovating parts of the building it is not possible for the area to achieve a LEEDS green building certification, but the Design Team is aware of the interest in green building initiatives and will try to incorporate them in the planning process.
Q: Will there be increased security and/or surveillance in the 24 hour space?
A: They have not discussed that in their planning process yet—when they meet with the technical consultants they will assess needs and capabilities.
- Please send comments or questions about the Learning Commons to the Design Team: Jennifer Kneivel, Caroline Sinkinson, John Culshaw, Scott Seaman, Susan Anthes, Jim Williams.
Public Services Report—Jim Williams for Susan Anthes
- Several searches are underway including interviews with candidates for the Head of Reference and a Librarian for the East Asian collection
- A search for the Music Library will begin shortly
- The Business, Music, and Engineering Libraries are continuing to explore and experiment with Web 2.0 technologies like blogs, wikis, and chat reference
- The Science Reference desk is closed and staff and services have been integrated into the main Reference desk
- We will need to develop and adopt a new service model for the learning commons and the 2nd floor research and reference floor. Fortunately, we can learn from the Business Library and their learning commons what needs to be done in Norlin.
Updates from the University—Dean Williams
- Hank Brown has announced his intention to vacate the Presidency and we need to elect a new President that is familiar with the needs of this campus and will fight on our behalf to gain funding and support for the Boulder campus and the libraries. We can expect to have a new President by June 2008.
- Criminal background checks will be required for all new, transfer, or promoted employees. They may also be required for student supervisors or students in security-sensitive positions. The background checks are now being done by HR instead of the CUPD. HR has tried to streamline the process by getting the application forms online, but the background checks may slow down our hiring processes.
Flagship 2030 Strategic Plan
- Eight Core Initiatives—think about how they impact the Libraries
1. Enhancing Education and Scholarship.
Increase the size and enhance the quality of our faculty by adding 300 new tenure-track faculty in the next 10 years; create a new model for undergraduate education to better prepare CU-Boulder students for a changing world.
2. Fostering Research Excellence.
Support our research mission by increasing institutional funding and research expenditures by 5 percent each year; provide targeted investments in cutting-edge research and creative work.
3. Enhancing Graduate Education.
Increase the graduate student population from the current 15 percent of total enrollment to 20 percent.
4. Ensuring Access.
Double merit- and need-based financial aid within five years; initiate a statewide dialogue on expanding access to Colorado higher education.
5. Supporting the Mission.
Increase the university’s staff to support education, research and creative work, service, and operations.
6. Investing in the Tools for Success.
Increase investments in new technologies, new and existing campus facilities, and library collections.
7. Learning for a Diverse World.
Implement new strategies for improving diversity; foster a supportive and inclusive climate for all.
8. Serving Colorado, the Community, and Our Graduates.
Expand outreach programming aimed at Colorado communities; enhance opportunities for lifelong and distance learning.
Libraries’ News—Dean Williams
- New Cohort of Provost Fellows—we had 19 applications for 4 positions. Two of this year’s Fellows will be supported by the Friends of the Libraries.
- Final Bites will take place on Friday, December 14th from 9:30-10:30pm in the Center for British and Irish Studies. We lost funding from the Alumni Association when they transitioned from the CU Foundation to Student Affairs; however, the Friends of the Libraries have graciously offered to fund this event.
Capital Projects in the Libraries:
- Kudos to the Business Library for a successful transition back into their new space
- Fleming Library space—currently housing the studio art program and there are several other departments (Guggenheim, Hellems, Education) who want the space after Fine Arts vacates. It may be 2011 before the space is really available and at that point it may not be in any condition to be inhabited by special collections/archives. Multiple campus departments are interested in occupying the space.
- PASCAL II—the funding has been secured to start construction starting next month. It will be the same size as the first bay; capacity for 1.6 million items and we anticipate filling only a fraction of that. We are talking to potential partners to lease and occupy the space which should be completed by June/July 2009.
- CU Digital Library—Holley Long and Jenn Parker have been working on the creation of a Digital Library (formerly the Digital Asset Management) that will debut at a celebratory event in the near future
- There are 10 open Faculty positions within the libraries and not enough personnel to conduct the searches within the next year
Closing Remarks: Touchpoints and Life—Dean Williams
- Jim reminisced about libraries and librarians from his childhood that inspired and encouraged him in his youth. He aspires to recreate this type of active, energetic, and stimulating space within Norlin in the learning commons. He envisions a learning commons that “celebrates how learning occurs on this campus.” That means including a café with food and drink, comfortable furniture, and maybe even video games and televisions. We may endure criticism for creating an “undergraduate zoo” or commercializing the library by providing coffee, but he justifies that we are creating a social academic space that fuels our students’ bodies and minds. The project will take approximately 18 months to complete but our students will reap the benefits for years to come.
- In October, the Learning Commons Design Team toured several learning/info commons across the east coast (Duke, Emory, Georgia Tech, NC State) to find inspiration and ideas for our learning commons. The key was user-centered designs and flexible/adaptive work spaces.
General Q & A:
Q: Question referred to LAB about salary compression: The current salary system prevents Classified Staff hired within the last 6-7 years from advancing beyond the 1-2% annual salary increases despite excellent reviews.
A: The State compensation system for classified staff is not that flexible.
Referred to Lucy and Scott. Staff Council is also researching this issue and the Libraries’ representatives (Helene McHendry, Roberta Brown-Jones, and Dave Anderson) will send updates to the Norlin list as the issue progresses.
Reminder:
The Winter Wonderland Staff Appreciation Event will take place in the Center for British and Irish Studies Tuesday December 18th from 2-4pm. We hope to see you there!
