General Assembly Meeting Minutes

12 SEPTEMBER 2000 2:00 P.M.

(Carol Lang Presiding)

rev. 15 Nov. 2000

1. Minutes of the Assembly Meeting of 9 May 2000 were not available.
2. Cathy Weng introduced Anne Harlow who had started in June 2000 as our Performing Arts Subject Specialist (RIS/Collection Development). Anne is a graduate of Temple and Drexel and comes to us with working experience from Raleigh, N.C., The University of the Arts and the Curtis Institute.
3. Andrea G. and Aslaku B. asked for revisions or additions to the election ballot and prepared for the election (below). Ballot for PARA slots: J. Chen, M. Darby, A. Goldstein and R. Lezenby; ballot for the vacancy on the Selection and Appointment Committee (Kennedy position): A. Berhanu and B. Congleton.
4. University Librarian’s Report (Maureen Pastine):
   1. General Report:
      1. The Library’s proposal for acceptance of Internships from regional institutions, particularly Drexel, which had been written in November 1998 and has been sitting in Human Resources for the past year or so has now been approved. Twenty-five positions are being advertised and we hope to get good interns. It is a program wherein both the Library and the interns benefit. (See also IV, (c), below).
      2. (Confidential at time of report): The latest Temple Student Satisfaction Survey to be released soon show that the Library system was rated on top in every category.
      3. The Blitman Reading Room will in the future be known as the Blitman Resource Center and it and its Librarian will be reporting to the University Libraries.
      4. Merit and Promotion letters have still not been received and Maureen has written another letter to the Provost’s Office.
   1. Staff Documentation and Selling Oneself.

   Maureen noted that the professional staff of the University Libraries is great, but when she reads our reports, resumes, applications, etc., we are too modest – the staff is not selling itself well. She and the Provost’s Office are expecting more support information, more documentation, more self-praise, more out-side references, more positive attitude on selling oneself both administratively and personally. She gave a number of suggestions on how to do so and she distributed a three-page document she had prepared: “Presenting One Self Well in Annual Reports, PARA (Promotion, Appointment, and Regular Appointment), and Merit.”

   2. Questions for the University Librarian: the number of positions available for internships was questioned, i.e. 25? She and Carol Lang replied that many of the positions are multiple positions (same position descriptions but a number of internships could be hired for the same work), and also that we cannot afford to fill all 25 positions, approximately only 10 or 12 this year

1. Election Results: Following a tie in the PARA voting and a runoff vote, the results were announced as:
   • Selection and Appointment: Aslaku Berhanu
   • PARA: Mark Darby and Jeannie Chen<

1. Update on Search Committees:
   1. User Education Librarian (L. Lane): Three candidates have been selected for potential interviews, currently taking telephone references.
   2. Access Services Librarian (P. Myers): Only one candidate. Currently advertising to get more applicants.
   3. Electronic Resources Catalog Librarian and other BSD positions (L. E-Z.): having been losing candidates, candidates withdrawing from further consideration, etc.
   4. General discussion followed on the problems we are having of attracting and maintaining applicants to all our positions – advertising, salaries, contacts, position descriptions, etc. Group felt we need additional help on advertising and recruitment techniques. The consensus was to continue discussion on this in the future. It was also noted that the Internship Program might help in filling future full-time positions. 
   5. Topics for Discussion for future meetings: In an effort to have fuller professional discussion in AAL meetings on individual topics of interest, concern, and library-wide usefulness, the Steering Committee had asked for ideas and topics to be considered. A discussion followed at this point on possible topics, including: Copyright (G.S.) collections outside the libraries (G.S.) Digital Library/Ref. Service (S.S.) PALCI (P.M.) Blackboard.com (B.W.) Needs of today’s students/Drexel? (L.E.-Z.) Technology directions of the University (B.W.) University Press (M.P.) End of the General Meeting, then:

      DIGITAL INITIATIVES

      The formal AAL meeting was followed by a special presentation by the staff on “Digital Initiatives” currently on-going within the Libraries.

      Carol Lang gave a background presentation on the new IMLS grant on digitization followed by Byron Mayes and Phil D’Andrea giving screen examples of the newly started scanning and digitizing work being done on the neighborhood photographs in the McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection in Urban Archives. All being entered into Diamond (III). Then, Jeanne Chen showed the digitizing work being done at Ambler of horticulture slides currently on the Web.

      Finally, Penelope Myers gave an update and demonstration through Diamond of the electronic reserves currently being set up for the Fall semester.

      Meeting and Digital Initiatives presentation ended at 3:55 p.m.

      Tom Whitehead, Recorder