ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY OF LIBRARIANS GENERAL ASSEMLBY

TUESDAY, September 21, 2010
2:00 PM
PALEY LIBRARY, LECTURE HALL

MINUTES

Attending: Larry Alford, Aslaku Berhanu, Steven Bell, Mark Darby, Carla Davis Cunningham, Kristina De Voe (chair), Anne Harlow, Eric Jeitner, Carol Lang, Jonathan LeBreton, Krystal Lewis (recorder), Rick Lezenby, Byron Mayes, David Murray, Penelope Myers, Diane Turner.

Meeting called to order at 2:04

• Approval of minutes from the August 6, 2010 special meeting.
  • Minutes approved without changes.
• Remarks by the Dean of Libraries and Senior AUL (L. Alford, J. LeBreton.) Larry discussed his recent trip to Japan and China.  He visited Temple
  • University Japan, which has a small but busy library with five librarians. TUJ is interested in our resources and services, and Larry asked for suggestions for helping the TUJ librarians.  Steven Bell suggested Skype meetings. While in China, Larry attended a digitization conference sponsored by the Library of Congress and the National Library of China. In China, there is substantial government support for libraries, and libraries are engaged in digital initiatives.
  • Larry talked about the Indirect Cost Recovery Survey, which will take place over the next year. The University’s Comptroller’s office initiated the study to measure the amount of use the library gets by grant-sponsored researchers. The study, which was developed by the Dean of Libraries at the University of Connecticut and has been deployed at about 30 research libraries, is used to help negotiate the indirect cost recovery rate from government-sponsored research.  There is both an online and paper questionnaire. The purpose of the study is intentionally vague so that the results are not skewed.  Direct any complaints about the study to the Dean’s office.
  • Larry stated that there was no new news about a new library building.
  • Larry reported on the mold outbreak at the Ambler library.  Humidity rose above 70% and there was mold damage to books and carpet. Health & Safety conducted an air quality test and a remediation company estimated clean up at $50,000.
  • Larry talked about the Libraries’ relationship with Temple University Press. The director now reports to Larry, but the TUP is not a part of TU Libraries. TUP is participating in a Mellon grant with other university presses to study how to move from print to electronic format and generate revenue.  Larry would like ideas for library collaboration with TUP.
  • Larry named several new collections that the Libraries has acquired, including the archives of KIDSNET; production notebooks from various television shows from the 1980s through 2000s; and a mostly-digital advertising collection. The Libraries is still negotiating for a low-resolution digital collection of 30 years of local television broadcasts.
  • Larry announced that he has met with the library deans at Rutgers and Penn to discuss potential partnerships.  The three institutions will complete a collections analysis and holdings study to identify areas of strength.  There could be an opportunity for a digital initiative, and the deans are interested in any cooperative ideas.
  • After Larry’s remarks Jonathan provided a Coutts update. Carole Bell is scheduling training sessions for all subject specialists during the week of October 4, 2010. Currently, firm order requests initiated by subject specialists are being conveyed to Coutts only via Acquisitions staff (no direct orders). A draft of the approval profile gathered last month is expected from Coutts by the end of September.  Feedback on the draft will remain open for about a week.  After approval shipments begin, selectors will need to monitor arriving titles.
• Report on Public Services Retreat (S. Bell)
  • Steven provided a recap of the Public Services Retreat. The planning committee learned that planning such an event requires a great deal of time and effort. Topics covered at the retreat included customer service, user experience, and models of public service. An entire day could have been spent on any one of these topics.  See TULibraries Insiders’ blog for more information about the retreat. The post-retreat survey indicated support for an annual retreat.  AAL members can individually request the post-retreat survey results from Steven.  A follow-up event is forthcoming and will be announced shortly.
• Upcoming Research Project (S. Bell)
  • Steven reported that he is working on a User Experience research project and accompanying presentation for the ACRL 2011 Conference. He will administer surveys to students and staff based on retail user experience surveys.  The completion of his project will require the logistical cooperation of subject specialists, likely in the November.
• iPad discussion (K. De Voe)
  • Kristina initiated a discussion of actual and potential uses for the iPad, a tablet computer that is currently available to staff in several library departments. Eric Jeitner discussed iPads in Media Services.  These will circulate to patrons. Media Services’ iPads contain the same desktop image as the RIS iPads. Loan period will be one week.  Patrons will be able to recharge the device’s battery “in the field”. Patrons will not be allowed to install apps. Individual book titles may be downloaded upon patron request. Reading eBooks and web browsing are expected to be among the most popular uses of the iPad. Eric also discussed the possibility of downloading film and other video on demand, but that is not certain.
  • Jonathan, Byron, David, and others discussed potential uses for the iPad among staff.  Ideas ranged from installing a spreadsheet app for use by student workers in the stacks to document creation in Google mobile docs via Safari to accessing Blackboard on the go via the dedicated Blackboard Mobile Learn app.  David later sent a list to the AAL listserv of sixteen iPad apps that could be used to provide reference services, as well as to view eBooks, periodicals, and video. The iPad’s utility increases greatly when the user has the ability to install apps on his or her own.  Larry noted the possibility of acquiring additional iPads if there is demonstrated need.
• Old Business
  • None.
• New Business/announcements
  • None.
• Adjournment
  • Meeting adjourned at 3:40pm.

Academic Assembly of Librarians
Special Meeting
Friday, August 6, 2010
Paley Lecture Hall, 12:30 P.M.

Minutes

Attending: Jenifer Baldwin, James Bongiovanni, Carol Brigham, Carla Davis Cunningham, Mark Darby, Kristina DeVoe (chair), Krystal Lewis (recorder) Jill Luedke, David Murray, Penelope Myers, Adam Shambaugh.
Meeting called to order at 12:35.

• K. DeVoe motioned to approve the changes to the AAL Bylaws regarding librarian representation to the Faculty Senate as discussed in the March and May 2010 General Assembly meetings.
• Structure
  • Faculty Senate Representation
    • As specified in the Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws (http://www.temple.edu/senate/rules.html), the Academic Assembly of Librarians shall elect the requisite number of librarians to represent the Assembly on the Faculty Senate.
    • The Academic Assembly of Librarians shall elect a member to represent the Assembly on the Faculty Senate Library Committee.

A rising vote was taken and the changes were unanimously approved.

Meeting adjourned at 12:38.

Academic Assembly of Librarians
General Assembly

Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Paley Lecture Hall, 2:00 PM

Attending: Larry Alford, Derik Badman, Jenifer Baldwin, Carole Bell, Aslaku Berhanu, James Bongiovanni, Carol Brigham (chair), Carla Cunningham, Mark Darby, Sebastian Derry, Kristina DeVoe, David Dillard, Andrea Goldstein, Anne Harlow, Thomas Heverin, Carol Lang, Molly Larkin, Byron Mayes, Gregory McKinney (recorder), David Murray, Penelope Myers, Fred Rowland, Brian Schoolar, Adam Shambaugh, Sandi Thompson, David Washington

•  Approval of minutes of the 01/12/10 meeting:
  • Correction: Kristina DeVoe did not attend the 01/12/10 meeting
• Remarks by the Dean of Libraries (L. Alford):
  • Larry began by thanking Derik Badman for his many contributions to the Library.
  • The library has received permission to fill four Paley positions: the Head of Digital Library Initiatives; a Digital Projects Librarian; a Science Librarian; and the Director of Health Sciences Libraries. We have requested permission to hire reference temps, but have heard nothing about this yet. More exemptions will be requested in the future, such as permission to fill the position of Director of Library Special Collections. One position, Director of Finances and Facilities, has been filled by Omar Mitchell.
  • Update on the new building: the Board met in this very room. They were very impressed by the amount of activity in the library; they were unimpressed by the condition of the building. It is still a question of funding: how much will come from the State Legislature?; how much will need to be borrowed?; how much competition will there be from other buildings which are needed? Larry and Steven met with Temple’s Leadership Academy, who talked about and suggested the creation of focus groups.
  • David Murray asked about the direction in which they were headed? Larry responded that they wanted to do a survey, similar to LibQual.
  • Penelope: Who tends to get funds? What is the time-frame for positive decision-making? Larry replied that he didn’t know the answer. Everyone was positive; it has to do with the politicians in Harrisburg. The president is very supportive. It’s a matter of funding, of setting priorities. Real estate people were here also, and took a quick tour. Their comments were very positive. There are many kinds of activities going on; we’ve heard lots of positive things from others.
  • In regards to the budget, we have requested 6.9 % for inflation – around $700,000. This will still help us; we may not have to cancel serials. There is a possibility of a new enhancement program for the Library, $400,000 per year for 5 years, contingent on whether the university’s budget situation improves. The money should go to staff, we don’t know whether we will get it. It is not likely to start this year.
  • At the Department Heads meeting, the topic of Community Borrowing was discussed, which is something for which Larry has pushed. State residents would be able to borrow a limited number of books. Penn State has done this and has received much acclaim for it. It is something we should do for political reasons, but it will also help promote the idea of a new library. If it causes problems, we can always discontinue it.
  • Fred mentioned that he had attended a roundtable on the Middle East and regretted that there was not enough audio-visual equipment to make a recording of the session. Larry commented that the issue was not money, but finding staff willing to do the recording. David Dillard suggested that students from the School of Communications must need the experience, but Larry did not think this a good idea. Carla commented that staff and time would also be issues in making the recordings available. Larry responded that if the staff could decide on the needed equipment, we could buy more equipment.
  • Larry ended by announcing that he was having surgery on his shoulder and would be away for three to four weeks.
• Public Programming Committee/Development Update (D. Washington):
  • The University recently finished a seven year Campaign for Excellence – Fund Raising, Marketing, and Public Programs.  David talked about the role of the library in this campaign.  In terms of funding, the Libraries came in 11th, having raised $10 million over 7 years, and 3rd in size of gift.
  • Our five top priorities this year: 1) enhance the visibility of the libraries; 2) grow Urban Archives; 3) grow the donor base for the Blockson Collection; 4) raise $250,000 for the Jewish Archives; and 5) increase Conwell Level donors.
• Brief introduction/updates on AAL Committees:
  • Continuing Education Committee (A. Shambaugh)
    • Adam, as chair of the committee restated the four purposes of the Continuing Education Committee. He also reviewed the activities the Committee has sponsored in the past year, including trips to the library at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and to the film studio in Annenberg Hall. The members of the committee are Adam, chair, Sebastian Derry and Thomas Heverin.
  • Promotion and Regular Appointment Committee (A. Berhanu)
    • Aslaku spoke of the purposes of PARA, and its importance as a peer review body. As such, it sets the annual schedule for the peer review process. PARA committee members this year were Aslaku, chair, Molly Larkin, David Murray and Fred Rowland.
  • Merit Committee (A. Goldstein)
    • Andrea provided an overview of how the Merit Committee is set up, and commented that since she last spoke to the group in January there had been some changes in the Merit schedule.
  • Faculty Senate Library Committee (J. Baldwin)
    • Jenifer stated that this is a committee of the Faculty Senate which functions largely as a forum for communication between faculty and library. The membership of the committee is listed on the Faculty Senate website.
• Librarians’ Relationship with the Faculty Senate (D. Murray & open discussion)
  • David Murray was the AAL’s Representative to the Faculty Senate in 2007-2008 and gave an account of the Senate’s response to the motion that provided for the admittance of non-tenure track faculty and librarians into the Faculty Senate.  The Faculty Senate Steering Committee revisited the motion and decided to remove the word “librarian.” The overall response was against having librarians as members, one objection being that librarians only had Master’s degrees. David recommended that the issue be revisited. This was followed by a discussion about whether we should elect a second member to the Senate as their procedures call for two librarian representatives.
• Old business
  • There was no update available on Emeritus Status for Librarians.
• New Business / Announcements
  • Faculty status. Appreciation was expressed to Derik. Kristina DeVoe gave an update on the Electronic Resources Fair.
• Adjournment
  • Meeting was adjourned at 4:00 PM.

Academic Assembly of Librarians
General Assembly
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Paley Lecture Hall, 2:00 PM

Attending: Larry Alford, Derik Badman, Steven Bell, James Bongiovanni, Carol Brigham (chair), Carla Cunningham, Mark Darby, Sebastian Derry, Anne Harlow, Carol Lang, Molly Larkin, Jonathan LeBreton, Krystal Lewis, Rick Lezenby, Gregory McKinney (recorder), Penelope Myers, Fred Rowland, Brian Schoolar, Tom Whitehead

• Approval of minutes of the 11/10/09 meeting:
  • Minutes delayed.
• Remarks by the Dean of Libraries (L. Alford):
  • Larry will meet with the Provost to ask that Emeritus Status be put on the agenda for discussion.
  • In regard to the budget, the hiring freeze is still in effect although there has been some moderation in how positions are dealt with. Larry will speak to the provost about this.
  • State funding did pass; when next we assemble, there may be more news about this.
  • Larry met with the staff of Urban Archives to discuss the new library building. Urban Archives will be merged with Special Collections, something that will evolve over time. It will be an opportunity to build one reading room and display area, thereby improving overall efficiency. Margaret Jerrido’s position will be used to create a new position; not quite a department head position, it will be a quasi-director level position which will plan how to integrate the various collections. Fred Rowland asked whether Urban Archives and Special Collections had been separated because of space considerations. Larry replied that Fred Miller had created Urban Archives as a separate department in 1992.
  • The University President has talked about the new library. The Administration is moving ahead and will begin seeking funding for the 1st components. Work on McGonigle and Pearson Halls is being finished. The Board of Trustees will confront a series of decisions and, assuming that each is ‘yes’, we may be able to begin planning, with groundbreaking next year, and with an opening in 4 years.
  • Larry expressed his appreciation for the comments received in response to the new library building vision document. This document is for interior purposes and will help to address the questions which have been received from people.  This is the first part of a long process. The President is very committed to a new building; current thinking about Paley is that it will be renovated for classroom or lab space.
  • Larry clarified a comment in the document about specialized collections; it did not mean specialized collections within the building but was meant to acknowledge that collections like music and science have had branch locations.
  • Larry ended by mentioning that the space now occupied by the SEAL would be taken over by the Architecture department.
• Merit Committee Update:
  • Andrea is the chairperson. The other members are Derik Badman, Jim Bongiovanni, Carla Davis Cunningham, Sebastian Derry, Krystal Lewis, and Andrea Goldstein. Some dates in the Merit process have been changed: applications are due January 4th; supervisors’ letters are due January 20th; applications are sent to Larry on February 19th. Twelve applications were received this year.
  • Carol Brigham asked whether we knew how many merit points we have. Larry stated that he didn’t think we knew.
• Brief introduction/updates on AAL Committees:
  • AAL Steering Committee (C. Brigham)
    • Carol read a statement of the purpose of the AAL Steering Committee. The members of the committee are Carol Brigham, chair; Kristina De Voe, vice-chair/chair-elect; Gregory McKinney, recording secretary; Jim Bongiovanni, member-at-large; Sebastian Derry, member-at-large; and Larry Alford, Dean of University Libraries, ex officio.
  • Selection & Appointment Committee (A. Harlow):
    • Anne described the purpose of the committee as having to do with how we hire librarians, making sure the process is going smoothly and according to guidelines. The members of the committee are Anne Harlow, chair; Jim Bongiovanni, Kristina De Voe, and Thomas Heverin.
  • Nominations & Elections Committee (B. Schoolar)
    • Brian stated that the committee has nothing to do until March, at which time it will oversee an election. The members of the committee are Brian Schoolar, chair, and Sandi Thompson
  • Faculty Senate Representative (M. Darby)
    • Mark stated that there was nothing about this position in the documentation. The Senate serves for the whole University, what AAL does for this group. He then read a description of the position.
    • Larry wondered what the political considerations would be among the faculty of including librarians as fully voting members of the Faculty Senate and mentioned examples. He suggested it was something that the AAL Steering Committee might consider.
• Old Business:
  • There was no old business.
• New business/announcements:
  • Carla asked whether we could be more involved in the planning of the new building. Larry thought it a great idea and suggested that it needed to be discussed within the departments, and there needed to be a general discussion throughout the library.
• Adjournment:
  • Adjourned at 2:55 PM.

Academic Assembly of Librarians
General Assembly
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Paley Lecture Hall, 2:00 PM

MINUTES

Attending: Larry Alford, Steven Bell, James Bongiovanni, Carol Brigham (chair), Carla Cunningham, Mark Darby, Sebastian Derry, Kristina DeVoe, Andrea Goldstein, Jonathan Le Breton, Gregory McKinney (recorder), David Murray, Brian Schoolar, Sandi Thompson, Al Vara

• Approval of minutes of the 09/08/09 meeting:
  •  Approved.
•  Update on Scholarly Communications  (S. Bell):
  • Steven distributed a handout with an update on Scholarly Communications.  In his presentation, he spoke of three items: 1) SC at the national level, 2) SC on campus, and 3) the SC Committee. At the national level, the Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPPA) makes sure that the public has access to research which has accepted Federal funding. The next step is to require other Federal agencies which have accepted Federal funding to provide access to the public. At this point Sandi asked whether this had begun with ERIC yet.
  •  Steven then spoke of open access letters and agreements, mentioning specifically NIH Policy Implementation (SPARC).  This was followed by a discussing of Open Access Week, Oct 19th through the 23rd. On Oct. 20th, Steven gave an ITUG presentation on the topic of author’s rights.
  • There is a Temple University Scholarly Communications Committee, the purpose of which is to create awareness about Scholarly Communications. The members of the committee are Mark F. Geblhard, Jane Gordon, and Chris
  • Steven finished by mentioning that the documents that librarians were asked to take to faculty last year was an inventory of Scholarly Communications. Many faculty asked how they would know who was doing what.
• Remarks by the Dean of Libraries (L. Alford):
  • In the past few weeks, Larry has been occupied with his trip to China and Tibet, his mother’s birthday, OCLC, etc. He congratulated Al, who will retire at the end of the year, and spoke of how much he will be missed.
  • In regard to the budget, the state still has not passed a budget. The freeze on hiring is still in place; when that is lifted will depend on when a state budget is passed.  It is not clear what is going to happen. We have permission to hire a firm to work with us for planning a new building. The first step is to develop a building program, then to get the money, then to begin construction, and finally, to move. There is progress being made on this.
  • Steven asked whether focus groups would happen first or whether that would follow the construction. Larry replied that we the users need to be involved
  • Carol Brigham asked whether there would be a Holiday party this year. Larry replied that he didn’t know but could not think of any reason why there should not be one. Carol would meet with Staff Council to discuss it.
• Old Business:
  • According to Larry, there has been no progress on Emeritus Status for Librarians.
• New business/announcements:
  • Carla Cunningham was welcomed back from a long absence.
  •  Jonathan reminded everyone that the freeze on travel funding applies only to out-of-state travel.  Larry then stated that the definition of in-state travel is going to expand to include Washington, DC, New York, and Delaware.
  •  The Merit Committee has been formed. The members are: Sebastian, Andrea, Carla, Jim, Derik, and Krystal.
  •  Sebastian announced that there is a new DVD display section, located in the same area as the new books display.
  •  Larry identified the photos in the room as being those taken by a student who travelled to Bolivia.
• Adjournment:
  • Meeting adjourned at 3:40 PM

Academic Assembly of Librarians
General Assembly
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Paley Lecture Hall, 2:00 PM

Minutes

Attending: Larry Alford, Derek Badman, Jenifer Baldwin, Carole Bell, Aslaku Berhanu, Carol Brigham (chair), Mark Darby, Sebastian Derry, Kristina DeVoe, Andrea Goldstein, Anne Harlow, Thomas Heverin, Carol Lang, Molly Larkin, Jonathan LeBreton, Jill Luedke, Gregory McKinney (recorder), Penelope Myers, Fred Rowland, Adam Shambaugh, Brian Schoolar, Sandi Thompson, Al Vara

• Approval of minutes of the 3/10/09 meeting:
  • Approved without changes.
• New staff introductions:
  • Sarah Sherman  – Sarah, introduced by Brenda Galloway-Wright,  has joined the staff of Urban Archives as Archivist for the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Collection. Her office is 12D
  • Krystal Lewis – Krystal, introduced by Jenifer Baldwin, joined the staff of RIS in early June as Coordinator of Information Literacy and Reference. She received a BA and MSL from the University of Illinois, Urbana. She comes to Temple from the University of Illinois, Chicago. Her office is Paley 122.
  • Jill Luedke – Jill, introduced by Jenifer Baldwin, recently joined the staff of RIS and will serve as the Subject Specialist for art, art history, and art education at the Tyler School of Art. She comes to Temple from the Adam and Sophie Gimbel Design Library at the New School in NYC. She received a dual MS in Library and Information Science, and the History of Art and Design form the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Jill is presently located in Paley 209, but will eventually relocate to Paley 317.
• Remarks by the Dean of Libraries (L. Alford):
  • Larry welcomed Jill, Krystal and Sarah. He then stated that on the following day, there would be a ceremony in Sullivan Hall at which President Hart and he would accept the collection of the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center, described as “amazing, one of the best.”  One hundred and thirty eight invited guests had already expressed their intention to attend.
  • Larry mentioned several other collections which staff in the library have been talking about with others: Tom Whitehead has been working to obtain the papers of William Osler, the founder of modern medicine; Tom and David Murray have been working with a Civil War collection of about 700 items, 50% of which is unique to Paley’s collection; and it is highly likely that the library will be given a collection of documents about the Holocaust.
  • Larry remarked on the great amount of activity in Paley. Even on Labor Day, yesterday, there had been lines in the building.
  • A 250 page draft of the accreditation study is now available. The chapter dealing with the library, distributed to department heads last week, will be put on the library’s website.
  • In regard to the budget, travel and hiring freezes remain in place, although there may be some thawing once a state budget is in place. If the budget does not improve, there may be future cuts.
  • In regard to the library materials budget, we have received no inflation budget; cuts in the budget have amounted to a lost in purchasing power valued at more than one million dollars. We will be able to sustain our budget through the year. We will be able to handle budget increases in serials with resorting to cancellations. If the budget crisis continues, Larry will meet with the Provost in one and one half weeks. As a backup, a contingency plan is in place.  Jonathan will begin to work closely with selectors.
  • In response to a call for questions, Carol Lang asked about Emeritus status for librarians. Larry stated that it had been approved by the Provost, but final approval, in his opinion, has been held up because the administration has been preoccupied throughout the summer by the financial crisis.
• Update on the strategic planning process (C. Lang):
  • The planning process has been going on for quite awhile. The group, charged in December 2008, is composed of ten members: Steven Bell and Carol Lang (chairpersons), Aslaku Berhanu, Jim Bongiovanni, Brenda Galloway-Wright, Thomas Heverin, Eric Jeitner, Molly Larkin, Fred Rowland, Derik Sawyer, Adam Shambaugh, Sandi Thompson, and Nicole Restaino.
  • The group began by reviewing the previous plan, then moved on. The present plan is very much a work in progress. It was taken to Administrative Council, where Steve and Carol shared comments. Copies of the Temple University Libraries Draft Strategic Plan 2009 – 2012 were distributed at the meeting, with the request that everyone read through the document and share comments with any member of the group, who would then report them back to the group.
• Report on roaming reference (F. Rowland, A. Shambaugh):
  • Last summer Jenifer put together a committee to create a program, planned for the Fall, in which reference librarians would go into the stacks and assist patrons.
  • The results were disappointing. Over a period of several months, fewer than 100 requests were received. Some recommendations came out of the experience: color coding of the stacks to assist students in locating books and vests for student workers to make them more readily identifiable. Fred and Adam gave a presentation about the project in Vancouver, British Columbia over the summer. Penelope announced that the vests had arrived.
  • Carol Brigham asked about which handheld devices had been used. Fred commented that iTouches had been used, not entirely successfully because wireless reception in the stacks had been intermittent. Fred also commented that he had not noticed very much browsing, which he found surprising, and that there had been quite a lot of students, all studying intensively. Adam mentioned that they were considering having limited roaming reference during finals. Fred finished by observing that students seemed reluctant to ask for assistance.
  • Jonathan commented that because the librarians moved back and forth between the 2nd and 3rd floors, it may have been a problem knowing where they were when needed by a student.
• Kindle show & tell (S. Derry):
  • Sebastian demonstrated and described the use of two types of Kindles, a smaller model, Kindle 2, and a larger model, Kindle DX. He also discussed some issues regarding content. In response to Penelope’s question as to how they would be used, Sebastian stated that they would probably circulate in house, and that eventually a message would be distributed about their status. Larry commented that some libraries have been experimenting with using Kindles, but there were legal issues to be worked out. They could circulate among the staff in the library, but whether we can lend them to others is a legal question.
• Old business:
  • There was no old business.
• New business/announcements:
  • The Request feature in Diamond has been launched and has been a resounding success, although there have been some problems with requesting journal articles.
  • Sebastian asked about the guest computers. They are doing fine and have registered more than 184 users, with no complaints.
  • Larry mentioned the long lines at the printers and questioned why this was happening and whether we needed another printer. He also asked about how the printers were paid for. Jonathan responded that they were paid for from a technology fee paid by students, and that adding another printer was not a technical issue, but an economic issue.
  • Carol Lang announced that the next All Staff Meeting would be at 2:00 PM on September 25th.
• Adjournment:
  • Meeting was adjoined at 3:10 PM.

Academic Assembly of Librarians
General Assembly
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Paley Lecture Hall, 2:00 PM

MINUTES

Attending: Larry Alford, Derik Badman, Steven Bell, James Bongiovanni, Carol Brigham, Mark Darby, Sebastian Derry, Kristina DeVoe, Andrea Goldstein (chair), Carol Lang, Molly Larkin, Gregory McKinney (recorder), David Murray, Fred Rowland, Brian Schoolar, Adam Schambaugh, Gretchen Sneff, Sandi Thompson, Al Vara

•  Approval of minutes of the 1/13/09 meeting:
  • The minutes were approved.
• Remarks by the Dean of Libraries (L. Alford):
  • Larry had had a meeting with the Provost earlier in the day and discussed emeritus status with her. A couple of changes had been suggested; she was supportive of emeritus status and would consider how to make it work. Also, she had met with Tony Wagner to review the budget situation; they have been meeting with the Academic Assembly across campus. If invited, she is willing to speak to the AAL assembly about the budget; this would probably require calling a special meeting.  Actual cuts were still undetermined. There will be a permanent $1.15 million reduction for next year, including $491,000 this year.  The proposed materials budget contains no inflationary increase; that will be part of the $1.15 million reduction. This will result in a $1 – 1.3 million loss of purchasing power. It will be necessary to find ways to offset this by making some cuts this year in back runs, new electronic resources, facilities work, other things.  There has been some savings from the hiring freeze. Larry has asked for permission to use this money for services and licensing fees; this would make the budget whole for next year. A 10-14% cut in services and licencing for 2010 would give us time to plan how and what to cut. We could systematically plan how to deal with faculty and other issues. The University still continues to be concerned about enrollment next year, especially in regard to transfers.
  • The new Health Sciences Library will be open by July 1st and will be the intellectual center of that campus. It will also be one of the best Health Sciences facilities anywhere. There continues to be administrative support for a new library on Broad Street, although not officially, where the temporary buildings (Pearson Hall, for example) in the McGonigle area are now located. It would be a ‘signature’ building for the University and would give Temple a notable presence on Broad Street. Financing is the problem.
  • Carolynne Martin continues to work on replacing furniture, etc. It may be slower than planned, but it will happen.
  • Congratulations to Sebastian for the success of the Media Services Department.
  • Larry asked for questions. David Murray asked about the role of Paley, and the Quadrangle, if a new library were built. Larry stated that a decision had been made not to tear down any buildings.
• Old business:
  • There was no old business.
• New Business & announcements:
  • Steven Bell announced that the Scandinavian librarians were coming March 26th in the afternoon. There would be 18 of them. More details would be announced later.
  • Gretchen made an announcement about the new cellphone audio tour, and also announced that there would be an E-Resources Fair at SEAL on March 25th.
  • Kristina DeVoe reminded everyone of the upcoming Continuing Education Event on March 25th, a presentation of Urban Archives by John Pettit.
  • Fred Rowland suggested that someone talk to the librarians about the Jewish Archives.
  • David Murray stated that the deadline for Library Prize submissions was approaching. He further stated that all the judges had been lined up and that everyone should continue to advertise the event.
  • Steven Bell announced that on April 2nd, Rich Sweeney would lead a Millennium Panel Session, the 1st half of which would be in Kiva Auditorium, in discussing the Millennium Generation.  The 1st part would be targeted at faculty, and the 2nd part at Temple students.
  •  Sebastian announced that the interview which Fred Rowland and he did with Leslie Banks would be available in a few weeks.
• Adjournment:
  • The meeting adjourned at 3:30 PM

Academic Assembly of Librarians
General Assembly
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Paley Lecture Hall, 2:00 PM
Minutes

Attending: Carole Bell, Carol Brigham, Mark Darby, Andrea Goldstein (chair), Carol Lang, Molly Larkin, Jonathan Le Breton, Rick Lezenby, Byron Mayes, Gregory McKinney (recorder), Penelope Myers, Sandi Thompson, Thomas Whitehead,

Presentation:

• Forum – Sandra McDade, Director of Temple’s Office of Sustainability will discuss some of the ways in which Temple is trying to achieve sustainability, and the progress her office has made in raising the environmental awareness of students, faculty, and staff: A copy of Sandra’s PowerPoint presentation can be obtained from Andrea. Also, anyone interested in the University’s efforts to promote sustainability should look at the website at http://www.temple.edu/sustainability.
• Refreshments – Refreshments were served for everyone attending the forum. The AAL General Assembly began at 3:00 PM.
• Approval of minutes from the November 11th meeting – The minutes from the November 11th General Assembly were approved.
• Dean Alford’s remarks – Jonathan Le Breton substituted for Dean Alford who was unable to attend. According to Jonathan, Temple Libraries is doing very well compared to other libraries, as mentioned by Larry at the last meeting. The out-of-state travel freeze is still on. Exceptions can be requested but must show sufficient necessity; thus far we have requested a few exceptions, all of which have been approved by the Provost.  We have to demonstrate serious restraint and list out-of-state travel requests which have been denied internally. Carole Brigham asked where exceptions should be sent. Jonathan replied that he has been receiving them, packaging them for Larry’s review and approval, and then sending them to the  Provost who must approve them. Rick asked if a certain percentage of the budget was set aside for travel: Jonathan said our staff development expenditures, which include travel usually amounts to ca. 1 % which is normal for industry.
  • Another issue: there is a hiring freeze in place, which also has an exception process. The library has been approved to hire an Art Librarian and an RIS Coordinator, and a Media Specialist.  An associate Archivist in the Blockson collection was not approved for recruitment.   A cataloging BA has was just hired for the spring on non-teTemplen funds (private funding) and was therefore exempt from the hiring freeze and exception process. There have been some setbacks in facilities renovations and equipment purchasing; see Carolynne Martin’s email about the delay in updating offices.
  • Other budget issues: an estimate for material’s’ inflation has been submitted to the University Budget Office as usual.  The likelihood of obtaining a budget increase to cover inflation is slight given the economic climate, but we’ll have to see.   Jonathan has not yet heard of any further cut in this year’s budget or of a cut for next year, but it’s a real concern. The University Administration has not said anything about what to expect from next year’s budget.
  • Carol Lang asked about Inauguration Day. Sebastian responded that some TVs will be setup in the library and around campus. Jonathan mentioned that there are a number of other events coming up, for which Nicole will sendt out a schedule. Jonathan ended by mentioning that the University’s schedule for the transition of all staff email to MS Exchange Server and Outlook has been pushed back.  Byron will continue to monitor campus plans, but meanwhile there will be staff training sessions offered by Computer Services for using Outlook.  Early adopters are encouraged to take a class and begin using Outlook as a client in advance of the transition from Mirapoint TUmail to MS Exchange.
  • Carole Brigham asked when the Media Services opening would occur and whether there would be a ribbon cutting event. Sebastian said there would be a soft rollout, and suggested a bigger event in the fall when everything will be done.
• Old business
  • Mark Darby asked about the progress of Emeritus status. He was told that a draft has been given to Larry.
• New Business & announcements
  • There was no new business.
• Adjournment
  • The meeting adjourned at 3:20 PM.

Academic Assembly of Librarians
General Assembly Meeting
Tuesday, November 11, 2008, 2:00 p.m.
Paley Library Lecture Hall

MINUTES

Attendance: Alford, Badman, Bell, Bongiovanni, Brigham, Darby, Derry, Goldstein (chair), Lang, Larkin, McKinney, Murray, Myers, Schoolar, Szigeti (recorder), Thompson, Vara

• Approval of Minutes.
  • Minutes of the General Assembly meeting of September 9, 2008 were approved.
• Introduction of New Librarian
  • Gretchen Sneff introduced Thomas Heverin, the new science librarian.
• Remarks from the Dean of University Libraries
  • Larry Alford announced the reduction in the budget and how it will affect the Libraries. There is a travel and hiring freeze, with some limited exceptions. Less facility and project work will get done. Our collection budget will not be affected this year because salary lapse monies will be used. The Dean announced the upcoming three millionth volume celebration.
• Old Business
  • Emeritus status for librarians. Sebastian Derry distributed a draft document and asked that questions and comments be directed to him.
• New Business/Announcements
  • Mr. Derry updated the group regarding renovations for the Media Center and offered to provide tours.
• Election Results
  • Gregory McKinney won the Recording Secretary post and Rick Lezenby was elected to PARA.
• Adjournment
  • With business being completed, the meeting was adjourned at 2:35 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kathy Szigeti

Academic Assembly of Librarians
General Assembly Meeting
Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2008, 2:00 p.m.
Paley Library Lecture Hall

MINUTES

Attendance: Alford, Badman, Bell, Berhanu, Bongiovanni, Davis Cunningham, Derry, Goldstein (chair), Larkin, Lezenby, Myers, Rowland, Schoolar, Szigeti (recorder), Turner
Guest: Jean Pond

• Approval of Minutes:
  • Minutes of the General Assembly meeting of May 13, 2008 were approved
• Remarks from the Dean of University Libraries
  • Dean Alford told the Assembly he was receiving many compliments regarding the first floor changes/renovations, and thanked the many people involved. He stated a need to publicize the café and has discussed this with Sodexho. There will be a new guard station at the front entrance to Paley. The media center is progressing on schedule. By the end of September we should have the new lounge furniture for the basement Staff Lounge. RIS staff will be getting new furniture and paint. The space for John Oram and stacks staff will be improved. Could we have an outdoor seating area in front of the café? Dean Alford stated he has a hope that we can have a new library building as a destination, center-of-campus-life building.
  • Many good ideas came out of the planning retreats and now the work is to look at them and see what can be implemented given the budget
  • The Libraries were given the last installment of the enhancement funds which will be put into staffing. We did not receive as much funds for inflation as is needed
  • Regarding the ARL list for expenditures, our ranking is up to 60
  • Larry Alford congratulated the CAMS staff for their hard and persistent work in virtually eliminating the backlog of items that needed to be cataloged
  • The Dean informed the Assembly about a consultant who was hired to see how Innovative and our financial system can work together efficiently
  • Finally, Dean Alford talked about the Libraries’ upcoming events.
• Special Election
  • This election was held to replace Susan Golding on the Selection and Appointment Committee. Sebastian Derry won the position.
• Old Business
  •  There was no old business.
• New Business/Announcements
  • Andrea Goldstein informed the Assembly that she and Sebastian Derry of the Steering Committee are working on a proposal to obtain emeritus status for retired librarians.
• Adjournment and refreshments
  •  Adjourned at 2:30 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kathy Szigeti
Recording Secretary