ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY OF LIBRARIANS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TUESDAY, March 11, 2014

2:00 PM

Law School, Klein Hall 7A

(Please note the location!)

MINUTES

Attending:  Jenifer Baldwin, Brian Boling (recorder), Carla Davis Cunningham, Mark Darby (Chair), Erin Finnerty, Leanne Finnigan, Anne Harlow, Margaret Janz, Noa Kaumeheiwa, Molly Larkin, Joe Lucia, Jill Luedke, Kate Lynch, Katy Rawdon, Fred Rowland, Adam Shambaugh, Caitlin Shanley, Matt Shoemaker, Margery Sly, Sandi Thompson, Eugene Tsue, Nancy Turner

Meeting called to order at 2:06pm.

1. New Staff Introductions (J. Lucia)

1. Nancy Turner comes to us most recently from Syracuse.  She grew up in Philadelphia and studied at UPenn, then went to graduate school at University of Chicago.  Following that, she lived in Maine, Albequerque, Atlanta (earning her MLS at Clark University), Louisville, and Las Cruces.  She likes dogs and cats.  She has three cats, two of which live with her.

2. Remarks by the Dean of Libraries (J. Lucia)

Dean Lucia reported on two meetings at the Snohetta office in New York.  The design is proceeding from vague premises and broad concepts to, at the second meeting, five detailed renderings of conceptual shapes.  Snohetta is unique in its iterative design process; they have listened to feedback from Library Administration and will use this information to refine their concept.  The library is going for a minimum of LEED gold certification.

The plans for the Digital Scholarship Center are proceeding and there has already been faculty interest in working on projects.  Liaisons can expect to be mediators for the center’s services.  Dean Lucia states that the DSC will be transformative to the library’s service mission.

Dean Lucia reported that the Temple University Press Executive Director search is proceeding well.  We have hosted Dean Smith, currently with Project Muse, who was a strong candidate.  Mary Rose Muccie, currently with JSTOR, is expected to be equally strong.

3. Approval of Minutes

The General Assembly approved the minutes from January’s GA meeting.

4. Guest speaker, Professor Hector Postigo, Department of Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media in, School of Communications and Theater, Temple University. “Libraries as Creative Citizen Advocates:  Looking Beyond Institutional Roles.”

Dr. Postigo is the author of The Digital Rights Movement (M.I.T. Press, 2012), as well as several articles on gaming, crowdsourcing, and their relationship to commercial enterprise.  He spoke about the need for librarians to act as the “voice of the people,” advocating for all users and not just institutional stakeholders.  He encouraged us to think of systems that will continue to allow users to engage creatively with cultural materials, pointing out that the design of platforms reflect the politics of the designers.

5. Old business

Mark Darby will contact the PARA committee about procedural changes related to January’s mentorship discussion.

6. New business/announcements

Anne Harlow announced that there are two lunchtime concerts featuring the music of Debussy planned for March 26^th and April 2^nd in the Lecture Hall.

Adjournment at 3:07pm

ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY OF LIBRARIANS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014

2:00 PM

PALEY LIBRARY, LECTURE HALL

MINUTES

Attending:  Jenifer Baldwin, Doreva Belfiore, Steven Bell, Brian Boling (recorder), Jim Bongiovanni, Carla Davis Cunningham, Mark Darby (Chair), Kristina DeVoe, Lauri Fennell, Erin Finnerty, Leanne Finnigan, Anne Harlow, Justin Hill, Richie Holland (invited speaker), Josue Hurtado, Margaret Janz, Latanya Jenkins, Delphine Khanna, Molly Larkin, Jonathan LeBreton, Rick Lezenby, Joe Lucia, Jessica Lydon, Kate Lynch, David Murray, Katy Rawdon, Fred Rowland, Caitlin Shanley, Matt Shoemaker, Jackie Sipes, Margery Sly, Gretchen Sneff.

Meeting called to order at 2:06pm.

1. Approval of Minutes (B. Boling)

The General Assembly approved minutes from November’s GA meeting.

2. New Staff Introductions

1. Caitlin Shanley

Caitlin Shanley is our new Instruction Team Leader.  She received her Masters in Library Science from UNC Chapel Hill and her undergraduate degree in literature from UNC Asheville.  She enjoys empowering young women through involvement in Girls Rock Philly.  She has two cats: Maisie and Miss Mandible.

3. Remarks by the Dean of Libraries (J. Lucia)

We now have a beta of the program for the new library.  Jonathan will be sending corrections and amendments to Bright Spot tomorrow and they will incorporate these changes into a final document that the architects will consult during the design of the building.  The Design Committee (Joe Lucia, Jonathan LeBreton, Steven Bell, Richie Holland, and Sherri Stahler) recently had a first meeting with the architects.  In 4-5 months, we should start to see drawings of the new building.

In response to a question about digital browsing, Joe mentioned the promise shown by ShelfLife, an Open Source software being developed by the DPLA and Harvard.

There will be an All-Staff meeting on Thursday.  On the agenda is a planning and guidance process to encourage creative engagement among library staff.

Dean Lucia mentioned that a Digital Scholarship Center is slated to open in early 2015.

4. Hiring Process for Librarians and Prospects for the Future (R. Holland and All)

Richie Holland discussed the steps involved in the hiring process.  HR does not currently screen librarian applicants except checking for MLS degrees.  They also have a “rule” whereby 50% of referred candidates for a job must be interviewed.  This 50% rule guards against nebulous hiring decisions being used to eliminate candidates.  These factors mean that search committees often need to do many phone interviews to screen librarian candidates.

Richie next discussed issues with the hiring process.  He indicated that Temple’s administrative process is not likely to change significantly.  He also discussed the small candidate pools we’ve seen for librarian jobs.  On the positive side, these small pools do typically have solid candidates.  Future searches may involve the use of more creative and intentional outreach to attract additional candidates.

David Murray asked whether the library had considered offering fellowships to increase the diversity of library staff.  Dean Lucia indicated that he is meeting with the ARL director of diversity fellowships during ALA Midwinter.  Some problems with this approach were mentioned, such as fixed-term librarian contracts contradicting the TAUP contract, issues that can arise for libraries that want to retain fellows after their term, and general uncertainty in libraries with a large staff of short-term employees.

5. Mentor Program for Librarians? A discussion (All)

During Larry Alford’s time as Dean, some librarians had complained about the not knowing what to do regarding the PARA process and a formal mentorship program was discussed.  The issue of mentorship has been raised again, both for PARA support and for other professional development.

David Murray mentioned that PARA has always encouraged candidates to ask questions of any committee member.  The committee has also sponsored information sessions.  At a recent session, candidates had access to PARA documents from the four committee members, allowing them to see the general structure and level of detail used in previous applications.  Various proposals for PARA support were made, such as:  following up with people who asked questions, providing a made-up sample application, an FAQ.

In terms of professional development, Steven Bell mentioned that term “mentor” implies a certain type of relationship that may be unnecessary.  Instead of formal mentors, the library could have “specialists” willing to share knowledge of areas such as publishing, professional organization involvement, etc.

6. Old business

None.

7. New business/announcements

Kristina DeVoe announced that PARA reviewed nine contract renewal applications and one application for regular appointment.  All were approved.  A message about the promotion process will be sent shortly.

Adjournment at 3:23pm.

ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY OF LIBRARIANS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TUESDAY, November 12, 2013

2:00 PM

PALEY LIBRARY, LECTURE HALL

MINUTES

Attending:  Doreva Belfiore, Steven Bell, Aslaku Berhanu, Brian Boling (recorder), Carla Davis Cunningham, Mark Darby (Chair), Kristina DeVoe, Erin Finnerty, Leanne Finnigan, Andrea Goldstein, Anne Harlow, Eugene Hsue, Josue Hurtado, Margaret Janz, Latanya Jenkins, Delphine Khanna, Molly Larkin, Jonathan LeBreton, Rick Lezenby, Joe Lucia, Jill Luedke, Jessica Lydon, David Murray, Katy Rawdon, Fred Rowland, Adam Shambaugh, Matt Shoemaker, Jackie Sipes, Margery Sly, Sandi Thompson.

Meeting called to order at 2:02pm.

1. Approval of Minutes (B. Boling)

The General Assembly approved minutes from September’s GA meeting.

2. Remarks by the Dean of Libraries (J. Lucia)

Dean Lucia spoke about Alex Holzman’s retirement from the University Press.  In the lead-up to Alex’s retirement, the press will be holding a symposium on University Publishing.

A search firm has been hired to seek a new press director. Fred Rowland will represent the library on the search committee.  The rewritten position description will now include scholarly communications duties, with a more integrated role such as at Purdue or Michigan. Joe is looking for space in Paley for the incoming press director’s office, as working at TASB might prove a disincentive for the caliber of candidates we hope to attract.  A possible March 1^st start date would allow for a month overlap with Alex.

Library Journal interviewed Dean Lucia about the library cancellation rumors in the Inquirer.  He announced that the site is officially Barton Hall, but the University is waiting to announce this publicly during the unveiling of the campus master plan.

3. New Staff Introductions

1. Margaret Janz (D. Murray)

Margaret Janz comes to us from the Lilly Library at Indiana University where she worked as a cataloging assistant while pursuing her MLS.  She has worked for many years in various support roles in libraries.  She has a dog named Gadget and enjoys being in the woods, making things, and silly ideas.

4. HathiTrust at Temple University Libraries (D. Murray, J. LeBreton)

Jonathan LeBreton and David Murray spoke about concrete aspects of our Hathitrust membership.  About 1/3 of the 10.8 million volumes in the collection are in the Public Domain.  Works under copyright are available to us on a limited basis, according to the following triggers:

a.  In accordance with Section 108 of Copyright Law, we can be granted access if a copy we previously owned is damaged, lost, or stolen.

b.  Some books marked MISSING in our catalog have full-views available, but this depends on OCLC Accession Number as a match point.

c.  Print-disabled patrons certified through the Office of Disability Services or Human Resources can obtain screen-reader accessible copies of in-copyright works.

David Murray gave a demo of a MISSING book available in Hathitrust, as well as showing the functionality of saved collections.  He mentioned possible digital humanities applications for data mining Hathitrust texts, provided that the OCR was acceptable.  David is making a research guide to help patrons better understand this resource.

5. Old business

None

6. New business/announcements

None

Adjournment at 2:54pm.

ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY OF LIBRARIANS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

2:00 PM

PALEY LIBRARY, LECTURE HALL

MINUTES

Attending:  Doreva Belfiore, Aslaku Berhanu, Brian Boling (recorder), Jim Bongiovanni (acting Chair), Carla Davis Cunningham, Mark Darby, Kristina DeVoe, Erin Finnerty, Leanne Finnigan, Andrea Goldstein, Eugene Hsue, Latanya Jenkins, Noa Kaumeheiwa, Molly Larkin, Jessica Lydon, Katy Rawdon, Fred Rowland, Matt Shoemaker, Jackie Sipes, Courtney Smerz, Sandi Thompson.

Meeting called to order at 2:10pm.

1. Approval of Minutes (B. Boling)

All outstanding General Assembly minutes from Fall 2012 to Spring 2013 have been approved.

2. Special Election

AAL Steering Committee Chair (C. Cunningham, J. Sipes)

A special election was held to fill a vacancy left by Krystal Lewis’ departure.  Mark Darby was elected Chair of the AAL Steering Committee.

3. Remarks by the Dean of Libraries (J. Lucia)

Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, Dean Lucia was unable to attend the General Assembly meeting.

4. New Staff Introductions

1. Leanne Finnigan (M. Darby)

Leanne Finnigan is the new Database Management Librarian, a long-vacant position formerly held by Mark Darby.  She previously worked at Montgomery County Community College library.  Leanne has a degree in history from UNC Charlotte and an MLIS from an online program based in Valdosta, Georgia.  She knows Spanish and Portuguese and has traveled in Brazil.  She has four cats, one of which is named Scooter.

5. Old Business

None

6. New Business / Announcements

Penelope Myers expressed her appreciation of colleagues in the AAL.  She inquired if any progress had been made on Emeritus Status for librarians.  The Faculty Senate has not yet discussed this issue, nor has a vote gone to the Board of Trustees.

Kristina DeVoe announced that a PARA information session would be held on Thursday at 3pm in room 309.  The deadline for contract renewal applications is Wednesday, September 18^th.

AAL members enjoyed coffee, cookies, and two cakes–a “Welcome Joe” and a “Goodbye Penelope” cake.

Adjourned at 2:21pm.

ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY OF LIBRARIANS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TUESDAY, May 14, 2013

PALEY LIBRARY, LECTURE HALL

MINUTES

Attending: Doreva Belfiore, Brian Boling (Recorder), Jim Bongiovanni (Chair),  Carla Davis Cunningham, Mark Darby, Kristina DeVoe, Erin Finnerty, Andrea Goldstein, Justin Hill, Eugene Hsue, Joshue Hurtado, Delphine Khanna, Carol Lang, Molly Larkin, Krystal Lewis, Jill Luedke, Katherine Lynch,  Gerald Mahlman, Gregory McKinney, Penelope Myers, Katy Rawdon, Jackie Sipes, Adam Shambaugh, Matt Shoemaker, Margery Sly, Sandi Thompson.

Meeting called to order at 2:06 p.m.

1. Approval of Minutes (B. Boling)

All minutes are drafted, but currently in early stages of the review process.

2. Introduction of New Staff

Delphine Khanna introduced Matt Shoemaker, the Digital and Web Services Librarian in Digital Library Initiatives.  He comes to us from the Pennsylvania Historical Society where he was Director of Systems and Digital Collections.  Prior to earning his MLIS degree, he worked in the IT sector.  He has a dog, several geckos, and is a beekeeper; thus, he has over 10,000 pets.

3. Remarks by the Interim Dean of Libraries (C. Lang)

Library space planners from the consulting firm Brightspot visited the library on May 2^nd and 3^rd to do unobtrusive observation of library users.  They also did interviews with 6 representative students, including undergraduate students from various disciplines (including engineering) and graduate student researchers.  They met with Joe Lucia and the Library Executive Group to explain the planning process.  This process will consist of structured workshops on topics such as collections, community, learning, research and scholarship.  They will visit once per month during June through August.

Dean Lang discussed the Visualize Temple campaign, a master planning effort started under President Theobold.  As part of the effort, the Provost is putting together working groups, including one on “Library & Learning Commons”.  This separate effort will be occurring simultaneously with the Snohetta/Brightspot planning for the new library building.  Steven Bell will co-convene the campus master plan’s library working group, as Dean Lang will retire prior to the deadline for submitting recommendations.  In response to a question about Temple 2020, Dean Lang mentioned that some of the older plan had been accomplished, but this new campaign hopes to incorporate current information about campus and its needs.

4. May Elections (C. Cunningham)

Jim learned the day prior to the meeting that Eugene Hsue was appointed to the Faculty Senate Library Committee, a position that was previously elected by AAL members.  Discussion with the Faculty Senate Vice President Mark Rahdert revealed that their Steering Committee felt the Faculty Senate Constitution trumped the published committee bylaws that indicate that this is an elected position.  Eugene apologized for his honest mistake.  It was agreed that he would be the library representative on the committee, but that the Library’s Representative Senators would need to press for clarification on the committee constitution in light of librarians being accepted into the Faculty Senate.

Other election results were as follows:

Vice Chair/Chair Elect of AAL Steering Committee: Molly Larkin

At Large member of AAL Steering Committee: Erin Finnerty

Continuing Education Committee: Joshue Hurtado (two year term), Doreva Belfiore (one year term)

Nominations and Elections Committee: Jackie Sipes

Selection and Appointment Committee: Katy Rawdon, Latanya Jenkins

Promotion and Regular Appointment Committee: Adam Shambaugh, Fred Rowland.

5. Review and Vote on Proposed Bylaws changes pertaining to AAL Representation on Faculty Senate (J. Bongiovanni, C. Cunningham)

The bylaw change included information on the election of members to the Faculty Senate Library Committee.  The bylaw vote was postponed until the AAL Steering Committee determines what additional changes are required by new understandings of committee make-up.

6. Annual Reports from Standing Committee Chairs

PARA Committee (Molly Larkin):

Molly Larkin chaired the committee, also composed of Carla Cunningham, Kristina DeVoe, and David Murray.  During the fall, the committee reviewed three applications for contract renewal and one application for regular appointment and submitted positive recommendations for all four candidates.  Dean Lang and Provost Dai concurred.  Adam Shambaugh was granted Regular Appointment

The committee reviewed three additional applications for contract renewal in the spring and submitted positive recommendations for all.  The committee also reviewed one application for promotion and recommended that Jim Bongiovanni be promoted to L2 rank.  Dean Lang and Provost Dai concurred with all of these decisions.  Molly consulted on eight occasions to determine the rank for new hire librarians.  She and Krystal Lewis also met twice with new hires to explain AAL and the PARA process.

Merit Committee (Adam Shambaugh):

Adam Shambaugh chaired the committee, also composed of Rick Lezenby, Doreva Belfiore, Jackie Sipes, and Aslaku Behanu.  They reviewed eight applications for merit awards and submitted their recommendations on January 26^th.  Applicants have received merit letters from Dean Lang, but the Provost’s office is waiting to send their final decision until faculty merit units are distributed.

Continuing Education Committee (Adam Shambaugh, on behalf of Jenifer Baldwin):

Jenifer Baldwin chaired the committee, also composed of Adam Shambaugh and Penelope Myers.  The committee presented a December 16^th presentation on research undertaken by Jenifer Baldwin, Anne Harlow, and Rick Lezenby on how faculty share course content.  They also organized an April 17^th trip to the Barnes foundation and a tour of the Barnes Library.  A final program (date to be determined) will include a tour of the Kardon Library Depository space.

Faculty Representative Senate (Kristina Devoe):

Kristina DeVoe and Noa Kaumeheiwa served as library representation on the Faculty Senate.  President Joan Shapiro considered this senate to be serving a transitional era for Temple in which to promote shared governance.

Faculty took part in the successful searches for University President, Provost, and Library Dean.  Dean searches for the College of Education, College of Media and Communication, and College of Health Professions and Social Work are still underway.

Frequent topics of discussion at Faculty Senate Meetings were the new budget model adopted by the university and how to improve student access, intervention (meaning advising), and retention.  Another issue of note was the numerous vacancies on various Faculty Senate Committees.  In spite of librarian interest in serving on these committees, it is unclear in which cases librarians may serve.

            Faculty Senate Library Committee (Penelope Myers):

The Faculty Senate Library Committee met four times.

On October 17^th, the group discussed the Library Dean Search and the new building.  Jonathan Lebreton presented on the library budget and Steven Bell presented on the LIBQUAL results.

On December 5^th, the group discussed improvements in ARL ranking, while noting that staffing rankings were still low.  Jonathan Lebreton presented on the change from print to electronic materials.

On February 20^th, the group discussed the need for the new building, noting that studies indicated the current building would cost more to renovate.  Fred Rowland attended and presented on the Library Prize competition.

On May 9^th, Joe Lucia attended and discussed the planning process for the new building, the location of the new library, and fielded feedback on the future direction of the Faculty Senate Library Committee.

Selection and Appointment Committee (Fred Rowland):

Fred Rowland chaired the committee, also composed of Rick Lezenby, Andrea Goldstein, and Krystal Lewis.  Three searches begun in fiscal year 2011-12 were completed this year.  Doreva Belfiore accepted her position in September 2012 and Jackie Sipes and Katy Rawdon accepted positions in October 2012.  Five searches were completed in the fiscal year, with Joshue Hurtado, Latanya Jenkins, Erin Finnerty, Justin Hill, and Matt Shoemaker accepting positions.  The CAMS Librarian Search is nearing completion and searches are underway for the Science and Engineering Librarian and Curator of Rare Books.  Fred mentioned that the large number of searches meant that one search, for Access Services Librarian, did not include a Selection and Appointment Committee member.  This search did include three representatives from the AAL Steering Committee.

7. Pet Photos (K. Lewis)

A slideshow of librarian pets, created by Krystal Lewis and scored by Brian Boling, was viewed.

8. Old Business

None.

9. New Business / Announcements

Jim thanked Dean Lang for her service to the library and AAL.  A surprise sheet cake was announced.

Meeting adjourned at 3:05 p.m.

ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY OF LIBRARIANS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TUESDAY, March 12, 2013

PALEY LIBRARY, LECTURE HALL

MINUTES

Attending:  Brian Boling (recorder), Jim Bongiovanni (Chair), Carla Cunningham, Mark Darby, Kristina DeVoe, David Dillard, Lauri Fennell, Erin Finnerty, Justin Hill, Josue Hurtado, Carol Lang, Molly Larkin, Jonathan LeBreton, Krystal Lewis, Rick Lezenby, Jill Luedke, Gerard Mahlman, Greg McKinney, David Murray, Penelope Myers, Katy Rawdon, Fred Rowland, Brian Schoolar, Jackie Sipes, Margery Sly, Sandi Thompson

Meeting called to order at 2:05 p.m.

1. Approval of Minutes (B. Boling)

Minutes for May 2012 were approved by the General Assembly.

2.  Introduction of new librarians

Justin Hill is the new Access Services and Resource Sharing Librarian.  Justin has a criminal justice degree from Temple.  His library career started as a stacks worker during his undergraduate years.  He has an M.L.S. from Pitt’s online program.  His dog, Echo, likes to eat things he should not.

Josue Hurtado is the new Coordinator of Public Services for Special Collections Research Center.  He has a Bachelor’s degree in History from Stanford and an M.L.S. from University of Michigan.  He will be living in Princeton Junction, as his wife works in New York City.

3. Remarks by the Interim Dean of Libraries (C. Lang)

Joe Lucia has been selected as Dean of the Libraries.  He will officially begin on July 1^st, but he will be working on the new library before his start date.  He will be meeting with Provost Dai and Jim Creedon to explore the steps involved in the planning process.

As the Provost announced, the location for the new library is still undetermined.  Many people wish it to remain on the east side of Broad Street.  The location will be one of the first issues considered by the University’s Master Planner.  Sites being discussed include the Barton Hall footprint, the strip of restaurants near Anderson Hall, or the site of an older residence hall along Broad Street.

Carol mentioned that the travel ban will soon be lifted.  A new online system, Concur, will make the travel reimbursement process run more smoothly.  The expected turnaround time for reimbursement using Concur is three days.

3. Review and Vote on Proposed Bylaws changes pertaining to

AAL Representation on Faculty Senate (J. Bongiovanni, C. Cunningham)

Carla brought the proposed Bylaw changes which would authorize a new March election cycle for librarian representation on the Faculty Senate.  Future Faculty Representative Senate terms would be three-year terms.  Nobody voiced objections to the proposed change.

4. Special Election

AAL Representatives to Faculty Senate (C. Cunningham)

Fred Rowland was elected to a two-year term and David Murray was elected to a one-year term as AAL representatives to the Faculty Senate.

5. Old Business

None.

6. New Business / Announcements

None.

Meeting adjourned at 2:32 p.m.

ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY OF LIBRARIANS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TUESDAY, January 8, 2013

2:00PM

PALEY LIBRARY, LECTURE HALL

MINUTES

Attending:  Jenifer Baldwin, Doreva Belfiore, Steven Bell, Aslaku Berhanu, Brian Boling, Mark Darby, Kristina DeVoe, Erin Finnerty, Cynthia Gingrich, Andrea Goldstein, Latanya Jenkins, Noa Kaumeheiwa, Delphine Khanna, Carol Lang, Molly Larkin, Krystal Lewis, Jill Luedke, Jessica Lydon, Gregory McKinney, David Murray, Penelope Myers, John Necci, Katy Rawdon, Fred Rowland, Brian Schoolar, Jackie Sipes, Margery Sly, Courtney Smerz, Sandi Thompson, Diane Turner.

1. Approval of minutes (B. Boling)

All GA minutes are currently undergoing the review process.

2. Introduction of new librarians

Jenifer Baldwin introduced Latanya Jenkins, the new librarian for Government Information & African American Studies.  Latanya most recently worked at Morgan State University as Government Information Librarian.  She is allergic to animals and has no pets.

Brian Schoolar introduced Erin Finnerty, the new Electronic Resources librarian.  She has six years of experience in electronic resources, most recently at Richard Stockton.  Brian joked that her initial tasks involve cleaning up messes left by her predecessor.  She has a Walker coonhound named Julep.

3. Remarks by the Interim Dean of Libraries (C. Lang)

Dean Lang met with Jim Creedon, Senior Vice President for Construction, Facilities and Operations before the break to discuss progress on the new library.  Final details on the Snowheta contract are being finalized.  A construction management firm has been selected.  President Theobold decided to delay the planning period until the new library dean is hired.

President Theobold met with the Council of Deans on January 2^nd  and discussed the need to link affordability and excellence and importance of graduating students who are on the job market.  President Theobold noted that a Master Planner for the University will be hired, and that a new Office of Strategic Marketing—encompassing marketing and communications staff from Institutional Advancement and Community & Government Relations staff—will be formed.

Interim Provost Dai has been informed about the proposal for emeritus status for librarians and is open to discussion of this possibility.  The Provost search committee expects to have a shortlist for the position by late January or early February.  Once a new provost is on board, various Dean searches will recommence.

4. Discussion/Q&A with ACRL President (S. Bell)

Steven Bell presented on the topic “Everything You Always Wanted To Know About the ACRL President, But Were Afraid To Ask”.  The presentation followed the series of questions below:

Does the ACRL President Actually Do Anything?

Steven described the position as being along a spectrum ranging from being Figurehead to the Functional.  For instance, he has been added to conference calls merely because another organization president was in attendance and is often asked for quotes and blurbs (Figurehead).

However, the President is leader of a 12000 member organization with a multi-million dollar budget.  Thus, Steven is responsible for preparing for meetings at ALA Midwinter, ALA Annual, and two ALA Executive Board meetings, in addition to the ACRL conference.  He has been actively involved in the streamlining of ACRL’s committee structure and planning agendas for meetings.  He also has the last say on which restaurant will be attended.  (Functional)

How Much Time Does It Take To Do Whatever It Is The ACRL President Actually Does?

The answer varies depending on time of year, with workload increasing as conferences approach.  Steven mentioned that the job is a 3-year commitment, and that he participates in weekly calls with the Executive Director, Past President, and President Elect.

When Does The ACRL President Start Being The ACRL President?

The term begins the day following ALA Annual after a year as Vice President/President Elect.

How Many Babies Have You Kissed As The ACRL President?

Only one—his grandchild—but not in any official capacity.

What Is Your Big Project As ACRL President?

This question comes from a misunderstanding of the current role of the ACRL President.  At one time, each President introduced an initiative such as the ACRL Excellence in Libraries Award.  Now there is no longer a budget to start new initiatives, and such initiatives would be counter to the current streamlining of committees.  That said, Steven has tried to increase the focus on student learning and scholarly communication in the organization, and the increase awareness of metrics for proving the value of Academic Libraries.  His President’s Program will deal with rethinking the ACRL brand and added value in higher education.

How much travel is involved in being ACRL President?

Steven will travel 10 times to Chicago, 5 times to D.C., visit 3 campuses nominated for the Excellence in Libraries award, and various multiple states for chapter programs.  He has a travel agent to assist with planning.

Does the ACRL President have a crown, scepter, cape, or other regalia?

No.  Steven was given an engraved novelty gavel, but not the official gavel used for meetings.

Can the all-powerful ACRL president get me on a committee?

No, the Vice-president/President Elect has more appointment responsibilities.  ACRL Communities of Practice are self-governing and ACRL has been streamlined from 50 to 37 committees.

Can the ACRL President change the course of Academic Libraries?

No.  ACRL is a member-oriented association focused on delivering value to its members.  It hopes to support the members in such a way that they can change/improve librarianship.

What is so darn special about being President of ACRL?

It involves work, responsibility, and travel.  However, to Steven, the important thing is being part of something bigger.

The floor was opened for questions, but none were asked.

5. Old Business

None.

6. New Business / Announcements

None.

7. Meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m.

ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY OF LIBRARIANS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

2:00PM

PALEY LIBRARY, LECTURE HALL

Minutes

Attending: Jenifer Baldwin, Doreva Belfiore, Kristina DeVoe, Bill Dobkowski, Poliana Irizarry, Delphine Khanna, Carol Lang, Jonathan LeBreton, Krystal Lewis, Jill Luedke, Gerry Mahlman, Penelope Myers, John Necci, Katy Rawdon, Jackie Sipes

Meeting Called to order at 2:05pm by Krystal Lewis, Vice Chair/Chair Elect

1. Approval of minutes from the 5/8/12 and 9/11/12 meetings.

Recording Secretary could not attend. No minutes were available for approval.

2. Introduction of new librarians

• Krystal welcomed colleagues from the Health Sciences and Law libraries who are attending their first General Assembly meeting.
• Head of Digital Library Initiatives, Delphine Khanna, introduced the new Digital Projects Librarian, Doreva Belfiore.
• Head of Reference and Instruction, Jenifer Baldwin, introduced the new Emerging Technologies Librarian and Subject Specialist for Education, Jackie Sipes.
• Interim Dean, Carol Lang, introduced the new Coordinator of Technical Services Librarian in the Special Collections Research Center, Katy Rawdon.

3. Remarks by the Interim Dean of Libraries (C. Lang)

Dean Lang discussed a recent University wide Council of Deans meeting where some statistics about the University were shared. She pointed out that undergraduate enrollment was down 7% from the previous year. She noted a 14% increase in Engineering and mentioned the current rehabilitation of the Engineering building to accommodate growth.

Interim President Englert gave an update on the Provost search. It will be a confidential, internal search. The search committee will consist of six faculty, one undergraduate student, one graduate student, three Deans (including Dean Lang), and Vice President/Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Anthony Wagner.

An RFP for construction firms for the new library building has gone out and presentations will take place soon.  Richie Holland is a member of the panel that will review proposals.

The next Library All Staff Meeting is November 28. University Architect Margaret Kearney will attend.

4. Hathi Trust (J. LeBreton)

Jonathan talked about Hathi Trust, and how and why Temple might use HT. Hathi Trust is a partnership of major research institutions and libraries working to ensure that the cultural record is preserved and accessible long into the future. There are more than sixty partners in Hathi Trust, and membership is open to institutions worldwide. It is relatively new and its digital library consists of over 10 million volumes: 5 million books and 200,000 serials, only half of which are in the public domain.

Full-text public domain books and journals in Hathi Trust are currently searchable in our Summon discovery tool. Temple is not a member of Hathi Trust, but is taking a serious look at joining. Jonathan listed some reasons Temple would use the Hathi Digital Repository: it could be a long term preservation strategy, it’s scalable and economic, content is linkable to print on demand, and it provides local and collaborative discovery.

Eligibility would require a Shibboleth for login, and to provide Hathi Trust with our print holdings information in order to calculate our fee to join.

Delphine Khanna commented that Hathi Trust is planning to digitize most Federal Documents. Special Collections in libraries could scan in-house then upload content. Hathi Trust is encouraging partners to digitize their unique content.

5. Creative Commons licenses (F. Rowland)

Fred gave an overview of Creative Commons (CC). Creative Commons licenses are copyright licenses used by authors to give permission for the public to use and share their work. CC licenses allow for “some rights reserved”, rather than just “all rights reserved.” The first licenses were given out in 2001 in version 1.0. Creative Commons is now in version 3.0. CC licenses are used around the world and are enforceable. Authors can choose from six types of licenses that grant varying degrees of sharing, distribution, and alteration privileges. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

Poliana pointed out that CC licenses derived from the self publishing movement.

6. Old Business

No Old Business

7. New Business / Announcements

Kristina DeVoe reported news from the Faculty Senate.

a.  There has been increased attention on enrollment and retention rates. Enrollment has been going down over the past few years.

• We lose 15% of students in the first year, and another 15% in the second year. Each percentage point of loss equates to about $2 million loss for the university.
• 37% students take four years to graduate
• 67% students take six years to graduate
• Average debt for students who graduate from Temple is $31,000

In reaction to these statistics, the office of undergraduate Development has increased the number of academic advisors

b. Kristina mentioned that Temple will begin functioning under a Responsibility Centered Budget, the budget management style incoming President Theobald used at Indiana University. Temple currently functions with a Centralized budget. A Responsibility Centered Budget could mean increased responsibility on the Deans, and may affect the responsibilities of the new Provost.

c. Kristina also gave an update on the Dean of Libraries Search. The search committee consists of 14 people, including Kristina. The committee is working with the search firm Isaacson, Miller. They had a healthy pool of prospects and have identified 8 candidates. Off-site interviews just concluded and on campus interviews will begin in early Spring.

8. Adjournment 3:33pm

ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY OF LIBRARIANS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TUESDAY, September 11, 2012

2:00PM

PALEY LIBRARY, LECTURE HALL

MINUTES

Attending: Jim Bongiovanni (Chair), Krystal Lewis (Vice-chair), Brian Boling (Recorder), Carla Cunningham, Molly Larkin, Jonathan Lebreton, Cynthia Gingrich, Doreva Belfiore, Penelope Myers, Delphine Khanna, Brian Schoolar, Kristina DeVoe, Margery Sly, Steven Bell, Adam Shambaugh, Mark Darby, Fred Rowland, Carol Lang (ex-officio)

Meeting called to order at 2:05 p.m.

1. Approval of minutes from the Sep 2011, Nov 2011, Jan 2012 and March 2012 AAL GA meetings (KML)

a.  The outstanding minutes from Sept 2011, Nov 2011, Jan 2012, and March

     2012 were approved.

2. Remarks by the Interim Dean of Libraries (CL)

a.  New faculty reception –  Dean Lang mentioned that the annual reception for new faculty would be held that evening.  Lauri Fennell will attend.  Doreva will be invited next year.

b.  Hiring and vacancies – The search for Coordinator of Technical Services for SCRC will wrap up soon.  Final interviews were held the preceding week for the African American Studies/Government Information Reference Librarian position.  Searches for Access Services Librarian, Coordinator of Public Services for SCRC, and Bibliographic Assistant in Access Services should post shortly.  Two other exceptions on the horizon will create Web Services and Digital Services Librarian positions in DLI.  Permission will be sought to replace Susan LaValley in Health Sciences and to fill at least one of the two Science Librarian vacancies.

c.  Dr. Dai – Dean Lang hopes that the new interim Provost Dr. Hai-Lung Dai will attend the All Staff Meeting on September 25^th.  He has been interested in the many new things he’s learning about the library.  In their meeting on September 12, the Dean and Provost will discuss ARL rankings and library statistics, as well as the PARA process.  Dean Lang also hopes to discuss additional vacancies at the library and the possibility of emeritus status for librarians.  David Murray and Richie Holland have worked together on documentation regarding the question of emeritus status.  Dr. Dai has been engaged in the process of planning for the new library and has added that subject to the meeting’s agenda.

3. Vote on Proposed By-Laws Revisions
   1. Incorporating HSL and Law librarians into AAL  –  This change was uncontroversial, though there continued to be discussion of whether the language about librarians with advanced degrees in librarianship was a tautology.  Dean Lang mentioned that some library B.A.’s have Masters of Library Science degrees, but are not in librarian positions with librarian-specific duties.
   2. PARA, further clarifying who can vote and serve on committees involving bargaining-unit members  — Fred Rowland expressed concerns that the language in this section was unclear, though he admitted that the TAUP agreement, as a legal contract, would trump the AAL bylaws if any conflict were to arise.  Other members felt that the language was clear in its intent (ensuring that HSL and Law librarians could not serve on PARA, Merit, or Selection & Appointment committees).  To allow HSL and Law librarians to join AAL prior to the faculty senate vote, the assembly decided to vote on the current changes, but to continue investigating if further tweaks will make the intent clearer.  Mark Darby motioned to vote.  The changes passed with 13 in favor of the current revisions.

4. Old Business

No old business was discussed.

5. New Business / Announcements

a.  Steven Bell attended an August 21 presentation by the three architecture teams chosen as finalists for the new library.  Each team gave a 45 minute presentation and spent 45 minutes answering questions from the committee.  The presentations were supposed to focus on philosophical issues (e.g., what is the role of the library in academia?), rather than design issues.  The committee hoped to determine which firm would work best with Temple stakeholders.  The selection committee’s favorite, decided at the end of the meeting, was Snohetta.  Past Snohetta projects were seen as impressive and visionary.  They had also paired up with a local engineering firm that worked on Alter Hall.

6. Adjournment

Meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m.