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

Academic Assembly of Librarians
General Assembly Meeting
May 9, 2006

Present: Larry Alford, Jenifer Baldwin, Carole Bell, Aslaku Berhanu, Carol Brigham, Mark Darby, Carla Davis Cunningham, George Fowler, Susan Golding, Andrea Goldstein, Anne Harlow, Margaret Jerrido,  Laura Lane, Carol Lang, Molly Larkin, Jonathan LeBreton, Rick Lezenby,  Byron Mayes, Penelope Myers, Fred Rowland, Brian Schoolar, Gretchen Sneff, Kathy Szigeti, Sandi Thompson, Al Vara, Tom Whitehead

Anne Harlow opened the meeting at 2:05 PM.

• George Fowler of the Nominations and Elections Committee distributed and then collected ballots for elections to AAL standing committees.
• Approval of minutes:  the minutes of the March 14th meeting were approved with a change to those present (“Molly Thomas” to “Molly Larkin”).
• Report/Question & Answer Session – Larry Alford:
  • Larry met with the Board of Trustees Facilities Committee last week to discuss the release of $275,000 to hire an architect to conduct space planning for a renovation/addition to Paley Library.  It is expected that this request will be approved and within the next couple of months an architect will be hired.
  • The Libraries’ budget did receive an increase to offset inflation.  The University Administration also proposed an acceleration of the budget enhancement schedule for the Libraries.
  • There were five winners including two honorable mentions for this year’s Library Prize.  All of the submissions were well done, and they are a tribute to the libraries and its staff.  Larry commends Gretchen Sneff, the Library Prize Committee and Judges for their work.
  • The All-Staff Luncheon will be on June 1st.
  • Larry acknowledged the work of everyone involved in the acquisition of new materials.  Most of the money from the year has been spent.  The Libraries’ expect to receive over 45,000 monographs as opposed to about 28,000 last year.  He hopes there will be more money available next year and to get budgets out to selectors earlier.
  • Penelope Myers commented that the former Paley SIC has become a cozy space for students; she wonders if there are plans to rethink what will happen to the space.  Larry replied that we must build a Media Center and that there will be more space available in Paley when materials get moved to the Library Depository.  Removing some materials from Paley Reference will open up some areas for soft seating space and other student study space both on the main floor and in the stacks.
  • Laura Lane inquired about positions posted on the H: drive.  Larry replied that a search committee had been formed for the Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services.  There will be an e-mail announcement to all library staff giving the composition of the committee.  Jonathan LeBreton reported that Carol Lang will chair this committee and the Chair of the Faculty Senate Library Committee will also serve.  Mark Darby asked whether a search firm will be used for any of these positions.  Larry replied that the services of a search firm will not be used.
• Committee Annual Reports:
  • Continuing Education Committee:  Fred Rowland reported that the Committee held three programs this year on open source software, top ten technologies for librarians, and guest Allen Hornblum.
  • PARA:  Rick Lezenby reported that in the fall there were four candidates for contract renewal and two for regular appointment, all of whom were approved.  In the spring there were two promotion applications.
  • Selection & Appointment Committee:  Rick reported that the search for an English subject specialist was successful.  Kristina De Voe will start on June 1st.  Brian Schoolar is serving on the Search Committee for the Digital Services Librarian while Rick is serving on the Search Committee for Media Services Librarian.  The Selection & Appointment Committee agreed to reduce search committee composition to one S&A appointee per committee.
  • Faculty Senate Library Committee:  Jenifer Baldwin reported that the faculty members on the Committee have had many positive things to say about library staff.  The Committee discussed the VPL search and took an active interest in the candidates.  Other topics discussed included providing Larry with feedback from faculty, the meeting with the Shepley Bulfinch group, the materials budget, and the composition of the Committee.
  • Faculty Senate Representative:  Gretchen Sneff reported that the last meeting of the academic year will be held on Friday.  The Faculty Senate discussed the General Education Curriculum, the workload committee, concerns about service and its impact on merit and tenure, the Presidential Search Committee, the Academic Bill of Rights, and the new promotion and tenure guidelines.
  • AAL Steering Committee:  Anne thanked AAL for the opportunity to serve as Chair, and she thanked Larry for his support.  She acknowledged the hard work of AAL Committees, especially PARA, Merit and the Steering Committee to incorporate changes to the AAL bylaws and procedures.  Revised AAL documents were added to the web site and to the H: drive.  She expressed hope that AAL remains a very vigorous organization and continues to present opportunities for cultural and academic enrichment.
  • Nominations and Elections presented the election results:
    • Steering Committee Vice-Chair/Chair Elect:  Mark Darby
    • Steering Committee Recorder:  Susan Golding
    • Steering Committee Member-at-Large:  Molly Larkin
    • Continuing Education Committee 2-year term:  Laura Lane
    • Continuing Education Committee 1-year term: Brian Schoolar
    • Nominations & Elections Committee: Kathy Szigeti
    • Selection & Appointment Committee:  Carla Davis Cunningham & Sandi Thompson
    • PARA:  Carol Brigham & Anne Harlow
    • Faculty Senate Representative:  David Murray

The meeting adjourned at 2:40 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Carol Brigham

Academic Assembly of Librarians
General Assembly Meeting
March 14, 2006

Present:  Carol Brigham, Carla Davis Cunningham, Mark Darby, David Dillard, George Fowler, Susan Golding, Andrea Goldstein, Anne Harlow, Margaret Jerrido, Laura Lane, Carol Lang, Jonathan LeBreton, David Murray, Penelope Myers, Fred Rowland, Brian Schoolar, Kathy Szigeti, Molly Thomas, Sandi Thompson, Al Vara, Barbara Wright

Anne Harlow opened the meeting at 2:15 PM.

• Approval of minutes:  the minutes of the January 10th meeting were approved.
• Introduction of Interns:
  • Anne introduced Jaclyn Colletti, the intern in the RIS Department.
  • Brian Schoolar introduced Andrea Baruzzi ,Baruzzi, the intern in the Acquisitions Department.
• Report/Question & Answer Session – Jonathan LeBreton on behalf of Larry Alford:
  • Jonathan gave Larry’s apologies for not attending.  He is working on a presentation that he will give to the Council of Deans tomorrow.  We will probably see the presentation some time later.
  • Kardon Update:
    • The second floor will be turned over in early June.  The shelving should be in place the week of June 5.  Four to five weeks after that the third floor will be turned over.
    • The move will be done by a contractor.  Approximately 500,000 volumes will be moved during the first half of the summer.  Most of these will come from Paley.  We need to understand that it will be possible to bring things back from storage should the need arise.
    • We also need to begin a website for informing the rest of the Temple community about the storage facility.  Penelope Myers is leading the group to accomplish this.
    • Zahn, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and the Math Libraries will be closing beginning in early June.  Penelope explained that since the science libraries are closing, that we will be concentrating efforts of the removal of items from the third floor of Paley first in order to absorb materials.  Once the semester is over, the Zahn Library will be closed.
    • Fred Rowland asked how long materials will be unavailable.  Penelope replied that it is unknown how long materials will be unavailable and turnaround time during the move could depend on the moving company.  Jonathan said that a contractor had once estimated that with multiple crews doing the packing, loading, and shelving that monographs could possibly be available within a day.
    • David Dillard asked what materials in Zahn will be going to Paley.  Penelope recommended that he ask Jenifer Baldwin.  She also said that all of the materials with Dewey call numbers will be going to Kardon.
  • The group planning for the Paley former SIC space has met once with the Facilities’ architect.  Jonathan has seen a preliminary sketch which had many desired features missing, so it needs to be redone.  Jonathan needs to order furniture for that space and also for the second and third floors.  Some stacks will be removed from Paley once Kardon is open, and there are funds to make some attractive spaces in Paley.  Penelope stressed the need to find out which sections of Paley will be cleared.  Jonathan has spoken to John Oram about some possibilities.
  • The search for the Reference Librarian/Literature and Communications subject specialist has been successful.  Kristina DeVoe will be starting June 1st.  Jonathan complimented Kathy Szigeti for chairing the search committee.
  • As for other searches, the search committees will soon be formed.  These positions include the Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services, the Instructional Services Manager, Media Services Librarian, and the Finance and Facilities Officer.
  •  Jonathan reported that there have been problems with books checked out on the Self-Checks with lost ID cards.  Since Diamond and the campus ID system can not be linked, we will be moving to using PIN numbers.  Penelope reported that the PIN will be the last 4 digits of the social security number and will be loaded into patron records from the campus system.  Jonathan stressed that we will not have complete SSN numbers and that this step is being taken to protect students and faculty from fraudulent use of their ID cards should those be lost or stolen.
  • Kathy asked about whether there will be temporary workers staffing the desk in the TECH Center.  Jonathan deferred to Jenifer.  There were some applications, but several candidates withdrew.
  • David Dillard asked whether any dissertations would be moved to Kardon.  Penelope said that the dissertations would remain in Paley.
  • Anne asked whether President Adamany’s departure would affect our plans.  Is there sufficient support to keep our funding?  Jonathan felt that Adamany had persuaded the Board of Trustees of the worth of the library and the funding.  The increases we have been given are designed to get us to the median of urban comparative libraries over the course of five years.  Of course, we cannot guarantee what any future president will do.
  • Carol Lang reported that there will be an e-mail message to library staff regarding the launch of the leisure reading collection the first week of April.  The launch will coincide with National Library Week and publicity has been arranged to inform the campus community about the collection.
  • Jonathan reported that the second annual Library Prize competition was nearing completion.  Last year there were 60 applicants, one of whom was a Marshall scholar.  There are only three libraries in the nation awarding such a prize
• Anne began a discussion of reviving the forums at AAL meetings.  In the past, General Assembly meetings have consisted of the business meeting followed by a forum.  Their purpose is for professional and academic development.  Penelope suggested having them on an ad hoc basis, not necessarily one at each meeting.  She also suggested doing one in the fall on Kardon.  Sandi Thompson mentioned that the spring break meeting had a traveling forum, where the meeting was held at another campus or library.  Other suggestions included keeping the forums informal, bringing faculty members in, and having Brian Schoolar present on new databases.  Brian asked how the forums fit with the Continuing Education Committee’s programs.  Sandi replied that they are not formal like CE programs and are generally for the AAL membership although they could be open to others.
• Old Business/New Business/Announcements:
  • Margaret Jerrido announced that there is a new intern in Urban Archives.  She is Katie Bray from the University of Wyoming.
  • Carla Davis Cunningham announced that Evelyn Lane will be on maternity leave beginning at the end of the month.  There will be a temporary worker in finishing.
  • The librarians covered by the TAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement held a closed session to discuss the merit process.

The meeting adjourned at 4:05 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Carol Brigham

Academic Assembly of Librarians

General Assembly Meeting

January 10, 2006

Academic Assembly of Librarians
General Assembly Meeting
November 8, 2005 

1. Approval of minutes:  the minutes of the September 20th meeting were approved.
2. Report/Question & Answer Session – Larry Alford:
   • General Education Curriculum Committee/Information Literacy – A required information literacy component has been included in the General Education plan since summer.
   • Larry reiterated the need for selectors to spend the extra funds that have been allocated to the Libraries.  This includes the half million dollars for monographs and $100K for print materials to support the research needs of new faculty.  Sandi Thompson asked about the purchase of DVDs for community and regional planning; Larry replied that purchasing these materials would be allowed as long as they are intended to support research.  There will probably be between 600K and 800K for the purchase of books, backfiles, and one-time electronic resources. We need to establish principles for collection; selectors should then collaborate to create a prioritized, consensus-based list of databases and serials for purchase.
   • Searches for open librarian positions are going slowly.
   • Penelope Myers reported that discussion has begun on selection criteria for materials to be moved to Kardon.  Larry said that selectors can look at lists that have been created, but they need to be careful that the bulk of any one subject does not get removed.  Sandi asked about moving microfilm to Kardon.  Larry stated that the first priority is reducing the volume count in Paley in order to absorb other collections; then attention can shift to other locations (Traylor, government documents, and microfilm).  Penelope noted that delivery of articles from Kardon will be via Ariel; patrons will also be able to borrow bound volumes if needed.  Larry noted that a couple of the rooms can be designated for temporary storage of bound journal runs when patrons require such for their research.
3. David Murray reported on the brown bag lunches.  David and Brian Schoolar organize them, and they are held on the first Friday of each month.  The first was held on November 4th.
4. Fred Rowland gave an update on the Continuing Education Committee.  The Committee is comprised of Derik Badman, Susan Golding, Nik Barkauskas, and Fred.  The first session will be about open source programs and will be held on December 13th.  The Committee’s next program will be on copyright and will probably be held in February.  Penelope suggested that the Committee ask David Post of the Law School to participate.  The Committee is trying to plan a visit to the Philadelphia Art Museum in the spring to see the collection that Evan Towle oversees.
5. Sandi reported on the status of the Merit Committee.  There is a meeting planned between the Merit Committee, Larry, and Jonathan Le Breton.  Sandi recommends that librarians begin collecting their documents.  If anyone has concerns about the merit process, the Merit Committee should be contacted soon, preferably prior to the meeting with Larry and Jonathan.  Mark Darby noted that any guidelines will most likely end up in arbitration as they were geared more towards faculty.  Sandi reminded the assembly that applicants should submit their CVs and annual reports as the Merit Committee does not have access to personnel files.
6. Fred gave an update on the AAL website.  It is slowly getting back in shape.  If something cannot be located on the website, he recommends looking in the AAL folder on the H: drive.
7. Old Business/New Business/Announcements:
   1. Penelope announced that Temple filled the 400,000th E-ZBorrow request.  She thanked librarians for recommending the service to patrons:  there was a 66% increase in materials requested this October vs. last October.
   2. David Murray reminded the Assembly about the Faculty/Staff Campaign event in Schusterman on Thursday.

The meeting adjourned at 3:00 PM.