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.

1. Minutes of the General Assembly Meeting of May 10, 2005 and the special meeting of April 12, 2005 were approved.
2. Vice Provost Larry Alford
   1. Search Committees:  Larry has met with the AAL Steering and Selection and Appointment Committees to discuss the composition and some procedural issues of search committees.
      1. A non-librarian should serve on each search committee.
      2. Department heads will be involved in the search process, but they will not automatically chair committees.
      3. Search committees should be formed for certain non-librarian positions.
      4. In the past, the search committees have recommended specific candidates.  Committees should submit evaluations of two to three candidates.
      5.  Past practice was to hire new librarians at the L1 level.  As positions are filled we need to take into account past experience and existing tenure to determine salary, rank, and status.  Caution is needed in cases when a candidate may be recommended to be hired with regular appointment.
      6. For this year, there will be one person from the Selection and Appointments Committee on each search committee unless S&A defers.
      7. For some searches, it would be appropriate to ask a faculty member to serve on the committee.
      8. Jobs that impact across the libraries should be filled through search committees.
      9. AAL members were concerned that the AAL Bylaws may need changing.  Positions on election and Appointments are elected, so there is a representational relationship.
   2. Questions from the membership:
      1. Funds have been released for continuing purchases.  The funds will not be allocated to individuals but will be spent after selectors reach consensus on purchases.
      2. There should be at least $700-750K for continuing subscriptions in either electronic or print format. $1M has been allocated for back files and monographs.  Larry intends to make a proposal to the President for a one-time allocation of $0.5M for monographic purchases.  Positions will need to be created to process new acquisitions.
      3. Although some of Paley’s space issues are beyond the scope of a committee, there will be a committee created to help decide on reconfiguring the space vacated by the Paley SIC.  Some space issues include: moving the reference desk, expanding the information commons, possibly moving some of the reference collection, creating inviting student study space, adding a McNaughton collection, and adding a state-of-the-art media resource center.  Jonathan LeBreton informed the Assembly that the retrospective conversion should be done in March; we will then be able to remove the remainder of the card catalog.
      4. Board of Facilities has approved the Kardon project with a $7M budget.  There are specs out for shelving and final design drawings will be created.  When complete, Kardon’s two floors will hold the equivalent of two million volumes.  Jonathan noted that recent increases in the price of steel may affect the implementation as shelving costs will also increase.
      5. The Tuttleman SIC will not close as a result of the opening of the TECH Center in the Bell Building.
      6. There were concerns about maintaining computer equipment, especially printers, once the SIC closes and the likelihood that Paley Library staff will be solely responsible for public computing equipment.
   3. PARA Guidelines:  Carla Davis Cunningham reported that the PARA Taskforce had met with Jonathan regarding the PARA procedures.  Changes to the calendar were made after the AAL-wide discussion of the need to change the bylaws to reflect provisions in the new bargaining agreement.
   4. AAL Documents:  David Murray reported that the Steering Committee will be working on the website; eventually all of it will be updated.  In the interim, all pertinent documents are being posted to the AAL folder on the H: drive.  Currently, the committee composition list, General Assembly minutes, PARA procedures and calendars, schedule of meetings, and the Steering Committee minutes are available there.
   5. New Business:
      1. Anne thanked the members of the 2004-2005 Merit Committee for their hard work.  Some of the members of that committee are helping revise the merit guidelines.
      2. Anne reminded the membership to pay close attention to the PARA calendars as all of the deadlines are earlier than before.
      3. It is more important than ever that committee chairs send thank-you letters to committee members.  The letters should contain specific information about the member’s role and contributions.
      4. Andrea Goldstein mentioned that the Temple Review had an article on the display in Special Collections.  That issue of the Temple Review also published the first ad with John Chaney as spokesperson for library development.
      5. Laura Lane mentioned that the plumbers and engineers had just inspected the site of the leak on the third floor.  Only five or six books were lost.
      6. Brown bag lunches were discussed.  The consensus is that these are intended to be less structured than continuing education sessions.  There should be a regular established schedule for them to make it easier for people to attend.

The meeting adjourned at 3:40PM.

1. Minutes of the General Assembly Meeting of March 8, 2005 and the special meeting of April 12, 2005 were approved conditionally.  Any changes should be sent to Carol Brigham.
2. Election Ballots were collected by Al Vara and Carol Brigham for tallying.
3. Vice Provost Larry Alford had no report to make subsequent to the all-staff meeting on May 6.  He briefly summarized some points from that meeting and then took questions from the membership on the following subjects:
   1. Paley renovation: the library is hiring a consultant to plan for renovation of and/or addition to Paley and other facilities on the main campus. The money for any renovations, etc., is not yet in place.  Four firms have been selected to receive our RFP.
   2. Fire in transformer: it is not yet known exactly what happened, if anything, to cause the transformer to arc and burn out.  The transformer and nearby wiring had to be completely replaced, which is why it took a long time to restore power to Paley.
   3. Funding for new library acquisitions: the release of funds is contingent upon the strategic plan currently being developed, but the funds have been included in the budget that was recently sent to the Board of Trustees.  Funding cuts at the state level are a potential problem, but library funding will still be a high priority.
   4. Elevators: the administration has been trying to get information about the inspection of elevator #2 to no avail.
   5. Merit Guidelines: (the question was about the relationship between the criteria for merit and the overall performance aspect of merit awards in the new university-wide guidelines.)  All three criteria must be considered by the applicant and by all those involved in evaluating applications.  The Provost makes the final decision, and all supporting documentation used earlier in the process should be made available to him so that the recommendations of the committee and the vice-provost are part of a transparent process.  Larry went on to clarify that it is not necessary to be outstanding in all three areas described by the criteria, but that it would be necessary to demonstrate that there were no serious weaknesses.  The faculty, at whom most of the guidelines are directed, may have had some practices of awarding merit that differed from ours; hence there may not be many changes to our practices.
   6. Publishing: necessary for librarians? While it is important in an academic institution for people to do research and publish in peer-reviewed journals as a contribution to the profession, it ispossible to take it too far.  Although publication is valued, it is even more important, in Larry’s opinion, to build collections and support the teaching and learning of the institution.
   7. Format for this year’s personal annual reports: the same as last year.
4. Nominations and Elections reported that ties in two races required a runoff ballot to be distributed to those present.
5. Merit The membership discussed CVs v. resumes, the three criteria, and the weight of supervisory evaluations in the merit process.
6. Nominations and Elections presented the election results:

   Steering Committee Vice-Chair/Chair Elect:  Fred Rowland
   Steering Committee Member-at-Large:  David Murray
   Continuing Education Committee 2-year term:  Derik Badman
   Continuing Education Committee 1-year term: Susan Golding
   Nominations & Elections Committee: George Fowler
   Selection & Appointment Committee:  Brian Schoolar & Kathy Szigeti
   PARA:  Andrea Goldstein & Laura Lane

   Al Vara and Carol Brigham thanked all those who were willing to run for positions.
7. Standing committee reports
   1. All standing committee reports except the Steering Committee were distributed to the membership via the list. Greg McKinney summarized the Steering Committee annual report. There were no questions on any of the annual reports.
   2. Gretchen Sneff, as the AAL’s Faculty Senate Representative, volunteered to write a report of her activities and distribute it to the membership. Some discussion followed a question that was asked about the current state of the General Education requirements, which will go into effect in the fall of 2007.
   3. The membership thanked Gretchen and the rest of the Library Prize committee for their hard work on that initiative and congratulated them on its success.
8. New Business
   1. Penelope Myers asked for short articles or announcements for inclusion in the library blog. They can be sent to any member of the committee. Gretchen mentioned that according to the Faculty Senate Bylaws (on the web at http://www.temple.edu/senate/) the Library has two representatives to the Faculty Senate rather than one. She asked the Steering Committee to clarify whether they meant to count the Faculty Senate Library Committee representative as a representative to the full senate as well.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:03PM.

Respectfully submitted by Carla Davis Cunningham

Academic Assembly of Librarians

General Assembly Meeting
Paley Library Lecture Hall
Special Meeting – April 12, 2005
2:00 PM

Present: C. Brigham, C. Davis Cunningham, M. Darby, A. Harlow, M. Jerrido, L. Lane, C. Lang, M. Larkin, P. Myers, D. Murray, F. Rowland, B. Schoolar, K. Szigeti, A. Vara, B. Wright

Vice-Chairperson Anne Harlow called the meeting to order at 2:05 pm.

• Vote on Changes to the AAL Bylaws
  • Proposed Changes

Throughout the Bylaws:  change “University Librarian” to “Vice Provost for Libraries.”

Section IIIB5:  change to allow PARA Committee to be elected in May due to new timeframe imposed by the TAUP contract.

Section IIIB9:  stated change for PARA election in May rather than September; change to allow members serving on PARA to recuse themselves should they be under consideration for promotion.

• Questions/Comments

There was a question about PARA members and promotion.  Since PARA members serve for two years, the current bylaws force PARA Committee members either not to apply for promotion or to resign from the Committee in order to be considered for promotion.

• Vote

The members present voted unanimously to approve the changes to the Bylaws.

• PARA Procedures & Guidelines must be rewritten to reflect the changes to the timeline.  The Steering Committee is recruiting volunteers to work on this project.  Mark Darby volunteered and noted that extensive changes probably would not be necessary.
• Merit Process
  • Laura Lane reported that the Merit Committee had completed its evaluations and submitted its recommendations to Larry Alford on February 15th in accordance with the procedures in place.
  • The ratification of the TAUP contract resulted in changes to this process.
  • The new process calls for the Merit Committee to consist of no more than six members: three to be appointed by AAL and three to be appointed by the VPL.  Larry recommended that the contract be followed while agreeing to keep the existing members of the Committee.  Thus Mary Edsall, Laura Lane, and Brian Schoolar were designated the AAL appointees while Carla Davis Cunningham and David Murray were designated the VPL appointees.  Molly Larkin became the final VPL appointee.
  • Merit policies will need to be revised to match contractual stipulations.  The Merit Committee has completed drafts of forms which will be distributed to the AAL once Larry has approved them.
• Questions/Comments

Fred Rowland commented that he had heard that there were possible problems with the merit process.  There were none with librarians; he may have heard that faculty had not done anything with regard to merit.  Mark Darby reported that the Deans were told specifically not to initiate the merit process for faculty.

Penelope Myers asked whether any department heads would need to resubmit evaluations.  Laura reported that Larry would notify department heads in the event that new or enhanced evaluations are needed.

Carla Davis Cunningham noted that the merit guidelines are issued by the VPL, not AAL.  AAL is submitting recommendations to him.

Mark noted that the contract rearranges the criteria for merit.  Our guidelines do suggest that we look at an individual’s entire career when evaluating for merit.

Laura noted that the Merit Committee’s recommendations on the merit process are intended to deal with the current merit cycle.  Procedures and processes may need to be refined for future merit considerations.

Mark noted that there are probably one or two more merit units available this year as merit units are a percentage of the total librarian salary pool.

Anne encouraged librarians to read the contract on the TAUP website.  Laura noted that pages 47 and 48 cover merit.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:22 PM.

Submitted by
Carol Brigham