1.  Minutes of the General Assembly Meeting of January 11, 2005 were approved.
2. Introductions
   1. Margaret Jerrido introduced two interns from Drexel University.  Adam Feldman and Holly Wilson are taking an archival management class here at Temple.
   2. Jenifer Baldwin introduced Jason Macias, the intern in the RIS Department.  He is also a Drexel student who expects to receive this degree at the end of the current quarter.
   3. Anne Harlow introduced Larry Alford, the Vice-Provost for Libraries.  Larry comes to Temple from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
3. Report from Larry Alford
   1. Larry has been spending a lot of time meeting people on campus (library staff, Deans, faculty, etc.).  He believes that Temple’s librarians and staff are respected and admired on campus.  He and Brooke Cho are working on building a fundraising program and a donor base.
   2. All old staff desktop PCs should be replaced by the end of the semester.  There is approximately $400,000 in Student Technology Fee funds available for the library.  Some of this will be used to replace public machines.  Other possibilities include the purchase of a link resolver and a federated searching system.
   3. Larry hopes to involve everyone in the Libraries’ strategic planning process.
4. Questions/Comments 
   1. Fred Rowland inquired about the new staff computers.  George Fowler replied that no changes will be necessary except for ADIOS when the PCs are installed.  Larry said that each computer would have a 19-inch flat panel display.
   2. Laura Lane asked Larry what his impressions are about the strategic planning documents that were completed last year.  Larry is still reading them; he reiterated that he would like suggestions from the library staff regarding the strategic planning process.  He would like to have the strategic plans from the Deans.
   3. Susan Golding expressed a wish for more resource sharing between us and the HSC and Law Libraries.  Larry replied that he believes all resources should be licensed university-wide, but there are difficulties because of the many sites that we have.  He hopes to work out a plan to cover the costs for university-wide access.  Carole Bell stated that it is our policy that newly acquired databases are accessible by all.
   4. Larry said that he and Jonathan LeBreton had toured the Kardon facility.  The University has set aside money to outfit the space for library storage.  The space needs HVAC and fire suppression equipment, shelving, and lighting.  Larry has met with the University’s architects and shelving vendors; capacity and floor load need to be addressed.
   5. Barbara Wright asked about the fate of the Tyler Library.  Larry has toured the Paley stacks and noted that although John Oram has plans to shift existing books, some part of the Tyler collection would have to go in storage.
   6. Larry noted that President Adamany is convinced that a central library is best.  Strategic planning process should address what happens to the fine arts collections – should a fine arts library be created within Paley?  Moreover, the science departments are pressuring the science libraries for space.
   7. David Dillard noted that removal to storage will provide some level of relief.  He inquired about long-term considerations, especially in light of the increase in collections in the future.  Larry said that there is money for capital improvements and that these may include an addition to Paley, renovation of existing space, and/or an additional building.  We sorely need to upgrade the quality of the space we have.
   8. David Murray noted that selectors are very removed from advanced collection development.  More personnel for collection development would be needed to adequately develop the print monograph collection.  Larry noted that all three library systems are understaffed.  All of the new money cannot be applied to one single aspect but would have to be balanced between various needs.
   9. Larry has met with the Student Government’s Executive Committee and talked about the library as place.
   10. Tim O’Rourke (Vice-President for Computer and Information Services) has invited the libraries to put together a small group to collaborate with Computer Services on the TECH Center project.
5. Proposed Changes to the AAL Bylaws 
   1. Carla Davis Cunningham and Carol Brigham made a proposal to change the AAL Bylaws.  Change is necessitated by the TAUP contract’s allowing the Provost thirty-five days to make contract renewal, regular appointment, and promotion decisions and the required six-month notice period in cases of nonrenewal of a librarian’s contract.  A calendar was distributed which outlines the various deadline dates for the PARA processes.
   2. The proposal is to change paragraph IIIB5 to change the PARA election from September to May to allow PARA enough time to meet these deadlines.  A change to paragraph IIIB9 is also proposed to accommodate the PARA election in May and to allow PARA members to recuse him/herself from the Committee’s deliberations in the event that he/she has applied for promotion.
6. Old Business/New Business 
   1. Greg McKinney stated that he would be on vacation during April.  In his absence, Anne will be conducting the April meeting of the Steering Committee and the special meeting (TBA) to discuss and vote upon the proposed bylaws changes.
   2. Mary Edsall gave details about an upcoming collaborative work with Bryn Mawr College.  A series of programs will be held at Temple and at Bryn Mawr and PhilaDanco will perfom the work “Southern Landscapes.”

The meeting was adjourned at 3:20 PM.

1. Minutes of the General Assembly Meeting of November 9, 2004 were approved.
2. Report from Jonathan LeBreton:
   1. Jonathan predicts that there will be a lot of movement forward once Larry Alford arrives – there is a lot to do in the way of strategic planning, including refining those plans we have already worked on.  Those separate plans need to be formed into a cohesive document.
   2. The E-Resources Librarian position has been posted.  The Search Committee’s members are Carole Bell (Chair), Phil D’Andrea, Frank Immler, Barbara Kuchan, Molly Larkin, and Rick Lezenby.
   3. Jonathan has been compiling a set of updated procedures for searches for use by search committees and administrative staff, e.g., incorporating mechanical changes in Human Resources processes.  Rick Lezenby, Chair of the Selection and Appointment Committee, had expressed interest in such procedures and Jonathan will forward to him for discussion and clarification.
3. PARA Update
   1. Mark Darby, as Chair of PARA reminded the assembly that it is promotion season.  He will send out an e-mail reminder for applications along with deadlines.
   2. Mark also reminded members that contract renewals for newly hired librarians are due at the end of February.
4. Contract Negotiation:
   1. Mark Darby reported on the state of contract negotiations between TAUP and the University.  TAUP agreed to a contract extension to last through February 15th.  Most points being negotiated are of interest to faculty: promotion and tenure standards and procedures, study leaves, contract renewal for Dean’s Appointments, and salary and benefits.  The process is still in informal negotiation.
   2. Mark noted points of interest to librarians:  the administration decided to extend the period of time before regular appointment is attained to seven years (4 one-year contracts and 1 two-year contract).  Mark asked that members inform them of their opinions about this.
5. Old Business:  There was no old business to discuss.
6. New Business:  There was no new business to discuss
7. Forum:   Kevin Delaney of the Sociology Department spoke about his book Public Dollars, Private Stadiums.  The development of downtown stadiums does not really help the area in which they are built.  Major league football generally only fills the stadium ten times per year while baseball holds about eighty-five games a year.  Stadiums tend to close down local business and create a “game day” economic zone that caters to those going to the games.  Arenas, on the other hand, are indoor spaces that can be used for other events and, thus, are more able to pay for themselves. Dr. Delaney also spoke about his philosophy of teaching and how to engage students in the learning process.  He believes in “teaching from the inside out” – that relating to students first then instructing them works well.  High context teaching is better than abstract teaching.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:50 PM.

1. Minutes of the General Assembly Meeting of September 21, 2004 were approved.
2. Report from Jonathan LeBreton:
   1. VPL Search: Jonathan encouraged everyone to submit their comments on the candidates for Vice Provost as it is believed that the Search Committee will take them quite seriously.  Comments can be sent directly to Dick Englert via e-mail.  Jonathan reported that Englert was impressed with the attendance at the presentations and question/answer sessions.
   2. Statistics:  We are in the midst of our “typical” week for collecting statistics for ARL.  Temple’s administration is very interested in metrics, especially for strategic planning purposes.
   3. Library Prize:  Jonathan solicited volunteers for judges for the Library Prize contest.  Those interested should contact Gretchen Sneff.  Gretchen reported that Special Collections has put up a display case regarding the prize.  She has been receiving inquiries from faculty and students.  She noted that students can submit papers from independent study, as long as they have received credit for the course.  The contest rules prohibit “free-lance” entries.  Jonathan noted that there will most likely be an increase in the number of independent studies as the University is strengthening its Honors Program.
   4. Provost:  Jonathan reported that the Provost’s Office has been happy with how the Libraries have been operating.  He mentioned the newsletter initiative which will get news out to the campus.
   5. Questions:  It is unknown whether there will be more candidates for VPL.  Carol Lang indicated that an e-mail from Dick Englert implies that the process is finished for now unless none of the candidates are suitable or if suitable candidates decline the position.  Gretchen stated that comments made will be read by the President and Provost.  She mentioned that turnout at the faculty and student sessions hasbeen low.  Jonathan proposed a meeting to discuss the search process and the candidates.  When asked about the process, Gretchen said, that like a search for a dean, the Search Committee will not rank the candidates.
3. Performance Development Plans & PARA
   1. Mark Darby, as Chair of PARA, made some comments and recommendations regarding the contract renewal and regular appointment process in light of the University’s Performance Development Plans (PDPs).  Mark noted that PARA will have access to the PDP since they are included in personnel folders.  PDPs are not very informative about professional activities.  Since PARA requires peer review, candidates should continue to solicit letters from peers.  Candidates should not hesitate to ask supervisors for an additional submission for the PARA process.  Mark reminded the group that the Merit Committee does not have access to personnel folders and therefore will not see the PDPs.  He said that he will be happy to give feedback to the AAL Membership at the end of the process regarding the role of the PDP.
   2. Jonathan also recommended that candidates request their supervisors write additional statements when there are other aspects of performance that ought to be addressed.
4. Contract Negotiation:
   1. Mark Darby reported on the state of contract negotiations between TAUP and the University.  The TAUP contract expired on October 15th.  We are able to continue working under the terms and conditions of the old contract; the University cannot lock us out.  At present, no strike is planned.
   2. Mark noted that very little of the contract has to do with librarians.  He did note that the University has proposed changes to Article 15 (Promotion, Advancement, and Termination).  The University has changed the definition of years worked before being granted regular appointment.  The first contract year will be the first full fiscal year worked.  Therefore, the first contract year can be quite long for some – for example, a librarian hired on July 7, 2005 will not have completed his first contract year until June 30, 2007.  Mark also noted that the Provost wants more time (45 days) to make decisions on contract renewals and regular appointments.  If approved, all paperwork would need to be completed some time in October rather than December.
5. Old Business:  There was no old business to discuss.
6. New Business:
   1. Carole Bell introduced Martha Cannon, an intern from Drexel.  Martha is a Temple alumna and is helping with the management of our e-resources.
   2.  Anne Harlow announced that Sam Stormont is leaving Temple to take the Director’s position at Penn State Abington.  There will be a farewell party on December 22nd.
   3. Reminder:  The deadline for merit applications is December 15th.
   4. Gretchen Sneff reported that the Faculty Senate will be meeting on November 23rd at 1:40 to discuss the General Education proposal.  It will be an open meeting, but only elected representatives have voting privileges.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:50 PM.

General Assembly Meeting

Paley Library Lecture Hall
September 21, 2004
2:00 PM

Present: J. Baldwin, C. Bell, C. Brigham, C. Davis Cunningham, M. Edsall, G. Fowler, S. Golding, A. Goldstein, A. Harlow, M. Jerrido, L. Lane, C. Lang, J. LeBreton, R. Lezenby, G. McKinney, D. Murray, P. Myers, B. Schoolar, G. Sneff, S. Stormont, K. Szigeti, M. Thomas, S. Thompson, T. Whitehead, B. Wright

Guests: B. Cho, L. Gordon, J. Linwood, D. Overfield, R. Sieber, R. Spaulding, G. Zoller

Chairperson Greg McKinney called the meeting to order at 2:05 pm.

1. Minutes of the General Assembly Meeting of May 2004 were approved.
2. Elections: Carol Brigham, Chair of Nominations and Elections, asked for nominations from the floor for the Chair of the Continuing Education Committee and for the PARA committee. There were none. Ballots were collected.
3. Report from Jonathan LeBreton:
   1. Vice Provost search: The first interview for a candidate for the Vice Provost for Libraries and Director of Paley Library has been scheduled for September 29 th and 30 th, 2004. The identity of the candidate has not yet been released, nor do we know how many candidates will be interviewed. We are all encouraged to attend the candidate’s presentation and prepare questions for the meeting with library staff. The presentation will be given in Paley’s lecture hall. Since we hope for a large turnout, it will probably be crowded.
   2. Budget: In fiscal year 05, we were allocated an additional 8% to the library budget to cover inflation in the price of tangible (not electronic) library records. This comes to approximately $290,000. While this does not address all of our inflationary needs, it does indicate that the university administration acknowledges the problem that inflation causes with our budget.

      The narrative portion of this year’s Temple University budget states that there will be an increase to our budget of 1.4 million dollars. The money has not actually been allocated yet; it will probably happen when a Vice Provost is hired, and it will be shared with Law and the Health Sciences Libraries.

   3. Message of encouragement: We have been doing a terrific job moving forward under extraordinary circumstances; we need to continue doing what we’ve been doing, so that in the spring with the support of the university and a new VPL, we will do even better.

      A question was asked about the 1.4 million dollar budget increase. Jonathan clarified that it is for materials, but noted that it would relieve pressure on other parts of the budget, such as staff and equipment. He also noted that a part would be consumed by inflation.

      A question was asked about incorrect vacation and sick time appearing on our pay stubs. HR is working on the problem, but has given no time frame for a resolution. To have yours corrected, start with the libraries’ Administrative Services to ensure that the information we provide is correct. Jonathan will be bringing the matter up with Deborah Hartnett in October when they meet.

1. Election results:
   • Continuing Education Committee (Chair): David Dillard
   • PARA : Rick Lezenby & Barbara Wright

Carol Brigham thanked all who were willing to run for these committees.

1. New business:
   1. AAL Website: Carol Brigham reported that the AAL website is missing many pages and has a number of broken links. She is working on the problem and will send out an announcement when she thinks it is fixed.
   2. Introductions: Jenifer Baldwin introduced Gabriela Zoller, Reference intern, and Susan Golding, the Government Documents Librarian. Mary Edsall introduced Robert Spaulding, Philadelphia Dance Collection intern. Margaret Jerrido introduced Rick Sieber and Dan Overfield , Urban Archives interns. Jonathan LeBreton introduced Brooke Cho, Director of Development. Gretchen Sneff introduced Kathy Szigeti, Science Librarian for Biology, Chemistry, and Computer Science. Sandi Thompson introduced Larissa Gordon, Ambler Library intern. Tom Whitehead introduced Judith Linwood, Special Collections intern.
   3. Library Prize for Research: Gretchen Sneff announced to the General Assembly a new program that has received support and funding from the Provost’s office. It is an opportunity to promote the use of the Libraries’ collections by undergraduates. Students can submit an application describing the research process they used to complete an assignment for a Temple University for credit course and additional information which will be judged by a panel of faculty and librarians. Up to three $1000 prizes will be awarded. The program was modeled after one at the University of California, Berkeley.

1. Old Business:

Membership in AAL: A discussion was carried over from last year concerning the eligibility of Temple University Libraries staff members who are not employed as librarians for membership in AAL. The relevant section of the bylaws was included on the agenda and read aloud. The Steering Committee felt that the issue was adequately explained in the bylaws and asked for members to speak if any felt the bylaws needed to be changed. Some members felt that the bylaws could be strengthened by further clarification of the term “professional librarian” but it was ultimately decided to postpone any changed until after the bylaws are reviewed by the new Vice Provost for Libraries.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:10 p.m.

Submitted by,

Carla Davis Cunningham

1. Minutes approved as amended.
2. J. LeBreton offered commendations to AAL for developing this particular program and thanks for work done by librarians and ADC.  No announcement has been made yet of the appointment of an interim University Librarian, but library business continues in a competent and professional manner.  Librarians are encouraged to read the ADC and RIS minutes.  The library is moving forward with more strategic planning that will be done this spring, along with all of the administrative groups on campus.
3. Discussion:  AAL information on the web.  Public or private?
   A concern was raised that even if AAL information is made public, that it should also be made evident and easy to find.  The question was raised whether or not certain areas could be made public and others remain secured.  For example, could the minutes be private, but procedures and policies public.    J. LeBreton has been asked about our procedures for promotion, rank, and tenure.  All agreed that procedures and policies of the website can be made public.  The discussion will be continued in the next meeting because there is not a forum here today.
4. Other Business – G. Sneff – The General Education proposal in the Faculty Senate will be voted upon this month.  All faculty who want to amend the proposal must submit their proposals in writing.  A committee will be appointed to advise administration in searches for administrative positions.  The projected implementation date is 2005 or 2006.

Mr. Davis discussed how articulation, relaxation, and projection are essential in oral communication.   The more dynamic a speaker is, the more clearly the message is communicated.   However, this does not necessarily mean that a speaker needs to be loud.  Articulation, variety in pitch, good use of inflection, and gesture make a speech memorable and exciting.  Mr. Stanton discussed the stress of speaking in a public situation, and ways to overcome this stress.   The group was given tongue tickler exercises.   The physical mechanism of the jaws, tongue, lips, soft palate, and throat were described, as well as how to develop the muscles involved.  Breathing was discussed: the proper way to breathe was described, and exercises for breathing were given.  Exercises for releasing tension were also described and then tried by the whole group.  Techniques for adding variety and interest to public speaking were discussed and demonstrated, including variations in pitch, rhythm, and gesture.

1. Chair S. Thompson brought the meeting to order at 2:10, welcoming us to the new year and to our speaker, Catherine Fiorello.
2. Minutes of the meeting of November 2003 were approved as amended.
3. Staff Recognition Award  (C. Lang) – Reminder to nominate staff members for the award, and to write the nominations well.  Nominations should be submitted by early February.
4. Library Book Club Announcement (M. Jerrido) – “The Secret Life of Bees” is the book that the Book Club is reading together.  The Library Book Club meets on Thursdays 1:10-1:50, and all are invited to attend.  The next book will be “The Color of Water” by James McBride, in conjunction with the “One Book One Philadelphia” program.
5. Announcement – In commemoration of the Brown vs. Board of Ed. 50th Anniversary, a presentation/forum from University Libraries will be given.
6. Interim Library Director  – J. LeBreton was asked if anything has been heard about the library interim director.  Administrative Council is still meeting to take care of library business.  Comments, questions, concerns should go to the department heads or to the administrative office.  Anything of concern should be discussed at the Administrative Office, with the department head, or ADC.

The Assembly had a break for refreshments, which was followed by a presentation from Catherine Fiorello, from the Department of Psychological Studies at the College of Education.

Understanding Learning Styles 

Catherine Fiorello led a discussion on learning styles and how to apply this knowledge to more effectively communicate with library patrons in individual consultation situations as well as in the classroom.  Many different theories exist because often this phenomenon is self-reported. The students themselves say how they think they do better, but this can be their own perception and is not necessarily substantiated by empirical research.  For example, students will report that they study better with music playing in the background, but tests may show that they do better studying in silence. Another example is that if students are asked if they learn better with a videotape or lecture, they will often respond that they prefer a videotape because they prefer  not to listen to a lecture even though they may learn better that way.

However, most individuals have innate strengths and weaknesses in learning, which can be visual, auditory, or tactile.  However, only students that have a learning disability are tested for these strengths or weaknesses.  So, in a classroom, multisensory learning is the goal.  Setting up projects so that the students are doing a variety of tasks, such as some lectures, some papers, some projects, and some group projects is an effective strategy.  This way the instructor can involve most people’s strengths and at the same time can compensate for those with weaknesses.  But, for those with disabilities, this may be still be a problem.  For example, a teacher who keeps talking while turning around and writing on the board would not be understood by a student with an auditory disability.  Multisensory education not only helps those with weaknesses, but also provides reinforcement for those students who are normal.  Also, keep in mind that students who have English as a second language are not served well with only the lecture format.  They need supporting printed materials.

Specifically, in helping students work with computers, simply telling them about how to use a computer is not effective.  Such instruction must be visual and tactile.   The most helpful approach is have the student perform the work on the computer while the instructor watches and tells him what to do.  It is best for the student to hear, see, and touch.

Other topics covered were assessing the level of prior knowledge, and motivating students to learn a new skill.  Quickly assessing the level of prior knowledge in each individual patron is important in order to match the instructional level to the level of prior knowledge.  Conveying to students that new skills need to be learned is important for providing motivation.   The social skills of the librarian during the reference interview are crucial here.  The librarian needs to be seen as both teacher and helper.

1. Veterans Day – S. Thompson gave special thanks to veterans and library families with veterans.
2. Other Business –The AAL Website has been updated.  All minutes are posted.
3. Minutes of the General Assembly Meeting of September 9, 2003 were approved as amended.
4. Report of University Librarian (C. Lang for M. Pastine)
   F. Immler was given some funds to offset some of this year’s cancellations.
5. Faculty Senate Representative Report.  (L.Lane for G. Sneff)
6. Introductions
   G. McKinney introduced two librarians who are new to Temple University.

   Jenifer Baldwin began October 6th as the department head for Reference and Instructional Services, bringing an impressive array of qualifications and experience.   She previously has worked at Drexel University as the team leader for Information Literacy and Subject Specialist in the areas of art, design, and architecture.  Prior to her work at Drexel, Jenifer worked in the Reference Department of Van Pelt Library of the University of Pennsylvania.  At one time, Jenifer also had her own collectibles business, and worked for Borders Books specializing in rare and out-of-print books.   Jenifer has also worked at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh and has studied film production.  Currently, in addition to serving as the Department Head for Reference here at Temple, Jenifer teaches the Resources in the Social Sciences class at Drexel University’s College of Information Science and Technology.

   David Murray came to Temple University Libraries on September 22nd as a Reference Librarian and Subject Specialist in History.  Prior to coming to Temple, David worked as a Reference Librarian at Pierce College.  He is a native of Pittsburgh and did graduate work at the University of New Mexico where he earned his Masters in Mesoamerican Studies, specializing in the Amazon and Mayan civilizations.  David has previously held positions at the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh and at the Albequerque Public Library.  David likes science fiction, especially Star Trek.

   The Academic Assembly of Librarians welcomes Jenifer and David to Temple University Libraries.

7. Semi-Social Committee – S. Thompson mentioned restarting the library’s Semi-social Committee, to provide a way for librarians to get to know one another on an informal basis.
8. Librarians’ Travel Policy – J. Le Breton will send to the listserv information about the travel policy.
9. Mentor program for new librarians – This program will provide an opportunity for Temple librarians to provide help to new librarians at Temple if needed, and is intended to be an informal way of librarians helping each other.  Anyone who is interested in the Mentor program please contact a Steering Committee member.
10. New Business – S. Stormont suggested that the AAL webpage should include a listing of interesting projects that Temple Librarians are doing.
11. BrownBag Lunches are to begin again.  M. Edsall has offered to organize these and to take notes.  The intention is for the lunches to be an open forum and to foster interdepartmental communication.
12. Reminder – Merit applications are due soon.
13. Forum – A. Harlow “The Art of Presenting: Tips and Tricks from the Performing Arts.”
    Anne Harlow gave a presentation on practical techniques for public speaking for librarians from the fields of music, dance, and theater.  This presentation is part of one that she will give on Friday, November 14th for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Library Association.

    Presentations, Harlow said, in some ways are like plays, and the creator of the presentation is both actor and playwright.  All presenters, in order to be successful, must know the needs of the people in the audience and address the speech to their needs. Creating a presentation must begin with having clear objectives.

    Presentations have three main parts, just like many plays have three acts.  “Act I” is the Introduction, “Act II” is the body of the presentation, and “Act III” is the conclusion.   Essential components of each part of a presentation were examined.   In “Act I”, the introduction, the audience will meet the characters, get the background, and see the plot set in motion.  Good techniques for getting the audience’s attention are stories, an amazing situation, references to the audience’s specific situation, a controversial comment, an arresting visual, a particularly relevant funny joke, or even a horror story. The introduction must define the subject of the presentation, how the subject will be addressed, and convince the audience that they should care.   The body of the speech, “Act II”, must have a clear organizational structure, which can be problem/solution, good news/bad news, chronological, or an extended metaphor.  Tactics that can be used in the body of the speech are examples, questions, quotes, suspense, humor, stories, personal examples, statistics, or lists.  If possible, a dramatic climax should occur at the end of the body of the speech.  The conclusion, “Act III”, needs to distill the message in a clear, memorable form.  The difference between listening to a speech and reading text were discussed, and why and how these two forms of communication are very different.  Techniques for writing presentations, objectives, visuals, and editing were discussed.

S. Thompson thanked Anne for her helpful and practical presentation.

General Assembly Meeting

Paley Library Lecture Hall
Tuesday, September 9th, 2003
2:00 P.M.

Present:C. Bell, A. Berhanu, C. Brigham, C.Cunningham, M. Darby, M. Edsall, A. Goldstein, A. Harlow, C. Lang, J. LeBreton, B. Mayes, M.Pastine, F. Rowland, B. Schoolar, S. Stormont, M. Thomas, S. Thompson, A. Vara, C. Weng, T. Whitehead, B. Wright.

Introduction – The Minutes of the General Assembly Meeting of May 13, 2003 were approved as amended.

1. Elections Nominations and Elections Committee. (SamStormont and Carol Brigham). Ballots were collected and nominations from the floor were requested.
2. Congratulations to Carla Davis Cunningham for her promotion from LI to LII.
3. Report of the University Librarian, Maureen Pastine
   1. The Kardon Storage/Retrieval/Access working group continues to work on the project of planning for the moving of volumes to the new storage facility. Jonathan LeBreton and Maureen Pastine are working with Facilities Management and the Design Architect to transform the facility into usable space for library storage. The date for the move has not yet been finalized. Updates will be forthcoming.
   2. Strategic plans for Temple’s schools, colleges, and libraries are due to the Provost by December 31, 2003. The library’s initial draft will be completed prior to November 1st, 2003, in order to gather further input from stakeholders and library personnel prior to completion and submission. This plan is focused around fundraising efforts for the next few years. Members of AAL will be in the working group to assist in completing the final mission, vision, and goals/objectives, as well as the working group for the strategic plan. All library staff will be notified when the results of the external review are known. Information from the LibQUAL survey will also be used in the Strategic Plan.
   3. Subject Specialists are submitting and will be maintaining a list of needed purchases by subject and interdisciplinary areas for any potential new funds that might be made available for acquisitions and access. These lists must include order/purchase information prior to submission to the Chief Collection Development Officer who will then review for final requests with the University Librarian and Jonathan LeBreton before a request is submitted to the Provost and President each year. In future years, this work must be done prior to June 1st at the end of the Fiscal Year.
   4. The Library will be having an all staff meeting to discuss the LibQUAL results and setting priorities for the most crucial needs.
   5. We anticipate another all staff meeting with the Provost and President to discuss the external review once the results are available.
   6. Margaret Jerrido’s recent submission of a grant proposal was approved for approximately $14,000, and Mary Edsall’s recent submission of a grant proposal was approved for approximately $38,700.
   7. The Director of Library Development will be working for 20% of her time with the University Press. The Libraries will be working on collaborative projects with the Press. We are pleased that Alex Holzman is the new director of the University Press.
   9. Department heads have been provided a copy of and the URL for the Association of Research Libraries’ “Research Libraries and the Commitment to Special Collections”, approved by the ARL Board of Directors on February 6th, 2003, and forwarded to the Art Directors on August 7th, 2003.
   10. The University Librarian thanked everyone for another highly productive and successful year.
   11. On September 11th, Dancing in the Stacks, a performance and conference will be held in Paley Library, hosted by the Philadelphia Dance Collection at Temple, Mary Edsall, director.
4. Election results

PARA (Promotion and Regular Appointment) Committee – Aslaku Berhanu, Mark Darby

Continuing Education Committee – Carol Lang

Sam Stormont thanked all those who were willing to run for election for these committees.

1. New Business – Travel Reimbursement Allocation

Jonathan LeBreton introduced a new travel reimbursement allocation proposal which was already proposed to the Administrative Council and to the Steering Committee. Currently there is a three-tiered structure. This structure, by limiting the amount that a librarian can be reimbursed for any one conference, may be discouraging librarians from attending certain conferences depending upon location.The new proposal will set the dollar amount allocation for each librarian for the entire year of $800.

A variation of this proposal would be that, depending upon the percent of underutilization of the funds, an additional reimbursement of $100/year may be offered to those who have not yet achieved regular appointment status as librarians. Any leftover funds would be needed for exceptional circumstances, and for non-librarians (i.e. systems personnel) to attend local seminars, etc.

The Library would still need to know everyone’s conference plans at a set time to plan for the funds. Maureen Pastine encourages all librarians not only to attend, but also to be actively involved in order to build a scholarly reputation. Professional association meetings in a subject area are also considered to be beneficial and relevant.

Librarians could elect to stay with the three-tier system, or to go with the flat allocation.

From the floor it was proposed that participation on a committee or presenting at a conference be justification for funding on a higher level. Another idea proposed was to post organizational committee participation publicly on the library’s website so that librarians would be more visible to other professional associations. Funding for conferences is a particularly important commitment to incoming librarians.

A proposal was made and voted upon that Jonathan will develop a plan, which will be implemented for one year, after which time the matter will be revisited.

Forum

The Librarians adjourned to the Law School Library, where library director, John Necci gave a tour of the recently renovated facility. The Law School Library houses 600,000 volumes on twelve stack levels, and serves 1,000 students and 58 faculty members. Stacks are closed, meaning that the library patron requests to see an item which is then individually retrieved by a staff member. The Summer of 2003 saw Phase I of the library renovation, and Summer 2004 will see Phase II. The tour ended with refreshments in the historic Rawle Reading room. William Rawle was the author of the first commentary on the United States Constitution. In addition, he was founder of the law firm “Rawle and Henderson” in 1785, the firm with the longest continuous practice in the United States.

Chairperson Sandi Thompson thanked John for the fascinating tour, for hosting the Academic Assembly of Librarians forum, and for his gracious hospitality.

Anne Harlow, Recorder — November 10, 2003

Minutes

of the General Assembly Meeting
of March 12, 2002
Conference Room (Room 106)
Tyler Hall, Tyler School of Art

Presiding: Chairperson Cathy Weng, called the meeting to order at 2:10 p.m.

Present: Judy Robison (University of the Arts graduate student intern and a specialist in Book Arts, was a guest of T. Whitehead, with whom she works one day a week); L. Lane; F. Rowland; A. Goldstein; M. Darby; P. Myers; T. Hoskisson; L. El-Zein; I. Bayard; B. Wright; A. Vara (temporary recorder for T. Whitehead); G. Sneff; C. Brigham; S. Thompson; L. Cotilla; C. Cunningham; C. Lang (also reporting for the University Librarian, Maureen Pastine) and guest Jeanne Pond (University Consultant).

Business Meeting

1. Minutes of January 2002 meetings (8 Jan. and 14 Jan.) approved as forwarded by the recorder, T. Whitehead.
2. University Librarian’s Report (Lang for Pastine)
   1. Boris Teske was selected as a participant in the ACRL Information Literacy Immersion, Track II Librarian as Program Developer for the summer 2002 program in Colorado. Only 90 participants were selected.
   2. Carol Lang has oversight for the Libraries’ participation in the Association of Research Libraries’ LibQUAL + (quality service and outcomes assessment of services) program, beginning this semester. Staff at all levels will be involved.
   3. Carol Bell, Head, Acquisitions Department, begins Monday, March 18, 2002.
   4. There will be an all-staff meeting to be held in early June. Planning being done by the Staff Recognition Award Committee.
   5. Contract renewals submitted to the Provost’s Office December 7, 2001; have been approved by the Provost.
   6. The Merit Committee has submitted merit recommendations to me. I have completed a draft response to these. The final copy will be submitted to the Merit Committee and to the Provost’s Office this week or next.
   7. Mary Edsall, Luke Kahlich, and I will submit a Dance Advance (Pew Foundation) grant by March 20, 2002 for the Philadelphia Dance Collection (under the supervision of Mary Edsall as part of the Special Collections Department). The Collection is to be located in Paley Library, second floor. Mary’s office is room 216 Paley.
   8. Mary Edsall, Luke Kahlich (Chair, Dance Department), and I have submitted a proposal to the Delmas Foundation for the Philadelphia Dance Collection.
   9. The science and engineering and architecture librarians, Frank Immler, HSC Librarians and others from HSC, Ken Soprano (Acting vice Provost for Research), and I have met once with a number of Deans and faculty in the sciences regarding science serials. A follow-up is scheduled for this Friday (March 15th), afternoon.
   10. Technology fees for this year have been approved for the Schools and Colleges and the Libraries. The Libraries will be receiving funds for replacement of a number of laptop PC’s.

1. LibQual+ report (Lang)

LibQual+ is a joint research and development project of Texas A&M and ARL whose purpose is to define and measure service quality across research libraries initially and all post-secondary libraries eventually. Paley will be taking part in this project from April 1-April 14th with regard to the use of library by means of user surveys. Three dedicated listservs will be set up for this survey. A series of twenty-four questions will be addressed by three different levels of users: 900 students; 600 faculty; 600 graduate students. The general purpose of the survey is to identify strengths and deficits across the dimensions of library service quality.

1. In addition, the survey is to place a local library’s results in a context with that of other libraries: that is, it will enable administrators to understand the delivery of service quality by a peer perspective. The survey will also allow administrators to identify the best practices among those in the sample, and how similar institutions have more effectively satisfied user expectations.

   Carol Lang will come to departmental meetings to further explain and to get librarians to participate in this crucial survey and evaluate its results before sending them off.

1. Temple Centers and Institutes Research Project (Weng)

This was a measure to identify and obtain information on the many Centers and Institutes at Temple University. There are over fifty such organizations on the various campuses of the University. Carol Harris and Tom Whitehead have gotten together an initial working list of these groups. This list with information on name of the institute/center, its activities, its resources and availability to them, staff, website if any, location, etc. was distributed to the membership for discussion and to determine if the AAL should further work and develop this list of ‘hybrid’ organizations. One important comment by a member (IB) suggested that the Provost at present is reviewing these Centers and Institutes, to evaluate if they are to continue and whether they are to be funded in some manner. Some of the organizations have one person-a faculty member who is the head/director/acting director/etc.-are they worth being under the aegis of Temple University. The Assembly decided to wait until at least the fall (2002) whether to initiate a research project about the Centers/Institutes-until after the Provost’s Office had investigated them.

Sandi Thompson had prepared a sample of the information for the Center for Sustainable Communities (Ambler), filling in Name, Purpose, Address, Staff, Activities, Resources and availability, and Other information of direct interest to the Library.

1. Proposed revision of Process of Contract Renewal, Regular Appointment and Promotion (Weng)

Revised document on Promotion and Regular Appointment Committee-Policies and Procedures, was distributed previously by Mark Darby. Several changes had been made and these are to be ratified at the next Assembly meeting [May]. Revisions are in bold type.

Forum

Temple Fine Arts Collection
Jeanne C. Pond, Consultant for Temple University Art Collection, was hired by the University to develop a collection management system for the fine arts examples found (or hidden) throughout the University. She presented an interesting overview of her work in accounting for, and physically locating, pieces of art-paintings, sculpture, and rare materials in Special Collections for example. Thus far, in her six months of searching, one day a week, she has inventoried over 700 items that require a fine arts organized collection scheme. She has digitally photographed representative items of this somewhat renegade collection, and passed around a laminated loose-leaf book of these images. She hopes to list all items eventually in a software package: “PastPerfect.”

Many art items were stored in closets, warehouses of the University, and other ‘fugitive’ locations, such as the Sjostrom Building (10th Street and C.B. Moore Ave.)

Following the inventory, evaluation of the art pieces will ensue. Ms. Pond alerted all of us to let her know, through the Dean of Tyler School of Art, or through the Head, Special Collections Department, of any art items that we come across in storage spaces or any unusual locations. No one in the University Administration seemed to be aware of the present treasures of art we have right here in our own ‘Acres of Diamonds’.

Al Vara recording with revisions by T. Whitehead

General Assembly Meetings

8 January 2002 and 14 January 2002
MINUTES

Chairperson Cathy Weng called meeting on 8 January 2002 to order at 2:10.

Business meeting:

Minutes of the Assembly meeting of November 13, 2001 were approved as distributed by e-mail to the members.

Introductions: A. Vara introduced Mary Edsall to the Assembly (Part-time, temporary Archivist/Curator of the Philadelphia Dance Archive program. She is a Librarian and currently a PhD candidate in Dance at Temple. She is also currently the CORD President – Congress on Research and Dance).

Also introduced were three new Drexel Interns:

• Anastasia Karel – Special Collections/Contemporary Culture
• Amy Vaccarella – Access Services and
• Mark Werner – Systems

Report of the University Librarian M. Pastine:

The Collection Management issue on which many here are responsible for is nearing completion and may well be out in February.

The Emily Norwick Charitable Trust Fund of $99,000 will be used to name our user education/information literacy program and to establish an exhibit space on the first floor of Paley Library (with some focus on images of women in various professions and purchase of books by and about women). Task forces from ADC will be working on these. Martha Henderson and Byron Mayes are co-chairing the first and Margaret Jerrido is chairing the second. If you have any ideas for them, please contact them directly.

Robert Harting and Dave Synder, from the Development Office and Stuart Sullivan, Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs, have been meeting with us in relation to development and outreach efforts. They are adding to information that we have provided them on library donors, along with a listing of endowments in support of the library. They hope soon to designate a particular development person to work with the libraries on fundraising.

Concetta Stewart, Dean of the School of Communications and Theater, has been appointed to chair a Provost’s Technology Committee. I am one of the members of the Committee. It met for the first time on December 12, 2001. One of its first tasks is to review the priorities of each of the tech Plans submitted for this year. Its final report to the Provost is due on February 2, 2002.

Boris Teske has applied for the ACRL Information Literacy Immersion, Track II Librarian as Program Developer for the summer 2002 program in Colorado. Only 90 participants will be selected.

Carol Lang is preparing the final paperwork for our libraries’ participation in the Association of Research Libraries’ LibQUAL+ (quality service and outcomes assessment of services) program, beginning next semester. Staff at all levels will be involved.

Contract renewals have been submitted to the Provost’s Office in a timely manner. PARA met their deadline with me and I met mine for submitting the materials to the Provost’s Office. We have not yet received a response from the Provost’s Office.

Carol Bell, Head, Acquisitions Department, begins on March 20, 2002.

We will be setting up an all-staff meeting to be held some time after ALA, and hopefully with the new Provost, Ira Schwartz, visiting us.

AAL Faculty Senate Representative report: S. Stormont gave a brief report on the Senate in which the main topic of discussion has been the ten-year review process which President Adamany wants to see revised.

Temple Centers & Institutes Research Project: T. Whitehead presented to the Assembly that which he previously outlined to the Steering Committee: that it may be worthwhile for the librarians to gather more information concerning the variety of “centers” and “institutes” throughout the University. At least for the public service needs of the library, he noted, information on the services, data bases, archives and libraries, and activities of these centers, beyond what is now known, would be beneficial positively as well as avoiding the numerous queries received which are not answered or answered only after a day or so of campus research. Acknowledging that more information has been getting onto Temple web pages he and the Steering Committee are binging up the topic for discussion in the Assembly. During the introduction and discussion a sample list of centers and information was displayed, as well as a sample data entry form for center investigation.

Following discussion enough interest was shown to continue considering the proposal. Whitehead was asked to distribute the preliminary alphabetical list and a revised list arranged by discipline. Final discussion will be held at the March meeting.

Questions raised during the discussion included responsibility for the list, updating a list once completed, definitions, University guidelines and definitions on centers, etc.

Proposed revision of By Laws: C. Weng led a discussion on the proposed AAL By Law changes necessitated by the requirement of the University President for each School of the University to present its By Laws this Spring for Presidential and Trustee review and approval process. C. Weng noted that the changes were not substantial, correcting inconsistencies, updating titles, correcting grammar, etc. It was proposed to be consistent in the naming of standing committees by changing three of them to end with “Committee” rather than start with “Committee on”.

During discussion two or three minor word changes were incorporated into the proposed By Laws (adding “each”, taking out “for”) and changing “Nominating and Elections Committee” to “Nominations and Elections Committee”.

Voting on the By Law revisions would be scheduled at the next, March, meeting of the Assembly. M. Pastine noted her concern for earlier submission to the President and following discussion L. Lane made a motion, seconded by M. Jerrido:

“I make a motion that the Assembly holds a special meeting next week.”

It was agreed that having a full Assembly meeting the following week would allow for voting on the By Law changes. The Motion was approved by a hand vote.

Chair C. Weng immediately called for a meeting of the Assembly to take place on Monday, January 14th, 2002, at 2:00 p.m. for the purpose of voting on the By Laws revision. This ended the business meeting of the Assembly.

Program:

At 3:20 p.m. Penelope Myers, Access Services, presented a program with slides on PALCI (Pennsylvania Academic Library Connection Initiative). She gave a history of PALCI since its initiation in 1996 and its successful programs in the past five years. She described the on-site borrowing program for faculty, the reciprocal photocopy agreement, the PALCI hotlink on Paley’s home page, and the Virtual Union Catalog. The slides gave particular and in depth statistics on lending and borrowing trends over the years by different libraries and types of libraries. She accepted and answered questions from the floor.

The Program and the Assembly meeting ended at 4:10 p.m.

Chairperson C. Weng called meeting on January 14, 2002 to order at 2:10 p.m. with one agenda item: voting on the proposed revisions to the AAL By Laws.

19 members of the Assembly attended, two more than required for a quorum and official Assembly meeting.

C. Weng called for a hand vote on the proposed revision/emendations to By Laws of the Academic Assembly of Librarians: 19 for acceptance, 0 against acceptance (unanimous).

The meeting was adjourned at 2:15 p.m. with thanks from the Chair.

Whitehead, Recorder
Attachment: By Laws of the Assembly, amended 2002.