Minutes of December 9, 2004 meeting

Present:: N.Mukherjee, E. McElroy, M. Tokar, A.Martinez, D.Voorhees, D.Meister, J. Reinhart, G.Sandberg, K.Anderson, J.Teichmann, C.Sterback, R.Smith, B.Lipinski, J. Gardner, Y.Ishii, M.Harris, P. Weniger.
Excused:: P. Bellanca

Agenda:

Strategic Planning.
Winter Break: review of services, reports, schedules, etc.
Misc. items: VALE borrowers, Music-Dglss RDS/PALCI processing realignment, student records, other.
Announcements and Information Sharing.

1) Strategic Planning

The Access Services Committee conducted a brainstorming session for input to the Libraries' strategic planning process. The group reviewed four of the university's strategic goals as a framework for discussion. Ideas and comments are recorded below and coded by four broad issues that emerged:

[M] Media: provide access to library information and resources in all formats at the user's desktop.
[U] User Education: plan a more active role for access services staff in instructing users in use of library services and resources.
[S] Space/Facilities/Collections: design facilities and library space, arrange and preserve collections, and design online services with new technologies and social aspects of learning in mind.
[C] Collaboration: seize existing and create new opportunities within the libraries, university, and state for access services staff to collaborate with other departments and individuals to improve library services and student learning.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Strategic Goal: Improve the quality of Rutgers' academic programs, especially in areas where there are comparative advantages and opportunities.

Ease delivery of print and media for instructor's course planning and use. [M]
UMDNJ and other joint programs: reach out and ensure all joint programs have library services. [C]
Identify high use areas of the collections through circ and ILL stats and target them for additional purchases with selectors. [C]
What does "academic programs with comparative advantages and opportunities mean"? …high use areas of the library collections that may reflect immediate undergraduate, instructional needs? departments already rated excellent (philosophy, etc.)? new initiatives (transportation)? [C]
User education is needed across the board, misconceptions abound. All staff need to participate in library instruction. [U]
Thoroughness of initial interaction with patron is crucial, as is ongoing day-to-day interactions with students. [U]
Bring well-designed library services to the desktop, all staff are called upon to instruct users in online services. Our perception of desktop services is often different than users [U]
Access services staff should be part of general library orientation [U]
There is often a gap between initial user registration at circulation desk and first time use of library services sometimes years later (recall policies and fines, PINs, self-services) and how can user education address this. [U]

STUDENTS AND CAMPUSES
Strategic Goal: Enhance the effectiveness of student services, the livability of our residence halls, and the attractiveness and accessibility of our campuses.

Ongoing physical maintenance, security in Libraries is important. [S]
Housing & preservation of collections. [S]
Library renovations need to continue and be responsive to student needs. [S]
Hours must meet student needs. [S]
Cafes: there are pros and cons, but pros outweigh the cons and we should investigate. [S]
An online group study room reservation system would be helpful. [S]
Guidelines for use of group study rooms needed (exclusively for study and learning, not recreational or non academic?) [S]
How do we encourage use of TV in the group study rooms at LSM & Alex. [S]
SERC reading room was initially designed with student study needs in mind. [S]
Professor make use of group study rooms to meet students, also tutoring takes place [S]
More wireless? [S]
Do we need media labs for students to create multi-media presentations & projects in the libraries. Maybe combine with a departmental initiative (Mason Gross). [S]
New furniture (carrels) with plug-ins and lights for PC use. [S]
Every new RU student should be given a laptop, this might change the use of computer labs where long lines can form. [S, U]
Visuals, and other formats, are becoming a more important part of student learning [M]

SERVICE AND CONSTITUENCY RELATIONS
Strategic Goal: Improve Rutgers' service to, and reputation among, all the relevant internal and external constituencies.

Parking problems. Visitors have no place to park. Metered guest parking is disappearing; this does not offer welcome to people of New Jersey who visit us. Access services staff get flack for this from visitors to our buildings. [C]
Getting a visitor permit is a hassle. Make them more accessible online. [C]
Wider distribution of library communications. Target user groups over email, and to promote our services. [C]
Renegotiate licensing contracts with vendors whenever we can to offer remote access to alumni, others. [C]
Offer user education and niche services to the research stations, distance learners. [C, U]
A true Libraries shuttle bus/van to take patrons among the libraries. [C, S]
Cross linking between OIT and Libraries to smooth and improve areas of student services where we intersect. For example-- RU wireless, Rutgers online directory and address information, printing ereserve files and ejournals in computer labs. Designate a liaison person at both OIT and the Libraries. [C]
Improve liaison with student financial services, undergraduate colleges' administrations, RUconnection, HR and new employee orientation (highlight our resources to all new RU employees), Teaching Excellence Center, student services overall, international students, parking, dining services. [C]

RESOURCES FOR RUTGERS
Strategic Goal: Increase Rutgers' resources to the levels of peer AAU public universities and manage those resources more strategically and efficiently.

Ideas for strategic and efficient use of library funds…

Better integrate access services and interlibrary loan into collection development. [C]
Use Director's station to provide data for assessment. [C]
A new student library fee to provide free printing in the libraries (or use portion of student computer fee). Offer 100 free pages/month to students in libraries is another model to consider, used at other universities. [C]

2) Winter Break: review of services, reports, schedules, etc

The following reports will stop running 12/24/2004-1/02/2005: New Requests, Hold Pull lists, Aged Holds, and RDS In-transits (to and from). [A clarification from Chris since the meeting: "we actually need to let the morning pull-list run every day right before the recall programs so that items are not inappropriately recalled when other copies are available in the system. Systems will remove the extra reports that are created during this time."]
The following reports will stop running 12/24-1/25: Clear Hold Shelf reports.
Reserves Still Charged reports will continue to run, please just delete them.
"Closed" dates in the system will apply to all libraries.
Recall due and hold dates have been changed and signs distributed. ILL and PALCI books will also be held until January 25th, but their 7-day recall will not change.
No adjustments are made to the URSA software (PALCI) or ILL systems; most academic libraries are also closed the last week of December and incoming requests either move on to other libraries or are processed the first of the year.

3) Misc. items: VALE borrowers, Music-Dglss RDS/PALCI processing realignment, student records, other

Two RU graduate students have received VALE forms to take to other NJ college libraries for borrowing. A revised VALE borrowing contacts lists is planned for 2005 and will have backups names for the RU campuses so more than one person can sign the forms.
Music staff are now processing RDS and PALCI requests for items requested from the Music Library collection. Douglass' circulation desk will remain the sole pickup location for Rutgers patrons within the Douglas library building.
We discussed the recent memo re. parents and student records. We have not received requests from parents to view students' library records in the past. In any case, our confidentially policy applies.
Overdue Recall Bills will start going out Monday, Dec. 13th.
Text of Reminder to Renew Term Loans courtesy notice will be updated to include better information about renewing PALCI and ILL books.
The 2005 IVY+ access symposium has been schedule for Friday, March 11, 2005, and will be held at Princeton University. We can send 5 people. Please let Judy know if you are interested and a Rutgers contingent will be formed.
NB campuses deposit money (checks) in different banks. Each library may need it's own "for deposit only" check stamp with the name of the bank and RU's book replacement account number. Some, but not all, NB libraries have been informed about required text needed for stamps, which will be ordered locally. Procedures for returned checks were reviewed-we reinstate the bill, add a PUB-NOTE in the user's record, and reinstate the academic hold if appropriate. Currently we do no accept checks again from a person who has bounced one, and always insist on cash or a money order; this policy needs review.

4) Announcements and Information Sharing

Reupholstered plum chairs are arriving back at LSM. Joseph Asaro is new reserve staff person.
The Bookings WG meets next week.
NBL branches are quiet. Inventory of LSM's X collection is complete and weeding is proceeding.
Imaging Services scanned while LSM's scanner was temporarily down. Staff are testing Acrobat 6. There were 52 paid RDS article requests last month. Reminder, account numbers do **not** appear in WorkFlows PUB-NOTES.
Outstanding request reports are run once a week. Dana staff had some lost/reinstated requests on their last report.
Camden will use the break period for in-house staff training on Netscape, Word, and photocopiers.
Clarification requested about who, when & how to remove holds in AAL (A Team or Access team person).
Douglass has been experiencing some power outages, elevator breaking down.
Power outages on Cook campus too. New students are training at Chang.
Ray Balter is doing RDS and billing and Chaiki is coordinating students now at Douglass. Exit statistics continue to climb.
Glenn is learning ILL management systems, his office is the old Citation/Location office.
Extended hours have been busy at Alex. There's a reoccurring leak on the 3rd floor and mold has started to form in books, Facilities just stopped by to look at it.
ILink is in the test system and IPAC has started to look at it, Director's station is still scheduled to arrive sometime in the 1st quarter of 2005, Linda Turzinski is leaving RU for a position at Princeton. Staff are compiling supplemental emetric statistics for ARL. PrompCat is being refined and "On order" approval books may change to TSB and "PENDING"
There's a meeting tomorrow morning of the access services beta testers at 9:30 am, Pane Rm.
The reserve functional group in NB is working on the Ereserve WG's recommendation to offer a syllabus format to faculty. Fall reserves preview lists and reports dates are pending, will be determined next week.
The NBL billing functional group is updating its training documents to reflect changes in new lost assume statuses and bills, has almost finished revising the damaged book document, studied and rejected the use of the Suspension tab in WorkFlows.
Kilmer needs new front doors. Open forum to discuss "college town" concept will be held tomorrow on Livingston campus.
The NBL circulation functional group is updating documents on system down time and RUconnection cards. LSM is working with a new list of UMDNJ students.
NBL RDS functional group has completed updating procedures for filling ILL, off-campus, and PALCI requests.