University Librarian's Cabinet: Minutes of February 4, 2003 Meeting

Present:

Agnew, Boyle, Fultz, Gaunt, Golden, Mullins, Puniello, Sewell, Toyama

Absent:

Soong

University Librarian's Report – Gaunt

• Gaunt reported that the Coordinating Committee had reviewed PPAAC's drafts of the SRA proposal guidelines and the Guidelines for Reading Committees and Others Involved in the Evaluation of Scholarship for Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure. The SRA forms will be changed, and the proposals will go first to the Research Leave Review Committee for an assessment of the scholarly merit of the proposal. Reports following the receipt of a leave will be mandatory for individuals to be considered for future awards. Both documents will be presented at the March Faculty meeting, and any additional comments can be expressed.
• The University-wide Libraries' Advisory Committee will be meeting at the end of February. Information Literacy will be one topic; others suggested include: budget (if we have more concrete information about cuts); next stages of the Digital Library Initiative; new services and their supporting infrastructures.
• The Scholarly Communications Steering Committee has been re-established with Howard Dess and Jim Niessen co-chairing. There will be many opportunities for others to participate in their work, which will include a review of the previous committee's recommendations for potential implementation. The recent SPARC Listserv posting offered many ideas for follow-up at Rutgers.
• The Planning Committee will be continuing its work on education for the DLI. Its website is almost ready to "go live" with many links to Rutgers and other institutions' documents. The committee will work with Marilyn Wilt on educational programming.
• Documents concerning IFLA organization, section membership and committees were distributed so that anyone seeking participation or wishing to be nominated for committees in the future will know their eligibility.
• Gaunt will be meeting with President McCormick and University Vice President Seneca on February 10, 2003 to discuss issues and challenges relating to the Libraries.

Budget – Gaunt

• Cabinet conducted preliminary discussions on the budget for next year. It is yet unclear how the university will allocate cuts to the units, but Cabinet reviewed the status of collections funds and open staff and faculty lines. President McCormick has identified advocacy for budget restoration as a high priority, so we can hope that the 14% cut may not be realized. Nonetheless, we must be prepared should this become the final number. We must also examine our external sources—endowments, gifts, and grants – to determine where funds could be applied to alleviate potential cuts. We should be careful not to add ongoing collections costs, as we most likely will have serial cancellations. As $600,000 was carried over from last year's budget, next year will be particularly difficult and require the use of external funds.

  For the present time we should hold the line on any major purchases; compile a list of major budget needs beyond our current budget for next year to be folded into planning; and hold any reclassifications and positions not already "in process of posting" to maintain staffing flexibility. We will reassess these options as the university provides more information about budget planning and as we assess our capacity to adapt to potential cuts.

Other Reports

• Golden reported on the Rutgers University Computing Services Intranet Service SunTM ONE Calendar Express, which is a restricted Access Server available to faculty and staff. RUCS website for the calendar may be found at https://moltar.rutgers.edu:1025/. The calendar is being used by Robeson Library to schedule meetings and room reservations and the calendar may be found at http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/robeson_lib/admin.html.

Announcements

Sewell:

• The Working Group on Collection Development and Management Criteria for New Digital Projects has developed a questionnaire and is testing it with some proposed projects.
• Special Collections and University Archives has hired three part-time catalogers through a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission to catalog Rutgers publications and historical New Jerseyana.
• The opening for the exhibition of wood blocks used in Lynn Ward's 1930s' graphic novel, Vertigo, will be on February 5, 2003 at 5:00 pm. A complementary digital exhibition of these materials is also available at: .

Toyama:

• As part of an experiment, the Math Library is being used as a test bed for "wireless" applications. Results will be reported to the Public Services Council at the end of this fiscal year. The cost of this experiment (less than $1,000) is to be absorbed by RUCS and the New Brunswick Libraries.
• Following the success at the Robeson Library, New Brunswick Libraries will merge two departments, Access and Collection Services, in order to maximize the collective contribution of human resources. The process began in December 2002 and will be completed in June 2003.

Mullins:

• IJS is in a two-year planning stage to set priorities and build infrastructure into its focus related to archival collections, physical organization of collections, an archival inventory, developing a database, developing a printed guide to the archives, and a website. Focusing on oral history/interview and the photograph collections.
• On Thursday, March 6, 2003 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. in the Dana Room of the Dana Library, there will be an exhibition opening and reception that will feature stoneware sculptures and Danish style porcelain models of prominent and historic buildings in Newark and of other objects, made by Newark based artist Anker West over a thirty-year period. Works on exhibit will include stoneware sculptures of the South Park Presbyterian Church, the Salvation Army building, and the Deitze building and porcelain models of Ironbound Quonset huts and industrial gardens. This exhibition will run through the end of May 2003.

Puniello:

• Puniello gave an update on D21 renovation and construction at the Douglass Library, which is scheduled to begin in March. As a major communication channel to the user community, a website has been made available to provide the latest news, changing timetables, and tips, such as when the library will be noisy. The website may be found at http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/douglass/D21.htm.

Golden:

• Golden is in the information gathering stages for the development of a CD-ROM that is being prepared for new students to assist them in navigating the University. The CD-ROM, which is to be funded by the Provost, will be distributed to freshman and transfer students in August.
• RUNet2000 initial wiring has been completed at the Robeson Library and wireless is to be added to the building in certain areas.

Gaunt:

• Gaunt and Agnew have been invited to speak on digital libraries at the SCILS colloquium on Wednesday, February 5, 2003. MLIS colloquia are opportunities for students to hear about current issues and developments in the library/information field from visiting speakers.
• Joe Sikora, Director of Internal Audit, will make an Internal Control Briefing presentation at the February 18, 2003 Cabinet meeting. Their office provides a free service for units wishing to review their business operations and examine how they might benefit from "best practices." Background material will be distributed to Cabinet in advance of the meeting.