Minutes of April 10, 2002 meeting

Present:

M. Gadek, M. Herod, M. Katz, C. Lee, A. Martinez, S. Peck, M. Spaventa, and R. Smith.

Excused:

M. Brodman, D. Bush, R, Krack, E. McElroy, A. Ortiz, N. Reichardt, and J. Teichmann

Mary Gadek called meeting to order at 2 P.M. April 10, 2002.

Old Business

Mary Gadek distributed copies Collection Management Functional Group Mid-Year Report and spoke of this year's accomplishments and about the next year's goals.

R. Smith asked the status of the In-transit reports. Gadek replied that D. Meister has been working on the reports and will soon make the information available to the rest of the group.

CM Manual

• Gadek distributed copies of the weeding guidelines. Smith requested procedures for requesting the weeding of designated materials, the personnel involved in the actual implementation. Gadek then gave an example of the actions taken at Chemistry Library, which involve fewer people; in the larger units more personnel would be involved in the procedures. Discussion followed on coordination of the selectors involved in the process. M. Herod elaborated on the procedures used in the Chemistry library.
• C.Lee handed out a guide to be used in conjunction with the N.Y.U. Disaster Planning Manual. Lee outlined the revisions he made to tailor the manual to Rutgers. Discussed what personnel to call in and what immediate action to be taken. First contain the damage to the materials, then call in reinforcements. M. Katz pointed out errors in the phone listing for personnel. Gadek noted that some of the documentation bearing her name and J. Teichmann's name originated from P. Weniger. M. Brodman was lauded for her abilities to mobilize supplies and staff in emergencies.
• This lead to a discussion of the chain of command for staff mobilizations: call immediate supervisor and call Jeff Teichmann or Mary Gadek to round up the needed supplies and the staff needed. Not all staff may be utilized. I. Bogus takes care of the bindery materials and may be called in for assistance. Campus police should be notified as they have phone numbers for all personnel to be contacted in case of emergency. It was suggested that a copy of the manual and a phone directory be accessible at all times for library supervisors, especially the night supervisors. A vendor list should also be available. Lee asked about the capabilities to mobilize needed personnel. The expertise of K. St.John would be invaluable in the assessment and the salvaging of the damaged items. Gadek questioned the length of time freeze-drying the items would take, answer is a couple of weeks. Lee and Gadek also mentioned that outside help may be needed if the damage is too extensive for the CMFG to handle. In this case Farideh Tehrani, the selectors for the collection and Administration would make the decision on whether or not to call in professional help outside of Rutgers.
• Gadek spoke of water emergency response; first and foremost protect the collection; i.e. covering the collection with overlapping plastic sheeting and using industrial strength paper toweling. Once you have secured this in place, then call in facilities and personnel.
• M.Spaventa reported on preservation and handed out guideline on procedures. Gadek asked about the musty odor some of the older books give. Spaventa replied that the cost of counter acting this odor might be prohibitive. We need more data on the preservation process, when to route the materials to special collections and what materials need to be singled out for special handling. Students working in the library should alert staff to materials in need of repair.
• Herod handed out a guide for shelf reading based on the chemistry library's procedures; this includes spotting and reporting damaged materials. Smith informed that Art and LSM regularly assign students for a specific area to monitor; LSM employs about 25 students for this task. Smith will write out a page detailing this.

New Business

CS-User Test Project - Roger Smith talked out using the test project; the plusses and minuses; Spaventa also participated in this project. A report is forthcoming

Info sharing

Roger Smith will introduce a new member to the group in May.

Meeting adjourned at 3:15 P.M.