Minutes of May 1, 2003 Meeting

Present:

Ann Montanaro, Gracemary Smulewitz, Ka-Neng Au, Mary Page, Ellen Calhoun, Mary Beth Weber, Grace Agnew (chair), Rhonda Marker, Michael Joseph, Ron Jantz, Ruth Bogan, Julie Still (via remote), John Maxymuk (via remote; chair, PC Working Group), Chris Sterback (chair, Inventory Stacks Automation Working Group)

AUL's Update

Grace showed the Bring Your Child to Work web site created by some of the participants. The site will be available at http://libserv4.rutgers.edu/kids2work for a while.

TAS Midyear Report

Grace mentioned highlights including elimination of gifts backlog in Cataloging Dept. and ordering backlog in Acquisitions, development of inhouse label printing software program.

Grant Return Expenditures

Grant return money-ca. $63,000-has been used to buy a printer, furniture, a laptop computer/projector set, digital camera, and bindery software. Some money was transferred to the RUL PALINET account. Funds will also be used for travel expenses and camera supplies for preserving image collections.

We have selected Fedora for the RUL digital infrastructure.

Grace commented on a recent trip to University of Pennsylvania to discuss their work with digitized collections. She mentioned their storage crunch, their locally created workflow software, and their mandate to do digitizing for library users. Grace commended RUL for our archival approach to digitization and our attention to metadata.

Approval of 2003 Microcomputer Support Document

John Maxymuk presented a summary of the document, and TSC made comments, including:

• Document should spell out what "support" means also what training support is guaranteed
• Marilyn Wilt maintains a list of training resources; people wanting training should be referred to Marilyn Wilt
• PCWG must be alerted about upcoming need for software or support, especially software needed on public PCs
• PCWG should publish, for comment, the standard configuration of public and staff PCs
• Public PCs are re-imaged each semester
• We also need to know the criteria that are being used for judging what applications will be supported
• Support of open source software will be discussed in the future; critical consideration is interoperability

Action

Grace will email the PCWG about policy statements that should be added to document; PCWG will meet to revise document and send the revision to TSC and Public Services Council for review.

Inventory and Stacks Automation WG Interim Report

Chris Sterback summarized the report, and TSC made comments, including:
We should order Palm Pilots

• Suggested goals are 3-year conversion project to complete remaining conversion, 5-year ongoing inventory cycle
• Advancing technology and declining prices may make RFID technology more attractive

Action

ISAWG will examine adding an inventory component to conversion, study the magnitude of the shelf reading situation, and add to their charge a test project to determine what is missing.

Chris will return in July with an updated ISAWG report.

LINCPlus Bindery Management Software

Gracemary reported on the newly purchased bindery software and RUL's agreement to beta test improved functionality.

Action

In December Gracemary will give TSC a report on the implementation of the bindery software for Camden, Newark, and in the Acquisitions Department.

Core Record Concept and Implementation

Rhonda reported on the work done by the Cataloging Department to implement the Root Record (name changed from "core") concept. TSC commented:

• TSC agreed that the GMD (general materials designator, e.g. [microform]) should be removed from any Root Record that integrates more than one format
• Root Record implementation is also being integrated with MARC holdings work
• No batch process to universally remove GMDs is planned at present
• Records for all current receipts are examined
• Status of the move to Root Records and MARC holdings can be assessed annually by means of system-generated list of 930s

Cataloging Bonus Day Report

Rhonda reported on the first of 3 Cataloging Bonus Days. TSC commented:

• A cost analysis will be provided
• Priority for cataloging should continue to be by date received rather than by subject

DAWG update

Ron and Ann summarized the Digital Architecture Working Group's report.

Retrospective Conversion Update

Action

At the June meeting Ruth will present TSC with list of questions that should be addressed before a formal conversion project begins

Next meeting is schedule for June 5, 2003. Ellen Calhoun will take minutes.

Respectfully submitted,
Ruth Bogan