Minutes of July 1, 1999 Meeting

Present:

K. Au (recorder), J. Boyle, H. Hemmasi, A. King, R. Marker, A. Montanaro, M. Page, M. Papai, L. Sak, R. Sewell, J. Sloan.

Absent:

H. Dess, T. Haynes, L. Langschied.

1. As this was the first meeting of the newly-constituted TSC, there was a discussion of the membership of the Council. It was agreed that other faculty members will be invited to attend when appropriate, e.g. J. Maxymuk as Chair of the PC Working Group or others for information technology issues.
2. The group reviewed the Overall Council Responsibilities presented at the March faculty Meeting, and emphasized that all members should be active participants and communicate with their constituencies in a timely manner, especially after Council meetings. The group also affirmed these responsibilities as the foundation for the operation of the Council.
3. In reviewing the draft document "Overview of SACOTAS Activities and Important Announcements, 7/98-6/99," the group offered several additions to the list of completed activities. The following goals and activities were proposed for FY99-00:
   • GOAL #1: Create electronic records for all items existing in Rutgers collections
     • identify particular collections to be cataloged (e.g. Gov Docs) among the uncataloged materials at RUL; these are titles that do not have full card catalog nor online records
     • identify gov docs records in IRIS which do not indicate complete holdings of the major depository collections (Alex and LSM)
     • purchase recon records and add all RUL duplicate copies to existing online records
     • if not able to pay for vendor to do "adds" recon, begin this process in-house
     • purchase records for US depository documents, 1976-present
     • identify groups of materials appropriate for collection-level records with finding aids and make existing finding aids available on websites
     • assess duplication of journal backruns and weed before creating or updating records
   • GOAL #2: Improve existing records to assist in more complete and effective retrieval
     • implement authority control in IRIS
     • upgrade brief bib records to full-level cataloging records
     • expand holdings records with added copies (e.g. Gov Docs cataloged for CAMDN and KLMR; also listed above)
     • continue to explore impact of implementing MARC holdings
     • expand purchase of cataloging records for all orders (including firm or slip orders); quick receipt of records and table of contents enhancement important benefits
     • explore possibility of importing full bib records to be attached to order records, instead of the brief bib records currently created
   • GOAL #3: Explore linking electronic databases to library holdings
     • implement Z39.50 capability in IRIS
     • continue to explore impact of implementing MARC holdings
     • establish "link to holdings"
   • GOAL #4: Continually assess impact of library technology and realign, retrain, and expand staffing as needed
     • streamline workflow where appropriate
     • make effective use of staff
     • provide for staff training and appropriate means for upgrading skills
   • GOAL #5: Pursue digitization projects
     • consider cataloging existing projects at RU, such as the Rutgers Scholar papers, and possibly external websites
     • consider the use of metadata, Dublin Core, or other emerging standards for cataloging web projects
     • develop and provide technical expertise and support for RUL projects
     • identify, inventory, and support digitization projects, e.g., RUL Journal
     • offer data storage facilities
   • Some additional activities to consider for the year include:
     • plan a public forum
     • identify potential sources of funding
     • explore innovative approaches to technical services, both with vendors and among ourselves
   • Round Robin
     • A new Systems Administrator for Unicorn has been hired (Montanaro)
     • all are reminded to change your Web homepage to the new RUL site (Boyle)
     • New Brunswick Collections Services staff are assessing the process and extent of collecting use and usage statistics (Page)
     • a new state-wide ILL system will soon be in place (Page)
     • the FY98-99 budget was zeroed out on 6/28 (Sewell)
     • J. Sloan will stay on as Head of Acquisitions until January 2000

Future meetings of the TSC will be held on the first Thursday of each month. The next meeting will be in Newark on August 5 at 9:30 am.