Minutes of April 1, 2011 Meeting

Present:

Joseph Abraham, Stephanie Bartz (recorder), Mary Fetzer, Melissa Gasparotto, Tom Glynn (chair), Pamela Johnson, Mei Ling Lo, Kevin Mulcahy, Jill Nathanson, Michelle Oswell, Eileen Stec

1) Chair's report

• Tom Glynn, Jane Sloan, Mei Ling Lo, and Jill Nathanson met with Chris Scherer, SAS Dean of Entrepreneurial Initiatives to discuss online courses and options for offering streaming video as well as library instruction. A resources page that will include library content was suggested. Dean Scherer plans to meet with other SAS deans and additional meetings with representatives from the Libraries will also take place.

• Tom Glynn met with Tibor Purger to discuss NBISG issues as they relate to IIS.:
  1. The representation of information services on the Libraries website was discussed in relation to the planned September rollout of changes to the website. Tom will consult with NBL members of the appropriate Web Board subgroup and plan a discussion for a future NBISG meeting.
  2. Voice Over IP (VoIP) was discussed in the context of its use for a central telephone reference service for the New Brunswick Libraries. Anne Butman may be invited to attend a future NBISG meeting to discuss features and possibilities for the service.

2) AUL's report

• The RIS mid-year report will be distributed within the next few days along with an updated version of the Action Grid. Everyone is asked to review the grid to insure that areas they're involved with are represented accurately.

• Rollover funds from last year have been spent but the relatively small amount of salary savings didn't become available until mid-march. Allocation of these funds should be completed today, and Mary will then send a wish list to Marianne Gaunt to cover items that remain unfunded.

• The Team Leaders have been contacted about the April 13th Library Snapshot Day and have been asked to collect data for all library activities for that day.

• The Digital User Services Librarian position has been filled and Joseph Deodato begins on June 1. His office will be at Alexander, but he will also be involved in public services activities at other units.

3) NBL/SC&I post-grad program

Myoung Wilson has suggested that NBISG work more closely with SC&I to mentor graduates, particularly those who are interested in working in academic libraries but who lack experience. To that end, Mary Fetzer and Tom Glynn met with Jana Varlejs and Kay Cassel to discuss setting up such a mentoring program. The issue is complicated by the lack of a budget or a "for credit" option to compensate the graduates for their work. The program would need to be substantial enough to assist in furthering their careers and improving their chances of finding employment. The work assigned might include reference, instruction, the development of online materials such as Libguides and tutorials, etc.

Timing also presents a challenge since most of the students graduate in May, so they won't be available until after the period when they'd be most useful and most able to see the day-to- day activities of an academic library.

Some basics were proposed athe meeting with Jana Varlejs and Kay Cassel:

• A semester long commitment to the program by graduates (NBISG questioned whether this would be fair to the graduates since they would be unpaid and would presumably be looking for jobs.)
• Applications to the program would need to be submitted the semester before the semester in which the student graduates
• A commitment from the Libraries to provide a librarian mentor for each student accepted

There was some sentiment among the members of NBISG who were present that it might be more logical to expand work with for credit interns and field experience students rather than those who have already graduated. Further discussion is needed and will take place at a future NBISG meeting when Myoung Wilson is able to attend.

4) PC Reservation time limit workarounds

• Four separate methods of getting around the time limits set for users of PC Reservation PCs have been identified. All of the methods have been reported to IIS and subsequently to the vendor.
  
  The two exploits that are known to have been used in one or more of the Rutgers Libraries have already been addressed and solutions are in place. The remaining vulnerabilities should be addressed in the next PC image which is due for deployment in August.
  
  Vendor response to the reported problems has been unsatisfactory and alternatives to PC Reservation should be considered before the November contract renewal. Tom will refer the information to User Services Council.

• Another major problem with PC Reservation is the frequency with which users manage to get multiple accounts. The procedure for creating new accounts will be amended to include a search to insure that no account already exists with the same name and birthdate as the account being created. Also, we should be requiring a government ID to establish an account.
  
  Issues that arise relating to PC Reservation should be communicated to the NBISG list.

5) Wireless access issues

• Recent changes to RUWireless Secure has created confusion with users attempting to configure their wireless devices. It also creates a problem with regard to devices that are used by multiple users (e.g., lending laptops) since it defaults to automatically save login information. A workaround for the latter issue is being tested and will be distributed once it's finalized.

• Sponsored guest wireless accounts can now be created by university staff and faculty at their discretion. Guest accounts are good for one week and can be used with RUWireless but not RUWireless Secure. PCWG has issued an informational statement about the creation of RUWireless Guest Accounts.

• There are fairly frequent reports of users being unable to connect to the wireless networks within the Libraries. Moving to a different area of the library (to connect via a different node) sometimes resolves the issue, but there is a limit to the number of users who can connect at one time. Problems relating to wireless should be reported to the on-site Unit Computing Specialist. The AUL for Facilities is looking into the cost and funding for upgrading our wireless access.

6) Computer access for alums and Community Borrowers

• The feasibility of providing more hours of computer access for alumni and Community Borrowers was discussed. The general consensus of those present was that providing such access is desirable, but specifics will need to be explored. It may be possible to allow barcode and PIN login to NetID computers, or to allocate existing PC Reservation computers to a new class of users. Tom Glynn and Joe Abraham will discuss the options, poll NBL, and follow-up with IIS to determine feasibility and next steps.

• Short term PC Reservation accounts can be assigned for student use during peak periods (e.g., exams) when there's a shortage of student computers. Accounts must be generated on a per server level, so they need to be done separately for each library. Joe Abraham can provide instructions for libraries who are interested in setting up such accounts.

7) Announcements

• Eileen Stec and Kevin Mulcahy have conducted short surveys in English 302 and 303 and are in the process of collating the results.

• Those interested in creating materials for online use should consider attending the Continuous Education webinar on 508 (ADA) requirements. The webinar is being given on April 6 and can be viewed in the Pane Room or on an individual PC.

4/1/2011sb