Agenda

1. Directors' Reports
2. Special Discussion Item: NBL Open Lines planning

Present: Stephanie Bartz, Ellen Calhoun, Jeris Cassel, Kayo Denda, Howard Dess, Mary Fetzer, Rebecca Gardner, Tom Glynn, Brian Hancock, Helen Hoffman, Ron Jantz, Marty Kesselman, Triveni Kuchi, Linda Langshied, Patricia Libutti, Mei Ling Lo, Kevin Mulcahy (chair), Laura Mullen, Leslie Murtha (recorder), Jim Niessen, Pat Piermatti, Jane Sloan, Eileen Stec, Stephanie Tama-Bartels, Thelma Tate, Farideh Tehrani, Ryoko Toyama, Karen Wenk, Ryan Womack.

Meeting opened at 9:40 A.M.

Directors' Reports

• RT announced that there have been no significant developments since the last NBL Faculty meeting to be reported.

NBL Open Lines planning

• An exploratory committee was appointed by RT to make recommendations for the disposition of three of the four open lines in the New Brunswick Libraries Faculty. The committee was composed of H. Dess, K. Mulcahy, L. Langsheid, F. Puniello, J. Sloan, F. Tehrani, R. Toyama, and M. Wilson, with input from M. Gaunt and S. Soong. The recommendations of the committee were distributed at the meeting and also by e-mail on Tuesday, 12/17/02.
  
  
• 2 positions were recommended: an AV/Multimedia Project Librarian and a Collection Management/Preservations Project Librarian. Both were suggested to be posted as Librarian IV. In addition, 5 options were presented for the third position: Public Services digital Projects Librarian, Electronic Resources Librarian, Middle East/Jewish Studies Librarian, and the possibility of transferring a line to TSB to support recon, or converting a line to staff level for an IT specialist.
  
  
• Discussion:
  
  
  1. Members of the committee were asked to expand on the basis for their recommendations, and clarify some of the language in the report. The deliberations were based on information provided in annual reports, service statistics and other library documentation. The plan was to address the needs of the next 3-5 years, with attention to gaps and anticipated growth areas. RT offered clarification on the status and career paths attached to the Librarian III, IV and V designations. KM spoke of the blurring of distinctions between collections and services. RJ mentioned the importance of maintaining a working knowledge and awareness of emerging technologies and protocols.
     
     
  2. JS and LL elaborated on the expectation for the multimedia position. This person would be expected to plan for and help implement systems for audio and video editing and other multimedia processes to support instruction in the libraries.
     
     
  3. FT elaborated on the collections position. This person would be expected to initiate and manage projects to address the preservation needs of the NB collections. The need for preservation is great; the collections are considered to be in jeopardy.
     
     
  4. HD elaborated on the proposed electronic resources position. There is a need to have someone at the faculty level overseeing the management of electronic resources acquisitions, and to be a liaison to the staff responsible for managing access issues.
     
     
  5. LL elaborated on the proposed IT position. This person would support the development of public service and digital collections projects, including digital preservation. This is considered a growth area, and funding opportunities may depend on adequate support. Moneys found through grants could supply some of the funding for this position.
     
     
  6. RT and JN provided additional information about the proposed Middle/East Jewish studies position. These departments are growing, but there are also other departments with high-level programs in need of additional library support, including foreign language abilities. Recruitment for collections positions is challenging, give our current level of financial support.
     
     
  7. After a brief discussion of the proposal to convert a line to TSB was rejected.
     
     
  8. Discussion of the other options centered around the development or acquisition of technological expertise, and possible options for meeting the need for collection specialists and for technology experts. The ramifications of a survey of faculty expertise were explored. Suggestions for enhancing collection expertise included collaboration with other institutions, and the development of endowment for collection positions, either through our development office, or in collaboration with academic departments. It was noted that, if we seek to get funding for additional faculty lines, subject specialties are easier to explain to the university community than some of our less traditional services.
     
     
• Conclusions
  
  After some further clarification, non-binding votes was taken, with the result that the NBL faculty recommended that the proposed multimedia and collection management/preservation positions be moved forward. It was also decided that the Middle East/Jewish studies position should not be considered an option at this time. The three remaining options (1-3 in the report) were returned to the exploratory committee for further consideration. RT will ask that a recommendation for the third open line be finalized for the January NBL Faculty meeting.

Meeting adjourned at 11:45 AM.

Next meeting scheduled for Friday, 2/21/03, 9:30 A.M..

Upcoming recorders: Mullen, Mardikian, Lo, Libutti, Langshied

Respectfully submitted by Leslie Murtha, 12/22/02.