Faculty News Project Team Charge

Statement of Need
Improving our external communications was identified as a strategic goal of the library’s 2005-2010 Strategic Plan. The Communications Committee has recommended that we improve our communication with faculty, one of our primary external user groups, through the creation of a faculty news vehicle. The Strategy & Planning Council has approved this program.

Benefits
* A Faculty News vehicle will give library staff a way to reach faculty at their desks. It will inform faculty of resources, services and instruction programs and serve to strengthen existing ties between faculty and library staff.
• A news vehicle will allow the library to promote our key talking points and build a faculty friends support group.
• Such a news vehicle may provide opportunities for faculty to promote their own publications to the library community, strengthening the library’s position as a strategic asset to the University.

Project Summary
To support the Library’s goal of improving communication with our external users, this project team is responsible for the following:
• Identify stakeholders both inside and outside of the library (e.g., faculty from different disciplines, library directors) whose input will improve the news feed. Contact and meet with them.
• Work with library directors to identify existing faculty news delivery systems and to see that plans for a system-wide system do not impinge on these programs.
• Identify comparable projects at sister institutions and research the literature on the subject to find suggestions and models.
• Create a timeline for the project team’s activities and results which will be regularly reported to the Communications Committee. Post meeting summaries and other documents to the Communications Committee Wiki.
• Identify the kinds of materials that will be posted to the feed; determine how current information will be identified and obtained for inclusion in the feed (including specific contacts within the libraries and departments); and create a method for maintaining the news feed.
• Recommend distribution frequency for the feed.
• Determine how the mailing list will be generated and maintained. Follow university procedures regarding university-wide distribution lists.
• Identify an editor for the news feed.
• Create a marketing plan to publicize the feed.
• Create an assessment tool for the feed.

Project Champion/Owner
The Faculty News Project Team will report directly to the Communications Committee.

Project Leader and Team
• Kitty Porter, team leader
• George Anglin
• Yvonne Boyer
• Meredith Hammons
• Becky Atack
• Celia Walker, ex-officio

Documentation and Reporting
The project leader will report on participation and attendance, quality of discussion, key points learned, and proposed recommendations to the Communications Committee on a basis to be determined by the team.

Related Project(s) and Stakeholders
The team should coordinate their efforts by working directly with other groups who support the initiative. Potential examples are faculty, subject bibliographers, library directors, circulation staff and reference staff. Recommendations for the program should be reviewed and approved by the Library Directors Council and the Strategy & Planning Council before implementation.

Budget
Any foreseeable costs will be submitted to the Communications Committee for review prior to incurring any expenses.

Timeline
This team will be in place by June 15 after approval by the Strategy & Planning Council, with the feed to begin in the fall of 2006, in time for the start of school.

Assessment
The team will track participation and assess the success of the feed through survey instruments and other assessment tools. A statistical summary of the kinds and numbers of articles posted will be maintained and reported in a final report that will be made to the Communications Committee at the end of September 2006 (for inclusion in the Committee’s annual report).