Agenda
- Announcements
- Student Assistant Comparison (Flo)
- Building Plans (Dean Dowell)
- Newseum (Dean Dowell, Jody)
Minutes
(Regrets: Marshall, Beth, David)
1. Announcements:
- Sue Erickson has been invited to join the Project Dialogue Steering Committee, which organizes campus lectures and events around a specific theme. Melinda Brown was a member of this committee several years ago and recommended Sue to the group. This year’s theme is Civility and Justice for whom? Please send ideas for speakers, other themes, or suggestions on ways the Library can contribute to Sue.
- Dean Dowell thanked those on Council who have been sending her information on major events in staffs’ lives, and asked that they continue to keep her informed so she can send notes when appropriate.
- Dean Dowell continues various campus tours and visits. Updates on these meetings:
- She has almost completed meetings and lunches with the deans.
- Met recently with the Dean of Students and assistant deans. Will attend a future meeting with their staff to discuss the Library. LC asked to send their suggestions for topics.
- Met with the President of Undergraduate Students and the President of Graduate Students, who suggested we consider setting up grad student liaisons.
- Met with the Chair of the Faculty Senate and will speak at one of the fall senate meetings; she has also provided info on open-access for one of their committees.
- Met with the Dean of the Commons and will soon meet with the Commons Council and several other groups at the Commons.
- Meetings with Dean of A&S Carolyn Dever have been productive and she is supportive and enthusiastic about the Library’s plans for the future. As a result of these meetings, Dean Dowell will meet with all A&S faculty later in the year.
- CLIR meetings: Dean Dowell will co-chair three national panels with CLIR President Charles Henry. These panels will be both outside of and connected with Vanderbilt; CLIR has offered to sponsor panels here at VU.
- Flo and Dean Dowell recently met with student supervisors from across the Library to discuss the importance of their role in supervising student employees and the importance of student assistants to the work of the Library. Volunteers for a student assistant event in the spring are still needed, especially librarians, and Council was asked to recommend volunteers. Meetings with supervisors will continue each semester. Flo distributed a handout of supervisor names; if you notice a name not on the list that should be, please let her know.
- Dean Dowell mentioned the recent U.S. News & World Report survey on college and university rankings, in which Vanderbilt moved from #18 to #17. She cited an academic study on impacts of rankings on admissions indicates that moving up even one slot shows an increase in percentage of applicant’s scores on standardized tests.
- Dean Dowell distributed the latest Vanderbilt View issue, mentioning the cover article “One Vanderbilt”, which talks about changes at the university.
2. Student Assistant Comparison: Flo distributed a handout comparing our use of student employees to that of some of our peer institutions (Duke, Emory, Washington at St. Louis, and Northwestern), which showed us being the second lowest in percentage of students employed. A handout showing our ARL rankings in various categories from 2007/08 (the most recent available) was also distributed. Council discussed investigating additional ways for the Library to utilize student assistants and possibly employ more students in the future.
3. Building Plans: Dean Dowell updated Council on building renovation plans for Central Library. Discussions continue on how to move forward with a renovation, though full funding has not yet been identified. Dean Dowell shared ideas being considered, including the creation of a café, a large meeting space, study spaces, featuring exhibits on the fourth floor, among other plans. She hopes to share the architect’s plans with the Provost at their meeting next week and will then share these plans with Council and Library staff soon after doing so. She also plans to meet with staff from Central and Technical Services to update them on the plans before sharing them at an all-staff meeting. Directors were asked to consider how they might use donor funds in their libraries if and when future opportunities arise.
4. Newseum: Dean Dowell has been discussing grant possibilities with staff from the Newseum and is collaborating with them on various things, including the use of some of their content for future Library exhibits. A delegation from Vanderbilt recently visited the Newseum in D.C., with the Dean and Jody Combs representing the Library. The Newseum has created a very engaging and innovative approach to technology, and discussions are underway about future collaborative technological opportunities with the Library.