Agenda
- Announcements
- Kurzweil reader
- Others
- Laptops (continuation of discussion)
- Theft reminders
- Library instruction/information literacy/instructional technology position
- Library access for students from Nashville schools
- Fines collection
- DLSC update
- S&PC update
Meeting Notes
Presiding: Flo Wilson
Recording: John Haar
Attending: Martin Cerjan, John Haar, Bill Hook, Juanita Murray, Tracy Primich, Holling Smith-Borne, Sharon Weiner
- Announcements:
- John announced that Central obtained a trial copy of Kurzweil software that reads documents, web pages, and other materials to visually impaired patrons. The Opportunities Development Center recommended that the library acquire the software. Opportunities Development arranged for a visually impaired student to test the software, and the student was very favorably impressed. The directors agreed to purchase the software plus a scanner and Braille keyboard and to locate the Kurzweil workstation in Central.
- Martin announced that Jim Kelly has joined the Law Library staff as Access Services Librarian.
- Bill announced that Divinity has interviewed three candidates for the Theological Librarian position and that the search committee has made a hiring recommendation.
- Flo announced that the Central director search committee will conduct phone interviews with three candidates and expects to conduct on-campus interviews in June. David Carpenter will serve as interim director of Central. She plans to appoint a search committee for Peabody Library director soon. An interim Peabody director has not yet been appointed.
- Tracy made a progress report on the Science and Engineering Library renovation. Stacks have been removed and carpeting laid for a new reading area, and furniture will be delivered on June 15. She is waiting for movers to schedule the temporary moving of map cabinets so that repainting of the Map Room can commence.
- Laptops:
Tracy reported that the Circulation and Access Committee recommends that we continue to require patrons and library staff to sign contracts to charge out laptops. Patrons sign the contracts once each academic year. University Counsel does not require the contracts. Most students sign contracts with Student Accounts making them responsible for payment of library fines and other charges. Approximately 15% of students do not sign the contracts, meaning that the library risks not being able to collect payment of fines from this group if we eliminate the laptop contract. CAC felt that this risk was a reason to continue use of the contracts. They also felt that the contracts are the most useful means of communicating to borrowers our extraordinarily high overdue fines and replacement charges for laptops.
LDC discussed whether to approve CAC’s recommendation. Members noted that there have been few instances of patrons not returning laptops, especially considering how frequently they circulate, and that we rarely charge the full replacement cost. Patrons routinely charge out multiple books, whose total replacement cost may often approach or exceed the laptop replacement cost, yet we do not require contracts in these cases. We can find alternate methods of informing patrons about the high laptop fines and replacement fees. Because laptop losses are rare and because we are at risk of not collecting fines and fees from only 15% of the student body, the directors are prepared to accept the risk of potential losses and eliminate the contracts. The contracts were a reasonable precautionary measure when we began circulating laptops, but it is now reasonable to treat laptops in a similar manner to other circulating materials.
- Theft reminders:
John reported that the Central staff had discussed creating flyers that we could place on personal belongings that patrons leave unattended in public areas of the library to remind them of the risk of theft. He distributed a draft flyer developed from suggestions by several staff members and asked if other libraries had considered taking the same step. Sharon noted that Peabody is using a flyer developed by the Vanderbilt Police Department. She will share it with the other directors.
- Library instruction/information literacy/instructional technology position:
The library has received funding for a system-wide instruction position for 2007-08. We requested the position to help meet our growing instruction obligations, which will increase even more as we provide instruction for Vanderbilt Visions classes and possibly the Freshman Commons. Prior to the meeting Flo distributed a list of potential responsibilities for the position. To aid her in developing a position description, she asked the directors to suggest which duties they think are most important. Two directors indicated that the person in the position could perform more effectively by offering support for instruction efforts in all the libraries, including graduate instruction, than by serving as a system-wide coordinator, a role that is difficult in our distributed environment. Flo asked the group to reflect further on how to define the position and to send her any additional thoughts.
- Library access for students from Nashville schools:
We have received a request from a small local church-affiliated elementary school for library access privileges. Most of the libraries are open to the public on weekdays, but students from this and other schools may prefer to visit in the evenings or on weekends. We have granted access privileges to students at several local schools, but we do not have a policy defining which schools are eligible or how to respond to access requests. Members suggested that we point out to the elementary school that we are a library for adults and that, for instance, we offer unfiltered Internet access. We should also make sure they understand the distinction between access and circulation privileges because this has sometimes been an issue with other schools. The group did not reach a policy decision.
- Digital Library Steering Committee update:
Flo announced that ExLibris plans to release the operational test version of Primo on May 29. This is considered version 1.0, and it will include a full load of Vanderbilt records. We can them begin usability testing.
Other agenda items were deferred to future meetings.