Agenda
Meeting notes--David
- Update on Primo/AlphaSearch/DiscoverLibrary (Jody)
- Update on the Commons Exploration (Sue)
- Emergency Planning assignment reminder (Juanita)
- Budget update
- Final IDS?
- Actual Archives Annex component?
- Exceptions
Meeting Notes
Attendees: David Carpenter, Martin Cerjan, Sue Erickson, Bill Hook, Tracy Primich, Juanita Murray, Holling Smith-Borne, Celia Walker, Flo Wilson. Guest: Jody Combs.
Update on Primo/AlphaSearch/DiscoverLibrary (Jody)
Jody informed the group that with Primo version 1, we will use an embedded search box, instead of using the out-of-the-box Primo configuration. LITS is currently trying to develop a graphic search box that can be used (embedded in) various types of webpages. The second level Primo pages will let us use CSS (cascading style sheets) to help match designs to the existing Heard webpages. Jody hopes the new DiscoverLibrary webpages can be presented in a demo to the RSC (Resource Services Committee) in February for reactions and comments.
The Primo team is looking for groups of additional Dublin core records. The Collections Committee will assist them in identifying new groups of records to add to the AlphaSearch/DiscoverLibrary database. Question: When will be begin calling AlphaSearch by its new DiscoverLibrary name? Jody believes this change will most likely take place toward the end of February.
Information on version 2 of Primo/AlphaSearch/DiscoverLibrary is available to LDC members and other authorized individuals via the OAK Primo Project course. Primo ver. 2 is currently undergoing some initial beta testing. Jody reviewed some highlights and new features of Primo ver. 2. For example, IE and Firebox toolbars can provide deep-linking into the database and also provide links out to web services. Full-scale beta testing of Primo ver. 2 will be done by selected, appropriate library staff members only, and will not involve the large number of individuals recruited to help beta test ver. 1. Vanderbilt's beta testing of Primo ver. 2 will begin on March 4th. The general release of ver. 2 is set to occur in late April or early May. It will include an express upgrade kit.
Interruption in Acorn Service (Jody)
The current interruption in the Acorn service is due to our migration to Oracle, and the fact that SIRSI staff initiated a rebuildtext report using the more conservative default settings which take longer to complete than we anticipated. We had to go to a backup server today. We need to do some additional testing on the evening of 01/10. Holling asked why this software migration could not have been planned to take place during intersession, a less busy time for the libraries. Jody said that SIRSI policies would not allow the migration to occur during the holiday period. SIRSI requires its "A-team" members to be at work and available to help during such a migration, and many of them were away during the holiday season.
First Year Commons Exploration (Sue)
Sue Erickson noted that the Commons Service Exploration Team (C-SET) held its first meeting on 01/08. This group has good representation from across Vanderbilt's libraries, including members with varied backgrounds and experience. Sue serves as project leader. Members of C-SET are: Carlin Sappenfield, Peg Earheart, Jodie Gambill, Melinda Brown, Rahn Huber, Celia Walker, Ramona Romero, and Sara Byrd.
The main C-SET group will meet bi-weekly. Four C-SET subgroups have been created. They are: Houses, Commons, Virtual, and Libraries as Place and Student Feedback (received from current Commons students and first year students.) The C-SET subgroups will have mini-meetings outside the meeting times for the larger group.
C-SET is examining opportunities and existing services. The team has set up an OAK course to aid communications and sharing of information. It will also post minutes to the C-SET wiki. C-SET will also look at services offered by other institutions that have commons, and how they go about offering library services with their own commons. Please advise C-SET if anyone knows of commons at other institutions that might not yet have been identified by this group.
C-SET will create a five-year plan, with the team initially focusing on the first year planning. It will look for "low-hanging" fruit. The C-SET team description will be revised soon.
Emergency Planning Assignment Reminder (Juanita)
Juanita reported that only eight out of the twenty individuals who need to submit information to the Emergency Planning Task Force for the library's Emergency Plan notebook have done so. Those who have not already done so should complete and submit the D-Plan section to Juanita. That is all that she needs right now.
Juanita stressed that the libraries need to do some emergency planning on our own, and not depend on Vanderbilt's campus-wide emergency plan. The libraries were unfortunately left out of the larger Vanderbilt emergency plan. This oversight will be fixed.
There are a lot of issues to consider in developing an emergency plan. For example, with a pandemic plan who are "essential employees?" We need contact information for employees by library units. It will take a year to create the plan and get the emergency training completed.
The meeting with the Vanderbilt University Police Department went well. Vanderbilt has changed the telephone numbers to be used in reporting emergencies. Libraries were not notified about this change.
A lot of details need to be considered for the emergency plan. We need to turn in the reports soon.
Budget Update (Flo)
Flo said that "we are making progress" on completing the library's 2008/2009 budget proposal. Some final overhead figures still need to be determined. The library-specific overhead figures should be finished within the next two days, as well as information on Annex charges for the overhead.
Tracy Primich and David Carpenter had presented some questions related to the discussion of the budget with Dean McCarty to Flo in an earlier meeting. In response, Flo wanted to devote a portion of the LDC meeting to answering these questions, as she thought this information would also be helpful for all library directors to understand.
Flo said that a line called "Library IDS" is included in the two page summary budget proposal submitted by the deans to the Provost. Library IDS includes three components: materials, operations, and overhead.
A budget call book is created with guidelines that goes to the schools. One table details library IDS charges. Flo distributed a sample table entitled "Proposed Library IDS for 2007/08," as well as a brief document noting the three components of IDS. The "Proposed Library IDS for 2007/08" had the final budget figures later added to eDog. No narrative is included with this table.
Flo announced that she and other selected OUL staff members will meet at 2:00 today (following this LDC meeting), to resolve budget questions and consider the exception requests previously submitted by the libraries.
Overhead charges for the Library Annex and a number of other components were once fluid, and based on each library's use of the services. Keeping up with changes in use of space and calculating charges accordingly was complicated and time-consuming. In 1996, a decision was made to uncouple some overhead charges from being tied to individual libraries, and look at a proportional distribution on which to base charges. There was no logical way to assign OUL and LITS expenses to individual libraries in an equitable manner. The Provost's Office came up with a four-factor model for categories that are easily quantified. A couple of years ago, the Library proposed to freeze the allocation distribution for overhead to eliminate the swings in percentages that happened year to year and had a significant effect on the overhead charges to the schools. In developing this model, we went back for five years--averaged costs and came up with a set distribution that could be increased at the same percentage rate for all schools each year.
Update on Search for University Library (Flo)
The search committee met in December to consider comments gathered via listening sessions. We now have a number of well qualified applicants. The committee has contacted over 100 individuals in helping to recruit candidates for the University Librarian position. The search committee also wants to identify a current, successful university librarian to consult on factors involved in recruiting our new University Library.