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KULSS Exec

Meeting Minutes

Thursday, Oct. 19th, 2006
Anschutz Library – 10-11:30 am

Present: Monica Claassen-Wilson (FY07 Chair), Jill Becker (FY07 Vice-Chair), Angie Rathmel (Secretary), Denise Swartz (Group 1), Kevin Fussell (Group 2), Nishon Hawkins (Group 3), Robert Szabo (Group 4)

Approval of previous meeting’s Oct. 5th minutes
DONE

Approval of previous meeting’s action items

WHO?         BY WHEN? WHAT?
  • Angie

ASAP

Minutes for General Meeting DONE, distributed to kulcc-l
  • Monica

Starting next meeting

Send out request for agenda items Thursday (week before the meeting) and send the agenda out on the Monday afternoon before. DONE
  • Monica

 

Invite Lea Currie, Chair of LFA to next KULSS-Exec meeting (in Anschutz) to discuss PRC charges. DONE
  • Denise

On going

Create a document of what refreshments she usually buy for General Meetings (incl cost and who to go to for funding). Save to G: Committees/CCEB/General Meeting Issues.
  • Denise

 

Ask Pat Boyle and Anna Hines: What need is InfoMatters filling for them, does IT/NTS have their own internal newsletter or did they? DONE, they report not having one and don’t need one.

Group Reports

Group 1

  • At Donuts with the Dean, brought up dismal staff lounge in Watson and no staff lounge in Anschutz (there is one in the kitchen of the mail room).  Ad hoc committee to work on issue.  Also issue of 2nd floor entrance.  Issue turned over to Mary, Rachel and Lars.
  • Consultant to come in to evaluate the entire 5th floor.
  • LA in Acquisitions position made an offer and applicant accepted.  Will start end of October.
  • Collection development got a new student position approved (up to $7.50).

Group 2

  • Working on computer upgrades.
  • Library Assistant (1 year temporary) starts Oct. 30th  
  • Another LA 1 yr temp to be advertised.

Group 3

  • Laura Hanson, ILL getting married this weekend. 
  • Staff volunteers solicited to work 3-4 hours in the mailroom (tied in with Campus Loan
  • Delivery 2nd trial)
  • Ruth Hoffman, night /weekend Circ supervisor began last Monday.
  • Some desk pieces will be shifted around to allow for a longer circulation area.

Group 4
ANSCHUTZ

  • Holly Mercer now in RM 320 K will get new furniture.
  • Cataloging space (cage) will expand to double in size to allow for staff workspace.
  • Instruction has a new HP color printer
  • KU Endowment did a filming in the library for Orientation video.
  • Greg Albrecht (night supervisor in Anschutz) has been sick for an extended period. Covering with students.

REGENTS

  • Two remodeling projects were accomplished during the past year.
  • Recently updated “team values” list and mission statement as part of a one-day retreat.
  • Lisa Lord was hired as permanent half-time Reference and Instruction Librarian; she previously worked in the position as a temporary employee. 
      • She also presented 3 training sessions on EndNote basics for Edwards Campus students.  The presentation is available online and in a handout. *
      • Lissa along with Lyn Wolz presented 2 sessions on basic online research in collaboration with Edwards Campus Student Services Week in late September.  This year’s session included Websites and Search Engines as well as instruction on researching library databases.
  • Instituted a recycling program through volunteers from Edwards Campus and library staff who pick up paper from designated bins inside the building and move it to recycling receptacles outside.
  • During the 1st two weeks of Fall classes, the library staff assisted Edwards Campus staff members with a “welcome” information table in the lobby to help students with questions and directions.
  • Hosted a “Fun Fest” for students, faculty, staff and public. Library staff helped behind the scenes.  Events included a free picnic, concert, games, and prizes.
  • Edwards Campus received replica of the 1956 Bronze Jayhawk that stands in front of Strong Hall.  After the stature was unveiled, there was a reception for the sculptor of both Jayhawks, Elden C. Tefft (KU Alum and former KU Faculty member) and for the new Provost, Richard Lariviere.
  • Many students accessing new “Research Blog” http://www.dissertationresearch.blogspot.com/  The purpose of the site is to provide doctoral students with information needed to conduct a literature review and develop research strategies using KU Libraries electronic collections.  Your questions and comments are very welcome.

SPAHR (from Jeff McAdams email)
Nothing new going on in Spahr; Jim and I are still in excellent form.  

A few weeks ago, we did get a nice candy basket and thank-you note from the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center for the use of our facility.  We regularly let them use our partitioned Herman Miller rooms for advising and enrollment during the summer and winter breaks.

We have come across an unusual problem: the students’ thirst for rulers can never be slaked.  Those little promotional rulers are like water to them and when we run out, they start to hoard them and their value spikes as if they were little nuggets of gold.  No violence has broken out, yet, but we hope more widgets arrive soon.  Apparently, these rulers are the perfect complement for the engineering student who is trying to finish homework at the last minute but left all of his or her other eighteen rulers at home.

Well, since we don’t really have any news here, I would like to add that I’m not being sarcastic or disingenuous when I complement our library facility to an exaggerated degree.  Sincerity is my modus operandi.

Tally ho!
Jeff

SPENCER

  • Completed the hosting of (with some folks attending) the 2-day Society of American Archivists workshop, “The Art of Processing Manuscript Collections”.  Mary Ann Baker repots it was a good workshop with knowledgeable instructors and participants from around the country.
  • There has been one interview for the temporary reader services librarian position.
  • Kathy Lafferty will continue to serve as temp assistant to the Dean for probably at least another month while they try to find someone to hire on a permanent basis.
  • Hosted a gathering for Leonard Pitts and the English Dept. in the North Gallery on Oct. 5th.
  • The Dept of Economics held a gathering Oct. 6-8.
  • Upcoming flashlight inventory.

 

Committee Reports

  • Senate Committee on Libraries (SCL) - Nancy Hawkins
    • No report
  • University Support Staff Senate - Mary Ann Baker

The minutes for the Oct 4th meeting of the Executive Committee of the USS Senate are available:  http://www2.ku.edu/~clsenate/minutes/2006_ExecMin/2006_USSExec_1004a.pdf.  No doubt the minutes for the full Senate meeting on Oct 11th will be up soon as well.  The material covered in both meeting is pretty similar.  The one thing I would mention about the full Senate meeting is that I had worked up some guidelines to accompany the USS Senate Code, just as years ago I worked up the guidelines to accompany the KULSS Code, and the Senate agreed that the information provided was valuable and worth maintaining!

The University Committee on Libraries first meeting is November 2nd.  I'm really disappointed that the meetings are getting started so late in the semester and that there are only 2 meetings scheduled this semester (the other is Dec 7th).  This is fairly normal for the committee and perhaps there are good reasons for so few meeting so late in the semester but I really thought the committee was going to become more proactive and involved.  Hmmmmmmmmmm …

Let me know if you have any questions – mab

  • Diversity Committee (DC) – Erin Kidwell
    • No report
  • Staff Development Committee (SDC)
    • No report
  • Planning & Resources Committee (PRC)
    • See discussion below

 

Planning and Resources Committee Discussion

  • PRC will be meeting Friday Oct. 20th to discuss
    • Standing charges
    • Possible staff development focus
      • IS-Wide staff development likely not to occur until Spr 07.  Could use some immediate presence on this issue
    • Possible orientation focus
      • Gather info from what Donna began.
      • LFA began taking new faculty out to lunch to acquaint them with governance and library.

Supervisor evaluations and training

  • KULSS-Exec sent out a call to other Universities for their policies on supervisor evaluations, but received no response.
  • Use this as impetus for the training supervisor’s forum.
  • Focus on current evaluation (when supervisors ask for comments).  Will ask Dean about the consistency of this process.

Discuss with the Dean

  • Get USS representation on Staff Development
    • Suggested asking LFA if they have people interested in serving, get those names and USS names and give to Donna to get a committee started.
    • Charges were to be out already.
  • Progress on staff development workshop, need to know by November if this will be IS-wide so KULSS can work on it. Get confirmation on what Lea said.
  • Ask about Donuts of the Dean issues Janet brought up (esp in regard to Regents renovations to their staff room)
  • Bring up specifics on supervisors forum
    • Current progress
    • Current evaluation solicitation
    • What we’ve done on seeking other evaluation procedures at other universities.

 

Action Items for next meeting:

WHO?

BY WHEN?

WHAT?

Monica

ASAP

Email Kathy to schedule at least a first meeting since monthly schedule not yet possible.

Denise

ongoing

Create document of general meeting refreshments (incl. cost and funding source).  Save in G:Committees/CCEB/General Meeting Issues

PARKING LOT/ON GOING PRIORITIES

  • Support Staff Development Workshop