Annual Report = to the Faculty Senate

ANNUAL REPORT = TO THE=20 FACULTY SENATE

Committee: University Libraries=20 Committee

Year_2006-2007

Committee=20 Chair(s)

Thomas H. = Charlton, Anthropology

Committee=20 Members

Faculty

Deborah Schoenfelder, = College of = Nursing

Astrid Oesmann, German

Edward Gillan, Chemistry

John Fuller, Urban and = Regional=20 Planning

Students

Chloe Mellecker

Si-Chi = Chin

Sawsun = Sultana

Jonathan Gajdos

Staff

Jessica Jensen-Arnold, = Internal=20 Medicine

Patricia Martin, Psych and = Quant.=20 Foundations

Administrative=20 Liaisons

Michael = Hogan

Nancy = Baker

Emeritus Faculty=20 Liaison

Carl Orgren

Committee=20 Charge

a. Advise on policy = regarding the=20 size, scope, nature, and growth of the collections =

housed = by the=20 University Libraries;

b. Advise on policies = regarding the=20 assignment of facilities within the libraries and =

the = availability of=20 services which render the libraries more useful to members of=20

of the = University=20 community and the public;

c. Advise on the = coordination of the=20 decentralized libraries and their = collections

with = the Main=20 Library and its collection;

d. Advise on the expansion = or=20 substantial modification of library = facilities;

e. Hold meetings at = least once=20 a year with representatives of various = departmental

= and=20 divisional library committees in order to understand their needs = for=20 library

= services.

Meeting=20 Dates

April = 16,=20 2007

March = 23,=20 2007

February = 23,=20 2007

November = 10,=20 2006

October = 6,=20 2006

September 8,=20 2006

The approved minutes for the = first 5=20 meetings, along with the letter responding to the request from the = President of the Faculty Senate, Prof. Sheldon F. Kurtz (see = below) are=20 posted on the University Libraries Committee web page. When = approved the=20 minutes of the April 16, = 2007 meeting will be=20 added.

Activities

The committee=92s first task = was to=20 respond to a June 22, = 2006 letter from the Faculty = Senate=20 President, Sheldon F. Kurtz requesting input on the charge to the=20 committee, the appropriateness of the committee=92s administrative = liaisons.=20 This matter was dealt with in the first two meetings of the = academic year=20 and the letter sent to the Faculty Senate was posted on the = committee=92s=20 web page.

One meeting (November=20 10, 2006) was=20 dedicated to a presentation of software (Primo) being developed to = be the=20 Libraries=92 next generation of catalogue software. The developers = of the=20 software made the presentation.

One meeting (February 23, = 2007) was=20 primarily dedicated to a presentation by the University Librarian, = Nancy=20 Baker, on the criteria being used to move materials from the Main = Library=20 to a High Density Archival Facility.

Issues of=20 concern

1. The Rising Cost of = Scholarly=20 Publications

This is a continuing problem = and was=20 raised in last year=92s report.

These costs were discussed = in several=20 meetings. Putting them together with inadequate state funding for=20 continuing subscriptions to periodicals the Libraries have a = continuing=20 recourse to journal cancellation, the current cancellation project = being=20 the most recent in a series that stretches back over a quarter of = a=20 century.

The Libraries have made full = use of=20 electronic resources often in consortia with other Universities = but this=20 has not brought an end to the journal cancellations. Part of the = problem=20 is that commercial publishers have raised and continue to raise = prices=20 substantially, not just for Libraries but increasingly for faculty = subscribers.

2. High Density Archival=20 Facility

This seems to be a good = solution to=20 increasing volumes of collections in the Main Library and the = Committee=20 was fully informed about developments here. The Committee, = however, should=20 be consulted regarding selection procedures as should the faculty = either=20 as a whole or by area of expertise. These issues were raised and = discussed=20 in Committee meetings.

Recommendations, if any, to = the=20 Faculty Senate

1. The Committee=92s letter = of last=20 October in response to then Faculty Senate President Sheldon Kurtz = could=20 be answered. The Committee this year did not schedule meetings = with branch=20 librarians in accordance with the recommendation made to the = Faculty=20 Senate to remove this duty from the charge to the=20 committee.

2. I would also recommend = that the two=20 issues raised above be monitored closely.