PUC Library Advisory Committee Meeting
February 18, 2004 - CLO 154

In attendance were: Kathryn Carpenter, Miriam Joyce, Catherine Murphy, Michael O'Toole, Bipin Pai, David Pick, Lee Rademacher, Robert Selig, Rebecca Stankowski, Elaine Waples, Lynn Zimmerman.

The meeting began at 8:15 a.m. with a review of both the April 8, 2003, and the April 24, 2003, meeting notes. The April 8 notes had been approved previously; the April 24 notes were approved "by acclaim."

The minutes, agenda and committee documents will be posted on the Library's Web page under a Library Advisory Committee link. The report of the Task Force on Library Collection Development and Information Access Policy, which led to the creation of the Library Advisory Committee, will also be posted there. The members of the Senate Academic Support Services Committee and others will be able to keep up-to-date on committee activities via the Web site.

Becky Stankowski gave an update on the RoweCom/divine bankruptcy, starting with a brief overview of periodicals management. It is common practice for libraries to use vendors such as RoweCom, since there usually isn't sufficient library staff to handle hundreds of periodicals from dozens of publishers. After RoweCom declared bankruptcy, many publishers continued to provide subscriptions free of charge, called "gracing," to former RoweCom customers in return for the transfer of the libraries' claims against RoweCom and the understanding that they would renew subscriptions in 2004. With funding provided by the Interim VCAA, the Library was able to avoid canceling subscriptions in 2004. The cost of replacing back issues that were not graced was $15,000 and some gaps in the Library collection still exist. Small scholarly publishers and professional societies were hit hardest by the loss of payments. The Library purchased some back issues and entered duplicate subscriptions to two heavily used titles, The New York Times and The Times (Hammond, Ind.). The need to check the Library collection for missing items was a time-consuming aspect of the vendor bankruptcy. There have also been complaints from students and faculty regarding missing issues.

The periodicals renewal process for 2005 was then discussed. Becky Stankowski reported that Library Technical Services would begin updating the price-tracking database in March. To renew the current list of subscriptions in 2005 will require additional funds to cover the anticipated increase in price. The alternative is canceling current subscriptions in order to stay within budget. The process to review and rank subscriptions for cancellation will begin in fall 2004. RoweCom offered discounts when the subscriptions were paid by July, but Ebsco does not. The service charge for handling subscriptions is also higher.

Academic IT Priorities - Access to Scholarly Content was then discussed. Kate Carpenter reported that the computing advisory committee CTISPAC was disbanded in 2003-2004. Two new advisory committees have been created in its place, the Academic Computing Council and the Administrative Computing Council. The Academic Computing Council is conducting a survey of faculty for their advice on priorities for academic computing. One of the items listed, improving access to scholarly content, relates to the work of the Library Advisory Committee. Those in attendance were encouraged to complete and return the survey, as is will influence Academic Computing Council's priorities for information technology projects in Academic Affairs.

In past years, the Library has also applied its allocation of Student Technology Fees and State Technology funds toward database subscriptions and searches. Titles such as FirstSearch, JSTOR, E*Subscribe (ERIC documents online) and Wilson/OmniFile are paid for with these funds. The Library has requested Student Technology Fees to renew these databases, plus subscribe to additional titles, including Lexis-Nexis, Mental Measurements Yearbook and new JSTOR collections in 2005. The Library has received many requests for subscriptions from students and faculty, but there is need for more systematic input. Bob Selig noted the need for additional books, including current textbooks. Textbooks are costly, become dated quickly, and often students kept the books out the entire semester, even if other students requested them.

In considering the implications of canceling periodicals vs. the desirability of expanding access to scholarly content, the discussion turned to the need for feedback from faculty and departments, e.g. a wish list. The committee decided to organize a feedback process that it labeled "Wish List." Cathy Murphy will create a template for Library Advisory Committee members to use in seeking input from faculty and departments. It will emphasize that the purpose is mid-range planning for the Library. A broad list will be created, then reviewed and refined by the committee. Library use data also needs to be tracked. That process is more easily accomplished for databases, than it is for books. PULSE offers a current list of what is now in the Library that is easily searchable by call number.

The importance of a wish list anticipates the March 2004 Library Advisory Committee agenda topic of Library services in support of scholarship, research and grants. Under the leadership of the VCAA, the Academic Affairs' vision has been revised to state that the University will be "recognized for scholarship in applied research and creative endeavor." The Academic Affairs mission now states that the University is "supporting faculty research/scholarly activities and building niche areas of academic excellence." The Library is beginning to look at what it needs to support additional graduate programs and graduate students, an increase in scholarship and an increase in grants and contracts. The Academic Affairs vision and mission also emphasize "engaging the university's intellectual capital in regional economic development." The Library needs a plan for resources and services in order to qualify for funding as Academic Affairs pursues its mission and vision.

The committee decided to encourage their departments/schools to prepare wish lists that they could present at the March 10, 2004, committee meeting.

The March 10 agenda includes collection space planning and process for weeding out-of-date materials to provide space for new acquisitions. Faculty need to be involved in reviewing collections in order for the Library to make the best decisions on what materials may be weeded. Some collections are more easily weeded because knowledge changes quickly in these fields, for example, computer science and nursing. In other areas, such as history or literature, older materials are usually not obsolete. Weeding in these collections requires an expert's advice. The Library typically offers weeded items to academic departments before discarding them, but departments do not have space or staff to handle large numbers of books and periodicals.

Library service at the South County Learning Center
Kate Carpenter reported that the South County Learning Center would include a Library space in the plan. Originally, the floor plan did not include a Library presence. The Library will offer assistance in using collections, interlibrary loan services and instruction in information literacy for Freshman Year Experience and other 100 level and 200 level courses scheduled at that site. The Library is also planning to offer electronic reserves if its renovation request for 2004-2005 to create a processing space is approved.

Periodicals Review Process Proposal
The Library Advisory Committee began planning for a review and ranking of periodicals by faculty in the fields most likely to use them. The request for information about periodicals use addressed use by undergraduates, graduate students and the faculty members themselves. The timetable for the review reflected the former early review and payment process, which is no longer a factor. The process was designed for feedback from individual faculty.

Beginning with 2004, periodical subscriptions will be renewed in October rather than April, so the review can take place in the fall rather than the previous spring. Those present considered the review process to be more workable as a group effort, rather than an individual activity. The committee members should approach department heads for time to present the issue at an August or September departmental meeting. Planning these discussions for fall also means that we will know what the allocation for periodicals and for periodical price increases are and be able to plan more realistically. The departments' title lists of used and usable titles will be compiled in August and September before periodical subscriptions are renewed in October.

The meeting adjourned at 9:20 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Cynthia Leighty
Secretary, Library Director's Office