�MINUTES
OF THE LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD
April
23, 2003
The
meeting was convened by Dr. Peter Loewen, Chair, at 4:09p.m. in
the Library Conference Room.
Present:
��� Kathryn Bulver,
Chris Hanlon, Allen Lanham, Peter Loewen, Scott Meiners,
Charles Phillips, Stacey Ruholl, and Jeff Stowell
Excused:
� Melanie Burns, Steve Davis, Dawn Van
Gunten, Richard Jacques, Marylin
Lisowski, and Tom Moncada,
Mary Ellen Varble, and Wafeek
Wahby
Absent:
��� Jenn
Anderson, Jamie Irving
I.� Welcome and Comments
The
minutes from the March 26, 2003, meeting were approved as submitted.
II.
Communications
III.
Old Business
Election
of LAB officers
Dr.
Loewen announced that the first order of business was to elect new officers for
the Library Advisory Board for 2003-2004.�
He stated that he had communicated with all members of the board, and
that the following members were nominated for the position of chair or
vice-chair:
�
Kathy
Bulver, Foreign Languages
Chris
Hanlon, English
Stacey
Ruholl, Physical Education
Scott
Meiners, Biology
It
was determined that there was a quorum present with six of the ten voting
members in attendance.� It was decided
that there would be two rounds of voting, the first to choose the chair, and
the second ballot to determine the vice-chair.�
Dr. Loewen read the votes as Barbara Funk tallied the count.� Chris Hanlon was declared the chair for
2003-2004.� After the second ballot was
taken, Kathryn Bulver was declared vice-chair.�
Dr.
Loewen stated that he had received communication from those who had been on the
LAB before and would like to return, including himself.� How does the process work to get
reappointed?� The Dean answered that the
Faculty Senate makes the appointments from the colleges where members have
completed their terms.� He suggested
enquiring of the senate to find out whom to contact.� It was also stated that chairs receive
communication from the senate regarding vacancies on the board, so it may be
advisable to speak with your chair.�
There are no requirements that one must remain off the board for any
period of time.
FY04
library calendar B
final draft
The
calendar was distributed and reviewed.�
The Dean stated that it would be printed on heavier stock than the
sample and that the logo would appear more clearly, but that the size would be
the same.� The closing times have been
rounded to the hour, but closing procedures will start before the hour so that
patrons are ready to leave the building at midnight.� Computer labs will close before the hour as
the labs are the places where it is most difficult to get patrons to
leave.� It was asked how much the library
is used late on a Sunday evening.� The
Dean answered that the busiest nights of the library are Sunday, Monday, and
Tuesday, unless there is a holiday on Monday, and then, traditionally, the
library closes on Sunday.� Late at night
by near midnight, the computer labs are full.�
It was asked how the usage of the new library compared to the temporary
quarters. The Dean stated that electronic reference use is up;� there is greater use of the library in
general; the gate count is about the same, but students stay longer; and, AAsk a Librarian@
is gaining in use as patrons can send requests after hours, and a librarian
answers in the morning.� By consensus,
the calendar was approved.
IV.
New Business
Other
Dr.
Loewen offered congratulations to the library staff, stating that he
appreciates them and all the work they do.
Dean=s Report
Personnel
Issues
The
Dean reported that there are still five positions open in the library, three in
administration.� He explained also that
Peggy Manley has been out a lot with her ill mother who just passed away last
Friday.� He reported that the hiring
freeze is still in effect and that the Provost stated we must go with our
current staffing through the summer, but by fall, we will need to hire in some
positions or move staff around in the departments.� The Dean is concerned that attrition is
driving the university=s
approach to staffing.
Budgetary
Issues
The
Dean stated that, since the last LAB meeting, the Governor has given his budget
address.� EIU was barely spared for FY03,
but was hit for FY04 as were other institutions.� The university is preparing for a lack of
money for next year.� There is no
indication yet from the administration what the library will have
financially.� Everyone is trying to pool
any free dollars, so spending has come to a halt throughout the institution
except for personnel monies.� These
pooled dollars will go into FY04 funds to allow a little more on top of the
FY04 state budget dollars.� The library
stopped acquisitions for three weeks which is the first time since the Dean has
been here.� Yesterday the Provost told
the library to go forward with the Book and Materials budget.� Electronic resources are paid early in the year,
and in spite of the Faxon and Rowe fiasco, more and
more publishers have agreed to send the journals for 2003.� When and if there is a settlement from the
bankruptcy proceedings, these publishers would get the money instead of Booth
Library.� That is good for the library as
the journals are needed.� So far we have
had no complaints from patrons.�
Predictions
for next year are that there will be an 8.2% overall decrease, which could hit
the Book and Materials budget by about $130,000, severely hurting acquisition
power.� In 1992 when we lost money, it
took seven years to catch up to previous levels of Book and Materials
spending.� Because of the world financial
situation, publishers probably will not impose major inflationary increases.
In the library faculty meeting, a brainstorming session on what can be done to combat the lack of potential funds next year incorporated the following ideas:
-��� The library spends a lot of money on
printing, toner, and paper, and much of that is given away through the reference
computers with patron printouts.� The
photocopy machines help pay for these printouts, as part of each nickel is
returned to the library, but the library reference faculty suggested that we
could charge two or three cents per page.�
This could be a major billing headache for the library as we have an
agreement with the business office that we don=t
send out anything less than $5, so this accumulation per student could spread
out for months, and the library would have to keep track of it.
-��� Faculty development registrations and travel
could be limited.
-��� Library departments could share the
obligation to staff the Security Desk in the north lobby.� The library has been hiring students for that
post for about $24,000 per year; it is worth it to the library, but we could
ask everyone to spend five hours per month at the desk.� This is not the best solution as it takes
expensive staff away from their primary jobs.
-��� The library could cut down on the numbers of
photocopies for course work by giving the professor one copy, which would have
to be duplicated for students B
it is the same institution, so nothing would be saved overall.
-��� The faculty also talked about reducing
library hours B not a
good solution.� Discussion followed
regarding hours that could be cut and the fact that the only way to truly save
would be to cut staffing hours.
The
Dean stated that there are no services the library would like to stop offering.
Service
Issues
The
Dean stated that the library is planning to continue the film and speaker
series next year.� Both have been well
received.� It was suggested that the
advertisement for each presentation be put on the screen savers in the computer
labs. The Dean stated that the Daily Eastern News gave good coverage for
each event.� The Dean noted that he would
liked to have given an honorarium to the speakers, but
it was suggested that a nice letter of thanks would be fine and that the
presenters would not expect an honorarium.�
The library also presented each speaker with a commemorative photograph.
Planning
In
reporting on the 2003 Periodical/Standing Order Review, the Dean announced that
the cancellation list has been posted, and the departments have come forward
with $35,000 which can be moved to the book budget for review on how to spend as
wisely as possible.� Most areas came up
with a contingency list for next fall in case the budget is reduced by 8.2%.
The
Dean reported that close to 2,000 students participated in the 2003 Patron
Satisfaction Survey.� All students who
had class at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesdays were asked to fill out the survey.� About 50% of the student body
have class at that time.� Of those
eligible to participate, 47% returned the surveys, which is a much better
return than in previous years.� It was
suggested that a time period should be specified on the survey, as students
were unclear whether it should cover their entire time at EIU or the current
year.� The Dean stated that it should be
for the current year, but that this suggestion would be passed along for future
surveys.
The
Dean stated that during National Library Week the library had more activities
this year than ever before.� Each
department put out a display, and patrons seemed to like it.� The review committee gave a blue ribbon for
each display, each one in a different category.�
The book sale brought in a record high amount of $1,203.� Many people donate books to the library over
the year, and those not incorporated into the collection go into the book
sale.� It was suggested that, at Rutgers,
when books are decommissioned, they are put on a shelf for sale on an honor
system, and money is put into a container.�
The shelf is located outside of the security gates.� The Dean reminded the Board that discarded
materials from state libraries cannot be sold.�
There
was a complaint about the Fine Arts Building model that was in the front foyer
of the library, remarking that it was very dusty and that the miniature people
were falling over, etc.� The Dean stated
that the model has been taken out until fall.�
Originally, it was set up for potential freshmen coming on campus so
that they could see what the new Fine Arts complex would look like.
The Dean announced the following:
Saturday
evening the Marvin Foyer will be dedicated.�
There will be a dinner by invitation only, and a bronze plaque honoring
former president Daniel Marvin will be unveiled.�
Tuesday,
April 29, at 3:00 p.m., Charles Buzzard, the son of former president Robert
Buzzard, will be in the Archives to donate more of his father=s papers.� There will be a reception.�
Tomorrow,
the Illinois Cooperative Collection Management Program (ICCMP), a group of
libraries from all over the state, will be here to review collection grants
using state dollars.
It
was recommended that faculty should be encouraged to write Redden grants for
materials they want purchased for the library for undergraduate education.
The
Dean thanked everyone for their work on the Library Advisory Board this past
year.
V.
Adjournment
Meeting
adjourned at 5:07p.m.
Barbara
Funk for
Peggy
Manley, Recording Secretary
�