MINUTES OF THE LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD

January 24, 2007

 

Dr. Chris Mitchell, Chair, convened the meeting at 4:01 p.m., in Library Conference Room, 4440.

 

Present:Monty Bennett, Mary Claire Browne, Jose Deustua, Terri Fredrick, Linda Ghent, Sam Guccione, Keith Kohanzo, Peggy Holmes Layman, Chris Mitchell, Frances Murphy, Tom Nelson, Brent Walker, and Dean Lanham

 

Not Present:Ann Fritz, Linda Loy, and Marina Marjanovic

 

I.Welcome and Comments

Frances Murphy and Sam Guccione were welcomed back to the Library Advisory Board after being off the board during the fall semester.Appreciation was mentioned for the services of Yunus Kathawala and Thomas McDonald who held those positions during that time.

 

The minutes from the November 29, 2007 meeting were approved as corrected.

 

II.Communications

Communications were received from Ann Fritz and Linda Loy regarding their inability to attend today�s meeting. ��Marina Marjanovic is on sabbatical this semester and alternate, Linda Ghent, plans to attend and will be the voting member in her stead.

 

III. Old Business

It was recommended that the same format used in previous years for the One Book, One University programs be implemented again in 2008.Discussion ensued with regard to the type of book that should be chosen, and it was agreed that the book should be one that is short enough to hold a student�s interest, controversial or provocative enough to allow for group discussion, and a topic that students could be enthused about.A suggestion was made that faculty tend to like futuristic material and would probably attend book discussions on those topics.One idea was to tie the book into the �Great Beginnings� theme on campus.Dean Lanham will discuss this with Ann Brownson, a Booth reference librarian and member of that committee.Ideas for publicity were discussed, including the use of fliers in the magazines in the library�s atrium.Board members will check with their colleagues and email book suggestions to Dean Lanham; the deadline for the selection is April 4, 2007.

 

The FY2007 Book and Materials Budget, which is only distributed to this Board, the Provost and Booth librarians, was reviewed in greater detail.It was noted that no special budget line item was shown for the new CAA approved interdisciplinary groups of Asian Studies, Film Studies and Medieval Studies.Dean Lanham pointed out that the Film Studies materials would fall under the �Media Materials� category and the others would likewise be absorbed elsewhere in the budget.However, to date, no specific requests have been made for separate fund accounts or bibliographers.Dean Lanham reviewed the process for material acquisition.Request is made at the department level to the Departmental Library Coordinator who will make the request known to the appropriate subject librarian.

 

With regard to competitive grant opportunities for ALA and NEH exhibits, Dean Lanham said that the Library Programming Committee is in the process of applying for grants for two exhibits, Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World and Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country.Submissions will be made during February, and we should know by summer as to whether we receive the grants.The timing of when these traveling exhibits could appear at Booth Library might be as late as 2011.

 

IV. New Business

 

Dean�s Report

Welcome

A presentation was made by Nackil Sung, Head of Library Technology Services and Dr. Jan Sung, Circulation Librarian, demonstrating the use of the electronic inventory system written and developed by them with help of John Whisler, Head of Cataloging Services.  Jan Sung shared that the concept of inventory and/or shelf reading has not changed over the years. However, the way how to perform it has been affected by the technology available at the time.  By the end of last year, sixty percent of the Library�s monographs (approximately 300,000) were scanned.  Staff in Circulation services performs the procedure five to seven hours a day.  Approximately, six percent of books were found misplaced. Among them, over thirty percent was one book away.  Statistics also showed that ninety percent of misplaced books were found within1 to 100 books away, which means that most misplaced books may be found within 1 to 3 shelves.  The data proved the importance of the project so that the department decided to do the inventory of books and materials as a continual and ongoing process.

 

Service Issues

The traveling exhibit due to arrive February 5, 2007, Farm Life: A Century of Change for Farm Families and Their Neighbors: NEH on the Road, is in its final stages of readiness.Last week Dean Lanham saw the exhibit in Crystal Lake, Illinois.Ten to twelve activities are planned, and it is hoped that this exhibit will touch many departments on campus.

 

Reading and activities for the Grapes of Wrath, the One Book, One University book for 2007, will follow immediately after the Farm Life exhibit.Plans are underway to have a showing of the film, The Grapes of Wrath, at the Will Rogers Theatre in Charleston on February 10, 2007.

 

Dr. Lanham brought to the Board�s attention the cell phone courtesy notices posted around the library.Complaints about this issue were mentioned on the 2006 Patron Satisfaction Survey, and it is hoped that these signs will help to modify student behavior.

 

Additional shelving is to be added to the 4000 level at Booth Library to accommodate the expanding music and art collections.

 

The University is still looking at the possibility of dedicating the Library Seminar Room, located just off the Ballenger Teachers� Center, to alum and former Governor Jim Edgar.

 

Collections Issues

The FY2007 Book and Materials Budget was discussed under Old Business.

 

Planning Issues

The Library Periodical and Standing Order review will be given to Departmental Library Coordinators in February.Dr. Lanham stressed that the Library is not trying to cut any department�s periodical list; the annual process is used to make sure we are purchasing the correct materials.

 

Other

There will be a rally held on the steps of the Capital Building in Springfield, Illinois, on April 19, 2007, for Illinois Library Day.Booth Library will provide transportation to all those who wish to join the group going from Eastern Illinois University.A march is planned that will begin at the Presidential Library and end at the legislative steps.Every representative�s office is to be visited by a different group to bring attention to the ongoing issues such as funding and legislation on filtering in libraries.

 

Presentations to be made at future Board meetings include the Art & Architecture grant project in February, and the Ballenger Teachers Center in April.Our next meeting is February 28, 2007.

 

V. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 5:10 p.m.

 

 

Respectfully submitted by:

Christine Derrickson, Recording Secretary