MINUTES OF THE LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD

September 23, 1998
 
 

The meeting was convened by Dr. Robert (Bud) Fischer, Chair, at 4:00 p.m. in the Dean's Conference Room of Booth Library.
 
 

Present: Reed Benedict, Leo Comerford, Steve Davis, Barbara Kemmerer, Karen Ketler, Newton Key, Brian Pritschet, Ted Weidner, Bailey Young, Allen Lanham. Visitor: Karen Whisler.
 
 
Absent: Valencia Browning, Rosemary Buck, Scott Crawford, Joyce Higgins, John Weber.
 
 

I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

None.
 
 

II. COMMUNICATIONS

a. Introduction of Members Dr. Fischer welcomed everyone to the meeting. The group introduced themselves around the room. Dr. Fischer mentioned that Fern Kory, Scott Crawford, and Joyce Higgins have all resigned from LAB due to scheduling conflicts; he has asked Student Government to name representatives but no names have come forward.
 
 

b. Dr. Fischer asked if anyone had any communications; he had heard from several people, including students, about the problems of slow access to the computer system in the library. Dr. Lanham reported on the upgrades by Information Technology Services to the campus infrastructure and the changes brought about by the migration of ILLINET Online to DRA. He said Booth�s computer response time suffers because of our Internet connection. He has been assured by Info Tech Services that this problem will soon be under control. Dr. Key asked about access to new books; Dr. Lanham replied that ILSCO libraries stopped putting catalog information on newly-arrived books/materials during the IO transition; within days this will be fixed and all materials will be in the catalog.
 
 

III. NEW BUSINESS

a. Funding Dr. Fischer noted the Collection Development Policy handout. He spoke of LAB�s role in advising how funding is allocated.
 
 

b. Role of Library Advisory Board Chair Fischer spoke of the role of LAB as stated in the bylaws; some earlier conversations with Dr. Lankford Walker have prompted Dr. Fischer to ask that LAB revisit its Purpose and perhaps revise it.
 
 

c. Library Move This item was to be included in the Dean�s Report.
 
 

d. Dean�s Report Dr. Lanham welcomed everyone to the Board; four handouts were distributed: (1) the Library Services Organizational Chart; (2) Library Services Faculty and Staff Directory; (3) Subject Librarian List; and (4) Departmental Library Coordinator List. The Departmental Library Coordinators and Subject Librarians shepherd issues for each discipline and provide effective links between the library and academic departments.
 
 

*Human Resources issues since last meeting included the retirement of one faculty and two civil service members, and the resignation of one faculty and two civil service members. Now vacant are 3.5 faculty positions and two civil service positions. Plans to fill the positions but are hampered by accrued leave/sick leave payout sums to retirees and people who resigned.
 
 

*Budgetary issues were discussed; Dr. Lanham explained the Book and Materials Budget handout. Booth Library received a 10% increase to the book and materials budget for FY99, adding $99,200. The handout presented all the current allocations for each discipline fund. Three adjustment categories recommended by the Collection Development Committee were noted: (1) across the board increases of 8.61% ($80,700) for all funds except Library Fellows, (2) binding increase of $7,500 due to the expiration of the contract with one vendor and the lowest bid from another firm, and (3) the establishment of a new fund account of $11,000 for interdisciplinary electronic journals.
 
 

Discussion ensued on the new account for electronic journals, specifically how IDEAL (Academic Press) and MUSE (Johns Hopkins University Press) print titles were paid for by each discipline�s fund account versus how the electronic subscriptions are billed. The Acquisitions Department needed a better way to account for the details of these products and therefore requested the Collection Development Committee to consider a separate account. In order to keep sufficient funds in the account to pay for the electronic product, the various discipline accounts were relieved of the responsibility of paying for the print titles, and the funds allocated for those titles were moved into the new account. Subscriptions of both print and electonic formats are paid from the new account. Fifteen fund accounts were billed a total of $24,300 that they had been using to pay for print titles covered in IDEAL. Additional funds were needed, and $11,000 of new FY99 monies were placed in the account.
 
 

Dr. Comerford was concerned that in the future electronic journal choices would change and that departments may not get their funds returned. Dr. Lanham stated that Acquisitions knows from where the funds were collected and would later know where to return the funds if IDEAL and MUSE were canceled. Dr. Comerford asked if it was time to revise the accounting system to reflect hard copies and electronic ones or have academic departments provide input in the purchase of electronic journals. Dr. Lanham stated that it might be easier to have one journal account rather than the 35 that we currently use. The dean said that perhaps the LAB needs to have a new mental picture concerning electronic journals; it is now a more cooperative venture than was the case with print titles.
 
 

Karen Whisler spoke about the merits of electronic journal products for libraries such as Booth. Dr. Benedict asked if the library had a tracking system for journal use. Lanham replied it depended on the electronic vendor for each product, but we have a reasonable system for print titles and for some of the electronic products.
 
 

Dr. Fischer requested the FY98 book and materials budget sheets and also the change in journal prices from one year to the next for each discipline. Karen Whisler stated that the latter was too time consuming to have quickly. Dean Lanham said the national data covered no specific library and was therefore previously dismissed by faculty members studying the issue. Dr. Fischer stated the budget needed to have a little play in it to account for journal price increases. The dean mentioned a national movement entitled SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), a catalyst for change through the creation of a more competitive marketplace for research information which could eventually bring about more reasonable prices for academic journals.
 
 

Dr. Fischer wishes to revisit the budget at the next meeting.
 
 

*Planning Dean Lanham informed the group that the Booth renovation project is currently $1 million over budget. During the past year, he and others have worked with the architects. Now we need to balance the budget to proceed. He showed preliminary sketches to the LAB and noted the new South entrance and central Atrium; the design is still tentative. Our desire is to open up the library to lots of light and to be able to see all the levels to the north and the south from the middle of the building. The temporary housing quarters for the library are less well-known at this time. We plan to continue to provide services for the two years during renovation; five or six different locations on and off campus are being considered for our temporary home. More than one-half the collection will be held off-campus with a system of closed stacks and a 2-3 hour retrieval time. Student and study spaces will be diminished. We will vacate the building the end of May 1999 after graduation and return the summer of 2001. Ted Weidner spoke of the architects having 2-3 months� additional design time beyond our moving out. It could be more than a year from now until the renovation begins. Karen Ketler asked about disruption of nearby classes; could we prepare the students? Weidner noted that the newspaper has been positive about EIU�s changes.
 
 

*DRA Opportunities and Requirements Better patron services are being offered by our new catalog. With social security number and PIN, items can be checked out, overdues can be noted and renewals can be made. Required changes are minor; some loan periods, for instance, have changed. These changes will be submitted to President�s Council for approval.
 
 

*Media Services Equipment Policy has been adopted with no further changes since May 1998; it was reviewed again by the Council of Deans at the Provost�s request.
 
 

*The Panther Card has presented challenging questions and opportunities for the library. Patrons can add money to their cards at the Library, use them in the copy machines and on all microform reader printers (installation is now in progress), pay small fines with them, and purchase laser print cards in the SMC. Earlier, the dean spearheaded an effort to get a bar code on the card but was denied. To use the Panther Cards in other libraries, use your SS number.
 
 

*Performance of the Internet on campus has already been discussed.
 
 

There were no further questions. It was agreed to meet again on 10/14/98 at 4 pm in the Dean�s Conference Room.
 
 

Dr. Fischer requested copies of the Media Services Equipment Policy and the FY98 Book and Materials budget fund allocations. The role of LAB will be discussed and funding issues will again be on the agenda next month.
 
 

The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

Ellen Shupe, Recording Secretary