Over the past few months, we have been reviewing our current committee structure in light of our new organizational structure, with the exception of faculty governance committees which are governed by the Libraries’ Pattern of Administration. Quanetta Batts has been in contact with current committee chairs to construct a chart with charges, membership, and any thoughts from the chairs about the committee’s role and future.  As expected, we will have four kinds of groups going forward:

• Standing committees with ongoing work;
• Communication forums;
• Task forces and working groups with a specific task for a specific period of time; and
• Standing faculty governance committees.

Each of the first three groups will have the following:

• An executive sponsor to create a better linkage to the Executive Committee;
• An overarching charge; and
• Specific goals for the year ahead, where appropriate.

New Committee Structure

A list of these groups with their executive sponsors and links to the charges for each group can be found here:  http://library.osu.edu/staff/administration-reports/NewCommitteeStructure.pdf.  There is a second document http://library.osu.edu/staff/administration-reports/CommitteeReviewDecisions.pdf which lists the previous committees and the Executive Committee decision going forward.

Here is the list of the new committees, task forces, working groups, and forums:

Standing Committees

• Cataloging, Process, Policy and Training
• Collection Development and Management (Includes Collection Reformatting Review Sub-Committee)
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Employee Activities
• Executive Committee
• Programming (Includes Exhibits Sub-Committee)
• Risk Management
• Staff Advisory Council
• Teaching and Learning
• Training
• Web Governance

Communication Forums

• Admin Plus
• Catalogers
• Circulation Supervisors’
• Collections Managers’
• Special Collections Forum

Task Forces and Working Groups

• Acquisitions Budget Working Group
• Digital Reformatting Working Group
• Print Collections Management and Space Planning Task Force
• Standard Loan Periods Task Force
• WorldCat Local Implementation Task Force

Faculty Governance Committees

• Appointment, Promotion and Tenure
• Faculty Advisory Council
• Faculty Benefits, Responsibilities and Research
• Faculty Hearing Committee
• Faculty Review Board

The faculty governance committees are governed by the Libraries’ Pattern of Administration.  Changes were made when the faculty reviewed and approved a new document in 2010.  No changes have been made to these committees since that time.

Call for Volunteers

With the exception of the faculty governance committees, we will be starting all committees from scratch in January 2012.  A separate call for volunteers will be coming out with an indication of where committee members are needed.  Initial terms for many committee members will be staggered to move into the new structure with a certain number of members rotating off each year.  Where not mandated by the structure of the committee, chairs will be appointed by the Executive Committee or elected from the committee membership as described in the committee charge.  The Staff Advisory Council is an elected body governed by a set of existing bylaws.  No changes are being made to SAC as part of this process.

The annual call for volunteers for the committees will be issued from the Director’s Office using a web form for volunteers to indicate willingness to serve and on which committees.  Those volunteers will be reviewed by the Executive Committee, reviewed with sitting chairs where applicable and appointments made.

Committees will not have budgets, but will request funds to execute their responsibilities through the Executive Sponsors.

Holiday Letter

I wanted to share some of the amazing milestones from 2011 at The Ohio State University Libraries as the year comes to a close. It has been an exciting year, filled with many things we have cause to celebrate.

We have brought together an extraordinarily gifted executive team. Five new associate and assistant directors joined the staff in 2011, bringing their talent, experience and fresh perspectives.  Their addition has also enabled us to execute a new organizational structure which better positions us for the future. Lisa Carter, Craig Gibson, Lisa Patton-Glinski, Karla Strieb and Beth Warner are working with me to build on the strengths of our library system, implement our new strategic plan, and offer innovative services that set new standards for academic libraries.

This year has also seen the two newest appointees to the Mary P. Key Diversity Residency Program, designed to assist recent library graduates in making a successful transition to academic research librarianship. Brian Leaf and Juleah Swanson joined the Libraries’ faculty as our residents for the next two years in this unique program that increases the diversity of librarians at Ohio State and furthers the growth and development of academic librarians across the country. The program is named in honor of the emerita Assistant Professor of the University Libraries who served as the fi rst chair of the Libraries’ Diversity Committee, which oversaw the start of the Residency. Mary passed away in 2010, but her legacy lives on through this important initiative.

Thanks to the unfailing generosity of our supporters, we have made good progress towards meeting the $2.5 million challenge grant offered by Jean Schulz, widow of “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz. The challenge grant raises funds for the renovation of Sullivant Hall, the future home of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. We have received gifts and pledges totaling $2.2 million thus far, and look forward to meeting the goal in the months ahead with your help.

We received good news this year in survey results of patron attitudes toward our services. The Association of Research Libraries’ “LibQUAL” survey is administered every three years as part of a national effort to measure library users’ opinions of service quality. LibQUAL covers such key areas as the way we provide information, the impact of our staff in supporting users, and the quality of the spaces we offer. The data on OSUL—which was good to begin with—continues to improve each year, most noticeably in the satisfaction levels of key constituents—students and faculty. Clearly, the Thompson Library renovation has had a positive impact on the ratings for “Library as Place,” setting a new standard for the learning environments our users expect. As we move forward in implementing our strategic plan, I expect customers’ satisfaction with our services will continue to rise.

Preparations for the renovation of Sullivant Hall provided the opportunity to create a new home for the libraries’ highly respected Music and Dance Library and its staff. In September, Music and Dance moved into its new home on the second floor of the Science and Engineering Library. The space includes seminar rooms, a media center, music scores and the book collection, much of which is now available 24/7.

This year we unveiled the commissioned art for the Thompson Library. Renowned artist and OSU Art Department faculty member Ann Hamilton created “Verse,” a fi eld of 299 lines of text set in raised letters in the cork floor of the Buckeye Reading Room. The installation, text from three different books, describes the beginning and end of history. Its unique presentation makes up a 6,000 square foot “page,” offering a reading experience that is both complex and compelling.

In October, the Libraries and the Columbus Museum of Art announced the joint acquisition of the record books and ledger of internationally renowned artist and Columbus native George Bellows. The volumes are now housed in our Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, where they will be available to Ohio State students and faculty, as well as the general public. And as a shared resource, the collection is an invaluable asset to the Museum for informing study of its outstanding collection of Bellows paintings.

Another wonderful addition to our special collections is the archives of the Mysterious Press, founded and edited by Otto Penzler, the world’s foremost authority on and publisher of mystery fiction. These archives represent not only the complete manuscripts, corrected proofs and correspondence of the Mysterious Press’ publications, but also pristine copies of all galleys, limited editions and fi rst editions of the press. This was a highly sought-after acquisition, and greatly enhances the William Charvat Collection of American Fiction, already among the premier American fiction collections in the U.S.

I look forward to the coming year with optimism and excitement. I am very blessed to lead one of the nation’s great university libraries and to work with a talented, devoted faculty and staff whose commitment to the Libraries and its patrons is clearly visible every day. Their efforts are matched by the continuing generosity of our donors and the enthusiasm and energy of our volunteers.

All initiatives or projects must align with the strategic plan. Therefore, the Executive Committee will be looking for projects whose nature and scope fulfill at least one or more of these premises:

The project…

• Pilots or advances new ideas, services or technologies for our core users
• Engages OSU faculty and/or students in using and enhancing library managed content
• Initiates or advances new strategic partnerships with other libraries or academic units on campus
• Positions the Libraries as a national leader in the integration of intellectual content and services within the larger world of ideas and knowledge.
• Experiments with new ways of doing business
• Creates infrastructure or enables other projects of strategic importance

Any member of the OSU Libraries faculty or staff is eligible to submit an Innovation Fund application for consideration. Groups or units may also submit an application.

The 1^st round applicant deadline is December 30, 2011. For additional information about the application process and how successful awards are funded, please see the Innovation Fund Policy at http://library.osu.edu/staff/administration-reports/InnovationFundFinal113011.pdf

The Innovation Fund Application can be found at: http://library.osu.edu/staff/administration-reports/InnovationFundApplication.pdf

In particular, I encourage you to think about “launching a lot of small ships” rather than “building a 100,000-ton freighter and taking a long time to do it.”  (Y.S. Chi, IFLA World Library and Information Congress, San Juan, Puerto Rico, August 2011). That doesn’t mean that your proposals have to be inexpensive, but rather that we experiment and pilot as often as possible to move ideas forward.

At the most recent IFLA meeting in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican author, Elidio La Torre Lagares, had this to say:  “We should be talking … not about the future of the library but the library of the future.”  I challenge each of you to think outside the box about creative ways that your division can advance innovative ideas and projects to improve upon the great products and services that OSUL already offers to our students, colleagues and the entire OSU community. 

Push Pop Books

Push Pop Books (recently acquired by Facebook) set out to reimagine the book using text, images, video, audio and interactive media.   Their first publication is Al Gore’s Our Choice, which was released earlier this year.

“Our Choice will change the way we read books. And quite possibly change the world. In this interactive app, Al Gore surveys the causes of global warming and presents groundbreaking insights and solutions already under study and underway that can help stop the unfolding disaster of global warming. Our Choice melds the vice president’s narrative with photography, interactive graphics, animations, and more than an hour of engrossing documentary footage. A new, groundbreaking multi-touch interface allows you to experience that content seamlessly. Pick up and explore anything you see in the book; zoom out to the visual table of contents and quickly browse though the chapters; reach in and explore data-rich interactive graphics.”  Download the book to your iPhone, Ipod Touch or Ipad from the App Store or online at http://pushpoppress.com/ourchoice/  Be sure to blow on the windmill to make it move.

 10 innovative digital books you should know about

You’ll also want to take a look at this article by Peter Meyers at http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/06/10-innovative-digital-books-yo.html

Of course some of what is included here raises the question of  “what is a book?”  One good example from this article is the iBirdPro HD (http://www.ibirdexplorer.com/).  This is essentially a digital version of a field guide available for the iPad and iPhone.  But like many reference books, the print equivalent has been replaced with an easily updatable database or app.  The beauty, of course, the ease with which new information can be added.  These new versions also include features that could never have been provided in print – recordings of the various birds, selecting the characteristics of the bird you’re interested in and searching for species that match.  There is no question that these are improved books/reference guides for users.  But how can libraries expect to preserve them for the long term?

You’ll also want to check out the New York Public Library site NYPL Biblion (http://www.nypl.org/biblion).  This too is an app with the first installment focused on collections related to the 1939 World’s Fair.  “Every edition of Biblion will open up another of the Library’s collections, services, or programs by providing exclusive content in an innovative frame.”

British Library 19^th Century Historical Collections

This app from the British Library includes more than 1,000 19^th century books.  Available now for free, the collection is expected to expand to 60,000 title by later this summer when pricing will be announced.

 “What Big Media Can Learn from the New York Public Library”

Okay, this article isn’t specifically about digital books, but it is such a wonderful review of the scope of things the New York Public Library is doing to remain relevant and create a “virtual” role in the lives of their users.  The article is written by Alexis Madrigal and appears in the June 2011 issue of The Atlantic.  It’s online at http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/what-big-media-can-learn-from-the-new-york-public-library/240565/

The article has high praise for Biblion noting that “moving around the app doesn’t feel like flipping through the pages of a museum catalog or crawling around a website.  To me, it felt like a native application for the tablet era …”  Here are a few more quotes to pique your interest:

• The library sees its users as collaborators in improving the collections the library already has
• The logic of delivering what users want leads inexorably to trying to give them the best digital experiences in the world
• PR and content are all tied together now … Tumblr provides a flow of tiny stories from and about their collections
• What’s on the Menu? – a slick project  to crowdsource the transcription of tens of thousands of menus that, by virtue of their fonts and designs are resistant to OCR

So I’ve digressed a bit from my original theme, but there is no doubt that the creation of information resources – whether they are books, archival sites, or apps – is changing and libraries will need to evolve with those changes.

The Libraries compiled detailed information during the pilot.  Use of the library during finals week was not counted, as Thompson has traditionally been open for study until 2 a.m. that week, and will continue to be.  Between midnight and 2 a.m., the average daily headcount at Thompson was 200 customers at 12:30 a.m., declining to less than 100 by 1:30 a.m.  The staff’s observations, circulation data and previous customer surveys at both the Thompson and the Science and Engineering libraries, showed primary use during that time was for study and access to computers, rather than access to library collections or services.

The original estimate of $50,000 per quarter to offer extended hours at Thompson proved correct. The Libraries would need a permanent annual budget increase of $150,000 to extend Thompson’s hours on an ongoing basis.

Decision
Based on this data and the current budget climate, I did not recommend permanently extending the hours at Thompson to OAA.  Provost Joseph Alutto has accepted that recommendation.  Therefore, evening hours at the Thompson Library have been returned to the original schedule, again open Sundays-Thursdays until midnight.

I believe the pilot was a fair test of the amount of use extended hours would receive.  Thanks to OAA’s support of the pilot, we were able to evaluate actual use rather than projections of what usage might be. The Libraries promoted the extended hours extensively before and during the pilot, including advertising in the Lantern, listings in Buckeye Net News, postings on the Libraries’ web site, and signage throughout the building. In addition, USG used the resources at its disposal to help heighten awareness of the extended hours.  But ultimately the limited use of Thompson after midnight could not justify the costs of continuing to provide the service. OAA’s generous funding of the pilot gave us the opportunity to “test the waters.”

The Science and Engineering Library (SEL) has been open 24/7 since it began serving the campus more than 15 years ago.  SEL has a seating capacity of more than 1,000, more than enough to accommodate the late night study needs of both SEL and Thompson Library users.  During this pilot, use of SEL did not change.  This summer the Libraries has invested additional funds into the renovation and restoration of SEL including new carpeting on all floors.  As funds are available, we expect to tackle the issues of new furniture and improvements to the first floor.  In addition, the University is creating new collaborative space in the north academic core.

I appreciate USG’s request that we consider keeping Thompson open later.  It’s always good to know that the resources the Libraries offer are well received.  We strive to respond to our customers’ concerns in a positive manner whenever possible.  We are always open to suggestions on ways we can improve our services. I encourage students, faculty and staff to continue providing input that will help us enhance University Libraries.

New Roles for New Times:  Digital Curation for Preservation

ARL publishes lots of reports on a regular basis but one of their new series is on new roles for libraries and librarians.  The new series is called “New Roles for New Times” and will “identify and delineate emerging roles and present research on early experiences among member libraries in developing the roles and delivering services.”  This particular entry in the series “explores how research libraries are attempting to add value in the chain of events that produce new research knowledge and information.”  Check it out http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/nrnt_digital_curation17mar11.pdf

An interesting and related article can be found in the Research Libraries Issues publication from ARL, no. 274.  The article by Patricia Hswe and Ann Holt is titled “Joining in the Enterprise of Response in the Wake of the NSF Data Management Planning Requirement” which you can find at http://publications.arl.org/17gcns.pdf

Perceptions of Libraries, 2010: Context and Community

OCLC has issued a new membership report which “provides updated information and new insights into information consumers and their online information habits, preferences and perceptions.” In an article in the Next Space publication (no. 18) Cathy DeRosa highlights a few pieces of data:

• Satisfaction with librarians increased from the 2005 survey
• Search engine satisfaction decreased

Of particular relevance to us is the opinion of college students who ask most for us to add or update services, increase customer service, and improve the facility and environment.  And a final takeaway – faster and easier trump trustworthy and accurate.  Check out the full report at http://www.oclc.org/reports/2010perceptions.htm

A Portrait of Today’s Tablet User

In June, the Online Publishers Association (OPA) released a new study, “A Portrait of Today’s Tablet User,” “that was commissioned to learn about consumer usage of tablets, content consumption preferences, and implications for advertising on the device. The study found that tablet users view tablets as their preferred reading device over computers and printed media for many types of content, including weather, entertainment, news, sports and financial information. A copy of the study’s findings is available at www.online-publishers.org.”  A slideshow of the findings is also available at http://www.slideshare.net/InSitesConsulting/mmf-opa-portaitoftodaystabletuserjun2211finalpublic

Here’s a brief summary of the findings:

• “Today’s tablet users represent 12% of the US internet population ages 8 – 64; that number is projected to grow to 23% by early 2012—a group that represents an estimated 54 million people
• 87% of tablet users are accessing content and information, the dominant activity for this device
• 93% of tablet users have downloaded apps; the average tablet user has downloaded 20 apps
• 79% of app downloaders have paid for apps in the last 12 months; 26% of all apps downloaded are paid
• On average, those who have downloaded apps on tablets have spent $53 on apps in the past 12 months
• In addition to iTunes, Amazon and Google, 29% of tablet users would prefer to buy apps from their cable company or internet provider and 25% would prefer to buy their apps directly from publishers

‘The tablet also provides a rich platform for advertisers with 46% indicating that they found tablet advertising within newspaper and magazine apps to be relevant, unique and interesting,’ continued Horan.

Additional insights regarding tablet users and usage preferences include:

• 60% of tablet users are males; 48% are 18-34 years old
• 43% of tablet users have HH income in excess of $50,000
• 56% of tablet users who watch video watch full-length TV and 55% watch full-length movies “

Here’s a bit more from the ARL web site about this project (http://www.arl.org/rtl/plan/scenarios/usersguide/index.shtml):

“The ARL 2030 Scenarios are rich descriptions of four possible futures. Each presents a particular exploration of many critical uncertainties in a way that considers the dynamics that might unfold over a twenty-year time frame, as well as synergies and interactions between uncertainties. As a set, the four scenarios are designed to tell widely divergent stories to explore a broad range of possible developments over time.

The goal in using scenarios is not to pick one as more likely or more desirable but to accept that the future will contain elements of all four scenarios. Each scenario in itself, however, offers a chance to engage deeply with particular outcomes that libraries could face. The first page of each scenario offers an overview and highlights important circumstances and dynamics. This is followed by a narrative story that paints a more detailed picture of the situation in 2030 and the circumstances that led to that particular future.”

These scenarios are specifically focused on the research portion of the university’s mission.  The scenarios intentionally do not mention libraries, but the point in using them is to think about what the library’s role would be should such a scenario come to pass.  The Chronicle of Higher Education also did a brief story about these scenarios which you can find at http://chronicle.com/article/4-Very-Different-Futures-Are/125011/.

Many of you have been engaged in strategic planning in the past and know how hard it is for us to think far enough ahead and with enough foresight to really envision the future.  Remember early cell phones, about the size of the brick and used mostly in case you had an emergency.  Could we imagine then that they would be size of a pack of cards and enable us to receive our email etc?  Much less the ability to download movie and TV episodes?  Scenario planning is a tool designed to help us look far out into the future and think about how services would need to evolve.

As we begin planning for the development of a strategic plan for the next 3 to 5 years, this is the kind of tool we might use to help us think about the future and its implications for our libraries.

Implementation on April 1, 2011

Of course, the next question is “what does that mean?”  Specifically on April 1^st, we will change or confirm the reporting lines for our existing departments.    The new document that was previewed a few months ago has now been posted here (staff intranet, doc/subjs, who to go to, initial departmental assignments to divisions) with the initial assignment of departments to the new structure – http://library.osu.edu/staff/communications/organization-structure-11-29.pdf.

What Does That Mean for Me?

You next question might be – “what does that mean for me?”  First and foremost, keep doing the functions and responsibilities of your current job.  Our first priority is to maintain services and support for students and faculty as we sort out the details of the new organization.  That sorting out will take some time.   In addition, for most individuals you’re immediate supervisor will not change.  For some of our department heads, their supervisor will change on April 1 to the new associate director in their new division.  All of the new assistant/associate directors will work closely with me, Wes, and Nancy to ensure a productive transition.  The ADs will need a bit of time to meet with individuals and to establish divisional meetings and processes particularly where there are significant changes.  In preparing for April 1^st, the Planning and Administration Division will work on the practical details such as changes to supervision in Workforce etc.   We are beginning to plan for those changes now.

Next Steps on the Organizational Restructuring

We will need to give our new leaders some time to get their feet on the ground and begin to have a sense of our operations and services.  I have engaged Maureen Sullivan to begin working with the administrative team in late April/early May to tackle the organizational restructuring which will be necessary to fully implement the new organization.  All of your good ideas, suggestions, and insight will be needed in that process.

We have come an amazing distance in the past year – developing new organizational models, discussing them, gathering feedback, making a decision, posting and recruiting the new leaders, interviewing, and completing the hiring details.  Lisa and Beth are here now and already knee-deep in understanding their jobs and divisions.  While we have a little reprieve from that work for the next couple of months, Lisa, Karla and Craig are busily finding places to live, packing, receiving information from me, beginning to think about their new position and how to disengage from their current work – did I say, packing?  Karla, Craig, Lisa – we can’t wait for you to join the rest of us in the work to come.

One of the promises in our new organizational structure was the creation of an expanded Executive Committee group which would involve a larger group of department heads.  This group’s primary focus is on the University Libraries but will include representation from Health Sciences, Law, and the regional campus libraries.  The goal of this group is to concentrate on University Libraries strategy with the input of this larger group of partners.  I have taken to calling this group Admin Plus but would welcome your help to identify a good name for the group.  Here are a few alternative suggestions which have come up since I announced this group at the December faculty meeting:

• Director’s Cabinet
• P-Admin (pronounced pad-min)
• Administrative Advisory Council or Committee

The point of this group is to experiment with a new approach, including a larger group similar to a department heads meeting. While there will be some reporting elements to each meeting, the primary purpose of the meeting is to engage in discussion of substantive issues of interest to the OSU Libraries.

Concept

This group will meet every other month in lieu of the Executive Committee and would include the Director, Associate /Assistant Directors, and Department Heads from University Libraries as well as appropriate representation from Law, Health Sciences and Regional Campus Libraries.  The definition of a department head is not a simple one and is definitely subject to a variety of interpretations.  The Faculty and Staff Advisory Councils will also be represented on the group.  In the next section, we have defined the membership of this group after some weeks of discussion.  The agenda of this group will be established each meeting by one of the members of the group in a standard rotation.  This approach will allow individual departments to highlight their areas as well as raise topics of interest to them for discussion.

The standard agenda will have 3 main components:

• Executive Committee agenda items
  • Includes call for agenda items from other unit

• Host department/unit highlights or topics for discussion
• Substantive issue for discussion

Proposed Participants (31 to 33 total)

• Director and members of the Executive Committee (7)
  • Director of Univesity Libraries
  • Associate Director for Collections, Technical Services and Scholarly Communication
  • Associate Director for Information Technology
  • Assistant Director for Planning and Administration
  • Associate Director for Research and Education
  • Associate Director for Special Collections and Area Studies
  • Assistant to the Director
• Those who lead traditional departments or units (17)
  • Business Office
  • Cataloging
  • Circulation
  • Collections
  • Communications
  • Facilities/Security
  • Human Resources
  • Interlibrary Services
  • Monographs
  • Outreach & Engagement
  • Preservation
  • Reference and Research
  • Scholarly Resource Integration
  • Serials and Electronic Resources
  • Special Collections Cataloging
  • Teaching and Learning
  • Web Implementation Team
• A representative of Special Collections — currently proposed to be the Special Collections coordinator (a position which rotates annually) (1)
• A representative of Area Studies (1)
• Two representatives of subject librarians (2)
• A representative from the regional campus libraries (1)
• Directors of the Health Sciences and Law Libraries (2)
• Representation from the Faculty and Staff Advisory Councils (0-2)

Membership will be revisited once the new organizational structure has been in place for 6-12 months to see if any adjustments are needed.  While there are others that could be included in such a group, expanding much beyond the possible 33 noted above would begin to make the group unwieldy.

Selection of Representatives

Area Studies representative

A call for volunteers will be made by the Associate Director for Special Collections and Area Studies.  Based on that list of volunteers, the AD will make a recommendation to the Director of University Libraries for appointment.  The term served is 1 year.

Special Collections representative

Since Special Collections already has a process for selecting an individual who serves a coordinator of the Special Collections Roundtable, that individual will also serve in this capacity.  That position rotates annually.

Subject Librarian representatives

A call for volunteers will be made by the Associate Director for Research and Education.  Based on that list of volunteers, the AD will make a recommendation to the Director of University Libraries for appointment.  The term served is 1 year.

Regional Campus representative

A call for volunteers will be made by the Director of University Libraries.  Based on that list of volunteers, the Director will make an appointment.  The term served is 1 year.

Faculty and Staff Advisory Councils representation

Members of these advisory councils often overlap with individuals who will already serve on the Admin Plus group by virtue of their position.  In order to keep the group to a manageable size, one that can engage in productive discussion, representation will first be reviewed to see if any current members of the council(s) are already on the group by virtue of their position.  If so, that individual will also serve as the representative from the Faculty or Staff Advisory Council.  If not, the Council(s) will be asked to identify a representative.

Expectations for Representatives

Individuals who serve as representatives on the group have a unique role.  Not only will they represent their own thoughts on issues, they will be asked to represent the larger group of colleagues in their area.  Representatives are expected to engage with the appropriate Associate Director to ensure that issues discussed by the group are conveyed back to the larger group of constituents.

Schedule and Agenda

This group will meet six times a year – February, April, June, August, October, and December.  Responsibility for planning a portion of each meeting will rotate by department/unit.   A website for the committee and a listserv for communication is under development.

Schedule for 2011

• February 23, 2011 – sponsored by Planning and Administration
• April 27, 2011 – sponsored by IT
• June 22, 2011 – sponsored by Area Studies
• August 24, 2011 – sponsored by Collections, Technical Services and Scholarly Communications
• October 26, 2011 – sponsored by Research and Education
• December 2011 – sponsored by Special Collections
• February 2012 – sponsored by Collections, Technical Services and Scholarly Communications

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After thoughtful review, Executive Vice President and Provost Joseph A. Alutto has approved the recommendation by the College of Arts & Sciences, Arts & Humanities, the College of Engineering and University Libraries to make this summer’s move of the Music & Dance (M & D) Library’s collection and personnel into the Science & Engineering Library (SEL) a permanent one.

The M & D Library was scheduled to be temporarily moved from its present location in Sullivant Hall due to the upcoming renovation of the Sullivant building.  The recommendation follows careful consideration of input received from written communications by faculty and students, feedback from an open forum held last year and the review of key themes identified in the university’s Framework Plan.

“There are many positive outcomes for the stakeholders of SEL, the School of Music and the Dance Department that will come from this decision,” said Director of University Libraries Diedrichs.  “When we evaluated the advantages of the music and dance resources remaining in SEL, it became clear that was the best option.”

Diedrichs said changes at SEL to provide for the M & D Library integration will benefit all the building’s users, with an increase in the number of study seats and the addition of collaborative study rooms and seminar spaces both at SEL and at other nearby campus buildings.

Although there will be a reduction in the size of both the Music & Dance and Science & Engineering collections, Diedrichs said the reductions would be considerably less than originally anticipated.

“By moving seldom–used books to our depository, replacing some print volumes with electronic versions, and installing compact shelving which significantly increases our storage capacity—customers will still find most of the SEL and M & D Library collections easily accessible here on central campus,”  Diedrichs said.

The move of the M & D Library into SEL is in keeping with the university’s “Framework Plan,” which creates several distinct districts across campus, including athletics and recreation, residence life, the arts, the medical district and transportation.  SEL is at the intersection of the Science and Arts districts. The plan also outlines “space principles” that call for using facilities as they were originally designed.  SEL was designed and constructed to be a library, and expanding its use in that role allows the university to reinvest in its academic programs.

“This permanent relocation allows us to stretch our limited renovation dollars and provides a new and specifically designed home for the valuable music and dance collections,” said Vice Provost for the Arts and Sciences and Executive Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Joseph Steinmetz.  “The move also provides additional collaborative space in Sullivant as an anchor for the framework designated arts district.”

The revised design achieves multiple goals and supports several key themes identified in the Framework Plan:

• Creates an improved space in SEL in a more ADA-compliant environment.
  • Music and Dance’s collections and services will largely be housed on the 2nd floor of the building

• Increases accessibility to Music/Dance staff and collections with expanded hours.
  • SEL’s 24/7 schedule enhances access to the resources in the building, which will include many of the music and dance materials

• Allows needed collaborative spaces to be retained.
  • No reduction in seating in the revised plan
  • Additional collaborative spaces to be created in the academic core.

• Results in only a modest reduction in the collections.
  • The vast majority of the collection can be housed on site
  • Addition of compact shelving and acquisition of key digital journal backfiles also supports collection retention in these subjects.

• Supports framework principles.
  • No Net New Academic Space — Consolidating the M & D Library into SEL meets the criteria
  • Matching building use to building typology
  • Accessibility — the M & D Library is currently located in Sullivant Hall in an area that is not compliant with ADA standards; minimal investment scheduled for the space during the Sullivant Hall Renovation
  • Move of the M & D Library to a building typology that was made for library collections and research aligns with the Framework Plan Space Principles.
  • Looking at the Sullivant Hall building typology — With wide spans and open spaces it is well-suited for performing arts, exhibition spaces and functions requiring column-free spaces.  The Music and Dance Library function does not require these attributes from a building.

The Libraries will now convene a small working group of student and faculty representatives of the various stakeholders to provide input into the planning of the relocation of the M & D collection, staff and services and the renovation of the SEL building.

When the Sullivant renovation is completed, the refurbished Hall will house Dance, Art Education, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, and future arts and sciences initiatives.  The space currently occupied by the Music & Dance Library was not included in the renovation plans, as funds for the renovation of that space were not available.

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Next Steps

Now that the official decision has been rendered, the planning that is underway to incorporate Music and Dance into SEL can accelerate.  We are still working with a firm deadline of summer 2011 for Music and Dance to be fully incorporated in SEL so that the renovation of Sullivant Hall can proceed on schedule.  An initial plan for re-envisioning the entire building has been created and is being refined.  Our current working group includes individuals from our Administration and Planning Division as well as our Research and Education Division.   Our fundamental goal is to make SEL an improved environment for all residents and users.

Working with the Interim Dean of Humanities, we will be forming a small working group of faculty and student representatives to provide advice and input into final decisions about the plans for the new spaces.

And yes, the name of the Science and Engineering Library will need to be reconsidered with this change.