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LB.04.01

April 26, 2004

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

URBANA-CHAMPAIGN SENATE

Committee on the Library

(Final;Information)

LB.04.01 2003-2004 Annual Report

The Committee on the Library has met seven times during the 2003-2004 academic year as of the drafting of this report; an additional meeting is scheduled for May 5. The main items of business have been the Library Budget and Scholarly Communication.

Guests are regularly invited from the Library to give presentations on specific issues. During the period of this report these have included: Karen Schmidt, Associate University Librarian for Collection and Preservation; Mary Beth Allen, Applied Life Studies Librarian; Cindy Ingold, Women & Gender Resources Librarian; Bill Maher, University Library Archivist; Paula Watson, Director, Scholarly Communications; Tina Chrzastowski, Chemistry Librarian; and Lisa Hinchliffe, Coordinator for Information Literacy Services and Instruction. Emily Watts, Chair of the Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure, was also a guest.

Librarian’s Report and Budget Overview ¾ Paula Kaufman

Ms. Kaufman has kept the Committee informed of the many goings-on and concerns of the Library; a few are listed below.

· In October, as part of the Annual meeting of the Foundation, the Library celebrated the gift of the collection of pioneering NASA scientist John C. Houbolt with a dedication ceremony and panel discussion this Thursday, October 9, at the Grainger Engineering Library. Houbolt, an Illinois graduate and best known for developing and promoting the lunar-orbit rendezvous concept that allowed the U.S. space program to go to the moon on Apollo 11, will attend the dedication program. Joe Tanner, a NASA astronaut and Illinois graduate, will moderate the panel discussion that is to follow the dedication. · After the torrential rains in September, the ceiling in the men’s restroom on the fourth floor fell in; both the men’s and women’s restrooms on that floor had been closed awaiting repairs. The University will soon be handling some repairs to the roof. The budget has been cut 3.84%, $1.52 million; these cuts have made it necessary to surrender 25 staff positions and 6 or 7 faculty positions. There has also been a cut of $470,000 to the student budget making it necessary to slash the hours as to when the Library is open. Library students are still receiving tuition waivers, however.

· In April, Kaufman mentioned that diminishing budgets and buying-power have brought about a shifting in Library services. There are 18 separate libraries in the Main Library and she is questioning whether or not a staff center is needed in each; the Library must re-conceptualize how to offer services. Due to budget cuts, the Library has lost 75 positions making it necessary to come up with an operational plan to consolidate services. The Library does not plan to close any of the departmental libraries, but does plan to change services. It may be necessary to purchase check-out circulation machines; it is crucial to recognize that staff has been reduced.

· In response to a suggestion given at a recent meeting, Inside Illinois has written an article on the effects of inflated journal costs to be published in an upcoming issue.

Discussion of SCL Options in Countering Inflated Journal Costs

The spiraling cost of journals and the Committee’s possible role has been a continuing issue of the Library Committee. In April 2002, the SCL sent a proposal to the Senate regarding Scholarly Communication/Tempe Principles. Wicks remarked that he thought the faculty was uninformed about many campus issues and wondered how the SCL might take steps in educating them. Speakers for 2003-2004: Karen Schmidt, Associate University Librarian for Collections ¾ “The Acquisitions Budget” In October, Ms. Schmidt distributed copies of the allocations budget for 2004 and gave an overview of the materials. It was noted that $900,000 worth of serials have been cancelled; the University maintains an Elsevier license with access to electronic serials available at all three campus libraries with one print copy kept between campuses; and the Chemistry Library has cancelled over $177,000 worth of Elsevier journals. Mary Beth Allen ¾ Applied Life Studies Librarian Allen gave an overview of both the history and the structure of the Applied Life Studies Library; it is made up of Community Health, Kinesiology, Leisure Studies, and Speech and Hearing Science. The ALS Library has the strongest collection in North America on sport and kinesiology. Cindy Ingold ¾ Women and Gender Resources Librarian Ingold reported that the WAGR is temporarily located in the basement of the Main Library while space on the 4th floor is being renovated and expanded; renovation should be completed in the spring of 2004. The Library actively supports two units on campus: Gender and Women’s Studies Program; and Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program, an academic unit in IPS which “encourages and facilitates the development of research, teaching, and engagement activities focused on women’s experiences and the impact of international development/globalization on women, men and children throughout the world.”

Archives/Library, Tour and Update on Activities and Challenges ¾ Bill Maher

In December Bill Maher gave the committee a tour of the Library Archives. Maher walked the committee members through the Archives and shared many of its treasures; all finding aids are available on-line which is not common at most institutions. When asked the difference between the Archives and the Rare Book Library, Maher said Rare Books are generally publications, whereas the Archives represent the official records, often rare but usually not published.

Tina Chrzastowski ¾ “A New Model Chemistry Library”

Ms. Chrzastowski reported that electronic journal use has skyrocketed to 24/7; at least 30 percent of the journal collection has been cut since she came to the Chemistry Library. Chrzastowski is able to access documents and make them available on the Web within 24 hours; articles are just a few clicks away. She remarked that there are woefully low uses for printed copies; therefore, 35 percent of the collection will be taken to the Oak Street Storage Facility when its construction is completed. The campus is moving to a very electronic world; these changes have drastically affected service. Thus, there is a tremendous need to teach students and faculty how to work their way through the information maze. A new remodeling plan calls for moving the Chemistry Library to the first floor of Noyes Lab which will be better for students; therefore, there will be a reconfiguration of space, an attractive and very comfortable area to share information and interact with each other.

Emily Watts, Chair of the Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure

The SCL had recently discussed the Stanford Resolution whereby Stanford University endorses the premise of asking for a major change in the Library system by boycotting the purchase of expensive journals. Wicks thought it was time to change the culture from the promotion and tenure perspective and opened up the meeting to discussion. Professor Watts reported that the AFT Committee went to the Senate a year ago on this issue; however, the responses indicated ignorance on behalf of many of the faculty members. Kaufman remarked that there have been a series of attempts to educate department heads. In response to a suggestion at the last meeting, she has contacted the staff at Inside Illinois, and they have agreed to write a two-part article on the effects of inflated journal costs, what the University is doing about it and also the Committee’s role.

Lisa Hinchliffe ¾ Coordinator for Information Literacy Services and Instruction

Ms. Hinchliffee reported that the University Library has a five-year vision to make students more information literate. People often view the value of information by the ease of retrieval instead of the quality. Many faculty and students, especially undergraduate students, suffer from library anxiety. The Information Literacy Services and Instruction provides 1,200-1,500 sessions/workshops a year to teach library users to identify, retrieve, evaluate, judge, use and value information and information tools while attending to the legal and ethical considerations involved in doing so. senate committee on the Library
Bruce Wicks, Chair
Uriel Kitron
Leslie Struble

S. Balachandar
Michael Loui
Rumana Tayyab
Mark Dressman
Michael Madonick
Grant Ullrich
aula Kaufman, ex officio*
Rolando Romero
Terry Weech
*Denotes non-voting status