Information Services Management Committee

Minutes of the Meeting of June 24, 2003
1:30 – 2:15 pm
Porter Conference Room

Present: Christy Branston, Helena Calogeridis, Judy McTaggart, Richard Pinnell, Susan Routliffe (Chair), Mary Stanley, Melanie Watkins, Rose Koebel (Recorder)

Regrets:Jim Parrott, Jackie Stapleton, Linda Teather

Guest: Susan Bellingham

1. Minutes of Previous Meeting
   Susan R. will send Rose notes from the June 10 meeting to be sent to Library staff.

2. Focus Groups
   During the May 20 meeting we identified questions about focus groups that we wanted to answer before developing the Project Scope section of the Project Charter for Focus Group Discussions about Reference Service. In reviewing the questions we agreed that they are more “management” questions, rather than questions relating to project scope. It was proposed that we focus on what the reference service focus group project team would be required to do, such as:

   • designing the project (taking into account the management questions ISMC had identified earlier);

   • preparing an Application for Ethics Review of Research with Human Participants;

   • ensuring appropriate training for focus group staff;

   • conducting and recording focus group discussions;

   • analyzing focus group discussions;

   • preparing a report of key findings for ISMC.

   The Committee then identified what the project team would not be required to do, such as:

   • planning or conducting focus groups which include Library users who are not UW students or faculty members;

   • including questions that focus on anything other than reference service;

   • preparing recommendations based the findings of the focus groups (ISMC as a whole will consider what needs to be done to follow-up on input from users and develop associated recommendations as part of all recommendations coming out of the reference review)

   Other aspects of the project charter were discussed as follows:

   Timeframe: The planning phase will take place over the summer. The focus groups should be conducted in the fall of 2003, and the project team reports should be submitted to ISMC by the end of the fall term. The project team can consult with ISMC anytime about training, budgetary or any other support issues throughout the project.

   Project team: From ISMC: Christy agreed to act as the project team facilitator. Melanie and Jackie will also serve on the team. From CNAC: Shabiran Rahman will participate.

   Susan R. will update the project charter for the focus groups to include the above points. ISMC will review and complete the Project Charter for Focus Group Discussions about Reference Service by email this week.

Next Meeting: September 2, at Porter.