PORTER ISR

MINUTES OF THE MEETING

FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2005

NetLibrary Ordering Procedures (Jim Parrott, Debbie Tytko) – Davis Conference Room

 Jim and Debbie gave a demonstration of NetLibrary, a collection development tool for ordering electronic books.  NetLibrary can be accessed at http://legacy.netlibrary.com/titleselect/home.asp.  Selectors need to create an account to login and Debbie asked selectors to email their login info (name and password) to her so that a master list of accounts can be made.  The ordering process requires selectors to login, select titles and save to a list.  The list is then sent to the searchers who will use the Librarian’s individual passwords to review the lists and submit the orders directly to NetLibrary. Selectors should not add anything to the list after it has been sent to the searchers; there is a note field, however, to put in special instructions (e.g. don’t duplicate in print, etc.).  Debbie also noted it would be helpful if Librarians would name their list with the fund that will be paying.  NetLibrary will send the records to Betty Graf (Cataloguing Dept.) within 2-3 days and then they get sent to Acquisitions.  Action:  Debbie will send a list of procedures to the selectors.

 Porter ISR staff reconvened in Porter 407 for the regular ISR meeting.

 Present:  Margaret Aquan-Yuen; Christy Branston; Rachel Caldwell, Helena Calogeridis, Jane Forgay, Christine Jewell, Sandra Keys, Kevin Manuel, Judy McTaggart (Recorder), Shabiran Rahman (Facilitator), Marina Wan, Janet Wason

Regrets:  Marian Davies, Val Huggan, Mark Polger

Guest:  Ann Naese

 1.  Porter Stacks Capacity Assessment (Ann Naese):

Ann Naese provided an update on the Porter stacks space measurement project. She noted the stacks are currently 200,000 over capacity ( there are 703,000 items in the stacks; ideal capacity should be 500,000). In light of the crisis situation in the Annex, a weeding of the stacks will be necessary at some point (likely beginning in August) and selectors should start thinking now about the criteria needed for removing items from the collection.  Selectors agreed that individual criteria will be needed.  Ann noted that a wide variety of data is being collected in the measurement project. Selectors should send their individual lists of criteria to her and she will see if it is possible to provide what is being requested.  Janet commented on the commitment in the Library Accessibility Plan to ensure there is adequate room for all books in the stacks to stand up.  She asked for a progress update   Ann stated this is on the “to do” list and they will likely get to this by September.

2. Approval of Minutes, June 3, 2005:

 The minutes were approved with the following corrections:

Item 2, Business Arising:  Spelling correction in first line; change “met” to “meet”.

Item 7, Library’s New Website:  Last paragraph should read “Christy and Sandra are the LibWebReview 1st point of contact…..”

 3.  Business Arising:

 Item 3, Final Report/Action Telephone Reference   Mark referred to the proposed options that he had previously distributed and noted the second option has been selected.  He will put something together comparing the current model to this newly proposed model and present this at the Managers meeting next Tuesday.

4. Mini Teams (Jane):

Jane reported she met individually with the library associates and librarians to obtain their input on the current mini team model.  She received two alternate proposals (1) disband the current model and replace with a model based on functions, and (2) collapse the current four mini teams into two teams in which two library associates work with several librarians.  The group discussed the options and agreed that the current model should be retained, however modifications should be made to ensure equitable workload distribution.  Shabiran noted that Val Harper has taken on some of the duties listed in the current mini team guidelines and has indicated she would be willing to assume additional responsibilities. The library associates have also given her a listing of their current duties with time allocations. Actions:  Shabiran will meet with Jane and put something together to share with others regarding the workloads of the library associates and Val. The library associates will also meet to review the current guidelines and determine if changes are needed.

5. Sunday Desk Emergency Schedule (Shabiran:

Shabiran asked if changes are needed to the contact list used when an individual has an emergency and is unable to do their scheduled Sunday desk shift.  Currently, Shabiran is contacted first. If she cannot be reached, the person telephones other Department members on a list until someone who can cover the shift is found.  Shabiran stated there may be instances during the Fall term when she will not be available and it might be a good idea to designate someone as a contact person.  She also noted that four senior librarians in the Department (Jane, Margaret, Marina, and Christine) have indicated they would be willing to be a contact.  There was discussion and it was agreed that, for the Fall term, Shabiran should be contacted first.  If she cannot be reached, individuals should then contact Jane Forgay.  It was pointed out that Circulation staff also has a list of names to contact in the event the Information Desk is not staffed.  It was agreed the list should be kept by Circulation and staff notified of the change made.

6. Making Decisions in the Absence of the Department Head (Shabiran):

 Shabiran noted she will be on vacation June 27 – July 11.  During this period, staff should consult with Jane (the first week) and Margaret (the second week) for anything requiring the Department Head’s decision.  Jane will also attend the Managers meeting in Shabiran’s absence. 

7.  Around the Table:

Nothing.