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Library Managers

University of Waterloo
Library Managers, February 16, 2011
9:30 a.m., LIB 428

Present: Annie Bélanger, Betty Graf, Jennifer Haas, Mark Haslett (Chair), Michele Laing, Sharon Lamont, Susan Mavor, Alex McCulloch, Carl Nagel, Richard Pinnell, Susan Routliffe, Debbie Tytko, Annette Dandyk (Recorder)

Regrets: Eric Boyd, Mary Stanley

1. Chair’s Remarks
• Recognition and Commendation
Faye Abrams has been awarded the OCULA Lifetime Achievement award.

Jennifer Haas has been playing a key role in the work of the OCUL Discovery Project Assessment Group, as well as leading the work of our own Ad Hoc Discovery and Access team.

Nancy Collins has arranged for two Guelph librarians to give a presentation about an Innovation Bootcamp recently held at the University of Guelph.

Lorcan Dempsey, VP and Chief Strategist of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), blogs about libraries and networked information. He cited TUG in a recent blog. http://orweblog.oclc.org/archives/002154.html

• Updates
Larry Alford will replace Carol Moore as Chief Librarian, University of Toronto Library no later than August 1, 2011.

• Interim Measures - AUL
Pascal Calarco will begin his new position as AUL, D & DS on July 4. Many of the interim measures that were put in place when Allan left will continue until Pascal arrives.

• Visit of Dutch Librarians
A contingent of approximately 30 Dutch librarians is planning to visit North America and will be in the region on May 31. The current plan is that they will visit uWaterloo in the morning, and split up in the afternoon to visit three different places – tentatively Conestoga College, Musagetes, and WLU.

2. Restructuring Plans
Managers heard about some proposed changes to the Cataloguing and Acquisitions departments. Susan will send an email to staff about the proposed changes.
Action: Susan

3. Business Arising from January 12
#6 Around the Table Updates, Workstations: Most staff expressed a desire to be using 2010 before having Exchange training. Systems staff are upgrading the workstations of the heavy Bookit users first, and when this has been completed, training will be scheduled with IST.

#6 Around the Table Updates, Exchange Server - spam and junk: Carl sent a number of examples to IST and was given some recommendations. Chris Regado (Systems Co-op student) has been going to people’s computers to change the settings. Managers were asked to let Carl know if any more internal emails go into their junk folders. It was noted that the settings have now been included in the new image for the new workstations. It was suggested that there would be merit in having a checklist of questions that Chris could ask staff after he installs their new computers, e.g. do you use remote desktop?

4. User Needs Assessment
Managers heard a bit of background about the new campus web design look & feel redesign project, and then learned about the Library User Needs Assessment project. The User Needs Assessment team was created to collect the information about users needs and usability of our website that is required for the Library to develop user requirements, a new information architecture, new content recommendations, and functional requirements for a new Library website. The team consists of: Annie Bélanger (Project Lead, and Chair of Web Management Operational Group), Marian Davies, Agnes Zientarska-Kayko, Sam Gibbon, Jonathan Sutherland, and Nancy Collins.

One small piece of the timeline focuses on a user needs assessment (March – May). The focus will be on public facing pages (the user pages), not staff web or SharePoint at this time. The Library has approximately 15,000 – 20,000 pages, and is the largest website on campus. Approximately 5,600 are public pages. Content providers will be encouraged to clean up files, aiming to reduce the size on the web server.

The project will encompass the following tasks, to be completed in stages through March to May:
• Online survey
• Online usability tests
• Face-to-face usability tests
• User focus groups
• Staff consultation, with a focus on content developers and public-facing staff
• Online card sorting.
Annie asked Managers to consider who of their staff could be pre-test volunteers. Annie also asked Managers to start considering who should be part of the staff consultation sessions for the content areas under their responsibility..

Mark commended Annie on her leadership role with the rest of campus on this project.

5. Porter Public Environment Assessment
Managers heard about a proposal to create a Porter Public Environment Assessment Group to determine if there are issues and to what extent, for three key areas: noise, seat saving, and food.

Members will include Susan Arruda (Chair), Judy McTaggart, and Jae Min Jin (ISR co-op student), with Alex and Annie serving as resources to the group. Assessment will take place during February and March. Alex will send an announcement to staff.
Action: Alex

6. Davis Reno Plan
Noise levels and complaints about noise continue to be a problem at Davis, and the Library has responded by:
• Designating silent and quiet noise zones
• Limiting cell phone use in Library to texting
• Hiring noise monitors during the busiest times of the day and term
• Reducing seating in the most problematic areas.

Despite these measures, the noise levels and the resulting complaints continue and create tension between students and staff alike. An Ad Hoc group has been struck to improve the student learning experience and the working environment for staff through renovations that eliminate noise complaints. Membership includes: Anne Fullerton (Chair), Mary Lynne Bartlett, Sam Gibbon, Cheryl Kieswetter, and Jim Illig. Carl Nagel will be a resource to the group. There will likely need to be consultation with Janet Wason.

7. Bad Weather/Emergency Leave
Deferred.

8. Group Facilitation Skills Workshop
Two spots have been reserved for a Group Facilitation Skills workshop, April 11 and 12th, at the Stratford campus. Managers were asked to let Annette know by February 25 if they or someone from their department is interested in attending. LibExec will review the expressions of interest. Attendance will be funded as Administrative.

9. Around the Table Updates
Carl
Michael Holmes has received some very specific issues re feedback about Exchange calendar, and he’s trying to resolve them.

The work order to install the projector in Davis had gone astray. The job is back in the queue but it will still be a few weeks before it is completed.

Annie
The Lieutenant Governor will visit a number of sites on campus to see how they have been made accessible. Rose Padacz has highlighted the main floor of Porter as a place to visit. Annie will talk to Mark about communications. We’ll be reaching out to Communications and Public Affairs, the organizers of the visit, to learn more about expectations.

The uWaterloo Library is featured heavily in the latest SPEC Kit on Accessibility for best practices.

There are known issues with our web phased protocol – it’s not working properly. We’ve reported it and kept our old search.

In preparation for Pascal Calarco’s arrival, we will be preparing options and opportunities for website development and redesign.

Alex
The group study room team has met twice. During the first two weeks of March they plan to solicit feedback using comment cards available on the study room booking site, and paper comment cards placed in the group study rooms.

Circulation staff have started an educational signage program in Davis as a result of recent laptop thefts. Signs are placed on laptops that have been left unattended. The program will be extended to Porter and run at random periods every term.

Jennifer
The first round of testing for Primo Central has been completed, and produced good feedback. Next steps: move into staff trials. Nancy is developing an FAQ.
Alison Hitchens, Nancy Collins and Adrian Kemp are working hard on it.

Next meeting: March 2


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 




 




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September 17, 2011