Thursday, March 22, 2001
Charles E. Young Research Library, Administrative Conference Room

Present: David Cappoli, Linda Maisner, Marion Peters, Michael Oppenheim (recorder), Maureen Russell, Sharon Shafer, Lise Snyder, Ken Wade

Absent: Alice Kawakami

Guests: Gloria Werner [2:00 PM-3:00 PM], Jennifer Hill

1. CALL TO ORDER

   Lise Snyder called the meeting to order at 1:12 PM.

2. CHAIR'S REPORT

   Lise noted the following upcoming events:

   • A "Lunch with LAUC" on Wednesday, March 28, with UC Santa Barbara Associate University Librarian Cecily Johns, who will discuss the Carnegie-Mellon Foundation-funded "Collection Management Initiative" to research the impact of access to electronic versus paper versions of library materials on various UC campuses.

   • The visit to UCLA-YRL on Monday, April 2, by Laine Farley, Director of Digital Library Services for the CDL, to discuss the CDL-Hosted Abstracting and Indexing Databases Transition (of which Laine is Project Manager).

   Ideas for future programs were discussed, including: a presentation by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo librarians, demonstrating how they create interactive Web pages for students and faculty using Java and Oracle databases [work on this program has been taken on by RRISC (the Reference, Research and Instruction Services Committee)]; and a "State of the Union" address, about everything except Orion2, by Library Information Systems (LIS). [Secretary's note: in an April 17th e-mail message to all Library staff, UL Gloria Werner announced the upcoming "State of the Library Technology" program, with Associate University Librarian for Information Technology Terry Ryan, Head of LIS Development Stephen Schwartz, and other members of LIS providing an update on digital library and other technology developments. The program will take place Friday, May 18th, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, in Korn Convocation Hall in the Anderson School.]

3. SECRETARY'S REPORT:

   The minutes of the meeting of February 20th were approved, with corrections.

4. OLD BUSINESS:

   1. Bylaws Revision

      The voting on the proposed changes in LAUC-LA Bylaws is underway, taking place via e-mail. Nothing in the LAUC-LA Bylaws prohibits conducting an election via e-mail. Lise observed that next year's Executive Board may wish to address the issue of formalizing the standing of e-mail elections in the Bylaws.

   2. Other LAUC Divisions Round-Robin

      Linda Maisner reported that capital planning is a highly prevalent theme of LAUC-SB meeting minutes (the resolution concerning new library buildings came from UCSB, at the LAUC 2000 Spring Assembly).

      David Cappoli reported on professional development funding at UCI, which includes MOU-mandated base funding that may be augmented by "Tier 1" and "Tier 2" funding. "Tier 1" funding is for such activities as chairing a committee, or presenting a paper-and it is also given to junior librarians (Assistant I-Assistant IV), who are less likely to be committee chairs, panel moderators, or invited paper presenters.

      Sharon Shafer reported that expansion-for more students, more programs-is a predominant theme of LAUC-R discussions.

      Ken Wade reported that UCSF has appointed its new University Librarian: she is Karen Butter, who had been serving as Interim UL. A new LAUC-SC project is to develop an electronic version of its LAUC-SC Handbook. Ken also noted that LAUC-SC maintains an e-mail archive. This is an intriguing idea, and one that LAUC-LA would probably like to borrow (archiving only those LAUCTalk-L messages which concern LAUC business). Lise will pursue.

5. NEW BUSINESS

   Lise discussed plans for the LAUC-LA Spring Membership Meeting, which will take place on Thursday, April 19th, from 1 to 3, in the Faculty Center. It is expected that the award for the 2001 LAUC-LA Librarian of the Year will be made then, as well.

   The 2001-2002 LAUC-LA election slate will be announced on LAUCTALK-L on Thursday, April 5th. Candidates who are in attendance at the Spring Membership meeting will be introduced, and LAUC-LA members will have the opportunity to make nominations from the floor.

   Also on April 5th, LAUC-LA members will begin to receive via e-mail the Mid-Year Reports from Chairs of LAUC-LA Committees and Representatives to LAUC Statewide committees.

   The LAUC Spring Assembly will take place on Friday, April 27th, at the UC Irvine Student Center. LAUC-LA delegates, in addition to Lise and Maureen Russell, will also include David Cappoli and Ken Wade, who were delegates to the Fall Assembly at UC Berkeley last November. Per custom, a UCLA van will be secured to take LAUC-LA members to the meeting (Lise volunteered to drive).

   Maureen Russell stated that the 2000/2001 Peer Review Committee is to be commended for the excellent work it is doing this year, and announced that she would be away April 3rd through April 18th.

6. DISCUSSION WITH GLORIA WERNER

   These topics were covered: an overview of the just-released UCLA Library Strategic Plan, 2001/02-2004/05, and the search for a new Director of Library Human Resources.

   1. Library Strategic Plan

      Gloria reviewed the heart of the Plan, the Goals:

      • Goal 1: Establish a UCLA Library Information Literacy Initiative, to mesh with the curriculum. This may involve having undergraduates take additional units, such as 1- or 2-unit adjunct to the existing cluster courses. This goal includes a request for 3-4 additional FTE.

      • Goal 2: Provide Excellent User Services, in the form of longer hours (in constant demand); widespread implementation of Synchronous Web-Based Reference Services (already begun, in April, in the College Library) and more equipment (such as a 50% increase in available loaner laptops, and 5 planetary scanners [which run $20,000 apiece]). A request for 4 FTE librarians accompanies this goal.

      • Goal 3: Collaborate with Faculty to Create E-Scholarship Initiatives; meeting this goal will require budgeting for more computers, a librarian, and $200-$300K for digital Library Assistants.

      • Goal 4: Transform Our Environment, especially with such libraries as Music, Geology, Chemistry, and Engineering/Math Sciences in most urgent need of refurbishment/expansion.

      Among the "continuing concerns" are new, unfunded mandates (the new salary scale for librarians; the $256K CUE contract), and the need to move a great deal more material to SRLF than has been going there, along with 5 more permanent FTE library assistants to accomplish that goal.

   2. New Director of Human Resources

      Gloria reviewed the decision-making that had gone into creating the position recently vacated by Charles Batey-i.e., reasons why the position had not been filled at the Associate University Librarian rank, more or less equivalent to Rita Scherrei's. Prominent among those reasons was the fact that a pool of candidates with Rita Scherrei-like attributes-experience as a librarian, combined with a considerable depth and breadth of personnel administration knowledge and experience-is very nearly impossible to come by these days. In addition, the "Director of Human Resources" position was created in long-term anticipation of Maggie Pickering's imminent retirement, with the expectation that a "Director of Human Resources" would assume many of her duties when she left. Charles Batey's early March resignation, combined with the departure only a few weeks later of Library Business Office Manager Sonia Luna (to become the Assistant Dean for Planning and Budget in the School of the Arts and Architecture), has sent the Library Administration "back to the drawing board," reconsidering the full range of background, skills, and experience (including academic library experience) best suited to the Library's human resources administration needs.

7. NEXT MEETING/ADJOURNMENT

   The next meeting of the LAUC-LA Executive Board will be scheduled "off-line," via e-mail, and announced on LAUCTALK-L.

   The meeting was adjourned at 3:05 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Michael Oppenheim
LAUC-LA Secretary