University of Illinois System Senate Committee on the Library met March 25.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
Present: Chair Ralph Mathisen, Leah DiCiesare, Heather Duncan, Jon Hale, Mimi Nguyen, Francois Proulx, Ben Sell, Arlette Willis
Ex officio: John Wilkin
Absent: Rabin Bhattarai, John Boesche, Andrew Stengel, John Toenjes, Weimo Zhu Guest: Sara Holder (Director, Reference & Research Services)
I. CALL TO ORDER
A regular meeting of the Senate Committee on the Library (LB) was called to order at 9:05 am with Chair Mathisen presiding.
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of the February 25, 2022 meeting were approved as distributed by roll call vote.
Yes: DiCiesare, Duncan, Hale, Mathisen, Nguyen, Proulx, Sell, Willis
No: None
Abstain: None
III. PUBLIC COMMENT
No requests received.
IV. CHAIR’S REMARKS
Chair Mathisen welcomed Sara Holder, Director of Reference & Research Services, to the meeting. Holder will share a presentation on departmental libraries (LB.22.09).
Chair Mathisen commented that the last meeting of the semester will be held on Friday, April 22.
Chair Mathisen commented that he received a letter from Provost Cangellaris charging the committee with the annual review of the Dean of the Libraries. The review is due on May 1, so LB will discuss the annual review at the next meeting.
V. UPDATES BY DEAN OF LIBRARY
Dean Wilkin updated the committee on the following:
• Collections – Purchasing on library materials is robust. Provost Cangellaris has committed another $250,000 in recurring funds to the Library’s Collection budget. This meets roughly half of the projected inflationary increase to Collections expenses and provides relief to the pressure the Library has experienced.
• Budget – The Library has sufficient funds to support a number of positions to hire. The annual meeting on the budget with the Provost will occur next week. The meeting provides an indication on the future expectation for the Library (e.g., collections, salary program).
• Academic Program Review – The Library is currently in the self-study portion of the review. LB will receive a copy of the self-study report before it is sent to the external review committee. The external review team will come to campus in late May.
• Building Project – Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE) is conducting engineering testing of the ground at the Undergraduate Library. Have not received a report of any issues to date. The project remains on schedule with the Undergraduate Library (UGL) expected to close in May.
• Building Project Open Forum – Sara Holder, Director of Reference & Research Services, David Ward, Director of Library Teaching and Learning, and Tom Teper, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Technical Services, are working on dates for an open forum this semester to share the plans for the building project and the incorporation of UGL services in the Main Library and other libraries.
Chair Mathisen suggested April 21 as a possible date for the open forum.
Chair Mathisen questioned if library expenses are seeing the same increased inflationary rate as other areas. Dean Wilkin responded that, historically, the library inflation rate runs three times the consumer price index; however, with the current increased consumer price index that is not the case for library expenses.
VI. OLD BUSINESS
LB.22.01, Pressure on the Collection Budget
No new discussion.
LB.22.02, Faculty Advisory Committee for Collections
Dean Wilkin noted that he had not yet been able to give proper attention to this item.
LB.22.03, Open Forums on the Library Renovation Project
No new discussion.
LB.22.04, Open Access and Transformative Agreements
No new discussion.
LB.22.05, Pressure on Library Storage Space
No new discussion.
LB.22.06, FY23 Library Annual Report and Budget
No new discussion.
LB.22.07, Academic Program Review
No new discussion.
LB.22.08, Library Dean Search
Dean Wilkin reported that the search committee should be announced soon.
VII. NEW BUSINESS
LB.22.09, Discussion on Departmental Libraries
Sara Holder, Director of Reference & Research Services, attended and gave a presentation on the changes to the Departmental Library Model.
The New Service Model (NSM) was introduced in 2008 on the request of the Provost to:
• Reduce the complexity of departmental library system.
• Reallocate resources for maximum benefit to the Library and the campus.
• Design more cost-effective service delivery models.
• Extend the Library’s reach to users while reducing overall campus footprint.
The current Library structure includes three hubs with related libraries:
• Grainger (physical sciences and engineering) – chemistry; mathematics; medicine, biomedicine and health; and STEM entrepreneurship and business.
• Funk ACES (life sciences and agriculture) – veterinary medicine
• Main and Undergraduate (social sciences and humanities) – social sciences, health and education; literatures and languages; history, philosophy and newspaper; scholarly commons; international and area studies; rare books and manuscripts; maps; UGL; University High School; University Archives; research and information services; central access services; and collections and technical services
Upcoming changes include:
• Many Undergraduate Library services are moving to the Main Library. • Media Commons will become part of the Scholarly Commons.
• Undergraduate teaching, learning, and research support services will become part of Research and Information Services.
• Immersive (AR/VR) Studio opening in Grainger – cooperative project of Media Commons and IDEA Lab.
• Support staff members from UGL transferring to MPAL, Grainger, Funk ACES, and Literature Language to support expanded study spaces for undergraduate students.
Sell questioned if there is a plan to make the new location of these services known to undergraduate students. Holder replied that a comprehensive booklet is being prepared and will be widely distributed.
Chair Mathisen thanked Holder for the informative presentation.
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 am.
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