University Library Committee
Minutes of the Meeting of the University of Texas Libraries Committee, April 7, 2006
Attending: Lisa Griffin, John Kolsti, Desmond Lawler, Julia Mickenberg, Ken Ralls, Michael Winship; Janine Henri, Meghan Sitar; Noah Mass; Dennis Dillon, Jo Anne Hawkins, Fred Heath, Sue Phillips; Susan Ardis, David Dolling; Robert Foster (recording)
The final meeting of the committee this year will be on Wednesday, May 3, noon-1:00 p.m. at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. The room we will meet in (and have lunch in) is to be determined. Dr. Betty Sue Flowers, Director, Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, will give a 30-minute presentation.
Professor Ralls convened the meeting in the Alec Room of the Engineering Library and introduced David Dolling, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering.
Susan Ardis, head librarian of the Engineering Library, gave a
PowerPoint presentation to the committee intended to address two questions: "What if there was one science library instead of five?" and "What if this single library was designed to be a science and technology information center?"
Susan reviewed the user and staff populations of the current science and technology libraries, collection sizes in square feet and linear feet of shelving, and user seating. Susan also discussed the various limitations of each library, including 90 percent full stacks, limited space for users, limited hours, and non-ADA facility compliance.
She spoke of the various advantages of having one library versus the disadvantages, and the situations that would remain the same regardless.
The various faculties and their likely support for such a unified library were outlined, as well as the user instruction needs that are not adequately addressed by the present arrangement.
Among the sticking points for such a project are space available at the University and the likely costs, which will of course only increase over time.
There was a lively discussion among the committee members and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs David Dolling about the points of the presentation.
---Robert L. Foster
