Minutes of the Meeting of the University of Texas Libraries Committee, October 17, 2006
Present: Linda Brown, Luis Francisco-Revilla, Jennifer Fuller, Richard Hazeltine, Fred Heath, Janine Henri, Warren Hunt, Reid Long, Blair Morrison, Thomas Palaima, Kenneth Ralls, Nadine Schulte, Shannon Weigum, Ellen Wilhelm, Michael Winship (Chair); Sue Phillips, Dennis Dillon, Robert Foster (recording secretary).
Professor and chairperson Winship apologized for not being present at the initial meeting of the committee, and thanked past chair Professor Kenneth Ralls for conducting the meeting.
The minutes were approved.
The agenda for the meeting consists of discussing the preparation of a report about the future needs of the Libraries for the University's upcoming capital campaign.
Before that discussion, Professor Winship yielded the floor to Fred Heath, vice provost and director of the UT Libraries, to discuss matters of interest to faculty and students.
Dr. Heath noted that there is a clear call for extended hours (late night/early morning) at the Flawn Academic Center. Oversight of the FAC fell to Information Technology Services in the fall, but ITAC funds used for increased hours were repurposed by that committee, and ITS subsequently reduced the service hours for FAC.
Cost and security issues related to the situation are being studied, and a solution should be in place by spring. Cost-sharing with the Libraries is possible.
General discussion followed on e-reserves and Blackboard use, and student confusion about the mixed use of the two programs. Blackboard could be the universal space for such reserves use, but it is not the only course management tool used on campus. E-reserves increases the burden on the library whereas Blackboard shifts the load onto the faculty.
Discussion turned to the ways and means for best preparing the planned report to the president on the future needs of the Libraries. There was a suggestion to ask departments to define what the libraries would need to do to help make them become great academically. Another suggestion was to approach bibliographers and faculty advisory committees as some groups already have concepts and plans for their needs. Both plans seemed of use, with the committee gathering the information and trying to put it all together.
Another approach suggested looking at how the library has historically articulated its programs and services in national statistical measures such as those compiled by the Association of Research Libraries. How have the University's investments in its libraries stood the test of time?
Particularly, how has this affected the recruitment and retention of faculty and graduate students?
Dr. Heath noted that library staff can review for the committee members at the next meeting some types of data and analysis at hand that permit him and them some confidence in expressing to the president what faculty and students want and expect from the library.
The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for November 14 at 1 PM in PCL 3.204.
--Robert Foster
