Veterinary Medicine Library Service and Space Planning Team
Veterinary Medicine Library Service and Space Planning Team
BACKGROUND:
The Veterinary Medicine Library has experienced a significant change in how patrons utilize its services. The availability of resources online has reduced the importance of physical proximity to bound literature, resulting in a decreasing need for prime space in an academic building to be devoted to the storage of physical volumes. Simultaneously, the College of Veterinary Medicine finds itself in need of additional conference and classroom space to meet the demands of a growing student population and revised curriculum. The College has retained architects whose work will include repurposing approximately 50% of the Veterinary Medicine Library’s allocated space in the CVM Basic Sciences Building. The Library has already begun reducing its collection size by transferring out lesser used materials and exploring new approaches to providing access to resources and servicesthat support research, teaching and clinical practice in Veterinary Medicine.
Working in parallel with the planning process in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and with a goal of informing their planning, the Veterinary Medicine Library Service and Space Planning Team now being charged is asked to articulate a vision for library services for Veterinary Medicine within the context of the College and the Clinics and in relation to other Library service programs on campus.
CHARGE:
The Team will:
- Articulate a service profile that:
- Situates the proposed services for the veterinary sciences as a core component in a broader array of Library service programs supporting scholarly work, especially those supporting the life and health sciences (e.g., in the Scholarly Commons, in the Life Science Information desk in the Funk Library, and the UIC Library of the Health Sciences‐Urbana). The proposed service profile should be in accord with the recommendations from the Reference Services Implementation Team.
- Considers how services that might be more effectively provided at a larger service point may be provided in nearby Library units or automated (e.g., 24 hour access swipecard and self-check out)
- Draws on conversations with relevant campus communities to further define existing and emerging needs of students and scholars, delineate any pertinent accreditation requirements and explore opportunities to further develop specialized library services to support research, teaching and learning
- Looks ahead 5 years to consider what service profile, and associated footprint, will be most appropriate over the medium-term
- Work with the Assistant Dean for Library Facilities to develop a space program that supports that service profile
- Collaborate with the Assistant Dean for Library Facilities and the NSM coordinator to develop timelines and schedules for implementation, including:
- a timeline and phased plan for transferring collections to other locations
- Following the Special Collections Guidelines for Library Moves or Closures, the Team should work with the Special Collections Division to determine the disposition of administrative records, rare books, and maps
- a table of any staffing and resource needs for each phase in the transition
- a plan for communicating the transition to the new services profile to campus and library constituents
- Recommend a plan for assessing the effectiveness of the new configuration of collections and services
- Submit a report with its recommendations to the University Librarian by November 15, 2011.
PROPOSED MEMBERS:
Submitted to the Executive Committee for consideration: August 8, 2011
Approved by the Executive Committee:
