April 22, 2022 Meeting of Library Faculty Meeting

AGENDA

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Library Faculty Meeting Agenda
April 27, 2022
3-4:30 pm
via Zoom

 

 

 

• Call to Order
• Standing Items
  • Adoption of the Agenda
  • Approval of the Minutes of the February 2022 Faculty Meeting
  • Introduction of New Employees
    • Stephanie Luke (MJ Han)
  • Executive Committee Report & Discussion (15 minutes – Mara Thacker)
  • Report of the University Librarian (15 minutes – Mary Laskowski on behalf of John Wilkin)
• Discussion items
  • CASE Act Opt Out (10 mins – Sara Benson)
  • RPC Updates and Future Programming Ideas (15 mins – Erin Kerby)
• Lightning Talks
• New Business
• Announcements
• Adjournment

 

 

 

MINUTES

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Library Faculty Meeting

April 27, 2022
3-4:30 pm
via Zoom

 

 

 

• Call to Order – 3:01pm, 58 attendees
• Standing Items
  • Adoption of the Agenda
  • Approval of the Minutes of the February 2022 Faculty Meeting
    • Nancy O’Brien moved for approval with corrections, seconded by Mara Thacker
  • Introduction of New Employees
    • MJ Han introduced Stephanie Luke, Metadata Librarian
  • Executive Committee Report & Discussion (Mara Thacker)
    • EC has met 7 times since last faculty meeting on February 23, 2022, including one meeting not attended by Dean Wilkin but which focused on making a recommendation for how to proceed with implementing the new Library Council idea proposed by the Inclusion in Governance Task force
    • Current EC membership beyond Dean Wilkin: Peg Burnette, Joe Lenkart, Bill Maher, Dan Tracy (Secretary), Kelli Trei, Chris Wiley, and Mara Thacker (Vice-Chair)
      • EC membership update: Mary Laskowski will be stepping down from EC on May 15 when she begins her new role as an AUL. EC, in accordance with NEVP procedures, has chosen not to hold an off-cycle special election or otherwise appoint anyone to replace her for the short period left in her term. As a result, for this three-month period EC will be down one member.
      • For anyone with a matter they want to see EC address: send to Mara Thacker or Dan Tracy
    • EC has continued to have AULs, Directors and co-chairs of LSSC and LCAP join EC once a month to discuss shared concerns.
      • One of these meetings involved a presentation on planned administrative changes, in light of Chris Prom’s temporary appointment, the closure of the UGL, and other adjustments.
      • There were questions about the new Teaching, Learning, and Academic Support unit structure, and this topic is expected to be addressed in future EC meetings.
    • EC has resumed the practice of approving academic appointments, including:
      • Associated Director of Advancement for Stewardship and Donor Relations (previously approved by the Budget Group)
      • 3 Diversity Residency positions
      • Chinese Studies Librarian
      • Head Cataloging Librarian (previously approved by the Budget Group)
    • EC has had challenging conversations about the planning for the future of the Information Sciences Librarian position. Some details on this conversation can be seen in the April 11 meeting minutes.
    • EC discussed a proposal for updating the Marshall Gallery and requested revisions to the proposed group to ensure inclusive input before specific directions were suggested.
    • New and updated PRCs were approved
    • Paper preparers and editors for those going up for promotion or tenure this year were assigned
    • EC has continued to discuss the Inclusion in Governance Task Force report and charged a Library Council Implementation Team (LCIT) to follow up on the report recommendations. The LCIT will present a proposal at the June faculty meeting.
    • EC held several discussions on the Academic Self-Study for the Academic Program Review, including reviewing the documents and process with AULs and Directors.
    • The Coordinator for Research and Teaching Professional Development position was discussed and approved.
    • EC discussed the Hiring Practices Recommendations put forth by a group led by Susan Breakenridge. EC has responded the initial set of recommendations and sent them to HR. More conversation is expected going forward.
    • The annual evaluation for AULs and Director was completed, with letters sent to Dean Wilkin. Thanks to those who provided feedback. EC is currently working on the Dean’s annual evaluation letter.
    • EC discussed hiring priorities and communication on requests, identifying a need to clarify communication on those processes. A new, updated request template is in process.
    • EC discussed the future of the Diversity Committee/DEIA Task Force and, based on a request from the current Diversity Committee chair, expect that the Diversity Committee will be on standby next year, while work is done to reconstitute the committee to take on the work that has been done by the DEIA Task Force. The new body will draw on the existing Committee and Task Force charges and become an advisory board to the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. This move aligns with one of the charge items from the Task Force.
    • Clara Chu: Has Mortensen Center position been reapproved?
      • Mara Thacker: Yes, as previously announced. Search is proceeding.
    • Sara Benson: Expresses disappointment at the declaration of no further discussion around an EC matter. There is a need for open communication with EC.
    • Lisa Hinchliffe: Expresses surprise at seeing the end of discussions in the minutes and asked for more information. Positions should be discussed openly, not in private conversation.
    • Mara Thacker: The discussion is complicated given the blurring of personnel matters and broader hiring strategy.
    • Lisa Hinchliffe: Faculty positions should be open for discussion. There is a need for more clarity about how decisions are made about converting visiting positions.
    • Mara Thacker: EC agrees with the need for clarity. There is the potential for differing understanding about future positions when EC membership changes.
    • JJ Pionke: Why was the conversation stopped?
      • Mara Thacker: The original position did not include needed language for conversion. Discussion about the scope of the Information Sciences Librarian is still underway, with input being sought from the iSchool.
    • Report of the University Librarian (Mary Laskowski on behalf of John Wilkin)
      • The self-study for the Academic Program Review is proceeding well, with a visit of external reviewers expected to visit in late May.
      • Kirstin Johnson: Will the self-study report be made publicly available?
        • Mary Laskowski: Yes, that is the expectation.
      • Lisa Hinchliffe: When self-study document is shared, will there be an opportunity for additional feedback? Or will there be an opportunity to meet with the external reviewers?
        • Mary Laskowski: The self-study document has been developed with feedback from AULs and directors, LCAP, LSSC, and AC. Once it is edited, there will not be more opportunity for feedback.
        • Chris Prom: The external evaluation visit schedule (which is still in development) is expected to include an opportunity for consultation with library staff.
      • Discussion items
        • CASE Act Opt Out
          • Sara Benson shared an update on the new CASE Act, which has developed a new system for copyright claims. In such cases, the decisions will not be made by a judge, but are expected to be final.
            • The law does not allow suits to be brought against libraries, but staff are provided with extra protection by the work that Sara has done to opt out
          • RPC Updates and Future Programming Ideas (Erin Kerby)
            • RPC is seeking feedback on future directions and programming. Ideas can be shared directly with Erin or any member of the RPC.
            • Recent programming has included
              • A panel on publishing a book
              • A session on fitting research into your day
              • A presentation from a journal editor on their experiences and expectations for working with authors
            • Lisa Hinchliffe is now part of the RPC as ex-officio member given her new role as Coordinator for Research and Teaching Professional Development
            • Mara Thacker: Writing groups have been helpful in the past.
              • Interest in writing groups affirmed in the chat
              • RPC has discussed writing groups and recognize the need to sustainable coordination so that any programming can continue as committee membership changes
            • Lisa Hinchliffe: Today’s conversation shows need for coordinator role and the challenge of distributing the work of coordinating research support programming.
            • Mara Thacker: It would also be helpful to have programming on how to apply for research funds that go beyond the amounts supported by the RPC grants.
            • Erin Kerby: RPC has funds specifically available for Academic Professionals, but there have been no applications for these funds as of yet.
          • Lightning Talks
          • New Business
          • Announcements
            • Merinda Hensley shared a reminder of the Undergraduate Research Symposium on Thursday, April 28. Image of Research entries will be displayed at the symposium.
            • Lynne Thomas: RBML Making a Renaissance Book your Own: The Unique Copy of Alciato’s Emblems at Illinois on May 4. Speaker is Professor Mara Wade.
          • Adjournment – 3:41pm