October 25, 2018 Meeting of Library Staff Support Committee

1. Approval of Meeting Minutes
2. Division and Liaison Updates
3. Liaisons in Absentia
1. Area Studies
2. Physical Sciences
3. Special Collections
4. AUL Candidates Updates?
1. Recent E-mail from Dean Wilkin
5. Building Project Updates
1. Our forthcoming joint meeting with L-CAP
6. Staff Lounge Furniture Update – Angie (Lead)

Erik Chapman (Life Sciences)
Lonnie Clark (Central Public Services)
Angie Gruendl (Physical Sciences & Engineering)
Cristina Kuhn (Technical Services)
Laura Poulosky (Residence Hall Libraries)
Tammie Redenbaugh (Technical Services)
Ben Riegler (Central Public Services)
Gennye Varvel (Social Sciences)

Approval of September LSSC Minutes: We approved the minutes from the Sept. 27, 2018, LSSC meeting.

Division Updates:

There were no Physical Sciences & Engineering or Technical Services meetings to report on since our last LSSC meeting. Liaisons shared the following news from their Divisions.

Life Sciences: The Library is currently working on making online searching for subject specialists clearer and more consistent. A new gift book policy outlining best practices will soon be released.

Administrative Council: Cristina attended the most recent AC meeting and reported the following highlights:

-There was an update on recent and upcoming improvements to the Library’s website.

-Open CMS will be taken down on Nov. 5th. Archives will be maintained and will be accessible to Library employees.

-Two-factor authentication to sign on to U of I email accounts, web forms, etc., will be required of faculty and staff beginning in November. If you don’t want to use your personal cell phone to authenticate your log-ins, you can submit an OTRS ticket to get a token to stick into your computer’s USB drive, allowing you to enter a passcode to authenticate your log-on. Dillon in Library shipping will contact you to come pick up your token when it’s available.

-Tom Habing shared information on current IT projects. A few searches are currently underway to fill vacant IT positions.

-There was an explanation of how to add and delete employees on the global staff directory. This process will be automated in the near future.

-Google calendars will soon be replaced with Microsoft Exchange calendars for posting libraries’ open hours.

-Bill Mischo was elected as the new representative to the Budget Committee.

-Criteria for the review at the end of the Division Coordinator’s 3-year term will soon be updated.

Central Public Services: Lonnie reported that the most recent CPS meeting was short and had low attendance, since it was right before a candidate’s presentation for an IT position. Janelle Sander will be moving from the Undergraduate Library to Central Access Services. CPS will meet with Tom Teper in November and December to discuss the Library Building Project.

Social Sciences:Gennye reported that Beth Sheehan will be moving from the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library to the Career Services Center. Beth’s last day in SSHEL will be Nov. 26th.

Faculty Meeting: New employees were introduced. There was discussion of defining the Library’s role in U of I’s Discovery Partners Institute. Lisa Hinchliffe is representing the Library on the University’s accreditation committee.

Residence Hall Libraries: Through Nov. 16th, the Residence Hall Libraries are holding “Circulation Wars.” Each of the four RHLs has its own theme and incentives to encourage patrons to check out more materials. The clerks of the location with the greatest percentage increase in circulation (in comparison to the same time period last year) will get a special meal to celebrate, along with bragging rights. Although almost all of the free copies of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas for students in Housing who signed up for the RHLs’ upcoming book clubs have already been taken, anyone is welcome to attend the discussions! The meetings will be held on Thursday, 11/13, at Ikenberry Library; Thursday, 11/29, at FAR Library; Wednesday, 12/5, at Allen Library; and Thursday, 12/6, at ISR Library. Each of these meetings will be held from 7:30-8:30 pm. The new Residence Hall Librarian should be announced soon.

Congratulations to Miriam Centano! LSSC would like to congratulate Miriam Centano, the Library’s Collections Care Coordinator, for winning the Outstanding Academic Professional award. Her colleagues in Preservation and Conservation are very proud of her. Thanks for all your great work for the Library, Miriam!

Open Spots for Liaisons on LSSC: There are still open spots on LSSC for liaisons from Area Studies/Mortensen Center and Special Collections. Erik will reach out to eligible civil service employees in these Divisions and see if any of them are interested in joining the committee. He will also look into the possibility of getting agendas and minutes from Division meetings of these units unless as well as getting approval to send LSSC liaisions from related Divisions to attend the currently unrepresented Divisions’ meetings and report back any important news.

Associate University Librarians Update: John Wilkin sent an email to LIBnews on Oct. 18th announcing that Heidi Imker will be the new AUL for Research, Chris Prom will be the new AUL for Digital Strategies, Cherie Weible will continue to serve for roughly two more years as the AUL for User Services, and Tom Teper will continue to serve as AUL for Collections & Technical Services, along with his current role as coordinator of the Library Building Project. LSSC members felt the email outlined the AULs’ areas clearly, so we don’t have any questions at this time. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns about the new AUL roles.

Upcoming Library Building Project Meeting: On Wednesday, Oct. 31st, at 10am in 428 Main Library, John Wilkin and Tom Teper will meet with LSSC and L-CAP (Library Committee of Academic Professionals) to discuss the Library Building Project. We plan to ask John and Tom the following questions:

1.) How is the Library Building Project likely to affect staff in the short- and long-term? What issues do you already foresee and/or have you already heard expressed?

2.) How much flexibility will there be for staff to work elsewhere if noise/health issues arise at their usual work areas?

3.) How can staff be given more agency about where they can work instead when their home libraries are closed during construction? Can multiple options be offered (ex., not just Oak St.), including some that will be accessible to all staff? How much notice will be given about work location changes and options? How will you ensure that there is consistent top-down communication about these options (in emails to LIB-news, on the Library Building Project website, etc.) and that Unit Heads are aware that the administration has approved alternate work locations, so that there are not discrepancies between different units?

4.) Will there be a formal feedback mechanism for all Library employees (for example, on the Library Building Project website)? Will people submitting comments have the option of doing so anonymously? Will these comments be accessible to LSSC and L-CAP, so that we can see what concerns and suggestions employees have?

If not (or perhaps in addition to this mechanism), should LSSC and/or L-CAP set up our own online suggestion box(es) for Library employees?

5.) What do you envision as LSSC’s and L-CAP’s roles in the planning process? What will be the channels used for communication? Should we plan on submitting periodic reports and/or attending Building project meetings in order to voice Library employees’ concerns and suggestions to Tom and/or to the Library Building Project Working Groups?

6.) What opportunities will there be for staff to give formal feedback on project plans as they are presented? (ex. Web forms, open forums…)

7.) What potential changes do you envision for staff job descriptions and responsibilities once the Library Building Project has been completed?

8.) What spaces will be provided in the new Library configuration for staff lounges that are welcoming, comfortable, and quiet?

Staff Lounge Furniture Update: Angie has been serving as our contact person for getting new furniture for the staff lounge on the 4th floor of the Main Library. So far, the broken pieces of wicker furniture have been removed and a new-to-us chair with ottoman and cushioned bench (covered in a wonderful book-patterned material) have been added, which Angie and Lonnie found at Campus Surplus. Angie met with Jeff Schrader from Facilities, who told us that, due to budget constraints, we will need to choose to focus on one of the two rooms to update, either the north lounge with the more comfortable seating area or the south lounge with the tables and chairs where people eat. Jeff sent Angie links to University-approved vendors from whom we can choose new furniture, and Angie has passed those links along to LSSC. She will prepare a couple of proposals, send them to LSSC for feedback, and then submit our preferred proposal to Facilities. Many thanks to Angie for all her work on this!

Next LSSC Meetings: We will meet with L-CAP, John Wilkin, and Tom Teper on Wednesday, Oct. 31st, at 10 am in Main Library Room 428 to discuss the Library Building Project.

LSSC’s monthly meeting for November will be held on Thursday, Nov. 8th, at 11 am in Main Library Room 225B, since our normal meeting date would have fallen on Thanksgiving