September 22, 2016 Meeting of Library Staff Support Committee

Agenda not yet available.

Skye Arseneau (Administrative Services), Jim Cotter (Special Collections), Kyle McCafferty (Central Access Services), Debora Pfeiffer (Technical Services), Dani Postula (Central Access Services), Laura Poulosky (Residence Hall Libraries), Gennye Varvel (Social Sciences), Shoshana Vegh-Gaynor (Arts & Humanities)

Elevators in the Main Library:

Facilities has long-term plans to upgrade E1 (the freight elevator on the north side of the Main Library) and E5 (the elevator near the Reading Room) to make them run faster.  The upgrades to E1 are scheduled for summer 2017 and the upgrades to E5 are scheduled for summer 2018.  Jeff Schrader sent out the following clarification on Sept. 29^th:  “There are no plans currently to temporarily or permanently remove any of the other Main Library elevators out of service.  As with all elevators, they may need to be taken out of service for short periods for repairs.”

Issues Related to Library Security Phase-Out:

We discussed our concerns about the fact that Library Security officers are being phased out.  They are reaching the end of a one-year contract with the U of I Police Department (UIPD), with the intent that UIPD would create a plan for long-term security in the University Library system, but if such a plan has been made, it has not been communicated to Library staff.  There have been security incidents in the Library in recent months, such as a man walking back and forth in front of the second-floor Reading Room, flashing people.  The UIPD was called to deal with this incident.  We have concerns about how well UIPD officers know the geography inside all departments of the Library and what their response time to calls will be.  It is also unclear whether or not they will be doing regular patrolling in the Library.  Spaces of particular concern, due to their late-night hours and heavy traffic, are the Main Library, the Undergraduate Library, and the ACES Library.  Dani shared with us copies of a letter from Central Access Services (CAS) staff to the Civil Service Union 698, expressing how the lack of designated Library Security officers has already affected CAS staff, who now have to check to make sure each door on the first floor is locked after closing and usher any remain patrons out of the building.  Previously, these tasks had been completed by trained, uniformed Library Security.  CAS staff are not trained as public safety staff, are not uniformed, and do not have two-way radios, so they incur increased security risks when performing tasks better suited to uniformed Library Security or police officers.  LSSC members are asked to get feedback from their coworkers about security in their own units.

Civil Service Longevity Recognition Event –

The annual Civil Service Employee Recognition Breakfast will be held at the Activities & Recreation Center (ARC) on Oct. 11^th in two shifts.  The first shift will eat and celebrate at 8:30 and the second shift at 9:30.

Administrative Council Report:

There was no AC meeting since the last LSSC meeting.

Faculty Meeting Report:

Becky shared the following notes from the Faculty Meeting held on 9/21/16:

 2.4       Report of the University Librarian (15 minutes – John Wilkin)

Aligning hiring with budget process. We are encouraged to hire following strategic plans. The Library is not planning for reduction next year. Flat Budget. John clarified that he wasn’t asking for departments to cut back on hourly students. He stated that the summer hourly budget is paid with cash.

2.5       Executive Committee Report and Discussion (15 minutes – Nancy O’Brien)

They had 9+ meetings. She talked about EC/AC shared governance.

3.1       Task Force to Create Promotional Paths for Academic Professionals (20 minutes – Beth Namachichivaya and MJ Han)

80 Faculty/ 80 Academic Professionals in the Library

Library framework for Academic Professional promotion. Starting from scratch. Looked at other colleges like Michigan and Penn State. 2 years proposed promotion goes through process. Has to be approved by Dean. Voluntary to move forward. You do not have to go for promotion. You are ranked upon hiring. Promotion awarded, salary increase & title change (if applicable). Salary increases per rank to be determined at a future date by Dean Wilkin with consultation with Assoc. Univ. Librarian, Assoc. Dean for Business & Human Resources Service Center and the Executive Committee or Budget Group. Start date projected for Fall 2017.

Division reports:

Gennye shared the following notes from the August and September Social Sciences Division meetings:

August: Mara Thacker and Sarah Christensen came to the meeting to get input for an environmental scan of library public engagement and outreach efforts that they are conducting.

September: Lynn Wiley and other staff from Acquisitions came to discuss some issues about standing orders and Voyager fund reports that came up in the Round Robin discussion at the previous meeting. Clara Chu and Susan Schnuer came to talk about programs and activities from the Mortenson Center.