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Virginia Tech
Governance Minutes ArchiveNovember 4, 1987
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY COMMITTEE MINUTES 4 November 1987 PRESENT: Eugene Carson, Provost Rep. Julie Ozanne, Business Norman Dodl, Education Jeff Tibetts, SGA Jack Duke, Faculty Senate Francis Ventre, Architecture Marion Ehrich, Vet Med Jane Wentworth, Human Resources Paul Gherman, Library David West, Arts & Sciences Loke Kok, Agr. & Life Sci. James Wood, GSA GUESTS: Bela Foltin, Library Phyllis Johnson, Library Shirley Glazener, Library Frances Painter, Library ABSENT: Michael Vorster, Engineering The meeting was called to order by Chairman Marion Ehrich. The minutes of the last meeting were accepted as read. I. OLD BUSINESS: 1.DATABASE OF DATABASES REPORT (Phyllis Johnson): The report of the Database of Databases Task Force deals with the problem of how to go about locating collections of materials existing on campus. The report suggests a form to be used in collecting the data, a way to collect the data and where it ought to be collected. The report states what needs to be done to get started on this project. This subject will be on the next agenda. Members of the committee are asked to read the report before the next meeting and come prepared with questions. 2.UPDATE ON THE BUDGET (Bela Foltin): There will be a report on current journal prices for the next meeting. The library is a little ahead of schedule in the expenditures for firm orders (books) with about 62% of this year's budget allocation encumbered. The plan is to be 100% obligated by March 1, 1988. Money saved on cancellation of duplicate subscriptions is about $9200. BF has requested that books on "approval plans," which are received automatically (based on a profile given the vendor) be converted to "form selection plans," whereby the library first receives a form that is returned to the vendor before a book is sent. With regard to journals, only a very few new subscriptions have been ordered this year, and even that must be curtailed until there is some idea of next year's budget. The review of periodicals has been accelerated so titles that will have to be cut if there is not sufficient additional funding next year will be identified by February. P. Gherman has asked that about 700 hundred journal titles be identified for possible cuts. If the budget remains flat next year approximately $300,000 of books and journals will have to be cut. Librarians will be contacting the departmental representatives to consult on the possible necessary cancellations. A composite list of targeted titles will be sent to all departmental representatives in order to catch cross departmental interests. In 1985-86 the overall average price of a journal subscription was $68.00; in 1986-87 the overall average was $103.00. The current drop in the value of the dollar will have an additional adverse effect on the price of foreign journals. In the discussion that followed, the question was raised as to how the committee might best support the library request for a budget increase. E. Carson suggested that it was best to keep the administration informed, so that requests to the legislature would be part of a concerted effort by the university. The committee will prepare a letter to K. Johnston and M. Ridenour expressing their support for additional library funding. Another suggestion was that faculty donate their journals to the library. The library is trying to prepare a list so that faculty members will know what is needed. F. Ventre noted that he had spoken to a group of graduate students who were concerned about the potential of subscription cancellations. He noted that VPI ranks 49th in the nation in sponsored research funding. Figures used to compare Newman Library with the 49th ranking library indicate shortfalls in expenditures, total staff, current serials subscription expenditures, etc. which actually place the library at about the 75th rank. D. West asked, but the answer could not be provided because records were unavailable, if additional funds were made available for veterinary library materials when the College of Veterinary Medicine was started. II. NEW BUSINESS: 1.MOVE OF THE CARD CATALOG (Paul Gherman): The card catalog was moved to the second floor, near the reference area, two weeks ago. 2. ENGINEERING STANDARDS This agenda item will be postponed until the next meeting since M. Vorster was absent. 3.LONG TERM STORAGE NEEDS (members of Library Committee): Architecture (F. Ventre): Architecture space needs are not determined at this time, due to the uncertainty of the Cowgill expansion. Business (J. Ozanne): The Business College Library Committee has just organized and the request has been made that they address this issue. GSA (J. Wood): The GSA wanted to stress that their main concern was that materials be accessible. Veterinary Medicine (M. Ehrich): The Vet Med Library has some space. The library can hold between 26,000 and 28,000 volumes. There is concern about the accessibility of CHEDS, and perhaps some additional material could be moved to the Vet Med Library instead. Human Resources (J. Wentworth) noted some concern about material in the Human Nutrition and Foods subject area being moved to the Vet Med library. Education, Engineering, SGA, Agriculture, and Human Resources had no report. B. Foltin has asked librarians to work with the departmental representatives on criteria that would be acceptable for selecting titles to be moved to CHEDS. Next year librarians will be working on weeding the collection, both in Newman and CHEDS to see what space can be gained. P. Gherman noted that there will be a space problem on the third floor of Newman Library sooner than in other building areas because that floor is already crowded due to attempts to keep disciplines together. The crowding on the third floor might mean having to shift some of the P collections to the fourth floor, thus making it difficult for staff and patrons working in that call number category, or shifting some of the P collection to CHEDS. Library Committee members were asked to report to their college committees and to bring back to the Library Committee in December any comments about what should remain in the library and what could be moved to long term storage. J. Duke noted placement in long term storage must take into account the materials that are commonly used within the library as well as those items which circulate frequently. P. Metz of the library staff has been studying in-library use of materials, collecting information on use by discipline and subject. He will be invited to the next meeting. 4.CRITERIA FOR PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR LIBRARY OPERATIONS (Paul Gherman): Paul Gherman has appointed a task force in the library to look at what performance measures are currently being used at other libraries. A written report will be prepared by early next year which will include suggestions for this library. 5.VTLS (P. Johnson): The current retrospective conversion project which the library is looking at is the conversion of "short records" already in VTLS to complete records. $17,500 has been set aside to allow matching the various parts of the short record against a large database of complete MARC (machine readable) records. When exact matches are found they will be put on tape and returned to the library. Exact matches will be about 60%, leaving the other 40% of the retrospective conversion to be done in-house. The library believes that expansion of short records can be completed in this fiscal year. Once complete, VTLS will provide access to 250,000 book we now own, but which have inadequate records. The second retrospective conversion project will require $500,000 in the supplemental budget allocation. This project is costly because the 250,000 to 300,000 records involved are those which are currently only in the card catalog. Many have not circulated since 1976. Materials which circulate but have no record in VTLS are put into VTLS as they circulate. This is very slow, meaning it would take about 50 years to complete these 250,000-300,000 records. If funded, the project will take about five years. The project will require additional staff. Each record must be searched on OCLC and edited. Many will need input into OCLC because they are unique holdings at Virginia Tech. This project could not have been begun in the past because it will only be possible with the installation of the new computer. It was moved and seconded that the meeting be adjourned.
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