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Governance Minutes ArchiveJanuary 6, 1988
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY COMMITTEE MINUTES 6 January 1988 PRESENT: Jack Duke, Faculty Senate Julie Ozanne, Business Bill Cox, Engineering Francis Ventre, Architecture Norman Dodl, Education Jane Wentworth, Human Resources Marion Ehrich, Vet Med David West, Arts & Sciences Paul Gherman, Library James Wood, GSA Loke Kok, Agr. & Life Sci. GUESTS: Bela Foltin, Library Marilyn Norstedt, Library Shirley Glazener, Library Frances Painter, Library Phyllis Johnson, Library ABSENT: E. Carson, Provost's office Michael Vorster, Engineering Jeff Tibbetts, SGA The meeting was called to order by F. Ventre at the request of M. Ehrich, Chair, whose arrival was delayed. I.OLD BUSINESS: 1.BUDGET UPDATE: F. Ventre said that he had a copy of the University Biennial Budget, and the first university initiative listed is 3.3 million for the library. A reply to the letter the University Library Committee addressed to Minnis Ridenour also indicated that library funding would be a high priority item. B. Foltin reported on spending in the library for the current fiscal year. He said that 94% of the $2.7M materials budget is now obligated and 73% expended. This is normal, as journals are renewed early in the year. Firm order funds are now 73% obligated and 49% expended, which is also normal for this time of year. No final figures on journal price increases are yet available for this year, but estimates are that foreign journal price increases will be between 20 and 30 percent. Domestic journal price increases will be around 10%. The committee was given a handout on percentages spent in various disciplinary areas. 2.DATABASE OF DATABASES (P. Gherman and P. Johnson): P. Gherman had nothing to report on funding needed until the questionnaire has been sent and returned and the level of response assessed. The questionnaire will probably be sent first to those people who responded to the original task force survey. The University Library Committee will see the draft of the questionnaire before it is sent. 3.COMMENTS ON THE METZ - LITCHFIELD REPORT ON IN-HOUSE USE OF MATERIALS (members of Library Committee): Faculty Senate (J. Duke): A very interesting report and a meaningful way of helping to determine long-term storage needs. Architecture (F. Ventre): There is a natural cross-over in the information gained in the report and developing the performance measurements for the library. Human Resources (J. Wentworth): Results of the study seemed erroneous for Human Resources, as Home Economics is only a small part of Human Resources. It was noted, however, that the report had flaws due to the small number of call numbers which could be used for this study. Also in this study there was no way to determine who had used a particular volume. Arts & Sciences (D. West): Knowing who had used a volume was not necessary information for this kind of study on in-house use. II.NEW BUSINESS: 1.ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE LIBRARY (P. Gherman): a) P. Gherman showed the committee a short video made by the Apple Computer Company on the future of computers in the year 2017. He also handed out a brief paper comparing Virginia Tech library budget to the median ARL library budget. b) P. Gherman announced that the library has been awarded a contract from CIT to become the information resource for Directors of Technology Transfer located at each community college throughout the state. These directors will work with local businesses to help them solve technological problems. The library will receive a four month start-up contract, which can be extended. The library, in response to requests for information, will provide full text articles, technical information, computer searches, etc. Eventually, the library hopes to become the technological information resource center for academic and non-academic patrons, including the tenants at the research park. c) The Library will be contracting with Westlaw to offer the Westlaw law database for a period of 18 months. The database contains full text of many law journals, to some of which the library does not subscribe. This project has been funded for the first six months by $1,000 contributions by key participants, such as the College of Business, the College of Education, the Water Resources Center, the University Attorney's Office, the Department of Agricultural Economics, and the Vice President for Research. Westlaw is, therefore, being paid by users of the system, not by the library. Continued subscription to the database will depend on resources obtained by cancellation of some printed copies of the journals also included on the database and by finding other grant funds. To use Westlaw a primary password, to be used in the library, will be provided during certain hours of the day and a secondary password will be provided to the key participants to allow use from their offices during restricted hours. Using Westlaw will be a challenging experiment, since it will help library staff explore policy issues raised by this type of database. The library is waiting for approval from Richmond to sign the contract with Westlaw, which should be granted by sometime in February. There was discussion of the issues raised by Westlaw. The consensus was that the library should use this opportunity to learn all they could about the reaction of users and library patrons to this kind of electronic database, and the implications for the library. One of the most difficult issues raised is the contractual restrictions imposed in buying this kind of database, which limits access to those in the educational community. 2.CATALOGING DEPARTMENT (M. Norstedt): M. Norstedt explained that although the library budget situation means fewer new books to be cataloged this year, there are on-going projects that keep the 50 person staff of the Cataloging Department fully employed. Cataloging personnel must keep current the location codes in VTLS, including any books that move to or return from CHEDS. Also there are library materials, such as part of the microform collection, which are not yet cataloged, and government documents which are accessible, but not under VTLS. The goal is to make all materials accessible on VTLS. Another project which will begin in 1988 is to change the "short records" in VTLS to full bibliographic records. A handout demonstrated the difference in these records. 3.MEETING TIME FOR WINTER QUARTER: The committee agreed to meet during this quarter at 4:00 PM on the first Monday of each month, making the next meeting on February 1. 4.LOAN PERIODS AND OVERDUE BOOKS: Members of the committee discussed the fact that faculty can borrow books with renewal privileges from up to a year, and pay no overdue fines, thereby removing from circulation a substantial amount of material. J. Duke informed the committee that Faculty Senate has also raised this issue. B. Foltin will get statistics for the next meeting and this item will be rediscussed. 5.DONATION OF BOOKS TO LIBRARY: This item was postponed until the next meeting. 6.ENGINEERING CONCERNS (B. Cox): M. Vorster asked B. Cox to attend and report for him on two items. a) The first item is the status of Engineering Standards. B. Foltin stated that a subscription for ASTM standards has been placed for this year. Questions concerning other standards have not yet been resolved. B. Foltin handed out a list of those standards which the library had until 1984, with the most used titles starred. The question of purchasing hard copy or microform must also be resolved. b) B. Cox announced that the College of Engineering has formed a Library Strategy Committee. It was moved and seconded that the meeting be adjourned.
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