University Librarian’s Update
Library “Real Estate”
“Improving Academic Support:
Opportunities in Library Space” was the title of the presentation I made
to the academic deans, provost, and provost’s staff
on January 25. Because of readers’ strong preference for electronic access
in science and engineering and a growing use of electronic resources in other
disciplines, libraries are able to rethink their spatial needs. The expansion
of the library Annex will permit us to use a higher proportion of on-campus
sites for information-enriched collaborative learning spaces and other public
services. Renovation of existing facilities to meet the needs of the twenty-first
century student is critical. It’s essential to upgrade Olin and Uris
Libraries because they are heavily used by a broad cross-section of the university.
They need sprinklers, HVAC, and updated wiring, as well as programmatic improvements.
Although the price tag is high ($90 million), it’s important to face
up to those needs because there are both risks and opportunities foregone by
delaying what is really a community responsibility. Libraries and colleges
can consider alliances that are fostered through their collocation within library
buildings. The discussion in the academic deans meeting was lively, demonstrating
intense interest in the ways in which libraries are changing, as well as a
feeling, especially from humanists, that traditional forms of access such as
browsing are still essential. The deans praised the library’s new services,
such as delivery to the desktop, but they encouraged us to get the word out,
since too few faculty realize these advanced services are available.
The Council of Librarians Lives
Last year, at my request, Lenore
Coral led a small task force consisting of Erla Heyns, Eric
Acree, and Zsuzsa Koltay to consider the makeup
and operation of the Council of Librarians. My goal was to revitalize the
Council by giving it a more-meaningful voice in CUL affairs and, at the same
time, enable the Council to serve as a mechanism to stimulate more-effective
communication across the system. Based on the task force recommendations,
the Library Management Team approved a new structure: forty-nine senior and
middle managers will serve on the Council, chaired by the University Librarian.
A steering committee selected by LMT from the Council membership, Erla
Heyns, Mary Ochs, Jean Pajerek, Marty Schlabach, and Ed
Weissman (LMT liaison), will solicit agenda items, set the meeting
agendas, and circulate them on CU-LIB, thus providing sufficient time for
members to get input on the agenda topics prior to the meetings. All staff
are encouraged to monitor Council agendas and meeting notes and to pass along
to their managers on the Council their ideas and concerns so that these can
be factored into the discussions. The first quarterly meeting will be held
on March 16. The Council’s charge and a list of the members are on
Staff
Web.
Next: Kudos >
