Academic Assembly Meeting Minutes

Thursday October 23rd, 2003-Clark Hall Auditorium 700

I.  Introductions and Announcements:

Sarah Thomas opened the meeting with a number of announcements.  She introduced Adnan Malik as a new member of the Library staff
 
Adnan Malik is the new Curator of the South Asian Collection in Kroch Library. Adnan has completed all requirements for the M.A. degree in Sociology from the University of Chicago.  Adnan was most recently employed as Assistant Cataloger at the Regenstein Library at the University of Chicago.  

She also reviewed recent staff achievements:
 
Congratulations to David Ruddy and David Fielding for their work on the recently released, NSF funded, project to provide access to math books through a distributed full text search protocol.  The CGM protocol, created in connection with the University of Michigan and Gottingen, will allow production-level full text access to distributed collections.

Last week saw the launch of AGORA (Access to Global Research in Agriculture)-a system designed to deliver via the internet free or low cost access to journals in the agriculture, biological, environmental and social sciences to students, researchers, and academics in developing countries with a per capita income of less than $1000.  Congratulations to Mary Ochs and her Cornell colleagues (Olivia Vent, Nicole Joos, John Udall, John Fereira, Bill Klinko, and Dominic Goodall) for their efforts in helping to make this idea become a reality.
 

Sarah announced the members of the 2003/2004 Academic Assembly Committees:

 

Academic Assembly Steering Committee

Lee LaFleur, Secretary
Xin Li
Linda Miller
David Banush*
Zoe Stewart-Marshall, Chair*

Professional Development Committee

Eric Acree*
Eleanor Brown
Charlotte Bynum*
Laura Finkel
Petrina Jackson
Kizer Walker*

Academic Personnel Policy Committee

Lynn Brown
Susan Currie
Susan Greaves
Patrizia Sione
Elaine Westbrooks*

Economic Status of Librarians Committee

Thad Dickinson
Nancy Holcomb*
Jesse Koennecke
Anna Korhonen*
Nathan Rupp*

*  denotes continuing members
 
Other announcements included a speaking engagement by former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno at the Olin Library, Libe Café (Monday, November 3, 2003 from  9:00-10:00 a.m.) and the upcoming CUL Christmas party to be held on Monday, December 15 in Clark 700 from 2-4pm.

Jim Morris-Knower made and announcement about a study being conducted by the IRPC Bibliographic database management subgroup.  (see message below).  The group is looking for people to help demo and test two products, WriteNote and Refworks.

The bibliographic database management subgroup of IRPC would like CUL staff to help us choose between two different web-based bdm products:  WriteNote, an online version of Endnote, and Refworks, not an online version of Endnote, but like Endnote and made by former employees of Endnote. We'd like experienced and neophyte users of Endnote-like products.  Join us for coffee at 9 am, Tuesday November 11 in 106 Olin, where you will have a chance to test drive these products and give us your opinions. Please rsvp to Mary Patterson at mep4 by Friday Nov. 7. 

II. Program:  The Tough Challenges in Preserving Electronic Works: Moving Images, Websites, and Electronic Art" - Howard Besser, Director, Moving Image Archiving and Preservation Program-NYU.
 
Sarah Thomas introduced the program speaker, Howard Besser, of New York Universitys new program on Moving Image Preservation.  Howard spoke about the nature of moving image works in communicating aspects of culture and the need for paradigm shifts in managing these types of materials.  He discussed a number of problems concerning the preservation of both analog/magnetic and digital moving image resources. 

Minutes: Lee LaFleur, Secretary, Academic Assembly Steering Committee