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Notes from the 9/9/97 Meeting
Attending: Ross Atkinson, Lee Cartmill, Tom Hickerson, Sarah Thomas, Ed Weissman
Absent: David Corson, Jan Olsen
1. NHA Principles. ARL sent copies of the National Humanities Alliance "Basic Principles for Managing Intellectual Property in the Digital Environment" (3/24/97) to library directors asking that they try to secure institutional endorsements. (ARL itself has already endorsed the principles.) Sarah reported that some directors are routing copies to their Provost, President and Counsel for that purpose. Others are taking more limited or no action. We agreed that this is a good document from the Library's perspective and that we would like to encourage support for the position it takes. Sarah will ask the Law Library to review, distill and provide an Executive summary of the key points in this document. We will review this summary with the Council of Librarians. Then, Sarah will add a cover letter to the summary and distribute it to the Dean's/Department Head's list. The cover letter will indicate that the Library has endorsed these principles, that these are important issues we would like the faculty and administration to be aware of, and that we'd like to hear about any comments and concerns they might have.
2. Status of "Kaleidoscope" and "Far Above." We reviewed the status of the publication "Kaleidoscope." Catherine has been the driving force behind this publication. With the recent reorganization, she suggested that someone else be given responsibility for it. After a short discussion, Sarah said she would ask Catherine to continue in her role for the time being and to do an analysis of the cost of publication along with a staff survey in order to determine whether it was worth continuing to publish "Kaleidoscope". Since support is provided by the O/K/U administrative office, David must be asked whether he is willing to continue supporting publication.
Regarding "Far Above," Vally has urged strongly that the Library resume its publication. She feels that it will more than pay for itself in the donations it attracts. Vally estimates the cost to be $10,000 plus some staff time in the Office of Public Affairs. (There is also the time of the Library staff asked to write articles to be considered.) There was general agreement that the Library should have a publication of this kind to maintain its visibility with alumni and potential donors. Sarah asked Lee to add "Far Above" to the list of budget reallocation items. She will ask Vally to provide examples of several different newsletter formats, to indicate a preferred frequency of publication, distribution method (e.g., print only, online) and audience, and to provide a specific budget which includes staff time.
3. Tactical Planning. Following the Tactical Planning meeting on August 27, Sarah created a list of priority goals and objectives derived from that meeting and the meeting held in June. She added the names of the people who she will ask to be responsible for accomplishing the stated goals and objectives. In this way, the document can be used to track progress. The goals and objectives will be included in the performance plans of the individuals assigned the tasks. We agreed that the document needed a final review by the people named in it. Sarah will distribute the document to these people with a cover letter asking for format and substance related comments prior to holding a final meeting to endorse the plan.
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rev. 2/23/98 dih