Library
Management Team
Notes from the September 1, 2004 Meeting
Attending: Karen Calhoun,
Lee Cartmill, Claire Germain, Tom Hickerson, Anne Kenney, Janet McCue, Jean
Poland, Sarah Thomas, Ed Weissman.
Guests: helen-anne brown (by conference phone from Weill Medical College in
New York) Kathy Chiang, John Corson-Rikert, Medha Devare, Susanne Whitaker
1) VIVO (Life Sciences
Portal) initiative status report
Kathy Chiang, the chair, and some of the members of the Life Sciences Working
Group (other members of the group include helen-ann brown, Jon Corson-Rikert,
Medha Devare, Phil Davis, Zsuzsa Koltay, Marty Schlabach, Leah Solla, and
Susanne Whitaker) reported on their activities and demonstrated the VIVO Web
Index <vivo.library.cornell.edu> prior to its official release next
month to the Cornell community. Details of the development of the site are
available in the September 2004 Report of the Life Sciences Working Group
which will be available soon on the Staff Web page. LMT members were enthusiastic
about the site and the methodology used for creating it. Janet pointed out
that the Working Group did not just learn about the Life Sciences Initiative,
they are embedded in it. This approach allowed the site to develop from the
point of view of the scientists who will be using the site, rather than the
librarians developing it. In addition, the site provides access not just to
relevant documents, but to the people, organizations, facilities, education
and training opportunities and other information of interest to the community.
LMT was particularly interested in how usage of the site would be assessed
after it "goes public," how content would be kept up-to-date, and
in the further integration of information from the Weill Medical College.
2) CUL's Priority Objectives
for 2004-05
Sarah announced that there will be a meeting on November 18 of CUL librarians,
technical and managerial staff to discuss the Library's priority objectives
for 2004-2005. Attendees at the meeting will review and refine the implementation
plans LMT is developing to fulfill the objectives. The November 18 meeting
will include both plenary and small group breakout sessions. The ten priority
objectives are:
Cornell University Library Objectives for 2004-2005
1. Plan the next
generation Gateway for implementation in 2006-2007.
This objective is key in helping a diverse set of users find information in
a way that increases their productivity.
2. Build an OAIS-compliant
system for managing Cornell's digital assets.
This objective, which spans 2004-2007, is an essential component in preserving
Cornell's digital scholarship, records, and library.
3. Develop mass
digitization capabilities to digitize a critical mass of library holdings
to facilitate e-scholarship.
Faculty and graduate students are accelerating their use of digital resources.
The Library must convert primary and secondary source material to support
teaching and research.
4. Work with faculty
and librarians to develop strategies to incorporate information fluency competencies
into the curriculum at all levels.
Students need to develop skills to find, evaluate, and use complex information
resources.
5. Effectively
market the library's products and services and expand outreach to new and
underrepresented constituencies.
Faculty and students often fail to take full advantage of library services
because they are unaware of their availability. Expanding outreach will increase
the return on investment for Cornell.
6. Secure the resources
to meet CUL's goals and objectives.
The Library intends to increase the funds coming from individual and corporate
donations and from foundations and other granting agencies.
7. Expand, coordinate,
and simplify document delivery services to facilitate use of both digital
and analog information.
Information users want convenient and seamless access to collections from
Cornell and other institutions. This service will save faculty valuable time
and increase the use of library materials.
8. Operate an electronic
publishing program.
Universities stand to benefit from cost-effective alternatives to high-priced
commercial publishing. Research and scholarship will reach a broader audience
and extend the impact of university efforts, and the cost to acquire access
to publications will decrease overall.
9. Respond to the
crisis in scholarly communication by clarifying alternatives for publishing
outlets for faculty and others at the university.
Increased awareness of issues relating to scholarly communication, especially
the high costs to the institution, can transform the process and lower costs
if appropriate information about intellectual property rights and alternative
venues for disseminating scholarly finds is discussed and circulated.
10. Identify the
skills and resources needed for library innovation and develop new competencies
by retraining and recruiting.
Library roles are changing, and consequently, new skills are needed to achieve
success.
Edward Weissman