Faculty Senate

Library Committee

During the 2004-05 academic year, the Faculty Senate Library Committee continued to fulfill its responsibilities of advising the University Librarian in the three areas outlined in its standing rules: (1) meeting the learning, instruction, and research needs of students, faculty, and staff; (2) assisting in the review of library policies as they relate to circulation, budgets, services, and development of resources for instruction and research; and (3) interpreting the needs of the library to the University.

Accomplishments:

1. Library Funding Transfer Policy: The new Library Funding Transfer Policy, which was approved by the Library Committee during the 2003-04 academic year, required additional work in 2004-05 to make the policy operational. The new policy calls for the transfer of reoccurring (for four-years) or non-reoccurring (one-time only) funds from the academic unit(s) submitting a Category I proposal to the Library following final Board approval. The amount is based on the Library Evaluation that is required of each new Category I proposal. Issues surrounding the implementation of the new policy, which required the development of a new Library Fund Transfer Form (developed in collaboration with the Office of Budget and Fiscal Planning), were finalized.


2. Library Strategic Plan: The Library Committee reviewed the Library's new strategic plan. The Library's plan outlines three goals: digital libraries, academic success, and community outreach. During this discussion and review of the new strategic plan, it was pointed out that the biggest impact on faculty has been, and will be, the shift to electronic journals.


3. Retired Faculty Serving on OSU Faculty Senate Committees: The Faculty Senate Executive Committee requested input on the idea of utilizing retired faculty on understaffed Faculty Senate committees. The Library Committee is not, and has not been historically, understaffed. However, the Committee voted to support this proposal from the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. The following statement was added to the Library Committee’s Standing Rules: "One faculty member may be retired."


4. Library Communication With Academic Units: The Library Committee discussed the need for better communication to and from faculty and students in academic units with regard to Library needs. Surveys were conducted by the Library staff. Positive feedback was received from faculty. It was determined that most issues that arise get addressed quickly. The Library Committee agreed to communicate issues with their constituents, and the Library expressed a commitment to improving methods of advertising its services and holdings.


5. Library Issues: The following Library issues were discussed: (1) noise in the library; (2) food and drink in the library; and (3) vandalism in the study rooms. The Library Committee discussed these issues and recommended that the Library take appropriate steps to ameliorate these problems.


6. Long Term Research Study Rooms: The chairperson of the Library Committee worked with the Library in the evaluation of faculty and graduate student applications for a limited number of Long Term Research Study Rooms. The number of applications always exceeds the limited number of rooms available. This evaluation occurred twice: Fall Term 2004 and Spring Term 2005.


7. Library Budget Analysis: The Library Committee began to review the percentage of funding (the beginning operating budget) that the Library receives each year compared to the total University budget. In addition, an initial comparative examination was made when the percentage of support that is currently provided to OSU's library is compared to the library funding support received by our peers.


8. Library Travel Grants: Two members of the Library Committee, Linda Ashkenas and Deborah Rubel, volunteered to help screen applications for the Library travel grants.


9. Scholarly Communication: The on-going issue of scholastic publishing, funding for Library serials, and scholarly communication which the Library Committee addressed in 2003-04 was pursued independently by a special Faculty Senate Task Force on Scholarly Communication during the 2004-05 academic year. The chairperson of the Library Committee served on this Task Force. A report from the Task Force was presented in June to the full Faculty Senate. A determination will be made in early Fall Term 2005 on whether to have the Task Force continue into the 2005-06 academic year as an independent group of University representatives, or to fold this effort into the charge of the Library Committee.

Issues and Possible Agenda Items for the 2005-06 Library Committee:

• Faculty Senate's Task Force on Scholarly Communication: Discuss the integration of the Task Force with the Library Committee as a sub-committee, or continue to support the efforts of an independent Task Force with representatives from the Library Committee.


• Library Funding Transfer: Monitor the new Library Funding Transfer policy and procedures to ensure that the Library receives the funds specified in their Category I Library Evaluation following Board approval.


• ARL Membership: Continue to assess the deficiencies in the Library that prevents the Library from joining the Association of Research Libraries. Recommend to the central administration that steps be taken to address these deficiencies, which are primarily resource related.


• Indirect Costs: Ascertain how changes in the indirect cost revenue will impact the Library.


• Capital Campaign: Keep current with the University's planned capital campaign and how this effort will positively impact the Library.


• Strategic Plan: Review the implementation and progress of the Library's strategic plan.

Library Committee: 2004-05

Gary Beach '06, Chair                    Institutional Research
Molly Engle '05                              Public Health
Mo Healey '05                               History
Robert Wheatcroft (v. Gartner) '05 Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
Linda Ashkenas '06                        Fisheries and Wildlife
Melody Putnam '06                        Botany and Plant Pathology
Evan Gottlieb '07                           English
Deborah Rubel '07                         Education
Michael Witbeck '07                      English Language Institute

Ex-Officio: University Librarian - Karyle Butcher
Executive Committee Liaison - Mike Quinn
Student Members -- Christopher Adams (graduate)
                        -- Avinash Reddy Beeram (undergraduate)
                        -- TBA