News: University Library Committee Minutes: March 4, 2008

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September 16, 2008

Members Present
Allen, Barkan, Bhasin, Frazier, Gossett, Kemnitz, Jasper, Livorni, McDaniel (recorder), Schneider, Van Gemert, Weimer, Wilson

Others
Gilbertson, Helman, Kruse, Lewis, Owens, Reeb

Minutes
Minutes of the May 13 meeting were approved by consensus

Appointments
Joe Mason ULC representative to Campus Planning Committee
Ernesto Livorni ULC representative to the Memorial Library Committee

Introductions
All present introduced themselves

Director's Report:

There has been no increase for state-funded collections in a decade and library allocations, increasing at approximately 2% at year, have not kept up with inflation. Frazier has been involved in a concerted effort to engage library leaders system-wide in this issue with a focus on online digital collections. This is a strategic effort to license online journals and research databases across the UW System to create a statewide “Digital Commons.” An informational video with student, faculty, and administrator interviews was taken to every member of the Board of Regents to educate them about the proposal. The “Digital Commons” is one of two surviving system-wide budget requests included in the official budget proposal. All $6 million of the request would be allocated in the second year of the biennium, and is an addition to base budget.   ULC members unanimously supported the budget request.

UW Madison previously made deep cuts to its Elsevier subscriptions in response to rising serials costs.   Out of concern about a loss of readership, Elsevier has become interested in UW Madison and is now offering the best price for a comprehensive license, bundled plan that includes nearly all the Elsevier titles.   This all-electronic arrangement, also providing access to substantial backfiles, comes with a 5%/year price cap, which will allow UW to control costs over a five year period.

The Library plans to renovate the Memorial Library Lounge to create a new programming space. The new space, configured for programming and social interaction, will enable closer collaboration with faculty and departments Memorial serves.

ULC members received copies of the brochure, “The High Cost of Textbooks: Options and Alternatives for Students.”   Proposed federal legislation may change the textbook landscape. The Library is looking for faculty partners interested in experimenting with new ways of delivering textbook/course content. We are looking for outcomes that represent a better deal for students and something that will work better instructionally.

New Library Initiatives: Open Access Day and Publishing Survey

Kruse announced that the Libraries would participate in Open Access Day October 14, 2008. The international event, sponsored by ARL SPARC, Public Library of Science, and Students for Free Culture, will include a 6 p.m. live video broadcast and a video series, “Voices of open Access.”   The Library is partnering with the local Students for Free Culture chapter.    Kruse will send a follow up email with details about the event and seeking names of faculty to contribute testimonials for a local version of “Voices of Open Access.”
Schneider introduced a survey planned by the Publishing Working Group of the Library Scholarly Communication Committee. The group is hoping to hold a series of interviews with faculty and staff in order to build new services.   Schneider will send a follow-up email to invite ULC member participation in pilot interviews conducted by a consultant.   There was discussion of whether it would be most beneficial to conduct individual or group interviews.

Future agenda items

Kemnitz and Van Gemert wil work out a schedule for discussion of new agenda items to include topics such as Google, repositories, scholarly communication and publishing, storage facility, interlibrary loan and document delivery use on campus, new kinds of discovery tools at the Historical Society, movement from print to electronic information sources, digital humanities and a project to make museum collections discoverable.

New Business

Allen is working with Konrad to create a questionnaire regarding disputes about book returns and charges.

S. McDaniel 9/19/08