Dean's Council Minutes, Dec. 4

DEAN’S COUNCIL MINUTES

A meeting of the Dean’s Council was held on Tuesday, Dec. 4, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Dean’s Conference Room.

Present: Mara Saule, Peter Blackmer, Paul Philbin, Keith Gresham, Birdie MacLennan, Nancy Bercaw, Jeff Marshall, Selene Colburn and Jeanene Light (representing Marianne Burke)

I. Welcome

Mara welcomed Jeanene Light, who will be the acting director of Dana Medical Library and will attend Dean’s Council meetings while Marianne Burke is on sabbatical, Jan. – June 2008.

II. FY09 Budget

The FY 09 university-wide budget hearings will begin on Thursday, Jan. 24. Each Dean and VP will have 10 minutes for budget presentations. Then, the fiscal committee will meet and discuss. At end of February, Mara and Peter will meet with Provost to discuss the status of the Libraries FY09 budget submission. Again this year, it is expected that all divisions will be returning 1 percent of general fund base budget resources.

III. BH Master Planning

The next meeting regarding Bailey/Howe master planning/re-visioning is set for Tuesday, Jan. 8. Selene is collecting a list of building consultants, and some with “learning commons” experience in particular. Peter and Scott continue to explore options for the entrance to BH in an attempt to make it more welcoming without sacrificing security.

IV. Libraries Strategic Plan

Mara requested a Dean’s Council Retreat (tentatively scheduled for Friday, Jan. 25) to work on the larger strategic planning process. The retreat will examine the recommendations from the Discovery and Delivery Council, the Tech Services Work Group, R2, as well as the strategic plans at peer institutions. A SharePoint site will be created for planning purposes and document review. Goals and expected outcomes for the retreat will be clear and will reflect high aspirations for where the libraries want to be in 5 to 10 years.

V. Collection Space Planning Timeline

Birdie presented her working timeline for libraries space considerations and collection shifting. BH is at about 75-80 percent of its maximum capacity and is collecting at a rate of about 20,000 volumes per year. (Five years ago, the rate was 25,000.) BH discards between 2,000-4,000 titles per year. Birdie and Keith have been working on long-ranging collection space and weeding issues. Scott Miller has been measuring actual linear feet space, which will help determine actual percentages to be weeded from the collection and what can and should be moved where.

VI. Library Logo

The Communications team has selected two logo designs, created by the Scuola Group, for potential use by the libraries. The top pick is a liberal interpretation of the tower brand, but utilizes UVM style guidelines in terms of font and color. Mara will share the designs with the President next Friday.