The Excellent Video

 

And in case you missed it...here's the visual tribute to our winners and ourselves!

Excellent Party

 

Congrats again to Katie Cooper, Sue Bishop and Chris Burns! We love celebrating with you, and working with you. And for those who need more cake, there's some at B/H Circ desk and a bit over in Dana!

DEAN'S COUNCIL MINUTES: September 24, 2013

I.                    Incentive-based Budgeting

 

Mara traveled with a group of UVM Administrations to the University of Delaware to learn more about how they implemented “incentive-based budgeting” five years ago. Meanwhile, another team from UVM visited the University of New Hampshire, which has a slightly different variation on the model.

 

On July 1, 2014, UVM will launch the new budgeting system in parallel with the current budgeting system. As of July 1, 2015, IBB at UVM will be in place.

Libraries’ directors will receive a copy of the book, “Responsibility Center Management, A Guide to Balancing Academic Entrepreneurship with Fiscal Responsibility,” which UVM administrators were required to read. A copy of the book will also be available in the Dean’s Office for anyone else who would like to read it.

 

In the coming months, committees and subcommittees will hone UVM’s IBB model. Central services will be defined and established. For more on IBB, see the Provost’s website.

 

II.                 Provost Meeting with Faculty Senate

 

At the inaugural meeting of the semester, UVM Libraries faculty met with the new Provost. Gary Atwood serves as the secretary.

 

III.                Executive Summary of Strategic Plan Executive Summary

 

The Council continued its work on making recommendations for edits on the 2009-2013 Strategic Plan Executive Summary. The summary will be shared as part of the Annual Meeting in November 2013.

 

IV.                Gen Ed

 

Associate Provost Brian Reed is working on multi-year, multi-million dollar grant from the Davis Foundation. The Provost has agreed to fund half of a library fellow for three years to do very specific WILD (Writing and Information Literacy in the Disciplines) work. A Library Fellow would assist in a variety of ways to free up liaisons to work on concentrated subject work.

 

V.                  Council Logistics

The Council agreed to create three categories of agenda items:

 

1.                   New Business agenda items come by request to address current and unanticipated issues.

2.                   Short-Medium Range Matters, which are predictable such as assessment, web redesign, CatQuest, budget planning.

                           3.                   Long-Term Initiatives, which require preparations and presentations. 

       A fall semester calendar was set forth:

·         October 8: LibQUAL results and news from the Development Office (Selene)

·         October 22: Strategic Planning Process and Next Steps (Mara)

·         November 5: CDI platform and IR, VTDNP matters

·         November 19: CatQuest Going Forward (Alison)

·         December 3: Communications discussion revisited (Selene and Nancy)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Libraries' staff! We appreciate you!

Dear Staff,

Thanks for making life at the Libraries so sweet, and for making work such a piece of cake!

With admiration,

The Dean's Office

Dean's Council Minutes: Tuesday, September 10, 2013

I.                   Overview by Mara Saule

 

UVM’s new Provost, David Rosowsky, is keen on the new STEM Building and partnerships with private industry. The Billings Project will not be affected by these new efforts and Mara will continue to apprise the Provost on the progress of Billings.

UVM is moving toward an Incentive-based Budgeting (IBB) model. Subcommittees will convene to discuss, evaluate, and plan for the change which is expected to be more predictable, more transparent and will allow for multi-year planning. Mara will be on a committee to participate in the discussions. The new IBB model could change how the Libraries’ next strategic plan develops. See Provost Rosowsky’s Faculty Senate IBB presentation by clicking this link.

 II.                Logistics for Dean’s Council

The DC will have rotating chairs when Mara is unable to attend. Mara will tap the chair beforehand. Perpetual agendas need to be prioritized, and distinguished from laundry-list style agendas/updates. The breakdown of to-do’s is as follows:

1. Future initiatives (not time-based)

2. Current initiatives

3. Current issues

Members who can’t attend meetings are responsible for getting up to speed.

III.             Joint Ledger between B/H and Dana

 

Laura and Marianne provided greater insight into the logistics, challenges and value of a joint ledger between libraries. Laura guided the DC through the Sharepoint site which shows which resources are shared and why. Each joint resource has to “earn” its place on the list. Issues going forward: How the joint ledger will be operationalized? What are the criteria and principles going forward? Other factors: what if the libraries’ acquisition budget receives increases below inflation? What if, as in the case of IBB, we are in new models of funding? The joint ledger requires coordination, collaboration, evaluation and representation.

Congrats to Our Milestone Staff

A special shout out to our staff reaching employment milestones this year! They will be honored at UVM's Staff Recognition Dinner on September 26, 5:30pm at the Sheraton.

15 Years of Service
Sylvia Bugbee
Lesley Boucher
Pamala Smith

25 Years of Service
Juliet Young
Jake Barickman
Lori Holiff

35 Years of Service
Michael Breiner
Susan Mower
Annette Mailhot


And celebrating 45 Years of Service at UVM is Mary Van Buren-Swasey!

Congrats to these staff members!

Heirloom Tomato Tasting, August 22

Colleagues,

Join UVM's Farmer Training Program for an heirloom tomato tasting in front of B/H on Thursday, August 22, from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Albert Joy will make the festivities all the more festive by playing his accordian.

Refreshments provided. See you there!

Nancy

Congrats to the 2013 Staff/Faculty Award Winners!

Hooray!

The wonderful winners have been decided and the party planning is in full swing.

The date, however, is still a work in progress (please remove Sept. 18 from your calendars) as we need to accomodate the schedules of our award-winning colleagues.

The Delmar Janes Staff Exellence Awards go to:

Susan Bishop, who has dedicated herself to the Dana Medical Library for more than 3 decades!

Katie Cooper, who has been helping patrons and colleagues at Bailey/Howe for almost 25 years!

The Faculty Excellence in Educational Mission Award this year goes to:

Chris Burns, Associate Library Professor, who has been in Special Collections since 2001, takes the excellent cake!

We'll let you all know as soon as the new date for the party is settled.

Trina Magi's Lastest Publishing News

Congrats, again, to Library Professor Trina Magi!

Her article "A Fresh Look at Privacy--Why Does It Matter, Who Cares, and What Should Librarians Do about It?" has been published in the journal Indiana Libraries.  It's part of a special issue dedicated to intellectual freedom issues, available at http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/IndianaLibraries/issue/current.

Second, the Dutch publisher BIM Media, which specializes in publications on business and IT, has requested permission to reprint her article "Fourteen Reasons Privacy Matters:  A Multidisciplinary Review of Scholarly Literature" in a magazine called IT Managemet Select.  The article  was formerly published in Library Quarterly, April 2011.

Party Time! September 18!

The Annual Libraries Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony and Luncheon will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 18, Noon - 1:30 p.m. in the Davis Center's Livak Ballroom. Please mark your calendars! We will have a few surprises in store, as usual, and cake aplenty.

We will also remember Brenda Hutchins as part of our visual presentation before the awards.

Stay tuned for the names of this year's award winners!

Oh, one more thing! We will take a group portrait this year! Right there at the Davis Center. More info on that to come!

Thursday at Noon: Farmer Panel Discussion and Salad Tasting!

On August 8^th, in the McCrorey Gallery of Bailey/Howe Library at noon, a panel of Vermont farmers will discuss their work and the paths that led them to their current career trajectories. Panelists include Amanda Andrews of Tamarack Hollow Farm and Nancy Hayden of The Farm Between, as well as Laura Williams, the Farm Director for UVM’s Farmer Training Program.

Susie Walsh Daloz, Program Director of UVM’s Farmer Training Program, will moderate the panel.

Attendees will be treated to salad (provided by the Farmer Training Program), additional refreshments, and a raffle of books provided by permaculture publishers Chelsea Green Publishing. The event is free of charge and open to the public.

Amanda Andrews began farming in 2007, working on a variety of farms in New York and selling farm products at the New York City Greenmarket. She attended the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC where she studied fiber arts, blacksmithing, and woodworking. She has experience working with a variety of livestock, including horse draft power. In 2010 she relocated to Vermont to add her skills to Tamarack Hollow Farm.

Nancy Hayden is an artist, writer, and environmental engineer, in addition to being a farmer. Hayden is the co-owner of The Farm Between, specializing in organic fruit and related products.She recently retired from her teaching job at the University of Vermont to be full time on the farm and in the studio. She has degrees in ecology, environmental engineering, English, creative writing and studio.

Laura Williams  went through the Santa Cruz Farmer Training Program before running her own farm in Westford for five years. She has been farming with UVM’s Farmer Training Program for three years.

The panel accompanies summer exhibits on food and farming at the Bailey/Howe and Dana Medical Libraries.

Thursday, July 18: UNPLUG COMPUTERS BEFORE YOU GO HOME

Summer Food Events

Libraries Conference Day: The Schedule

Staff/Faculty Award Nominations Due July 15

Remember last year's amazing event honoring our winners of the Libraries' Staff and Faculty Awards?

The fajita bar? The mums? The multimedia presentation? The cake?

It's time to get geared up again for the big party in November. But first we need nominees in the hands of reviewers by July 15, 2013

 All the forms and info can be found here.

Flooding in Dana Library

by Marianne Burke, Director, Dana Medical Library  

For the second time in two years, water came up through the foyer floor and into the Dana Library during torrential rain on the 4^th of July.  Water soaked the carpet in the front of the library, as well as the central corridor, classroom and two offices. The Medical Education Center concourse and the COMIS help center were also flooded.  Fortunately, UVM Physical Plant Department members were on the scene shortly after the rain let up and recovery began almost immediately.  Dozens of high powered fans and dehumidifiers were placed in strategic locations throughout the Library and halls. 

Staff arriving for work on Friday were greeted with the roar of fans throughout the space, making it impossible to carry on normal work in any of the affected areas.  We made the decision to close the library before noon  on the 5^th and to remain closed on Saturday the 6^th with an evaluation to take place on the Sunday the 7^th.   

While the situation was much improved on Sunday with many areas completely dry, we decided to remain closed to complete more of the drying process and to open on Monday.

The Library is now open, with only two high powered fans in operation in the central area. Access Services Staff and Information Services Librarians are available to help at or near the service desks.

Many thanks to the Physical Plant Department staff members, especially Neil Jackson, for their help this past weekend,  and to Dana Library staff for their patience with the disruption of service and work. To our patrons, thank you for your patience as well. We are happy to be back in business.

Campaign for a Tobacco-Free Entrance to Bailey/Howe

After receiving and reviewing feedback from staff, faculty and students about the problem of cigarette smoke outside B/H Library, an impromptu committee (Nancy Bercaw, Selene Colburn, Aaron Nichols, Angus Robertson & Scott Miller) formed in order to launch a targeted publicity campaign about the overwhelming need/desire for a tobacco-free building entrance.

The goals of the campaign are:

• Clearly identify smoking and non-smoking areas outside B/H.

• Ensure a clean-air entrance for those with respiratory issues.

• Raise awareness about health & environmental implications of second-hand smoke & cigarette butts.

• Establish the message about maintaining a tobacco-free entrance.

To be launched during the first week of the new academic year, August 26-30, the Campaign for a Tobacco-Free Entrance to Bailey/Howe intends to set a new precedent of a smoke-free corridor outside the library. The committee welcomes suggestions and participation on how to make this campaign an effective, educational and energetic experience.

We also need volunteers to hand out flyers and talk with patrons while wearing campaign t-shirts during one-hour time slots (volunteer coordinators are Aaron and Angus). We also need assistance in defining the tobacco-free area outside the entrance (infrastructure coordinator is Scott Miller). We would also like to engage campus partners to join us in these efforts (Nancy, Selene and Sarah will coordinate.)

We’d like to hear your ideas, as well as solicit your campaign participation, during an informal, open meeting on Wednesday, July 10 @ 1:30 p.m. in the Dean’s Conference Room.

Friday Fun: 10 Uses for Old Card Catalogs

Thank you to Susan Mower for finding and sharing this delightful website: 10 Fun Uses for Old Card Catalogs

"The library catalog has gone digital, but that doesn’t mean all the old oaken card catalog cabinets have been flung on the ash heap of history. Here are some of the novel ways creative people (including many librarians) have renewed card catalogs."

DEAN'S COUNCIL MINUTES: June 11, 2013

The Dean’s Council recently completed a period of work with Cortney Cahill of Cahill Communications as a way to prepare for the next level of Strategic Planning.  As part of those efforts, the Council also learned about improving leadership and communication skills. 

Selene and Nancy presented the first half of a preliminary communications plan—internal communications featuring current statuts, issues and potential solutions. 

A review of relevant literature reminded us that: 

•  “Communication is almost always the number one staff complaint.” 

•  "Communication between the supervisor and employee is key to the success of the individual’s performance.” 

•  “Through continuous dialogue and feedback, library staff can recognize how important their work is and how it connects to the larger vision of the library.” 

Issues/ideas/topics that arose:  

•  Need for role clarification amongst Council. What does each member do in/with/for their unit? What are individual department head and DC members’ “job descriptions?”

• The need to understand the forms of “grapevine” conversations that take place throughout the Libraries. 

• The difference between “telling” and “communicating.” When to use what method? How to “tell” difficult information that is the bottom line. Value of context in any scenario.  

•  Desire for more info on how the budget works across and throughout. Sarah Gordon reported that a new reporting program will soon be available and she will hold a separate meeting DC meeting to show directors how to use and read those reports.  

•  Department heads discussed need/value of the department meeting minutes. The idea of formalizing those minutes and sharing throughout libraries was discussed. Most felt this would be of value.  

• Desire expressed for Libraries “vitals” brochure, somewhat different from Fact Sheet or Source Book. Would provide information that wouldn’t have to be duplicated over and over again by individual units as need/requests arise. 

•   Group considered and valued the idea of a bi-weekly email newsletter from the Dean’s Office to feature “news you can use” from across departments. Similar to the Gary Derr/University communications communiqué we receive via email from central administration.  Included in these reports will be any Libraries’ issues/projects that might have a “open comment period” and where to send those comments.  

• The group also went through the Strategic Plan Matrix and marked what has been accomplished, what hasn’t and what is in progress. 

External Communications Planning to be reviewed in the next meeting.