Dana Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Fee waiver goes into effect

Effective September 2, 2008 , Dana Library will waive ILL fees for UVM students, staff and faculty and for FAHC employees, including nursing staff. The normal $5.00 UVM fee is waived for routine loans of journal articles, books, and audiovisual materials, up to and including 25 items per semester. UVM and FAHC users exceeding the 25 per semester limit will pay the standard UVM rate of $5.00 per transaction.

The additional fees for non-clinical rush requests, other special handling, or copyright fees are not waived. In the event of copyright charges, the ILL Department will always contact the patron first. This is a pilot program until the costs and personnel effort are evaluated after one semester, at which time policies may be changed or modified. The limit of 25 free ILL’s per person per semester is based on our best estimate of a reasonably acceptable impact on budget, but this also will be evaluated at the end of the pilot period.

The waiver does not apply to UVM emeriti and AHEC users who will continue to pay the UVM rate of $5 per transaction. Additionally, the waiver does not apply to Health Research Affiliates, unaffiliated users, or contract borrowers such as the Porter Medical Center, whose current rates will continue.

There is no change in the fee for pull and copy, or article delivery service for Library owned items (DARTS).

Please contact Marie McGarry or Elinor Avery if you have any questions regarding the implementation of this new procedure, and feel free to contact me as well. Joanne Montanye can answer questions on any concerns about the DARTS process.

Marianne Burke invites all libraries colleagues to join her in thanking the DD/ILL staff and Head of Access Services Jeanene Light (now on an Interim appointment at Bailey-Howe Library) for the work and effort that has gone into making the new policy workable. This will be a great benefit to our users, especially faculty and those without departmental accounts.

"I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate the DD/ILL staff and especially lending specialist Elinor Avery for making 2008 the year that Dana Library became a NET Lender," Marianne adds. "That means that we loaned more than we borrowed from other libraries; saving dollars for the Dana Library budget and contributing more to health sciences patrons across the country. Congratulations Elinor!"

First Floor Shifting

You've probably seen June, Ryan, Angus, and many others shifting the collections on the main floor. The goal, according to Scott, is to free up space in the back rows (removing the shelves marked as 44 and 45) and a few rows in the front as well, to provide more computer and work space for patrons.

Taking the Cake

On Wednesday afternoon, Libraries' colleagues showed appreciation for Keith's work at UVM and celebrated his new gig at Princeton. The cake was large enough to feed all the libraries from Vermont to New Jersey. Emily Frost(ing) from Scott Miller's department captured her affection for Keith and the cake in her grin.

Changes in I & IS Departments

Keith Gresham has accepted a position as Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services at Princeton University. We congratulate him on this exciting opportunity, and a special event will be held to show our appreciation for his time here. Stay tuned.

Jeanene Light has agreed to serve as the interim director. She is an experienced UVM Libraries manager, and has just finished a successful run as Interim Director of Dana Medical Library.

Although Jeanene will assume official duties on Monday, August 18, she will be consulting with Keith on transitional issues and on-going departmental initiatives previous to his departure; similarly, Jeanene will need to spend a few days a week in Dana Library, until Labor Day, in order to tie up projects and facilitate the transition there.

Please extend a hearty welcome to Jeanene as she assumes this critically important role in the Libraries.

Latvian National Librarian Coming to UVM

All libraries colleagues are invited to an informal reception for Mr. Andris Vilks, the director of the National Library in Latvia, at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6 in Special Collections. Mr. Vilks previously was director of the rare books and manuscripts division of the National Library of Latvia. He's also very involved in the consortium of European national librarians, recently elected treasurer.

Vermont artisan cheeses and vegetable crudités, as well as tea and lemonade, will be served.

Dean's Council Minutes, July 29

A meeting of the Dean's Council was held Tuesday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Dean's Conference Room.

Present: Mara Saule, Marianne Burke, Birdie MacLennan, Paul Philbin, Keith Gresham, Nancy Bercaw

Absent: Selene Colburn, Jeff Marshall, Peter Blackmer

I. The libraries’ EBSCO account is being reviewed by the Board of Trustees during an executive session on Monday, August 4. The invoice was first questioned by the new VP for finance because the total is more than $3 million. Mara, Birdie and Albert drafted a memo justifying why we use EBSCO and what the company does. The trustees will consider a resolution to go ahead with EBSCO.

II. Strategic Planning

The Council has developed a working draft of a 5-year strategic plan for the libraries and is considering next steps for library-wide engagement in the process. Possible venues include departmental meetings, a special forum or a half-day retreat.

III. Updates

• The new Writing in the Disciplines Director, Dr. Susanmarie Harrington, begins mid August.
• Brenda, Sandy and Birdie comprise the search committee for Toni’s replacement.
  Access services is deploying 24 new machines on the second floor of B/H. They will feature a “Save your work” message on middle of screen.
• The servers in Bailey/Howe are moving to Tech Park, where environmental and security conditions are more conducive.
• Dana had made a decision in principle to drop ILL fees. Implementation and impact issues are now being considered.
• Enrollment for the fall is higher than anticipated. Some of the social and study space in the dorms has been converted into housing, which could impact the number of students coming to the libraries.