Category Archives: Executive Committee

December 14, 2017

Stravinsky collection: Fondren has acquired 48 items from the son of composer Igor Stravinsky, purchased from both Woodson and general collections funds.

Charge to Web Team on identifying tool to facilitate access to staff information: Denis Galvin reported that he has asked the team to reorganize its report to separate the main recommendations from auxiliary observations and recommendations. The revised report should be available shortly.

Schedule for performance appraisals: The group will discuss in January after recess.

Town Meeting December 20: The agenda items are Central Quad 4.0 and Customer Service training.

Careers@Rice training: Supervisors are receiving invitations to participate in a series of four training sessions, to precede general training for all staff prior to the implementation of this new position grading system in FY19.

Printing: In response to library user requests for better access to color printing capability, Central IT is relocating a color printer from the Mudd Building to the first floor of Fondren. A resume printer, utilizing acid-free paper, will also be relocated to the library.

Strategic planning: Following anticipated Board approval in January of the final draft of the university’s strategic plan, activity will resume in Fondren to further refine the library’s plan in support of identified university priorities.

January 11, 2018

The group discussed further details of the Careers @ Rice program.

Performance appraisals: All completed appraisals library-wide are due to Sara by March 23. Library managers are free to set schedules in their areas so as to meet the March 23 deadline. Though the library has not yet received the budget letter (so that the salary pool is not yet known), it is likely we will use the same merit rankings and bonus levels as last year. Self-evaluations by Executive Committee members are due Feb. 2.

The group discussed sending Fondren representatives to the GWLA OER (Open Educational Resources) conference.

Having received earlier January 11 the recommendations about subgroups for the Alma implementation project, the group agreed to review the recommendations and discuss them at the next meeting.

Sara shared that she had met recently with the Executive Committee of the Staff Association, learning that they plan to update the organization’s bylaws and procedures.

Executive Committee Meeting Summary, September 28, 2017

1)   Debra Kolah reported on the results of the Survey of All Students. See UX Office update: Survey of All Students, Ambassadors, and UX Question of the Week on the libstaff blog.

2)   Denis Galvin presented the charge for the LSP platform group, which was approved.

3)   Sara Lowman updated the committee on the outcomes of the Communications Task Force.

1. The birthday lunch has been scheduled for those with October birthdays.
2. Departments should invite Lowman to one of their meetings.
3.   Lowman received feedback from the chairs of all committees. A few (e.g. the sign committee and the public access ad hoc committee) will be removed from the staff wiki, since they are no longer active.

Executive Committee Meeting Summary, October 19, 2017

The executive committee briefly discussed Fondren’s draft strategic plan.  We will evaluate whether there are holes in our plan, especially in comparison to Rice’s strategic plan. We will wait until January or February to seek feedback from outside Fondren.

Sara Lowman provided an update on follow-up to the recommendations of the communications committee:

•      The first birthday lunch was held in October and went well.
•      Each department should invite Sara to attend a meeting.
•      The accessibility committee has been reconstituted and there are new members of LTTD.

Denis Galvin gave an update on the library service platform (LSP) project. The oversight committee will hand off the project to the implementation group.

Lisa Spiro provided an update on the new Harvey Memories project, a digital archive of stories and artifacts related to Hurricane Harvey. Harvey Memories is a collaboration among Fondren, Rice faculty, UH Libraries, Houston Public Library, and Harris County Public Library and is modeled after similar archives such as Hurricane Digital Memory Bank and the Our Marathon archive.

Executive Committee Meeting Summary, November 3, 2017

The executive committee discussed how to proceed with Fondren’s draft strategic plan. Since the library’s strategic plan was written prior to the university’s, both the strategic planning team and the executive committee will identify gaps in Fondren’s plan and align it with the university’s. Fondren’s plan will be rewritten so that it reflects the style and structure of the university’s plan, putting forward an argument for each goal rather than a list of objectives and action items. Departments and interdepartmental teams will draft action items in support of the revised plan.

Executive Meeting Summary, November 16, 2017

Jeff Koffler, Michael Chiles and Jeanette Sewall visited to discuss plans for upcoming customer service training. CMACS has been working with Melinda English (Organizational and Professional Development Consultant in HR) to create a two-session course on providing excellent customer service. The pilot course will take place in January. Plans for the training will be presented at a Town Hall meeting tentatively scheduled for December.

The executive committee reviewed and approved the library hours for summer 2018 through spring 2019.

Lowman gave an update on Rice’s strategic planning activities. The executive committee and strategic planning team will work to align Fondren’s strategic plan with Rice’s in January, when the final plan is expected to be released.

August 10, 2017

Sara reported on her trip to North Carolina academic libraries, accompanied by President Leebron, Provost Miranda and Matt Taylor, Associate Vice-Provost for Academic Affairs. The Rice group visited the libraries at Duke University, North Carolina State University (NC State) and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Duke’s $160 million renovation and addition by Shepley-Bulfinch included a classroom shared with IT, a pavilion, a GIS center and a conference center. NC State has a new Engineering/Agriculture library with high-density storage and interesting furniture and a very creative renovation of their main library, including faculty and graduate school commons spaces. UNC had done some renovations but not as major as the other two. Back at Rice, both President Leebron and Provost Miranda took extensive walking tours of Fondren. The net impact of the trips and the tours was heightened interest at the highest administrative levels in more investment in the library.

Sara also shared that the Sewell staff temporarily housed in Fondren study rooms this summer should be moving to the BRC.

Kerry reported she is still working on the requested study of possible alternatives to building a new LSC bay. She reminded the group that there has been campus interest in storage of art and archival records in addition to library materials.

Sara reported on a meeting of the Texas ARL library directors, held at Fondren on August 9. The group discussed possible future collaborations, including group action with respect to broad or narrowly targeted deals with vendors, archiving/access rights, APCs (article processing charges), author rights and sharing online special collections exhibits and OERs (open educational resources). Any group negotiations with vendors are likely to be narrowly focused.

Melinda shared a summary of the latest report from the Linked Data Working Group. Executive Committee members showed appreciation for the group’s experiment showing that “sharing our collections via Google” is a complex and partial process governed by Google’s primary interest in revenue-generating information. The report is available at: https://wiki.rice.edu/confluence/pages/viewpage.action?title=Reports+-+Library-wide&spaceKey=FONDREN (login required).

Kerry is moving forward on collections budget allocations for FY18.

Sara is working on summarizing input from Fondren committee chairs as followup to the Communications Task Force recommendation that all committees be reviewed.

Sara will start working shortly on the new round of ROARs (Rice Outcome Assessment Reports)/SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) documentation. She will ask Executive Committee members where she needs help.

Lee reminded the group of Fondren’s participation in the upcoming Houston Archives Bazaar on September 10.

Kerry and Sandi Edwards will be participating in an O-Week (Orientation Week) event on Sunday, August 13, the first of many O-week appearances by Fondren staff.

August 24, 2017

Sara led the group in a discussion of the presentation on which she has been asked to work with Matt Taylor in connection with the University’s planning process. The topic is Central Quad 4.0 (the quad west of Fondren and space use in the buildings which border it) and the 15-minute presentation is one of four that will be made to the Rice Board of Trustees on September 13.

Discussion of Central Quad 4.0 included the role of cloisters as connection/protection when traveling among buildings, graduate student needs for offices and commons, undergraduate needs for classrooms and study spaces and faculty needs for a mid-sized event space and possibly a conference center. A central question is: what functions work best in which building? Twenty-four hour functions are likely best located in Fondren.

Other agenda items were postponed:

Review of Fondren committees
Progress toward migration to a new library service platform (LSP)
Proposal to digitize remaining masters theses and dissertations

1. The Executive Committee met with Kathy Weimer and David Bynog to discuss how the library will approach the recommendations of the Staff Communications Task Force. The Task Force will present its work at a town hall meeting scheduled for August 25 at 10 a.m. Following the town hall, the report will be shared with library staff.
2. The Executive Committee discussed next steps for Fondren’s strategic plan. Lisa Spiro and Melinda Reagor Flannery will confer with the strategic planning team to determine how best to solicit input from Fondren staff. In early fall, we plan to begin sharing the plan with the rest of the campus and inviting feedback.
3. Mary Lowery announced upcoming events sponsored by the Friends of Fondren:
   1. the Friends of Fondren Annual Meeting and Membership Dinner will occur on September 6 and will feature a presentation by Dr. Marie Lynn Miranda.
   2. Meet the Author: Featuring John Boles (co-sponsored by the Association of Rice Alumni and the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies) will take place on September 14 from 6:00-08:00 p.m.
   3. the Houston Folk Music Archive Celebration (co-sponsored by the Woodson Research Center) will take place on November 9, during Rice Homecoming.
   4. The library tours previously held during Homecoming and Families Weekend will not occur this year.

June 29, 2017

1) The Exec Committee discussed the status of the Careers at Rice program.

2) Lowman invited input on goals that the library should report on for the Rice Outcome Assessment Report (ROAR). Library staff will be asked to write brief assessment reports on research data, library ambassadors, Fondren 101, and collection assessment. Lowman also requested suggestions for projected ROAR goals for FY 2017.

3) The committee explored how to approach the recommendations of the Communications Task Force. At the next Exec meeting, the group will review committees and their charges. Denis is working on a charge on technology tools and communications. Communications will be discussed at a Town Meeting to be held in August.

July 13, 2017

1) Lowman solicited suggestions for topics for the August Town Meeting. Suggested topics include:

• Discuss the report of the Communications Task Force
• Share the Library Service Platform committee’s recommendations
• Provide an update on the strategic plan

2) The Executive Committee discussed a GWLA recommendation to adopt a new ILL system. Fondren decided to delay this move until staff members have more time to implement it.

3) The Executive Committee discussed how to handle the Communications Task Force’s recommendations that committees be examined to ensure that staff time is spent most efficiently. Lowman will ask staff chairs for their input. After receiving this input, Exec will explore how to ensure that committees are most effective.

4) Lowman announced that the Faculty Senate is interested in having Fondren staff present the draft strategic plan. The next Exec meeting will focus on strategic planning.

April 13, 2017

The group discussed the Library Service Platform working group report.

April 20, 2017

No meeting.

April 27, 2017

1) Sara reported that President Leebron and Provost Miranda have responded very positively to the library’s “pitches” about future big ideas for the library. Mary offered to visit Seattle libraries to take pictures on an upcoming trip.

2) Sara clarified that the Fondren planning process can gear back up later in the summer, to sync with the university’s planning schedule.

3) The group reviewed the library’s current memberships in collaborative organizations and considered both cuts and new membership opportunities.

4) Kerry shared the need for tightening access policy for LSC items in certain restricted categories.

5) Sara shared recent discussions on the need for signed agreements from users who make use of Fondren’s new lockers.

6) Mary asked about protecting the painting across from Access Services by anchoring any nearby seating or adding a protective railing in front of the artwork. She shared that a member of the Friends of Fondren is interested in doing an online general or art-focused tour to encourage Friends to become more familiar with Fondren. Other members offered to share what has been done in the way of online tours and invited the individual to make use of those building blocks. Mary also shared that the Friends’ Homecoming event will spotlight local music archives in the Woodson Research Center (WRC).

May 4, 2017

No meeting

May 11, 2017

No meeting

May 18, 2017

1) a) Sara shared that Norie and Debra Kolah have been working with Fondren Ambassadors to plan spending $100,000 in money available to the library from the KTRU endowment. The seating areas outside Rm. 156 and in front of Access Services are targeted for improvements. Room 412, to the L of the Studies in English Literature offices, has been assigned as a gathering place to a new association of retired faculty under the sponsorship of the provost.
b) This summer, five Rice Design Alliance staff members will be officing temporarily in Fondren, during the renovation of their offices. The architecture school has made a donation to Fondren in response.
c) Sara shared what she is learning about the university-level planning process. So far, the Fondren process is tracking well with the university process, in terms of elements, level of detail, etc.
d) Sara reported that the Rice Board of Trustees approved the budget and that salary letters should go out before the end of June. The library received an additional $500,000 for collections for FY18 to slow the impact of inflation on our purchasing power.

2) The group discussed the draft of the strategic planning document, making revisions and inviting Lee to provide language to represent WRC strategic directions where appropriate in the document. The strategic planning group will host additional staff meetings to discuss the new version of the plan, and will also be sharing a draft with some university departments in the fall.

3. The group discussed the request of the Horizon Group for a clarification of its charge following the valuable advice shared on the planning process. Currently, members do not have a new research need.

4. Updates: There will be a Town Hall meeting May 24 to share the “pitches” to President Leebron. The Kyle Morrow Room will be out of commission for tech upgrades for the month of June. Scott Vieira will co-chair the Web Team. The report of the Library Service Platform (LSP) group is being reviewed. The Friends gala net profits are not yet final but seem to be approaching $185,000. The 2018 gala will be held March 23 at the River Oaks Country Club and will honor the Crownovers. Catherine and Brian James will co-chair the event; student workers will be needed. Other events are being slotted into the Friends calendar for the upcoming year.

May 25, 2017

No meeting.

June 1, 2017

The group discussed the report of the Communications Task Force. This report will be made public with plans for action once Executive Committee discussion is completed. Main recommendations include increased visibility of administration, a review and simplification of committee structures and improved tools for staff communication.

June 8, 2017

The group continued discussion of the communications report and began to propose plans of action to address recommendations. Additional issues raised in the report include adding a communications officer, improving staff orientation, improving staff knowledge of the work of departments other than their own, more training in the areas of communication and running meetings, and better communication among managers.

At the next meeting, the group will review Fondren’s current committee structures. Sara has asked Denis to draft a proposal for improving online staff information tools; this proposal will also be discussed at an upcoming meeting.

March 23, 2017

1)   The group discussed the Careers@Rice career profiles and timeline.

2)   The group selected pitches to be given at Fondren’s strategic planning meeting with the president on April 10.

3)   The group decided that the agenda for the Library Committee meeting on April 11 would focus on reviewing the draft strategic plan.

4)   The organizational culture strategic planning group was tasked with coming up with a proposal for addressing identified issues.

March 30, 2017

The Executive Committee and those giving pitches met to discuss the plan for the upcoming meeting with the president.

April 6, 2017

The pitch group practiced their presentations and received feedback from Jennifer Shade Wilson and Kyung-Hee Bae of the Center for Written, Oral, and Visual Communication, as well as members of Exec.

Feb. 2, 2017

1) The group planned the agenda for the University Committee on the Library meeting February 14 at noon. A discussion, with presentations, of the Fondren Fellows was planned, along with a guided discussion of the ways the library can improve its support for research and experiential learning.

2) Lisa and Melinda updated the group on the strategic planning process and the agenda for the Town Hall planning update on February 10.

3) The group agreed with Denis’s proposal that we retain in the system user information only for the current and one previous checkout. There will be a spring purge of the database.

4) Visitor privileges, such as checking out books and accessing electronic resources, were discussed. In general, off-campus access to electronic resources requires some official status as current faculty, staff or student. Some electronic resources are available to Rice alumni via the Alumni Association website.

Feb. 16, 2017

The group discussed salary administration for FY18.

Mar. 2, 2017

1) The group discussed proposed library hours for the academic year 2017-2018. Announcing early closure on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the day before the Winter Recess continues not to be advisable before the President has confirmed early closure for the university. In recent years, this confirmation has been issued in plenty of time to announce a change in library hours. Gate data for days classes are not in session was reviewed and found not to support eliminating evening hours on those days.

2) The Library Service Platform review group submitted its recommendations on Feb. 28. The Executive Committee will discuss the report at a meeting later in March, as the March 16 meeting has been cancelled.

3) Lisa and Melinda updated the group on the strategic planning process. There was discussion of how the “pitches” solicited from the staff will be evaluated by Sara and those she asks to help. The deadline for these pitches has been extended to Mar. 17.

4) Denis suggested that all members encourage their staff members to complete the university IT online security training.

Executive Committee Meeting Summary, January 19, 2017

• The committee divided up responsibilities for writing the narrative section of library’s budget document.
• The committee discussed how to handle time off during the recent flood.
• Lowman informed the committee that a potential donor has approached Fondren about donating a sports history collection to the Woodson Research Center.
• Lowman updated the committee on campus strategic planning efforts.
• Lowman reported that the university’s salary raise pool will be 2%.
  Salary information:
  o   0% Non-performing
  o   1.5% Meets requirements
  o   2.0% Exceeds expectations
  o   2.5+% Above and beyond expectations/outstanding performanceThere will be two categories of bonuses:
  o   $750 Meritorious
  o   $1500 Extraordinary

Executive Committee Meeting Summary, January 5, 2017

• Lowman asked for input on potential agenda items for the Executive Committee. Diversity will be one of the agenda items discussed at a future meeting.
• Performance reviews will be due to Lowman by March 17; supervisors will set their own deadlines for their staff.
• 16 undergrads and 9 grad students applied for the Fondren research awards.

Executive Committee Meeting Summary, November 3, 2016

1) Fondren Fellow Ian Lowrie, a graduate student in Anthropology, presented a draft of his report “Developing a Culture of Care for Research Data at Rice.” The report will be shared via the Rice Digital Scholarship Archive soon.

2) The Executive Committee discussed how to approach strategic planning. All schools and divisions at Rice will engage in strategic planning as the university gears up for the new capital campaign. Spiro will facilitate a discussion about strategic priorities with the Library Committee at the November meeting. Input will also be sought from staff.

3) The Executive Committee approved a proposal from Head of Access Services Sue Garrison to end Fondren’s borrowing and lending agreement with HAM-TMC. Only 6 HAM-TMC users have charged Fondren materials since 2014. In addition, the HAM-TMC library is only accessible to TMC card swipe holders. Fondren would like to clean up user data in preparation for a potential LMS platform change.

4) Lowman invited suggestions for topics for a Town Meeting, tentatively scheduled for January of 2017. Suggested topics include the strategic planning process, reports from standing committees, and the Survey Data Group recommendations.

5) Lowman updated the group on a proposed donation of WW II materials to the Woodson. A white paper outlining the terms of the proposed donation will be issued by the potential donor.

October 20, 2016

No meeting.

Executive Committee Meeting Summary, October 6, 2016

1) Amanda Thomas, David Bynog and Kathy Weimer discussed the recommendations of the Survey Data Group, which analyzed data from the Ithaka survey and Survey of All Students. The report will be released on the Fondren wiki and will be discussed at an upcoming Town Hall meeting. A spring News from Fondren article emphasizing outcomes of the report was also suggested. The Executive Committee will review outstanding recommendations at a meeting in the near future.

2) The Executive Committee discussed how to handle Fondren locations that have recently been renamed but not yet updated in the catalog. Melinda Flannery will look into implications of changing Periodical Room to South Reading Room in catalog.

3) Janet Thompson is working on the process to enable supervisors to approve timesheets for non-exempt employees before they go to Karen Hyde. Fondren will be broken into sub-orgs. Every manager will approve the timesheets of their own staff, and there can be as many approvers as necessary (e.g. multiple in one organization). The manager will approve staff’s hours; the system will then send an email to Karen Hyde saying that this person has approved. Karen will verify that the hours have been filled out correctly (e.g. hours aren’t put in under a holiday) and do the final approval. This new process will apply to students as well. There will be training.