1. Sara Lowman announced that a preliminary design for the new LSC module has been selected. The Rice Board of Trustees will need to approve the new module, likely at the February/ March meeting.
2. The Executive Committee discussed the trend of some researchers using disciplinary repositories such as arXiv rather than institutional repositories. This practice does not appear to remove the need for an institutional repository. Not every discipline has a repository, and often researchers who make available  their work through a disciplinary repository are also willing to share it through an institutional repository.
3. The Executive Committee also discussed the increasing efforts of publishing companies to move into research analytics and data services. Exec members will read a recent report on the topic to inform potential next steps.
4. Denis Galvin described how Fondren currently handles privacy. As we move to Alma as our library service platform, it will be easier to anonymize patron data. Denis is working with Fondren IT to improve privacy practices, following emerging library best practices.
5. Lisa Spiro shared suggestions from Fondren staff who recently attended the Library Assessment Conference. These suggestions include making assessment data and reports available in a common area (such as the new staff portal); offering training on topics such as IRB, privacy, and analytical tools; getting started on ROARS assessment activities earlier in the academic year; building assessment into new project plans (including conducting user analysis and feasibility studies at the beginning and evaluations at the end); and promoting a culture of inquiry and trust.

Led by Mary Lowery, the group discussed interest by the Friends of Fondren Library (FoFL) Membership Committee in heightening staff and faculty engagement. Various measures were proposed to increase FoFL exposure and better understand staff and faculty interests FoFL might address. Faculty already play a large role in FoFL activities, e.g in delivering lectures.

Led by Sandi Edwards, the group discussed staff incentives for above and beyond performance. New university awards were discussed and creative ideas for library-specific recognition will be explored. Fondren already has a built-in event every other month in which service anniversaries are celebrated. These events could also be used for additional forms of recognition.

Led by Sara Lowman, the group began discussion of John Doerr’s book, “Measure What Matters.” Sara shared that the university administrators read this book as a group, but that full discussion has not yet taken place there. Denis Galvin noted that Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) as described in the book are already in wide use in IT circles.

The group discussed the current strategic plan version including action items. Comparisons were drawn to the planning documents of 3 other university offices (Dean of GPS, Dean of Undergraduates and Provost’s Office), but there is no need for our plan to look exactly like theirs. Our plan is now no longer a draft and will no longer be labeled as such. Issues raised recently, such as the lack of backup laptops and textbooks for lower-resourced students, should be addressed. The role of managers and chairs of key committees in the Fondren planning retreat was very significant. This group could possibly be of enormous help in the “care and feeding” of the plan over time. Lisa Spiro and Melinda Flannery will confer about these ideas and share with the group.

Various staff tuition and class opportunities were discussed, including a free leadership certificate from the Jones School (https://business.rice.edu/graduate-leadership-certificate-glc). The group will explore showcasing staff activities in these areas at an upcoming Town Hall meeting. Testimonials may be more effective than HR presentations to remind staff of these opportunities at Rice.

Sara Lowman reported briefly on Board of Trustee meetings. An important topic was ensuring student success across the economic range. The Board’s Building & Grounds Committee reported that the next Fondren renovation is likely to be scheduled on the late end of the Capital Campaign. Less major renovations to the Brown Library (e.g. furniture, paint) may be possible before the larger effort takes place.

1. Sara Lowman shared strategic goals from the university’s academic units. The Executive Committee will review Fondren’s action plan in relation to these plans as well as John Doerr’s Measure What Matters.

2. Planning for new storage space is underway, with funding available in FY19. Additional storage space will lay the groundwork for a future renovation of Fondren Library.

3. Alma update: August 1, 2019 remains the go live date for Alma. Many Fondren staff have been working on clean-up projects, including in acquisitions, cataloging, and resource sharing. The Primo team spent this summer benchmarking other institutions’ implementation of the same platform that we will use. The benchmarking process raised questions and ideas that will inform usability testing and training programs.

4. The Executive Committee discussed an external group’s request to book the Collaboration Space. The request was denied because of concerns about the technology demands and need for the space by library staff.