Category Archives: Executive Committee

Executive Committee Meeting Summary August 25, 2016

Lowman announced that Pecht and Lowery are new members of the group and that the Executive Committee will now meet every other week.

Galvin reported on conversations about developing a shared catalog with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, or perhaps sharing a discovery layer. It was agreed that the costs and benefits of such a complex collaboration would be better considered if and when Fondren considers a new library service platform.

Lowman shared a historic list of topics that have been discussed at meetings of the University Faculty Committee on the Library. The group meets twice per semester. Possible topics for this year include space planning, Fondren’s support for the current Quality Enhancement Program on experiential learning, outside support for academic libraries (including friends groups), Fondren Fellows projects and Fondren website revisions.

Lowman asked that the group bring to the next meeting ideas for Executive Committee discussion topics. There was brief discussion of mirroring the university’s current focus on research competitiveness and exploring library support for the Deans Council’s continuing focus on diversity. Lowman and Flannery will refine the diversity topic, possibly meeting with Russell Barnes.

Lowman inquired about the library’s need to plan for the upcoming transition from Owlspace to Canvas for course management. As the library’s primary use of Owlspace is not for course management, but rather for projects and committees, our access to Owlspace should not change through the transition. Galvin will double-check how project and committee work will be supported after the Canvas transition.

Executive Committee Meeting Summary September 8, 2016

The group welcomed new WebTeam co-chairs Debra Kolah and Jiun Kuo, and discussed with them the group’s updated charge.

Pecht reported that the WRC has been approached to discuss accepting an important art historical archive.

Lowman reported on a recent Deans’ Council meeting. Emphases for this year are: 1) culture of performance, growth and development, 2) diversity (continued from previous year) and 3) Capital Campaign. Members of the Horizon Group will be asked to the Sept. 21 Executive Committee meeting to discuss working on 1). Lowman and Flannery will begin exploring how the library can address diversity issues (2)) in hiring and promotion. In order to participate well in 3), the library will need to update its planning document. Where we are and how to update the document should be discussed at the Sept. 21 meeting.

Lowman asked the group by Sept. 16 to comment on a very preliminary document developed by Matt Taylor (Associate Vice-Provost for Academic Affairs, Associate Dean of Undergraduates, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Humanities), exploring affinities between the library and the functions of the Center for Teaching Excellence. She noted that space use will be one of the topics on the agenda of the University Committee on the Library.

Flannery offered interim updates on the Acquisitions Data Work Group and the Linked Data Work Group, as well as soliciting suggestions for articles for the fall issue of News from Fondren.

The next meeting will be on September 21, 1-2:30 pm

Executive Committee Meeting Summary September 21, 2016

Horizon Group co-chairs Rebecca Russell and Siu Min Yu attended for discussions of two topics: 1) Fondren’s support for the university’s latest Quality Enhancement Program (QEP) on Experiential Learning and 2) coming up with a library-wide process for a planning document to be completed before the university’s next capital campaign, i.e., by March.

Lowman asked the Horizon Group to plan a staff retreat on Fondren’s support for the new QEP. Relevant Rice faculty as well as current Fondren Fellows and their mentors should be involved. The retreat should occur in the fall. The Horizon Group will meet and then share their thoughts with Lowman.

The university will be gearing up for another capital campaign, the first since the one connected to the Vision for the Second Century. This campaign should be more focused on programs than buildings. Lowman is asking the Horizon Group to come up with a process for involving staff in reviewing and fleshing out Fondren’s planning document. She will visit an upcoming Horizon Group meeting to discuss further.

Janet Thompson visited to discuss time-keeping procedures in light of recent attention to existing and new provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Concern was expressed that the implementation of the current online system decouples signoff from direct supervisory responsibility for time worked. System limitations and a need for central control have been named as the reasons alternative implementations are not possible. Thompson will follow up with Human Resources, and possibly Facilities, Engineering and Planning as well as Athletics. The group discussed the ongoing Human Resources training on the recent FLSA changes.

Lowman noted that the capital budget process is underway. She plans to propose an engineering study on the feasibility of converting the unused bay of the off-campus Data Center to use for library storage. Additionally, she plans to propose a new building study, in which Shepley-Bulfinch would review and revise unimplemented portions of the existing building plan. User studies would be included in the review.

Lowman shared that the Dean’s Council recently reviewed an Enterprise Risk Management Study prepared by the university’s Strategy and Planning Committee. The study identified the top 100 risks to the university along with plans for study and mitigation. The library may undertake a similar study.

June 30, 2016

• Lowman shared information about new paid time off (PTO) policies. HR is changing rules for time and attendance reporting for exempt staff based on some new federal compliance rules. The changes will be rolled out this fall along with a new online timesheet, which exempt staff will be required to fill out monthly. Additionally, staff on short term disability will accrue PTO if they have been at work or on PTO within the pay period.
• Lowman shared that she has received recent suggestions about improving communication in the library. The Executive Committee recommended inviting further input from staff, possibly in the form of a working group. Lowman will pursue.
•  The Executive Committee decided against participating in a Mellon Foundation diversity survey, due to confidentiality concerns about the methods of data collection.

–Summer Hiatus–

August 18, 2016

• The Executive Committee commended the Horizon Group for arranging excellent, well-attended presentations by representatives of the Kinder Institute, SSPEED Center, Center for Teaching Excellence, Graduate Student Association and Entrepreneurship@Rice. The Executive Committee discussed the Horizon Group’s report outlining opportunities for collaboration with these organizations. Based on the discussion, Lowman is providing feedback to the Horizon Group on their recommendations. This year the Horizon Group will be invited to plan a staff retreat to identify ways that the library might support the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) on experiential inquiry and research.
• Lowman gave an update on changes to the Fondren Library Research Awards, which are intended to solicit more award applications. The revised guidelines are available at http://library.rice.edu/research-awards.
• The Executive Committee offered feedback on the draft charge for the Communications Task Force, which will review modes of communication at Fondren and propose improvements.
• The Executive Committee reviewed the charge for the Fondren Web Team and endorsed the recommendation that it use change control to promote transparency and invite input. The Web Team will announce modifications or updates to websites and give stakeholders 14 days to provide feedback.
• Denis Galvin announced that Rice and UH will collaborate on ArchivesSpace; Rice will assist with usability testing and UH will share code.
• Lisa Spiro announced that Fondren will contribute metadata about research activities in the Rice Digital Scholarship Archive to SHARE in order to increase the visibility of Rice research and support an important higher education project.
• All supervisors will be required to attend training on FLSA.

April 7

The group discussed the one-page narrative due shortly for the briefing book used by the Board of Trustees for their May meeting. The narrative covers major accomplishments and strategic goals and priorities.

Galvin proposed and the group agreed that two staff members should attend an upcoming SirsiDynix event near Dallas.

It was agreed that the group will wait to discuss library implications of the Quality Enhancement Program (QEP) that is an outcome of Rice’s reaffirmation of accreditation. A new hire will coordinate the QEP but that person is not yet in place.

Lowman reported on various meetings, including the Deans’ Council and the university Board of Trustees. Topics included spending on enhancing research and data science, new campus building plans, Rice’s position in the higher education environment in Houston, broadening Rice’s diversity efforts and the summer Emerging Scholars program for incoming Rice freshmen.

April 14
No meeting.

April 21
No meeting.

April 28
No meeting.

May 7

The group discussed the recent university closing due to flooding.

At this time, the library is being asked to explore the proposal for weeding the LSC rather than building a second LSC bay. IT and Cataloging & Metadata Services staff are working with Keck to research effective ways of approaching the task, and faculty are being consulted.

The group was asked to project absences through the summer and to suggest topics for discussion for summer meetings.

Lowman shared the plans for searching for a new Friends of Fondren director. Judy Howell will be available to help train the new hire.

Furniture has been ordered for the conversion of Room 156 into a student conference room.

The life safety study pertinent to DMC and first floor security is still pending.

February 25, 2016

The Executive Committee participated in a meeting with Human Resources regarding the Careers@Rice program.

March 3, 2016

No meeting.

March 10, 2016

No meeting.

March 17, 2016

No meeting.

March 24, 2016

1)     The Executive Committee reviewed and approved the charge for the information literacy committee and identified members. This committee aims to improve the coherence of instructional offerings across library departments and to find and address unmet instructional needs.

2)     The Executive Committee reviewed a quarterly report from the linked data working group. The working group has begun identifying local collections and data to use for pilot projects exploring linked data.

3)     An acquisitions data working group was approved to study how important acquisitions data from our current SirsiDynix Symphony system could be accommodated if we were to migrate to a new library system.

4)    Concerns about the cost of building a new LSC module (with the existing module nearing capacity) lead the Executive Committee to discuss possible management solutions both for off-site and on-site collections. Research on the feasibility of proposed options will be needed.

5)     The Executive Committee discussed several proposed changes from Access Services, including moving staff fines and billing to the Cashier’s office after 28 days and changing the process/policies for study carrels. Instead of requiring a key deposit for study carrels, Access Services will charge a fine for lost keys. The reservation period for study carrels will be changed from one year to one semester.

March 31, 2016

1)    The Executive Committee discussed a draft charge for the web team. Exec will collaboratively revise this charge.

2)    Lisa Spiro discussed preliminary plans for a digital curation retreat. A description and list of potential participants will be provided soon.

3)    The group discussed writing the library’s budget narrative for the May Board of Trustees meetings.

February 4

The group reviewed documentation in preparation for the scheduled February 11 meeting with Angela Lipari of HR.

February 11

Angela Lipari visited to review information collected for the Careers @ Rice program. The next step will be for Executive Committee members to attend a benchmarking workshop on February 25.

The committee discussed the possibility of signing up for the Knowledge Unlatched Round 2 pilot, a collaboration to support open access publishing.

Sara Lowman invited ideas for the March 22 Library Committee meeting.

Discussion continued on possible further library collaboration with the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Program in Writing and Communication.

February 18

Sara Lowman shared some background budget information from the Senior Leadership Retreat. She is participating in a campus-wide review of study spaces.

The group reviewed and endorsed the recommendations of the UX office study describing student input on the disposition of three rooms available on the first floor for repurposing.

The group reviewed budget documentation Sara Lowman must submit soon to the Budget Office.

January 21, 2016

1.  Lisa Spiro and Melinda Reagor Flannery discussed the call for project ideas for the new Fondren Fellows program.
2. Sara Lowman presented the university’s budget guidelines for FY 17. Members of the Executive Committee divided up responsibilities for writing different sections of the budget document.
3. Sara Lowman updated the Executive Committee on the decision to make Access Services part of Research Services, reporting to Kerry Keck.
4. The Executive Committee talked about a recent New York Times article on entrepreneurship education that featured Rice. To explore how Fondren might support/ partner with these efforts, the Horizon Committee will be encouraged to invite someone from Rice’s entrepreneurship program to present as part of its upcoming speaker series.
5. The Executive Committee discussed bringing in a workflow consultant to advise on potential workflow changes.
6. The Executive Committee explored strategies for encouraging mutual respect among staff and ensuring that all pitch in to accomplish the library’s mission. Melinda Flannery will consult with Marie Wehrung about potential approaches to training.

January 28, 2016

1. Sara Lowman announced that collections have not yet moved to the South Reading Room because new shelving needs to be in place first.
2. The Executive Committee discussed a potential collaboration with the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Program in Writing and Communication.

Dec. 10

The group discussed new members and the 2016 charge for the Horizon Group. Melinda Flannery and Lisa Spiro will draft a charge and continue to serve as liaisons to the group.

Sara Lowman announced that Marie Lynn Miranda, the new provost, will attend a 2016 Fondren town meeting. She shared information from recent Board of Trustees meetings. Groups working on Rice’s three new strategic initiatives (data science, molecular/nano, research competitiveness) have been named. IT is conducting a process to choose new software for Rice’s development activities. The office building behind the Allen Center will have five floors of offices plus parking. It will not be connected to the Allen Center. The new building is scheduled for occupancy in August 2017.

The group discussed recent library volunteers and work on developing a Fondren fellows program for Rice students.

Dec. 17 No meeting

Dec. 24 No meeting

Jan. 7 No meeting

Jan. 14

Sara Lowman shared with the group that the university uses an international travel service called SOS (http://riskmanagement.rice.edu/Default.aspx?id+38). SOS provides services such as trip registration, illness-related services, evacuations due to terrorism, lost passports, etc. It is possible that, for a fee, SOS can be used to register non-work-related trips. She would like the Library Travel, Training and Development Committee to update the travel forms to include links to this service.

A timeline was established for performance appraisals. All appraisals are due to Sara Lowman by 3/18/16. Self-evaluations for Sara’s direct reports are due 2/12/16, as are salary and bonus recommendations. Sara will send out a libstaff message announcing these deadlines to all staff.

Sara shared that she has attended several meetings on the Careers@Rice project to evaluate all jobs at Rice; she anticipates that the project will continue well into 2016.

The group discussed disposition of the areas managed by Diane Butler, who is leaving Fondren at the end of January.

Additional topics were suggested for the town meeting scheduled for 2/4/16. Marie Lynn Miranda, the new provost, will speak.

November 19, 2015

1) The Executive Committee discussed the recommendations of the Library Services Platform Working Group. It endorsed the committee’s recommendations that Fondren re-visit ExLibris’ Alma and SirsiDynix’s BLUEcloud in six to twelve months to see how they have progressed. In addition, the executive committee is investigating the committee’s recommendation that Fondren hire a consultant to evaluate departmental workflows and assist them in revamping those workflows.

2) Planning for a possible renovation to Brown Fine Arts Library was discussed.

November 26, 2015

No meeting

December 3, 2015

1) Sara Lowman provided an update on the renovation of the South reading room. Only a few final details remain to be completed. To minimize disruptions, collections will be moved back into the space in January.

2) The Executive Committee agreed to ask for student input about how to use Fondren 156 and the two small rooms in the South reading room.

3) A town meeting will be held in February; Provost Marie Lynn Miranda has agreed to speak.

4) The Executive Committee discussed the Horizon Committee’s charge for 2016. Possible new members of the committee will be discussed at the next Exec meeting.

Oct. 15 No meeting

Oct. 22

The group discussed appropriate uses of a $10,000 gift from a Friend of Fondren for Sara Lowman to consider.

Horizon Group recommendations were discussed, with Lisa Spiro and Melinda Flannery delegated to get back to the group regarding its followup responsibilities as well as integrate accepted proposals into the Fondren planning document.

The group discussed UX proposals for paid Fondren Student Ambassador and Fondren Fellows programs. The group agreed to proceed with the ambassador program but had further questions about the need for the fellows program, which would pay graduate students to teach Fondren classes.

The interim report of the Ithaka S + R survey group was discussed. Preliminary assignments were considered for the majority of recommendations.

Recent campus incidents nationwide call for a spotlight on Fondren’s emergency procedures. The Disaster Response Team (DiRT) will be asked to review existing emergency procedures in the Disaster Manual, add procedures for active threat/shooter situations, identify specific gathering places and produce a handy summary document that staff members can find easily in an emergency.

Oct. 29 No meeting

Nov. 5

The group discussed an updated draft policy with procedures to manage use of public computers by non-Rice community members. The draft was produced collaboratively by Research and Access Services. It will go into effect Dec. 1.

Kerry Keck shared information on HATHI membership, a campus quote for New York Times access and ORCID licensing, including costs. The group discussed the benefits of pursuing each of these additions, including access (HATHI) and licensing (ORCID) complexities.

Sara Lowman expressed pleasure at the fact that the renovations underway will be completed early, before finals.

Nov. 12 No meeting

October 8, 2015

No meeting

October 1, 2015

Scott Carlson shared the Horizon Group’s report. This report summarizes last summer’s presentations by leaders of campus organizations such as the Program in Writing and Communication and recommends potential projects inspired by these presentations.  The Horizon Group was commended for its excellent work in organizing the presentations and writing the report. The Executive Committee will discuss the recommendations, determine which to pursue and what groups should be made responsible for them, and get back to the Horizon Group soon.

Sara Lowman asked for suggestions for projects that could be funded through a gift fund. Lowman also updated the group on Rice’s research competitiveness initiative (http://news.rice.edu/2015/09/21/rice-announces-150-million-in-strategic-research-initiatives-2/), which will fund a program in data science, invest in molecular nanotechnology, and promote research competitiveness more broadly, including through sponsoring postdocs.

Lowman noted that people in certain positions (such as desk security) will need to be trained in accordance with the Clery Act, which requires annual reporting on campus crime, support for victims, and policies and procedures related to timely warnings (http://clerycenter.org/summary-jeanne-clery-act). Contact RUPD if you observe a crime, and know if you are considered a “campus security authority.”

Lowman gave a brief update on the renovation project, saying that the carpet will be delivered the week of October 12, but that furniture will be delayed until the end of October.

Diane Butler provided an update on the working group to assess library systems. After an extensive review process that included presentations by four vendors, webinars, and site visits to interview current users, members of the ILS committee selected two vendors to give full-day presentations for library staff: ExLibris Alma and SirsiDynix BlueCloud. Staff are encouraged to attend presentations by ExLibris on October 15 and SirsiDynix on October 23.

Upcoming Event

Dr. Rick Wilson “Reproducibility and Transparency: A Challenge Not Just for the Social Sciences”
Monday, October 19, 2015 – 4:00pm
Humanities 119

September 24, 2015

No meeting

September 17, 2015

Angela Lipari and Rebecca Salinas visited to share information about Careers @ Rice with the Executive Committee and Lee Pecht.

September 10, 2015

No meeting.

September 3, 2015

The Executive Committee discussed Careers @ Rice, a recent initiative from Human Resources focused on providing more consistent job descriptions and opportunities for advancement. In addition, the Executive Committee planned for library committee meetings during the fall semester.