I. Introduction

Jae Williams, SCOPA chair, introduced Alice Prochaska, University Librarian. Alice welcomed the assembled group. She said that, as the SCOPA forum in September had been really more of an opportunity for her to introduce herself as the new University Librarian and get to know staff better, this meeting would be the first in a regular series of reports to staff, to take place at least once every six months. The purpose of the forum is to report to staff on Library activities and to give staff the opportunity to report to her. She requested that staff please raise any questions relating to the Library and their own work in it.

Alice also requested that staff let her know how they would like meetings to be organized in the future, including the possibilities of submitting questions in advance as at the September meeting, hosting the next meeting in another library building, having a question and answer email session on the YULIB list, and other methods for follow-up. She asked that staff inform her of what they feel is good and bad about communications in the Library system.

II. Report on Library Activities During Past Six Months

A. Library Projects. Alice reported on progress in important Library projects, including the on-time Orbis2 migration and upcoming training sessions; retrospective conversion; the University archives project; the success and expansion of Borrow Direct; planning for an electronic archive of journals, in partnership with Elsevier and supported by the Mellon Foundation; and the upcoming launch of the Electronic Library Initiatives (ELI) to create digital images for American studies courses, supported by a grant from the Getty Foundation and planned for expansion to other course areas. Alice thanked all staff who are involved in these important projects and have shown tremendous ability to work as part of a team.

B. Faculty and Administration. Alice stated that she has received sincere compliments for Library staff from various faculty members and would like to build upon this base to foster faculty input and promote the Library as an active/dynamic partner in Yale education. To facilitate this, she has been attending faculty department meetings and recently gave a presentation to the Committee for Yale College Education.

C. Security Working Group. Alice reported on the efforts of the Security Working Group, which has produced a set of recommendations to improve Library security for the protection of staff, readers, and collections. Many of the group's recommendations are now being discussed with University officials. Some of the recommendations, such as Sterling signs and evacuation maps for all buildings, are now in the implementation process.

D. Phase II Renovation. Alice announced that the University has decided to go ahead with Phase II renovations of Cross Campus Library and the entry level of Sterling. The renovation will include new electronic classrooms, a knowledge management area, collaborative learning areas, and quiet study areas, as well as the excavation of the CCL tunnel to create a café. Architects have been commissioned to produce more detailed designs of the project. The University will soon select a faculty member to lead the Phase II Committee.

E. Strategic Planning. Alice thanked the members of the Goal Groups, who worked tirelessly on reports to LMC, which have been used to develop a set of priorities for the Library. These priorities fall into three categories; 1) supporting and maintaining the core services of the Library, including preservation and bibliographic control, 2) extending electronic and digital services to create a mature, integrated Library system, and 3) developing the international Library, including area studies and shared access to international scholarly materials, and more participation by Library staff in international conferences, training programs etc. Long-term strategic planning, which will build on these priorities, is now beginning. A five-year planning outline is to be produced by the end of June. Many staff members will be involved in this process in various ways. Meetings for strategic planning will not interfere with Orbis2 commitments.

F. Library Exhibits and Events. Alice reviewed several notable Library exhibitions and events over the past six months, including the very successful Special Collections Fair; continuing Beinecke programs such as the Langston Hughes exhibit and the Noel Coward evening; Lewis Walpole Library lectures such as the recent "Love and Madness in Eighteenth Century Britain;" and the continuing series of exhibits in Sterling such as the Cyrus Vance archive display in the Memorabilia Room, the upcoming Charles Lindbergh exhibit and lecture in honor of his 100th anniversary, and the Maps of Afghanistan exhibit which was arranged with admirable speed after September 11.

G. Staff Events. Alice reported that she had the opportunity to attend several staff events since her arrival at Yale. At the new staff reception in November, she was both introduced as new University Librarian and subsequently introduced her new staff. The Service Quality Awards, also in November, highlighted the accomplishments of staff in many areas, and she looked forward to seeing an equally strong field of applicants for the awards later this year. There were many Library-related holiday parties throughout the month of December.

III. Update on Questions asked at the September Forum. Alice gave a brief update on several questions posed at the September forum, which were not fully answered at that time.

To become a member of the American library community, Alice reported that she has joined the Association of Research Libraries, where she now sits on two committees; the American Library Association; and the Digital Library Federation, among others.

The Spoon's coffee tables have been returned.

Lighting in the Conservation Studio will be improved.

Selection is underway for a technical training coordinator and Alice is diverting some of her discretionary fund to staff training needs.

The promotion review process has begun. Alice stated she has been impressed by the thoroughness of the process, which is not intended to be a stressful situation for promotion candidates. She thanked Dorothy Woodson and the Promotion Review Committee for their meticulous work.

Alice has established weekly office hours and holds monthly teas, in an effort to foster good communications. She wishes to see all staff contributing to good communications and being satisfied by their Library work. She seeks comments and suggestions on this score.

IV. Questions from the Audience. Jae Williams moderated a question and answer session between the forum audience and Alice.

Question: Was one of the recommendations from the Bibliographic Control Group for the reinstatement of an Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and is this being considered?

Answer: yes to both questions. When the former AUL for technical services resigned, the selection process failed to find a replacement. Since then, duties have been distributed between the other two AULs, who have to carry a heavy management load. Alice reported that the Library Management Team is now considering the reinstatement of the third AUL position. The precise scope of the position has yet to be determined, and although a request had been put in to the University, there might not be adequate budget to cover it.

Question: Staffing money for core services has been reduced in the past as part of exchanges with the Provost's Office. What is being done?

Answer: The Fiscal Year O3 budget proposal requests money for adequate staffing levels to support core services as a necessity. She has been informed that this is a difficult year for the University budget, but is prepared to argue the case.

Question: When will you hear about the final budget?

Answer: The final budget announcement for FY03 is expected in April.

Question: What are the plans, if any, for improvements to the Mudd Library?

Answer: Plans for renovations to the Mudd Library are tentative and long-run. Because the University is reviewing all of the Social Science area of campus, she does not yet foresee a renovation time and would not expect anything short of five years from now.

Question: Can you list the Library renovations being considered?

Answer: There is current construction on the Divinity Library. Renovation of the Arts Area Complex, including the Art and Architecture Library is being planned and will begin soon. Phase II of Sterling/CCL renovations has been approved. Phase III, which would renovate the North end areas of Sterling has preliminary planning. There will be some remedial renovation work done on the Beinecke building. Finally, the Social Science Library is under consideration.

Question: Is there a timetable for Phase II construction?

Answer: Construction is planned to begin in May 2004. A planning committee will be established in the next few weeks. Library preparation work for construction may begin this autumn.

Question: What is the Library's role in the curriculum overhaul project? (Committee for Yale College Education chaired by Dean Brodhead)

Answer: Alice recently gave a presentation to the Committee, which is at the early stages of its process. The committee is considering what skills Yale graduates should have as part of their mental discipline. They are discovering that students are not learning some of these skills (such as how to conduct library-based research) early enough in their college careers. Many are completing their education without ever having used the Sterling Library's resources. More Library instruction is needed in different ways, including the incorporation of virtual resources into the curriculum. Some of the faculty assume that students know more than they really do about the use of libraries and computers.

Question: Has consideration been given to the allocation of resources for the ongoing maintenance and support of SFX?

Answer: Alice reported that Kim Parker had recently given a presentation of SFX to the Library Management Council. The Library budget proposal for FY03 included a request for support of digital infrastructure. If resources are approved for this, it would then be up to those involved with digital projects to allocate.