Library Committee

September 17, 2013

Library Committee Summary, September 17, 2013

Present:  Steve Sheppard, chair; Duane Bailey; Ondine Chavoya, Logan Lawson, Dave Pilachowski, Dinny Taylor, Adam Wiener

Absent:  David Gaines, Ben Nathan, Bob Volz, Chris Winters

At this first meeting of the year, members were welcomed by Steve Sheppard and then took turns introducing themselves.

Building project logistics:  Dave and Dinny shared information about some upcoming timeline landmarks

  • Chapin Library and archives will close on December 20, 2013 and won’t reopen to the public until September 2014.  Their Southworth and many of the majority if their LSF collections will be moved by National Library Relocations (NLR)to the new building during mid-March to early April 2014.  The intervening time will be spent organizing collections.
  • The Center for Media Initiatives (CMI) staff will begin to move into their new space and set up their systems in May  or June
  • Sawyer collections will be moved by NLR beginning in June 16 over four weeks.  Sawyer will be closed during this time. Schow will remain open and will be the pick-up point for ILL books.

Possible future Library Committee agenda items:  the following topics were suggested but additional topics are welcome.

  • Ideas for celebrating the last year of current Sawyer Library: show 70’s era videos, cover band, videos.  Have someone from art history put this architectural style into context. A longer brainstorming session will be held later this semester.
  • Open Access as way to widen the impact of faculty, staff and student publications.  Some departments post their own working papers, or do so via a regional or disciplinary repositories.  Unbound (see below) is another option that will soon be available.
  • Unbound: The Williams Digital Commons.  Unbound is a joint library-OIT project that can provide a place to post scholarship, images and data.  It is also a platform for digital scholarship that makes digital resources available for dynamic manipulation and combination to create new scholarship.
  • Differential treatment of intellectual property produced on campus.  Faculty and students have copyright of their work although student work created while working for the college becomes college property.  Staff created work is the property of the College.
  • Review and approve acquisitions allocations for departments and programs (at October meeting).
  • Review major 2014/15 library budget proposals.
  • Discuss the transfer of some annuals to the LSF
  • Other topics that arise

Committee members put on hard hats and safety glasses for a walking tour of the new building.  The CMI, special collections, and some of the areas of Sawyer were visited to the general pleasure of the group.

The meeting concluded at 5:40.

Notes by Dave Pilachowski