Minutes
LAUC-B Spring Assembly
May 9, 1996
8:30-10:00 a.m., Morrison Library
Draft Minutes
By Patricia Vanderberg
I. Call to order and welcome
II. Report from the Chair of LAUC-B
K. Vanden Heuvel reported that library and librarian
related issues have been brought to the attention of the UC
Office of the President. Letters written by LAUC-B, LAUC, the
Academic Senate Committee on the Library, and individual faculty
members have helped move us up fairly high on the UCOP agenda.
The need for increased budgets was also emphasized in a recent
article in the San Francisco Chronicle. She announced that the
Copyright Conference was very successful and engaged the interest
of many types of librarians, academics, independent software
developers, writers and others. Everyone was thanked for their
support and encouraged to sponsor such conferences in the future.
K. Vanden Heuvel is responding to Vice-Chancellor C. Christ in
regard to the proposal of administrative stipends for librarians.
III. CAPA Report
C. Wanat, Chair of CAPA stated that the committee is very
busy with the annual review process. They expect about 40 cases
this year 45% of which have already been processed by CAPA and
have been sent on to the University Librarian or Vice Chancellor.
35% of the cases are still in review by CAPA. CAPA is awaiting
receipt of approximately another 13 cases. CAPA also
participated in the interviews for Chinese librarian and two
casual temporary librarian positions for Reference Services and
Collection Development Department. It is anticipated that they
will also participate in the for temporary positions being
advertised for the Business/Economics and Public Health
libraries.
IV. Nominating and Elections Committee
B. Anton reported that the slate and ballots had been
prepared for the upcoming election and would be mailed out the
week of May 13th. She reviewed the slate of candidates and
requested nominations from the floor. Further committee work
will include counting ballots and making committee appointments.
V. LAUC Statewide Report
G. Peete, Chair of LAUC statewide thanked K. Vanden Heuvel
and M. Levy for their work on the successful Copyright
conference. He noted it was reported on in the San Francisco
Examiner. He announced that the LAUC statewide assembly will be
in Irvine next week. The speakers are Stuart Lynn, Sandra Weiss,
and Charles Faulhaber, discussing partnerships with libraries and
librarians. Due to budget restrictions it is planned to have
only one assembly per year, however he is going to recommend that
there be two assemblies on alternate years to be able to handle
the number of issues and increase interaction with the
membership. LAUC sent a letter to Myron Okada expressing
ambivalence over administrative stipends for librarians. He also
commented on the salary survey done by UCOP and noted that
faculty surveys included cost of living indexes. He intended to
follow up with a letter to the Provost's office on issues of
comparable worth, which were overcome by linking our salaries
with those of the faculty. He briefly reviewed the work of
various LAUC statewide committees.
VI. LAUC Committee on Committees, Rules and Jurisdictions
J. Larrabee, the Berkeley representative to the LAUC
Committee on Committees, Rules and Jurisdictions reported that
the committee is drafting guidelines for participation of LAUC in
political events outside the university. The issue of balloting
via electronic mail and preserving confidentiality and accuracy
has also been addressed.
VII. Guest speaker: Stuart Lynn, Associate Vice President,
Information Resources and Communications speaking on "The Library
of Tomorrow: Challenges and E-Challenges"
Stuart Lynn mused over the meaning of the recent discovery that
Byrd was not the first to fly over the north pole and what
implications that might have for library collections. He
emphasized that there is always a tension between "just in case
and just in time". Much of the emphasis on collections has given
way to access. It is important to retain diaries, manuscripts
and primary sources as footprints of social change. His many
years of experience in libraries at Berkeley and Cornell has
increased his understanding of the needs and technologies for
preservation and the problems of library management.
How can we best work together to meet the UC mission in the years
that lie ahead? It is a time of exponential growth and decay for
our collections in the face of bounded resources. Not all
problems are reducible to technological solutions of the digital
world. How might we enrich the world of analog media and print,
coping with new forms while enriching traditional materials?
Digital technologies are likely to play an important role in the
years ahead. The pace of change will be faster or slower
depending on the technology, resources and institutions, and
bounded by cultural economic, social and other factors. The fact
is that digital technology that scales with exponential growth is
the only option where we can accomplish twice as much for the
same amount. He pointed to the example of the Web and use of the
Internet as major methods for accessing information. Our
traditional view of libraries is broken and not sustainable. We
are caught between the problems of exponential growth, faculty
demand, and old funding formulas.
Currently we lack the over arching framework and plan for
development. The last UC plan for library development was 15
years ago. There is a need for such a framework that would
enable more effective sharing, organization of funding models,
and preservation for our collections. Assisted by digital
technologies, we need to concentrate more on outcomes, and
teaching needs, making a strong case for the centrality of what
we do. Such a plan needs to be well integrated with other
academic planning efforts, recognizing the broad role, and
charging for services to generate revenue. The plan would be
comprehensive of the whole range of problems, not just those
addressed by digital technology and would involve all the stake
holders in the process. The plan would address the inherent
problems of scholarly publishing, allowing us to be a broker and
intergrater of resources that are needed by faculty and students.
We would be able to set goals for materials in electronic format,
as an alternative to keep cutting subscriptions.
The Academic Council Planning Initiative for the University will
be led by Judson King. It will focus on the issues of dynamic
media, digital pricing, fair use, preservation, collapsing
boundaries on the Web and what that means for libraries, and how
to build the infrastructure and an authenticated network for UC
libraries.
Stuart Lynn stated that with the combined nine UC institutions
that we have a library that would rival any in the world. Our
challenge is to build the library of tomorrow on our
understanding of the complexities and fundamental issues.
Librarians are the endowers of living genius and have the
requisite skills and insights to assist in planning for the
library of tomorrow.