November 2004 Council on the Libraries minutes
Council on Libraries
Minutes
November 18, 2004
Members Present: Cayelan Carey ’06, Kathryn Cottingham, John Crane, Harold Frost, Teoby Gomez, Robert Graves, Vernita Irwin, Jeremy Rutter, Barry Scherr, Paula Sprague
Invited Guests: Mike Beahan, Susan Fliss, John James, Larry Levine, Cynthia Pawlek, Jay Satterfield
1. Welcome; introductions (Kathy Cottingham)
2. Library Focus: Special Collections (Jay Satterfield)
This year, CoL meetings will often start with a brief update from the head of one campus library or library department about his or her program’s mission, new programs, and future plans, so that we have a better appreciation for the breadth of activities underway in the Dartmouth Libraries.
The first presentation was by Jay Satterfield, the new Special Collections Librarian, who discussed his three-part plan to integrate the Special Collections more fully into campus academic life, particularly via the undergraduate curriculum.
A) Teaching and Outreach
Satterfield, Archivist Peter Carini, and other library staff have been engaged in an aggressive outreach effort since the start of the Summer 2004 term. To date, their efforts have resulted in visits from 18 classes from >6 academic departments to Rauner Library, combined with presentations by either Satterfield or Carini. Satterfield and Carini have also attended department meetings (English, History, Classics) and met with new faculty from all departments. This effort will continue through the year, focusing on those departments and programs for which use of the special collections is an obvious supplement to the regular curriculum.B) Collection Development
Satterfield plans to link teaching and outreach activities directly with collection development, working with subject bibliographers and faculty to determine which potential new acquisitions might be most used by faculty (particularly in their courses). Recent acquisitions include a first edition copy of Galileo’s collected works that will be part of a major new display in the Baker lobby later this year.C) Review of Policies & Procedures
Satterfield and his staff are engaged in reviewing current policies to ensure that the outreach activities are successful. Dartmouth has a long history of using its Special Collections, rather than locking them away, and the library staff may expand access policies as part of this review.
After Satterfield’s presentation, CoL members suggested a number of additional ways to “get the word out” about Rauner, including an improved website, substantive exhibits in Baker/Berry that could be used in courses, and faculty seminars.
3. Council on Libraries membership (Kathy Cottingham)
At the October meeting, we discussed a number of ways to expand the “reach” of the Council on Libraries, in part through augmented membership (see meeting minutes). However, no votes were taken due to lack of quorum. We revisited this issue in November.
After Cottingham presented the list of suggestions from the last meeting, several recommendations were approved by the voting members of the Council:
- Add a third member from each of the three Arts & Sciences divisions to cover for faculty who may be away for a term and to provide more points of contact with a large and diversity faculty.
- Add a second member from the Dartmouth Medical School, given its size and range of concerns from clinical to basic science.
- Add one additional graduate student to ensure sufficient representation of the professional schools and Arts & Sciences Ph.D. students. these changes, and keep the CoL apprised of their progress.
Other issues discussed, but not voted on:
- Work harder to have the Student Assembly fill the second undergraduate position. Cottingham will contact the SA about this, especially given that Cayelan Carey ’06 will be away from campus for the rest of this academic year.
- Consider appointing a Chair-Elect or Vice-Chair, or alternatively, to have the Past Chair remain actively involved in the Council to ensure a smooth transition.
We will revisit this issue in the winter.
4. Update from the Jones Media Center (Mike Beahan)
Mike Beahan provided an update on activities in the Jones Media Center (JMC) over the past two academic terms, including Summer 2004 renovations that resulted in an expansion of the number of digital workstations available for creating media, three additional rooms for high-end audio processing, and new staff offices.
During Fall 2004, three campus courses have assigned video projects through the JMC, including one class with 60 students. The camcorders and workstations are in near-constant use, and there is a noticeable increase in the number of students and faculties using JMC facilities.
Like Special Collections, JMC is actively involved in education and outreach, including workshops for both students and faculty; the Random Acts of Art program in the Novack Café; exhibitions; improved electronic reserves; open houses for departments and programs; and lunch workshops for library staff.
5. Update from the Libraries Education and Outreach Program (Susan Fliss)
Susan Fliss provided an update on a number of activities for education and outreach, including:
- The RWIT center for Research, Writing, and Information Technology continues to grow since its inception last year. RWIT has moved to its new home on the 1st floor of Baker/Berry (near the student help desk) and is seeing increased use this year since the Composition Center was closed. Tutors receive intensive training on either research & writing or information technology, and are busy at least 75-80% of the time with student clients.
- The Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL). Fliss is the liaison to this new program. Activities to date have included a session for new faculty explaining how to set up assignments to help students learn research skills and a number of sessions to ease the transition of international students into American university life. Upcoming events include a discussion of plagiarism, as well as DCAL faculty fellowships to revamp existing courses to take advantage of new teaching techniques and classroom technologies.
- Hallway exhibits. There is an increased emphasis on using exhibits in Baker/Berry in courses, to connect students to the material in new ways. The Education and Outreach program wants to work with faculty on ways to use these exhibits in the curriculum, including student development of exhibits.
- Potential new programs, including workshops during sophomore summer to improve discipline-specific research skills.