WSU Libraries Planning Committee Meeting notes, 17.July.1996

Washington State University Libraries
Planning Committee
17.July.1996 Meeting
Summary Notes

Attending: Janet Chisman, Vicki Croft, Mary Gilles (Co-Chair), Daryl Herbison, Lauren McNiece, Ingrid Mifflin, Jill Palmer, Barbara Paulson, Marilyn Von Seggern (Co-Chair), Kay Vyhnanek, Sharon Walbridge (Recorder), John Webb, and Leslie Wykoff (via phone).
Absent: Rhonda Gaylord, and Christy Zlatos.

Check-in

Barbara Paulson noted that there is an article in the latest Chronicle of Higher Education on WSU's technology debate.
Vicki Croft reported that Nancy Baker has called together a few people to look at the draft library user survey questions. All faculty, including those at extended campuses, will receive the survey, as will graduate assistants. Input will be gathered from undergraduates, perhaps through focus groups.
Janet Chisman said that Owen Science & Engineering staff requested that organizational models be shared with Library employees and they be given a chance to express preferences regarding the structures.
Meeting minutes
Minutes of the July 10 meeting: approved as amended with the following changes:

Change the third bullet under An opinion from last week to "Need to be accountable and monitor personal autonomy and realize that consequences will occur for those who don't follow the policies and procedures."
Change the seventh bullet under An opinion from last week to "Some individuals are going to have to moderate the mantle of personal autonomy when it conflicts with the organization's needs and goals."
Consensus Decision-making
Mary Gilles had distributed a chapter on decision making from Steven R. Rayner's book Team Traps. Committee members felt that it did not differ much from how we had been operating, but did give some structure that might be useful. The following comments were made:

It is helpful to have the meeting agenda out in advance as we need to try to accommodate input if members cannot attend a specific meeting.
It is best to delay a decision rather than rush one.
It was noted that meetings across the Libraries need improvement and might benefit by the structure described in the reading.
The feeling seemed to be that the word "professional" related to the work environment, not to status. ("Am I, as a member of this team professionally violated by this decision?") It was suggested that we might interpret the statement as though it read "Are my values violated ...?"
Committee members need to speak up if they can't support a decision being made by the Committee.
It was decided to go to the Faculty Senate model with an agenda that features discussion items and action items. A tentative agenda for the next scheduled meeting will appear in the meeting minutes.
Using the above strategy, the decision to adopt the consensus decision making model outlined in the reading will be made next week.
The Committee needs the flexibility to re-visit topics after decisions are made if the need arises.
Overarching principles/organizational structure

Mention was made of overarching principles from the University of Connecticut that were referred to by Nancy Baker when she first spoke with the Planning Committee. Lauren McNiece will try to locate her copy and give it to Kathy McGreevy for distribution to the Committee.
The feeling seemed to be that the overarching principles and organizational structure had to go together - they cannot be treated separately.
The following statements from an earlier meeting could easily serve as overarching principles:

Proactive, personalized service
Training - staff, users, etc.
Access - all implications
Expertise - better use of
Acountability - checks and balances, better coordination, redistribution of power
It was decided to form three small groups to work on organizational structure. Each group may come up with as many models as it would like. The models will all be brought back to the entire Committee for consideration. The Planning Committee will meet next week in a short session to do check-in, meeting minutes, and other business, then break into small groups. This format will continue for at least two weeks, and maybe longer as needed. The organizational structure should include a design and rationale - beyond that, there are no "rules".

Group 1: Janet Chisman, Daryl Herbison*, Ingrid Mifflin and Barbara Paulson.
Group 2: Rhonda Gaylord, Jill Palmer, Kay Vyhnanek, Sharon Walbridge* and Leslie Wykoff.
Group 3: Vicki Croft, Lauren McNiece, Marilyn Von Seggern*, John Webb and Christy Zlatos.
(*convener of first meeting)
Information Session Topics
In response to the services survey and topics about which staff indicated that would like more information, the Committee began to discuss how to follow up and get the ball rolling on these. It is not necessarily the Committee's responsibility to do continuing education, so we may just suggest programs or other mechanisms to share information.

Digitize reserve collections - John Webb has already done a basic presentation on digitizing and is willing to put together something based on that. It was suggested that some of the content could be put on the Webpage.
Provide instruction for students on the ethics of library use ... - Robbie Giles has already done some work in this area and it was suggested that she put together an information sheet that could also be put on the Webpage.
Seamless searching ... - ask Doug Ehrmantraut if he could do a presentation on Z39.50 and other issues involved in this.
Committee members will review other asterisked items on the services survey and discuss at upcoming Planning Committee meetings.

Next meeting
The Planning Committee will next meet on Wednesday, July 24 in the Owen Science & Engineering Library Conference Room at 9:00. That brief meeting will include the following agenda:
Check-in
Meeting minutes
Action items
Operating procedures re: consensus decision making
Information sessions (continued)

Summary by Marilyn Von Seggern, based on Sharon Walbridge's
WSU Libraries Planning Committee meeting notes