Coordinating Committees

Collections and Resource Sharing Coordinating Committee

Minutes for the Oct. 12, 2007 meeting

Place:  UW System Offices, 780 Regent St., Madison

Time:  Meeting began at 10:10 a.m.

Attendence: Richard Reeb (chair), Ron Hardy (minutes), Ewa Barczyk, Karen Jander, John Jax, Dina Kaye, Lee Konrad, Paul Moriarty, Lisa Pillow, Tom Reich, Mary Reider, Kathy Schneider, Pat Wilkinson

Agenda reviewed and approved

Introductions were made

Housekeeping

Proposal that minute taking responsibilities rotate alphabetically with Ewa Barczyk, Paul Moriarty and Richard Reeb excused from taking minutes approved. Hardy will take minutes at first meeting.

Appointment terms to the committee were proposed and approved unanimously. Appointment terms will be:

  • Two year: Hardy, Jax, Kaye, Pillow
  • Three year: Jander, Konrad, Reich, Rieder

Email lists were discussed. It was confirmed that the CRS List, i.e., crs@maillist.uwsa.edu,  is intended for internal communications, housekeeping, etc. The CUWLCRS List, i.e., cuwlcrs@maillist.uwsa.edu, is for wider issues related to collections and resource sharing issues. It was agreed that agendas for CRSCC meetings should be sent to both lists, and minutes of the CRSCC meetings, once approved by the CRSCC, should be sent to the CUWLCRS List.

Webpage will be updated with new information soon.

Discussion of CUWL Strategic Directions 2007-2009

Pat Wilkinson provided background on the CUWL Strategic Directions document. CUWL is looking to Coordinating Committees to provide the Action Items in order to implement the strategic directions and objectives. CUWL is open to different models.* CUWL considers increasing / strengthening the Shared Electronic Collection (Direction 1, Objective 1) a high priority. Under Direction 2 objectives on alternative publishing models, cooperative collection development, and potentially broadening a shared electronic collection beyond UW are considered relevant for this group. Under Direction 3 all are somewhat relevant.

The group brainstormed possible Action Items, including:

  • Library Dynamics – collection evaluation tool (SD3-Obj1 or SD2-Obj6)
  • Blackwell as primary vendor (SD2-Obj6)
  • List of resources that we have now and list of resources we might pursue system wide if resources were available (SD1-Obj1)
  • Consider consolidation in information industry and can we take advantage of this? (SD1-Obj1 Or SD3-Obj2)
  • Shared electronic collection – staying undergrad focused or expanding to specialization and faculty research focus? Could we have subset(s) of the SEC?  (SD2-Obj5 or SD1-Obj1)
  • Decision making is still over 26 sites. Is it feasible to consolidate that for better costs from vendors who might consider us one campus?  (SD2-Obj6)
  • Preservation facility – survey of space needs (SD3-Obj5 or SD3-Obj6)
  • Group to look at models of SEC (SD3-Obj2 or SD1-Obj1)
  • Scholarly communication institute sponsorship (SD2-Obj4)
  • Collection valuation, working group - Padway, Robb, Pillow, Bogstad, Reeb  (SD3-Obj2)

CUWL meets October 30-31. They would like Action Items by October 24 if possible. Reeb will prepare language for action items to give to CUWL and route to others via CRS list for discussion and comment.

Blackwell Performance

Discussion took place of measuring Blackwell’s performance for the first year of the primary vendor contract, and what data we should be collecting system-wide in order to best evaluate Blackwell. Are we measuring Blackwell’s performance (fill rate, fill time, etc.) or libraries’ performance (outcome based: reduced duplication, money saved, users’ needs met, etc.)?  There was general agreement that the first year would be setting baseline data. There was also general agreement that the group that drew up the RFP in the first place could transform the original rating grid into an evaluation grid, and that Blackwell could likely provide us with much of the data we want. Reeb will re-convene the RFP group to take this on.

It was also determined that we want a six month report in January (July-Dec activity) for domestic monographs purchased, by vendor, from each campus. Reeb will contact the campuses in late December or early January for this information.

Shared Electronic Collection

Current budget was passed out and discussed. ACS pricing was discussed at length. We discussed the role of the CDC versus the CRSCC. It was generally agreed that the CDC should continue to recommend Shared Electronic Collection renewals and cancellations, and be the group that considers publisher offers, consideration of new resources, and comparing resources. CDC recommendations should go to the CRSCC, which should take them to CUWL.

Library Dynamics

CUWL’s Taskforce on Collection Evaluation recommended that UW system acquire one of several products designed for evaluating collections. Library Dynamics seems to be the most affordable tool that has done consortial collection analysis (evaluating the collective UW collection as a whole) and would provide more useable data than other products. Because of the cost (around $20,000) it is necessary to do a “quick bid.” The product recommended by this committee for purchase will have to be approved by CUWL. Included in the budget proposal will be some system-funded staffing to assist in processing the data. 

Meeting adjourned at 2:10 p.m. 

(Minutes respectfully submitted by Ron Hardy)