Coordinating Committees

CUWL User Services Coordinating Committee (USCC) Meeting Minutes

November 7, 2008, 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Middleton Public Library

Present: Steve Frye, Renee Buker, Ella Cross, Leigh Dorsey, Jill Markgraf, Valerie Malzacher, Jana Reeg-Steidinger

1.  Announcements:  Jana Reeg-Steidinger and Valerie Malzacher discussed their libraries’ experiences with LibGuides, which have been positive. UW-Superior is searching for a Systems Librarian. The Assistant Director position at UWEC has been extended and a Government Documents position is being filled.

2.  We reviewed the final report of the New Reference Models Working Group.  The discussion was led by Jill Markgraf, Jana Reeg-Steidinger and Renee Buker, the members of the USCC who served on this group.  In addition to the final report, the literature review and survey results are posted on the CUWL Wiki.  Highlights of the discussion include:

  • Training:  Technology is an on-going challenge. Much training is “self-training.”
  • Reference Desk Staffing: Staffing the Reference Desk with students is a trend.  The survey and the literature review confirm that it is rare that librarians have completely eliminated service at a reference desk. Some libraries are merging their service desks to a single point of contact.  It is reported that reference desks are becoming busier--the need for personal contact and too much Google were cited as possible reasons.
  • Reference sources:  The reduction of print reference sources was noted as a trend.  Some libraries are choosing to circulate print reference sources.

This report will be presented to CUWL at the November 11-12, 2008 meeting.

3.  We reviewed the final report of the Information Literacy Assessment Working Group. The discussion was lead by Ella Cross, the member of the USCC who served on this group. Highlights of the discussion include:

  • iSkills: The test is very long and not easily administered.  It is not recommended as a testing instrument at the System level
  • ILT and Project Sails:  There is no recommendation to deploy at the System level at this time, although campuses should continue to explore the use of assessment instruments at the campus level.
  • We discussed how to integrate information literacy into the curriculum. What role does the library play in student learning, and how can we assess the impact of information literacy on student learning?  Some discussion focused on the Voluntary System of Accountability, a program that all doctoral and comprehensive campuses in the UW are participating in (more info available at http://www.voluntarysystem.org/index.cfm).  All campuses must assess learning outcomes in several areas, including critical thinking.  This may have some bearing on libraries and information literacy.

This report will be presented to CUWL at the November 11-12 meeting.

4.  We reviewed the final report of the Web 2.0 Tools Working Group.  A number of tools, including blogs, wikis, IM/chat, social networking, bookmarks and tagging, photo/content sharing, and WebApps, are listed on the CUWL Wiki and include numerous links to specific tools.  This report will be presented to CUWL at the November 11-12 meeting.

5.  MetaLib Assessment. Valerie Malzacher reported that UW-River Falls has completed usability testing using the protocol that the Working Group developed for testing Quick Search and is in the process of analyzing and documenting findings. The final report will be presented to CUWL at its winter meeting.

6.  We briefly reviewed our charge and the CUWL strategic plan.  This led to a brainstorming session regarding priorities for the USCC for 2008-09.  Ideas generated include:

  • Bring our our ideas down to the more concrete--share MetaLib and SFX screen shots on the Wiki, share LibGuides
  • Look at what libraries are doing to integrate themselves into campus assessment activities
  • Consider LibGuides as a System project
  • Focus on communicating projects System-wide
  • Focus more on coordinating the informal but informative sharing of things that we are doing in our libraries. We could use Jing to produce short videos that we can share
  • Promote services to our communities
  • Study the changing nature of reference collections--do we need them?  Discussed Paratext--a resource that creates a searchable database of your print and electronic reference sources--as a way to promote use of reference collections.
  • Resource Discovery--the User Services Coordinating Committee will partner with the Library Technology Coordinating Committee to work on this as a System project

Recorder:  Valerie Malzacher