MEMORANDUM
TO:
Faculty Executive Committee
FROM:
Faculty Senate Library Committee
RE:
AY 2014-2015 Final Report
DATE:
9 May 2015
Meetings. The Library Committee met on August 27, 2014; September 22, 2014; October 20, 2014;
November 17, 2014; December 8; February 23 2015; March 30, 2015; April 20, 2015; and May 4, 2015.
No meetings were held in January 2015. All meetings achieved a quorum. Attendance by members was
generally regular; absences were duly noted and excused by the Chair.
Membership. Elected: Dave Anderson; Ariel Beaujot; Jim Carlson (Recorder); Kim DeFazio (Chair);
Abdulaziz Elfessi; Kristin Greany; Taviare Hawkins; Sergey Komissarov. Graduate Student Representative
(September-January): Chenguang Bai. Undergraduate Student Representatives (September-May):
Jacob Sparks; (September-January): Kate Laird; (April-May): Yousaf Almazrou. Ex Officio: Jenifer
Holman (Chair, Library Department). Resource: Catherine Lavallée-Welch (Director of Library Services).
Faculty Executive Committee Special Charges. The Library Committee did not receive any special
charges from the Faculty Executive Committee this year. The Committee thus served primarily as a
consultative body, addressing a number of important and informative issues. It also continued the
previous year’s discussion of how the Library Committee might advocate for the expansion of Open
Access on campus.
Academic Initiatives Allocation. The Library Committee was informed of the AIOC budget proposals for
the AY 2014-2015 and AY 2015-2016. There have been no increases in funds for the Library Acquisitions
budget since the 1999/01 biennium, making funding from AIOC essential to the operation of Murphy
Library. The AIOC decided to award Murphy Library $144,374 for the 2015-2016 academic year. The
proposed budget included funds to maintain electronic resources, to explore possibly expanding library
hours, and hire additional student help as well as increase the base pay of student workers to retain
them.
FTE (Full-Time Equivalents) Numbers: The Library was informed that the much anticipated tipping point
of 10,000 full-time equivalent students was reached in the Fall 2014 semester. This is a great concern
for the Library, since various vendors use this number to set significantly higher prices for their
subscription rates and services. This comes at a particularly difficult time, especially in light of projected
budget cuts to Murphy Library (see below).
LibQual Survey.The Library Committee was informed of the summary details related to the results of
the most recent LibQUAL survey (completed in 2014). Over 1400 responses were collected. Respondents
indicated that the quality of service was meeting expectations. As well, respondents indicated
satisfaction with regard to access to information/acquisitions. In terms of the “library as place”
dimension, the “affect” of the Library as a space was rated highly. However, respondents indicated a
lack of space for group work. The Committee used this as an opportunity to discuss the growing
importance of further spaces for both group work and quiet individual work, especially as the
enrollment numbers continue to rise, while dorm rooms become more crowded.
New York Times License. The Library Committee was consulted on the possibility of purchasing an
online subscription to the New York Times. This would make the newspaper available to everyone on
campus at a relatively low fee, relative to the current fees for individual subscriptions.
Open Access. Throughout the year, the Committee continued discussing the feasibility, limits, and
desirability of Open Access and the expansion of a digital repository at UW-L that would make available
(at no cost) articles by UW-L faculty that have been previously published in journals. Discussions of
Open Access had started at the end of the previous year (Spring 2014), introduced by Library Chair Jen
Holman. Discussions in the Committee resumed in Fall 2014, addressing in more detail the different
models of Open Access, and the pros and cons of Open Access more generally. Dr. Lisa Kruse, a UW-L
professor with significant experience with Open Access and developing a digital repository at Western
Michigan University, came to speak to the Library Committee about her experiences and the value of
Open Access in February 2015. This led to the Committee’s decision in April 2015 to request funding
from the Provost’s Office to bring a speaker to campus during next October’s Open Access Week (2015).
The goals of bringing an expert on Open Access to campus include: informing the university community
of the value of a digital repository; debunking the many myths surrounding open access; and opening up
a campus community forum to address concerns, questions and suggestions related to developing a
digital repository at UW-L. In May, the Library Committee received a confirmation from Provost
Macpherson that she would recommend to the new Provost that an allocation be approved for a
speaker on Open Access. The Committee will receive word about the new Provost’s decision in August
or September 2015.
Projected Impact of Announced Budget Cuts. The Library Committee was informed that a cut of up to
$78,000 cut to the Murphy Library budget was projected, following the announcement of the UW
System budget cuts. While the Provost’s Office was able to provide funding to off-set some of the initial
projected cut, the Library will nonetheless see a projected cut of $15,000 from various sources and a
$44,000 cut from library collections to which 5% of the total collections budget was added to offset
subscription increases. To determine which journal and database subscriptions should be cut, the
Library developed a survey, which faculty and students were asked to complete April-May 2015.
Reducing Photocopiers. The Library Committee was consulted on the usefulness of existing copiers.
These are not regularly used by the university community. It is mainly members of the wider community
who use the copiers, which can be expensive to maintain. The possibility of reducing the number of
copiers to one was discussed.
Video on Supporting STEM Journals and Research. The Committee was made aware of a new video
produced by faculty and administrators from the UW System advocating the importance of funding
STEM journals. The video was presented to the Board of Regents in the spring.