MEMORANDUM
May 31, 2013
TO: Faculty Executive Committee
FROM: Faculty Senate Library Committee
RE: AY 2012-13 FINAL REPORT
Membership and Meetings – The Committee met monthly from September 2012 through May 2013,
except December (due to a lack of pressing business) and January (as is traditional). All meetings
obtained a quorum with no difficulty, and most even began on time. Attendance by members was
regular, and absences were properly noticed and excused by the Chair.
2012-13 MEMBERSHIP – Elected: Kimberly DeFazio, Sandra Koster, Sumei Liu, Heather Mathison,
Stephen McDougal (chair), James Murray, Madeline Reed, Shelley Sinclair, Amy Wolff; Ex Officio:
Jenifer Holman (Chair, Library Department); Resource: John Jax (interim Director of Library Services,
September-April), Catherine Lavellee-Welch (Director of Library Services, May)
The Faculty Library Committee received no special charges from the Faculty Executive Committee. This
report, therefore, will briefly summarize the Library Committee’s activities during a rather quiet year.
Academic Initiatives Allocation – Murphy Library received a grant from the AIOC for AY12-13, which
was used to maintain the additional building operation hours and expanded electronic resources,
continuing these programs into their third year. The Library’s requests for AIOC allocations for AY13-14
are under consideration. The AIOC did not request any assessment for AY12-13, although the data to do
so exist.
UW Research Network Program – Four UW-L Faculty members participated in the Program in AY12-13.
Assessment statements from the AY11-12 participants indicate that they generally benefited from the
access granted by participation in the Network. Only four people have applied for AY13-14. Regrettably,
the UW Madison Library Director has decided to end the program with AY13-14.
Journal Acquisitions Cuts – The Committee was consulted on the prospects of a cut in the budget for
journal hard-copy subscriptions, a discussion that began last spring. Thus far, no cuts have had to be
made, but the problem will revisit.
E-Resource Acquisitions – The Committee was consulted on purchasing additional e-resources from
funds available from normal budget allocations.
Student Survey of E-Resource Usage – The Committee was consulted on a broad student survey of
electronic resource use, conducted by James Murray’s BUS 230 class. The survey has concluded, but no
results are available from it at this time.
Murphy Library On-Line – The Committee was consulted on several projects dealing with the On-Line
presence of the Library:
 Homepage – A re-design of the Library’s web pages is underway in tandum with the
University’s web re-design plans.
 PRIMO Search Engine – A new UW System-wide search program is to be implemented
sometime this summer, after two delays. It will be far more integrative across the numerous
data bases UW-L patrons have access to, presenting basic bibliographic information in a
more comprehensive manner.
 Mobile Access – Murphy Library will soon implement systems giving full access to the users
of mobile devices, such as i-pads and smart-phones.
 Patron-Driven Acquisitions – This subscription system was implemented on a preliminary
basis this year. Patrons have access to several thousand book titles, all of which are
accessible on-line through the Murphy Library web pages. When a patron clicks on a title, it
appears in a readable format and can be viewed for free for two minutes. Thereafter, there
is a rental fee paid by the Library. If enough patrons click and view a particular book, it is
automatically purchased and becomes part of the Library’s regular e-collection. As of April,
fees of $190.00 had been incurred.
 UW System Cuts – State funding for the UW System shared electronic resources collection is
likely to be cut, with the effect of raising every campuses fees to participate. The UW Digital
Collection will likely receive allocations sufficient to maintain it at its current status, and fees
may be charged for it use. (Although not electronic, the van courier service between campus
– which is used for interlibrary loan transport, among other things – is also planning on
cuts.)
New Director of Library Services – At our May meeting, we welcomed Catherine Lavallee-Welch to UWL as our new Director of Library Services. The Committee looks forward to working with her next year.