Oxford Union Society Library Committee
Minutes of Meeting HT 2016 Week 1 (Monday 18th January)
Present: Brian Wong, Edward Grigg (Standing Committee Representative), Hannah Mooradian,
John Whitehead, Kirsten Hedde, Mark Bosley, Niamh Coote, Librarian (Chair), Phillip Counsell,
Rina Fang, Samual Billington, Ssuuna Golooba-Mutebi, Librarian Elect, Su Lockley, Librarian-incharge, Valerie Beautemps, Deputy Librarian (Secretary), Zoe Helding.
Attending: Colin Donnelly, Connor Warden and Gavin Fleming.
1.
Apologies and Absences
Robert Paver, Ryan Mao, Sean Power, and Timothy Foot had sent apologies.
Brian Wong explained that he would not be able to attend the next two meetings due to his
involvement in competitive debating.
Alyssa Zannella, Arwa Awan, Kosta Karamanakis and Redha Rubaie were absent.
Timothy Foot will not be able to attend the meetings for the first six weeks of this term and asked
whether he would need to resign. The Committee decided that he would not need to resign, as there
is a shortage of Senior Members.
2.
Membership
Edward Grigg is the new Standing Committee Representative.
Christopher John Ozga, Maan Al-Yasiri and Toby Sims had resigned.
Three candidate Junior Members, Colin Donnelly, Connor Warden, and Gavin Fleming, were
attending the Committee.
The Committee members introduced themselves and the Junior Librarian reminded everyone of the
procedure in case of absence. Members of the Committee unable to attend on a particular week
should send their apologies before the meeting. They should ask for a motion to be scheduled for
the next week’s meeting, to have their absence passed as with good reason. Junior members absent
without good reason for three meeting in a term will be deemed to have resigned.
There are 2 senior vacancies on the Committee. The Junior Librarian will make an appeal to
candidates in the Chamber on Thursday.
3.
Minutes and Matters Arising from Previous Meeting
The minutes were approved.
Matters arising:
vi. Speakers’ books
The Librarian-in-Charge had offered Julius Malema’s books to the SSL who did not yet
hold them were very pleased to receive the donation. One copy is now in the Bodleian and
the other in the SSL.
xiii. DVD releases for January 2016
During vacation, the Library acquired Me and Earl, and the dying girl, Everest, and Straight
outta Compton.
4.
Matters Arising from Standing Committee
There were no matters arising from Standing Committee.
5.
Library Committee representatives to Strategy Committee
The Librarian-in-Charge explained that the Library Strategy Committee meets each term in 5th week
to discuss the longer term strategy for the Library. The next meeting will be on the 17th of February
at 10.30 am.
Three Library Committee representatives sit on Strategy Committee: one Senior Member, currently
Phillip Counsell, and two Junior Members, currently Kirsten Hedde and Hannah Mooradian.
All three were confirmed.
6.
Vacation loans
The Librarian-in-charge reminded the Committee of the change that had been implemented at the
end of MT2015.
With the old procedure, all books borrowed had to be returned to the Library or renewed by the
middle of 8th week. Vacation loans started on the Monday of 8th week. In this way, a book borrowed
on the Saturday of 7th week was due only a few days later, and there had been complaints about the
shortening loan period at the end of term. The new procedure was to carry on with the 2 weeks loan
up to the Saturday of 6th week, then to switch to vacation loan, starting Monday of 7th week.
As there had not been any reader complaints over the trial, the Committee decided to adopt the new
system permanently.
7.
The Isis
Part of last term’s Collection Development budget was allocated to the replacement of missing Isis
volumes that are in high demand. Issues for the year 1902/1903 were ordered from the British
Library as a test.
The Librarian-in-charge had already received the first e-copies: Michaelmas Term 1902. She
reported that the images are very clear and the PDF document easy to search. However, the IT
Officer had advised that the Library was not geared up to making electronic resources available to
readers and that it would be too complicated to set it up. The issues will be made available in
printed form as soon as the entire year has been received.
8.
Suggestions Book
One reader had complained of the cold. The Librarian-in-charge explained that small portable
electric heaters were available to readers on demand, although only five could be used at any one
time due to the condition of the electrical wiring. The main radiators had also been turned up and
the Library was now warm enough, around 21°C.
9.
Book Lists for HT Week 1: Law (£261, Redha Rubaie and Ryan Mao), Travel (£250,
Librarian-in-Charge), Geography & Geology (£225, Timothy Foot)
Rina Fang wondered if the Law list was not too focused on Land Law. In the absence of Redha
Rubaie and Ryan Mao, the Librarian-in-Charge pointed out that the Library’s section on Land Law
was becoming obsolete and needed updating. The Committee agreed that all titles were standard
text books.
The Librarian-in-Charge explained that she had opted for titles from less main stream publishers.
The Blue Guides focus on archaeology and architecture. Rick Steves’ guides are aimed at the
American public, and the Library has a lot of American readers. The Bradt Guides tend to include
more unusual places. The remainder of the titles were an update of the Lonely Planet and Rough
guides, backbone of the collection.
The list was £20 under budget. The committee decided to add two reserve titles: Bradt guide to
Colombia and Lonely Planet make my day Amsterdam.
Timothy Foot has sent an note to explain his choices for the Geography and Geology list: he had
found the Library to be generally well stocked in the subjects but with some gaps in first year
course texts and recommended readings.
All three lists were passed.
10.
Book Lists for HT Week 2: Sociology (£225, Brian Wong), Physics (£225, Mark Bosley),
Politics (£240, Zoe Helding)
Brian Wong has already sent the Sociology list. Mark Bosley and Zoe Helding confirmed they were
preparing their respective lists.
11.
Book Lists for HT Week 3: Business & Management (£225), Mathematics (£225),
Psychology (£225)
Kirsten Hedde will prepare the Business & Management list. Rina Fang volunteered to assist her.
Connor Warden will compile the Mathematics list and the Librarian-in-Charge the Psychology list.
12.
Members’ Suggestions (£85)
The Committee decided to buy all the titles on the list. Phillip Counsell noted that he had seen the
Philosophy book, 1001 ideas that changed the way we think, advertised for £10.
13.
DVD new releases for February
The Committee selected seven titles to be bought as money becomes available over the coming
weeks: Macbeth, The Martian, Spectre, Crimson Peak, Green inferno, A walk in the woods, and
Suffragette.
14.
DVD List 2016HT1
There was no budget to buy DVDs this week.
15.
Deferred withdrawals from 2015MT8
The Librarian-in-charge had checked usage figures for M Fabii Quintiliani institutionis oratoriae.
She suggested it be withdrawn and a more recent 2001 Loeb translation, of which the Library had
only the fifth volume be completed in the next Classics book list. The Committee agreed.
16.
Withdrawals 2016HT1
Essay on philosophical method, by R. G. Collingwood and Thought and change, by Ernest Gellner
are currently on loan and will be retained.
The Librarian-in-Charge will check usage figures for three titles. Early Greek elegists, by C. M.
Bowra: Ssuuna Golooba-Mutebi remarked that is was recommended reading for a popular paper.
Essay on metaphysics, by R. G. Collingwood, and Introduction to aesthetics, by E. F. Carritt: Brian
Wong thought the authors were on reading lists.
17.
New Members
Three junior candidates were attending the meeting and introduced themselves. Colin Donnelly
(Theology and Religion, Keble), Gavin Fleming (Philosophy and Theology, Keble) and Connor
Warden (History, St Edmund Hall), who had been a valuable member of the Committee before.
The Committee voted to accept the new members, even though this would perpetuate the imbalance
between Junior and Senior Members. Ssunna Golooba-Mutebi noted that the decision was in line
with Standing Committee usage to not refuse Junior Members who wanted to become involved with
the Union.
The new members’ names will be taken to Standing Committee for ratification and the Junior
Librarian will highlight the need for Senior Members when she appeals for candidates in the
Chamber.
18.
Any Other Business
There was no other business.
19.
Time and Date of Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Library Committee will take place on Monday 25th January 2016, HT Week
2, at 2.15pm in the Morris Room.