VPC Open Forum

Thank you all for your time and attention this Wednesday at the Vice Provost’s Open Forum. Transitioning to a new structure and new roles will require flexibility and collegiality and in the end I believe we will be stronger and better poised to make gains in our Purposeful Path Forward. We will continue to work towards better defining our job descriptions and titles before May 1 to help further clarify roles and responsibilities. If you were unable to attend or would like to see the presentation again, it can be found on Ibis. I am also available to anyone who may have any questions.

Master Plan Update

Last night I had the pleasure of presenting the draft Master Plan to USG’s Academic Affairs Committee. They were very pleased with many of the ideas for improving the library spaces and has some suggestions that we will take back to the planners. We are working on getting the boards up and around next week for review and will also be working to get the full report with all of the data collected available in the coming weeks. There have been questions regarding the off-site preservation facility and I will keep you posted as I hear more about that proposal.

UConn/UCPEA Contract

As you all know, the contract that was approved by UConn and UCPEA is under scrutiny at the CT State Legislature. The contract was approved by UConn management and the union through a fair process and in good faith. Alice and Jo Ann shared with me the anticipated vote by the legislature on March 9th and the plan to provide bus service for UCPEA members. I fully support any staff who wish to attend this rally as long as it does not affect the services of the library. If you plan on attending, please work with your supervisor to ensure that the needs of our users are being met during your absence.

And since today is Employee Appreciation Day, I wanted to thank you all for all the work you put in every day. As I said on Wednesday, we have had to make some difficult choices and accept our new fiscal realities and that has not been easy.  I do appreciate all that each of you do for our patrons and for each other. You should be as proud as I am of what we have and will continue to accomplish together.