Budget Hearing Follow Up

I am pleased to say that based on our budget request for FY ’18 in February, Provost Teitelbaum has reinstated $1,000,000 in recurring funds to support our collections. While this does not represent an increase in our collection spending, it does provide significant relief from having to draw from other needs, such as staffing, to preserve the collections. I believe that these funds are a result of the University understanding the true value of our collections as well as our due diligence in ensuring that we are using our funds wisely.

Position Title Changes

At my last Mashup I rolled out our effort to standardize the multiple titles used across staff providing similar services. Since then there has been discussions specifically around the use of the title ‘Assistant.’ After much consideration that included an environmental scan of other academic libraries, the Library will be forgoing the use of UCPEA nomenclature in our working titles for ULAs in favor of using the term ‘Associates.’ Khara will be making the changes to our organizational charts and directory and they will be online soon. If you have any questions about your title please speak with your Unit or Area Head.

Library Area and Unit Goals

Thank you to the members of VPC for the thoughtful presentation of area and unit goals at last week’s meeting. It was interesting to see the vision of the Purposeful Path Forward in the discussions at each level of the organization. We are working on a document that will share the overall picture of the library goals.

Employee Appreciation Event

As I mentioned in my email last week, I have suggested that we put off our employee appreciation event to a quieter time in the semester when we can all relax more and enjoy each other’s company.  So please save the date of Friday, June 2nd for a bar-b-que on the patio. I will be taking that time as an opportunity to give the longevity awards from UConn to staff who celebrated that this past week.

Women’s Center Academic Achievement Awards

I have the privilege of representing the Provost’s Office for the 2017 Outstanding Senior Women Academic Achievement Awards, recognizing the work of graduating seniors and scholarship recipients. Sponsored by the Women’s Center, I will have an opportunity to talk about the work of the University in developing women for leadership roles, including promoting work/life flexibility and creating an environment to support women’s achievements and academic success. I would like to frame my remarks around personal experiences of women balancing work and life so if you have anything you would like to share with me I would be pleased to hear it.

WWI Exhibit

If you haven’t had a chance to look through our latest exhibits, I would encourage you to do so before they close on May 15. The exhibits are a commemoration of the United States entry into WWI through different eyes – from the national, state-wide and local stage. In the Dodd Research Center there are exhibits of war posters from the collections of the Library of Congress, a selection of papers from Connecticut solider Dana T. Leavenworth, and the role Connecticut Agricultural College played in the war through activities such as food production, research and military training. In Homer Babbidge you’ll get a look at the start of bibliotherapy, or using books to treat those wounded in the war, as well as a selection of materials from the archives including musical recordings and children’s books of the day. Betsy curated all five exhibits along with two graduate students, Allison Horrocks (History, Ph. D., 2016) and Mary Mahoney (History, Ph. D. candidate). The exhibits have been well received throughout the community through UConn Today, the Daily Campus, and a radio conversation on WILI on April 10.

Staff Notes

Congratulations to Jenny Miglus, Carolyn Mills and Michael Rodriguez for their winning proposal to assess UConn faculty attitudes and publishing patterns vis-à-vis open access from the Institute for Research Design in Librarianship. Michael has also been accepted into the 2017 cohort to represent the team during an all-expenses paid research design immersion program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, running June 3-11. The project involves a survey and ethnographic interviews, and the Institute will provide mentorship and support during the year-long research project. The program is funded in part by a grant from the IMLS.