Arts Library Advisory Committee
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
4th Floor Conference Room, James Branch Cabell Library
5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Minutes
Attendance
Sarah Branigan, Charles Brownell, Steve Cartwright, Gary Hopper, Sterling Hundley, Lea Marshall, Roy McKelvey (chair)
Staff: Pat Flanagan, Yuki Hibben, John Ulmschneider, Pam Fraga (recording secretary)
The meeting was called to order by chair Roy McKelvey at 5:00 p.m.
Business
Review and approval of agenda
The agenda was approved as presented.
Review and approval of minutes from February 2008
On the second page, first full paragraph, two corrections:
- The last sentence should read “This means that VCU Libraries is challenged to support the advanced programs being proposed in the School of the Arts at this time.”
- The second sentence should read that Ms. Hibben advised the Committee that while the media collection will continue to expand, it is doubtful that serials and databases will be expanded.
With those to corrections, the minutes were approved.
Electronic theses and dissertations requirements – handouts
Mr. Ulmschneider began by thanking the Committee for its previous reviews of this proposal, the latest version of which is included in the handouts. He reported that the University of Iowa, in attempting to make electronic submission of all theses and dissertations mandatory, caused concern among students whose theses were creative works that have a high likelihood of being published with minimal changes, rather than as derived works. The University of Iowa subsequently suspended its mandatory requirement for such items. The VCU proposal will have to account for the special needs of creative works submitted as theses.
On the matter of embargo periods, it is possible that the provisions will change to establish an embargo period of 5 to 7 years, without option for extending the embargo. He then asked the Committee to review this proposal one more time and to please get back to him with any concerns, thoughts or suggestions. The plan is still on track to have this mandatory submission be in place by Fall 2009, though the word “mandatory” may be modified to “required”.
Art exhibits in library buildings
Mr. Ulmschneider had to leave the meeting early so he made his report on this topic ahead of the agenda. He said that Ms. Separ was out ill and could not attend this meeting and therefore there was little to add to the previous February update. Ms. Hibben said that she and Ms. Separ and Leon Roper would be meeting soon to expand on the idea of art exhibits in VCU campus buildings, as well as in the library buildings.
Mr. Ulmschneider then offered the Committee copies of the flyer about the Brown-Lyons lecture, which is tomorrow, March 20th. The guest speaker will be Dr. Jack Spiro and the topic will be Jewish humor. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. and Mr. Ulmschneider urged anyone who planned to attend to come early as the parking and the seats go quickly.
Guest access for Cabell Library visitors – handouts
Ms. Flanagan started by giving the Committee a brief history of service to non-VCU visitors and their access to the VCU Libraries’ online collections. She said that once-open computers are no longer available as eID protection has expanded to all but a handful of machines, as recommended by VCU Technology Services. Guests are now directed to 5 open MACs which don’t work with the eID system. These older MACs will soon be replaced with PCs with eID protection, however. Currently, guests may be also logged into eID protected machines by library staff using a generic password, if the access is deemed necessary, but once logged in these users sometimes monopolize machines badly needed by VCU students. VCU Libraries is required to provide public access to government documents (since we are a depository library) and to databases supplied through state VIVA funds and needs to find a new way to do so. VCU Libraries would also like to provide the kind of access to visiting scholars that it is hoped our students and faculty would receive at other universities.
Ms. Flanagan described how the handout on guest access objectives summed up the goals for the new approach to providing guest access. The second handout is a flyer that describes four types of guest access that will be available in the planned new program: 1) controlled one-hour access for walk-in guests at 4 guest machines equipped with PC Reservation software used at public libraries and other urban universities, 2) 14-day access to VCU eID protected machines for those with academic identification who want to apply for a short term eID, 3) the Friends of the Library donor program access to an eID for in-building use, and 4) “Open Saturdays” which allow high school and college students access to eID protected machines via library staff login using the generic eID. Use by the VCU community is lower on Saturdays and allows for this accommodation of other groups.
Ms. Flanagan said that VCU Libraries’ administration realizes that with a shortage of computers and power in Cabell Library no solution will be perfect. Some frustration may be heard from guests who will only be able to use computers for one hour per day and are used to having more time, and also from students needing computers who see specific machines designated for guests. She said that John Ulmschneider will be presenting these ideas to the Provost for his input and approval. In discussion, she explained that users will come to the Circulation Desk for access to the walk-in machines and to the Reference Desk for assistance with the 14 day eID program for scholars.
Reports and Discussion
Demonstration: CSA Art Databases Features and Searching
Ms. Flanagan gave a demonstration of how to access and search the four art databases contained in the CSA portal (Artbibliographies Modern, BHA: Bibliography of the History of Art, Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, and Design and Applied Arts Index). She gave a brief review of the general content of each database, which varies from being primarily journal article indexing in DAAI and Avery, to coverage of exhibition catalogs, essays, book chapters and other materials in Artbibliographies Modern and especially in BHA, which includes extensive foreign language materials and even urban planning topics. She showed how to access each database individually via the list of A-Z Databases on the library web site, or by using the same list to go to “C” for CSA. Either way, one can search an individual database, or select up to the four to search simultaneously. Search set results can be seen as a full list or by tabs that show the items in each of several categories like journal articles, catalogs, essays, etc. She also showed how to set up an account and then use the Alert service (available via a + sign on the search result screen) to automatically receive email of new items in the database that meet the search parameters. She also demonstrated how to use the thesaurus feature, as well as the advanced search feature. Ms. Hibben explained that some items are only indexed by the database provider so the full text may not be available at VCU. However, when that happens, the “Get it @ VCU” links provide access to the VCU catalog and to Interlibrary Loan to help researchers obtain access.
The meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m.