Texas Council of State University Librarians
Business Meeting
Thursday, October 5, 2000
Hyatt Hotel, Austin, Texas

Committee Reports  /  Old Business-New Business  /  Guest Speakers

Library Fee Survey Results 2000

MINUTES

President Fred Heath called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m. and welcomed attendees.

Approval of minutes
Minutes of the September 20, 1999 meeting were approved as distributed.

President’s report
President Heath identified a number of pressing concerns facing academic librarianship in Texas, including the importance of student fees as a continuing source of revenue; the threat to the concept of fair use posed by UCITA, which is gaining ground in the legislatures of several states; the RFP to be issued by the TIF Board in December; and the impact of growth in the information technology industry on the supply of new academic librarians.

Introduction of Candidates
Nominating committee chair Abby Kratz introduced candidates for the three elective offices. Additional ballots were distributed as needed.

Secretary/Treasurer’s Report
Paul Coleman reported an October 5, 2000 cash balance of $5381.60. President Heath discussed the issue of dues, indicating dues for the coming year would be collected in January.

Committee Reports

• Binding contract
  Committee chair Ken Jones said he received no reports from membership regarding the quality of work on state contract for binding. He said that in late December or early January the choice of a new bindery would begin.

• Materials contract
  Committee chair Joan Heath reported that the materials contract is still in effect until December 31, 2001. She said a new committee member is needed, preferably a medical sciences librarian. She invited those present to check with their acquisitions staffs regarding any concerns related to the current contract and to communicate them to the committee by next summer. She asked if there had been any problems with electronic transfers. A response from the floor indicated that several vendors had not processed electronic payments properly.

• Legislative
  Al Cage said the membership had expressed no concerns. President Heath asked members to forward any concerns to the committee and TLA. He acknowledged that many members are prohibited from contacting legislators directly.

Old Business

Library fee survey
Cindy Scroggins reported that no institution rescinded fees in the past year. She said that she might include a question on next year’s survey asking those institutions that do not have a fee why they have not instituted one. She reported that 57% of the respondents charge fees. Six institutions did not respond to the survey. In response to a question from President Heath, observations were made from the floor that we may have reached the limit in our ability to assess fees, and that there was some resistance to the last fee increase at one institution. It was further observed that the linkage of fees to salaries and fringe benefits might cause problems in meeting a state-mandated salary increase if fees cannot be raised. A discussion of charging fees for printing followed. Cindy will include a question about printing on next year’s survey.

New Business
Balloting
President Heath called for the marking of ballots.

Location of 2001 Meeting
President Heath asked if there was objection to next year’s meeting being held in the same place as the current meeting. None was raised.

Guest speakers

Dr. Robert Martin

Dr. Martin, professor and interim director of the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University, discussed the shortage of librarians the state will experience in coming years. Librarians of every kind are likely to be in short supply, particularly those specializing in service to children and youth.

Dr. Martin said it is also difficult to find qualified new library school faculty. At a library educators’ conference last year there were twice as many job openings as there were applicants. TWU is experiencing difficulty in hiring library school faculty, particularly for cataloging. Adjunct faculty can fill the gap to a certain extent but full-time faculty members are needed for accreditation and to fill the responsibilities of the program. Diminished enrollment in library school doctoral programs portends a continuing scarcity of new faculty.

Dr. Martin posited two major reasons for the current and forecasted shortages of personnel. The first is demographic, as “baby boomers” are aging and the following generation is smaller. The second reason is the relatively low salary paid to the typical beginning librarian.

To address the librarian shortage, Dr. Martin suggested that all of us should make stronger efforts to recruit students into the profession. He also asked for advocacy of more financial support for library science graduate students. In the interest of strengthening the graduate school curriculum, he asked us to let library school administrators know about curricular needs that we identify in the workplace.

Dr. Mary Lynn Rice-Lively

Dr. Rice-Lively, assistant dean of the Graduate School of Library & Information Science at the University of Texas at Austin, began her remarks with observations about Austin’s remarkably strong economy, particularly in the high-technology sector. With an unemployment rate of only 1.8%, Austin appears positioned to benefit from a growing economy for the foreseeable future. Prosperity has resulted in a higher cost of living, however, that complicates the meeting of housing needs for new faculty members and students.

Dr. Rice-Lively said there are five new faculty members in the UT program this year. They come from a variety of backgrounds, including academic librarianship, state libraries, and library education in Australia. The curriculum has been strengthened and the number of adjunct faculty decreased. Curriculum adaptation is under way at UT. The school has petitioned to offer an MS in Information Studies, and efforts are being made to offer classes that provide library technicians with broader skills.

She observed that UT library school students come from diverse educational and geographic backgrounds, and that many return to their home communities after earning their degrees. Only 12% of the school’s current students receive financial aid. There has been a decrease in grants and fellowships lately. The school’s development activity is directed to scholarships. There has been a promising increase in the number of students entering graduate work in librarianship directly after receiving their undergraduate degree. Surveys indicate that most UT graduates go into academic librarianship even though the high-tech market is strong in Austin.

  Dr. Rice-Lively said there are various options for graduates today, so traditional employers such as academic libraries have to make a special effort to market their openings. “Capstone projects” required of students nearing graduation offer a unique opportunity to employers. Members are encouraged to let the UT library school know if they have positions for “capstone” students. The school’s career fairs offer another opportunity for potential employers to communicate with prospective graduates. The UT program intends to expand its distance learning offerings by both video and the Web.

It is a myth, Dr. Rice-Lively said, that most graduates go into information technology start-ups. Some who have are disillusioned with the risk and instability of that environment. There seems to be an appreciation of the stability of academic employment. It is advisable for academic employers to recruit even if jobs are not currently open, to pay more, and to start recruiting with undergraduates.

  Following their presentations the speakers fielded a number of questions which allowed them to expand on their remarks.

Concluding announcements and election results

President Heath reminded the group of a reception following the meeting at 6:30 p.m. He noted that Austin’s famed nightly bat flight would be visible from the reception room, but that the bats have changed direction this year. He expressed gratitude for vendors who are providing refreshments at the reception, including YBP/Baker and Taylor, Ebsco, Blackwell, and Academic Press.

Results of the election were announced. Elaine Wells, director of Medical Library Services at the UT Health Center at Tyler, was elected member-at-large. Cindy Scroggins, director of the Baylor Health Sciences Library at Baylor College of Dentistry, a component of the Texas A&M University Health Science Center, was elected secretary/treasurer. Kathy Hoffman, executive director of the Research Medical Library at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, was elected vice president/president elect. Incoming president Carolyn Kacena thanked President Heath for his service to the organization and invited members to tomorrow’s program on library partnerships.

  The meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m.

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