LAUC-B Spring Assembly
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
180 Doe Library
9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Business meeting
I. Welcome and call to order at 9:33 - B. Quigley
II. Membership - J. Eason
Current roster: 101 librarians
Welcome new members since Fall Assembly
Maria Gould (Scholarly Communications Librarian)
Chan Li (Assessment Librarian)
Susan McElrath (Head of Public Services, Bancroft Library)
Nicole Santiago (Processing Archivist, Environmental Design Archives)
Gisele Tanasse (Film & Media Services Librarian)
Departures/Separations since Fall Assembly
Lori Dedeyan 12/2017
Kate Tasker 3/2018
Erik Mitchell 4/13/2018
No retirements since Fall Assembly. June retirements will be reported at the Fall Assembly.
III. Nominating & Elections report - M. Erviti
Election slate announced.
Vice Chair/Chair-Elect: Cody Hennesy
Secretary: Marlene Harmon
Library Representatives: Kiyoko Shiosaki and Kortney Rupp
Affiliated Representative / CALA Vice Chair: Christina Fidler
Call for additional nominations from the floor. No additional nominations received.
Online polls will be open May 18-June 8.
Written report available with committee reports on Assemblies web page.
IV. CAPA report - J. Silva
Written report available with committee reports on Assemblies web page.
V. LAUC-B Chair’s report - B. Quigley
Noted Executive Committee activities since September, 2017:
- Fall Assembly with Safiya Noble.
- Followed up on Assembly theme with appointment of a Task Group on Social Justice in Academic Libraries charged to complete an environmental scan and literature review to inform future planning.
- Approved the intersection of social justice, critical librarianship, and digital literacy as the theme of the LAUC-B 2019 Conference and appointed Kendra Levine and Melissa Stoner as co-chairs of the Conference Planning Committee.
- Evaluated the two-year professional development funding pilot and determined to continue two-year cycle.
- Polled membership and initiated a two-year pilot to hold Assemblies at different start times in Spring and Fall.
- Formed task group to review the CAPA appointment process.
- Completed a review of our bylaws and proposed a set of revisions that we’ll be voting on this year.
- Planning for Considering Cultural Competence workshop with Nicole Cooke of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in July (tentatively July 26)
Farewell to ExComm Library Representative Ian Knabe, and announcement that past representative Susan Powell has been appointed to complete his term.
Social Break 9:50-10:10
Program 10:10 - 10:50
Introduction - Jo Anne Newyear Ramirez
Speaker - Paul Alivisatos, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Summary Notes and Themes touched upon:
- Current University strategic planning (online draft: http://strategicplan.berkeley.edu/ )
- Importance of dialogue in planning.
- Encouragement to read draft plan and comment.
- Emergence from structural budget deficits, predicted by 2021.
- His question: “What’s changing for students?”
- Emphasis on student involvement in the Discovery Experience and Experience Based Learning.
- Early encouragement of students to consider how knowledge is created and to be actively engaged in it.
- Challenge noted: financial model that supports UCB’s great legacy collections and their continued growth.
- Noted growth in Masters programs and need for more systemic integration of Masters students across University.
- Noted importance of interdisciplinary subjects to PhD students, who are concerned with broadening their career options.
Summary Notes and Themes during ensuing Q&A:
- Current planning stage is very high level, and needs to be applicable to all the units of the University. Broad comments and input needed, but specific questions like, “How does the Library fit into the plan?” will be addressed later, in the implementation planning phase anticipated late in year.
- Reference to draft plan language “. . .draw on resources to create new paths . . .” and its meaning for library resources. Discussion of ideas about new curriculum planning and potential student engagement in it, as well as view that curriculum needs to adapt towards active learning, followed by “discovery experiences.” Connections to library in several ways: students need venues to learn as groups, and engagement with collections and learning to be active users of collections and to query the collections.
- Question about thoughts on including the Library in curriculum development and changes at early stages. Discussed diversity among Berkeley departments and units and how different “discovery experiences” and curriculum creating them will be across departments. Affirmation of disciplinary specializations present among librarians, and importance of their engagement with faculty – and importance of staying connected.
- Models for peer-to-peer learning on campus? Core problem is creating an environment where people will always be thinking about “discovery.” Need to develop a human network of mentoring for this to work. Increasing numbers of undergraduates make this a growing challenge. Staff have often been incredible mentors to students. (Machine shop example mentioned.) Librarians also have a role here.
- Comment offered: language in planning needs to reflect library as a gateway to scholarly conversation, more than buildings with collections in them.
- Issue raised of Berkeley’s failure to rank in recent Atlantic article about graduating Pell Grant students, when UCLA and other UCs did. Concerns around fostering diversity and retention of under-represented undergraduates. They need support once they’re here. Need to foster supportive and welcoming sub-communities at Berkeley. Housing shortage also raised.
- Comment: librarians should be involved in discussions around this planning. Librarians have significant student contact and connect with students. “Please involve us.”
Meeting adjourned at 10:51