Welcome to Spring 2012

Welcome to Spring 2012...

We are halfway through FY' 12 and we have ACC and IRT/Library Services issues that are returning to this list of activities and new issues - as we always do. We continue to have talented, committed Library Services staff, great support from our administrators, and wonderful new staff.  I have added a list of employee accolades, new employees and employee changes at the end of the Blog.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) 

SACS is scheduled to visit ACC in October, 2012 as part of their regular visit/accreditation schedule. They review "where we are" based on their standards and recommendations. In addition to a visit for overall college operations, they visit immediately after major changes such as a new campus, a renovated campus, etc. Prior to them visiting, each area prepares extensive content as an overview for what each department is, what they do and student outcomes. I prepared an extensive document at the end of the fall semester. Although I turn in @65 pages, content is typically distilled before it is added to the college's final report. Sometime this spring I will be getting a revised document and I will share that with LS when the process is complete. FYI: along with general "library support services" activities, given the nature of our business, I also respond to statements on student data (what we download for our online circulation system); technology support for workforce and general education curriculum and support for distance learning.

In addition to providing our own information, Library Services has provided significant support for general college activities thanks to Terry Barksdale and Ashley Carr. Ashley created an incredible spreadsheet with identified relationships between every academic and workforce area and critical thinking/information competence statements. Ron Johns, co chair of the SACS process reviewed the data and asked to use their document. Ashley's document is a great addition to the process!

New Administration

As we all know our new president has started his presidency. I will be in a second meeting with him in the President's Extended Leadership Team meeting at the end of January. Student Success and each department's contributions to Student Success will be the topic of discussion.

Policies - Smoke-free Environments

ACC Board Policy C-10 was passed by ACC Board of Trustees this last fall. "It establishes a smoke-free environment for ACC, while allowing the use of smokeless tobacco products. Implementation began this last Monday, January 2, 2012. Administrative staff has proceeded with development of Administrative Rules, guidelines, and procedures; internal and external communication and signage; workshops for faculty, staff, and students to support smoking and tobacco cessation; and other actions to ensure policy compliance." I will forward you finalized information when it is available such as:

• General campus signs (smokeless campus signs up as of 1/9)
• Enforcement including content on cards handed to students by ACC police
• Date when all policy/procedural content is finalized
• Content for LS smoke-free signs (if we add to ours) and also signs for tobacco issues

Vision and Values/Strategic Planning

Library Services Ad Hoc Strategic Planning Committee has met this last fall and is continuing to meet this spring. This group is reviewing our existing LS goals and strategies and compare and revise - as appropriate - ACC strategic planning content for LS initiatives.

Organization and Services

Organization

We are still committed to keeping LS Advisory Group/Ad hoc Workgroups and establishing a number of meetings to provide us with diverse input. These activities include:

• Our Ad hoc Head Librarian and Librarian Workload group is fast at work and is reviewing ACC Administrative Rules, job descriptions of team leaders and facilitators and other work responsibility documents. This group is charged to look at equity of workload in Library Services and provide recommendations in areas such as team work, facilitator work, reference hours, and collection responsibilities - to name just a few areas. This group's recommendations will be used to determine any need for balancing work responsibilities.
• The Head Librarians meet constantly and in a variety of settings. On and off over the years they have met as a unit and three years ago began to do so on a regular basis. Although these meetings have not been listed as part of the organizational structure, we have so many new people and existing staff have moved to new locations now, I have now placed this group as part of the formal management and communication structure. For more information ask your HL and/or visit their wiki project page under "Head Librarians" for meeting schedules and minutes. Note: "If you wish an issue to be taken to one of the scheduled meetings, please consult with your Head Librarian or send an email to the HL group."
• We will continue to have our "Five or Fewer" (years of service) meeting of librarians. It was suggested at the last "Five or Fewer" meeting that Library Services have regularly scheduled (annually or twice a year) "More than Five" meetings with similar questions, discussions, etc. to get input from senior staff.
• We will continue to have Team Leaders, Facilitators and Managers meetings once a month. Agendas and minutes are posted in the TLF wiki environment.
  
• Other “newer”/function or activity-specific groups continuing include: an Opening Day Collection subgroup of CDT (Hayes,Elgin Campuses and soon the Highland Mall library collection); a Sustainability presence as a Steward (based on a recommendation of the Sustainability Facilitator from last year.)

Services

Usage in general
    Our usage overall is still increasing and libraries are still - literally - packed with students in chairs, on the floor, etc. ACC's spring registration enrollment numbers, however, are down and I will be curious to see if our numbers keep at the same/steady level. While some of this usage information is gathered by reviewing numbers, much is anecdotal given the fact that the same number of students may come in, but may stay IN the library or AT computers for longer. Therefore, managers will be gathering anecdotal information this spring, in the form of staff opinion, staff pictures (no patron faces please!), etc.


Patron/student support at reference desks
I continue to work with IRT ID and Student Services (Help Desk, Online Services, etc.) to identify how we assist patrons needing college information. The college-wide initiative - led by Suzy Thomason - is finalizing a grid that outlines how, where and when we provide information to patrons.

This spring (this month, in fact) we will be hosting reference training on our virtual reference product. The vendor/cooperative has expanded their client base and we have new adjuncts, therefore, we will be both reviewing and updating knowledge. Our Reference Facilitator (Sylvia) will be posting information and all full time librarians are invited to attend. In addition, adjunct librarians participating in the ACC reference hours will be attending.



Teaching and Learning
IL Facilitator Terry Barksdale and NRG librarian, Ashley Carr continue to work with librarians to assess the ACC IL program. This spring kicks off with a pedagogy workshop Meeting in the Middle: Applying pedagogy to support learning outcomes across the college by Dr. Rebekah Nix. The IL Retreat document from Pam and Barbara has been distributed with Terry's comments and I will distribute my comments with the copy as well.

Facilities

"Hours and Location" Changes
The Pinnacle Campus Library has standardized hours with other 5 day a week campus libraries and is now open on Friday afternoons until 5:00 p.m.

Student Services departments have standardized their hours. Staff should visit Student Services departmental hours to identify changes and standardizations (http://www.austincc.edu/helpdesk/faq/hdfaq_index_student.html).

Existing Campuses

Round Rock Library
Round Rock Campus library office areas are being soundproofed to reduce sound in public service areas and increase privacy for staff. Our project for new study carrels on the north wall and additional tablet seats was not completed in the fall as the wrong carrels were delivered. I am hopeful they will be delivered while we are all still young enough to enjoy them.

Elgin Campus
Elgin Campus plans are completed and we have a wonderful space for students, faculty and staff in the library. The campus will open August, 2013.

Hays Campus
Hays Campus plans are also almost completed and we have a wonderful space there for students, faculty and staff. Hays will open in FY 2014 - probably by summer 2014.

Highland Mall
    The Highland Mall Penney's space - the academic space at the mall - is in the midst of abatement activities. We have an adjacency plan and the choice of architects will be finalized this month. I have brought Leigh Kilman - our Facilities Facilitator - into the planning for specific facilities floor plans and design and we have met once with the facilities planners along with Richard and Herb.

    The academic space will still be: space for approximately 6,300 student; campuses swinging in while they are renovated; NCAT-driven (National Center for Academic Transformation) student learning areas; workforce curriculum such as mathematics delivered in experimentation space; expanded opportunities for partnership such as service learning; commercial variety; and wonderful "sticky spaces" for students for support for academics as well as active learning spaces. The space for the unique learning environment is being referred to as the "emporium."

    Plans for Dillard's and Macy's space are still under discussion, however, Rio Grande will still be the first campus area to swing in to the Mall - specifically - the Annex area. Rio Grande will then have the second swing space as well with the annex returning to RGC and then the main building closing/those areas moving to HBC. Library space will be adjacent to the emporium with @7,000 square feet, reduced print materials and more seating and a coffee shop adjacent.

    My goals still include moving Technical Services to the mall. The Technical Services space needs assessment has been updated and distributed to Facilities.

Riverside
Riverside has been renovated and Jen Weber will be reporting on the space with "before" and "after" pictures.

Cypress
Cypress is trying to wrap up the reference desk move and a project manager has been assigned to work with Library Services in January to find solutions to wiring issues.

Staffing

New librarians


As we all know, we had two new librarians start this fall in October and November. Although their full bios
have been posted several times before, we will greet them – as “LS All” for the first time this week. Our new
librarians are David Wilson - Reference Librarian, South Austin and Carrie Gits - Head Librarian, Rio Grande Campus. They have been training and will continue to train this spring by visiting campuses and functions throughout Library Services.

LS All will also greet our two new ½ time Library Assistants Nathaniel Dickerman - Cypress circulation desk and Charlene Michallick- Pinnacle circulation desk. They have been training this fall and will continue to this spring.

In addition Sallie Buchner is moving from Technical Services to Riverside circulation desk and will work with
staff to coordinate textbook original cataloging and processing and support general RVS circulation activities.

Other ACC staff: Terry Mouchayleh, Director of Staff Development has left the college to become a Dean of the Faculty Academy at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth.

$tate Funding

Funding for FY'13 is still uncertain for the state in general and for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission although the best estimate is an 87% agency reduction. Current plans for the statewide database program are uncertain, however, it is know that the agency lost 6 million dollars and the database funding for the aggregated subscription program has shrunk significantly. A smaller program - beginning in July of 2012 - necessitates "shopping around" and our E-Resources Facilitator is exploring costs while the statewide academic director's group is exploring membership in other consortia. ACC LS participated in a statewide survey of academic library preferences for databases and e-resources.

At this point in time, the database core for the FY’13 year will NOT change.