Planning Our Future

BY JIM MULLINS

PILLAR: Infrastructure

Strategic planning 2009  2Nearly five years ago we began the process of creating a strategic plan to guide us from 2006 to 2011; we now find ourselves coming to the end of the five year period addressed by our plan. The success realized by the Libraries and the Press in this plan period is the result of the commitment we all made to explore and undertake new roles, responsibilities and ways of doing our jobs — I most sincerely thank you for being a champion for our plan and our many new initiatives! In the last issue of INSIDE we began to connect each article to one (or more) of the strategic plan pillars to serve as a reminder of how our plan guides our work. In upcoming months, look for articles that highlight our many accomplishments. In our final year of the 2006 - 2011 strategic plan, we are continuing to advance the Libraries and the Press by staying focused on the five strategic pillars, and the good work of every individual/unit/ department/division that made our progress possible.  

So what happens after June, 2011? This fall we will work to develop the strategic plan that will guide the Libraries and the Press from July 2011 - 2016. There will be two opportunities, September 27 and 28, for the Libraries and Press staff and faculty to come together as a focus group to explore our present and future environment. The planning process will be led by consultant Paul Meyer who guided us through our successful planning process five years ago.

It can be challenging to project five years into the future, however, each year when our eager first year students come to campus, their enthusiasm serves as a renewal for our own energy. This, in turn, gives us the energy and creativity for our own renewal and helps us to look to the next five years to explore how we can better serve the needs of our students and faculty as they look to the Libraries for information resources, learning spaces, and instruction in information literacy. The work that we will undertake over the next few months will lay the foundation upon which we will build services and resources that our students will remember when they have graduated and have become productive and contributing members of the world community.

 

Changes in HSSEB Operations

BY BETH McNEIL

PILLAR: Infrastructure

I am pleased to announce recent changes in operations for the HSSEB Division:

  • Linda Rose continues to handle overall operations coordination for HSSEB Division, and on September 14 she took on a new role as operations coordinator for HSSE Library.
  • Kay Schurr now focuses her efforts in the area of reference for Hicks and HSSE and will take a lead role with Libraries-wide digital reference.
  • RaeLynn Boes now handles operations coordination for Hicks and MEL.

These changes in roles demonstrate direct support of Purdue Libraries increased emphasis on providing high quality customer service.  

This transition will mean a new location for Linda who will move into HSSE Library in the near future. Kay and RaeLynn will remain in their current offices.    

Please join Tomalee Doan and me in thanking Kay, RaeLynn and Linda for taking on these new roles. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or Tomalee. Thank you for your patience as we continue to transition.

 

Super Essentials Supervisors' Training

BY JULIE MUSICK HILLGROVE

PILLAR: Infrastructure

Congratulations to the first graduates of Super Essentials. Student supervisors learned basic management best practices in two high-paced, interactive hours. The course included management basics and practical ideas in: communication, hiring, orientation, time management, delegation/coaching, conflict management and discipline…whew! We also discussed ideas for a Libraries’ student handbook. It was a lot to cover in a short time but most supervisors were able to walk away with a new idea or two.

The 40 supervisors who have completed the course are: Sharon Sturgeon, Amanda Gill, Terry Wade, Linda Rose, Katherine Markee, Cheryl Oliver, Tanya Wichterman, Cindy Yeoman, Jill Begley, Teresa Balser, Ann O’Donnell, Laura Patnaude, Sandy Galloway, Dot Lanzalotto, Connie Farris, Candy Scott, Becky Hunt, Elizabeth Wilkinson, Dale White, Donna Slone, Cindy Smith, Victoria Thomas, Dianna Deputy, Linda Underhill, Daniel Yeoman, Shauna Borger, Angie Ewing, Pat Miller, Karl Madon, Lil Conarroe, Monica Kirkwood, Dan Rotello, Ralph Mickey, Kay Schurr, Ellen Risk, Gretchen Stephens, Marianne Stowell Bracke, Pam De Bonte, Becki Corbin.

Super Essentials training has morphed into Super Management for the winter semester. It will include many of the same topics but geared toward managing staff, rather than students. Please look for announcements for upcoming training.

Many of the subjects introduced in this training will be covered in depth in individual classes over the course of the year. We are currently piloting Conflict Management training. The pilot is now open to anyone who can attend two sessions on October 11 and 12 from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. in B848. The final meeting on October 15 is optional. E-mail Linda Foster if you are interested in signing up. This class works better with many people. Come join the fun!

 

Purdue University Use of Springer E-Books

BY SUE WARD

PILLAR: Robust Local Collections (Digital & Print)

Springer LogoOver the past few years, the Purdue Libraries have participated in a number of consortial collection deals as a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC). Most of these deals have been for databases or for e-journal packages, but in 2006 we joined our partner libraries in the first e-book consortial deal for titles from the publisher Springer. Records for these books are loaded into the OPAC so users can find them easily. In general, we stopped buying print copies of these Springer titles since we have already paid for electronic access. The CIC recently provided consortial usage data about the Springer e-book titles. For example, CIC library users downloaded Springer e-books 1,195,685 times in 2009. Purdue users made 99,011 (8%) of those downloads, making us the fifth highest user after the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Michigan, and Pennsylvania State University. Number six on the list is the University of Minnesota with 67,107 downloads (5.6%).  [In case anyone’s counting, Indiana University came in ninth with 50,434 downloads (4.2%).]

Curious about the Springer books that interest CIC users the most? Here is the list of top ten titles across all the CIC universities and the total number of consortial downloads to date for each:

  1. Gases in Gases, Liquids and their Mixtures -- 5571
  2. Binary Liquid Systems of Nonelectrolytes -- 3028
  3. The Elements of Statistical Learning -- 2931
  4. Refractive Indices of Pure Liquids and Binary Liquid Mixtures -- 2778
  5. Numerical Optimization -- 2688
  6. Dictionary of Minor Planet Names -- 2629
  7. Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures -- 2300
  8. Supplement to IV/6 -- 2230
  9. Elements of Multinational Strategy -- 2203
  10. Beginning Python -- 2181

The Purdue Libraries have similar consortial e-book deals with the publishers Elsevier and Wiley.

 

E-Book Collections Coming to Project MUSE Platform

BY CHARLES WATKINSON

PILLAR: Robust Local Collections (Digital & Print)

Project MUSE AnnouncementThe Association of American University Press e-Book Consortium project is still in its planning phase but Project MUSE Editions will go live in fall 2011, and Purdue University Press is among its charter participants.

About Project MUSE
Project MUSE provides full-text, affordable subscription, online access to over 450 scholarly journals from more than 100 not-for-profit scholarly presses in the humanities and social sciences. Since 1995, MUSE's electronic journal collections have supported a wide array of research needs at academic, public, special and school libraries worldwide. The journals are heavily indexed and peer-reviewed, with critically acclaimed articles by the most respected scholars in their fields. MUSE is also the sole source of complete, full-text versions of titles from many of the world's leading university presses and scholarly societies. Visit http://muse.jhu.edu.

Project MUSE is managed by the Johns Hopkins University Press, which also operates Hopkins Fulfillment Services (HFS) as a distribution arm for many distinguished university presses. HFS client presses are also among the first group of publishers committed to participating in the new book initiative. MUSE will partner with many of the same publishers to offer high quality, peer-reviewed academic books electronically.

About Project MUSE Editions
Beginning next year e-book collections, Project MUSE Editions, will be available for purchase alongside MUSE journal collections with an integrated discovery environment that allows for browsing and searching journal and book content side-by-side. The initiative is focused on scholarly monographs and is not expected to include textbooks, reference books, trade titles or other books outside the project scope.

The e-book collection has currently signed contracts with the following publishers to include in the new offering books from their upcoming scholarly monograph frontlists: Baylor University Press, Brookings Institution Press, ELT Press, Indiana University Press, Johns Hopkins University Press, Kent State University Press, Penn State University Press, Purdue University Press and University of Illinois Press. Talks are ongoing with several other MUSE and HFS client publishers, with more participants expected to be announced before the end of this year.

Users and libraries may expect to see "beta" digital books on MUSE as soon as the first quarter of 2011. Project MUSE plans to formally debut the e-book collections and provide information on specific titles and pricing at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Meeting in late March 2011. MUSE expects to offer its first e-book collection for fall 2011 with 250-500 frontlists monograph titles.

For more information, please contact: Dean J. Smith, Director, Project MUSE at djs@press.jhu.edu or Melanie Schaffner, Marketing and Sales Manager, Project MUSE at mbs@press.jhu.edu.

 

Circulation Services Updates and Reminders

BY LAURIE SADLER

Strategic Plan Guiding Principle #4: Provide excellent customer service

The Circulation Services Steering Committee (CSSC) is currently exploring standardization of reserve activities throughout the Libraries. If you have any suggestions, comments, or input about this project, please contact CSSC chair Laurie Sadler or any member of the CSSC. CSSC members are:  Jill Begley, Sandy Galloway, Laura Patnaude, Tonya Wichterman, Dacia Wiesler and Laurie Sadler.

Visitor permits, including for visiting scholars, can be added to the system at any circulation desk or at the Circulation Services office (now located in HKRP). Enter visiting scholars just like any other visitor. Please contact the Circulation Services staff if you have any questions.

Check IDs! When checking out materials to library patrons please check IDs and confirm that the picture on the ID card matches the person using the card. In 2009 the Operations Committee approved a change in practice to accept a valid government issued picture ID, such as a driver’s license, military ID or passport.

 

Year-End Collection Purchases

BY SUE WARD

PILLAR: Robust Local Collections (Digital & Print)

Near the end of each fiscal year, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Beth McNeil, reviews how much remains in the collection development fund. She solicits input from the Information Resources Council (IRC), works with the Collection Management unit to obtain price quotes, and decides what year-end purchases to make.

This past fiscal year, the year-end purchases were:

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Digital Library
Synthesis Collection (numbers 3 and 4)
Elsevier Health Science e-books (2000-2010)
Springer Online Journal Archives & Book Series Archive
Wiley e-books (2010)
Elsevier e-books ( 2011-2012)
IGI Global InfoSci e-books  (2000-2010)

These are all collections of full-text e-resources.

In addition, the Libraries contributed towards the annual collections fund administered by the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), the library consortium of which Purdue is a member. Every year the CIC Collection Development Officers, with input from selectors at their libraries, purchase access to important e-resources with preferential consortial pricing leveraged by the shared collection fund.

 

Delegation 101 — Staying on Track: What to Do When Delegation Goes Wrong
Part 3 of the 3-Part Series

BY JULIE MUSICK HILLGROVE

PILLAR: Infrastructure

In the first two parts of the series, we discussed why to delegate and then what and how to delegate. In this article, we will discuss what to do when delegation goes wrong.

The best way to keep problems from occurring when delegating is to plan delegation from the beginning. Even when a manager has done everything seemingly right, delegation can go wrong—we are people, after all! When delegation runs amuck, usually one of the steps in delegation process has not been followed or communicated. The first thing a manager should review is the key steps to delegation:

  1. Was the task something that should have been assigned?
  2. Did the manager choose the right person for the job? If one of these two things were not considered prior to the project, the manager may need to rethink the delegation.
  3. Was the task or project clearly communicated?
  4. Was the scope of the project explained?
  5. Were the task or project’s standards obtainable and realistic?
  6. Were the resources and authority needed for the task or project given to the employee?
  7. Was there frequent communication and the ability to meet?
  8. Did the manager follow-up?

If these essential considerations have not been met, the manager should fix whatever went wrong, if possible. Regardless of what went wrong or how it happened the manager needs to step in immediately and get the employee back on task. Delegation is a team effort. Looking toward a solution and not a way to place blame, the manager should counsel the employee. What are the problems with the project? What has an employee done themselves to solve the problem? What does the employee need to complete the project successfully? The employee may not know what has caused the problem and they may feel overwhelmed. Managers should reassure them of their support and offer guidance as needed. Managers may want to get samples of the employee’s work and examine areas of difficulty and ask for progress reports.

But a caution: Managers need to watch that they aren’t micro managing the project.

In my experience, problems frequently occur with followup. Even though a task or project has been delegated, a manager commonly assigns the project to the employee and begins another project pulled from the giant pile stacked on the back corner of their desk. That’s fine — that is what delegation is all about — but the manager can’t forget that, ultimately, they are responsible for the success of tasks and projects in their area. Managers can’t hide in their office and ignore the employee or the project. Milestones should be established as part of formalized tracking. If things aren’t going well, the manager should reestablish clear goals and deadlines and make more frequent face-to-face, informal contacts as the project progresses. 

Good managers know when a project is going poorly periodically throughout a project because they have established a feedback system that allows them to check on progress. Many managers find out that things have gone wrong with the task or project at the end of a project. Not a good time to learn that!

WARNING! Managers who are considering rescinding the authority or responsibility of a task or project delegated to an employee may want to think twice. If the delegated assignment is reasonable in scope and within employee’s skills, help them to succeed. Sometimes an employee may be in over their head or things may have changed since the assignment was made. In that case, the manager should reassign some of the responsibilities. But taking a delegated task away from an employee is the last thing to do!

WHY has to do with THE secret to management. It’s simple. THAT will be in the next issue of INSIDE.

 

Copyright in the News

BY DONNA FERULLO

There was an interesting ruling on September 3, 2010 by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (which handles cases from California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, Nevada and Alaska) on iTunes. The rapper, Eminem, sued Universal Music Group claiming that his songs were not purchased by iTunes users but were licensed instead. The Court agreed with Eminem because of the amount of restrictions that iTunes places on the users. The Court said that such restrictions were indicative of a license and not a sale. Why does it matter if it’s a license or a sale? In one word — money. Under most music contracts performers earn a different percentage of the proceeds from sales of their music versus licensing of the music. When the music is sold the artist usually gets 20% whereas when it is licensed they can get 50% — a substantial difference.

In recent years, most music companies and artists have negotiated contracts with music downloading in mind, so this ruling might not have as major an impact on the music business as one would imagine. However, I started thinking about how that ruling might apply to born digital books and/or books that are converted to digital works. Publishers generally have royalty clauses in contracts with authors so will this ruling alter contracts between publishers and authors to take into account a sale of a book versus a license to use the book? Another reason why authors should read, negotiate and retain contracts for their intellectual property.

Comment
Donna’s article definitely raises an interesting specter. It shows again that the further we all get into the e-book world, the more challenges to how we’ve previously done business emerge. The same distinction between sales and licensing income certainly exists in book publishing contracts, and the level of percentage differential is similar. Most publishers still treat e-book transactions as sales, paying the same royalty to authors as they do on print books – although the idea that the rate for “e” as it is for “p” should be the same is already being challenged by New York author agents. Licensing income (from translations and reproduction fees, for example) has always been regarded as icing on the cake, and generally not included in Profit and Loss calculations. University presses are trying to work out models (such as Project MUSE Editions) for how to survive in an e-book world. This ruling may present another threat to sustainability for non-profit as well as for-profit publishers. Let’s hope that Slim Shady’s antics don’t have the same distorting effect on scholarly communication as those of another singer and songwriter, Sonny Bono! It’s just one more benefit to the university that the Libraries provide to have Donna keeping an eye on such things.CHARLES WATKINSON

 

CONTENTS
  • Changes in HSSEB Operations
  • Super Essentials Supervisors' Training
  • Purdue University Use of Springer E-Books
  • E-Book Collections Coming to Project MUSE Platform
  • Circulation Services Updates and Reminders
  • Year-End Collection Purchases
  • Delegation 101 -- Staying on Track; What to Do When Delegation Goes Wrong
  • Copyright in the News
  • Off the Shelf
  • Libraries in the News
  • Announcements
  • Staff Publications
  • Libraries Staff A-Z
  • Thank You
  • Purdue's Common Reading Program
  • Connect with Purdue Libraries
  • What's Cooking?

 

OFF THE SHELF

Continuing Vacancy

To view all Purdue job postings visit the Purdue employment page. If you have additional questions, contact Michelle Conwell, 494-2899.

 

LIBRARIES IN THE NEWS

Dimensions of Discovery,
September 2010
Purdue Libraries Host Events for Open Access Week 2010, pg. 8
Data Curation Profiles Shed Light on Data Management and Curation Practices, pg. 8

Project Muse, September 9, 2010
E-Book Collections Coming to Project MUSE Platform; Purdue University Press
Also appeared:

Purdue Exponent, September 14, 2010
Hobbyists use GPS units to find trinkets; Chris Miller quoted, pg. 1

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Strategic Planning
Focus Group Meetings
Monday, September 27, 2010
1:00 p.m. - 4 p.m.
HIKS B848
Or
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
HIKS B848
Register with Linda Foster

Purdue’s Bellwether of Diversity: The Life and Legacy
of Dr. Cornell Bell

Archives & Special Collections
September 23 - December 29, 2010
HSSE 4th floor

Distinguished Lecture Series
featuring T.C. Boyle
Rescheduled

March 29, 2011
Fowler Hall
Stewart Center

The Golden Age: Indiana Literature (1880-1920)
September 17 - October 15, 2010
Hicks Undergraduate Library

Celebrate 50 Years with
Purdue University Press

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
STEW370

Fall LCSSAC Picnic
Thursday, September 30, 2010
5:30 p.m.
Happy Hollow Park, Shelter 1

Conflict Management Training
October 11 and 12
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
HIKS B848
Register with Linda Foster

 

LIBRARIES STAFF A-Z

Nancy HewisonNANCY HEWISON
Administrative Offices
Associate Dean for Planning and Administration

Q.  What do you enjoy most about your job and why?
A.  The people all across the Libraries, Press, and Copyright Office and the satisfaction of working behind the scenes to help make things happen that move us forward with the resources, services and spaces we provide to the Purdue community.

Q.  How long have you worked in the Libraries and at Purdue?
A.  25 years.

Q.  What is one unforgettable experience that has happened to you or your coworkers while working in the library?
A.  Putting up the Libraries’ and Purdue’s first online databases: Compendex and a group of Wilson databases.

Q.  What’s your favorite book, Web site, movie, or database?
A.  Current favorites are Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series, Amazon.com, and Ratatouille (although Avatar . . . ). My all-time favorite database is MEDLINE.

Q.  Coffee, tea, water, or soft drink?
A.  Water, preferably piping hot or chilled.

Q.  What do you like to do for fun?
A.  Spending time with family and friends cooking together, hiking, cross-country skiing, or just sitting around talking.  Making quilts, reading not-too-graphic mysteries by British authors, and farmers’ markets are also favorites.

Q.  Feel free to include any information about yourself that you would like to share with the staff?
A.  I love living in Indiana, but my heart still belongs to the forests, mountains and oceans of Maine and Oregon.

 

THANK YOU

George BergstromI would like to thank the entire faculty and staff of the Purdue University Libraries whom I have come to know over the past four years. The friendships and experiences will be cherished as I continue my career into the future. As many of you know, I originally came to Purdue when my wife began her Ph.D work in history. After about nine months of commuting to my old job in Terre Haute, Indiana (two hours each way) I was blessed to be hired in the Management and Economics Library as the Operations Coordinator. I believe that I have learned much and grown tremendously in these past four years, and I have many of you to thank. I wish everyone the best in their future endeavors.

Best,
George Bergstrom

 

PURDUE'S COMMON READING PROGRAM

Faculty, staff, students, and community members are invited to suggest a book to be used with incoming students for 2011-12. This book will be the third selected as part of Purdue's Common Reading Program.

To suggest a book, go to the Common Reading Web site at www.purdue.edu/sats/commonreading. The submission form will be available until Oct. 15.

A book selection committee made up of faculty, staff, and students will review book suggestions during the fall term and will announce next year's selection in the spring. The book will be distributed to new beginning and transfer students during the Summer Transition, Advising and Registration (STAR) program.

Questions should be directed to Dan Carpenter, interim director of SATS, at dwcarpen@purdue.edu.

 

CONNECT WITH PURDUE LIBRARIES

Connect with Purdue Libraries logo

Become our fan on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter: @PurdueLibraries

 

WHAT'S COOKING?

Chicken & Apple Pot Pie
Visit the Libraries Intranet site for this recipe.

Send recipes to Teresa Brown.

 

COPY DEADLINE

Copy for the September 29 issue is due by September 27, 2010. Send to Teresa Brown.