New mid-year look at progress of 2011-2016 strategic plan

BY NANCY HEWISON

PILLAR: Infrastructure

December marked the halfway point in the first fiscal year (FY12) of the new strategic plan of the Purdue Libraries, Purdue University Press, and University Copyright Office. The Planning and Operations Council (POC) met with Dean Jim Mullins to review the progress that units and councils have made toward our strategic goals and objectives. The discussion was based on a new document prepared by POC, Strategic Plan Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Metrics: FY12 Midyear Report. The report lists the strategies (action-related steps) that units and councils are undertaking. These strategies must begin before June 30, 2012, so that we can accomplish the objectives in the goal areas of Learning, Scholarly Communication and Global Challenges before the strategic plan ends in mid-2016. (See table below for examples.) The report also includes a section on strategies related to Infrastructure.

The format of the report was a new approach for POC, in response to Dean Mullins’ suggestion that the information in the midyear (December 2011) and end-of-year (June 2012) reports be organized in a way that would “almost write the annual report” this coming summer. In fact, he recently used the FY12 Midyear Report to prepare a budget review document for the provost.

When the end-of-year report is created, we can expect to see more emphasis on strategies related to collaborations outside Purdue, PURR and how we’re supporting open access and digital initiatives. Strategies from areas that are not part of POC, such as the Dean’s Office and Advancement will be included. POC will also decide how to incorporate significant actions which are not directly related to strategic goals and objectives, but are closely tied to our core values. An example is recruiting for greater diversity, which supports the core value of a diverse and inclusive campus community. When POC completes the end-of-year report, the result will help us see just how we’re meeting the goals and objectives of our strategic plan.

Libraries create displays to honor Dr. King's message in life

PILLAR: Global Challenges

Several Purdue Libraries have created displays centered on the week-long celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Using materials from their library’s collection, staff members have created a number of displays related to the university-wide theme The Fierce Urgency of Now. “It is not just about one day a year, or black Americans, it’s about Dr. King’s message in life,” says Nancy Hewison, associate dean for planning.

Displays on exhibit January 9-20

• M.G. Mellon Library of Chemistry – highlights sustainable energy
• Siegesmund Engineering Library– Looks at African American in engineering with a focus on Purdue milestones.
• John W. Hicks Undergraduate Library – focuses on media about Dr. Kin and the Civil Rights Movement
• Humanities, Social Science and Education Library – highlights books and media about Dr. King, black history and civil rights. Also, highlights Frank Yerby, the first African American author to have a best-seller, The Foxes of Harrow and the first to become a millionaire from his writing.
• Physics Library– Looks at Shirley Ann Jackson, the first African American to get a Ph.D. in physics from MIT and chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Humanities, Social Science and Education Library display

Exhibit on display January 9-March 30

• Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center – "Celebrating the Legacy of Dorothy Stratton: Behind the Mast of Women’s Leadership: .” Looks at the life of Purdue’s first full-time Dean of Women at Purdue and how her outspoken advocacy for women’s education and human rights affected society.

Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center exhibit

Click here for a list of campus events during the week of January 15-20.

Thank you to participating staff especially Becky Hunt, Sandy Galloway, Ann O’Donnell, Patrick Whalen and Stephanie Schmitz.

Pillar: Infrastructure

Libraries new annual publication, VOLUMe, was mailed in December 2011. Due to a glitch in Printing Services mailing software, an additional copy of VOLUMe was sent to a small group of people. In the occurrence you are contacted by one of our supporters, please be aware of the information listed below, and feel free to direct supporters to Kate Kester, marketing associate at kkester@purdue.edu or (765) 496-9610.  

Quick Reference
-The duplication of mailing was an effort by Printing Services to make sure the entire mailing list received VOLUMe
-This is a small group of recipients
-Rows in an excel spreadsheet were realigned when the format was not recognized
-No additional funds were used in the correction/additional mailing
-Printing Services has worked with US Postal Service to make sure this does not happen again
-We appreciate continued support

PILLAR: Learning

Teaching is a fundamental role of faculty and is increasingly a part of our work as librarians. Information literacy scholarship continues to suggest new pedagogic approaches to teaching information literacy, as well as expansive views of what practices and skills need to be covered through information literacy instruction. On December 16, 35 members of the Libraries faculty and professional staff attended an Information Literacy Retreat. The retreat explored how we view and understand teaching and how our own role as teachers informs how we engage with students and faculty to teach and promote information literacy instruction.

Notes from the retreat discussions will be used to develop a plan for follow-up with the Learning Council. Thank you to everyone who participated in the retreat!

This fall Provost Timothy Sands formed a campus-wide task force of faculty members to look at Purdue’s practices and policies related to promotion and tenure. Donna Ferullo and Beth McNeil were invited to serve on the task force.

At Purdue, three documents form Purdue’s policy on promotion and tenure. Each year a letter from the provost is sent with minor modifications to all academic departments. Other details about tenure are found in University Policy B-48, Principles and Policies for Academic Freedom, Responsibilities and Tenure, and Procedures for Termination of Faculty Appointments for Cause last revised July 1, 1977, and Executive Memorandum B-50, Terms and Conditions of Employment of Faculty Members, last revised March 16, 1979. More recently, University Senate recommended and the Provost approved Tenure Clock Extension Policy, Procedures and Guidelines, Senate Document 91-2 revised in January 2007.

The charge for the task force is to review the three documents, examine issues related to tenure and promotion and to recommend by April 1, 2012, a draft of suggested modifications to Purdue’s Tenure and Promotion policy. Members of the task force were surveyed on an initial list of issues and the result is that subgroups have been formed to tackle eight issues. Subgroups are: 1) Impact and how it should be measured and alternative indicators of impact; 2) Time to Tenure; 3) Teaching and Learning; 4) Post Tenure Review; 5) Concept of Tenure; 6) Interdisciplinary work and joint appointments; 7) Review Committees; and 8) Collegiality. Each task force member also serves on two subgroups. Ferullo is chairing Collegiality and serves also on the Concept of Tenure subgroup. McNeil is serving on Impact and Review Committees. Please contact either Ferullo or McNeil with any questions about the work of this important task force and its subgroups.

PILLAR: Infrastructure

The Planning and Operations Committee approved and updated the course reserve policy this fall, effective for spring semester. These changes were made to lessen confusion for those using the reserve system and ensure that reserves are available to all students as equitably as possible. Reserves will continue to be held by request of the instructor behind the circulation desk and available for only a limited loan period. Instructors may designate the library where a reserve is held and select either the two hour (standard) or one week loan period.

Reserve: 2 Hour Loan – These items can now leave the library where they are checked out, but must be returned to the circulation desk of the lending library. No reserve items can be kept overnight and all reserves must be returned before the lending library closes for the day, even if this means the loan period is shortened.

Reserve: 1 Week Loan – Will circulate for 1 week.

Penalties – Items that have a circulation period of less than one day will be subject to fines after the item is overdue for one hour.  For current list of fees, visit www.lib.purdue.edu/access/circserv/policy.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Laurie Sadler sadlerl@purdue.edu or 49-46238.