RISG agenda, Wed., 10/21/09: 9-11; Rotch Conference Room

Present: R Green, P Cohn, M Bartley, H McCann, A Perkins, M Szarko, L Horowitz, A Locknar, L Sweeney, B Williams, B Helman

Guests: H Silver, T Gabridge

Minutes & Timekeeper: Angie (next: Heather)

Reference & instruction visioning for reorganization (guests: Howard & Tracy; 1 hour total)

Discussion ensued, based around the following:

• Background and ideas from RISG (25 mins)
  • Look at projects and goals from RISG
  • Look at service vision statement, and explain why it’s still relevant.
  • Talk about what we’re thinking regarding the instruction & reference bubbles.  Some main points:
    • Difficult to grasp how UG, basic instruction can be segregated from grad, more specialized instruction
    •  We’re more excited about the description for “Create the Next Generation Research Library Organization” than the description for the new Instruction & Reference Services bubble.  How can we bring that excitement into it?
    • Collaboration and communication between bubbles is key!
    • We’re doing a lot of things well right now, and we don’t want to see those things change.

• Questions for Tracy & Howard (15 mins)
  • What are your thoughts about the re-organization process, and how can we help and contribute?
  • There needs to be a lot of thought about service points between a few bubble heads.  How can we be involved in that discussion?
     
• RISG responds to Tracy & Howard’s questions (20 mins)
  • What does a 21st century instruction and reference program/service in the MIT Libraries look like?
  • Reflect on our current organization model. 
    • What is good and should be preserved?
    • What can be improved?
    • In the new organization what approaches can we adopt to preserve the 'good'?
  • Consider the bubble descriptions for Instruction & Reference Services and Discipline and Program Services and the strategic vision document. 
    • Suggest additions and changes to the bubble descriptions.
    • What kinds of meaningful distinctions do you see between these two bubbles?
  • What are your thoughts and suggestions about the transition process?
    • Suggest questions we should ask to inform the decision process.

ACTION ITEMS:  

• Determine which other heads of "bubbles" we'd like to talk to regarding our thoughts on reference and instruction.   Invite them to future RISG meetings with similar format.
• Think about our views/perspective on service points/desks.  Data is also welcome (a stats gathering opportunity?).   Also training.
• Think about professional and support staff relationships too
• What name should Steve's group have?

Promoting awareness of research guides (Peter)

• Include this in freshmen librarian advisor letters?  Decided not to at this stage but could later in academic year.
• Bookmarks in Rotch to hand out when checking out books includes research guides.  Could other libraries do this too?  Dewey is working on one.   Heather will distribute the template if others want to use it.
• Create email to send to subspec for subject specialists to send to their departments
• News blog, facebook, tweet - if it's on the home page as a "news" item we could see if they're used more?
• CFG has a marketing/advertising group, Mark will contact them
• Create subgroup to work on this?  Like drafting emails, coming up with ideas, etc?   Mark/Heather will be the CFG liaisons who will coordinate this.

Prioritize Fall projects (Remlee) 

• Angie will rewrite description of Video tutorial project
• Updated list is on wiki

Instruction section of documentation pages (Lisa H) 

• Documentation group discussed what should be linked under Instruction box

Announcements & updates

• It's IAP time!  Think about classes you want to teach.  Remlee will ask coordinators if there will be a brown bag session.
• ISG is also meeting with Tracy and Howard and other heads
• ISG subgroup looking at Services A to Z list to make it more useful
• 3.091 update