Materials Services Division Managers' Meeting Minutes for January 18, 2007

Materials Services Monthly Managers’ Meeting

January 18, 2007

8:00 a.m.

Director’s Conference Room, DN

Attendees: Janet Brooks, Chair, Heidi Johnson, Karen Marriott, Pauline Rodriguez-Atkins, 

Guests: Donna Morris, Dana Morrow

Absent: Pamela Kosted

Agenda:

Oklahoma Voices - Dana

• Dana shared information about the Oklahoma Voices project. She recommended staff go to www.storycorps.net to sign up for emails for sample interviews.
• They are looking for stories from community builders and extraordinary stories from ordinary people.

Cataloging Update - Pauline

Temperature Problems

• The temperature on the second floor at CH is becoming intolerable. A coil in the second floor air handler broke around Christmas. Because the HVAC system is so old, a replacement coil has to be manufactured. Until this happens, there is limited heat on the east side of the second floor, where Cataloging is, and basically none on the west side, where the staff lounge is. The inside temperature is largely dependent on the outside temp; lately, Cataloging has been in the 50s. Staff are dealing with the situation really well, without complaint, but it is getting old.
• (Update: Karen Marriott will find out what is going on from Maintenance, and will investigate ideas for improving the work environment. Phil has offered the CH basement meeting room as an alternative site for lunches and breaks.)

Catalog Statistics

• For the first time this fiscal year, the number of titles cataloged for a month exceeded the same month last year. Titles cataloged in December were up 15% over December 2005, although the total for the fiscal year is still down 11%. Total in system titles added are almost equal to last fiscal year’s. Labels printed for December almost equaled December 2005, but the total labels for the fiscal year is still down 13%. Overall, the discrepancies between titles cataloged and labels printed are decreasing as the fiscal year goes along, but will still come in well below last year unless there is a significant increase.

Technicians

• Beginning January 22, Margaret will work Monday-Wednesday-Friday in ILL and Tuesday-Thursday in Cataloging. She will cut back to 28 hours per week due to her school schedule. (Update: Pauline has been informed that Margaret will resume working her full schedule in Cataloging on January 22.)
• Karen Davis will pick up the two hours per week that Margaret is giving up.
• Jill was due back from medical leave on January 16, but due to weather conditions has not been back yet. She is expected in today. (Update: Jill did return to work on January 18.)
• Laqueta left to begin her internship on January 3. She will contact Pauline when her schedule is arranged.

Librarian Visits to Cataloging

• Catharine Cook, director of Chickasha Public Library, and Lillie Huckaby, children’s librarian, visited on December 19. They toured Cataloging and Tech. Lillie, who is working on her MLIS and is interested in cataloging, job shadowed staff December 26, January 2, and January 9.

Pauline has been working with Phil Tolbert interviewing candidates for a page for CH.

Cataloging has been short staffed recently due to some staff not being able to make it in because of weather.

Shirley Daniels, former Cataloging Technician, passed away on January 13. Pauline attended her funeral on January 17.

Meetings and training attended:

• Pauline – OLA Local Arrangements committee, December 14
• Pauline – OLA Program committee, December 15
• Aaron – Tech Group, December 19
• Jana – Managing Emotions Under Pressure workshop, December 20
• Pauline – OLA Local Arrangements committee, December 27
• Pauline – OLA Local Arrangements committee, January 11

Pauline has been meeting with Cataloging staff to discuss storage and other needs for the planned new building.

ILL Update

• Margaret will be working in ILL on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the rest of the week will be in Cataloging.
• Karen will work in ILL on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Karen reported that Sharlot is still on leave.

TP Update - Heidi

Runs and Boxes Received

• So far, the runs in January have been on average 657 labels per day which is a slight decrease compared to December’s 687 labels.
• Technical Processing currently receives an average of 35 boxes of materials a day which is a decrease from last month’s average of 41.

Rush and Non-rush Materials

• TP is current on processing rush materials and is processing non-rush materials from the run brought to TP six days ago. There were several days when TP was short staffed due to illnesses, AVL, etc.

Staffing

• Kevin is helping out in the Capitol Hill Library for at least an hour each day until a new morning page has been hired.

B&T and Ingram

• Heidi is continuing to push B&T’s accounting dept. to keep MLS’s accounts updated. However, as the Dec. 31 statement shows, with only limited success. Some of the accounts are once again starting to show items that are 6 months “overdue” due to CFS’s failure to properly post credits and payments on our accounts. After e-mailing Tammy Crooks, our B&T sales rep., about this problem, Heidi received a phone call from Joyce Mathis with CFS, introducing herself as MLS’s new credit rep. Heidi resent her some information originally sent in November which she said she would take care of.
• The Ingram accounts continue to be all current at this time.
• MLS has a new sales rep. with BTE as Greg Goehring left the company to return to school. Tammy notified Heidi that our new sales rep. is Louise Teyssier at x. 2046.

Workflow and Service Center

• Heidi met with Karen Marriott and Jim Welch on Jan. 10 about possible changes in workflow once Technical Processing is located in the new service center.
• The routing of reserves, esp. “hot rushes”, changes in the system reserve procedures in general, and the possibility of TP printing out purchase orders and workslips on site were topics of discussion.
• Also considered was the feasibility of an ergonomically friendly binning system used by some other libraries. Heidi contacted Megastar, the manufacturer of this vertical shelving system, for more information. An information meeting with Southwest Solutions Group, the local distributor for Megastar, is to be scheduled very shortly. (Update: The meeting has been scheduled for Jan. 30, 2007, at the CH library.)

Security Guard Issues

• Once again, one of the guards scheduled to arrive at CH by 7:15 a.m. to open the building for staff, did not arrive until 7:30 a.m. when staff are already scheduled to work.

Human Resources has been notified of this occurrence as staff have to wait outside the building to enter until the guard arrives to turn off the alarm system. (Update: As of Friday, Jan. 19, the security company has assigned a different guard to work this post on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.)

Bindery

• Heidi once again has contacted both Ace Bindery and Sooner Book Binding to find out when MLS can expect to receive their rebound books back. Al at Ace keeps assuring the library that they are almost ready and should be delivered next week. He promised this on January 5, but never delivered. Heidi left a second message for Sooner Bindery after the first message from January 5 was not answered. Heidi will keep everyone updated about future developments.

Meetings/Workshops Attended

• Heidi attended the Read About It luncheon on Friday, Dec. 15. As always, it was a very tasteful and rewarding affair.
• Heidi is scheduled to tape some segments on children’s books for Read About It on Jan. 26 at the DN library.

MSL Update - Janet

Library Visits

• During December selectors completed annual visits to RE and WA. They also conducted a 6-month collection review of BE.
• During January, selectors make an annual visit to BI and a collection review of CH.
• In February, selectors are scheduled to make an annual visit to DN and a 6-month collection review of CT.

MSL Tech position

• The job opening for the MSL Tech position closes on Jan. 19.
• The application form included several pre-screening questions/tests that Janet hopes will narrow the search for the right applicants to interview.
• Janet hopes to do interviews early in February. Janet asked Julie, Kim and Elizabeth to assist her with interviews.

Spotlight On and Bibliographies

• The Black History Month spotlight was updated by selectors and forwarded to Teresa. It should be up on the web by February 1st.
• Janet prepared a bibliography for the Philharmonic’s Children’s series, “Salute to Superheroes”. She plans to do another one for their March series, “Carnival of Animals”.
• Julie and Janet will update the YA spotlight on for Poetry Month.

ISBN-13

• MSL staff are now using ISBN-13 in orders if the source provides the information.
• Some of the December review media still have the ISBN-10.

Staff Training

• Janet is scheduled to train BE staff on handling customer comments on January 24th.
• Ruby is doing Readers’ Advisory training for Extension staff on January 29th
• Janet is doing one of a series of mini-workshops on various collection issues on January 31st. The first one will be on replacements. Others include: Weeding (May 16); Customer Comments (July 25); Gifts (September 26)
• Janet is also going to do some one-on-one guidance with RE staff on February 6 and training new staff at MC sometime in February.

Collection Maintenance and Management Workshop

• The spring workshop is scheduled for April 11, 18, 25. Marilyn and Ruby are scheduled to handle the MSL portions of the workshop.
• Janet asked managers to review the manual and send her any changes or updates by March 1st.
• Managers can discuss the agenda at the March managers meeting.

Meetings attended

• Janet attended the December Tech Support Meeting on Dec. 19th
• Julie and Elizabeth attended the Read About It recognition luncheon.
• Janet attended the Grass Roots Advocacy Workshop sponsored by OLA on January 9th.
• Several selectors attended portions of the Adult Services Retreat on January 10th.
• Janet and Karen attended a “webinar” for OCLC Collection Analysis on January 10th.
• Elizabeth is doing a Read About It taping on January 26th.

Administration Update - Karen

Service Center

• 11 responses to the RFQs were received. The committee has culled this down to 5.
• Todd is checking references for the 5. Administration hopes to conduct interviews the first part of February and have a contract ready to present at the March Commission meeting.

AdTeam Retreat

• AdTeam participated in the True Colors test and spent half the day in various related activities.
• They also began work on the strategic plan.

Café

• The new DN café will be called “First Edition”.
• No word yet on when it will be open.

FY08

• Karen will share a copy of the FY08 budget schedule with managers.
• Karen wants to have budget information out to library managers by the end of the month.

Commission

• The January Commission meeting is scheduled for WA.

Next meeting scheduled for February 15th at CH. Heidi is chair.