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Take One: November 12, 2012 (comments from All-Staff breakout sessions)

Submitted by mre2 on Tue, 11/13/2012 - 13:06

The raw notes from the sixteen all-staff breakout sessions have been posted to the Staff Web on the Library-wide Conversation October 2012 page (under CUL Strategic Planning on the Staff Web home page). Two versions are available:
 

Take One: October 29, 2012 (Doing our best with less)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 10/29/2012 - 09:22

The first phase of the All-Staff conversation on “doing less with less” is wrapping up today with the last breakout session at 5:00 in 106 Olin, in which library staff have the opportunity to respond to a set of four questions posed. The notes from the sessions will be transcribed and distributed by the end of next week. We will then move into the second phase of our library-wide conversations, which will be held at the unit/division level and will be organized by the respective AULs working with their managers. These conversations will take place in November and December.

Take One: October 22, 2012 (It is and it isn’t the Library you remember)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 10/22/2012 - 10:30

Last month, I shared a copy of the letter that went out to all faculty from the library. We’re expanding our communication with donors, alumni, and friends as well, and I thought you’d be interested in reading the letter we sent out to nearly 2,000 individuals just recently. Only one of them opted out from receiving subsequent ones. Several wrote encouraging comments, thanking the library for this update and also the wonderful service they received while on campus. One volunteered: “Uris Library was also the first place I saw my wife to be. We’re now married 44 years.

Take One: October 15, 2012 (What the HathiTrust Suit means to Cornell)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 10/15/2012 - 09:31

I’m giving over this week’s Take One to Peter Hirtle, who has provided this insightful description of the implications of Judge Baer’s dismissal of the HathiTrust law suit last week. Peter has been bird-dogging this and other cases related to educational fair use on behalf of the library and I’m grateful to him for his consistently good advice in this area.

Peter Hirtle writes:

Take One: October 8, 2012 (Mission, vision, and tagline)

Submitted by rlb54 on Tue, 10/09/2012 - 14:22

 After a fairly lengthy review process, I’m pleased to announce our new mission, vision, and tagline. We received quite a few comments from staff and I’m grateful to those of you who took the time to respond. Most felt the mission and vision statement were pretty good, with minor tweaks in language suggested, although one reviewer hoped that we could speak more to the benefits that accrue to our users.

Take One: October 1, 2012 (Vonnegut, banned books, and libraries)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 10/01/2012 - 09:42

Yesterday marked the beginning of the 30th anniversary of banned books week, sponsored by the American Library Association and other associations (including the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund!).

Take One: September 24, 2012 (Our brother's keeper)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 09:47

I thought a lot about Cain and Abel after viewing the short video that we will see this Thursday at our upcoming Library Forum on harassment and discrimination in the workplace. You may recall the story: Cain kills his brother and when God asks him where Abel is, Cain responds "Am I my brother's keeper?" This phrase has come to symbolize people's unwillingness to accept responsibility for the welfare of others.

Take One: September 10, 2012 (more on supporting collections as a strategic priority)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 09/10/2012 - 09:22

Last week the following questions were posted to the Library Forum comment box. John Saylor and Kizer Walker provided this response and, because the issue of supporting collections has come up in the staff survey and listening sessions, I thought this exchange deserved a wider audience. I appreciate the Library Forum’s hosting of the comment box.  

Take One: September 4, 2012 (letter to faculty)

Submitted by mre2 on Tue, 09/04/2012 - 10:36

I thought you’d be interested in reading the letter that went out to all faculty late last week. I’ve heard from quite a few of them, thanking the library for this update and also the wonderful service they receive. Major kudos to all of you and a big thank you to Communications and Assessment for drafting this letter.     

Have a healthy and productive week,

 
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Take One: August 27, 2012 (a week in the life of…)

Submitted by mre2 on Tue, 08/28/2012 - 09:50

When I was a junior archivist back in St. Louis, I always wondered just what it was my boss did in her office all day. She wasn’t processing papers, working with researchers, or staffing evening hours. When I finally replaced her, I realized that her job was a lot different from mine. I quickly gained an appreciation for both the importance of what she did and the challenges she faced. So, just in case you’ve been wondering what the University Librarian does with her time, I thought I’d share some of the things that have been on my plate this past week.