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Take One: July 12, 2010 (Preview of Upcoming All Staff Meetings)

Submitted by mre2 on Wed, 07/14/2010 - 10:26

This Wednesday (2:00-3:30 pm, 700 Clark Hall) and Thursday (9:00-10:30 am, 700 Clark Hall) we will hold All Staff meetings in which I will review the past year and preview the new fiscal year, which began July 1. While it may seem that last year was exclusively devoted to the budgetary challenges and strategic planning there were some very real accomplishments that we can all take pride in and they serve as a good reminder of the excellence and commitment of the library staff.

Take One: July 6, 2010 (on Entomology Library, indefinite loans, and the annual report to the Provost)

Submitted by mre2 on Tue, 07/06/2010 - 08:38

As we return from the long weekend, I’m pleased to share several updates. First, Max J. Pfeffer, Senior Associate Dean of CALS, and I have established an Entomology Library Transition Task Force. Bryan Danforth (Professor, Entomology) and Marty Schlabach will co-chair this group, which will include faculty members Jim Liebherr, Rick Hoebeke, Rick Harrison, and librarians Joy Paulson and Howard Raskin.

Take One: June 28, 2010 (on the Engineering Library)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 06/28/2010 - 12:35

As part of the University’s and Library’s strategic planning process the Engineering Library has been under review. An advisory committee, consisting of faculty, library staff, and students, was established by the Interim Dean of the College (Chris Ober) and me. The committee’s report came to the Library Board at the end of May. The Board unanimously endorsed the report, which was submitted to the Provost, who subsequently accepted the general recommendations. Last Monday Chris Ober and I met with the incoming dean, Lance Collins, to ensure his support.

Take One: June 21, 2010 (on the Vet Library)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 06/21/2010 - 13:43

As you know, this past year we have been reviewing several unit libraries as part of the library’s strategic planning effort, including the Vet (Flower-Sprecher) Library.

Take One: June 14, 2010 (on eliminating information black holes)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 06/14/2010 - 09:37

This suggestion recently came in to the Library Forum comment box: 

Take One: June 7, 2009 (on the university’s new strategic plan)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 06/07/2010 - 12:06

The final version of the university’s new strategic plan, “Cornell University at its Sesquicentennial,” was released last week and identifies the goals, strategies, tactics and metrics that will define Cornell from 2010-2015. There is much to commend this plan, beginning with its central theme “One Cornell,” which emphasizes the university as a single entity, “embedded in but transcending and overarching strong colleges and units.” The One Cornell theme is coupled with two others: focus and connectivity.

Take One: June 1, 2010 (on communication)

Submitted by mre2 on Tue, 06/01/2010 - 09:04

You may recall the survey on communication about strategic planning that Research and Assessment conducted in early May. Although lasting only four days, there was a very healthy 25% response rate (106 out of 408 staff). The results of this survey are now available on the staff web at: http://staffweb.library.cornell.edu/system/files/Staff_survey.pdf.

Take One: May 24, 2010 (happy birthday Voyager!)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 05/24/2010 - 08:56

Last month, the Library celebrated the 10th anniversary of chat reference at CUL. Rick Silterra recently pointed out our next 10-year anniversary of note--that it was a decade ago when the library shifted from NOTIS to Voyager as the Library Management System. Cornell purchased the Voyager system in June 1999, at a cost of nearly $2 million and switched over to the new system in June 2000.

Take One: May 17, 2010 (career development week)

Submitted by mre2 on Mon, 05/17/2010 - 10:57

As you read this, Career Development Week has already kicked off with the first presentation at 9:00 am on “A Year of Flickr,” followed by three more talks and a keynote  at 3:00 pm featuring Linda Croll-Howell on new approaches to work that are designed to keep pace with changes in work demands and worker habits. From Tuesday-Friday, there will be five sessions held each day, representing, by my count, a total of 25 hours of presentations offered by 47 different individuals (some presenting more than once!).

Take One: May 10, 2010 (update on planning and budget)

Submitted by mre2 on Tue, 05/11/2010 - 08:51

Today and tomorrow we are holding All Staff meetings to provide an update on where things stand as we move toward the next fiscal year. For those of you who are not able to make either session, a copy of my PowerPoint presentation is available at:

http://staffweb.library.cornell.edu/system/files/2010May_AllStaffMeeting.pdf


And for those of you who only want the highlights, here are ten key points: