The University of Kansas Libraries

KU Libraries Support Staff

---

Home  ·   Code  ·   Guidelines  ·   Membership  ·   Minutes  ·   Committees  ·   SSEYA  ·   Links

---

KULSS Exec

Meeting Minutes

Thursday, Jan 25th, 2007
Watson Conference Rm B - 10-11:30am

Present: Monica Claassen-Wilson (FY07 Chair), Jill Becker (FY07 Vice-Chair), Angie Rathmel (Secretary), Kevin Fussell (Group 2), Nishon Hawkins (Group 3), Denise Swartz (Group 1); Robert Szabo (Group 4); Terry Proctor (HR)

Approval of previous meeting’s Jan 11th minutes
DONE

Approval of previous meeting’s action items

WHO?	BY WHEN?	WHAT?
Monica		Ask if nominations can be sent to Lanis Atwood libraryadmin@ku.edu   DONE and nomination webform updated with this info.
Jill		Invite Erin to next meeting to discuss Diversity Committee. DONE – Erin provided an email update that was added to the previous meetings’ minutes.
Kevin	Feb. 16th	Ask KULSS to volunteer for SSEYA SEE NEW ACTION ITEMS
Robert	Feb. 16th	Ask KULSS and LFA to volunteer for SSEYA  SEE NEW ACTION ITEMS
Robert/Denise	Feb. 9th mtg	Confirm all possible presenters and get summary of content. SEE NEW ACTION ITEMS

Staff Development Workshop
Supervisor Staff Relations (Terry Proctor, facilitator)
Discussed that feedback on this topic has had a “communication” focus and issues of inconsistency in how different supervisors and staff relate (not uncommon in big place like, the library). 
Terry initially suggests:

• preventative management of conflict
• positive attitude in the workplace
• approach issues as problems to be solved
• strength based, use what strengths exists and build on

These issues could be covered in the Morale 101 session that Terry volunteered to lead.

Terry asked:
Is the environment that staff come into the job feeling they don’t have certain rights? – or that people have been treated badly when they do speak out? – or that when they speak out its pointless because nothing happens/changes. From KULSS-Exec perspective from feedback, it’s the latter two.

Terry ultimately suggests:
Get from people/panel to address the questions people have. Maybe call it : “Issues in the workplace” and if you could ask questions, what would they be?  

• First send out request for questions. 
• Then develop panel based on that
• utilize internal expertise (those with good communication skills, combo supervisor/admin, etc). 
• Have a rotation on the panel to answering questions (unless specific question requires expertise)
• Have a facilitator/moderator
• Possibilities: John Stratton, Keith Russell, Bill Myers

Next steps:
Create half sheets at the All-Staff Meeting Friday Jan 26th.  With return address for anonymity.   Follow up with email for those who may not have attended.

Administration Updates
Management Council Notes (excerpt below) –
** see KULSS response in Agenda Items for Meeting with the Dean, but will address this issue immediately, hopefully before All-Staff meeting Friday Jan 26, 2007)

USS Retreat:
KULSS will be hosting an all-day retreat for the support staff on Wednesday, March 21, during Spring Break.  Dean Haricombe asked that, if at all possible, that you support requests to attend sessions.  This is a professional development opportunity that all support staff should take advantage of.  It is not the intention to have staff at the retreat all day, but to choose which sessions they are most interested in and attend those sessions and report back to work.  Look for more specific information in the coming weeks. 

Circ issue:
Voyager patch scheduled for Wed. Mar 21st, would be a good thing to enable staff to attend with Voyager down.  Some concern re: manual check-out, but believe that can be taken care of. 

Speakers/Schedule
Terry Proctor: Creating a positive work environment (Morale 101)
Others – see action items

Registration
Will send registration form after Feb. 8th meeting when presenters/content/schedule are confirmed. Registration return date: Mar.1

Group Reports:
Grp 1:  Acq/Ser, Reference, Collection Development, Administration, Facilities

• N/A

Grp 2: Cataloging

• N/A

Grp 3: Access Services, Mail Room, ILL

• ILL hiring more students.  Lending has hired 7 (bringing the total to 28) Borrowing will hire to fill the “ILL returns” position.

Grp 4: Anschutz, Annex, Art, Engineering, Music, RCL, Spencer

• ANSCHUTZ
• ANNEX
• As of January 12, 2007:
• We have accessioned 115,593 items.
• We have used 8,983 trays.
• We have audited 7,275 items.
• Our Raymond order picker should be delivered this week. The order picker will replace the scissor lift.
• ART

• ENGINEERING

We've been really busy making Spahr the library par excellence.  Over the break we shelf read and faced the entire library collection, hopefully making it easier and faster when locating books.  It might take up to four weeks for the public to reduce our efforts to rubble so that we have to start again.  However, this constant struggle is one of those mystical journeys of enlightenment for my student staff, who claim that they can only find their true self while laboring over library beautification and classification. 

Our new staff area remains a wonderful change; just yesterday I had several reference encounters at our new desk that were pleasant, inviting and seemingly effortless for the patron, whereas before it would have been awkward and difficult to start the transaction.  Many thanks to Robert Szabo for the desk that we now use. 

This semester we hope to make everyone proud to affirm to their grand children that they worked during the golden reign of Spahr Engineering Library, the greatest engineering library KU has ever known.  It may well be that our sublime spirit of service can radiate to all corners of campus so that every member of this grand establishment called KU can say they experienced Spahr, but we most positively would like visitors to grace us with their presence.  I promise a fantastic library experience, a short tour and a shiny new penny to every person who wants one!

Yours in continued library distinction,

Jeff McAdams

• MUSIC
• Look for an article in the LJW soon by Jon Niccum that features "Treasures from the M&D Library."
• RCL
• SPENCER
• Check out the latest edition of The Oread for a front page story about some of Spencer's holdings, "KU items to be shown in Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit".

• We have nine regularly scheduled classes using our rooms and collections every week, including Sherry Williams teaching Museum Studies 707: Archival Principles and Practices and Whitney Baker teaching Museum Studies 706: Conservation Principles and Practice.  We also have other classes visit to use our collections once or twice a semester.

Agenda Items for Meeting with the Dean
Address the way the USS Retreat was communicated  in the Management Council ( wanted to clarify before the All Staff Meeting Jan 26th):

• Concern with the comment re: not intending staff to attend all day.
• One major component of developing this (like the Auburn workshop) and pushing for admin and supervisor support (based on our own internal issues of staff development) was to ensure staff feel able to attend an all day conference. 
• Auburn conference: all day, intended for registrants to attend all day.
• Internal issues: staff feel limited by their time-sensitive duties and/or their supervisors to attend any staff development programs. 
• KULSS-Exec (supported by Admin) felt the Auburn model was the most effective way to address/test the resolution of these internal issues.
• Is this in response to specific concerns that have been brought to you re: staff attendance all day?  Or was this just miscommunicated?
• While the schedule and location on campus could allow for flexibility to attend all day or part of the day, the intent of the workshop is for staff to attend any and all sessions that are offered.  Its important is that they feel allowed to attend the entire day. 
• Even with this, staff may not attend at all.  But at least we have given them every opportunity.
• Use of the word “Retreat”
• This word has had a historically negative connotation among staff. KULSS has been purposely avoiding calling it a retreat and emphasized it as a “Mini-conference” or “workshop.” 
• KULSS feels that the focus of the content is more related to skill and personal development related than a retreat-based.

 

Action Items for next meeting:

WHO?	BY WHEN?	WHAT?
Monica		Ask Lea to mention at LFA the SSEYA award and ask volunteers for the committee.
Angie	Friday	Create Support Staff Development Workshop “presenters” document for Robert and Denise
Robert/Denise	Feb.8th mtg (and upon above)	Confirm all possible presenters and get summary of content.
Group Reps	Feb. 16th	Ask KULSS to volunteer for SSEYA

Next meeting will be Thursday Feb. 8 , 2007 in Anschutz.