Present:  Hyman, Amato, Bentor, Bernhard, Cropper, DeGrand, Fabricius, Hubbe, Miller, Moaddeb, Newmark, Nutter, Reeves

Guests: Antelman, Argentati, Cumiskey, Goldsmith, Kemp, Raschke, Vaupel, Weiner

Background Information for this Meeting: A Website has been created by Raschke and Goldsmith concerning NCSU Libraries' Elsevier ScienceDirect subscriptions. Visit: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/colmgmt/elsevier/

Minutes

Michael Hyman, University Library Committee (ULC) chair, began the meeting by announcing that Karl Bowman, last year's ULC chair, has received the 2003 NCSU Libraries Faculty Award. The minutes of the September meeting were approved and seconded.

The ULC Meeting with the Provost (Friday, Nov. 14, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.)
Hyman handed out a document outlining a potential structure for the upcoming discussion with the Provost at the November ULC meeting. (The document is attached to these minutes as Appendix 1.) He noted that at the meeting, members would be asked to discuss the key issues before the ULC and highlight both ULC and library accomplishments. Goals of the meeting would be to learn what the Provost sees as the top short- and long-term library issues at the university and what he identifies as the key areas in which the ULC can make useful and meaningful contributions.

Hyman summarized the current major concerns of the ULC and listed what the committee is doing to address these issues. He emphasized that our meeting with the Provost should be an opportunity to convey issues and to explain what the ULC hopes to achieve. In conclusion, he reminded members that the ULC needed to give the Provost clear guidance about what they wanted him to address and asked that members respond to the suggested outline via the ULC listserv. The floor then opened for discussion.

Douglas Reeves suggested that the committee review what the Libraries has achieved in the past ten years in order to set the tone of the meeting with the Provost. Susan Nutter agreed. She further suggested that discussion points made at the meeting come mainly from the committee members and not from the Libraries' staff. Martin Hubbe recommended that the Provost be asked about his vision for the Libraries in the future. Richard Bernhard asked that material about the Libraries (including details about major issues and important accomplishments) be sent out to members ahead of the Provost's meeting. Nutter said that documentation would be prepared. It was proposed that:

The 2003/04 Collection Budget
Jan Kemp distributed the Collection Budget presentation handout and reviewed the material. The first part focused on the current collection environment. Kemp explained that after years of protecting the collection budget (and making cuts to both the Libraries' operating and personnel budgets instead of cutting the collection budget), the Libraries is now being forced to cut collection spending this year, 2003/04. The collection budget cut will be approximately $381,000. She noted that this year's budget cut, together with the effect of inflation, has decreased the overall purchasing power of the collection budget by $780,000. Serial subscription costs, Kemp stated, will be reduced by the cancellation of 140 journals: saving $181,000. All titles were previously approved for cancellation by faculty last year, but most were held back due to Elsevier ScienceDirect licensing restrictions. She also indicated that spending would be substantially reduced in the area of monographs (mostly books) and other one-time expenditures.

Collection management strategies were addressed next and Kemp asked the ULC members for feedback. Kemp acknowledged that it is not known what budget issues to expect in FY 2004/05 and that any changes or developments in strategy will be brought to the ULC for discussion. Hyman wanted clarification as to areas in which the Libraries were particularly strong vs. NCSU. The Libraries collaborative efforts with the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) were also addressed. Alexander De Grand broached a question concerning the Libraries payment to the university of $277,000 per year to lease the satellite shelving facility. Nutter explained the differences established between academic and non-academic buildings at NCSU and the resulting costs in using a building built originally as a non-academic structure. She also noted that although the Libraries is now using the satellite shelving facility, they would still run out of space for collections in 2006. Libraries administration is currently talking with Duke University about leasing additional library shelving and storage space from them.

Kemp next reviewed sources of funding, comprised of the state budget, grants and endowments. Although endowment income is yet to be determined this year, Nutter said that income is approximately $75,000 per year. In answer to a question on grant monies, Nutter explained that Federal law does not allow grant monies to be spent on building library collections. Kemp reviewed the overview of collection budget allocation, which was $375,000 less than last year. After her review of the 5-year expenditure outlook, Hyman questioned the numbers (of subscriptions) behind the dollar amounts. Kemp indicated that she could not easily answer that question now, but would add in the numbers requested for the collection budget review of 2004/05. In her review of the allocation vs. expenditure graph, Kemp said that it would be a challenge to keep the monograph allocation level at 25%.

Suzanne Weiner addressed the selected retrospective purchases for 2002/03 and said that this procurement meant that the Libraries now had permanent access to the titles listed. She then said that because of the budget environment, the Libraries would have to implement another cancellation of serials next year. Weiner emphasized that inflation is forcing the Libraries to make decisions it would not normally have to make. In response to Hyman's question on duplication of serials between branch libraries, Weiner answered that duplication is nil. On close of this agenda topic, Hyman agreed that at the ULC meeting with the Provost, the question should be posed as to why we are paying a lease fee of $277,000/year for the satellite shelving facility.

Elsevier License Negotiation
Gregory Raschke, Assistant Head of Collection Management, and David Goldsmith, Head of Acquisitions, reviewed the handouts they distributed to members. They reported on the history of Elsevier ScienceDirect license negotiations and their ongoing work with TRLN partners (Duke, NCU-CH, and NCCU) to negotiate a new contract for electronic access to Elsevier's ScienceDirect journals. The current contract expires on December 31, 2003. Goldsmith provided overhead graphs that depicted the huge impact that the high costs of the Elsevier ScienceDirect subscriptions have on the Libraries' collection. Raschke noted that the new three-year offer from Elsevier incurs a minimum increase of 7% per year to the Libraries and leaves no options to manage costs or reduce expenditures during the three years. In addition, all TRLN libraries would have to reinstate cancelled Elsevier journals ($140,000 in titles for NCSU). One graph indicated that 34% of the serial subscription budget was currently paid to Elsevier and that this put enormous pressure on the remaining 66% of the serial subscription budget which was used to purchase 88% of all serial subscriptions at NC State. In a series of charts shown by Goldsmith, it was evident that in ten years' time the Libraries could be spending 67% of the subscription budget on an Elsevier contract.

Weiner explained that if the Libraries does not renew the Elsevier contract, users could always use Interlibrary Loan Services for those journals that the Libraries does not have. She also informed the group that the new deal Elsevier has proposed would eliminate services previously held. Nutter acknowledged that future costs would most likely be more than the 7% annua cost increase proposed . Raschke stated that this is a business deal that would remain in negotiations until December. Goldsmith said that the Libraries would lose shared access if the deal were not signed. Discussion continued, noting that Elsevier was squeezing out other publishers. Nutter commented that if costs continue to rise, collection reductions would most likely be taken in the humanities and in the social sciences. She said that, thus far, Elsevier's cost increases have not been stopped but that the Libraries cannot walk away from Elsevier without the support of the university and Provost. Nutter suggested that the ULC send letters to faculty regarding this issue. In addition, Nutter said that the Libraries would go to the Faculty Senate and Deans Council to inform them of the Elsevier negotiations. Nutter said that if the Provosts of the TRLN universities banded together, they would be in a more advantageous position to negotiate. She also recommended that the ULC write to the Elsevier editors on this campus to explain the issues. She said that if the Libraries cancels their contract with Elsevier, they would have to invest more heavily in Interlibrary Loan Services. If TRLN doesn't sign as a consortium, shared electronic access to all the Elsevier serials covered by the TRLN agreement will no longer be available.

Hyman extended the meeting time so that discussions regarding Elsevier could continue. In conclusion, Hyman said that an assembled package on Elsevier concerns is needed with recommendations and guidance from Collection Management. Weiner added that support must come from the students as well as from a broad cross section of the university. It was suggested that as electronic resources are canceled, links be added to explain the discontinuations. Hyman asked that members continue discussion on this matter via the ULC listserv.

Patron Computer Authentication
Because of time constraints, this agenda item was curtailed with Carolyn Argentati simply stating that she would like to send the amendment concerning computer use in the "Rules for the Use of the NCSU Libraries" document to Legal Affairs. She asked that questions and comments on the language of this amendment be addressed via the ULC listserv.

The meeting concluded at 1:15 p.m. with Hyman acknowledging that lunch had been provided by the Friends of the Library.

Appendix 1: ULC Meeting Outline 14 November, 2003

        Questions or comments may be directed to The Libraries' Administrative Services Unit at 919.515.7188
        or by e-mail to Judy_Buschman@ncsu.edu

        Last Updated: 10/31/03