Bye-bye Wasserman

The university administration continues to move agressively to close the Paul Wasserman Library. Below is the text of the latest memo.

Subject:
Wasserman Announcement
From:
Charles Lowry
Date:
Thu, 07 Jul 2005 16:59:17 -0400
To:
UM LIBRARY STAFF

All,

I am pleased to provide this initial information for CLIS and Libraries faculty and staff concerning the transfer of services and responsibilities for the Wasserman Library to the Administration of the Dean of Libraries. This is a joing announcement that is concurrently being made in CLIS. It has been arrived at after discussions between myself, Dean Preece, and the Provost. Dean Preece has consulted with her facult and staff and I with the LEC.

The first consideration of this change occurred over a year ago with a report from a committee appointed by Dean Dearstyne that recommended administrative relocation. More recently, discussions between Deans Preece and Lowry and Provost Destler have focused on achieving additional goals of centralizing library resources to provide improved services and releasing space in CLIS for research and student projects.

There are many details to be worked out in order to continue providing robust library information services to CLIS faculty and students. This will remain the primary goal of the planning and implementation process. What follows is not a plan, but the outline of the basic framework within which the planning groups will work. The key points are as follows:

* A planning group, comprising CLIS and Libraries faculty and staff,
will be put together to work out the details of the transfer of
collections from their present location in Hornbake to McKeldin
Library. Karen Patterson and Tim Hackman will be members of the
planning group and will work throughout the planning process with
Dean Preece and the CLIS faculty to be certain that the planning
process has optimal results for CLIS faculty and students.
Coincidentally, work is already underway to measure shelf
availability in McKeldin Library and this will support the work of
the planning group, which will be appointed and charged in August.
* These general guidelines will be used in planning for the merger
of collections
o Until planning is completed we will not know precisely when
the collection merger will occur. Given the challenges of
moving a collection that is equal to a full year's growth in
McKeldin’s holdings, the planning group will have to work on
at least two potential dates when such a move may
occur-January or June 2006. However, the target date will be
January.
o Some weeding of duplicates will take place.
o Some materials will be put in off-site shelving where they
are retrievable on a 48 hour basis.
o A few materials may be kept in CLIS for purposes of instruction.
o Most of the Wasserman collection should go to McKeldin and
will be interfiled based on the LC classification scheme.
o The Children’s collection may be kept in the Dewey Decimal
Classification as a separate collection in McKeldin.
o Collection development resources provided by CLIS and UML
will be combined and over time the acquisition funds
supporting CLIS programs will grow with the aim of providing
better service to CLIS.
o The one-time cost of the move will be provided the Provost.
o There will be some funds for refurbishment in CLIS.
* Karen Patterson and Tim Hackman will be transferred to the Library
Faculty, where they will benefit from the Libraries promotion and
permanent status system. Both will remain physically located in
the Wasserman Library until the collections are merged.
* Karen's position will be assigned to the Libraries Social Sciences
Team for the specific support of CLIS students and faculty. Some
collaborative work has already occurred between Wasserman and the
Social Sciences Team. During the transition of collections and
services, Karen's time will be devoted solely to the UML support
mission for CLIS and general CLIS support.
* Tim’s assignment is not yet settled. His work responsibilities may
be distributed in several Public Services units that can provide
support to CLIS until a permanent assignment is identified. Once
Tim has a permanent assignment, his current position will be
reallocated for a different function within CLIS.


Throughout this process the aim will be to provide improved library support to CLIS by keeping the collection more up to date. Those functions which don’t transfer to McKeldin, such as overseeing technical support in classrooms, will be supported in other ways within CLIS (e.g., by newly appointed technical support staff).

In this initial memo we have focused on issues of concern to both CLIS and Library faculty and staff. Separate discussions will also be needed for each group as we move forward with the planning process.

Charles