COMMITTEE: LIBRARIES COMMITTEE

MEETING DATE: March 21, 2007

PERSON PRESIDING: Marianna Walker

REGULAR MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Salman Abdulali, Thomas Douglas, Michael Duffy, Marianna Walker

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Larry Boyer, Kathy Cable, Dottie Spencer, Beth Winstead

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE: Jeff Coghill

ACTIONS OF MEETING:

Minutes of the February 21 meeting were approved.

Dr. Spencer discussed the budget of Laupus Library. The report of the beginning Laupus budget for fiscal year 2006-2007 was handed out by Coghill to the committee. Spencer noted that the library is fully staffed. She observed that since Banner does not encumber, we are not readily aware of our balance. Laupus had a total budget of 3.8 million. We were allowed to carry over $200,000 as a contingency amount for the new building. We are left with a little money. We can roll over money to help work out some of the continuing costs of the building. The final figure is not tweaked.

Dr. Boyer announced that at the Chancellor’s Service Forum, Thomas Harriot’s Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1588), was loaned to the North Carolina Museum of History.

He observed that there was a good turn out for the William Powell book signing. Boyer suggested that for Henry Ferrell’s books on East Carolina University (No Time for Ivy and Promises Kept) we look to other outlets beyond the ECU bookstore such as Barnes & Noble and also book sales at campus events.

Douglas asked when Joyner Library would accept Mr. Reid Overcash’s offer of papers and art associated with the poet A. R. Ammons. Mr. Ammons was born in eastern NC, but taught most of his life at Cornell University.

Boyer said that the Ammons papers and art will be part of The Overcash-Wright Literary Collection. There will be a reception to honor Mr. Overcash and to highlight the collection. This will occur sometime in April. There will soon be more information on this event.

Walker asked the committee if we should discuss certain issues that faculty should know about digital resources, such as the accessibility of journals as well as the high costs of digital databases.

Spencer suggested that we take this up when we discuss digital repositories. There will be a task force in the near future on digital repositories for theses and dissertations.

Walker said that we will make this a goal for next year.

Winstead is able to document the cost. An inflationary increase is added into the cost of purchasing databases.

East Carolina University was prolific in distance education and received 80% of state monies for this program.

Boyer noted that we did get inflation into last year’s budget.

The next meeting will be held a week earlier on Wednesday, April 11.

The meeting adjourned at 4 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael Duffy

Secretary