Executive Committee Meeting Minutes, February 11, 2019

10:00 am – Video Conference (Zoom)

Attendees: Virginia Dearborn, Bob McInnes, Patrick Milas, Elizabeth Young Miller, James Humble, Greg Murray, Myka Kennedy Stephens
Excused: James Sauer, Chris Schwartz (interest group chairs)

    1. Welcome and announcements (Elizabeth)
      Called to order at 10:03 a.m.
    2. Approval of the agenda (Elizabeth)
      Approved by acclamation.
    3. Approval of the minutes from December 10, 2018 (Elizabeth)
      Approved by acclamation.
    4. Reports and Discussion
          1. Treasurer’s Report (Patrick)
            As of February 11, 2019, SEPTLA’s current balances are as follows:
            Non-profit Checking Acct (ending in 9912) = $5,032.54
            Money Market Acct (ending in 9552) = $6,746.43
            Total: $11,778.97
          2. Communications Committee (Virginia)
            Very pleased to welcome Greg Murray as Newsletter Editor. Greg would like a list of newsletter content by March 15, 2019; URLs of content already present on SEPTLA website. Any content not yet present on the site should be sent to Virginia. (Copy Virginia and Greg on everything, if that’s easier.) Lydia was a tremendous help in getting automatic backups established and the site updated. Thank you, Lydia! Slides from the now-disbanded Resource Sharing Task Force’s presentation at the Fall 2018 meeting have been uploaded to the website. Chris Schwartz requested and is managing a new Cataloging Resources page on the SEPTLA website. The one-per-page version of the SEPTLA Bookmark has been updated to reflect Biblical’s name change (now Missio). Print order for bookmarks on hold until Missio’s location change has happened.
          3. Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group (Chris)
            Chris was unable to attend today but sent a tentative topic (not posted to the SEPTLA listserv): library system modules for cataloging and metadata work. Also, she is managing a new Cataloging Resources page on the SEPTLA website.
          4. Research Services Interest Group (Jim Sauer)
            Jim was unable to attend today’s meeting.
          5. Spring meeting
            1. Save the Date: April 26, 2019 (Friday)*
              Jim Humble at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary will be hosting the Spring SEPTLA meeting. Virginia will post a Save the Date message on the SEPTLA website, asking members to RSVP to Jim by April 12.
            2. SLACK
              Myka demonstrated Slack for the committee and sent invitations to executive committee to enter the SEPTLA workspace prior to the Spring meeting. Channels will be public to SEPTLA members who accept Slack invitations. Current channels in the workspace include # executive committee, # general, and # random. Slack will be the topic of a hands-on workshop at the meeting. Attendees will be encouraged to bring a laptop or tablet to the meeting so that they can enter and use the workspace. Myka will make Communications Committee members administrators in the space.
            3. Shared collection development
              The Spring meeting will also include a discussion about shared collection development.
            4. BYO – Invitation to the Spring meeting will include request for members to bring their library’s collection development policy and an internet-connected device (phone, tablet, laptop) to try out Slack.
            5. We will need Zoom (or other web conferencing tool) in order to include in the business meeting voting members from any libraries unable to travel to St. Charles.
            6. Elizabeth will check with the interest group chairs about possible interest group time on the meeting agenda.
    5. Adjourn (Elizabeth)

The Executive Committee will not meet again prior to the April 26 meeting at St. Charles.
Adjourned at 11:00 a.m.

*Note: The date of the spring meeting has been changed to May 9, 2019 and that RSVPs are due to Jim Humble by April 25. The Executive Committee has also called another Zoom meeting for April 15.

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes, December 10, 2018

10:00 am – Video Conference (Zoom)

Attendees: Virginia Dearborn, Bob McInnes, Patrick Milas, Elizabeth Young Miller, James Sauer, Chris Schwartz, Myka Kennedy Stephens
Excused: Greg Murray, unnamed Continuing Education Committee representative

    1. Welcome and announcements (Elizabeth)
      Called to order at 10:05 a.m.
      The attempt to call a Zoom meeting to update the bylaws was not successful. That series of votes and a discussion of the administrative assistant position has been postponed until the Spring 2019 business meeting.
    2. Approval of the agenda (Elizabeth)
      Approved by acclamation.
    3. Approval of the minutes from September 25, 2018 (Elizabeth)
      Reference in Treasurer’s Report to checking account changed from “business checking account” to “non-profit checking account.”
      Approved by acclamation.
    4. Confirmation of appointments
      Greg Murray’s appointment as Newsletter Editor and Co-Chair of the Communications Committee confirmed unanimously.
      Welcome to Jim Sauer as new chair of the Research Services Interest Group.
    5. Reports and Discussion
          1. Treasurer’s Report (Patrick)
            As of December 10, 2018 and the last account statements of November 30, 2018, SEPTLA’s current balances are as follows:
            Non-profit Checking Acct (ending in 9912) = $4,657.54
            Money Market Acct (ending in 9552) = $6,738.99
            Total: $11,396.53
          2. Communications Committee (Virginia)
            Form plugin we originally used on the SEPTLA website has been discontinued. A new form plugin was installed. Emailing via the new form is still under development. Information for New Brunswick Theological Seminary has been updated on the website. The officers list will be updated after the meeting.
          3. Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group (Chris)
            Planning to put resources and training materials for cataloging shared at the Fall 2018 meeting onto the SEPTLA website. Target date for posting these resources is January 2019.
          4. Research Services Interest Group (Jim Sauer)
            Planning to explore non-Western theologies at a future meeting. The interest group is interested in offering webinar presentations, perhaps in partnership with ATLA, that would be helpful to everyone.
          5. Resource Sharing Task Force
            The Task Force gave their recommendations at the Fall Meeting, thus fulfilling their charge. They did not write a formal report for the Executive Committee, but we will ask for their slides and hope to post them on the SEPTLA website. This task force is now disbanded with thanks and gratitude to its members: Mark Draper, Gerry Lincoln, and Evan Boyd.
          6. Continuing Education Committee
            1. Vacancies
              Two openings are available: chair of the committee and a member-at-large. Targeted invitations to fill those vacancies were not successful. Another announcement to the general membership will go out with the announcement for the Spring meeting.
            2. Spring meeting
              Given the vacancies on the committee, it would be too much to try and arrange the regularly scheduled biennial all-day workshop with grant funded programs/speakers. Executive Committee will be planning the meeting, using the biennial workshop schedule and facilitating the workshops ourselves.

              1. Dates
                Jim Humble at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary will be hosting the Spring SEPTLA meeting. The following potential meeting dates will be offered to him: April 26, April 29, May 2, May 6, May 10, or May 9 if none of the other dates work.
              2. SLACK
                Myka introduced Slack as a tool we might want to use for our expertise list and mentoring, a suggestion that came out of the Future Task Force’s report. Discussion was favorable about deploying this for SEPTLA and it will be the topic of a hands-on workshop at the Spring meeting. Attendees will be encouraged to bring a laptop or tablet to the meeting so that they can join the SEPTLA Slack Workspace. The Workspace will be set up and in use by the Executive Committee prior to the Spring meeting.
              3. Shared collection development
                This is offered as a topic for a second workshop during the Spring meeting. Lancaster Theological Seminary is planning a revision of its collection development policy in March 2019 and Myka was planning to review collection development policies from other SEPTLA libraries as part of her review process. This could be the foundation for a larger conversation at the SEPTLA Spring meeting.
                Everyone agreed that these two topics would be appropriate and doable for the SEPTLA Spring 2019 meeting at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.
  1. SEPTLA meeting survey results (Myka)
    20 people responded to the SEPTLA Fall Meeting survey.
Overall satisfaction: 4.21 (weighted average, scale of 1 to 5)
Comments about the meeting: “Wish we’d had a quorum.”
“Of course it is always good to see old friends and make new ones. I was just disappointed that we did not have enough participants to make a quorum.”
“I thought it was a really good meeting overall; the hosts did a great job! However, I was disappointed that we did not have a quorum to vote on changes to the bylaws at the business meeting. While their presentation was very informative, I wish that the Resource Sharing Task Force had more than one recommendation as to how we could work as a group in this area. The DTL is a good idea, but just one.”
“The afternoon proposal started late, was long in explanation, and isn’t an option that our library wishes to pursue.”
“I enjoyed the interest group meeting, but was a bit disappointed with the afternoon session presented by the Resource Sharing Committee. The presentation was narrower than I expected and not very relevant to my institution.”
“The space and accommodations were good, and there was value in the interest group meeting.”
Satisfaction with each session during the meeting: (Weighted averages on a scale of 1 to 5) 

Morning refreshments – 4.33

Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group – 4.6

Research Services Interest Group – 4.33

Business Meeting – 4.29

Lunch – 4.25

Conversation with the Resource Sharing Task Force – 4

Tour of Missio Seminary Library – 4

Reasons why people did not attend the Fall meeting: “The day/time did not work for my schedule” x 2 

“I am the only librarian at my institution and I am not able to attend any in-person meetings”

“I attended NYATLA rather than SEPTLA”

“Needed to help out with duties here at the library”

“RSVP was two weeks prior and I could not be sure I would be able to attend that far in advance”

[Skipped over responses to questions about scheduling a virtual business meeting to vote on amendments to the Bylaws.]
Recommended topics for future workshops or SEPTLA events “Something about effective goal setting in a too-much-to-get-done everyday working environment?” 

“Something on e-books librarianship.”

“1. Course-centric LibGuides; LibGuides as a way to “embed” a library’s research services into individual courses 2. Creation or adoption of videos as tools in bibliographic instruction 3. Developments in e-book accessibility for small libraries”

“Cataloging training for staff who are new to cataloging and/or non-catalogers who now find it is part of their job. (This could also be a refresher for those who catalog regularly.)”

“By next Fall, I might be able to present the pros/cons of the PA Power program in Pennsylvania. We’re about to implement their services.”

“We discussed in passing having an afternoon session focusing on cataloging for non-catalogers”

“setting up Slack for SEPTLA”

“Shared collection development”

“1. Creating a collaborative workspace for SEPTLA Members on Slack – this would build on the desire for and interest in building an expertise list, mentoring, and facilitating better support and interaction among members between meetings. 2. A conversation about shared collection development. We’re reviewing our collection development policy this spring, so this would be a timely discussion topic.”

Interest in virtual meeting offerings: (17 Responses to this question) 

Webinars, perhaps co-sponsored by ATLA – 82.35%

Facilitated virtual conferencing meetings on specific topics – 70.59%

Informal virtual conferencing meetings for social and/or networking purposes – 23.53%

View a real-time broadcast from the SEPTLA meeting in lieu of attending in person – 41.18%

View recordings of sessions from SEPTLA meetings after the conclusion of the meeting – 29.41%

Other: “Please provide recordings of any training or sessions which can be viewed at a later time. I am rarely able to attend a meeting at another location, and it can be difficult to attend webinars at the times they are offered.”

Recommended topics for a virtual meeting or webinar: “Developing a track within an MLIS program for theological librarianship.” 

“Research services, information literacy, archives”

“Copyright matters for digital formats”

“1. Course-centric LibGuides; LibGuides as a way to “embed” a library’s research services into individual courses 2. Creation or adoption of videos as tools in bibliographic instruction 3. Developments in e-book accessibility for small libraries”

“Ongoing intro to cataloging – Discussions about possibly creating a SEPTLA-version of the DTL”

“Cataloging refresher”

“preparing for ATS accreditation, assessment”

“best practices, emerging technologies, innovative approaches to librarianship, trends in theological and religious studies scholarship”

Referral for SEPTLA Membership: “If we’re looking to expand, perhaps we should consider those colleges in the area that offer degrees in theology or religion, and see if they have subject-specfic [sic] librarians. Also look at schools whose background is religious, and which may still maintain special collections dealing with that background. I’m thinking of a school like Haverford College, which has a religion major as well as a Quaker collection in their library. It might be worthwhile to make a list of schools whose libraries are involved in the support of religious or theological studies or in maintaining religious collections.”

The committee discussed these survey responses and expressed appreciation for the feedback from the membership.

  1. SEPTLA scholarship
    This was discussed at the Fall business meeting. The Executive Committee decided to open the application up to anyone who is attending the ATLA annual conference. Preference will be given to first-time attendees and presenters. The scholarship recipient must agree to present highlights from the ATLA conference in a SEPTLA webinar or at a future SEPTLA meeting.
  2. SEPTLA update for ATLA Newsletter
    Since there is nothing much to share from our Fall meeting, we will not send a recap of the Fall meeting to the ATLA Newsletter. The Communications Committee will send a short announcement to ATLA when we are ready to announce the Spring meeting that will include the topics for our workshops.
  3. Other business
    The Library Store discount is up for renewal; we’ll ask on the listserv to see if this is something the membership is interested in continuing.
  4. Adjourn (Elizabeth)
    Next meeting is February 11 at 10:00 a.m.
    Adjourned at 11:12 a.m.

SEPTLA Institutional News, Spring 2018

Biblical Theological Seminary

Lydia Putnam announced that Biblical will change its name in October to Missio.  The institution signed a lease for a building near the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the move will take place between December 16, 2018 and January 22, 2019.  The library staff are busy with collection reduction.  Faculty are playing an important role in this project and discovering useful materials in the process.  Also, Biblical is scanning 750 theses and uploading them to the Digital Commons.

Cairn University

Stephanie Kaceli shared updates about the library and the University.  In February, the library switched to Open Athens, and this change has been very well received.  She also highlighted that the library lobby is being converted into a café.  Library director, Dr. Hewey is retiring, and Stephanie has been named the new director.  Stephanie mentioned that Cairn will be offering more STEM programs, specifically in chemistry.

Evangelical Seminary

Mark Draper reported that Dr. Len Sweet has been hired to teach in the newly approved doctor of theology (ThD) program.  Evangelical has applied for an online MDiv and an online Bible degree; both programs will impact the number of patrons who visit the physical library.

Lancaster Theological Seminary

Myka Kennedy Stephens announced that she returned from sabbatical in January and has been busy since her return.  The library continues its multi-year weeding project with a goal to complete it by August 2019. A modest climate control unit that helps stabilize temperature and humidity has been fixed in the rare books room.  Lancaster Seminary graduated the first students from its redesigned MDiv program on May 5 and looks forward to welcoming a new class of students in early August.

Moravian Theological Seminary

Elizabeth Young Miller reported that representatives from both ATS and Middle States visited this semester.  The administration is pleased with the result of these visits.

New Brunswick Theological Seminary

Ondrea Murphy explained that there have been a number of changes at New Brunswick.  Three library staff members resigned, including the library director.  Dr. John Coakley, a faculty emeritus, who holds an MLS, is serving as the interim library director.  A search will begin for a new director.  Rev. James Brumm was hired to oversee the new theological writing center and serves as archivist too.  On May 18, Rev. Micah L. Mcreary, Ph.D will be inaguarated as New Brunswick’s new president.  Another positive change involves technology upgrades, including new computers.

Palmer Theological Seminary/Eastern University

Dr. Jim Sauer shared information about staff changes and new programs.  He announced that Eastern University has a new president—Dr. Ronald (Ron) Matthews.  Dr. Matthews is a musician, as well as a faculty member, and it is hoped that he will raise money for the institution.  Marvin Smith in the library is retiring, and Chelsea Post, formerly of St. Charles Borromeo, has been hired as the Systems Librarian.  Eastern University offers several new programs: a doctoral education degree in STEM, a MA in classical education, and an online MA in theology designed for the Spanish speaking community.  The fourth cohort is enrolled in the MA in theology.

Princeton Theological Seminary

Virginia Dearborn announced that Chip Dobbs-Allsopp is the new James Lenox Librarian and that Evelyn Frangakis was named the Managing Library Director.  Princeton is currently working on their self-study for Middle States.

Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Alan LaPayover explained that there is movement and change within Reconstuctionist Judaism.  While there has been a change of the movement’s central organization’s name to Reconstructing Judaism, the College will not change its name for a year.  Nonetheless, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College will be putting up a new website sometime this summer.

Reformed Episcopal Seminary

Russ Buchanan reported that Reformed Episcopal will be conducting their self-study this fall ahead of their ATS site visit in 2019.  Reformed Episcopal welcomed their first international student this year; he is from Nigeria.  The Seminary anticipates other students enrolling from Nigeria.

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

James (Jim) Humble provided several updates regarding St. Charles Borromeo.  The Seminary is working on both ATS and Middle States accreditation; they are currently trimming their ATS report.  The site visits are slated for next March.  Jim explained that nothing has been finalized either with the purchase of their current location nor where they will be moving.  The Seminary is waiting on the Board to vote, which may occur over the summer.  Most likely, it will be two (2) years before the Seminary relocates to their new campus.  Jim shared that Chelsea Post left in January to go to Palmer Theological Seminary at Eastern University.  Her position has been frozen and may not reopen.  Jim, paraprofessionals, a secretary, and student workers are staffing the library.

United Lutheran Seminary

Evan Boyd shared that there have been a lot of changes at United Lutheran. In March, the seminary board relieved the school’s first president of her role and put in place an acting president. His tenure will end June 1, as an interim president, Dr. Richard Greene, begins his duties for the coming year. ULS has received reaccreditation for all of its degree programs from both Middle States and ATS. During graduation, it was announced that the seminary received a $30 million bequest, to be used to establish a new chair on the faculty, with the bulk endowing student scholarships.

Westminster Theological Seminary

Donna Roof announced that Robert (Bob) McInnes began in January as the Archivist and Special Collections Librarian; Westminster is excited that he has formal training and experience in these areas.  She also reported that the library has new study carrels.

SEPTLA Business Meeting Minutes, May 11, 2018

Spring Meeting – May 11, 2018
Cairn University

Download PDF

I. Welcome and Thanks
Myka Kennedy Stephens welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order.

II. Approval of Agenda
Myka Kennedy Stephens asked if there were any changes to the agenda. Seeing
none, the agenda was approved.

III. Approval of Minutes from October 4, 2017 Meeting
Myka Kennedy Stephens explained that since minutes from the fall meeting were not submitted, she reconstructed them. She asked if there were any changes, encouraging members to e-mail the Executive Committee with any corrections.

IV. Reports

A. Treasurer’s Report
1. Checking balance: $4,192.48
2. Deposits reflect dues
3. Withdrawals account for meeting expenses and SEPTLA’s web presence
4. PNC Money Market balance: $6,718.14
5. Total balance: $10,910.62

B. Membership Task Force
Elizabeth Young Miller thanked committee member Jim Sauer and provided some context for the report. She emphasized that the membership would be consulted regarding the recommendations and clarified that stipends will not be offered to the president of SEPTLA.

C. Continuing Education Committee Report
Ondrea Murphy thanked Cairn University for hosting the meeting and recognized the contributions of the Continuing Education Committee: Julie Dawson, James Humble, and Lydia Putnam. The Committee will be in dialog about the fall meeting, as well as the workshop piece for the spring 2019 meeting. Currently, the Committee is looking for hosts for the fall meeting. Lydia Putnam mentioned that Biblical may be interested in hosting.

D. Communications Committee Report
Virginia Dearborn thanked those who serve on this committee and reported that that there are openings. The “News” section of the website has new content and feedback is welcome. Lydia Putnam highlighted the RSS feed on the website.

E. Research Services Interest Group Report
Ondrea Murphy reported on behalf of Bethany O’Shea. The Interest Group
discussed instructional videos, a conversation that will continue in the fall. Lydia
Putnam highlighted that there are further questions, such as meeting standards and
complying with accessibility. Virginia Dearborn also mentioned that the group
discussed how to share these videos. Bethany will share the PowerPoint slides
with Virginia, who can post them to the SEPTLA website

F. Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group
Melvin Hartwick reported for Chris Schwartz. The main topic of the meeting was the RDA Toolkit Restructure and Redesign (3R) Project. This project is dramatically changing the web-based version of the cataloging code, RDA Toolkit. At the meeting, we examined the preliminary screenshots that are available now. A beta version is scheduled to be released on June 13, 2018. We also discussed the ATLA NACO Funnel Project. Melvin highlighted that Princeton will be offering NACO training this summer and encouraged any interested libraries to contact Princeton.

V. Election of Officers
Since the past president was not in attendance, Myka Kennedy Stephens presided over the election of officers.

A. Secretary
Myka asked for nominations from the floor. Patrick Milas nominated Robert (Bob) McInnes. Bob accepted the nomination. Seeing no new nominations, Steve McKinzie moved to close nominations. Bob was elected by a clear majority.

B. President
Myka opened nominations from the floor. Donna Roof nominated Elizabeth Young Miller, who accepted the nomination. Seeing no additional nominations, Elizabeth was approved as president.

VI. Additional Openings (to be appointed by Executive Committee)

A. Archivist
Myka Kennedy Stephens shared that the Executive Committee voted to appoint Jim Humble the archivist earlier that week. The archives, which had been housed at Lancaster Bible College, will be moving to St. Charles Borromeo.

B. Newsletter Editor
Myka Kennedy Stephens explained that Stephanie Kaceli would be stepping down from her role as newsletter editor, and Myka asked for volunteers. Myka shared more about this position, explaining that this individual is part of the Communications Committee and serves a two-year renewable term, sharing the newsletter with the membership four (4) weeks before each meeting. Chris Schwartz asked if this person attends Executive Committee meetings. Myka replied that this individual would serve as a co-chair of the Communications Committee with Virginia Dearborn. Virginia and the newsletter editor would take turns attending the Executive Committee meetings. Since no volunteers were forthcoming, Myka encouraged interested parties to talk with her. The Executive Committee will appoint someone if there are no volunteers.

VII. Other Business
Myka Kennedy Stephens asked if there was any additional business. There was none.

VIII. Adjourn
Myka Kennedy Stephens thanked everyone for attending and adjourned the meeting.

Respectfully Submitted,
Elizabeth Young Miller

TeamWork Volume 35 Issue 2 (Fall 2018)

Table of Contents

SEPTLA Fall 2018 Meeting Invitation

Join us for the next SEPTLA meeting!

DATE: Thursday, November 8, 2018
LOCATION: Missio Seminary (formerly Biblical Theological Seminary) in Hatfield, PA

Please RSVP by October 26, 2018: https://goo.gl/forms/taARtYpvHfnYjNXj2

Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/ZM4Um4EBEtj 200 N Main St, Hatfield, PA 19440

Tentative schedule

9:30-10:00, Registration and Light Refreshments
10:00-10:30, Interest Group Meetings

  • Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group: (1) Cataloging workflows, (2) Resources (materials/programs) for training paraprofessional staff in cataloging (particularly copy cataloging). If you have some internal documentation on these topics that you would like to share with the group, please bring at least 10 photocopies.
  • Research Services Interest Group: (1) Electing a new chair , (2) Training videos (or other topic of the group's choosing)

10:45-11:45, Business Meeting
11:55, Greeting
12:00-1:15pm, Lunch ($10)
1:30-2:45, Resource Sharing Task Force Discusses SEPTLA Resource Sharing Survey 2 Results
3:00, Tour of the Missio Library and Booksale (optional)


Go to the original post

SEPTLA Fall 2018 Meeting Invitation

Join us for the next SEPTLA meeting!

DATE: Thursday, November 8, 2018
LOCATION: Missio Seminary (formerly Biblical Theological Seminary) in Hatfield, PA

Please RSVP by October 26, 2018: https://goo.gl/forms/taARtYpvHfnYjNXj2

Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/ZM4Um4EBEtj 200 N Main St, Hatfield, PA 19440

Tentative schedule

9:30-10:00, Registration and Light Refreshments
10:00-10:30, Interest Group Meetings

  • Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group: (1) Cataloging workflows, (2) Resources (materials/programs) for training paraprofessional staff in cataloging (particularly copy cataloging). If you have some internal documentation on these topics that you would like to share with the group, please bring at least 10 photocopies.
  • Research Services Interest Group: (1) Electing a new chair , (2) Training videos (or other topic of the group’s choosing)

10:45-11:45, Business Meeting
11:55, Greeting
12:00-1:15pm, Lunch ($10)
1:30-2:45, Resource Sharing Task Force Discusses SEPTLA Resource Sharing Survey 2 Results
3:00, Tour of the Missio Library and Booksale (optional)

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes, September 25, 2018

2:30 p.m., September 25, 2018

Conference Call

Present: Virginia Dearborn (Communications Committee chair), Melvin Hartwick (interim Continuing Education Committee chair), Patrick Milas (treasurer), Elizabeth Miller (president), Chris Schwartz (Cataloging & Metadata Interest Group chair), Myka Kennedy Stephens (past president)

Not present: Mark Draper (Resource Sharing Task Force chair), Robert McInnes (secretary), a Research Services Interest Group representative

Elizabeth called the meeting to order.

Approval of the Agenda

Myka asked about committee members whose terms were expiring at the fall meeting. This was added to the agenda to be discussed. after the committee and interest group reports.

Approval of the Minutes from August 21, 2018

No additional revisions to the minutes were brought forward. Patrick moved to approve the minutes. Virginia seconded.

Continuing Education Committee Report

Melvin had no formal report. Discussion proceeded to review plans for the Fall meeting. The date of the fall meeting is November 8. The Resource Sharing Task Force is presenting in the afternoon, with the business meeting and interest group meetings in the morning. Work needs to begin on planning a biennial workshop for Spring 2019. Meeting documents should be published on October 8. Virginia will follow-up directly with Evan Boyd on the Resource Sharing Task Force to ask about putting a link to their latest survey on the website and including it in the newsletter email to go out on or around October 8.

Treasurer’s Report

As of September 25, 2018 and the last account statements of August 31, 2018, SEPTLA’s current balances are as follows:

Business Checking Acct (ending in 9912) = $4,132.54

Money Market Acct (ending in 9552) = $6,729.47

Communications Committee Report

The committee has continued to discuss possible tools for developing a member resource/expertise list. Myka will follow up on earlier conversations with Gillian Harrison Cain at ATLA about possibly partnering on a tool under development for ATLA members so that a decision can be made about how to proceed with this project. SEPTLA’s domain can support the creation of email accounts and has a webmail client. An email address has been established for a potential administrative assistant with a password that can be changed as the person in that role changes while also retaining archived emails. The website hosting contract is on a six month schedule and our next bill is anticipated in October.

Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group Report

There are many leadership changes across SEPTLA libraries in this field and Chris plans to offer to stay on as chair of the interest group for another year. The topic covered at the next meeting will be cataloging workflows. Copy cataloging is also an interest and folks attending the meeting will be asked to bring and share training resources they have developed or found. This will be written up for distribution prior to the meeting on the website and email newsletter.

Research Services Interest Group Report

Elizabeth announced that Bethany O’Shea is no longer at a SEPTLA library and this interest group is now without a chair. Discussion followed about the possibility of appointing an interim chair before the fall meeting. Since interest group chairs are elected by the interest group, appointing an interim chair is not within the purview of Executive Committee. An interest group meeting will be included in the schedule and those who gather for it may discuss what they want and elect a new chair at that time.

Committee Membership, Expiring Terms, and Vacancies

A review of the membership of the Continuing Education Committee revealed that Julie Dawson (member) and Lydia Putnam (member) have terms that will expire at the fall meeting. The chair is also available because Melvin Hartwick was appointed as interim until the fall meeting. A review of the membership of the Communications Committee revealed that Lydia Putnam (member) has a term expiring at the fall meeting and the newsletter editor position remains available. Elizabeth will reach out to Julie and Lydia to gauge their interest in serving another term and will write up a call for volunteers to be posted to the website and email newsletter.

Interlibrary Loan Courier Services

Following up on discussion at the previous Executive Committee Meeting, Elizabeth reported that Moravian participates in a regional consortium with a courier service that delivers every day during the semester. All institutions in the consortium are within a 30 mile radius. Moravian also has a UPS account that guarantees 24 hour delivery. Princeton uses USPS for all its ILL shipments.

SEPTLA Administrative Assistant

Elizabeth presented an updated draft job description incorporating feedback from the discussion at the previous Executive Committee meeting. Discussion followed about whether to put a cap on the hours this employee would work and would this person be required to attend Executive Committee and biannual meetings. The employee would need to be accountable to someone, and after discussion it was agreed that the President would be the best person to provide oversight. Supplies and equipment needed to perform the job might need to be defined in the job description/advertisement. Elizabeth will revise the job description to incorporate this feedback and the revised draft will be attached to the minutes of this meeting and shared/discussed during the general membership business meeting in November.

Other Business

New Brunswick Theological Seminary has two open positions – collection services librarian and public services coordinator/librarian. There is not another Executive Committee meeting scheduled before the Fall Meeting in November.

Elizabeth adjourned the meeting.

***************

Job Description for SEPTLA Administrative Assistant (DRAFT)

The following draft awaits the approval of the SEPTLA membership.

Reporting to the President of SEPTLA, the Administrative Assistant serves as a liaison to several SEPTLA committees, namely the Executive Committee, the Communications Committee, and the Continuing Education Committee.

Duties include:

  • Serving as an intermediary between the meeting host institution and the Continuing Education Committee.
    • Confirming speakers.
    • Collaborating with the host institution.
  • Preparing a newsletter in advance of the fall and spring meetings.
  • Creating and ordering organizational bookmarks.
  • Serving as the point person for consortial purchasing.
  • Performing other duties as assigned by Committee Chairs and/or the President.

Note: The Administrative Assistant is welcome to attend the fall and spring membership meetings.  However, this is not normally required.

Successful candidates will have:

  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, Google applications, and editing software.
  • Excellent organizational and communication skills.

Note: The Administrative Assistant is responsible for filing taxes on earned income for the calendar year.  SEPTLA does not file employee forms.  Assistant wages should be claimed with the IRS as self-employment/consultant wages.  Applicable taxes will be paid by the Administrative Assistant.  This position is not eligible for benefits.

Hours of Work:

  • Part-time, flexible
  • On average 10 to 15 hours per month
  • Hours will fluctuate based on the meeting schedule

Wage:  $13.00 an hour

Work Location:           Remote.  SEPTLA does not provide office space, a computer, or phone.

SEPTLA Business Meeting Agenda, November 8, 2018

  1. Welcome and Thanks
  2. Approval of Agenda
  3. Approval of Minutes from May 11, 2018
  4. Reports
    • Treasurer’s Report
    • Research Services Interest Group
    • Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group
    • Communications Committee
    • Continuing Education Committee
  5. Amendments to Bylaws
  6. Job Description for SEPTLA Administrative Assistant
  7. Openings
    • Chair of Continuing Education Committee
    • Member at Large of the Continuing Education Committee
    • Newsletter Editor
  8. Institutional News
  9. Other Business
  10. Conclusion and Next Meeting