I’m delighted to say that our Spring Meeting on April 25 will include an in-person option! This will be our first in-person meeting since the Fall Meeting of 2019 at Moravian Theological Seminary two and a half years ago. The Spring Meeting will be a hybrid event, combining the in-person setting with full participation (minus the free lunch) by those joining us over web conferencing. Many thanks are due to Lancaster Theological Seminary and Myka Kennedy Stephens for hosting both the on-site and online components of this hybrid meeting. Please see the meeting invitation in this newsletter for details.

The continuing education program at this event will explore the topic of how institutions are confronting their historical past with slavery and how libraries are involved and affected, especially in terms of what libraries are doing to help affect change for the positive health of their parent institutions. Our featured speaker will be Lae’l Hughes-Watkins, University Archivist at the University of Maryland, who is a co-lead on the University of Maryland’s “The 1856 Project.” The talk will be followed by a mediated conversation where attendees are invited to contribute their own narratives about their parent institutions.

A point of focus for the Executive Committee over the last several months has been to address vacancies in leadership positions that are so crucial to keeping SEPTLA thriving. Staff departures or transitions at member libraries had created some vacancies affecting the Communications Committee, Continuing Education Committee, Research Services Interest Group, and Executive Committee. I’d like to acknowledge and thank publicly those who have stepped forward to bring new energy and leadership to SEPTLA. Evelyn Frangakis of Princeton Theological Seminary recently joined the Continuing Education Committee and agreed to serve as chair, a role that includes serving on the Executive Committee as well. Christina Geuther of New Brunswick Theological Seminary and Victoria Jesswein of United Lutheran Seminary also recently joined the Continuing Education Committee. James Humble of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, a past member of that committee, is serving as member-at-large to provide continuity and historical memory to the group. Given how central professional development is to the mission of SEPTLA, the reconstitution of this committee is an important development.

The role of chair of the Research Services Interest Group is currently vacant. This position is elected by the membership of the interest group itself (not appointed by the Executive Committee), and we can look forward to the group electing a new chair at the Spring Meeting.

Many leadership positions include serving on the Executive Committee, which meets monthly to help keep SEPTLA moving forward, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them publicly too for their steady commitment to SEPTLA: Evan Boyd of United Lutheran Seminary (treasurer), Vic Broberg of Reformed Episcopal Seminary (chair of the Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group), Virginia Dearborn of Princeton Theological Seminary (secretary), Evelyn Frangakis of Princeton Theological Seminary (chair of the Continuing Education Committee), James Humble of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary (archivist and chair of the archives digitization task force), Myka Kennedy Stephens of Lancaster Theological Seminary (website manager and co-chair of the Communications Committee), and Patrick Milas of New Brunswick Theological Seminary (past president).

Currently the Newsletter Editor position is vacant due to a staff departure. This role carries a modest time commitment (two newsletter issues per year, plus service on the Executive Committee as co-chair of the Communications Committee) and is a great way to learn more about SEPTLA, get to know colleagues at other member libraries, and give back to the community through professional service. I hope you’ll consider volunteering for this important role or encouraging a colleague to do so.

I look forward to seeing you either in person or virtually at the Spring Meeting on April 25 at Lancaster Theological Seminary.

Regards,
Greg

Gregory Murray
Director of Digital Initiatives
Theodore Sedgwick Wright Library
Princeton Theological Seminary

Princeton, New Jersey
April 6, 2022

You Are Invited

SEPTLA Spring 2022 Meeting

Monday, April 25, 2022

Lancaster Theological Seminary Library
In Person and Online

Please RSVP Here (yes, no, or maybe)

The details:

• Held in person at Lancaster Theological Seminary and simultaneously online via Zoom
• Welcome and Registration will begin at 10:00 a.m.
• Programs will begin at 10:30 a.m.
• Lunch will be provided by SEPTLA
• Activities will conclude before 3:00 p.m.; a schedule is forthcoming

The continuing education program will start with a talk on the topic of how institutions are confronting their historical past with slavery and how libraries are involved and affected, especially in terms of what libraries are doing to help affect change for the positive health of their parent institutions. The talk will be followed by a mediated conversation where attendees are invited to contribute their own narratives about their parent institutions.

Please RSVP by April 1 so that we know whether (and how) you are attending or not

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting

October 14, 2021 2pm

Attendees: Greg Murray, Evan Boyd, Virginia Dearborn, James Humble
Excused: Vic Broberg, James Brumm, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Michele Mesi, Patrick Milas

Greg called the meeting to order.

Agenda

Agenda was approved as submitted.

Minutes

Minutes from September 17 meeting approved as submitted.

Vacancies

Continuing Education Committee still has vacancies for members and a chair. Greg reported that Evelyn Frangakis (Princeton Theological Seminary) is interested in joining as a member, just as Evan had reported Victoria Jesswein’s (United Lutheran Seminary) interest at our last meeting.

Fall Meeting

Done: Evan prepared the registration form; Greg met with Michele for newsletter hand-off; Michele prepared and published the newsletter; Greg sent meeting information to the SEPTLA and NYATLA mailing lists.

There was discussion about the arrangement and content of the meeting. Greg will send out revised agenda with the invitation reminder to the membership tomorrow. Thus far, eleven people have registered to attend. Evan pointed out that we may not reach a quorum. Although there is not anything to vote on at the upcoming meeting, a quorum may be needed to approve the minutes of our last meeting.

When Evan sends the Zoom link to all registrants (including guest speaker Christine Fruin) on October 21, he will also include links to the current newsletter (which is somewhat less static than in past seasons), the reciprocal borrowing agreement, and the Google Doc for COVID-related service updates.

For the next Executive Committee meeting

Since neither of the co-chairs of the Communications Committee were available for today’s meeting, we agreed to put on the agenda for next time a note to the committee about updating the SEPTLA bookmark.

Brief updates

Greg reported that the library at Princeton Theological Seminary was named for the first African American graduate of the seminary (Class of 1828), Theodore Sedgwick Wright, in a ceremony yesterday evening.

Evan asked whether Princeton was doing interlibrary loan (it isn’t) and shared that United Lutheran Seminary has been receiving multiple requests for 19th century materials in Princeton’s collection. Greg suggested he pass requests to the Digital Initiatives team, which he heads, since the team can often digitize and add such materials to the Theological Commons digital library.

Meeting adjourned at 2:40pm.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting

January 12, 2022 2pm

Attendees: Greg Murray, Evan Boyd, Virginia Dearborn, James Humble
Excused: Vic Broberg, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Patrick Milas

Greg called the meeting to order.

Minutes

Minutes from October 14 meeting approved as submitted.

Resignations and Volunteers

Since our last meeting, Michele Mesi has left New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS) and is no longer able to serve as Newsletter Editor. The committee agreed that we can get the next issue of Teamwork put together ourselves and then ask for volunteers from the membership at the Spring meeting.

James Brumm, while still at NBTS, is no longer working in the library there and therefore has stepped down as chair of the Research Services Interest Group. Deanna Roberts (NBTS) has expressed interest in serving as the next chair. Interest group chairs are voted in by the members of the group, so we may look forward to this taking place at the Spring meeting as well.

Continuing Education Committee still has vacancies for members and a chair. In addition to those interested members mentioned in previous meeting, Christina Geuther (NBTS) has also expressed interest in being member of the committee. Greg asked if someone wanted to make a motion to appoint Evelyn Frangakis (Princeton Theological Seminary), Christina Geuther (NBTS) and Victoria Jesswein (United Lutheran Seminary) as members of the committee and encourage them to go ahead and meet without necessarily naming a chair. Jim offered to join their initial meeting, if they’d like, as a past committee member. Evan made the motion; Virginia seconded. The motion passed by acclamation.

Treasurer’s Report

Evan shared that the current balance is $12,668.94 and there are opportunities for additional funding through some Atla grants.

Spring Meeting

Greg suggested a few topics for future membership meetings. For the purposes of professional development, perhaps decolonizing cataloging and metadata. This is something Princeton is just in the early stages of exploring; library staff were encouraged to watch a documentary called Change the Subject (2019), which gives a good introduction to the topic. Jim Humble said he is open to giving a presentation at a future meeting (perhaps Fall 2022) about the SEPTLA archives in order to spark interest among the membership to participate in a task force to determine what to digitize. Evan suggested bringing in a couple of outside presenters to give to SEPTLA the same presentation they gave in a recent ACRL webinar about seeking equity in hiring and creating more welcoming working environments for employees who may be members of historically (and currently) marginalized groups.

Next Steps

Greg will email Evelyn, Christina and Victoria about being appointed to the Continuing Education Committee and remind them Slack is available as one communication/planning tool. He will also send around a Doodle poll to schedule the next Exec Committee meeting when necessary.

Brief Updates/Discussion

Greg reported that Wright Library (Princeton Theological Seminary) plans to restart interlibrary loan and/but in the meantime, if there are any public domain materials needed that have not yet been digitized from the collection, people should feel free to contact him to request digitization.

Evan asked whether any of us had come across articles about how to address racist or otherwise culturally insensitive materials in digital collections. Virginia thought she remembered DPLA having some language about this; Evan later pulled it up, https://dp.la/about/harmful-language-statement. Greg mentioned a disclaimer Princeton had posted on some audio recordings in which direct quotes were used that included racial slurs; for example, https://commons.ptsem.edu/id/7480.

Virginia noted that Myka had posted in Slack about Lancaster Seminary’s closure due to COVID-19 cases and that she had again encouraged members to keep their information up-to-date in the shared Google Doc on the SEPTLA website.

Meeting adjourned at 2:40pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Virginia Dearborn

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting

February 16, 2022 11am

Attendees: Greg Murray, Evan Boyd, Virginia Dearborn, James Humble, Deacon Vic Broberg, Myka Kennedy Stephens
Excused: Patrick Milas

Greg called the meeting to order.

Committees and Terms

Jim gave an update on the Continuing Education Committee. He met once in January and again yesterday with the new members serving on this committee: Evelyn Frangakis (Princeton Theological Seminary), Christina Geuther (NBTS) and Victoria Jesswein (United Lutheran Seminary). These were positive, productive meetings already, and Evelyn offered to serve as chair. Evan made a motion to appoint Evelyn Frangakis chair of the Continuing Education Committee; Jim seconded and the motion passed by acclamation.

Myka expressed concern about continuity for this committee, as it has been dormant recently and all 3 new members were appointed at the same time. Jim agreed to continue as a member-at-large and Evan asked Victoria if she might be willing to serve a one-year term to complete a past incomplete term (she was). Evan moved to approve Evelyn and Christina for two-year terms and Victoria for one year to complete the earlier incomplete term; Virginia seconded and the motion passed.

Executive Committee agreed to consider Jim (member-at-large on Continuing Education Committee) as one of the three members specified in the by-laws in addition to the chair. Other SEPTLA members are welcome to join the committee, if interested.

Evan made a motion to appoint Myka to another term as Website Manager and Virginia to another term as member of the Communications Committee. Jim seconded and the motion passed by acclamation.

Myka updated the Officers and Executive Leaders page of the SEPTLA website to reflect these appointments and made the term dates more specific.

Spring Meeting

Jim reported that the Continuing Education Committee already has some ideas for topics, including discussion about what our institutions are doing to engage in antiracist practice.

Before possibly surveying the membership to determine interest in an in-person/hybrid meeting, Myka offered to see if Lancaster Theological Seminary would be willing to host. She said that if they are willing, a weekday that is not Friday would be better as far as scheduling.

Evan is going to look into what kind of honorarium we might offer to a guest speaker, should Continuing Education Committee decide to invite one.

Minutes

Meeting adjourned at 11:45am. We forgot to approve the minutes from January, so motion was conducted over email afterwards.

Respectfully submitted,
Virginia Dearborn

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting

March 4, 2022 11am

Attendees: Greg Murray, Evan Boyd, Virginia Dearborn, Evelyn Frangakis, James Humble, Deacon Vic Broberg, Myka Kennedy Stephens; Excused: Patrick Milas

Greg called the meeting to order.

Approval of Minutes from February 16, 2022

Minutes from the committee’s February meeting were approved as distributed

Continuing Education Committee

Greg welcomed Evelyn Frangakis to her first Executive Committee meeting as Continuing Education Committee chair.

Spring Meeting

Greg reported that Myka has secured permission from Lancaster Theological Seminary to host the spring membership meeting this year. Possible dates are April 25, May 2 or May 9, 2022. Thank you, Myka!

Evelyn shared the topics put forward by the committee and there was some discussion. The consensus of the Executive Committee was a presentation about the impacts on a library from an institution’s reckoning with its history, how libraries might help in that effort and then a discussion among the SEPTLA members about the presentation and their own experiences might fit the relatively short timeline we have. The other topics could wait until future meetings.

Myka offered to share Lancaster’s experience with the recent removal of the Schaff name from the seminary library.

Discussion then moved to the meeting format. Myka said Lancaster can accommodate a hybrid meeting. Based on the number of members who might attend in person, she said there are a variety of spaces and technologies available to suit. Rather than send our usual “save the date” message to the membership, it was decided Myka will send an invitation along with a survey to see how many members are interested in attending in person and how many online. In order to save the host library the expense of lunch, Greg suggested SEPTLA cover the cost of food and beverage for the in person attendees this time rather than passing on the expense to the members.

Deadline for RSVP will be April 1 with the understanding that additional online attendees could be accommodated after that date but not additional in person.

Evelyn will go back to the Communication Committee with the Executive Committee’s selection of topic, and Greg and Virginia will take care of the newsletter (in the absence of a Newsletter Editor) getting out after the invitation and before the April 1 RSVP deadline.

Start time for the spring meeting tentatively set for 10:30am on Monday, April 25 with a gathering time beforehand from 10am.

Respectfully submitted,
Virginia Dearborn

A Message from the President

This issue of TeamWork is the first one since I had the honor of being elected president of SEPTLA, and I’m pleased to have the opportunity to send this brief note to the SEPTLA community.

For the last several years, the last qualification listed on my job description has been the following: “Demonstrated flexibility, openness to change and innovation, and a tolerance for ambiguity.” Striving to bring these qualities to one’s daily work is always advisable, but this line has never been so applicable as it has been since March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic fully reached our region. As our daily lives and work arrangements were disrupted, many of us undoubtedly became more acutely aware than ever of the privileges we enjoy by working in a profession where we have not only secure employment but also the option to work from home. Countless others regionally, nationally and globally are not so fortunate. At the same time, our opportunities for professional development, networking, and even simple interpersonal connection were largely cut off. For many of us, SEPTLA has provided a welcome avenue for such professional connections. With the exception of Spring 2020 as the pandemic hit, SEPTLA has continued to hold its usual biannual meetings, thanks not only to web conferencing technology but also to all those who planned, hosted and attended the meetings.

Following in that tradition, Fall Meeting 2021 will be held on Friday, October 29 over Zoom, hosted by United Lutheran Seminary. In addition to the business meeting and gatherings of our two active interest groups, we will welcome Christine Fruin, Scholarly Communication and Digital Projects Manager at Atla, for an update on Atla initiatives and a presentation on the state of open access and opportunities for engagement. See the invitation later in this newsletter for further details.

Anyone interested is welcome to attend the Fall Meeting, irrespective of whether your library is a SEPTLA member. I look forward to seeing you there.

Best,
Greg

Gregory Murray
Princeton, New Jersey
September 27, 2021

Save the Date for Fall 2021 Virtual Meeting

The Fall Meeting of SEPTLA will be held on Friday, October 29, 2021, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM via web conferencing, hosted by United Lutheran Seminary. To receive details on connecting to the meeting, please submit the registration form. Anyone interested is welcome to attend, irrespective of whether your library is a SEPTLA member.

PLEASE NOTE: We typically set aside time at the end of the event for a representative from each library to give an update about their institution. For the Fall Meeting, we’ll keep that tradition but also try something new: providing updates in advance and including them in the Fall newsletter. Please use the registration form (link above) to provide an institutional update. Even if you can’t actually make it to the event, we’d like to share your news with the SEPTLA community. Updates typically include such things as institutional news, staff changes, leadership changes, status of building/collection access during the pandemic, etc. If we receive multiple updates from your institution, we will reach out to the director to combine responses.

The tentative schedule is as follows:

• 10:00 Welcome
• 10:05 - 11:15 Christine Fruin, Scholarly Communication and Digital Projects Manager, Atla — presentation on the current landscape in scholarly communication
• 11:15 - 12:15 Break — Zoom room will remain open for socializing/networking
• 12:15 - 12:45 Interest Group meetings (Research Services IG; Cataloging and Metadata IG)
• 12:45 - 1:45 Business meeting and institutional updates

Agenda for the business meeting:

• Approval of minutes from Spring Meeting 2021
• Introductions
• Announcements
• Treasurer’s report
• Interest group reports
• Committee reports
• Institutional updates

Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association 

Minutes 

Spring Meeting April 23, 2021 

Welcome and Opening Remarks 

The spring meeting of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association commenced via Zoom video conference at 10:00am.  

Virtual attendees included Clint Banz, Evan Boyd, James Brumm, Sarah Danser, Virginia Dearborn, Joy Dlugosz, Sandy Finlayson, Evelyn Frangakis, Sharon Gardoski, Jenifer Gundry, Melvin Hartwick, James Humble, Alan LaPayover, Robert McInnes, Michele Mesi, Patrick Milas, Elizabeth Young Miller, Greg Murray, Lydia Putnam, and Myka Kennedy Stephens. 

COVID 2.0 Discussion 

The first portion of the meeting commenced with a discussion led by Elizabeth Young Miller. Member institutions were prompted with questions regarding COVID-19 precautions, library reopening procedures, changes to workflow due to the pandemic, and post-COVID library procedures and asked to share at will. Elizabeth took notes to publish at a later date without identifying information attached. Topics regarding ILL, sanitation, remote reference, and digital resources were focal points.  

Interest Group Meetings 

Members broke into two separate groups-- research services interest group and cataloging and metadata interest group-- for approximately thirty minutes.  

Institutional News 

Report from New Brunswick Theological Seminary provided by Patrick Milas 

• The DMin program and Certificate program will now be entirely online, even after the pandemic. NBTS may offer one in-person course this fall. The Sage Library will re-open. In the meantime, we are digitally preserving and availing online some of our rarest and uniquely NBTS historic materials (e.g., Superintendent's Minutes). This opportunity is a partnership between Princeton Theological Seminary Library and the Sage Library. To prepare space for the arrival of the Table Top Scribe from Princeton, Public Services and Digital Services collaborated extensively to weed reference books and process donations. The repurposed spaces will facilitate digitization and processing of the card catalog. In Public Services, many reference transactions have been completed. Six library tutorials were offered including “How to Find Course Reserves” and “Commentaries and Biblical Scripture Citations.” Inter-library loan services are also resuming. In Digital Services, many new and donated books were cataloged. Many existing records were deleted or fixed as new titles were added. These efforts included fixes on both the local end as well OCLC WorldShare holdings. The entire library staff will participate in Atla Annual this year. 

Report from Missio Seminary provided by Lydia Putnam 

• Faculty and administration remain hopeful for on-site instruction in the fall, but this has yet to be confirmed. 
• Missio welcomed a new employee to take over website management and curation. Missio is its 50th anniversary and will feature new content on their website for this event. 
• Beginning in the fall semester, Missio will offer a new diploma program in addition to their degree programs.  

Report from Westminster Theological Seminary provided by Sandy Finlayson & Robert McInnes  

• The WTS Library is open to the public so SEPTLA borrowers are now welcome. 
• In person classes in the fall are expected but not yet confirmed.  
• WTS library has vastly expanded databases and eBooks in the last year. The biggest accomplishment for the library has been the implementation of a "discovery service" run by EBSCO. Donna Campbell, the Technical Services Librarian, has led the project. 
• The Seminary has a new website which has impacted the Library. All resources are now housed on one main page. 
• Robert McInnis, Archivist and Research Services Librarian has just finished organizing the papers of the Hunt family who were Presbyterian missionaries in Korea and Manchuria. The collection spans 22 cubic feet and roughly a century of material. Usage of the collection is welcomed. If interested, please email library@wts.edu. At the present time, Robert’s assistant is in the process of transferring the metadata from the collection guide to an ArchivesSpace record. Once this process is complete, the guide to the collection will be available on the website. 
• On a personal note, Sandy has a new book out Chief Scottish Man: The Life and Ministry of Thomas Chalmers.  It's available from WTS Books and from the publisher. 

Report from Lancaster Bible College provided by Clint Banz 

• The Public Services Librarian will be vacating their position.  
• Emphasis on online learning is expected to continue. The purchase and maintenance of ebooks and digital resources predate the pandemic. However, specific fields of study particular to the student population call for the purchase of individual titles to keep prices down. Subscription and database price increase 5% yearly, so limiting these resources is necessary.  
• Library staff have been working on-site since August. 11 new COVID cases have been reported recently among both commuting and resident students.  
• The school plans to open fully to public in May, and are offering online classes and limited events for the summer. No official plan to reopen the school fully in the fall has been announced yet. 

Report from Eastern University provided by Joy Dlugosz 

• Meetings are ongoing regarding the topic of remote vs. in-person learning. 
• The current Dean of the seminary is stepping down.  
• The library has been working on creating a website and focusing on a new acquisitions initiative for social justice books and resources across the disciplines. Social justice articles and podcasts will be posted on the website for addressing current issues. The library is also exploring the possibility of an EDS subscription. 
• The library will also focus on improving digital tutorials and guides after surveying students and faculty on resources needed.  
• Library hours were previously lessened and may possibly be expanded once more over the summer.  

Report from Reconstructionist Rabbinical College provided by Alan LaPayover 

• Courses have been held online since the previous fall semester, and the library has been open three times a week for limited hours. This is in addition to the remote library work carried out by staff as there is minimal in-person usage by students and faculty. 
• The library is planning to potentially reopen for fall, but this is not yet confirmed. Alan remains sole librarian, installing enterprise over PAC to update look and functionality for users should be fully available in May. 
• A hybrid curriculum will begin in the fall. Student enrollment is continually stabilizing and slowly increasing, impacting future finances. The school is also searching for a new Vice President of Academic Affairs/Academic Dean and are currently interviewing for the position.  

Report from Princeton Theological Seminary provided by Greg Murray 

• PTS has announced that classes will be held in person in the fall. Students will be expected to reside on campus and required to be vaccinated while staff and faculty are strongly encouraged to get the vaccine.  
• The library will open in limited capacity to PTS students and faculty in June, and open to all PTS students by the fall semester. There is not currently a timeline for opening the library to outside researchers, alumni, or the public.  
• PTS library welcomes a new Cataloging Librarian within the next month, and a new head of Special Collections was welcomed last fall. 

Report from United Lutheran Seminary provided by Evan Boyd 

• The library remains closed physically and reopening plans have yet to be announced. 
• A new assistant archivist has been signed on and supposed will begin work in May, possibly remotely for a period of time. There are two open faculty searches that are interviewing beginning now and continuing for the next two weeks. In addition, ULS expects to announce a Louisville Institute Fellow added to the faculty for the next two years. 
• ULS finished work on three NEH grant-funded digital projects. Lobby renovations on the Gettysburg campus are ongoing.  

Report from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary provide by James Humble 

• The relocation of the school and library has been confirmed. The seminary signed for a plot of land from Gwynedd Mercy University. The area is removed from GMU’s main campus and St. Charles will remain an independent institution. The purchased land is already developed and prepared for use as a student center and dorm. They are currently in the canvassing/design stage with architects and expect to be open fully in 2024-25 semester at the new location. 
• The current campus and library staff are working on weeding the collection, and marking items for a second weeding process based on usage statistics and faculty consultation. The hope is to reduce the physical collection by 40% to fit into the reduced library space at the new location. 
• Programs have been running digitally throughout pandemic. The school has had some faculty changes including a search for a new Dean of Men from among current faculty. They are expecting to hire one new faculty member in theology in the coming year. 
• A new night program was instituted for students along with a new lecture series run by faculty that hosts 8-10 virtual sessions.  

Report from Lancaster Theological Seminary provided by Myka Stephens  

• LTS opened formal official talks with Moravian Seminary to combine the institutions. They have so far signed a nonbinding MOU. The boards of each school will meet in May to decide whether or not to move forward with the merge. LTS would continue operating on their current campus but join with Moravian Seminary to form a new Divinity School. Talks remain in progress.  
• Reopening plans for the fall semester have begun, but no official decisions have yet been made. Myka announced that she will be on sabbatical at the start of the fall semester. 

Report from Moravian Theological Seminary provided by Elizabeth Young Miller  

• The Rev. Dr. Heather Vacek will be the seminary's new dean, and she starts July 1.  The seminary also hired a professor of New Testament.   
• The seminary's MACC program will change and become part of a mental health school that Moravian's president plans to open.  The institution is also in the process of transitioning to university status.  
• The library has been open via card swipe access to current students, faculty, and staff since the start of the fall semester.  IT has moved into the lower level of the library.  On April 22, a reading nook on the main level of the library was dedicated in honor of Debra Gaspar, a longtime staff member in circulation and interlibrary loan, who died unexpectedly in January 2020. 

Business Meeting 

 Patrick Milas called to order the spring business meeting by making a motion to approve the agenda.  

Approval of the agenda 

Elizabeth Miller pointed out the need to include the Atla Conference scholarship announcement. A motion was made to approve the agenda. James Brumm seconded the motion. All member institutions present approved the agenda.  

Approval of minutes from Fall Meeting on October 16, 2020 (minutes available in Spring 2021 newsletter) 

A motion was made to approve the minutes with amendments. Robert McInnes seconded the motion. All member institutions present approved the minutes as amended. 

Reports 

• Treasurer’s Report – Evan Boyd reported that the balance was just below $13,000 currently. The complete treasury report can be found in Appendix A.  
• Committee Report – Greg Murray reported on behalf of the Communications Committee that there were no changes to report.  Lydia Putnam reported on behalf of the Continuing Education Committee the she will be stepping down as chair. 
• Executive Committee Report – Patrick Milas reported on behalf of the Executive Committee. The committee has met monthly since the fall 2020 meeting. All prior meeting minutes are available in the spring newsletter hosted on the SEPTLA website.

Elections 

• Patrick Milas is stepping down as President. Elizabeth Miller nominated Greg Murray, who accepted the nomination. Greg Murray was unanimously elected as the incoming SEPTLA President. 
• Michele Mesi is stepping down as Secretary. Virgina Dearborn nominated Sarah Danser, who declined the nomination. Jenifer Gundry offered to volunteer as interim secretary until the role is filled. 
• With Greg Murray vacating the position of Newsletter Editor, there was a call for volunteers. Michele Mesi volunteered to fill this position. 

Announcement of Atla Conference Scholarship Recipient 

Elizabeth Miller announced the winner of the Atla Conference Scholarship to be Michele Mesi. Due to the reduction of this year’s attendance fee to $75, there can be more scholarships allotted for in the budget. 

This concluded the spring meeting for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Association. 

Respectfully Submitted, 

Michele Mesi  

Appendix A – Treasury Report 

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting 

March 23, 2021 

Zoom Video Conference 

MINUTES 

Attendees: Vic Broberg, James Brumm, James Humble, Michele Mesi, Patrick Milas, Greg Murray, Lydia Putnam, Elizabeth Young Miller  

Excused: Evan Boyd, Myka Kennedy Stephens  

I. Consideration of Meeting Agenda 

Patrick called the meeting to order at 2:04 pm.  He asked if there were any additions and/or changes to the agenda.  Hearing none, Patrick made a motion to accept the agenda.  Greg moved and James Brumm seconded.  All voted in favor of the proposed agenda. 

II. Consideration of February 2021 EC Minutes 

Patrick asked if there were any changes to the minutes at this time.  Hearing none, Patrick made a motion to accept the minutes, which Jim Humble moved and James Brumm seconded. 

 III. Treasurer’s Report 

Since Evan was not present, a treasurer’s report was not given. 

IV. Spring Meeting 2021 

Host: Moravian Theological Seminary

Dates: April 23 or April 30

The decision was made to schedule the spring meeting for April 23.  This date may work better for several institutions; April 30 is Eastern Orthodox Holy Friday. 

V. Other Business

a. Based on the consensus from the Feb. EC & lack of keynote plans, a future professional development event on the topic of diversity would be great. 

b. 10 - 11:30 am Covid 2.0 discussion

• Continuing the discussion on Covid seems warranted.  During our last meeting, Jim Humble had suggested sharing discussion questions in advance with attendees.  At the very least, we may want to identify some topics or areas of discussion, such as the following: 
  • Library services for distance learners 
  • Interlibrary loan (ILL) 
  • Faculty/library relations 
  • Student perceptions 
  • COVID as it relates to the broader campus community 
  • Special procedures (e.g. sanitization) 

• Additionally, addressing the question James Brumm raised at the last Executive Committee meeting seems wise: Which practice begun during COVID needs to stay post-COVID?  Perhaps we want to have breakout rooms to discuss these questions. 

 c. Lydia is very busy with other projects at the moment and would like to resign as chair of the Continuing Education Committee. 

 d. Elizabeth suggested meeting via Zoom to brainstorm questions and topics related to the COVID discussion.  She will send an invitation to the entire Executive Committee. 

e. 11:30 - noon Interest Group meetings

• Deacon Vic will be leading the Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group meeting, and James Brumm will be facilitating the Research Services Interest Group meeting.  Chairs for both interest groups will be elected at the fall meeting. 

f. Noon - 1 Break (lunch on your own or in breakout rooms)

• Since the sharing of institutional news can take a while, it was decided to break for lunch from 12 to 12:30 and then begin sharing institutional news from 12:30 to 1 pm.  Additional time for institutional reports can be added to the end of the business meeting.  Brief institutional reports and/or written reports are  appreciated.  This sharing could also occur using the chat feature in Zoom.   
•  Patrick mentioned a grant that New Brunswick received, which provides funds for food and hospitality.  New Brunswick has used some of this grant money for GrubHub vouchers.  Lydia shared that GrubHub vouchers could be a morale booster.  As treasurer, Evan would need to weigh in on the decision to offer SEPTLA attendees such vouchers.  

g. 1-2 Business Meeting

•  Business meeting agenda planning; elections; diversity keynote opportunity for fall 2021; standard reports from officers and committees; others Elizabeth will solicit nominations for president and secretary.  There are also a number of openings on both the Continuing Education Committee and the Communications Committee.  Elizabeth will reach out to current members of the Continuing Education Committee as to their plans for the future and Patrick will do the same for the Communications Committee. 
•  Patrick suggested that Evan share more information about the diversity keynote speakers with the SEPTLA membership. Perhaps institutions can identify blackout dates so that plans can begin for the fall meeting. 
•  During the business meeting, reports from committees and interest groups can be  shared. 
•  Elizabeth asked if the topic of individual membership would be discussed during the business meeting.  Patrick responded that it may be best to broach this topic during an  in-person meeting.  The formation of a task force assigned to this topic was briefly  discussed.  However, given the number of openings on the Executive Committee, it may be best to table this task force for the time being. 

 h. Greg will be creating a spring newsletter, containing the following: 

• The spring meeting date 
• Business meeting agenda 
• Minutes from the fall SEPTLA meeting 
• Minutes from recent Executive Committee meetings 

i. Elizabeth will send a “save the date” email to the SEPTLA listserv. 

j. Patrick will begin working on the meeting survey.  The next time the Executive Committee meets, we can discuss the survey, as well as nominations. 

VI. Brief Institutional Updates 

 a. Missio Seminary

• Lydia reported about the happenings at Missio.  She shared that the seminary is celebrating its 50th anniversary with monthly webinars featuring alumni, as well as blog posts, videos, and graphics, all of which Lydia is helping with.  The hope is to hire  someone to assist with these projects, such as a recent graduate from a Christian  college.  Philadelphia is in a holding pattern with regard to restrictions, and the format for  fall classes is unknown at this time.  Missio is also exploring a diploma completion program that could serve as a stepping stone for other seminary programs.  The library experienced a second mold outbreak at the time of the move, due to recurring issues  with leaks and mold coming back on older books.

b. Moravian Theological Seminary

• Elizabeth mentioned that change is the name of the game at Moravian.  It was announced that Rev. Dr. Heather Vacek will be the new dean of the seminary.  This fall, a new professor of New Testament will be joining the seminary.

c. New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS)

• Patrick shared the good news that faculty and staff at New Brunswick can receive their COVID vaccination(s) at a nearby faith-based hospital.  There was a recent COVID case on campus, but fortunately, there are no cases in the library.  Shelving and weeding projects continue.  Michele is working on the cataloging backlog, as well as cataloging ebooks.  New Brunswick continues to prepare for both Middle States and ATS accreditation.  The Middle States accreditation will consist of a virtual visit on April 14.  Strategic planning and institutional assessment are also underway.

d. St. Charles Borromeo

• Jim Humble noted that Easter break begins on Friday and testing will be conducted again once seminarians return from break.  The hope is to finish classes in-person.  No papers have been signed yet with regard to the relocation of the seminary.  However, the location will be near Gwynedd Mercy University.  Since the library will be smaller, Jim has begun weeding the collection.

e. Reformed Episcopal Seminary

• Vic explained that the hybrid model is still in place, with all classes having a Zoom component.  The library is open by appointment only.

f. Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS)

• Greg shared that not much has changed at Princeton Theological Seminary since the last Executive Committee meeting.  Evelyn recently updated the shared SEPTLA document highlighting library access and services during COVID.  Most likely, the library will open when the seminary reopens.  In the meantime, curbside service is available.

VII. Adjournment 

Patrick thanked everyone for attending the meeting and encouraged the committee to make a plug for serving SEPTLA.  Position descriptions for the Executive Committee can be found on SEPTLA’s website.  Patrick motioned to adjourn at 3:00 pm, which Lydia moved and Vic seconded.  The motion passed. 

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting 

April 20, 2021 

Zoom Video Conference 

MINUTES 

Attendees: Vic Broberg, James Brumm, James Humble, Michele Mesi, Patrick Milas, Greg Murray, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Elizabeth Young Miller  

I. Consideration of Meeting Agenda 

Patrick called the meeting to order at 2:02 pm.  He asked if there were any additions and/or changes to the agenda.  Elizabeth asked if the Atla conference scholarship could be added to the agenda, as well as Christine Fruin’s offer to provide SEPTLA with an Atla update.  Christine Fruin’s offer can be included during the spring meeting discussion.  Patrick made a motion to add these items to the agenda.  Greg moved and Deacon Vic seconded.  All voted in favor of the amended agenda. 

II. Consideration of March 2021 EC Minutes 

Patrick asked if there were any changes to the minutes at this time.  Hearing none, Patrick made a motion to accept the minutes, which Myka moved and Greg seconded.  The motion carried. 

III. Treasurer’s Report

Since Evan was not present, a treasurer’s report was not given.  

IV. Spring Meeting 2021 

• Host: Moravian Theological Seminary
• Date: April 23
• Invitations were sent by the Host.

V. The Newsletter has been distributed/published. 

Thank you to Greg for compiling and sharing the newsletter. 

VI. Logistics 

a. Elizabeth asked if one Zoom link should be sent to attendees or multiple links for each segment of the meeting.  Myka suggested sending one link so that individuals can easily pop in and out as their schedules permit; this will also eliminate possible confusion as to which link to use.  Attendees can self-select breakout rooms, a feature which can be  used for the interest group meetings. 

 b. Elizabeth shared that for the COVID discussion there are a total of eight (8) slides with questions.  Since 90 minutes has been allotted for this conversation, spending  approximately ten (10) minutes per slide makes sense.  It was decided to have  participants raise their hands to speak instead of a round robin approach with  representatives from each institution sharing.  Attendees can also utilize the chat to  share information. 

VII. Christine Fruin’s offer to provide Atla update at Spring Meeting 

Christine Fruin reached out to Elizabeth about providing an Atla update during the spring meeting.  Patrick shared that she gave an update at the NYATLA meeting on Tuesday  and reminded everyone that she had been slated to present at the 2020 spring meeting,  which was cancelled due to COVID.  If Christine were to provide an update, it would  make the most sense to incorporate this information into the business meeting.   However, the business meeting agenda is already full.  Patrick will contact Christine  about presenting an Atla update at a later date. 

VIII. Meeting Agenda 

Greg explained that the business meeting agenda is included in the newsletter, but not  the schedule for the day.  He can update the newsletter to include this information or this information can be relayed with the Zoom link.  It was decided that Elizabeth will include the schedule in the email she sends with the Zoom details. 

 XI. Elections and Committee Member Update 

a. Patrick shared that some members of the Communications Committee are willing to  continue to serve.  Jim and Elizabeth will also remain on the Continuing Education  Committee.  Elizabeth has not received any nominations for president nor secretary.   

b. Greg graciously offered to serve as president.  Patrick will be delighted to nominate him.  With Greg assuming the presidency, we will need to find someone to serve as newsletter editor.  Michele kindly volunteered to serve in this role. 

 X. Bills 

Jim Humble shared that he has received two (2) bills.  One bill is for 1 & 1 and the other is for Network Solutions.  He will scan the bills and send them to Evan. 

XI. Atla Conference Scholarship Update

a. Elizabeth shared that one (1) application for the Atla conference scholarship was received, and she will reach out to Evan about a check.  Michele Mesi will be awarded  the scholarship in the amount of $75; the full price of the conference registration.  

b. Normally, the scholarship is for $300, but since the conference is online this year,  scholarship funds are only needed to cover conference registration.  Greg asked if  multiple people could receive the scholarship this year.  The consensus was yes,  especially since a scholarship was not awarded last year.  During the business meeting,  Elizabeth will call for a second round of applicants.  The budget could support up to four  (4) people being awarded funds this year. 

XII. Action Item: Survey Design and Implementation. 

Past surveys have included questions about the SEPTLA conference, as well as virtual  events, continuing education topics, and other institutions and/or librarians who may be  interested in joining SEPTLA.  It may be worth contacting Messiah College and Molloy  College to see if librarians at these institutions may be interested in attending a future  meeting.  Patrick will invite them to the spring SEPTLA meeting.  It was decided to reuse past survey questions and add the following question: If your institution has been  adversely affected by COVID-19, are there ways that SEPTLA and/or member  institutions can assist you?  Gauging ways to assist solo librarians is important.   Elizabeth will create the survey using Survey Monkey and share a link in the chat during  the Zoom meeting.  She will also send a follow up email to the listserv including the  survey link. 

XIII. Brief Institutional Updates 

a. New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS)

• Patrick mentioned that accreditation is still the focus with visits from Middle States and ATS this year.  He also shared that NBTS is partnering with Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS) on a summer digitization project.

b. St. Charles Borromeo

• Jim Humble shared that St. Charles Borromeo recently signed an agreement to purchase land near Gwynedd Mercy University.  Soon the packing will begin.

c. Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS)

• Greg shared that not much has changed at Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS) since the last Executive Committee meeting.  As Patrick mentioned, Greg is assisting with a digitization project at NBTS.  The library is planning a phased reopening that will begin sometime this summer.

d. Moravian Theological Seminary

• Elizabeth mentioned that there is nothing new to report at Moravian.

XIV. Adjournment 

Patrick thanked everyone for attending the meeting, especially during this busy time of the semester.  He motioned to adjourn at 2:47 pm, which Jim Humble moved and James Brumm seconded.  The motion passed. 

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting  

June 15, 2021 

Webex Video Conference 

MINUTES 

Attendees: Greg Murray, Jenifer Gundry, James Brumm, Jim Humble, Michele Mesi, Vic Broberg, Patrick Milas 

Absent: Evan Boyd, Myka Kennedy Stephens  

I. Approval of meeting agenda 

Greg called the meeting to order at 1:06 PM. The agenda was approved without any objections.  

II. Approval of April 2021 EC Minutes 

The minutes of the 4/20 Executive Committee meeting were approved.  

III. Treasurer's Report 

None.  

IV. New business 

1. Vacancies
2. Secretary (normally elected at Spring Meeting; if vacant, appointed by Exec Comm; 1-year term)
3. Continuing Education Committee chair (appointed by Exec Comm; 2-year term)
4. Continuing Education Committee member (appointed by Exec Comm upon recommendation by Con Ed Comm chair; 2-year term) 

V. Fall Meeting

1. Greg suggested inviting Christine Fruin to provide an Atla update for the Fall Meeting.  Patrick said he believed the offer stood, and was a good idea. 
2. Documentation for transfer of knowledge
3. Greg suggested using either the Google drive or creating a Wiki about SEPTLA position transitions. James Brumm thought continuing use of the Google Drive made the most sense. Patrick added that despite lack of documentation advising it, Greg needs to be added to the PNC account as the new President. Evan should be able to facilitate.
4. Bylaws considerations: Executive Committee membership.
5. Greg broached the idea of adding the Archivist to the Executive Committee. Jim mentioned his predecessor was not active on the EC. Jim added he would like to see some archives made into digital format. Greg thought a Task Force could be responsible for digitization, not solely the archivist. Patrick thanked Jim for his service and proposed adding Jim to the E.C.
6. Greg explained that the Constitution should be amended to indicate that EC membership is addressed in the Bylaws. Then the E.C. could propose to amend the Bylaws to add the Archivist position to the Bylaws. James Brumm noted having the Archivist on the E.C. makes sense, and think about a term limit.
7. Patrick suggested a change is necessary to continue the status quo of Jim’s active participation on the E.C.  Greg suggests we set the matter aside for a future meeting topic. Jim asked whether Greg would come up with some language for a motion, and Greg said he would do so. Greg plans to consider how that project may best proceed. Jim added that he plans to  take some time to review the archives. Patrick suggested a 4 year term limit for archivists.
8. Google Drive access
9. Patrick asked about adding officers other than President (g.Archivist) to the Google drive. The E.C. thought it was worthy of further consideration.
10. Patrick asked about whether we were sufficiently digitally preserving the content on the SEPTLA website. James Brumm suggested using some removable hard drive. Greg added thatanythingon the website should be in the Google drive. There’s also the Wayback machine taking snapshots of the site.  

VI. Institutional updates

a. Reformed Episcopal Seminary 

• Vic reported they hosted a small graduation in person and over Zoom. They are continuing classes as hybrids in the fall. They are excited about a new ILS launch. Vic will be starting an MLIS program through Valdosta State University in August.  

 b. New Brunswick Seminary 

• Patrick reported there was an online commencement ceremony, and conferral ceremonies in small groups on campus. The Sage Library reopened to faculty on June 1. DMin students are welcome back  August 3. NBTS students welcome back August 16. Digitizing efforts continue.  

c. St. Charles Seminary 

• Jim reported that the concursus ceremony took place, with 2 family members allowed per graduate. Graduation ceremony took place with only students and priest/faculty attending. Summer classes are on campus this summer. Nuns who come during summer were missed last year, but are coming back now through the end of July. Fall courses will be in person. Debates about vaccinations are ongoing. St. Charles bought a plot of land. Architects are building the case for a large presence for the library in the new student life building. Lots of collection reduction plans taking place. New campus to open in 2024.  

 d. Princeton Seminary 

• Greg reported the library opened on 6/14 for current faculty, students and staff. Swipe cards required. It’s a start to rejoice in. Jen shared that there are new staff members. There’s a new cataloger, Nicholas Friesner, who started in May. The Circulation department welcomed 2 new part-time employees.  

 VII. Adjournment

Greg wondered if summer meetings should be bimonthly or monthly. We shall consider further. The meeting adjourned at 2:01pm.  

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting

August 16, 2021

Webex Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: James Brumm, James Humble, Michele Mesi, Patrick Milas, Greg Murray, Jenifer Gundry, Evan Boyd, Myka Kennedy Stephens, and Vic Broberg.

I. Changes to and approval of agenda

Greg called the meeting to order at 2:15 pm. Greg explained that the Treasurer’s Report and Institutional Updates need to be added. He asked if there were any additions and/or changes to the agenda. Hearing none, Greg declared the agenda approved as amended.

II. Changes to and approval of minutes from June 15 meeting

Greg asked if there were any changes to the minutes at this time. Hearing none, Greg declared the minutes approved.

III. Vacancies

a. Secretary

1. One nomination: Virginia Dearborn
2. James motioned. Motion carried by acclamation.

b. Continuing Education Committee chair and member

1. Greg emailed SEPTLA library directors; no nominations received. Greg asked: should we post to SEPTLA mailing list and/or target individuals, or wait until Fall Meeting?
2. Evan will ask 2 new staff if they are interested.
3. Greg will post to the list.

IV. Fall Meeting

Greg broached the idea of remote or in-person. Jim would prefer in-person, in theory. Myka asked if we could do a hybrid meeting? Consensus was that meeting in person would be premature due to the ongoing public health situation. Evan said that if ULS hosted, they have equipped Zoom rooms. Princeton does not have clarity about guests on campus. Evan spoke further about hosting by ULS. Evan will explore hosting on October 22 or some other time.

Greg heard from Christine Fruin about an Atla update. Without a ConEd chair, we should take the offer from Atla. Greg asked what folks thought. Patrick was in favor. Evan suggested a focus on digital initiatives from Atla, and Greg voiced support. Greg will contact Christine to ask for a general update with a focus on digital initiatives.

V. Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer’s report was distributed by Evan Boyd. The main expense was for Atla conference participation scholarships. Evan proposed resuming dues collection beginning this fall.

VI. Adding Archivist to Executive Committee

1. Greg explained that adding the Archivist to the E.C. will require amending both the constitution and the bylaws. Greg proposed announcing this at the fall business meeting using a Google form to approve "by email or other digital means over a 7-day period." The E.C. was in favor.
2. Digitization of SEPTLA archives
3. Jim Humble offered to chair a task force. Greg offered to serve on the task force. Evan Boyd explained that ULS could host the digitized content through an existing arrangement. Evan also volunteered for the task force. Myka moved to form a task force. James Brumm seconded the motion. It was approved by the E.C. Jim will begin to take the lead of the task force and ask library directors if they have any interested staff.
4. Google Drive access
5. Greg asked if the Archivist or anyone else should have access to the Google Drive. Myka noted that it makes sense to add Jim as Archivist but that it’s unnecessary to add others (such as website manager and newsletter editor) because they can still collaborate on individual documents without access to the entire drive. There was consensus to add Jim Humble to the Google Drive.

VII. Other Business

a. Myka asked folks to revisit status changes on the shared form.

b. Greg thanked Jenifer Gundry for her service as interim Secretary since the Spring Meeting. Virginia Dearborn will complete the remainder of the one-year term.

VIII. Institutional Updates

a. New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS)

• Laura Giacobbe has moved to Kean University. New position for Access Services and Reference Librarian is posted on the NBTS website.

a. St. Charles Borromeo

• St. Charles is on track to move to a new campus by fall 2024.

c. Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS)

• More will be revealed about PTS level of access and staffing.

d. Lancaster Theological Seminary

• Myka mentioned that they will in a merger with Moravian. LTS staff departing today for an SLMS position out of state. Classes starting on Friday.

e. United Lutheran Seminary

• ULS now has an archivist, after a year of effort.

IX. Adjournment

Greg thanked everyone for attending the meeting, especially Myka during her sabbatical. The meeting adjourned at 3:07 p.m.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting

September 17, 2021

Webex Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: James Brumm, Michele Mesi, Patrick Milas, Greg Murray, Virginia Dearborn, Evan Boyd, Myka Kennedy Stephens, and James Humble.

Absent: Michele Mesi and Vic Broberg

Changes to and approval of agenda

Greg called the meeting to order at 2:03 pm. Greg asked if there were any changes to make to the agenda. Hearing none, Greg declared the agenda approved as distributed.

Changes to and approval of minutes from August 16 meeting

Greg asked if there were any changes to the minutes at this time.  Hearing none, Greg declared the minutes approved.

Vacancies

1. Secretary
   1. Virginia Dearborn joins the E.C. at this meeting as the new Secretary.
2. Continuing Education Committee chair and member
   1. Remains vacant. Evan has a staff member interested (Victoria Jesswein) in serving on the committee.

Fall Meeting

Friday, October 29; online, hosted by United Lutheran Seminary

Schedule: presentation by Christine Fruin of Atla, interest group meetings, Business Meeting

Greg asked about the best way to convey Zoom details for the meeting. Evan suggested a Google form or Office form. Evan agreed to set up a form for the meeting. Once prepared, the save-the-date notice can be sent to the SEPTLA mailing list.

Greg will meet with Michele to transition Newsletter Editor duties.

Greg plans to prepare some information about the meeting and send it to Evan and Michele.

Evan explained how the Philadelphia Area Special Collections and Libraries group provides institutional updates in  its newsletters, and the possibility of doing the same (rather than taking time for this during the business meeting). Greg will work with Michele on that document.

James asked if he could present about the Archives Task Force during the Business Meeting. The E.C. was in favor.

Adding Archivist to Executive Committee

Greg observed that as a Chair of a Task Force, James Humble would continue to serve on the E.C. So we could defer a Bylaws and Constitution change until later. James said that to ensure the Archivist is on the E.C. going forward, a change is necessary. Greg explained that a future Archivist may not wish to attend all E.C. meetings.

Evan asked if we should save proposed Bylaws changes to do several changes at once at the spring meeting. Myka recalled and Patrick confirmed that membership categories, in particular the addition of an individual membership type, were recently of interest. Myka also mentioned there was an idea of hiring an administrator to help plan meetings. It may have been deferred due to budget concerns.

Greg asked if Evan proposed deferring changes to the Bylaws until the spring. Patrick mentioned NYATLA brought up disbanding this week. Greg asked if NYATLA was metro-area only, or all of NY. Patrick said Yale is in Conn. Virginia said these concerns speak to deferring Bylaws changes. Evan said let’s invite them. Is SEPTLA just metro-Philly? Myka said it could add Pittsburg. Evan said the Bylaws do not define the SEPTLA region, but the Constitution specifies “eastern Pennsylvania and the adjacent mid-Atlantic area”, which could include NY, maybe Connecticut. The E.C. concluded we should simply invite NYATLA members to the fall SEPTLA meeting since it will be a virtual meeting and since the program portion (presentation by a representative from Atla) is also relevant to NYATLA.

Institutional/Personal Updates

New Brunswick Seminary

Patrick Milas said that Sage Library reopened to faculty and students with swipe card access. The search continues for an Access Services and Reference Librarian. James Brumm said he’s no longer in the library, so at the next Research Services Interest Group meeting, he plans to call for nomination for a successor.

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

Jim’s supervisor is retiring. Jim may be tasked with some of her duties, including more assessment, art collection, IT. Jim is excited by the opportunity. She will continue to consult during the transition.

Princeton Seminary

Greg affirmed PTSL is open only to students, faculty and staff. Have to swipe in. There’s a new Head of Public Services - Chris Anderson coming  from Yale Divinity library. Virginia affirmed that library staff are utilizing  hybrid schedules (working on-site at least 3 days per week). New instructional videos are flourishing.

United Lutheran Seminary

Evan said that the Hymn Society Library collection was integrated at LTS at some point. He is exploring what to do with it.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned. Greg asked about whether to have a meeting next month so close to the fall meeting. James Humble proposed scheduling one tentatively that could be foregone. The E.C. thought it good to schedule one. Greg plans to send a Doodle poll for one.

SEPTLA Fall Meeting 2021 Minutes

Minutes

Fall Meeting October 29, 2021

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association met via Zoom video conference, hosted by United Lutheran Seminary.

Attendees

Evan Boyd (United Lutheran Seminary), James Brumm (New Brunswick Theological Seminary), Sarah Danser (Princeton Theological Seminary), Virginia Dearborn (Princeton), Evelyn Frangakis (Princeton), Sharon Gardoski (Clarks Summit University), Melvin Hartwick (Princeton), James Humble (St. Charles Borromeo Seminary), Alan LaPayover (Reconstructionist Rabbinical College), Rachel McConnell (Missio Seminary), Robert McInnes (Westminster Theological Seminary), Michele Mesi (New Brunswick), Patrick Milas (New Brunswick), Elizabeth Young Miller (Moravian Theological Seminary), Greg Murray (Princeton), Lydia Putnam (Missio), and from Fordham University (NYATLA) Geraldine Granahan, Jane Suda and John Williams.

Welcome

Greg, current SEPTLA President, welcomed everyone, thanked Evan and United Lutheran Seminary for hosting, and introduced our guest presenter, Christine Fruin, Scholarly Communication and Digital Initiatives Manager, Atla.

Guest Presentation

Christine gave us an update on Atla including cooperative member programs and resources, grant opportunities, events and professional development opportunities, annual conference, open access publications, Atla Digital Library and ways to connect and learn on demand. The second and main part of the presentation pertained to the current scholarly communication landscape, including copyright and fair use, controlled digital lending, open access publishing, open education, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and resources and opportunities for theological librarians.

Interest Group Meetings

After a break for lunch, each of the interest groups met in separate Zoom breakout rooms: Research Services, and Cataloging and Metadata. The chair of Cataloging and Metadata wasn’t in attendance and the chair of Research Services announced that as he is no longer in the library at New Brunswick, so he needs to step down. However, both groups summarized their conversations.

Business Meeting 

Greg opened the fall business meeting at 1:06pm, and our guests from Fordham University excused themselves with thanks again for being invited.

Approval of Minutes from Spring Meeting 2021

With nine member libraries represented, a quorum (representatives of at least half of the SEPTLA member libraries) was present. James Brumm moved to approve the minutes, Evan seconded and the attendees approved.

Announcements

• The Executive Committee has appointed Virginia as Secretary, following Jenifer Gundry’s service as interim Secretary
• Evelyn has joined the Continuing Education Committee
• The Executive Committee has authorized a new task force. James Humble, SEPTLA Archivist, spoke about the need to evaluate the SEPTLA archives to determine a plan for digitization for preservation and (as Lydia noted) access. He invited members to contact him with interest in joining the task force.
• Reminders from the Executive Committee:
  • Direct Borrowing Privileges Agreement (a.k.a. reciprocal borrowing), a core component of SEPTLA membership, remains in effect despite disruptions caused by the pandemic; members are encouraged to comply with requests as much as their current level of service allows
  • Members are encouraged to keep their institutional information up to date as circumstances evolve regarding levels of service and building access, using the COVID-19 SEPTLA Member Library Information document, linked from the SEPTLA website
  • SEPTLA has a Slack workspace (septla.slack.com) with various channels to facilitate committee communication and generally connecting with colleagues

Treasurer’s Report

Evan reported two scholarships were paid out along with our usual website server fees. Membership dues will resume at the end of January 2022. He also reminded members that there are funds available to bring in outside speakers for continuing education/professional development.

Committee Reports

Executive Committee

Greg reminded everyone that the minutes of Executive Committee meetings are included in the newsletter on the SEPTLA website.

Communications Committee

Michele Mesi has become Newsletter Editor. Myka Kennedy Stephens continues to serve as Website Manager. Michele reminded attendees to please review information about their libraries on the SEPTLA website (including on the COVID-19 SEPTLA Member Library Information document), and also that there is a Slack workspace and the listserv for internal communication.

Continuing Education Committee

There is no chair for this committee right now, but the members may wish to meet in the coming months to consider programming for Spring Meeting 2022.

Institutional Updates

A representative from each member library in attendance gave a summary of the following written updates (which will also be added to the Fall 2021 issue of the SEPTLA newsletter).

Cairn University

Caleb Daubenspeck is finishing his final courses at St. Johns University and has been promoted to Reader Services Librarian. 

Over the summer, the library completed phase 2 of the library renovation with a focus on services (glassed student collaboration/conference room), redesigned front desk and reference desk, and built staff offices on the lower level of the building. 

For the systems side of the library it has been a busy spring/summer/fall: As a member of PALCI, Cairn was part of the first RESHARE group which utilizes the FOLIO software for ILL lending. We are now live on FOLIO ERM and currently working towards a full migration of FOLIO by summer 2022. 

Finally, we are beginning our self-study for MSCHE, with a planned visit in Spring 2024. Stephanie Kaceli will co-chair this team (and is attending the SSI rather than meeting with you on October 29).

Clarks Summit University

The Murphy Memorial Library at Clarks Summit University is back to full operations and activities on campus. It is good to see more students using the library again. We have begun working on the Middle States Self-Study process.

This year we began promoting our newly created Murphy Memorial LibGuide to assist students in finding and using library resources. We are also updating our Staff LibGuide with detailed procedures for all tasks. We started using student Team Leaders to train new student staff and manage some library projects.

This fall, we added Business Source Premier to our library databases to support the growing business program, and we made the transition from self-hosted EZproxy to hosted. This not only makes it easier for students to access databases off campus, but it also provides support from outside our school and takes that burden off our IT department.

Pastors and professors donated quality commentaries, Bibles, and theology books to our library which we sold at a fall book sale. Alumni, pastors, and students were thrilled to get inexpensive resources for their ministries, donors were pleased that their books will be used, and sale proceeds will be used to purchase new books and ebooks for the library.

Ongoing projects include identifying outdated books for discarding, copying chapel messages from the 1980s from cassettes to mp3, and making our students’ dissertations discoverable in the online catalog.

Missio Seminary

Missio Seminary is holding all classes online this fall with plans to return to classes on campus with a hybrid option for Spring 2022. While building use has been low with the pandemic, our partnership with the Digital Theological Library has been a vast resource including the ability to easily acquire electronic course reserves for remote access. One unexpected plus of the pandemic has been significant increase of student use and skills with digital access.

Moravian Theological Seminary

Moravian Theological Seminary is now part of Moravian University--the status of the institution changed over the summer from a college to a university.  On July 1, Moravian Seminary welcomed a new vice president and dean, the Rev. Dr. Heather Vacek.  Also in July, Moravian and Lancaster Theological Seminary received formal approval to combine.  Classes for undergraduates and graduate students are being offered in various formats and the library is open regular hours.

New Brunswick Theological Seminary

Sage Library at NBTS completed MSCHE and ATS self-studies this year. The MSCHE visit was wholesome, fulfilling, and favorable. The ATS visit will be in February. Public Services Librarian Laura Giacobbe left Sage Library for a position at Kean University where she plans to pursue a doctorate. 

The Library Committee reenvisioned the Public Services Librarian position, and undertook a search process for an Access Services and Reference Librarian. The search has completed. We are pleased Deanna Roberts from the Burke Library at Union Seminary will be joining Sage Library staff next month. 

In summer 2021, Digital Services Librarian Michele Mesi took the lead on a digitization pilot project, digitizing unique 19th and 20th century documents relevant to the history of NBTS. The documents will be accessible via the Internet Archive and the Theological Commons. 

This fall the Library reopened to current students and faculty with swipecard access. Milas has led circulation staff development/management and reopening protocols. Mesi has been coordinating fall reserves, in-print and online, and in-person/digital reference. It has gone smoothly, though in-person library use remains light. 

Library Director Patrick Milas wrote “Financial Management and Record-keeping” for The Theological Librarian’s Handbook (Vol. II): Administration in Theological Libraries. He also taught “Spirituality of the Twelve Steps” as part of the grant initiative “Science for Seminaries” with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Milas plans to be on paternity leave the first quarter of 2021.

Princeton Theological Seminary

As part of the Seminary’s slavery audit and subsequent reparation recommendations, in October the library was renamed for Theodore Sedgwick Wright, the first African-American graduate of the Seminary and prominent abolitionist and pastor. More information about the Wright Library renaming may be found at https://www.ptsem.edu/news/library-naming.

For the fall term 2021, the library and campus are open to the PTS community of faculty, students and staff. As the library is able to bring new staff on board to catch up with the pre-covid era retirements, its aim is to restore services to pre-pandemic levels.  

The library welcomed two new staff members since the spring meeting: 

Nicholas Friesner joined us as Cataloging Librarian in May. Nicholas comes to PTS with experience cataloging across multiple formats and languages in academic libraries, most recently at Brown University and, prior to that, at Johns Hopkins University and Yale Divinity Library. Nicholas has both a BA and PhD from Brown University as well as a master’s degree from Yale Divinity School. 

Chris Anderson became the library’s Head of Public Services this month. In this role Chris serves as the reference librarian and oversees library instruction services as well as the Circulation Department. Chris comes to the Seminary from Yale’s Divinity Library, where he was Head of Special Collections for five years. Prior to that Chris served in several lead administrative roles in Drew University’s Library. Chris has been an ordained minister, has taught at the graduate level, and has a PhD from Drew University. 

A library team is reviewing how PTS can improve its descriptive practices in local or LCSH subject headings in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Since SEPTLA libraries share similar or overlapping sets of subject headings and collection, PTS invites conversation with other SEPTLA libraries about their work and practices in this area. The main contact person for this work is Jenifer Gundry (jenifer.gundry@ptsem.edu).

Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

RRC welcomed our new Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Amanda Beckenstein Mbuvi. Fall semester began on 9/2 with a recent record enrollment of 54 students, most of whom are studying on site. Classes are being held in person and on Zoom. The Library is beginning to learn how to adapt to our new hybrid curriculum which will eventually be seeing our year 4 and 5 students working and learning in internships all around the country. Any advice on how to adapt the Library to a hybrid curriculum, especially from those who have done it, would be greatly welcome.

St. Charles Boromeo Seminary

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is proceeding with its plan to relocate to a plot of land in Gwynedd Valley. The new campus will feature two dorms, a student center, and a chapel. In the current designs, the library is situated under the chapel. We expect to do some weeding to fit the library's collection within the new parameters. Cait Kokolus has retired from her role as Vice President for Assessment and Information Technology. Her duties have been reassigned to several administrators, including James Humble, who, in addition to continuing as library director, will serve as Assessment Liaison Officer for the Seminary, as curator of the art collection, and as a point person for IT response team.

United Lutheran Seminary

United Lutheran Seminary has had an eventful Fall semester. The inauguration of the Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin was held in October, with events held in Philadelphia, Lancaster, and Gettysburg. An altered Luther Bowl, called Luther Ball, was held at the end of October, celebrating the cross-campus communities and Reformation Day. ULS Library has hired a new Assistant Archivist, Victoria Jesswein, who is located on our Gettysburg campus and is in charge of the day to day work around seminary, church, and Region 8 Synod Archives of the ELCA. ULS has also been able to hire a new Associate Professor of Public Theology, the Rev. Dr. Teresa Smallwood, and Dr. Junehee Yoon has joined us as Visiting Assistant Professor of Theological Ethics and Louisville Institute Postdoctoral Fellow. ULS Library has been active adding its archival materials to ArchivesSpace and is slowly developing digital collections on two platforms, found at ULS Digital Collections.

Conclusion

The business meeting, as well as the general meeting, concluded at 1:42pm.

A Message From the President

Many of the challenges Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association (SEPTLA) member libraries faced in 2020 were met with trepidation and anxiety. But they were met, and they were met together. Despite the ongoing pandemic SEPTLA’s Executive Committee continued to meet virtually every month, sharing institutional updates about topics such as the status of library hours, resource sharing, book quarantining procedures, and staff and patron safety. At the Re-opening and Resource Sharing Summit in 2020 library staff compared notes and lessons learned on innovative approaches to virtual library services. At the SEPTLA Fall Meeting hosted by New Brunswick Theological Seminary we welcomed Dr. Tom Phillips, founder of the Digital Theological Library (DTL), who presented about new ways to organize joint purchasing among libraries.

The SEPTLA Spring Meeting will be hosted virtually by Moravian Theological Seminary. In lieu of keynote speakers, we will revisit topics related to library services in the pandemic environment. Mark your calendars for April 23, 2021 and plan to attend. If you are new to SEPTLA, come participate. Interest Groups will be meeting and holding elections. Consider opportunities to serve in leadership roles. Past President Elizabeth Miller recently called for applications for scholarships to attend Atla Annual Conference this summer. I encourage you to apply if you have not previously attended an Atla meeting. SEPTLA and Atla continue to be incredible sources of support for theological librarianship.

One of the most exciting projects on the horizon for the Gardner A. Sage Library at New Brunswick Theological Seminary is the implementation of a new digitization workflow. I want to highlight this initiative because it emerges directly out of SEPTLA’s continuing education legacy. The project was inspired by Gregory Murray’s presentation “Using the Internet Archive and Theological Commons as an On-Ramp to Digitization and Access for Local Collections” given at the SEPTLA Fall Meeting at Lancaster Bible College in 2017. The Sage Library looks forward to digitizing special collections and archives to be included in the Internet Archive and Princeton’s Theological Commons. Once complete we can celebrate another example of partnership between SEPTLA member libraries – collaboration that will provide an enduring contribution to the theological record and regional cultural heritage.

It is with guarded excitement that I proclaim 2021 is shaping up to be a much better year in terms of physical health. The distribution of vaccines is accelerating all over the world. Today I received my first vaccination for Covid-19. The leadership of the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, scientists and healthcare professionals, together with the uncommon collaboration of pharmaceutical companies has shone bright hope amid daunting setbacks in physical and mental health.

I hope that the recent tragedies of social injustice and the tenor of Black Lives Matter advocacy may propel robust awareness in our society and in our libraries. The Executive Committee has been discussing the issues throughout the year, and looks to future SEPTLA meetings as avenues for increased understanding of issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Alas, I will not be leading that effort as SEPTLA President beyond the Spring 2021 SEPTLA Meeting.

It has been an honor and joy to serve as SEPTLA President the past couple years. The knowledge I have gained and friendships nurtured in my role are invaluable. Although I am obliged to pass the baton to the next President, I will not disappear. It is a charming feature of the SEPTLA Bylaws that the Past President take the minutes at the Executive Committee meetings for the next year. So I will be polishing my minute-taking talents while journeying with you in 2021 and beyond.

With every good wish,
Patrick

T. Patrick Milas, MLIS, PhD
SEPTLA President

Spring 2021 Meeting: April 23, virtual

The Spring Meeting will be held on April 23 via web conferencing, hosted by Moravian Theological Seminary. If you plan to attend, please email Elizabeth Young Miller (millere at moravian dot edu), and she will send you the details for connecting to the meeting.

A detailed agenda is forthcoming, but we anticipate a 10:00 am - 2:00 pm schedule.

The agenda for the Business Meeting will be as follows:

• Approval of Agenda
• Approval of Minutes from Fall Meeting on October 16, 2020 (minutes available in Spring 2021 newsletter)
• Reports
  • Treasurer’s Report
  • Committee Reports
• Executive Committee Report
  • Monthly minutes available in Spring 2021 newsletter
• Announcement of recipient of scholarship to attend Atla Annual 2021
• Elections
• Institutional News
• Conclusion

Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association

Minutes

Fall Meeting 10-16-2020

I. Welcome and Opening Remarks

Patrick Milas commenced the fall meeting of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association via Zoom video conference.

Virtual attendees included Sharon Gardoski, Vic Broberg, James Humble, Robert McInnes, Greg Murray, Myka Stephens, Virginia Dearborn, Melvin Hartwick, Stephanie Kaceli, Sarah Danser, James Brumm, Lydia Putnam, Evan Boyd, Alan LaPayover, Evelyn Frangakis, Clint Banz, Jenifer Gundry, Michele Mesi, and Mark Draper.

II. Morning Session

The first portion of the meeting commenced with a talk and discussion by Thomas Phillips of Claremont School of Theology regarding his founding and mission for the Digital Theological Library.

Lydia Putnam posed the question of how the DTL was conceived and created. Thomas Phillips provided a brief summary of his time at Clarement School of Theology and his hope to create a shared resource among libraries on a national and international scale for students conducting research.

Evelyn Frangakis also proposed further conversation with SEPTLA members and Thomas Phillips on the topic of controlled digital lending to be organized via email.

III. Afternoon Session

Members broke into two separate groups-- research services interest group and cataloging and metadata interest group-- for approximately thirty minutes.

IV. Business Session

Patrick Milas called to order the fall business meeting by making a motion to approve the agenda.

i. Approval of the agenda

Robert McInnes made a motion to approve the agenda. Lydia Putnam seconded the motion. All member institutions present approved the agenda.

ii. Approval of minutes from the November 1, 2019 meeting

Virginia Dearborn made a motion to approve the minutes from the previous fall meeting. Greg Murray seconded the motion. All member institutions present approved the minutes.

iii. Reports

1. Treasurer’s Report
   • Evan Boyd reported that the balance was just over $13,000 currently. Evan also reported a transfer of $2,000 from the checking to the money market account. Lydia Putnam made a motion to approve the treasurer’s report. The motion was seconded and all member institutions present approved the minutes. The complete treasury report can be found in Appendix A.
2. Executive Committee
   • Lydia Putnam reported on behalf of Continuing Education. Lydia reported her suggestion to have Tom Phillips come to discuss the process of cataloging and recording metadata. Lydia also stated that the committee is actively accepting suggestions for the spring meeting agenda. She also reported an opening for a committee member and reminded members of the Slack account for communication purposes.
   • Myka Stephens reported on behalf of Communications. Myka reported that updates are now included in the newsletter. She also reminded members of the shared Google Document that is published to the SEPTLA website where updates on institution status regarding COVID-19 operations are listed. Myka reported that the recording of the SEPTLA Reopening Summit meeting is now uploaded to the YouTube channel and linked in the newsletter. She also reminded members to update any changes in library staffing or leadership by checking on the member library link from the SEPTLA home page.

iv. Interest Group Reports

1. Research Services Interest Group – Lydia Putnam reported on behalf of James Brumm, the volunteer chair of the group, and stated that the group is open to recommendations for discussion which can be submitted via his email.
2. Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group – Vic Broberg reported that the group discussed best practices for cataloging, cleaning up MARC records, and ILS migration preparation. Vic will also be continuing as the chair for the Cataloging and Metadata interest group.

v. Executive Committee Report

1. Patrick Milas reported that the monthly meeting minutes are now available in the Fall 2020 newsletter. He also proposed an invitation for written feedback regarding bylaw changes.

vi. Action Item

1. The Executive Committee also discussed the idea of a new individual membership option for those who wish to join. Under this option, individual members would be able to: Participate in meetings, vote, serve on committees and in leadership positions, check with individual member libraries regarding their direct borrowing programs, and receive complementary dues. Virginia Dearborn brought up a topic for discussion regarding the weight of an individual membership vote vs. that of a school’s membership.
2. Evan Boyd briefly discussed his proposed motion to suspend institutional dues for the 2020-2021 membership year. In June 2020 the Executive Committee voted unanimously to suspend 2020-2021 institutional dues for all existing member organization due to the current pandemic. Virginia Dearborn asked if institutions with the ability to afford dues would be permitted to pay and it was decided that institutions could request an invoice for membership dues.
3. Patrick Milas presented the Executive Committee’s motion to waive institutional dues. All member institutions present approved the motion.

vii. Institutional News

1. Report from Missio Seminary provided by Lydia Putnam

• Open Tuesday and Thursday by appointment (this includes SEPTLA students, just contact us ahead of time at library@missio.edu).
• This summer we began an ongoing series of webinars on various racial issues (missio.edu/category/webinar-archive), and expect to run one per semester for the foreseeable future.
• We expect a decision by Thanksgiving about whether to continue with purely online courses for the Spring semester.

2. Report from Cairn University provided by Stephanie Kaceli

• Cairn Online launched in Fall 2020 as an entirely online undergraduate program.
• Phase one of Cairn Library renovations is nearly complete.

3. Report for Lancaster Bible College provided by Clint Banz

• Lancaster Bible College has welcomed a new President who began in February 1, 2020. They also welcomed a new Provost who began in Spring 2020 along with some restructuring of their cabinet positions after a number of layoffs in the spring.
• The library migrated to WMS from Voyager.
• The library has also begun using LibAnswers to support remote reference work during the pandemic.

4. Report for Lancaster Theological Seminary provided by Myka Stephens

• Seminary classes are all online for the remainder of the academic year.
• Lancaster Theological Seminary Library is only open to faculty, staff, and students enrolled in our after-hours access program. They are offering contact-free checkout and pickup services for all patrons and are responding to ILL requests.
• The library's name was changed over the summer. It is no longer named in honor of Philip Schaff. Most of the collateral reflects the name change, but there are still a few lingering places that are being changed as they are found.
• President Carol Lytch retired on June 30, and Interim President David Rowe began on July 1. A search for the next president is underway.

5. Report for New Brunswick Theological Seminary provided by Patrick Milas

• The faculty voted in favor of joining the Digital Theological Library at the beginning of 2020. The initial start date of July was pushed up when the school was forced online due to the pandemic.
• Courses will remain online for the rest of this academic year up to Fall 2021.
• The Public Services Librarian has created virtual reference resources and distance learning initiatives to enhance library support for students. The Collections Services Librarian worked on a backlog of materials and theses to make them digitally accessible to students and researchers. The Archivist has been working on a project of identifying and digitizing alumni class photos to create an interactive digital display.
• The school welcomed a new Digital Services Librarian.

6. Report from Princeton Theological Seminary provided by Evelyn Frangakis

• PTS courses are online for the rest of the academic year. Most students are being housed on campus and there have been numerous precautions taken to ensure social distancing and safety of students.
• Library staff have received special permission to reenter the building. Staff are working in person on a part-time basis and on a staggered basis to adhere to their health and safety guidelines. Emphasis on working from home when possible prioritizes the safety of the community as a whole.
• Internet Archive has also resumed on-site work to continue scanning projects both regionally and locally.
• The library is offering virtual reference and curbside checkout. They have also sectioned off the front portion of the library building to act as a socially distant quiet study space for students.
• PTS has not committed to expanding their digital collection but has instead focused on growing their CDL collection. They have recently become members of the Hathi Trust and have transitioned from Voyager to Sierra ILS in July 2020.
• PTS is currently seeking to hire a new Cataloging Librarian after a number of retirements last year. They have recently welcomed a new Serials Librarian, Sarah Danser, who is also a present member of SEPTLA.

7. Report from Reconstructionist Rabbinical College provided by Alan LaPayover

• All classes are being held remotely. No information about the upcoming spring semester.
• The faculty is wrapping up a major curriculum revision which will have implications for future library acquisitions.
• The library is open 3 days a week for 4 hours each day, but as about one-half of the student body is not in the Philadelphia area, and most of the remaining students live in West Philadelphia, there has been almost no on-site use.
• The Kaplan Archivist position has been eliminated for the time being and the archives are closed a d not operational.

8. Report from Reformed Episcopal Seminary provided by Vic Broberg

• Library staff and student attendance are currently staggered on a weekly basis as part of a hybrid model.
• RES is working on migration to ILS to enhance digital access to materials.

9. Report for St. Charles Borromeo Seminary provide by James Humble

• SCBS reopened fully to students in Fall 2020. Public spaces like the library, classrooms, and dining halls have rearranged furniture to adhere to social distance guidelines. Activities and scheduling of the Formation Program continue for students as normal.
• SCBS Library is not open to the public and is reserved for student access. They are also offering slightly limited hours and increased sanitation practices in high-volume areas.

10. Report from Westminster Theological Seminary provided by Robert McInnes

• WTS Library has been open since mid-summer and all courses are now online through to the Spring 2021 semester.
• Furniture in the library has been rearranged or removed to enforce social distancing. A plexiglass screen has also been installed at the circulation desk.
• The library is in the process of developing an EDS system to allow patrons access to materials through a single digital portal.
• Campus renovations continue.

This concluded the fall meeting for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Association.

Respectfully Submitted,

Michele Mesi, MLIS

New Brunswick Theological Seminary

SEPTLA Secretary

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting

November 4, 2020

Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Evan Boyd, Vic Broberg, James Brumm, James Humble, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Michele Mesi, Patrick Milas, Greg Murray, Lydia Putnam

Excused: Elizabeth Young Miller

Patrick called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m.

Consideration of meeting agenda

No changes were asked for. Patrick called for an approval of the meeting agenda; James Humble moved to approve.

Consideration of October 2020 EC Minutes

Evan requested that his proposal be added verbatim into the Fall EC meeting minutes, under the Fall Meeting Plans. One typo needed changing—“curbisde” to “curbside.”

Treasurer’s report - Evan

One check (for the website) was drawn. Otherwise, there were no changes from the Fall meeting.

Welcome new officer: James Brumm of NBTS

Patrick welcomed James to the Executive Committee.

Fall Meeting 2020 debrief

1. Consideration of Fall 2020 Meeting Minutes
   1. Greg had a few changes in mind, which Michelle requested be sent to her. Myka said that there was no need to approve the minutes now—that will happen at the business meeting in the spring.
   2. Evan noted that the wording of action item vi (b) was absent.
2. Published recording planned
   1. Patrick said he had not heard back whether we are allowed to publish a recording of Tom’s presentation. We just need his permission to publish it.
3. Survey considerations
   1. Patrick asked the group if a survey was needed. In response to Evan’s inquiry as to what information we’re seeking, Patrick said that we’re looking for people’s responses to the virtual format.
   2. Patrick asked whether we should run a survey or simply post a question to the listserv. Lydia suggested that we do both, since some people who didn’t attend the meeting (and thus wouldn’t get a survey invite) might have opinions and want their voices heard.
   3. Patrick led a discussion about the survey questions:
      1. Was the virtual format a suitable replacement for in-person meeting during quarantine?
      2. Is the online format something we want to continue regardless of quarantine?
      3. Considering the substantial participation in the fall meeting, would you be willing to consider attending more online meetings in the future?
      4. Would you be interested in serving on a task force to determine the viability of online meetings?
   4. Evan broached the subject of a hybrid meeting. Lydia put forth several possibilities for making use of both types, such as a two-in-person, one-online model (winter being the obvious candidate for online)
4. Proposal to postpone further individual membership proposal development until next E.C. meeting
   1. Since there was no feedback from the general membership, Patrick said we need to compose a formal amendment by the spring meeting.
   2. Vic inquired about the one-vote-per-institution rule: perhaps individual members could serve as an “institution?” Lydia agreed.

Adjournment

Next E.C. meeting will be held January 26, 2021 at 2 p.m.

Respectfully submitted
JH

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting

January 26, 2021
Zoom Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Evan Boyd, Vic Broberg, James Brumm, James Humble, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Michele Mesi, Patrick Milas, Greg Murray, Elizabeth Young Miller

Excused: Lydia Putnam

Consideration of meeting agenda

Patrick called the meeting to order at 2:02 pm. He asked if there were any changes to the agenda. Elizabeth inquired if we would be discussing the spring meeting. Patrick replied that the spring meeting could be discussed during the open forum part of the meeting. He then made a motion to accept the agenda. Myka moved and James Brumm seconded. All voted in favor of the proposed agenda.

Consideration of November 2020 EC Minutes

Patrick acknowledged that the minutes were just sent and everyone may not have had time to review them. Nonetheless, he asked if there were any changes to the minutes at this time. Greg mentioned that section 4b is a little ambiguous. Did Vic mean that individual members as a group serve as an institution? Later in the meeting, Vic clarified that all individual members serve as one collective institution; he is concerned about exceptions. A motion was then made to revise the minutes accordingly, which Vic moved and James Brumm seconded. All voted in favor of the revised minutes.

Treasurer’s report (if any)

Evan shared that the current balance is $12,985.45. There have been no new transactions since the last meeting; the only difference in the bank balance is due to interest.

Institutional Updates

United Lutheran

Evan mentioned that the library remains closed. He stated that there is a seminary
board meeting today and that the seminary had a good financial year. The institution
sold some 1970s British art for around $30,000.

Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS)

Greg announced that PTS now has a head of special collections and archives: Brian Shetler, who was previously at Drew. Due to vacancies, this department had been closed. The library building remains closed. However, curbside pickup is still in place and the number of items that may be checked out has increased. PTS joined Hathi Trust’s Emergency Temporary Access Service, which provides digital access to materials held in print; these items are not eligible for curbside pickup.

St. Charles Borromeo

James Humble noted that students returned a few weeks ago. All residents were quarantined for two (2) weeks, as well as tested for COVID. St. Charles is still planning to move and is seriously considering a property near Gwynedd Mercy University, though nothing has been signed yet. A library inventory project is underway, in order to identify works to deaccession once it becomes necessary to reduce the library’s footprint.

Lancaster Theological Seminary

Myka commented that things are much the same at Lancaster. The seminary is still looking for a president, who would ideally be in place in April, but this may not be a realistic timeline. The faculty and library have been placed on alert that changes will be coming, as the current models are not financially stable. Due to federal grants, the library’s budget is okay for the time being.

Moravian Theological Seminary

Elizabeth reported that the former dean of the seminary retired and that an interim is in place while a search for a new dean is underway. Undergraduate students are back on campus with more classes being offered online or in hybrid models. The library is open via card swipe access. The circulation staff are in the library and the reference librarians participate in a three (3) week rotation--on campus for a week, remote for two (2) weeks. The electronic resources librarian and metadata and acquisitions librarian are both working remotely.

New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS)

Due to a COVID case, the library is closed. In the meantime, the library’s website, tutorials and LMS are being revamped. Librarians are busy with reference and are working on weeding and a backlog of donations. There is a restructuring at the seminary; previously the Writing Center had been part of the library; now it is a separate entity. The archives is currently closed and is without an archivist.

Reformed Episcopal Seminary

Vic shared that classes are being offered virtually; this learning modality is reassessed every two (2) weeks. The library is open by appointment only.

Fall Meeting 2020 survey results

Patrick shared that six (6) people responded to the fall 2020 meeting survey. The overall satisfaction with the fall SEPTLA meeting was 4.5, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score. The virtual format received an average score of 4.3. Survey respondents included the following topics for future meetings: strategies for student engagement with digital materials and OPACs.

With regard to institutions that may be interested in joining SEPTLA, the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia was listed; a discussion then ensued on what SEPTLA membership might look like for historical societies, specifically reciprocal borrowing. Myka first raised this question, noting that the Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society (ERHS) is in the same building as the seminary’s library; however, the books in the ERHS’ collection do not circulate. Would employees at historical societies be eligible for reciprocal borrowing at SEPTLA libraries? Greg suggested that reciprocal borrowing apply to lending libraries, hence non-lending institutions would not be eligible for reciprocal borrowing. If some libraries do not offer reciprocal borrowing, will other libraries also want to exclude their collections from circulating to outside borrowers? Vic advocated that institutions that have an FTE of 1 or more offer reciprocal borrowing. Traditionally, SEPTLA has prided itself on its strong reciprocal borrowing agreements. Perhaps there could be a reciprocal agreement that library staff/institutional affiliates are able to use materials in-house if libraries do not lend their materials. Further discussion is warranted to answer these questions, as well as an examination of the by-laws and constitution. Once details can be ironed out, then the Presbyterian Historical Society can be contacted.

Open Forum

During the open forum, the spring meeting was discussed. Greg mentioned that due to the length of the vaccine rollout, it makes sense to call for a virtual meeting this spring. The positive survey feedback from the fall virtual meeting, as well as a lack of professional development funds at some institutions further support this online option. Alternating formats, between in-person and online, makes sense once it is safe to meet again face-to-face. Patrick made a motion to plan for an online spring 2021 SEPTLA meeting. James Brumm moved and Greg seconded, with all in support of an online spring meeting.

Patrick commented that NBTS is still interested in hosting a future in-person meeting. If need be, they can host the spring meeting via Zoom, like they did this fall. Patrick asked, however, if there are other institutions that would be interested in facilitating the spring meeting via Zoom.

Committee members spent several minutes discussing potential topics for the spring meeting. Elizabeth suggested a demo of OCLC’s GreenGlass. Patrick recommended an information session sponsored by Ebsco on such products as Open Athens and/or Folio, which was highlighted at a spring meeting several years ago at Cairn. James Humble suggested a roundtable discussion focused on how member institutions are maintaining services during the pandemic, such as document delivery and reference. Another suggestion was a COVID summit part 2, continuing the forum led by Mark Draper in August on lessons learned during the pandemic.

Adjournment

Patrick thanked everyone for attending the meeting and motioned to adjourn at 2:48 pm, which James Humble moved, James Brumm seconded, and all voted in favor.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting

February 9, 2021

Zoom Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Evan Boyd, Vic Broberg, James Brumm, James Humble, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Michele Mesi, Patrick Milas, Greg Murray, Elizabeth Young Miller

Excused: Lydia Putnam

Consideration of meeting agenda

Patrick called the meeting to order at 2:03 pm.  He asked if there were any additions and/or changes to the agenda.  Hearing none, Patrick made a motion to accept the agenda.  James Humble moved and James Brumm seconded.  All voted in favor of the proposed agenda.

Consideration of January 2021 EC Minutes

Elizabeth mentioned that she made minor changes to the minutes that were initially sent.  However, the minutes sent by Patrick reflect these revisions.  Patrick asked if there were any changes to the minutes at this time.  Hearing none, Patrick made a motion to accept the minutes, which James Brumm moved and Greg seconded. 

Treasurer’s report (if any)

Evan shared that the SEPTLA accounts remain nearly the same since our last meeting.  He commented that the interest rate is not doing much.  Unfortunately, the online account access does not indicate the interest rate.  Evan will look for this information on a formal bank statement.

Spring Meeting 2021

Host: Moravian Theological Seminary

Dates: Moravian availability?  SEPTLA availability?

Elizabeth shared that Moravian is flexible with regard to a date, so the meeting date will be dependent on the availability of the Executive Committee.  After discussing potential topics (see below), the Executive Committee circled back to dates.  The first choice for the spring meeting  is Friday, April 23, with the second choice being April 30.

Patrick highlighted that NYATLA will be hosting a virtual spring meeting; this will be their first meeting since the pandemic.  A joint in-person NYATLA/SEPTLA meeting would be something nice to explore for the future.

Possible topics: latest in library services during pandemic; ideas from Continuing Ed; EBSCO Folio or OCLC GreenGlass presentations; others?

The Executive Committee spent time brainstorming content for the spring meeting. Continuing the conversation around COVID, perhaps a COVID 2.0 seems warranted. Evan suggested COVID five (5) to seven (7) minute lightning talks as part of the program.  James Humble recommended sharing specific questions ahead of time with member libraries.  Such questions could focus on electronic resources, services for students, etc.  A question could also focus on lessons learned from COVID, such as James Brumm’s query: “Which practice begun during COVID needs to stay post-COVID?”  Soliciting involvement from Lydia and the Continuing Education Committee on these questions would be wise, as well as including these discussion questions with the meeting invitation.

Vendor presentations from EBSCO and OCLC’s GreenGlass are other possible meeting topics.

Evan recently attended an outstanding presentation offered by ACRL on equitable hiring practices.  The 35 minute session focused on inclusive recruitment, how to aid with the retention of underrepresented groups, and examined social and political factors, as well as policies and procedures.  Evan will send Patrick more information about the presentation and contact the presenters regarding stipends and their availability to offer a similar presentation to SEPTLA members.  This proposed presentation fits nicely with the discussion of diversity and inclusion, which has not been a recent conference topic. Patrick and Laura had previously reached out to diversity speakers, but they were unavailable.

Elizabeth asked about the number of presentations and format of the spring meeting. Several suggestions were made.  The consensus was to have the COVID discussion and interest group meetings from 10:00 to 11:30 am.  At 1 pm, the keynote presentation could be offered, followed directly by the business meeting and final remarks.  The goal would be to end the meeting by 3 pm.

Institutional Updates

Reformed Episcopal Seminary

Vic shared that the quarter will be ending soon and no mini term will be offered this year.  Administration continues to reevaluate the hybrid program every two (2) weeks.  The library is open by appointment only.

United Lutheran

Evan mentioned that the institution continues to offer one (1) week intensives, which equates to five (5) straight days of Zoom classes.  Evan provided some information about open positions.  The archivist position at Gettysburg will be reposted.  Currently there are two (2) open faculty positions, one in systematic theology and the other is an endowed position in public theology.  It is hoped that the second position in particular will lead to increased diversity.  Evan happily reported that 700 books were checked out in 2020.

Lancaster Theological Seminary

Myka highlighted that her sabbatical proposal was approved.  She will be on sabbatical from July through December 2021.

New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS)

New Brunswick is preparing for both Middle States and ATS accreditation.  Michele has been busy weeding the reference collection.  The library remains closed.

St. Charles Borromeo

James Humble explained that due to a COVID case on campus, he is working from home currently.  A library student worker was exposed to the virus and, fortunately, has tested negative.  The institution has been diligent about contact tracing and James hopes to return to campus soon.  

Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS)

Greg mentioned that there was no update for PTS.

Moravian Theological Seminary

Elizabeth simply reported that a search is underway for a New Testament professor.

Open Forum

During the open forum, Elizabeth mentioned that elections will occur at the spring meeting.  Patrick encouraged the Executive Committee to think of people who may be interested in serving.  Information about the various positions can be found on SEPTLA’s website.  The Executive Committee can continue this discussion at the March meeting.

Adjournment

Patrick thanked everyone for attending the meeting and mentioned that he would reach out to Lydia with an update.  He motioned to adjourn at 2:47 pm, which Greg moved and James Humble seconded.  The motion passed.

2020 has been a difficult year for humanity, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association (SEPTLA) has not been immune from its hardships. Our library patrons and staff have endured illnesses, closures, furloughs, layoffs, and untimely deaths, for which traditional mourning practices have been impossible. Not only do we continue to face the Covid-19 pandemic with evolving best practices for personal and social hygiene, but we also struggle anew with our implicit bias amid the racist, sexist, and classist infrastructures present in our institutions. I lament with you the tragedies in your families, libraries, schools, churches, and synagogues.

And yet, as the intentional community of SEPTLA, we abide. And we share in the mission of exemplary librarianship and its promise for the future. Since our religious and denominational affiliations run the gamut, our institutions have long held distinct and in some ways conflicting intellectual positions and theological commitments. But differing opinions have not kept us apart, whether in-person or online. Our common purposes compel us to gather, to share our burdens, and to rejoice in our significant achievements. During the SEPTLA Re-opening and Resource Sharing Summit, member libraries shared their challenges and successes serving their user communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. We heard various degrees of quarantine for print books and physical separation for employees, but a common refrain for the necessary effectiveness of virtual communication and virtual library services.

For the fall 2020 meeting, the Executive Committee has invited Dr. Thomas E. Phillips to address the membership. Dr. Phillips founded the Digital Theological Library (DTL). Its practices of joint e-book purchasing and database subscriptions have already been useful for some SEPTLA member libraries. Phillips has been vocal that he would like to support libraries and associations to harness their collective influence, save money, and share resources beyond the scope of the DTL. His presentation may shed light on an innovative way for SEPTLA to further collaborate in years to come.

I miss seeing you all in person, but look forward to gathering with you however we can. I exhort you to attend our fall 2020 virtual meeting. If you are new to SEPTLA, come to participate and plan to contribute. Interest Groups will be meeting and holding elections. Consider opportunities to serve in leadership roles. Our organization and our profession are depending on you. It will be important to have as many of you present as possible for the Business Meeting. The Executive Committee has been hard at work this year and will bring a proposal for your vote regarding a moratorium on institutional dues for the coming year. In addition, the Executive Committee will present ideas about the creation of a membership category for individuals that is distinct from our institutional affiliations. Your input will be vital to preparing a motion for consideration at the Spring 2021 Meeting.

With every good wish,
Patrick

T. Patrick Milas, MLIS, PhD
SEPTLA President

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing cancellation of the spring 2020 meeting, I did not produce a spring 2020 issue of TeamWork. The present issue captures content that would have appeared in a spring issue, including the minutes from the Fall 2019 Meeting. Therefore, this double issue is designated as “issue 1-2” of volume 37 (2020).

This issue includes all Executive Committee meeting minutes since the preceding issue of TeamWork. During this period, the Executive Committee generally met monthly, with the exception of October and December of 2019 and March and May of 2020.

I would like to thank SEPTLA’s Website Manager, Myka Kennedy Stephens, for her help in preparing this issue of TeamWork.

Greg Murray
Princeton Theological Seminary Library

Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association
Fall Business Meeting Agenda
Friday, October 16, 2020

Approval of Agenda

Approval of Minutes from November 1, 2019

Announcement: Michele Mesi of NBTS appointed Secretary

Reports

• Treasurer’s Report
• Committee Reports

Interest Group Reports

Executive Committee Report

• Monthly Minutes available in Fall 2020 Newsletter
• Invitation for written feedback for prospective Bylaws change (see below)

Action Item

MOTION: That the 2020-2021 institutional membership dues be suspended for all existing member institutions, due to the ongoing pandemic and reduced costs to SEPTLA.

Institutional News

Conclusion

Prospective Prosposed Changes to Bylaws Section 1

In June 2020, the Executive Committee voted unanimously in favor of recommending a new membership type, Individual Member, be added to the SEPTLA Bylaws. The following was proposed:

Individual membership would be open to those who:

• Currently work in libraries
• Have previously been employed at a library
• Volunteer in a library, and/or
• Are a current or recent library school student
• Not already affiliated through an existing member library

SEPTLA individual members would be eligible to:

• Participate in meetings
• Vote
• Serve on committees and in leadership positions
• Check with individual members libraries regarding their direct borrowing programs
• Receive complementary dues

The Executive Committee will be developing a formal proposal for consideration at the November 4, 2020 Executive Committee meeting. Should you have any suggestions for the proposal, please submit them in writing to SEPTLA President, Patrick Milas at pmilas@nbts.edu by November 1, 2020.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association
Minutes
Fall Meeting — November 1, 2019

I. Welcome and Opening Remarks

Patrick Milas commenced the fall meeting of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association at Moravian Theological Seminary. President Milas thanked the host, Elizabeth Miller, for her work on organizing the meeting space. Joining the meeting virtually were Virginia Dearborn and Mark Draper.

II. Morning Session

Lydia Putnam started a general discussion on the collection development policy of each member institution. Questions were asked and each institution was encouraged to share their current development policy. The following questions were posed and a robust discussion followed.

1. Given your budget, which subject areas are a priority? Have they had to change as your budget changes?
2. Does your policy provide a rationale (i.e., a principle derived from your institution’s faith-background) for the selection of all materials in your collection?
3. Does your policy provide guidance for collection choices at the broad subject level only (i.e., Music), or does it contain guidelines for specific subsections (i.e., Baroque keyboard music)?
4. As digital publications become more desirable and accessible, have you adjusted your policy to specify when electronic versions should be bought, when print ones should be bought, and when both should be bought? Do you now favor digital versions exclusively?
5. How much do you rely on faculty input for new purchases? How much discretion does the librarian have in deciding which items to purchase?
6. Does anybody “commit to retain” any portions of their collections?
7. Based on a comparison of our subject specialties/purchasing priorities, can we hammer out a list of LC subject areas that show strengths?

III. Afternoon Session

Members broke into two separate groups, research services interest group and cataloging and metadata interest group, for approximately thirty minutes.  James Sauer from Evangelical Seminary was asked by President Milas to serve as the chair for the research services interest group which he accepted.

IV. Business Session

Patrick Milas called to order the fall business meeting by making a motion to approve the agenda.

1. Approval of the agenda
   1. Jim Humble made a motion to approve the agenda. Lydia Putnam seconded the motion. All member institutions present approved the agenda.
2. Approval of minutes from the spring meeting May 9, 2019
   1. Myka Kennedy Stephens noted that the bylaws on the website are the old version from 2017 that need to be updated. Patrick Milas confirms that the website changes should be made.
   2. Greg Murray made a motion to approve the spring minutes.  Jim Humble seconded the motion. All member institutions present approved the minutes.
3. Reports
   1. Treasurer’s Report — Evan Boyd reported $220 worth of expenses thus far. The balance was just under $12,000 currently. Evan recommended that SEPTLA find a use for the funds. Evan suggested that the Atla conference will be in Baltimore within the next 3 years and that Atla no longer requires us to use our own money to partially fund the annual conference. The complete treasury report can be found in Appendix A.
   2. Executive Committee — Patrick Milas acknowledged Virginia Dearborn’s years of service as SEPTLA’s web manager. The new appointment will be Myka Kennedy Stephens. During NYATLA’s fall meeting Patrick proposed a joint spring meeting of NYATLA and SEPTLA for spring 2020 which was received. New Brunswick Theological Seminary will host the meeting on April 16^th The agenda is currently open for ideas. Patrick suggested a topic of diversity to include as a component. Separate business meetings will be held in the afternoon sessions for SEPTLA and NYATLA.
4. Interest Group Reports
   1. Research Services Interest Group - Jim Sauer reported that the group spoke about virtual reference, chat/text reference software options, the possibility of collective use in chat/text/reference, bibliographic citation software instruction, webinars, and print vs. online reference.
   2. Metadata and Cataloging Interest Group – Vic Broberg accepted the chair position for the interest group. A discussion of better usage of opacs and resource sharing was the group’s focus.
5. Institutional News

1. 1. Report from Princeton Theological Seminary provided by Evelyn Frangakis
      • There was major news after the racism and reparations audit was released. The library will be renamed after the first African American graduate of the Seminary.
      • There is lots of construction on the campus with more focus on residential learning and a master plan. Classes are now in the library during the construction.
      • Middle States Commission on Higher Education just left.
      • Work on controlled digital lending (CDL) is underway, headed by Greg Murray.
      • PTS offered retirement incentive packages, and the following library staff members accepted: curator of special collections (Ken Henke), serials and cataloging librarian (Julie Dawson), director of research and public services (Kate Skrebutenas). The library hopes to refill these key positions.
      • There is a current search for: metadata librarian, cataloging librarian, PT evening circulation supervisor.
   2. Report from Westminster Theological Seminary provided by Bob McInnes
      • WTS is remodeling the campus.
      • Staff reduction of one position.
   3. Report from Palmer Theological Seminary provided by Joy Dlugosz
      • Palmer has a new director (Joy Dlugosz) who is developing relationships with faculty and administration. Previously she was the STEM librarian and not a theological librarian.
      • There is a reduction in staff. The library staff consists of the director, two librarians, and one part-time staff administrator.
      • There is an increase in enrollment at the institution.
   4. Report from Evangelical Seminary provided by Jim Sauer
      • The director moved from Eastern (Palmer Seminary) and moved to Evangelical Seminary acting in the role of part-time Interim Director.
      • There is an increased focus on online classes and programs at the school.
      • There is a possible shrinking of the physical library with these new changes.
   5. Report from Reformed Episcopal Seminary provided by Vic Broberg
      • Currently the staff is too small with only a staff of two for archives, cataloging, and reception.
      • RES is working through Voyager and weeding the collection now.
   6. Report from Missio Seminary provided by Lydia Putnam
      • Missio is in the final stages of the move into the city. The first week in December may be the official date.
      • They have been working for several years to shrink the collection. The collection has shrunk 14,000 volumes for offsite storage. They opted to go with the vendor Iron Mountain which has a 24-48 hour delivery service for offsite storage requests.
      • Rachel McConnell is the new library director with a background in elementary education.
      • Lydia will be staying on as webmaster and technical services coordinator for the school but will be working remotely.
      • The ATS spot check will be coming next month.
   7. Report for St. Charles Borromeo Seminary provide by Jim Humble
      • SCBS is in the process of engaging architects for the new campus.
      • They are negotiating square footage for the library and considering reusing existing shelving in the new space.
      • Some sections are being weeded to accommodate the reduced square footage.
   8. Report for United Lutheran Seminary provided by Evan Boyd
      • The library’s two digitization projects are running smoothly and hope to be released in January.
   9. Report for Moravian Theological Seminary provided by Elizabeth Miller
      • At Moravian, the focus has been on outreach.
      • In October, Cory Dieterly began as the part-time College Archivist.  Cory also serves as the director of Respect Graduate School, an Islamic institution.
      • The reference librarians have organized a series of lunch and learns in partnership with the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC).  The focus of the first lunch and learn on October 23^rd was on digital assignments, resources, and spaces in the library.
      • On October 30^th, the librarians presented on teaching and learning resources available to faculty.
      • At the start of the fall semester, the library launched LibAnswers (a Springshare product) that facilitates virtual reference and a knowledgebase.
      • I (Elizabeth) published a book chapter in Information Literacy and Theological Librarianship: Theory & Praxis.  The book chapter is entitled "Charting Information Literacy: Curriculum Mapping at an Embedded Seminary."  A link has been posted on the information literacy channel in Slack to this open access book.
   10. Report for Lancaster Theological Seminary provided by Myka Kennedy Stephens
       • Deaccessioning and shifting projects for circulating stacks and periodicals are now complete.
       • LTS closed for two weeks in July to dismantle excess shelving, remove excess furniture, and redesign spaces. On the main floor, the makerspace was expanded and the conversation lounge has new cafe tables and sectional seating. On the lower level, patrons can find a quiet oasis with six large study cubicles, several comfortable reading nooks, and an eight-circuit labyrinth. All study and reading areas are outfitted with reading lamps and power cubes for charging devices. Good feedback was received from the changes.
       • LTS welcomed a new dean, The Rev. Dr. Vanessa Lovelace, to the campus on July 1^st. The president, The Rev. Dr. Carol Lytch, announced her retirement in October. Her last day will be June 30, 2020. The Board of Trustees will be hiring an interim president to begin July 1, 2020. A presidential search committee will be formed at a later time.
   11. Report for Clarks Summit University provided by Sharon Gardoski
       • Currently Sharon is undergoing her MLIS degree program.
   12. Report for New Brunswick Theological Seminary provided by Patrick Milas
       • NBTS is currently undertaking the accreditation process for Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
       • There is an open library position for a part-time serials and acquisition staff employee.
       • Sage library is now using the vendor Gobi to provide shelf-ready cataloging.

This concluded the fall meeting for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association.

Respectfully Submitted,
Laura Giacobbe, MLIS
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
SEPTLA Secretary

Appendix A – Treasury Report

To learn how other SEPTLA member libraries are adjusting library services during the COVID-19 pandemic, or to update your institution’s information, please see our shared document.

On August 25, 2020, a group of SEPTLA librarians gathered on Zoom to share their libraries’ plans for reopening and to brainstorm how we can continue our commitment to resource sharing in these challenging times. The recording of this event is available on the SEPTLA website.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting
September 11, 2019
Zoom Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Virginia Dearborn, Laura Giacobbe, James Humble, Patrick Milas, Greg Murray, Lydia Putnam, Christine Schwartz, Elizabeth Young Miller
Excused: Evan Boyd

Approval of the agenda

The meeting began at 2:03 pm, with Patrick explaining that the meeting will be recorded.
Several additions to the agenda were recommended, including the approval of the minutes from
the last Executive Committee meeting, the newsletter, rescheduling the next Zoom meeting, and
adding GreenGlass under other business. Virginia moved to accept these changes to the
agenda. The motion was seconded by Lydia, with all in favor of these changes.

Approval of the minutes from the August 20 Executive Committee Meeting

Elizabeth asked if there were any changes to the minutes from the last Executive Committee
Meeting. Hearing none, Lydia motioned to accept the minutes. Patrick seconded and the
minutes were approved by acclamation.

Announcements (Missio staff; NBTS staff; NYATLA meeting will be Oct 22 at Fordham)

Lydia shared that since starting at Missio, Rachel McConnell has focused on the collection that
will fit in the new space. Rachel has also looked into a moving company. Missio is scheduled
to host the spring TCLC meeting, which Rachel is assisting with. Once she is caught up, she
plans to get involved with SEPTLA.

Patrick mentioned that his colleagues have been hard at work with professional development
activities. Laura explained that she has hired two (2) library science graduate students to help
cover the desk at New Brunswick Theological Seminary. These students bring technical and
social media expertise.

Patrick explained that the next meeting of the New York Area Theological Library Association (NYATLA) is slated for October 22, the date of SEPTLA’s next Executive Committee Meeting.  Librarians from New Brunswick and Princeton often attend these meetings.  Patrick plans to attend the meeting and discuss a possible joint NYATLA/SEPTLA meeting this spring, hosted by New Brunswick.  The last joint meeting of these two (2) organizations was in 2016.  The consensus was to reschedule the next SEPTLA Executive Committee meeting, in light of the schedule conflict.

Approval of the revised spring 2019 minutes

Elizabeth sent Laura an e-mail with some additional revisions.  Virginia pointed out that Elizabeth’s name was misspelled on page 4 and that the institutional news provided by Myka Kennedy Stephens was just for Lancaster Theological Seminary, not Lancaster Bible College too.  The revisions were displayed and Patrick agreed to accept these changes.  Greg made a motion to accept the minutes, with Lydia seconding.  Thank you, Laura!

Treasurer’s report

Since Evan was not able to join us, there was not a treasurer’s report.

Continued discussion of plans for fall 2019 meeting at Moravian College 

The Continuing Education Committee has been in touch regarding the content for the fall meeting.  Splitting the day between a discussion around collection development (policy creation, revision, faculty involvement, etc.) and the value that SEPTLA offers may make sense.  Collection development was, after all, one of SEPTLA’s founding principles.  It was decided to focus on collection development in the morning and hold the business meeting in the afternoon.  During the business meeting, we can wonder aloud and explore questions related to SEPTLA’s structure, interest groups, committees, etc.

The topic of collection development may be of interest to both interest groups.  Therefore, there was some discussion as to whether or not to have interest group meetings during the fall meeting.  Patrick shared that he reached out to Jim Sauer about serving as the chair of the Research Services Interest Group and has not heard back.  Given Chris Schwartz’s new role, she would like to cycle off as chair of the Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group.  Patrick suggested having a brief time for interest groups to meet before the business meeting, for the purpose of seeing who may be willing to serve as new interest group chairs.

Elizabeth asked some questions about the schedule.  She will look to see what time the meeting started the last time Moravian hosted.  Having lunch around noon sounds good.  Setting an RSVP deadline of September 27 will provide ample time to mail attendees parking passes.  Elizabeth will send the RSVP link to Virginia.

** Please note that after the Zoom meeting, the fall SEPTLA meeting was rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances.  The new meeting date is Friday, November 1, with an RSVP deadline of October 18.  Attendees will be parking in a different lot and passes will not be mailed. **

Virginia’s term as Website Manager and Co-Chair of the Communications Committee ends after the fall meeting.  Myka Kennedy Stephens may be interested in assuming this position.

Newsletter Discussion

Greg explained that the newsletter (TeamWork) is a conglomeration of information found on SEPTLA’s website.  Typically, the newsletter is posted/shared 30 days prior to a meeting.  Greg asked for a reminder of what is typically included in the newsletter.  Virginia replied that the minutes from the Executive Committee Meetings since the last (spring) meeting, as well as the business meeting agenda are included.  Elizabeth mentioned that the meeting schedule should also be included; she will work on the this.  The goal is to gather all the information and send it to Virginia and Greg by the end of the week.  It was decided to send out the meeting invite tomorrow.

Updates on Slack use (Cont. Ed channel; collaboration)

Some SEPTLA members are using Slack.  Patrick shared that he has now made a post using this platform.  Lydia created a Continuing Education channel and will remind people at the fall meeting to use Slack to pose questions and make suggestions.  Elizabeth posted a video and brochure about OCLC’s GreenGlass to the collection development channel.

Lydia explained that changing the location of Slack on her computer seems to help her monitor posts.  Greg shared that you can control notifications when using Slack on your phone; alerts automatically pop up.

Other business (GreenGlass)

We discussed how to proceed with OCLC’s GreenGlass.  Lydia mentioned that this topic may arise from our discussion on collection development.  One suggestion is to briefly discuss this topic during the business meeting, with the possibility of a webinar in the winter.

Adjournment until next meeting

Patrick thanked Jim for attending the meeting as a member of the Continuing Education Committee.  Patrick will send a Doodle to schedule the next Executive Committee Meeting.  He is looking forward to attending the fall meeting at Moravian and adjourned the meeting at 2:52 pm.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting
November 19, 2019
Zoom Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Evan Boyd, Deacon Vic Broberg, Laura Giacobbe, Patrick Milas, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Greg Murray, Lydia Putnam, Elizabeth Young Miller

Consideration of meeting agenda

Patrick called the meeting to order at 11:02 am.  Elizabeth asked to add GreenGlass as an item under other business.  Patrick made a motion to accept this change, with Deacon Vic seconding.  All voted in favor of the proposed addition.

Consideration of September 2019 EC Minutes

Patrick asked if there were any changes to the minutes from the last Executive Committee Meeting.  Hearing none, Greg motioned to accept the minutes.  Myka seconded and the minutes were approved by acclamation.

Consideration of Fall 2019 Business Meeting Minutes

Evan explained that he has revised information to share with Laura concerning the Treasurer’s Report.  Via email, Lydia suggested capitalizing the first a in Atla, which Laura has done.

There was some discussion about institutional news.  After Lydia checked Eastern University/Palmer Theological’s website, Patrick modified the institutional news to reflect that Eastern University/Palmer Theological Seminary has a new director, Joy Dlugosz.  Myka asked if institutions would have the opportunity to revise their respective institutional news.  Elizabeth mentioned that when she served as secretary, she sent librarians a draft of the institutional news for feedback. Patrick explained that the institutional news was based on the recording from the meeting.  Lydia provided an update to Missio’s institutional news—Missio had its ATS spot check and the size of the new location was mentioned.  Myka commented that the general membership will approve the business meeting minutes at the spring meeting.  In preparation for the spring meeting, Evan recommended sharing these minutes with the membership.  Patrick mentioned that we will revisit these minutes at a future meeting.

Treasurer’s Report

As of May 9, 2019 the balance was $11,940.49.  The current balance, as of November 13, 2019 is $11,892.86.  Expenses of $219.81 have covered web hosting.  Credits of $172.18 include dues and interest.  Evan shared that he plans to send out invoices next week.

Evan asked: What do we consider SEPTLA’s fiscal year?  Evan would like to create a written budget.  Patrick explained that historically, invoices have been sent in October or November and have been paid in January.  However, Evan highlighted that invoices are not necessarily dependent on the fiscal year.  There was then some discussion about tying the fiscal year to election cycles, which will not be pursued at this time.  Lydia asked if there are any institutions that do not have a fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30.  All Executive Committee members shared that these are the dates of their fiscal years.  If SEPTLA adopts a July to June fiscal year, it will allow time for new treasurers to get acclimated.

Welcome to new/returning Chairs of Interest Groups and Website Manager

Patrick welcomed Deacon Vic Broberg from Reformed Episcopal as the new chair of the Metadata and Cataloging Interest Group and thanked Chris Schwartz from Princeton Theological for her dedicated service as the former chair.  Patrick then thanked Jim Sauer, now of Evangelical Seminary, for serving as the returning chair of the Research Services Interest Group.  Patrick also thanked Virginia Dearborn from Princeton Theological for her diligence as the former Website Manager and welcomed Myka Kennedy Stephens to this new role.  It is wonderful to have Myka back on the Executive Committee.

At the spring meeting, there will be elections for President and Secretary.  Julie Dawson’s retirement coincides with the end of her term on the Continuing Education Committee.  Committee members are appointed by the Executive Committee.

Debriefing about Fall 2019 Meeting at Moravian College

Patrick thanked Elizabeth and Moravian for hosting the fall meeting.  Elizabeth shared the following post-meeting survey data with the Executive Committee:

• 12 people completed the survey.
• The overall satisfaction with the meeting was 4.5 out of 5.
• Satisfaction with the collection development discussion received a 4.64 out of 5.
• Satisfaction with the business meeting was 4.45 out of 5.
• General comments included the following:
  • Two respondents wished that there was time for the discussion on the future of SEPTLA.
  • Another respondent commented that this was one of the most productive and worthwhile SEPTLA meetings this individual has attended.
  • One person recommended sharing institutional news over lunch or creating a Slack channel for this forum.
  • One respondent commented that optional library tours would be nice.
• Topics/ideas for the Continuing Education Committee include the following:
  • Biblical languages for those who haven’t studied these languages
  • Collection development
  • Database how-to sessions
  • Embedding in student coursework
  • Self-care for librarians, based on increasing responsibilities
  • SEPTLA budget surplus
  • Working with faculty on research
• Interest in virtual meetings:
  • 92% interested in webinars, co-sponsored by Atla
  • 75% interested in virtual conferencing on specific topics
  • 58% interested in virtual meetings instead of attending in person
  • 50% interested in virtual networking/social activities
  • 42% interested in viewing recording(s) after meeting
  • I person expressed interest in virtual interest group meetings
• Potential topics for virtual meetings/webinars:
  • Collection development (2 respondents)
  • Increased (financial) collaboration (2 respondents)
  • OCLC’s GreenGlass (2 respondents)
  • Virtual reference (2 respondents)
  • Cataloging issues
  • Digitization projects
  • Embedding in student coursework
  • Engaging students and faculty
  • Promoting library resources
  • SEPTLA budget surplus
  • Working with faculty on research
• Librarians/Institutions with possible interest in SEPTLA – Several were mentioned and Elizabeth will share these leads with Patrick so that he can follow-up.

Patrick commented that the survey generated some good, as well as new ideas.  Lydia asked that the topics for future meetings be shared on the Continuing Education Slack channel.

Continued discussion of plans for spring 2020 meeting at NBTS

At the fall NYATLA meeting there was discussion about a call for speakers and panelists for the joint NYATLA/SEPTLA meeting this spring.  After consulting with Lydia, Patrick will send an email to both the NYATLA and SEPTLA listservs calling for ideas and panelists.  The Continuing Education Committee can then review the responses.  One theme that emerged at the fall NYATLA meeting is diversity and there are some administrators at NBTS who may be interested in presenting.  Patrick mentioned that the SEPTLA budget should be able to support a relevant speaker.

Patrick encouraged us to think ahead to future host institutions.  In the past, libraries have volunteered.  Missio may be an option for the spring 2021 meeting.

Other business (GreenGlass)

Based on survey data and informal comments, Elizabeth asked if there is interest in a GreenGlass webinar this winter.  The consensus was yes, with Lydia explaining that by offering this topic in the form of a webinar, other topics can be discussed during in-person meetings.  Patrick suggested mid-February.  Elizabeth will check with her contact for GreenGlass, to see when he is available for a live recorded session, and then share this information via the SEPTLA listserv and Slack channel.

Patrick commented that he will be considering the needs of the Executive Committee.  He plans to issue the call for proposals for the spring meeting in early December and allow for about a month for responses.  Patrick will send a Doodle to identify meeting times in January, February, March, and April.

Patrick asked if there were any institutional updates.  Evan share that a page of their Gutenberg Bible will be going up for auction.

Adjournment

Patrick thanked everyone and adjourned the meeting at 11:54 am.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting
January 30, 2020
Zoom Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Evan Boyd, Laura Giacobbe, Patrick Milas, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Greg Murray, Elizabeth Young Miller

Excused: Lydia Putnam

Consideration of meeting agenda

Patrick called the meeting to order shortly after 2 pm.  Elizabeth asked to add the Atla Conference Scholarship under other business.  Patrick made a motion to accept this change, with Greg seconding.  All voted in favor of the proposed addition.

Consideration of November 2019 EC Minutes

Patrick asked if there were any changes to the minutes from the last Executive Committee Meeting.  Hearing none, Patrick motioned to accept the minutes.  Greg seconded and the minutes were approved by acclamation.

Treasurer’s report

Evan explained that he is behind with sending out the SEPTLA invoices and apologized.  He will be mailing the invoices this week.

As of November 13, 2019, there was a total of $11,892.86 in the SEPTLA bank accounts.  In the non-profit checking accounting, there is $5,112.73 and in the money market account as of January 31, 2020, there is $6,790.38.  As of February 17, 2020 there is a combined total of $11,903.11 in the SEPTLA bank accounts.

Update on GreenGlass recorded session or webinar

Elizabeth shared that the GreenGlass webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, February 11 at 11 am and will be recorded.  She will send a reminder email to the SEPTLA listserv, post something to Slack, and also will also share the webinar details with those who have expressed interest.

Update on Call for Proposals for spring 2020 meeting at NBTS

Patrick shared that colleagues at NBTS are collaborating on a diversity exhibit for the spring meeting, which will feature items from both the special collections and the main collection.  During the meeting we can hopefully discuss diversity in collections and services.

To date, no official conference proposals for the spring meeting have been received.  However, NBTS faculty and administration are happy to support this topic, focusing on diversity in theological education.

Evan mentioned that there is an upcoming Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL) workshop at the Free Library of Philadelphia entitled Inclusive Practices at Philadelphia-Area LAM (Libraries, Archives, and Museums) Institutions.  He and some of his colleagues will be attending.  This conference may have some relevance for SEPTLA.

Patrick provided an update on new members in NYATLA, as well as potential new SEPTLA members.  NYATLA welcomed new member Riverside Church Archives in Manhattan.  Patrick has reached out to the Reformed Church in America (RCA) Archives to gauge their interest in joining NYATLA and/or SEPTLA.  Patrick also contacted new regional Atla members, and the theological librarian from St. Peter’s University in Jersey City may be interested in attending SEPTLA’s spring meeting.

Thinking ahead: location for fall 2020 meeting and leadership positions

Elizabeth mentioned that Westminster Theological Seminary had expressed an interest in hosting at one point in time.  Perhaps when their construction projects are complete, they might be willing to host a meeting.  Greg volunteered to inquire about hosting at Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS).  In April 2016, PTS hosted a joint meeting.  Maybe PTS could host another joint meeting with NYATLA in spring 2021 and the fall meeting would be just for SEPTLA members.

Patrick mentioned that University of Valley Forge has a new librarian.

Moving forward, Elizabeth shared that she will need to step down from her role as Past President after the spring meeting.  Typically, the Past President calls for nominations at least 30 days in advance of the spring meeting.  Elizabeth will solicit nominations beginning in early March.

Other business (including Atla Conference Scholarship)

Elizabeth explained that due to changes made to the Atla Conference Scholarship--making more members eligible to apply--she would like to spread the word to the membership in hopes of awarding the scholarship this year.  She plans to email the listserv the beginning of March.

Patrick opened a discussion regarding membership dues.  He shared that NYATLA’s dues are $20 in comparison to SEPTLA’s $75.  Perhaps a conversation about individual vs. institutional dues is warranted.  Now that SEPTLA does not need to save money to support a national meeting in the Philadelphia area, maybe it makes sense to revisit this topic with a question in the spring meeting survey.

Myka then asked about the status of the SEPTLA Administrative Assistant; dues could help pay for this position.  However, Patrick mentioned that dues may not be enough.

Evan weighed in, sharing that he would like to see dues spent on specific projects and explained that he would love to see a cross registration program.  The Chicago Area Theological Library Association (CATLA) and the Washington area regional group offer cross registration.  Patrick stated that NBTS may be open, as this offering could be mutually beneficial.  However, he cautioned that such a partnership would depend on accreditation and cost, potentially becoming political.  The question then arose: Are all SEPTLA institutions ATS accredited?  Evan volunteered to investigate and create a spreadsheet.

Members then provided some brief institutional updates.  Elizabeth shared that a longtime library employee at Moravian died unexpectedly on Saturday.  The library staff are devastated.

Patrick mentioned that NBTS’ Board of Trustees will be on campus next week to discuss an innovative hybrid curriculum.  Also, the half-time library assistant position has been filled by Michele Mesi.

Evan provided an update on United Lutheran Seminary (ULS).  The board has met the last two (2) days, and Evan is happy to share that the institution now has a consolidation loan.  In two (2) weeks, Sharon Baker will be retiring.  She has been at the library since 2002.  Evan mentioned that more items have been scanned by Backstage and 18 incunabula will be sent to auction.

Greg gave an update for PTS.  He explained that they are closing special collections temporarily due to a staffing shortage.  Currently, there are several open positions.  Greg shared that Rachel Hoff was hired as the new Preservation and Exhibits Specialist.  He will mention SEPTLA to her and hopefully she can be added to the SEPTLA listserv.

Myka mentioned that Lancaster plans to hire an Interim President before June 30.  Lancaster’s new Dean returns from study leave in a few weeks.

Adjournment (next EC meeting scheduled for February 28 at 2:30 pm)

Patrick thanked everyone for attending the meeting.  Myka moved to adjourn and Evan seconded; the meeting was adjourned at 2:45 pm.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting
February 28, 2020
Zoom Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Vic Broberg, Laura Giacobbe, Jim Humble, Patrick Milas, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Greg Murray, Jim Sauer, Elizabeth Young Miller

Consideration of meeting agenda

Patrick called the meeting to order at 2:35 pm.  Elizabeth asked to add committee appointments and elections under other business.  She also mentioned that she would like to make an announcement at the end of the meeting.  Patrick made a motion to accept these changes, with Jim Sauer moving and Vic seconding.  All voted in favor of the proposed additions.

Consideration of January 2020 EC Minutes

Patrick asked if there were any changes to the minutes from the last Executive Committee Meeting.  Greg mentioned that on page two (2), in the second paragraph, on the first line, the “L” is missing from NYATLA.  He also noted that there is some duplication regarding news at Princeton Theological Seminary, under “Thinking ahead” and “Other business.”  Even though this information was mentioned twice, it was decided to just include it once under “Other business.”  Patrick motioned to accept the amended minutes.  Vic moved and Greg seconded, with all voting in favor of the revised minutes.

Treasurer’s report

Evan was not in attendance to offer a report, so Patrick shared the numbers from Evan’s report received February 17, 2020: there is a combined total of $11,903.11 in the SEPTLA bank accounts.

Update on proposals for spring 2020 meeting

Patrick explained that the proposals are listed in the order he received them.

1. Greg Murray from PTS: Controlled Digital Lending

Greg offered to provide an overview of the basics of controlled digital lending, giving background on what PTS is doing.  He anticipates that this presentation would last between five (5) and ten (10) minutes and is not crucial to the meeting.  Elizabeth asked if this information could be shared during the institutional news, and Greg responded that yes, this is a possibility.  At a previous SEPTLA meeting Evelyn Frangakis mentioned this project.  Patrick suggested sharing institutional news outside of the business meeting so that NYATLA colleagues could be included.

2. Laura and Mariah from Fordham University: the latest in copyright concerns

Patrick received a copyright proposal from NYATLA colleagues Laura and Mariah.  He will reach out to them to find out more details, including the length of their proposed presentation.

3. Christine Fruin from Atla: an update on Atla (and/or Open Access or Scholarly Communications)

Christine Fruin approached Patrick about attending the meeting and offering a general update on Atla, lasting between 25 and 30 minutes.  She is also an expert on copyright which might be a nice tie in with the second proposal.  A discussion of open access and/or scholarly communications would also fit well with proposal four (4).

4. Jill Annitto from Atla: vocabulary clean-up for the 1000 journals indexed for RDB and Atlas, AtlasPLUS

After Patrick heard from Christine, Atla editor, Jill Annitto, contacted him.  Patrick invited both Christine and Jill to attend the spring meeting.  Jill lives in Philadelphia and her presentation might be of particular interest to the Cataloging and Metadata Interest Group.

The Executive Committee then discussed whether or not to hold interest group meetings during the spring meeting, especially since this is a joint meeting with NYATLA.  Due to the number of proposals and input from the interest group chairs, it was decided to forgo these meetings.  Vic’s topic can wait until the fall meeting, and Jim Sauer mentioned sending a survey to SEPTLA members to expand the brainstorming list.  Patrick also suggested the possibility of a conference call/Zoom meeting for the interest groups.

5. The Reformed Church in America Archives (housed in the Sage Library) is collaborating with New Brunswick librarians to curate an exhibition featuring diversity in NBTS Seminary Archives, RCA Archives, and Sage Library General and Special Collections.  This exhibit will go up on April 6 and be on display for the April 16 meeting.

Patrick mentioned that the topic of diversity was included in the survey results following the fall 2018 meeting.  NBTS plans on providing a brief introduction to the exhibit and then attendees will be welcome to explore it on their own, perhaps over lunch.

Patrick shared that money is available from Atla for regional group meetings.  Laura provided a lead for a diversity speaker: Courtney Young.  She is not available for the spring meeting on April 16, but may be an option for the fall meeting.

Special topics for the spring 2020 business meeting agenda

To prevent the business meeting from going over the allotted time, it may make sense to share institutional news at another time.  In addition to nominations and elections, the following topics will be discussed at the spring 2020 business meeting:

1. Motion from the Treasurer re: transfer of funds

Evan shared with Patrick that he would like to move some funds from SEPTLA’s checking account to the money market account, in order to earn more interest.  Patrick will request that Evan make this formal motion to the Executive Committee. Check your email for this motion.

2. Additional membership category and dues: Individual Member

Patrick explained that the topic of individual membership is a longstanding topic and could include retirees and people between jobs.  Patrick asked if we want to consider a lifetime membership option too, similar to Atla.  Elizabeth shared that the Membership Task Force had surveyed other regional groups on the topic of individual membership.

Jim Sauer raised some salient questions:

1. What rights would individual members have?
2. How would borrowing privileges work?
3. Would individual memberships for solo librarians compete with institutional memberships? (We don’t want this.)
4. Who are we targeting?  Alums, staff?

Myka suggested requiring institutional dues for direct borrowing.  Elizabeth shared that the Southern California Theological Library Association (SCATLA) offers different tiers of membership and only full members have reciprocal borrowing.

There are many things to consider in terms of dues.  Patrick shared that NYATLA’s dues are $40.  It was pointed out that SEPTLA’s dues enable us to offer the Atla conference scholarship.  Elizabeth mentioned that now that SEPTLA does not need to save money to assist with a national conference in our area, a discussion on how we want to spend our saved money may be warranted, and has the potential to impact dues.

3. Results of initial review of GreenGlass by EC and others

Perhaps at the fall meeting we can consider GreenGlass.  It may make sense to invite Pete Zeimet from OCLC to give a demonstration and have someone from SCELC present via Zoom and share discount pricing information with us.

4. Others: Direct Borrowing

There was some discussion on the SEPTLA listserv about direct borrowing and how institutions define students.  For example, can certificate students borrow materials?  Perhaps, this topic can be discussed at the business meeting and any changes to the policy can be made.

Spring 2020 official meeting invitation forthcoming from NBTS

Patrick will be sending a save the date email in the near future.

Other business (including committee elections and appointments)

Elizabeth mentioned that before she solicits nominations for the offices of President and Secretary, she wanted to check with Patrick and Laura to see if they would like to continue on in their roles.  They would both like to conclude their terms.

According to the SEPTLA website, Jim Humble’s term expired on the Continuing Education Committee and another member, Julie Dawson, retired.  If there are others serving on the committee, Jim is willing to stay on.

Elizabeth asked Myka for clarification as to when the appointed committee terms expire—in the spring or the fall.  Myka explained that in order not to conflict with elected officers of the Executive Committee, the appointed officers’ terms expire in the fall.  Elizabeth mentioned that the terms of several members of the Communications Committee will be ending in the fall of 2020.

Elizabeth then asked if all the open positions should be advertised in one email, or if the focus should instead be on the elected positions of President and Secretary.  The consensus was that only the elected positions should be advertised at this point in time.

Several members provided updates.  Elizabeth announced that she and her husband are expecting a baby the end of August.  Myka shared that there is a new position at Lancaster for a full-time library associate for online learning and digital projects; please spread the word.

Adjournment (next EC meeting scheduled for March 27 at 1:30 pm)

Patrick thanked everyone for attending the meeting.  Jim Sauer moved to adjourn and Greg seconded; the meeting was adjourned at 3:28 pm.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting
April 28, 2020
Zoom Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Evan Boyd, Vic Broberg, Laura Giacobbe, Jim Humble, Patrick Milas, Lydia Putnam, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Greg Murray, Elizabeth Young Miller

Consideration of meeting agenda

Patrick called the meeting to order at 2:01 pm.  Patrick made a motion to accept the agenda and Lydia seconded.  All voted in favor of the proposed agenda.

Consideration of February 2020 EC Minutes

Patrick asked if there were any changes to the minutes from the last Executive Committee Meeting.  Hearing none, Patrick motioned to accept the minutes.  Evan moved and Jim seconded, with all voting in favor of the minutes.

Treasurer’s report

Evan provided the Treasurer’s report.  The beginning balance on February 17, 2020 in the non-profit checking account was $5,112.73.  Membership deposits in the amount of $525 were made, bringing the ending balance as of April 28, 2020 to $5,637.73.  The beginning balance on February 17, 2020 in the money market account was $6,790.38.  With interest, the ending balance as of April 28, 2020 is $6,795.28.  The combined balance in the two (2) accounts as of April 28, 2020 equals $12,433.01.

Evan explained that the quarterly website payment is due.  He will coordinate with Jim and Myka regarding the invoice.

Patrick motioned that we accept Evan’s Treasurer’s report.  Jim moved and Lydia seconded, with all voting in favor.

Updates from officers’ institutions

Given these trying times, it was decided to take some time to check in with each executive officer to see how they and their respective institutions are faring.

1. New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS)

Patrick shared that the physical library is under lockdown.  Staff are supporting virtual reference and highlighting digital collections.  Laura has been busy promoting the library and its services on social media and via Zoom.  Before COVID-19, a hybrid curriculum was already in place, which has made the transition to online only much easier.  Unfortunately, the endowment has suffered substantial losses making it necessary to eliminate the position of Collection Services Librarian.  Gerone Lockheart has been a wonderful colleague and librarian, coming highly recommended.

2. Missio

Lydia mentioned that Missio will be online through June.  Similar to NBTS, they were offering a hybrid model before.  Students are familiar with the online format.  However, faculty need to update some links.  Lydia shared that Campus Cafe replaced Jenzebar, and there were some issues with this transition.  Even though enrollment is down slightly, the institution seems to be doing okay financially.  Missio has received a PPP loan that will help with discrepancies.  It may take the institution longer to reopen since office spaces are closer together than the recommended 6 feet needed for proper social distancing.

3. Moravian

Elizabeth reported that all classes at Moravian are being offered online for the spring semester, as well as the summer.  Faculty have been instructed to prepare for online classes this fall; the president will most likely make a decision about format in July.  The library is offering chat reference and meeting with patrons via Zoom.  The financial impact of COVID-19 has been significant with many employees being furloughed and administrators taking pay cuts.  The library and seminary staff have been directly affected by the furloughs.

4. Reformed Episcopal Seminary

Vic shared that classes at Reformed Episcopal Seminary are all online.  Upgrades to the server and firewall are being made.  

5. St. Charles Borromeo

Jim reported that classes are being offered remotely.  Ordinations have been postponed to June, with a virtual graduation ceremony being planned.  Some other events have also been postponed to the fall, and books are not due until this time.  Employees are working from home, and Jim explained that one of the projects he is working on includes collection evaluation.  This project will aid with the move, which is still moving forward.  The institution has narrowed the decision down to two (2) locations.  A final decision will be made in July.  There is a buyer for the current property, and St. Charles has three (3) years left before they need to vacate their current space.  Fortunately, there are no layoffs at the time.

6. Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS)

Greg shared that things at PTS are much the same as they were in late March.  The library building is closed, and the focus is online reference, including email reference.  Librarians are highlighting online resources both subscription and free.  All departments have been asked to defer expenses to the next fiscal year.  No searches for open positions are being pursued at this time.  However, the library is hopeful that these positions can be filled at a later date.  All summer classes will be online.  Food is being delivered for those students remaining in campus housing. 

7. Lancaster Theological

Myka explained that the hybrid DMin program, which includes an intensive week on campus in the spring, has been shifted completely online; this change has been an adjustment for instructors, who now need to offer asynchronous activities.  Moodle and online learning have been Myka’s focus.  Myka has been working one-on-one with DMin students, both on Zoom and Google Hangouts.  Commencement has been postponed to the fall.  However, baccalaureate will be held virtually at the time that commencement was originally scheduled.  The president is retiring, and the seminary will be interviewing for an interim.  The position in the library, with time split between Moodle and digital projects, is still open.  The first round of interviews will involve an asynchronous assignment, complete with a video and questions.  Myka is considering how the library may reopen and offer access to computers.  A schedule with reduced hours may be an option.  She is exploring how to restart interlibrary loan (ILL) and holds, as well as how to offer curbside pickup.

8. United Lutheran

Evan shared that he is working from home.  Student workers continue to be paid and are uploading finding aids to ArchivesSpace for digitization.  United Lutheran is doing all right financially; the institution has received two (2) PPP loans.  Graduation has been postponed until next May.  In the morning, graduates from 2020 will be recognized, and in the afternoon/evening, 2021 graduates will be celebrated.  Classes in June will be held online, and faculty are being encouraged to prepare now for online classes in the fall.  Evan has seen an increase in online reference questions.  He is working on a phased re-entry plan that may begin as early as May 18.

Special topics for virtual business

1. Motion from Treasurer re: transfer of funds

There is approximately 4k in checking, which is not earning interest.  Since interest is accrued on funds in the money market account, Evan proposes that 2k from checking be moved to the money market account.  There was some discussion as to whether or not such a decision is within the purview of the Executive Committee, and the consensus was that indeed the Executive Committee could make such a decision.  Patrick motioned to transfer 2k from checking to the money market account, with Elizabeth seconding.  All voted in favor of this transfer of funds.

2. Additional membership category and dues: Individual member

Patrick explained that given the economic climate and the wish of certain librarians who no longer work at a SEPTLA library to be involved in the organization, it may make sense to consider an individual member category.  Lydia supports this category, proposing that individual membership be open to those who do not work at a SEPTLA library.

The topic of whether or not individual members could vote arose.  Lydia proposes that individual members could attend meetings, but not vote.  Myka mentioned that Atla allows one (1) vote per institution, as well as one (1) for each individual member.  If SEPTLA adopted such a model, it might be easier to establish a quorum when voting on changes to the bylaws, constitution, etc.  Evan clarified that Atla requires a quorum for both categories.  Lydia then asked what the benefit would be of having individual members who are also institutional members.

Some discussion surrounding the amount of dues ensued.  Myka shared that perhaps if institutional dues were too expensive, a librarian may be able to afford an individual membership.  Another option, of course, would be to reduce dues in general.  For example, dues could be based on collection budgets, with a cap of $75 (the amount of our current dues).  Dues do not need to increase if SEPTLA is not contributing host funds to a national meeting.  Vic asked why SEPTLA’s dues do not go up each year.  Lydia explained that having a flat dues structure makes membership an easier sell.

The financial aspect can be complicated.  We would need a way to distinguish why institutional membership is best for a library.  For example, institutional membership could offer interlibrary loan (ILL) services, as well as reciprocal borrowing.  Elizabeth shared that a perk of institutional membership in Atla includes waving the national conference registration fee. The consensus was to leave the institutional membership category as it stands.  Perhaps it makes the most sense to offer individual membership to those who are not affiliated with a SEPTLA institution.  Patrick shared that NYATLA’s dues are $25.  He wonders if SEPTLA could offer individual memberships for $15 and student memberships for $10.   Another potential category is for retired members.

Lydia highlighted that with more members, the organization would have a larger pool of volunteers from which to draw upon.

The Executive Committee then discussed whether a special task force should be formed to explore various membership options, or if this is a project that the Executive Committee would work on.  Greg recommended that the Executive Committee explore this topic.  The Executive Committee could look at Atla, TCLC, and the Southern California Theological Library Association (SCATLA).  Elizabeth volunteered to take a look at SCATLA’s dues structure.  As we learn about how other organizations handle membership and dues, we can share this information with the SEPTLA listserv.

Other business: solicitations for open positions for officers and committees

Patrick asked Elizabeth if she had received any nominations for the open positions on the Executive Committee.  She responded that she has not received a response from her call for volunteers both on the listserv and on Slack.

Adjournment

Patrick will send out a Doodle to identify times for other Executive Committee meetings.  Hopefully, we can meet again in May.

Patrick thanked everyone for attending the meeting.  Patrick moved to adjourn and Lydia seconded; the meeting was adjourned at 3:04 pm.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting
June 16, 2020
Zoom Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Evan Boyd, Laura Giacobbe, Jim Humble, Patrick Milas, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Greg Murray, Elizabeth Young Miller

Consideration of meeting agenda

Patrick called the meeting to order at 2:01 pm.  Since no new topics were proposed, Patrick made a motion to accept the agenda and Myka seconded.  All voted in favor of the proposed agenda.

Consideration of April 2020 EC Minutes

Patrick asked if there were any changes to the minutes from the last Executive Committee Meeting.  Hearing none, Patrick motioned to accept the minutes, and the motion passed.

Treasurer’s report (if any)

Evan provided some updates.  He has received more renewals and is still waiting on a few.  Evan will send an invoice to Greg for Princeton’s dues, and Elizabeth will share contact information with Evan for St. Tikhon’s.  After receiving the SEPTLA listserv message from Jim Sauer at Evangelical, informing members that Evangelical will be leaving SEPTLA and becoming part of the Kairos Project, Myka contacted Jim.  Evangelical has been removed from the SEPTLA website.  The bookmarks will need to be revised to reflect this change too; the most recent update to the bookmarks includes name changes for Missio and United Lutheran Seminary (ULS).

Updates from officers’ institutions

There was a reminder offered regarding the SEPTLA shared document created by Evan, noting the services that each library is offering and its institutional status (e.g. online classes, library building closed, etc.).  Please update this document as changes occur at your respective institution.

1. New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS)

Patrick shared that New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS) is experiencing a record number of online enrollments for summer.  The faculty voted to keep online instruction in place through the fall semester.  The library’s digital services are expanding and the former acquisitions position has shifted to digital services.  NBTS has joined the Digital Theological Library.  Social media and outreach remain important.  Laura has also been busy working on course reserves.

2. United Lutheran

Evan reported that ULS has not yet made a decision regarding the format for the fall semester; the institution plans to do so by July 1.  The earliest the library would reopen is once both surrounding counties move to the green phase, and the archives will open to outside researchers after January 1.  Evan also shared that he has resigned from the Atla Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  The statement that Atla released was fundamentally different from that which the committee drafted.  Evan also expressed frustration over promises that were made to the committee over three (3) years ago and have not come to fruition.  Evan’s dean is encouraging him to write about his experience.

ULS announced that their new president will be Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin, who is currently the bishop of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  Erwin starts on August 1.  Evan shared that Erwin is no stranger to ULS’ library.  When Erwin was working on his dissertation, he incorporated rare library materials into his research.

3. Lancaster Theological

Myka commented that their community and circulation librarian position was discontinued and a new full-time library associate for online learning and digital projects was hired. Their new staff member will be responsible for supporting Moodle and assisting with digital projects. Library staff have returned to the building for solo shifts in order to process orders, receive materials, and fulfill interlibrary loan requests. A final decision has not yet been made regarding the course format for the fall and beyond. Surveys were sent regarding opening/format preferences. The dean is leaning towards online classes.

4. Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS)

Greg mentioned that summer classes are online and the library is largely closed.  The front of the library, however, is open to those with a valid ID as a study space.  This area can easily be closed off from the rest of the library.  The library is offering curbside pickup for books, and there are a few staff working in the library building, including some catalogers.  Those who can work from home are being encouraged to do so through December 31.  Greg explained, though, that there is an effort to have students on campus in the fall.  However, classes may still be online.  The library is down five (5) staff members, and there is currently a hiring freeze.  Digitization is at a halt too, though staff may be allowed back in to work on such projects.

5. Moravian

Elizabeth reported that all classes at Moravian are being offered online for the summer, and the hope is that some classes will be offered on campus during the fall.  If classes are held face-to-face, there will be no fall break, and classes will be held the day before Thanksgiving.  Students will be encouraged to remain on campus.  Once they go home for Thanksgiving, they will not return until the spring semester.  Finals will be online.  The seminary students are primarily commuters and may have a different schedule.  Similar to several other institutions, the library is offering curbside pickup for books.

6. St. Charles Borromeo

Jim reported that while the library is closed to the public, it did reopen this week for faculty and staff.  Temperature checks are in place and staff must wear masks.  However, working from home is still an option.  The library is still offering interlibrary loan services.  The hope is to have students return to campus for the fall semester, especially for formation purposes.  Students may not have breaks and will be discouraged from going home.

Special topics for virtual business

1. Additional membership category and dues: Individual member

With Jim Sauer’s departure from Evangelical Seminary, a SEPTLA individual membership category seems especially relevant.  Elizabeth had shared with the Executive Committee information about the Southern California Theological Library Association (SCATLA).  This organization offers two (2) types of membership: full and affiliate.  Full members have a certain number of volumes in their collection, are accredited, and have at least one full-time librarian; these full members receive interlibrary loan (ILL) and reciprocal borrowing privileges.  Affiliate members are welcome to attend meetings, but are not eligible for ILL and reciprocal borrowing partnerships.  Currently, SCATLA does not charge any dues.  However, they have considered changing this to offset meeting host costs.

Greg shared that he is in favor of an individual membership option that would include networking opportunities and attendance at meetings.  Jim also supports this proposal and suggests that individual members not be extended interlibrary loan benefits.  Greg does not recommend borrowing privileges for individual members either.  The public may borrow materials from PTS for a fee.  Elizabeth and Myka shared that their institutions (Moravian and Lancaster) offer free borrowing cards to local clergy.  Extending borrowing privileges to individual members could present some issues.  Currently, parent institutions are responsible for lost items; this is the case both for SEPTLA and the Atla Reciprocal Borrowing Program.  The question then arises for individual members--who would become responsible for tracking down books?  This is probably a duty that the Executive Committee would prefer to avoid.  It was suggested that direct borrowing for individual members be at the discretion of each library.

Next the topic of leadership and service on committees was discussed.  Myka advocates that individual members be allowed to serve in these capacities, and Patrick echoes this sentiment.  Laura shared that she specifically joined the New Jersey Library Association, as well as ALA due to the professional development opportunities, which include serving on committees and discounts for conferences.

Another related question emerged--should individual members then be allowed to vote?  It could become awkward if this is not the case.  Laura emphasized that voting is essential for members to feel welcome and be heard.  What then would voting look like?  Would each institution receive a vote or each person?  Atla gives each institutional member, as well as each individual member a vote, so in some cases, individuals vote twice.

Another question arose--are individual members eligible for the Atla conference scholarship?

Dues were also discussed, both for individual and institutional members.  Some amounts that were suggested for individual members included $15 and $25.  A sliding scale for institutions was also suggested, with a ceiling.  Issuing invoices with these various models in place may become more complicated and additional means of payment may need to be explored, such as cash.  Elizabeth shared that the SEPTLA Membership Task force had looked at the amount for dues and surveyed members too.  It appears that our institutional dues structure is not broken, and therefore, should remain in place for the time being.

Patrick mentioned structural injustices and that dues could potentially be a barrier for some individual members.  Therefore, he suggests that individual membership be free.  This decision would provide a lower barrier for membership and could lead to more participation.

A topic that surfaced again was the relationship between individual members and institutional members.  Greg advocates that individual membership not be available to those who are employed at an institutional member library.  This recommendation was widely accepted by the Executive Committee.

Jim raised the question of termination of membership.  What would happen if an individual member presented a significant distraction or other issue?  Evan checked the bylaws, which state in 1.3.3 “[t]he Members may vote to withdraw membership from a Member for nonpayment of dues or other just cause.”

After much discussion, the Executive Committee attempted to outline who would qualify for individual membership and what this membership would encapsulate.  The following was proposed:

Individual membership is open to those who:

• Currently work in libraries
• Have previously been employed at a library
• Volunteer in a library, and/or
• Are a current or recent library school student

SEPTLA individual members are eligible to:

• Participate in meetings
• Vote
• Serve on committees and in leadership positions
• Check with individual members libraries regarding their direct borrowing programs
• Receive complementary dues

There was a motion to bring this proposal for SEPTLA individual membership as outlined above to the membership for a vote at the next business meeting.  Jim seconded the motion, with all voting in favor of this proposal.

2. Central India Theological Seminary (CITS), located in Madhya Pradesh, India has expressed initial interest in joining SEPTLA

Patrick shared that he has responded to this inquiry.  Perhaps CITS is interested in virtual networking.  Patrick has specifically asked CITS what interests them about SEPTLA and what their membership goals are.  He has not heard back yet from CITS, but will keep the Executive Committee posted.  Jim mentioned that Atla may offer more for international members.  However, dues may be the issue.

Open Forum: other agenda items

Several Executive Committee members shared that they will be presenting at the upcoming Atla conference later this week.  Evan’s presentation is entitled “Implementing an Open Source Catalog in a Consortia Environment.”  Myka is participating in a panel presentation called “Defining Balances in Collection Development Policies.”  Elizabeth is also participating in a panel presentation entitled “Physical Collections and the 21st Century Theological Library.”  There was a question about when Atla denominational meetings will be held.  Some of them are scheduled for the week following the conference.

Patrick shared that with NBTS’s decision to offer online classes in the fall, hosting the fall 2020 meeting may not be feasible.  A decision regarding group meetings at NBTS will be made on July 15 at the earliest.

Consideration of next meeting: July or August

Evan shared that the more connected we are the less isolated the COVID-19 quarantine feels.  There was consensus to continue to meet as a group in both July and August.  Myka graciously offered to take the minutes during the July 21 meeting, as Elizabeth will not be available.

Officers expressed interest in meeting virtually as a membership.  Ideas suggested included a professional development meeting, and/or a meeting to discuss COVID-19 responses, next steps, and lessons learned from the pandemic.  Encouraging more members to communicate via Slack would be good too.

Adjournment

Patrick adjourned the meeting at 3:34 pm.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting
July 21, 2020
Zoom Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Patrick Milas, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Greg Murray, Vic Broberg, Evan Boyd

Consideration of meeting agenda

No additions; Greg moved to accept the agenda; motion approved.

Consideration of June 2020 EC Minutes

Correction to New Brunswick report: the former cataloging position is shifting to digital services, not the former acquisitions position

Myka moved to accept the corrected minutes; motion approved.

Treasurer’s Report

NOTE: $2,000 moved from PNC Checking to PNC Money Market on 06/30/2020 - eb

Patrick moved to accept the report; motion approved.

Special topics for virtual business

1. Pandemic and reopening topics proposal from M. Draper

No further development on this front since Mark Draper suggested hosting this event. We had talked about the first week of August as a good time for this type of web conference. Patrick will follow-up with Mark soon to see if this is still an interest and if the timing would be good.

2. GreenGlass consortial opportunities

There is a GreenGlass offer open for Atla member libraries. An OCLC representative has offered to present at an EC or a general membership meeting sometime this fall. We still do not have pricing information. Myka shared how Lancaster Theological Seminary is using 583 and 593 notes in the MARC record to indicate which titles the library intends to retain in lieu of GreenGlass.

3. Official business amid COVID-19: what about Bylaws voting and committee member/chair/officer vacancies/transitions?

Many aspects of business are difficult when we cannot meet physically. It is unlikely that we will be able to meet physically this fall. How will we handle virtual voting? Greg offered that quorum could be reached either physically or virtually. Myka suggested that there may be a way to use the SEPTLA Survey Monkey account to construct an online ballot to collect votes. The person reviewing the ballots would need to check to make sure each institution cast one vote and that quorum was reached.

Open Forum

SEPTLA members were congratulated for their contributions to the Atla Annual Conference. We had strong representation at this virtual conference.

Princeton Theological Seminary is following up about their membership dues.

The SEPTLA listserv will be transitioning along with other Atla lists. Patrick will be receiving a spreadsheet that will need to be updated.

Brief updates from officer’s institutions

New Brunswick Theological Seminary: Michelle Macy is transitioning into a digital services role from an acquisitions position. Fall planning is proceeding with all courses to be offered online. The library’s HVAC has failed and access to the building is limited while cleaning and repairs are being made.

United Lutheran Seminary: The Gettysburg campus is looking for an assistant archivist. Two overhead book scanners have been purchased, one for each campus. The Gettysburg campus had an HVAC failure and repairs are underway. All classes will be taught online this fall. The library will offer very limited access to students on a pre-scheduled basis.

Princeton Theological Seminary: No status updates since our last meeting. It looks like the library will remain closed for the fall semester. Hiring freeze remains in place.

Lancaster Theological Seminary: No status updates since our last meeting. New student orientation started online on July 15.

Reformed Episcopal Seminary: Seminary was hit with a ransomware attack and IT recovery work is underway. Discussion is underway about how to conduct classes in the fall, though no decision has been made yet.

August through December 2020 EC meetings poll forthcoming

Patrick will send out a Doodle poll. This will also include possible dates for a virtual fall membership meeting that would include interest group meetings and other presentations. Please continue to use the SEPTLA listserv and Slack workspace to keep in touch.

Adjournment

Evan moved to adjourn at 2:39 p.m.; motion approved.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting
August 11, 2020
Zoom Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Evan Boyd, Laura Giacobbe, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Patrick Milas, Greg Murray, Lydia Putnam, Elizabeth Young Miller

Consideration of meeting agenda

Patrick called the meeting to order shortly after 1 pm.  He asked if there were any changes to the agenda.  Elizabeth inquired if we would be discussing the fall meeting.  Patrick suggested this discussion be incorporated with the topic of GreenGlass under “special topics for virtual business.”  He then made a motion to accept the revised agenda and Lydia seconded.  All voted in favor of the proposed agenda.

Consideration of July 2020 EC Minutes

Patrick thanked Myka for taking minutes at the last meeting and asked if there were any changes to the minutes.  Hearing none, Patrick motioned to accept the minutes as distributed.  Greg moved, with all voting in favor of the minutes.

Treasurer’s report (if any)

Evan explained that he has been dealing with a destroyed check; the corner of the check was ripped out, most likely by an automatic mail sorter.  He also shared that he just received a dues check from St. Tikhon’s.

Special topics for virtual business

1. SEPTLA Resource Sharing Status & Reopening Summit

Topics proposal from M. Draper

August 25 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Q&A format, with topics including: current status of SEPTLA ILL; use of spreadsheet; lessons learned from summer semester etc.

At this point in time, it sounds like the following institutions will be offering in-person classes: Cairn, Eastern, Evangelical, Lancaster Bible College, and Moravian.

The format of the proposed meeting will be similar to the fall meeting, with a series of questions that individuals will be prompted to answer.  Lydia inquired if this meeting will be in lieu of a fall meeting, or if this is a supplemental meeting.  Patrick responded that this meeting will serve as a special meeting and not replace the fall meeting.  Elizabeth asked if the date of the start of the semester will interfere with attendance.  The consensus seemed to be no.  If this is an issue, recording the meeting via Zoom will help.  Patrick will coordinate details with Mark and plans to issue a Zoom invite to the SEPTLA membership soon.

2. Fall meeting and GreenGlass offer to present at a fall meeting

Patrick reached out to Pete Zeimet at OCLC regarding pricing and did not receive any figures; this may be due to the pricing model, which is based on collection size.  Lydia wonders if an institution’s ILS may also factor into the cost; for example, for those institutions with OCLC’s WMS perhaps the cost would be less.  While not a replacement for GreenGlass, Myka has developed a process to publicly note both in OCLC records and the library’s online library catalog which items the library is committed to retain.

The fall meeting will have several parts and will most likely occur in October.  Lydia advocates for more time for interest group meetings, especially if the meeting is held virtually.  A business meeting will also be part of the agenda.  New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS) has graciously offered to host a virtual fall meeting.  Myka shared that there is a SEPTLA YouTube channel, which could be used for recording.  When setting up the meeting in Zoom, one should select “allow recording/record the meeting automatically” and choose the option “optimize for 3rd party editor.”

3. Vacancy of Chair of Research Services Interest Group

With Jim Sauer’s departure from Evangelical, SEPTLA needs a chair of the Research Services Interest Group.  It is within the Executive Committee’s purview to appoint someone.  Also, the past president or president could solicit volunteers.  The consensus was to wait until the fall meeting and decide on a new chair during the interest group meeting; this has been the practice in the past.

Open Forum

Patrick asked if there were any institutional updates since the last meeting.  Lydia shared that due to the size of the classrooms at Missio, the decision was made to offer online classes.  The library, however, is open by appointment; four (4) people can be in the library at a time.  Interlibrary loan is also up and running.

Adjournment

Patrick thanked everyone for attending the meeting and adjourned the group at 1:33 pm.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting
September 9, 2020
Zoom Video Conference

MINUTES

Attendees: Evan Boyd, Laura Giacobbe, Myka Kennedy Stephens, Patrick Milas, Lydia Putnam

Consideration of meeting agenda

Patrick called the meeting to order shortly after 2 pm. He invited changes to the agenda. None  were proposed. A motion was made to accept the agenda. All voted in favor of the proposed agenda.

Consideration of August 2020 EC Minutes

Thanks go to Elizabeth Miller for taking the minutes at the last meeting. Patrick asked if there were any changes to the minutes. Hearing none, Patrick invited a motion to accept the minutes as distributed. It was so moved, with all voting in favor of the minutes.

Treasurer’s report (if any)

Evan and Patrick discussed the latest back-and-forth with the mailing of checks. Evan proposed to forego 2020-2021 dues collection. It will be discussed further at the October E.C. meeting, with plans to take the matter to the membership at the fall meeting.

Reopening Summit Debrief

Thanks to Mark Draper for hosting. Lydia voiced that the discussion was needed. Myka has received the recording. It will be posted on the SEPTLA YouTube channel. Myka will announce its availability to the listserv. Myka broached the issue of a newsletter on the website prior to the fall meeting as per usual. She will call a meeting of the Communications committee including Newsletter Editor Greg.

Fall Meeting via Gardner A. Sage Library (NBTS) Zoom Planning

1. Date/time proposal: Friday, October 16 1-3:30PM

E.C. members present expect to be available. Save-the-date to be sent to membership by NBTS (host institution). Evan proposes to have 15 minutes of break for each 50 minutes of meeting.

2. Topics of interest (E.C. and C.E. committee to coordinate):

Lydia spoke in favor of a focus on serving students while library resources are constrained; let us consider implications for next fiscal year. Laura spoke advocating the importance of anti-racism in collection development and curriculum support. Evan spoke about collaborating with the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries’ Committee on Anti-racism.

Patrick spoke about the particular timeliness of diversity awareness and engagement.

Myka spoke about prioritizing critical matters of business at the fall meeting, and postponing topical interest content to be delivered via webinar format. Patrick proposed inviting DTL guests to speak for 30-45 minutes. Lydia will contact DTL staff. If they are not available, we could offer a dialogue about the benefits of constorial development. Diversity topics and GreenGlass content should be engaged in a webinar series format.

3. Interest groups: meeting time of 15-20 minutes will be reserved for IGs.

There will be Zoom breakout group meetings for the two groups. Laura clarified that an administrator needs to send users into Zoom rooms; the host can also broadcast meeting time remaining. Evan suggests including users’ IG affiliation in the RSVP. Lydia proposed offering for folks to remain in the main room if they wish.

Action item: election of chairs. Note: research and reference chair is entirely vacant.

4. Call for business meeting agenda items

Patrick suggested: spring 2019 minutes approval; honoring Jim Sauer’s retirement from Evangelical Seminary, and Sharon Baker’s retirement from United Lutheran Seminary; and committee and interest group reports.

Lydia reminded us about waiving the SEPTLA membership fee for the upcoming year as proposed by Evan.

Evan proposed to formalize the membership category proposals decided at the July E.C. meeting.

The agenda will include the election of a Secretary. This election has been postponed since the spring 2020 meeting. The position will be vacated by Laura.The C.E. committee will be recruiting for a new member to replace recently retired member Julie Dawson. James Humble will need to clarify his intentions for the Archivist position.

Adjournment

The next E.C. meeting is on October 6 at 1PM.

SEPTLA Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
October 6, 2020
Video Conference

Present: Patrick Milas, Evan Boyd, James Humble, Michele Mesi, Gregory Murray, Lydia Putnam

Patrick called the meeting to order at 1:01 p.m.

Consideration of meeting agenda

No changes were asked for. Patrick called for an approval of the meeting agenda; Lydia moved to approve.

Consideration of September 2020 EC Minutes

No changes were asked for. Patrick called for an approval of the minutes from the last executive committee meeting; Evan moved to approve.

Treasurer’s report

Evan deferred his information until the discussion of the fall meeting.

Welcome new officer

Patrick welcomed Michele Mesi of New Brunswick Theological Seminary to the Executive Committee in her new role as Secretary. Lydia suggested that Patrick introduce Michele as Secretary during the upcoming Business Meeting.

Consideration of term statuses

The terms of three of the positions on the Committee are set to expire. James Humble (archivist), Lydia Putnam (chair, Continuing Education Committee), and Gregory Murray (editor, Teamwork) agreed to stay on for another term.

Fall Meeting Plans

Patrick brought up the proposal for changing the bylaws to allow membership for non-affiliated librarians. The relevant bylaws are 1.1 (whose criteria must change), 1.2.5. (on voting privileges), and 1.3.1. Evan suggested that we use the next executive committee meeting to hammer out the wording of the changes. Lydia agreed. It was decided that the committee will present members with the thoughts that led to this discussion about the possibility of individual memberships. Thus, a general discussion about this matter will be part of the business meeting agenda.

At the November 4 meeting, the Executive Committee will then work on the wording the updated bylaws. At the Spring 2021 meeting, the changes will be put to a vote. Lydia  noted that this will work out well time-wise, since membership dues are usually sent out in the Fall. Patrick asked Greg to write this up for the newsletter, and to stress that it will not come up for a vote during the upcoming meeting.

Evan put forth the proposal that the 2020-21 dues be suspended due to impact on SEPTLA’s services wrought by COVID changes. Patrick put forth a motion to approve, which Lydia seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Newsletter update

Myka (through Patrick) said that the save-the-date for the meeting appears in the slider on the homepage of the site. To clean up the News page, there are now only two sliders. To get to the video, go to News; it is the second item under "Most Recent News."

Greg apologized for not releasing the newsletter one month from the date of the general meeting, to which Patrick replied he’s not concerned with its relative proximity to that gathering.

This led to a discussion about posting minutes to the website. Greg said, and Myka corroborated, that the newsletter alone will contain the minutes; there will be no separate link for them at the bottom of the page. Minutes and meeting agendas will be incorporated as part of a single newsletter post from now on.

Sharing

Jim shared that St. Charles Seminary, following through on its plans, has brought all its students back for the fall semester. Students and staff must wear masks in public places, and remain distanced in gathering-places like classrooms. The library follows these guidelines but otherwise is open for student and faculty use. Curbside pickup is now done for the sake of its lay patrons.

Evan shared that United Lutheran Seminary was renting out its unused dorm space to Gettysburg College students, which had an outbreak as soon as students returned for the fall. The Seminary is holding classes online, with some students living on campus.

Lydia shared that Missio Seminary is online for the fall.

Greg shared that Princeton Seminary is online for the fall. The library remains closed. Curbside pickup has expanded beyond faculty and doctoral students (pilot phase) to include master’s students.

Patrick shared that New Brunswick Seminary is operating all online through the spring.

Adjournment

The next executive committee meeting will be held via Zoom on November 4 at 1:00 PM.