In reading from the LAUC History recently, I was reminded of what an important and unique status LAUC enjoys within the University, a status which both represented and unrepresented LAUC members have strongly supported since the advent of collective bargaining. I look forward to the LAUC Fall Assembly and the opportunity to engage LAUC members in debating the varied topics upon which we will be advising the University.

A pdf version of the LAUC history is available on the LAUC web site at http://www.ucop.edu/lauc/history/25yrs.html. LAUC: The First 25 Years. A History of the Librarians Association of the University of California, 1967-1992 was edited by Judith K. Horn and Jefferson P. Selth. Judy Horn has made this history entertaining and informative reading. It is amazing to see how the same issues recur, and disconcerting to realize how quickly we forget about topics that seemed critical at the time. Many thanks to Elizabeth Dupuis, LAUC web manager, for making the LAUC History available online at the suggestion of Past President Esther Grassian.

Information Literacy

The results of LAUC's initiatives on information literacy under Esther Grassian’s leadership have been highly successful, resulting in a greatly increased awareness of the issues on a Universitywide level. The Resolution on Information Literacy passed by the University Committee on Library (UCOL) in June as a result of Esther's presentation to the members of UCOL was endorsed by the Academic Council on September 24, 2003, and has been placed on the Academic Senate website. The resolution is being discussed by Senate committees on library on the various campuses. I have been asked to attend the next meeting of UCOL, in February.

Privacy Issues

The implications of the PATRIOT Act for the privacy of library users continues to attract a surprising amount of public interest. For those interested in following developments in this area, the LAUC web page http://www.ucop.edu/lauc/docs.html provides a wealth of useful links to sites such as ALA's Privacy Resources page. Susana Hinojosa, our dedicated LAUC representative to the UC Privacy Liaisons Group, is maintaining the "Privacy Laws and Related Information" links.

Meeting with the University Librarians

Terry Huwe and I met with the University librarians on October 8th for one hour at CDL. The majority of time went to the topics of effective communication between LAUC, and the ULs and other UC bodies, how to engage in collaborative projects (LAUC and UL/library administrative groups), and the LAUC Position Papers and their role and impact.

While it is true that University Librarians receive LAUC communications through their divisions, direct communication from the divisional chairs, and from me to Karen Butter as convener of the ULs group, would be helpful.

More than one UL stated that he or she would like to spend less time in discussion with LAUC regarding personnel matters, and more time on academic issues. The majority of ULs expressed interested in partnering with LAUC to explore academic and professional matters of mutual interest, in a coordinated fashion. For example, the terms and conditions being debated with respect to the current Elsevier contract carry many ramifications; this is a topic where LAUC may have very helpful input.

UL’s also expressed interest in LAUC developing a single statewide list of librarians (something LAUC has tried in the past), and in reaching out (in terms of communication, participation in programs, etc,) to include staff engaging in related work but not members of LAUC.

Lastly, I brought up the issue of LAUC statewide Position Papers as a topic that LAUC is continuing to discuss, and one that would benefit from involvement of the ULs. The overall interest level in Position Papers varied among the group. Some ULs expressed the belief that revising them should not be a priority, while others questioned the role of the Position Papers with respect to the MOU.

Operational Issues

The LAUC Executive Board met in person for the traditional old and new boards transition meeting in August. We agreed to meet on a regular basis via conference call, and conference calls were conducted in October and November. I hope this will allow us to make progress on issues between Assemblies. It is still difficult to discuss weighty issues thoroughly via telephone, and to coordinate with local divisional meeting schedules, but I hope that we will gain skill as we become more familiar with the format and with each other.

LTAG representative: LAUC members have come to recognize the terrific opportunity represented by service on University Librarian advisory groups such as the Library Technology Advisory Group (LTAG). We had a great deal of interest in the position of LAUC representative to LTAG--five well-qualified candidates. Gabriella Gray (UCLA) was appointed and brings public service perspective, technical savvy, and experience as a member of the MELVYL database transition team.

Appointments: We also had success getting volunteers for the Nominating Committee, and for the Position Paper Review Task Force, Cathy Palmer (UCI) and Cathy Chiu (UCSB) joined Esther Grassian at the beginning of October to form the Nominating Committee (an experiment, since this committee is normally not appointed until Fall Assembly). Three new members were appointed in mid-November to fill current and upcoming vacancies on the LAUC Position paper Task Force: Lucia Snowhill (UCSB), Roumiana Katzartov (UCI) and Myrtis Cochran (UCB).

LAUC Web Site: Significant changes in the organization of the LAUC web site will take place around the first of the year. Elizabeth Dupuis, the LAUC web manager, has been extremely responsive to all requests, working with extremely quick turnarounds to post materials and make changes to the web site. At the same time, she has been reconsidering the organization of the site. The goal will be to make substantive, topical and newsworthy issues stand out and perhaps even interest someone outside LAUC. Beth and I have also talked about incorporating a LAUC Procedures manual.

Travel procedures: At the request of the Santa Barbara division, I worked with staff at the office of the President and the UCLA Travel Center to make it possible for LAUC members to have consistent access to state-contracted airfares when their travel is funded by LAUC. The state-contracted airfares are especially good for last-minute travel or travel to places where the fares are high, such as Santa Barbara, and their use is voluntary.

Reports: LAUC has responded to several requests for comment on statewide reports at the request of SOPAG. Various officers--Tammy Dearie (SOPAG representative), Terry Huwe (VP), and myself--have contributed to compiling the divisional comments received.

It is clear that a great deal of substantive work is being performed via the UL advisory structure headed by SOPAG (the Systemwide Operations and Planning Advisory Group). Developing ways for LAUC to contribute effectively to fast-moving developments continues to be a high priority, and I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Linda Kennedy
LAUC President, 2003/2004
lmkennedy@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-1656