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UCOP - LAUC - Representatives to University Advisory Bodies - Systemwide Library and Scholarly Information Committee

To:           Terry Huwe, LAUC President
From:       Ann Jensen, LAUC Representative to SLASIAC
Date:        May 11, 2005

Re:           Report for LAUC 2005 Spring Assembly

SLASIAC met twice since the LAUC Fall 2004 Assembly.   The broad focus of both meetings has been issues of scholarly communication – how they impact UC’s ability to access the scholarly record and what members of the UC community might do to both effect and react to changes in the ways that scholarly information is disseminated.

1. November 1, 2004 - Oakland
   Complete notes and supporting documents from this meeting may be viewed at: http://www.slp.ucop.edu/consultation/slasiac/notes_110104.html
   1. University Librarians reached consensus on the principles that will guide persistent deposits in the Regional Library Facilities, opening the way for pursuit of new modes of shared and sharing collections.
   2. SLASIAC Resolution H, “Library Facilities” - Endorsed
      This resolution makes a strong case for augmented shared facilities to house growing traditional collections and as sites that will support new models for sharing.   This resolution was endorsed forwarded to Provosot and Senior Vice President Greenwood in December, 2004.
2. March 10, 2005 - UC Irvine
   Complete notes and supporting documents from this meeting may be viewed at: http://www.slp.ucop.edu/consultation/slasiac/notes_031005.html
   1. Follow-up to Resolution H – Shared Facilities
      SLASIAC is the only systemwide entity that will advocate for Shared Library Facilities.   The committee endorsed a follow-up letter from SLASIAC Chair Gottfredson to Provost Greenwood, re-stating the urgency of the inclusion of funds for SRLF-3 in the next five-year capital program.   This was sent to Provosot Greenwood April 11, 2005.
   2. Principles for strategic and implementation paths for UC Scholarly Communication include:
      • Access to and dissemination of scholarship and research results are critical to meeting the University’s core teaching, research and service missions.
      • UC faculty originate and own their scholarship and are the primary agents of its control.
      • Due to its size and the quantity and quality of its research output, UC is in a unique position to provide leadership to the academy and joint forces to address the problems inherent in current scholarly communication processes.
   3. Current and future implementation paths for UC scholarly communication initiative were  discussed.   These include:
      • EScholarship postprint repository program.
      • Faculty management of their copyrights.
      • Mechanisms to raise faculty awareness of scholarly communication issues.
      • UC Press innovations in publishing scholarly monographs.
      • Creation and use of alternative publishing venue and models.
   4. SLASIAC Resolution I “The University’s Role in Fostering Positive Change in Scholarly Communications”
      This Resolution underscores the role that UC must play in addressing the continuing crisis in its ability to access scholarly materials and the limitations that exist to wide dissemination of UC’s scholarship.
   5. Systemwide Strategic Directions Document
      Comments from the campus Academic Senate committees regarding this document were shared with members of SLASIAC.   No wide-spread disagreement with the fundamental concerns of the document were expressed but many helpful suggestions were included that will help as the strategic plan translates into action.
      
      All LAUC divisions held local discussions of the Systemwide Strategic Directions document.   Comments from those events were compiled and forwarded to SLASIAC Chair Gottfredson after this meeting.   Comments were also posted at LAUC’s website.   Like members of the Academic senate committees that reviewed it, LAUC members will be active participants in future activities that are guided by principles within this document.   LAUC’s understanding and interpretation of this document are vital.

Concluding Comments

As I complete my 3-year term as LAUC representative on SLASIAC, I am struck by the uniqueness of this Advisory Committee.   SLASIAC is charged with the serious obligation to advise the highest levels of University administration on systemwide library policy.   By extension, the work of SLASIAC ultimately informs California state governmental decisions on UC Library funding.   Most members on the Advisory Committee are quite far removed from day to day library operations and use, yet it is the changing array of faculty, deeply concerned about library matters, the University Librarians, and the LAUC representative who often populate the discussions with examples of how issues are played out now, and what future ramifications might be.   I have tried to be a voice for LAUC members when this has seemed helpful to discussions, and more importantly perhaps to bring SLASIAC discussions out to the membership in semi-annual reports.

Issues often appear to be finalized here without opportunity for formal LAUC review, as seen by the final adoption of the Systemwide Strategic Planning Document.   It is clear in SLASIAC discussions, however, that LAUC’s voice is intimately involved in the reports of SOPAG sponsored task forces, all campus-groups discussions, and the knowledge that the UL’s bring, all of which feed into SLASIAC discussions and decisions.

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