Library Committee Minutes, 12/4/19

The Academic Senate Committee on Library Committee met on The Academic Senate Committee on Library met on December 4, 2019 in C-101 from 12:30-1:00 p.m.

Committee Members in Attendance:

Danny Mangra, Engineering Technology (2020)

Hayes Peter Mauro (Committee Chair), Art and Design (2021)

Angela Ridinger-Dotterman (Secretary), English (2022)

Jodi VanDerHorn-Gibson, Speech (2022)

Liaisons in Attendance:

Jeanne Galvin (Chief Librarian and Presidential Designee)

Business:

The meeting was called to order at 12:30 p.m.

Committee Chair Mauro called the meeting to order.

 

Prior to the meeting, Committee Chair Mauro circulated the meeting agenda, updated committee charges, and minutes from the October 5, 2019 meeting for a vote via e-mail.  All three items were approved unanimously by the committee’s voting members, 6-0.  The results of these votes were announced.  The committee then turned to old business:

 

Restrooms

Committee Chair Mauro reported that he had spoken with Vice President Faulkner regarding the need for ADA-complaint restrooms in the Library Building.  City and state funds have been given to the school to hire a firm to redesign the restrooms.  Additional funds are available to implement the remodeling.  Currently, the bid process is still open.  It is expected that the redesign will be completed 1-2 years after a final bid is accepted.

 

Study Space

Solutions to address students’ concerns about creating quiet study space in the library continue to be considered.  Committee Chair Mauro and SGA Liaison Dhanmattie Kahn spoke with VP Faulkner about a series of items related to this issue:

 

The SGA donated the existing silent study room to the library.  Other silent study rooms/areas could potentially be created.

 

Requiring card access to the library would require scanners, turnstiles, and staff at two entrances to the library; alarms could be used on doors that are not regular points of entry.  Committee Chair spoke with John Triolo, Public Safety Director.  He indicated that he can provide staff, if the administration approves.

 

Mr. Triolo also suggested that installing study carrels place of large tables could discourage talking and other disruptive behaviors. 

 

The college has a contract with Starbucks, so it is not yet clear whether the coffee bar could be relocated from the library to the Student Union.   The atrium is going to close at the end of this academic year for refurbishment, which is expected to be a two-year process.  During that time, the student union will serve as a temporary student cafeteria.  CUNY is also looking for a new food vendor.  It was suggested that this might be an opportune time to transition Starbucks to the SU.

 

Committee Chair Mauro and Presidential Designee Jeanne Galvin will be meeting with VP Faulkner, Dean Brian Kerr, and the SGA Leadership in the Student Union on Monday, December 9, to further discuss ways to move social space from the library to the SU.

 

Outlets

The electrical outlets in the library have been repaired and are now in working order.

 

Marketing

The committee briefly discussed using the library’s Instagram feed to advertise the library’s services and resources available to students.  Professor Tokke is in the process of working with Marketing to achieve this.

 

STEAM Lab

Committee Chair Mauro and Professor Ridinger-Dotterman met with Dean Wang about the STEAM Lab project.  As per Dean Wang, no new spaces can be made available on campus until the College’s Academic Master Plan and Facilities Master Plan have been developed, a process that will be ongoing throughout the next semester.  Once those plans have been created, decisions can be made about the allocation of a potential space for a STEAM lab.  In the interim, Committee Chair Mauro and Professor Ridinger-Dotterman plan to meet during the January intersession to discuss additional grant opportunities and faculty recruitment for the planned STEAM projects.

 

Mr. Jerry Sitbon, the Educational Technology Department Chief CLT, reports that AutoCad can be installed on computers outside of the ET Department, as well as downloaded for free by registered students, in order to support STEAM projects using 3-D printing.  Professor Galvin asked if library CLTs will be trained to use AutoCad to support students working in the library; Committee Chair Mauro made a note to investigate this.

 

Committee Charges

Committee Chair Mauro thanked the committee for voting on the revised charges, which will be uploaded to the web site.  The rationale for revising the charges was so that they properly reflect the work of the committee.

 

The committee then turned to a consideration of new business:

Bryn Mader has been appointed as the Committee on Committees Liaison to the Library Committee.

No other new business was introduced.  The committee adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Angela Ridinger-Dotterman
Committee on Library Committee , Secretary

Minutes typed on 12/5/19