Email: Faculty Advisory Group for Collections Formation

Message sent from Todd Chavez, Dean of USF Libraries, to the Libraries’ faculty members.

USF is facing an unprecedented series of budgetary challenges that will play out over a two-year period. The total two year recurring realignment process to our collections budget approaches $2 million. This level of change requires an aggressive response that must include cancellations of content in all disciplines, judicious retention of core/high use resources, and utilization of alternative information sources, all coupled with a robust strategy to continue to meet faculty needs to the greatest extent possible.

Todd Chavez is calling for nominations (self-nominations are welcome) for library faculty to serve on a USF Libraries Collections Advisory Group with the following charge:

The Collections Advisory Group is charged with advising the Dean of the USF Libraries on strategies to be employed to manage the Libraries’ collections during 2020-22. Activities include:

• drafting a “USF Libraries Compact with the Faculty” document that clearly describes the libraries’ commitment to supporting our faculty’s needs by any means available;
• collaborating with the leadership of Collections & Discovery to develop principles to guide reduction/retention decisions;
• collaborating with C&D and library leadership to develop a robust communication strategy that ensures transparency to all constituents, internal and external;
• advising all relevant functional areas on processes designed to meet faculty resource needs; and
• recommending, and subsequently implementing, an approved assessment strategy to ensure high-quality in those services developed to meet faculty resource needs.

Members of the CAG will be asked to meet regularly with C&D leadership and the Dean and should anticipate a significant time investment in the early phases of the collection review process, perhaps as much as 8-10 hours per week. Members of the group will participate with the Dean in presentations, email communications, and other activities as needed to ensure full transparency to the University community; this may include periodic meetings with senior University leadership, the USF Faculty Senate, and the Faculty Senate’s Library Council. Please send nominations, including self-nominations, directly to me no later than the end of business on Monday, October 26. The short deadline is needed so that the group leader can join in a meeting with UCM and other parties concerning budget realignment messaging on October 29.