LFSA Exec - Annual Report - 2021-2022

Library Governance - LFSA Executive Committee Final Report

Committee Name:

LFA-Executive

Committee Co-Chairs:

  • Angela Rathmel, co-chair
  • Mary Raple, co-chair

Members (with terms): 

  • Angela Rathmel, co-chair
  • Mary Raple, co-chair
  • Sara Morris, co-secretary
  • Greta Valentine/Scott Cossell, co-secretary
  • Julie Woodrick, member
  • Scott McEathron, member

Fiscal Year: 2021-2022 

Standing Charges: 

The Executive Committee shall ensure the orderly and effective operation of the Library Faculty and Professionals Assembly. It shall be the first point of contact for any matters referred to the attention of the Library Faculty and Professionals Assembly, save those which are specifically assigned to standing committees in the ensuing paragraphs of the Code of Governance, and, where appropriate, shall assign such matters to standing or ad hoc committees. The Executive Committee-elect shall meet following its election to organize and make committee appointments for the forthcoming year. Committee appointments shall be made early enough to ensure that the committees will be able to assume their duties on July 1. It shall schedule meetings, prepare agendas, review, and revise charges to standing committees, ensure an appropriate roster for each mail ballot, and disseminate committee reports and ballot results by publication in FYI or other appropriate manner. This committee shall take no action contrary to the desires of the Library Faculty and Professionals Assembly.

Standing Charges Progress/Accomplishment Summary:

Referred to the Exec Committee by members of the Assembly:

  • Overall issues of stress reported, seeking acknowledgement and attention. Many related to the issues below (60/40 split, COVID, turnover), but also regarding overall issues of equity in workloads, representation, salaries.
  • CMS migration and updating documents
  • Libraries’ Fall Transition Plan concerns
    • This group held an open meeting with faculty and staff, and subsequently complied feedback into a comprehensive report which was shared with Cabinet in writing and in person.
  • COVID-essential employees' recognition
    • Plaque of names, gifts, and recognition at Celebration of Excellence
  • Faculty and Staff turnover concerns, and:
    • the urgent need for STOP doing analysis
    • Pay equity/career movement
    • mentoring and retention
    • Committee membership, stipends?
    • Policies for new hire searches and dinners
  • Call for membership for Dean’s Five-Year Review Committee
    • Successful in getting additional staff representation on this committee
  • Equity issues in language of the Code of Governance
  • Governance contact webform
    • Provided feedback to form created to easily contact governance representations via the web.

 

Committee Appointments and Charges:  

  • LFSA-exec appointed liaisons and faculty and staff membership on appointed committees as recommended by LFA-Exec and LSA-Exec.

 

Meetings:

LFSA-Exec met monthly (10 meetings total) from August 2021 to June 2022 and held 1 General Assembly (Fall 21) meeting and 1 open meeting (Summer 21) regarding the Fall Transition.

 

LFA chair and LSA chair coordinated monthly meeting times and General Assembly dates/times to improve efficiency in communicating and addressing shared assembly needs. LFA-Exec also joined LSA-Exec by invitation to the final meeting of the LFSA-Exec committee.

 

Monthly meetings roughly followed the schedule below:

 

Week 1) Chairs/VCs w/ Dean (preceding All-Staff), held jointly with LSA Chair/VC as needed.

Week 2) LFA-Exec and LSA-Exec respectively

Week 3) LFSA-Exec combined

Week 4) Exec chairs occasionally meet to coordinate agendas.

 

General Assembly meetings were coordinated to occur on the same date and at adjacent times to the LFSA-Exec General Assembly meeting.

Special Charges: 

Intentionally minimized the special charges to committees this year, given staff and faculty turnover and additional workload resulting from that.

  • To Committee on the Code regarding:
    • Equity in language between faculty and staff sections
    • LCPT and SLPTR membership sections re: restrictions vs recusal.
  • To Nominating & Ballot regarding:
    • voting for faculty and staff membership to serve on the Dean’s review committee.

Progress/Accomplishment Summary:

(incorporated above)

 

Potential Charges for Future Committees/Recommendations:

  • Continue pursuit of governance representation on Cabinet initiated by the Dean.
  • Review and act on the following committees' recommendations from annual reports:
    • Ad Hoc Committee to Review PRC (1)
    • Code & Bylaws (1)
    • CRSA (3)
    • Nominating & Ballot (1) – duplicates/supports a recommendation by CRSA
    • Salaries & Benefits (1)

 

  • Equitable representation (someone from governance if possible) on search for new dean.
  • Continue to work toward Service Award creation.
  • Review and follow up recommendations from Dean’s review presented by Provost that are applicable organization-wide, where governance can play a role.

 

Please review the Committee’s portion of the Library Governance website and the Code.  Does it need updating/correcting? 

 

 

Prepared By: Angela Rathmel, Associate Librarian