LSA Exec - Annual Report - 2025-2026

Library Staff Assembly Executive Committee (LSA Exec) 

University of Kansas Libraries 

2025-26 Annual Report 

  

Members 

Rebecca Schroeder, chair 

Sydney McFadden, vice chair/chair-elect  

Melissa Mayhew, secretary  

MC Mack, member at large  

Andy Poland, member at large  

Grace Brazell, member at large  

   

Standing Charges 

  • Ensures the orderly and effective operation of LSA 
  • Is the first point of contact for any matters referred to the attention of LSA, save those which are specifically assigned to standing committees in the Code, and where appropriate, assigns such matters to standing or ad-hoc committees  
  • Brings governance issues concerning all faculty and staff to the LFSA Executive Committee 
  • Designates a liaison to the Organizational Development Unit and an ex officio liaison to LFA to ensure communication and information sharing  
  • Monitors KU governance issues that may affect LSA, including the Staff Senate and the University Senate Committee on Libraries 
  • Takes no action contrary to the desires of the LSA  

  

Standing Charges Progress/Accomplishment Summary  

  • Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect held monthly meetings with Dean Smith to advocate for unclassified and university support staff issues and concerns 
  • Collaborated with library faculty on broader governance issues through LFA and LFSA 
  • Monitored campus-wide governance activities (Staff Senate, University Senate, etc.) 
  • Established ongoing direct dialogue opportunities between staff and Dean Smith  
  • Participated in sessions with Studiotrope to provide feedback on Watson remodel 
  • Partnered with Dean Smith and finance director Rich Lloyd to establish funding for governance initiatives 
  • Spearheaded student employee appreciation programs 
  • Responded to sudden staff engagement influx efficiently and productively 

  

Committee Appointments and Charges 

  • LSA Exec appointed staff to university governance committees  
  • LSA appointed staff to Talent Development Committee 
  • LSA Exec issued no special charges to LFSA committees  

  

Meetings 

  • LSA Exec met monthly from July 2025 through June 2026 and held one General Assembly of the entire LSA body on November 17, 2025 
  • The November General Assembly meeting was coordinated to coincide with the Library Faculty Assembly (LFA) and Library Faculty and Staff Assembly (LFSA) general assembly meetings 
  • A LSA Special meeting was held on January 22, 2026. 
  • Minutes for all LSA Exec meetings and the General Assembly meetings are available on the Library Governance Teams site and SharePoint page 
  • A joint transition meeting of the 2025-26 and 2026-27 LSA Exec committees was held on June 24, 2025 

  

Special Charges 

  • There were no special charges given to the current LSA Executive Committee in 2025-26, though the following activities were identified as potential areas of focus: 
  • Continue to focus on advocacy for staff, including funding for talent development and maintenance of the program. 
  • Continue to advocate for formal recognition for staff service. 
  • Continue to advocate for All Staff Monthly meeting to be recorded for accessibility. 
  • Approval of including LSA in orientation for new staff after meeting with Mike Broadwell and Sharon Riley. 
  • Advocacy for “360” evaluations, ongoing supervisor training & feedback systems 
  • Addition of Talent Development Committee to Code 

 

Special Charges Progress/Accomplishment Summary 

  • Successfully worked with Dean Smith to add the Talent Development Committee to the Code, with the following staff members serving as inaugural members: 
  • Meredith Snepp (2025-2026) 
  • Warren Lambert (2025-2027) 
  • April Friedl (2025-2027) 
  • Effectively advocated for attention to supervisorial professional development, contributing to reinstitution of Supervisor’s Forum in Fall 2026.  

 

  • Established new orientation procedures with HR, embedding meetings with governance representatives and comprehensive library location tours into process 

 

  • Instituted recording and hybrid format of Share-Out meetings  
     

Other Activities or Accomplishments 

  • LSA Exec organized several activities for KU Libraries faculty and staff in 2025-26: 
  • In coordination with library administration, the executive committee assisted the TDC in organizing bi-monthly Talent Development share-out sessions, providing a forum for library faculty and staff to share information about recent conferences and other professional development activities 
  • LSA Exec organized a tour of Lawrence Public Library in December 2024 
  • Chair Schroeder and Vice-Chair McFadden organized a bus tour of UMKC and Union Station in June 2026. 
  • Initiated an LSA Climate Survey for staff to submit feedback on the performance of governance. 
  • LSA chair Rebecca Schroeder, and past chairs Brian Moss and Marianne Reed presented at the 2025 Kansas Library Association annual conference on LSA’s ongoing engagement with talent development activities, and to encourage library staff at other institutions to develop their own governance bodies 
  • Partnered with LFA Exec to host an inaugural outreach and information “coffee hour” between Library employees and LFSA representatives 
  • Worked closely with LFA in navigating tense headwinds and disruptions to library work environment 
  • Nourished connections and understanding in faculty & staff working relationships  
  • Began process of reestablishing Salaries & Benefits Committee, held vote to move from LFSA oversight to LSA specifically, following ratification of faculty union contract 

  

Potential Charges for Future Committees/Recommendations  

  • The Talent Development Committee should take over the primary responsibility of identifying, creating, and promoting professional development activities for library staff (such as the above-described conference share-out sessions and bus tours) 
  • Additionally, the Talent Development Committee should explore the creation of an annual staff mini retreat, like the Professional Development Day activities frequently hosted by LSA Exec prior to the pandemic 
  • Review results of LSA Climate survey and repeat annually if deemed useful. 
  • Request periodic LFSA Exec meetings with the dean and/or invite the dean to occasional LFSA Exec meetings in order to better facilitate conversations on topics of mutual interest to library faculty and staff 
  • Continue to collaborate with LFA on improving and maintaining the LFSA website and Teams site, including an anonymized contact form and/or generic LFSA email account 
  • Create additional venues for communication between governance and staff 
  • Work with library administration to identify permanent home for student employee appreciation programs 
  • Develop consistency in meeting structure, feedback systems, and dissemination of information. Build documentation to share between governance terms. 
  • Improve organizational understanding of both unit and university-wide governance functions and scope 
  • Further explore potential charges for and viability of Salaries & Benefits Committee 
  • Explore pathways for increased accessibility of meetings and other communication platforms in absence of recording possibilities 
  • Strengthen relationships with faculty, administrators, and university-wide governance 

 

IncomingMembers. 2026-27 

Sydney McFadden, chair 

Grace Brazell, vice chair/chair-elect  

Owen Murphy, secretary  

Asher Dean, member at large  

Erika Earles, member at large  

Meredith Phares, member at large  

 

 Prepared by Rebecca Schroeder & Sydney McFadden, June 2026