April 13, 2026 – Libraries Committee – Minutes

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Time: Monday at 2:00 p.m.
Location: Golda Meir Library W115E and Microsoft Teams

Present: Rachel Baum – ULC Chair, Anne Bonds, Martha Carlin, Rick Edwards, Kate Ganski – Acting Library Director, William Musinski, Shevaun Watson, and Lance Weinhardt

Excused: Michael Doylen – Library Director, Jenny Hutton, Maura Lucking, Jesse Malmed, Victoria Moerchen, and Ermitte Saint Jacques

  1. Baum called the meeting to order at 2:02 p.m.
  2. Approval of February 9, 2026, meeting minutes
    The minutes of February 9, 2026, meeting were approved by unanimous consent.
  3. Director’s report
    This year’s Fromkin grant recipient is Assistant Professor Maura Lucking in SARUP. Her proposal focused on the visions of land and housing reform by Wisconsin Oneida activist Laura Cornelius Kellogg.

    The library has submitted an application for the Governors Archives Award to recognize the 2023 Archives renovation.

    The Chancellor visited the library on March 3 for a meeting with Doylen and a tour.

    The Library held the annual convening of library contacts and academic department liaisons on March 9.

    The Arthur Holzheimer Lecture Series returns on April 30 with speaker Dr. Julio Pedrassoli, associate professor at the University of São Paulo, for his presentation “Mapping Brazil from Within: Remote Sensing, Collaboration, and Counter-Cartographic Perspectives.” 

    Search@UW will be getting a refresh this summer with a new interface. A banner message will appear on the website to communicate the changes.

    Staffing updates were provided. The Libraries are actively recruiting for the head of borrowing services, a business librarian and head of AGSL. A health sciences librarian will start June 1. After 31 years of service, Max Yela will retire with his last day of work on May 22.
  4. New Business
    1. Merger of Archives and Special Collections
      Effective May 25, Archives and Special Collections will merge into one department with Derek Webb serving as the head. Recruitment for a special collections librarian has been approved.
    2. Web Proxy Software
      In July 2026, EZProxy will be replaced with OpenAthens as the primary authentication service.
    3. Faculty and graduate student survey results
      Ganski provided a more detailed report on the faculty and graduate student survey that was conducted in Fall of 2025. Overall satisfaction is strong, with respondents highlighting heavy reliance on ILL and the critical importance of access to online journals. The results also point to differing space use between faculty and graduate students. Challenges were revealed around communication, awareness of services, and understanding how to get help. Focus groups for gathering more information to inform the results are scheduled for April 21 and 28.
  5. The meeting was adjourned at 2:33 p.m.