The progress and plans to address storage issues in Syracuse University’s libraries were reported at Wednesday’s University Senate meeting for the first time since Nov. 11.

Ian Gallagher, chair of the Senate Committee on the Library, briefly presented a written report that said the committee discussed various aspects of the library including off-site storage and the addition of research databases. Eileen Schell, the Senate Agenda Committee chair, also brought up the possibility of changing the USen process, based on feedback that was collected during the past couple years.

A main concern with E.S. Bird Library and Carnegie Library is that shelves are currently full in both libraries and at off-site facilities. According to the Library Committee’s report, the shelves of Bird Library are at 98 percent capacity despite recommendations that shelves should be filled at a 75 to 80 percent capacity to facilitate browsing and keep books in good condition for a longer period of time.

To create shelving space, materials were going to be relocated to the Clancy-Cullen Tri-State Depository in Patterson, N.Y., but these plans have been postponed.

“The library is making some internal moves, which will allow for around three years of shelving,” Gallagher said. “The outside issue is delayed, but it is not going away.”

Rather than moving books to an off-site location, as suggested in November, the library is currently creating ways to create shelving space within the building. Some administrative offices will be moved from the fourth and fifth floors to accomplish this, and the additional space will allow for 120,000 more books, or three years of growth at the current level, according to the report.

SU is not the only school that has considered relocating materials to off-site facilities. Schools including Cincinnati University, Miami University and Vanderbilt University store books in off-site locations, according to the report.

At the November meeting, concerns were raised about browsing capabilities and the relocation of old and minimally used materials because the full collection of materials would no longer be available for browsing. To facilitate browsing, an online bookshelf will be made available in July, following an upgrade for Voyager OPAC 7.0, the library’s online catalogue, according to the report.

‘This feature will allow users to search for materials in the usual manner, but will then allow them to scroll through the items in the library’s cataloged collection that would be shelved next to the searched-for item,’ according to the report.

The library will also be working with the Berkeley Electronic Press to host a research database and institutional repository known as Syracuse University Research Facility and Collaborative Environment. It will serve as an archive for high-quality artistic, scientific, literary and research documents, according to the report.

The database will also “provide greater visibility of university-wide research, greater accessibility of the university’s research and scholarly record to the university and wider scholarly communities,” according to the report. SURFACE will be available at the start of the fall semester.

Also at the meeting, Schell discussed the possibility of revising the USen process. USen meetings currently take place at 4:15 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium, but this causes difficulties due to course schedules and members with family obligations, Schell said.

There has been a recommendation within the Senate Agenda Committee to push meetings back to 3:45 p.m. to accommodate for these difficulties. If the change occurs, it will take effect in the fall.

Schell said the committee was also looking into other venues for USen meetings to avoid conflicts with other groups that might want to use the Maxwell Auditorium during the meetings.

A short portion of the meeting was closed to media coverage. Arthur Jensen, the Senate Committee of Honorary Degrees chair, told those who were not part of USen to leave the auditorium for a few minutes about 15 minutes into the meeting.

Other business included:

• New majors, minors and programs were added to the university’s curriculum. The College of Arts and Sciences will now offer majors in ethics, neuroscience and forensic science. The College of Visual and Performing Arts will now offer minors in music performance and visual culture. New programs include a master’s degree in forensic science with a joint degree in law and a master’s degree in child and family health in the global community.

Published on April 21, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Laurence: lgleveil@syr.edu | @lgleveille