LISTSERV 16.5 - ARLIS-L Archives

Dear Becca:

I want to congratulate you and the other Task Force members for the valiant and successful fight you put up, resulting in approval from your administrators to not only keep the current FAL facility, but to refurbish it. I have not read all of the documents you have made available, but I am particularly impressed by the Final Report of the task force, linked here:

https://lib.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/FAL_task_force_report_final_2018-04-02.pdf

This document is a model of its kind. It is thorough, but extremely readable. (It has statistics—and heart.) I hope it will be cataloged and made available at library schools everywhere, especially those that offer coursework on art librarianship and academic librarianship. I noted that you thanked the many colleagues from other institutions that provided input, and I imagine that quite of few were ARLIS members. The “battle,” as you noted, was won on a number of simultaneous fronts, including input from all of the constituents—and in many formats: face-to-face with students and faculty in a town meeting as well as numerous emails to and from administrators, faculty, students, and librarians both at UT and elsewhere. “Case studies” have fallen out of favor for some reason, but this is one that should be cited often in the literature of academic libraries—and art libraries. Again, congratulations—and good luck with the remaining encounters you will have during the “refurbishment” period. I for one would enjoy hearing the sequel when that project is complete.

Best wishes,

Joan

From: ARLIS/NA List <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Rebecca Pad
Sent: Friday, April 6, 2018 10:44 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ARLIS-L] UT Austin Fine Arts Library - Decision Announced

Dear All,

This morning Dr. McInnis, Executive Vice President and Provost, made public her decision regarding the Fine Arts Library at UT Austin. She accepted all of the recommendations from Dr. Haricombe, Vice Provost and Director of Libraries, and Dean Dempster.

See below for the Provost's decisions. Find the full memo here:

https://www.lib.utexas.edu/about/news/future-fine-arts-library

My colleagues and I are happy to receive news that our library will not only remain open but also be refurbished.

Best,

Becca Pad

Provost’s response to recommendations:

I accept your recommendation to keep the Fine Arts Library collection on the fifth floor of the Doty Fine Arts Building (DFA).
As demonstrated by my recent approval of additional funding to reduce retrieval times for volumes stored off-site, I accept your recommendation to improve average retrieval times for any materials stored in other facilities.
I accept your recommendation to refurbish and renovate the fifth floor of DFA. I request that a plan be developed to help me understand the goals of such a renovation and the financial resources required. The plan should seek to address many of the concerns raised by the task force, including improving WiFi access, providing additional electrical outlets, modernizing the physical environment, and providing for both collaborative and private work spaces. In addition, I support your suggestion to increase shelving capacity.
I accept your recommendation to form a standing advisory council comprised of CoFA faculty, students, COFA academic support staff. The council should be co-chaired by designees of the dean of COFA and the vice provost and director of libraries. I believe this is a vital step moving forward to ensure that conversations about the FAL and its collections occur in a collaborative, productive and continuous manner.
In addition to your recommendations, the conversations about FAL have generated many questions about other constituent libraries at UT Austin. In order to ensure that we include faculty, students, and staff in these conversations about the future of libraries, I plan to form a university-wide task force. The future of academic libraries is a conversation taking place at leading research universities – public and private – across the nation. Academic libraries are an absolutely critical resource for the research and teaching missions of UT Austin. As we develop a strategic vision for UT Libraries, we need to be thoughtful about how we engage the campus community and solicit broad and inclusive input. My goal is to formally announce the charge and the membership of this task force in time to begin work in the fall 2018 semester.

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