From the Dean . . .

What a busy year it has been!  As today’s issue of The Plainsman reminds us, every day, nearly 5,000 people walk into the Libraries.  I know everyone has been working hard to serve those users and improve the Libraries in look, feel and experience.  I’d like to recap some things we’ve done so far this year.

Acquisitions and Document Delivery found new homes on the first floor and Pambanisha King tells me that Document Delivery has received notice of some useful upgrades to the OCLC ILLIAD system.  Reuben Pasquini has written a program to create minimal catalog records for electronic dissertations and Tom Sanders will be working on upgrading the records.  The DRL expansion is progressing with an anticipated “soft” opening in about a month and the formal opening early in the fall semester.  We have a new Lobby Lab that will be ready for a soft opening for evening student use prior to exams.  We replaced the computers in the Internet Café during Spring Break and just after Spring Break, over 500 users voted in the “sit test” including the students in a design class.  The information gathered will be used to determine the best furniture for future purchase.

The Veterinary Medical Library is having a busy month with the Annual Conference and Open House planned over the next two weeks.   The Library of Architecture, Design and Construction has also very busy with the Associated Schools of Construction that met on campus and 2,500 volumes that have been shifted from LADC to closed stacks.

Randall Ledkins reported on the end of the Campaign.  The Libraries raised over $4,252,000 to reach 85% of our goal.  The most recent gift is from a couple in Atlanta who gave $25,000 to establish collection endowments in Human Sciences and Liberal Arts with a bequest to be added in the future.

The Libraries were asked to discuss the first draft of the “Strategic Directions for the Auburn University System.” This document contained 62 possible new initiatives for the university and the Libraries responded with great ideas.

I know everyone has been working hard so it seems to me to be the perfect time to celebrate the commitment and achievement of our faculty and staff during National Library Worker’s Day!  I hope everyone will attend the Employee Appreciation Lunch Tuesday, April 15 in the Newspaper Room beginning at 11:30.  Events planned include a presentation by Glenn Anderson and the announcement of this year’s Library Award winner.  We have much to celebrate so I hope to see you there!