Professional Forum
Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 2pm-4pm
Central Library 315A 

Attending:

Mary Jo Lyons, Karen Hopkins, Suzanne Beckett, Diane Shepelwich, Mary Castle, Sarah Jones, Gerald Saxon, Evelyn Barker, Jason Neal, Josh Been, CD Walters, Ann Hodges, Brenda McCormick, Heather Scalf, Tommie Wingfield, Sue Sappington, Antoinette Nelson

Agenda:

How to maintain membership list

Action

Ask Julie Alexander how to access a list of the exempt staff

Discussion

Mary Jo Lyons facilitated a discussion on the topic of “Standardization vs. Academic Freedom.”  Mary Jo began by pointing out that Amy Schultz’ recent presentation on UTA branding at last week’s staff meeting.  The discussion that followed primarily revolved around the Library’s promise to our patrons and the style of Library publications.

Questions Raised

• How do we define ourselves as a community?
• Should we be super strict with unified message until it becomes something we are comfortable with or it becomes natural?
• Is there strength in being part of one entity?
• To what level does standardization seem appropriate?
• What promise are we making to our populations?
• OCLC study what do people think about when they think of libraries – books
• How do we encapsulate all that we do in one promise?
• Is there a need for a broader discussion of branding (promise and values)
  • This should become part of strategic planning