Systemwide Operations and Planning Advisory Group (SOPAG)

SOPAG Meeting, 11/20/98, Action Minutes

Present: C. Clark, L. Farley (guest), B. French, M. Health, B. Hurley, C. Johns, L. Kennedy (LAUC), P. Mirsky (Chair), A. Ritch, J. Tanno, J. Wilson (Recorder)

A.   California Digital Library (CDL) Related Items.

1.   Removal of the MELVYL Ten-Year Catalog.  Farley reported that peak load restrictions for the telnet version of the catalog were turned off in October. Handouts showing Catalog Response Time and System Times as well as a proposal to remove the Ten-Year Catalog from MELVYL were distributed. SOPAG supported the removal of the Ten-Year Catalog. CDL will take down Ten as their workload permits. They will keep it available for a period of time in case there are any unforeseen consequences. CDL will disseminate information to the campuses in advance of removing the Ten-Year Catalog. SOPAG members will share information on this decision as appropriate on their home campuses and with the MELVYL Users Group (USG).

2.   CDL Users Council charges.. Farley submitted a revised draft of a charge for the CDL Users Council. This group will replace USG and will report to the CDL. Farley will make changes in the draft charge to reflect the official group name and reporting lines. University Librarians (ULs) and Directors will appoint representatives to this group. Richard Lucier will send ULs the charge and ask for members for the new group, which will include individuals from non-UC institutions, which contribute to the CDL.

3.  MELVYL name transition and campus preparation.  Farley and French led a discussion on the need to distinguish the name MELVYL as the union catalog as distinct from the collections, services, and tools that comprise the CDL. The new CDL directory leads to all the contentall abstracting and indexing databases, full text journals, the OAC, and other materials. SOPAG supported the goal of strong name recognition for the CDL. By March 1999 CDL staff expect to begin work on changing aliases, etc.  Concentrating on name consistency in the web versions of databases, CDL will complete major changes by summer. The transition plan will be reviewed at the ULs December meeting.

4.  Government Information.  French distributed a draft proposal on CDLs role in developing a systemwide strategy for providing access to electronic government information. SOPAG supported a proposal for CDL to get started in this priority area by compensating a UC librarian to develop options for immediate, strategic actions to take, within a conceptual framework, in the next two years. The librarian should be an expert in government information and be available beginning this winter for 3  6 months (full or part time) to complete this work. SOPAG members will send French nominations for this position by December 7. The proposal will be presented to the ULs for comment December 16. Once the consultant is in place, EGIIG will be discharged with thanks.

B.   All Campus Groups
 
1.   Interlibrary Loan Statistics - revised proposal discussion was deferred to the next meeting at the request of the ILL Group.

2.  UC Library Technology Advisory Groups (LTAG) (formerly Heads of Systems) proposed charge, membership composition, and goals were distributed and tentatively approved by SOPAG. LTAG will be asked to add a section to its charge on its relationship with CDL Technologies and return a final draft to SOPAG. LTAG will be asked to make developing a proposal for an interim authentication strategy its highest priority. SOPAG will also request LTAG to report on the interim authentication strategy by February 26, 1999.

3.  Heads of Technical Services (HOTS) proposed objectives for the year were distributed and approved by SOPAG.

4. Heads of Public Services (HOPS) has not yet sent SOPAG a proposal on its charge or composition. A report is expected by the January 1999 SOPAG meeting.

C.   Joint Steering Committee on Shared Collections (JSCSC) - French, Mirsky, and Ritch reported on the CDC meeting. Mirsky will distribute CDC minutes to SOPAG. It was noted that UCs relationship with CRL would be expanded. Reports from the campuses on the JSCSC surveys were due by November 15.  The survey will allow the CDL to gather information on potential new collection content.

D.   Follow-up and feedback from ULs 10/28/98 Videoconference. Mirsky reported that the ULs had asked SOPAG to identify by spring if there were any major systemwide projects that might be funded from one time money from the year 99/00 budget.

Next SOPAG Meeting: January 8, 1999

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Phyllis Mirsky		 © The Regents of the University of California