JSC Original Charge (1998)

To: Joint Steering Committee on Shared Collections

From: Richard E. Lucier

University Librarian and Executive Director

California Digital Library

I am pleased to appoint you to the California Digital Library’s Joint Steering Committee on Shared Collections. As you know, both the current digital and print environments present challenges to the UC libraries that require an intensified effort to maximize the breadth of UC’s “knowledge commons” through shared collection building and access.

You have been selected and charged specifically to apply a systemwide, inclusive (i.e., considers collections and stakeholders beyond the general libraries on campuses) viewpoint to this effort. Some of the elements of this effort are identified in The Library Planning and Action Initiative Advisory Task Force Final Report, March 1998. More specifically, your charge includes the following:

Building on the California Digital Library Collection Framework, develop principles and rationale for continued California Digital Library collection development that can be widely distributed and understood by our constituents. Advise on sustainable budget models for maintenance of systemwide digital collections.

Identify appropriate mechanisms for systemwide development of digital collection frameworks and priorities in the various domains (humanities, social sciences, etc.) to serve UC instructional and research programs. Devise charges and provide leadership to resultant groups. Assure that these mechanisms include documentable consultation with constituency groups – librarians, faculty, graduate students. The frameworks and priorities should address all formats – metadata, full-text, images, numeric data, geospatial data, etc., from all sources – created by UC faculty, digitized from UC collections, purchased, public domain, etc.

Recommend additional procedures or structures for faculty involvement in building the systemwide digital library.

Identify and manage appropriate consultative and evaluation mechanisms for selection and deselection of specific digital resources which might be funded wholly or partially by the CDL. Provide expeditious advice on same. Identify procedures and criteria by which UC subject experts collectively select public domain resources for the CDL. Assist with the evaluation and purchase of “tier 2” resources. Assure that provisions are in place to integrate print and digital resources collectively and assure archival access as needed (e.g., many digital offers are tied to print subscriptions; as print cancellations are allowed and credited, we need mechanisms for coordinated decisions on print retention).

Develop mechanisms to select materials to be digitized – i.e., identify unique UC material to be digitized in order to serve research and instructional programs on multiple campuses.

As a Joint Steering Committee with relationships to Collection Development Committee and Systemwide Operations and Planning Group, inform and consult with these groups regularly. Refer to SOPAG issues which require multi-functional perspectives.

In consultation with CDC to “identify means to enhance meaningful collaborative collection building” to assure that UC builds the “specialized collections that will be needed in the future.”

Develop and maintain regular communication of your deliberations to various UC constituent groups.