Long before the presidential primary season heated to a fever pitch, the Columbia University Libraries professional staff had an election of its own.
Well, sort of.
Speeches were delivered. Slogans were coined. (Who could forget “You’ll be cruisin’ with Susan”?) And in the end, three 2-year terms on the Representative Committee of Librarians (RCL) were awarded in December of 2007. It didn’t take pollsters or pundits or strategists to figure out who would win this race, though. Everyone involved ran unopposed.
Susan Hamson (Rare Books and Manuscripts) and Lia Contursi (Law Library) will each serve on RCL for the first time. A third slot went to John T. Oliver (Health Sciences Library), who had already been serving on the committee while filling the seat left vacant by Bob Vietrogoski.
Librarians comprising the newly formed RCL and their responsibilities:
Susan Hamson, Chair
Lia Contursi, Professional Development Committee liaison
Jim Crocamo, Brown Bags
John T. Oliver, blogging
John Tofanelli, Website
Beth Williams, meeting minutes
Iris Wolley, scheduling
(Representatives’ constituent assignments are listed at the very bottom of the blog)
The new RCL wishes to extend thanks and appreciation to outgoing chair, Kathleen Dreyer, and to Anice Mills, the outgoing PDC liaison, for their efforts on behalf of the RCL.
The year ahead promises to be filled with many opportunities and rewards as we begin to rethink RCL’s role and mission in the library. We’ve already been working to revise the RCL manual and we’ve been considering a name change.
We anticipate your being part of the discussion as RCL reconsiders how it can be most relevant to Columbia librarians. One way to participate is to join us for the next professional staff meeting on Thursday, March 20, in the Kellogg Center, 15th Floor, International Affairs Building.
The agenda for the meeting is below:
9am – 9:30am – Breakfast
Name change for RCL
RCL relates response from Provost Brinkley, re: Columbia School
Updates from Jim Neal
Ryan Kelsey, Ed.D., Associate Director for Education & Research, CCNMTL
New staff introductions
We look forward to seeing you on Mar. 20th!
Below are the library units each of us represents:
Library Administration & Directors – Susan Hamson
Access Services – Lia Contursi
Area Studies – John Tofanelli
Avery – Jim Crocamo
Business – John Tofanelli
Butler Processing – Iris Wolley
East Asian – Beth Williams
H & H Bibliographers – John Tofanelli
Harlem Hospital – John T. Oliver
Health Sciences – John T. Oliver
Human Resources – Lia Contursi
Journalism – John Tofanelli
Law – Beth Williams
Lehman – Beth Williams
LDPD – Iris Wolley
LSO – Iris Wolley
Office of University Librarian – Lia Contursi
Planning & Finance – Lia Contursi
Preservation – Lia Contursi
RBML/OH/University Archives – Jim Crocamo
Sciences libraries – John T. Oliver
Social Work – Beth Williams
TSAD – Lia Contursi
Union Theological – John Tofanelli