Task Force on the Future of the UT Libraries Members
Task Force Co-Chairs
Michelle Addington, Dean, School of Architecture
Lorraine J. Haricombe, Vice Provost and Director, UT Libraries
Steering Committee
Michelle Addington, Dean, School of Architecture
Jennifer Ebbeler, Associate Professor, Department of Classics, College of Liberal Arts
Lorraine J. Haricombe, Vice Provost and Director, UT Libraries
Unmil Karadkar, Assistant Professor, School of Information
Claus Wilke, Department Chair and Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, College of Natural Sciences
Subcommittees
Collections
Digital Scholarship
Library Spaces
Collections Subcommittee
Research libraries manage collections in a variety of formats across all the disciplines critical to their institutions. In collecting, preserving, and making these collections accessible, libraries balance several key considerations:
- quality of content, representing a range of view points
- cost, especially with regard to the inflationary pricing, bundling, and multi-year contracts associated with STEM publications
- value – an evaluation of the cost in light of the usage and criticality to research on campus
- curation, especially with regard to the selection of materials prioritized for open shelf access at campus libraries
- discovery and access
Charge
- Assess current practices at UT Libraries for content acquisition, curation, discovery, delivery, and access.
- Identify challenges and opportunities for UT Libraries in these areas.
- Consider collaborative models to extend access to critical scholarly resources beyond the content collected and managed locally.
- Develop recommendations for sustainable content strategies that address the collection needs of faculty and students.
Members
| Name | Title | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Ebbeler (chair) | Associate Professor | Department of Classics, College of Liberal Arts |
| Susan Broniarczyk | Professor | Department of Marketing Administration, McCombs School of Business |
| Elizabeth Buchanan | graduate student | School of Information |
| Colby Holloman | undergraduate student | College of Liberal Arts |
| Stephennie Mulder | Associate Professor | Department of Art and Art History, College of Fine Arts |
| Yolanda Padilla | Professor | Steve Hicks School of Social Work |
| Na’ama Pat-El | Department Chair, Associate Professor | Department of Middle Eastern Studies, College of Liberal Arts |
| Maria Wade | Associate Professor | Department of Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts |
| Alexia Thompson-Young (administrative liaison without vote) | Assistant Director of Scholarly Resources | UT Libraries |
Digital Scholarship Subcommittee
Academic scholarship has been for some time and is increasingly characterized by research and publishing practices that depend on reliable access to and presentation of digital content, effective and interconnected web-based networks of practice, the utilization of digital tools and techniques to expand research inquiry and dissemination, and a growing need for long-term curation and preservation of digital data.
Charge
- Assess current and future needs for supporting digital scholarship at UT Austin, with particular attention to disciplinary variability.
- Identify and evaluate emerging best practices, opportunities, and challenges for research library support for digital scholarship.
- Develop recommendations for sustainable strategies for UT Libraries engagement with and support for digital scholarship at UT Austin.
Members
| Name | Title | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Unmil Karadkar (chair) | Assistant Professor | School of Information |
| Daina Berry | Professor | Department of History, College of Liberal Arts |
| Maria Esteva | Research Associate | Texas Advanced Computing Center, Vice President for Research |
| Hannah Hopkins | graduate student | School of Information |
| Keith Keitz | Assistant Professor | McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering |
| Richard Ketcham | Professor | Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences |
| John Reppeto | undergraduate student | College of Liberal Arts |
| Chad Seales | Associate Professor | Department of Religious Studies, College of Liberal Arts |
| Jenifer Flaxbart (administrative liaison without vote) | Assistant Director of Research Support and Digital Initiatives | UT Libraries |
Library Spaces Subcommittee
Physical libraries have evolved over time from places primarily devoted to the storage, care and use of print publications to multi-faceted spaces that provide a wide range of services designed to connect people and information in pursuit of research, teaching and learning. Opportunities to transform and improve library spaces abound but space on the Forty Acres is finite.
Charge
- Assess the current footprint of UT Libraries library spaces and impact of services.
- Identify and evaluate emerging best practices, opportunities and challenges for highly effective utilization of library spaces in support of research universities.
- Develop recommendations for optimizing the allocation of library spaces in order to balance the needs of library users (researchers, teachers, students) in an ever-changing research ecosystem.
Members
| Name | Title | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Claus Wilke (Chair) | Department Chair, Professor | Department of Integrative Biology, College of Natural Sciences |
| Ginny Barnes | graduate student | School of Information |
| Charles Ramírez Berg | Professor | Department of Radio-Television-Film, Moody College of Communication |
| Anthony Brown | Professor | Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education |
| Elizabeth Catlos | Associate Professor | Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences |
| Joan Neuberger | Professor | Department of History, College of Liberal Arts |
| Jordan Ritter | undergraduate student | College of Fine Arts |
| Patricia Roberts-Miller | Professor, Director of the University Writing Center | Department of Rhetoric & Writing, College of Liberal Arts |
| Sean O’Bryan (administrative liaison without vote) | Assistant Director of Access | UT Libraries |