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Libraries
by Ann Wolpert

Public Services
by Steve Gass

Collection Services
by Carol Fleishauer

Administrative Services
by Keith Glavash

Technology Planning and Administration
by MacKenzie Smith

About Us > Annual Reports

MIT Libraries
Annual Report FY 2004-2005

Administrative Services

In pursuit of its mission to provide effective operational infrastructure for the MIT Libraries, Administrative Services made progress in a number of areas this past year. Completing its first full year under the leadership of a new Assistant Director for Administration, the department initiated changes to improve efficiency within Administrative Services, to improve system-wide processes, to increase the financial independence of library departments, and to collect and present more useful data for library decision-makers.

Staffing in Administrative Services

The position of Staff Administrator was eliminated following the retirement of Karin O'Loughlin a year ago. Her two most substantial responsibilities were reassigned as follows:

• Delivery Services - Supervisory and managerial responsibility for the unit was shifted to Greg Raposa, the Facilities and Operations Administrator. In addition, the size of the support staff was reduced by one-third, from three down to two FTE's.
• Payroll - Administrative responsibility was shifted to Macrina Rizzo, the Financial Administrator, after being held temporarily for most of the year by Robin Deadrick, the Personnel Administrator. The position of Payroll Coordinator (.2 FTE) was created and staffed by Judith Gallagher, who continues to be the Financial Assistant in Document Services (.8 FTE).

Following the departure of Administrative Assistant Kristin Blank in August of 2004 and a vacancy of several months, Tina Brown Celona was appointed as the new Administrative Assistant in February of 2005. In addition to duties on a variety of tasks in the financial and personnel areas, Tina has also taken on the substantial filing load which was formerly carried out by student assistants.

The net result of these changes in the department is a decrease of nearly two full-time-equivalent staff. This substantial savings has not been at the cost of a lower service level in either the payroll or delivery areas. On the contrary, there are significant improvements in both areas, and clear signs that changes which improve support of the Libraries' core mission will continue to be welcomed.

Budget and Finance

Restricted Budget

This was the second of two years of reductions in Institute funding, attained through the following actions:

• A salary freeze for many administrative staff, as well as very limited salary increases for the remaining staff.
• Cancellation of nearly $200K in subscriptions to information resources for faculty and students due to under-funding of serials inflation costs.
• Other cost-cutting actions taken by the Libraries included:
  • Reducing operating budgets for all library units by an average of 13%.
  • Cutting back open hours in some library locations, which allowed reductions in student staffing.
  • Eliminating the provision of free dissertation copies through our interlibrary borrowing service.
  • Continuing to hold open support staff positions for a mandatory six-week period prior to posting.

The Libraries continue to struggle with the need to fund most operations from lapsed or unused salary lines. Were it not for this source, our ability to meet even the basic service needs of the MIT community would fall critically short. Everything from computing equipment and online searching to furniture and book delivery is supported by these funds. On the other hand, giving up staff positions to fund operations severely limits our ability to carry out the sort of teaching collaborations and service enhancements which are in such high demand by faculty. While we continue to improve our control and analysis of expenses so as to stretch resources as far as possible, the current model of funding most library operations by leaving staff positions vacant is not sustainable in the long term.

Payroll

In early FY05 an audit was conducted of the Libraries' support staff payroll records, which brought to light several practices requiring attention. The auditors' recommendations for changing these practices coincided with the retirement of the Libraries' Payroll Coordinator, who had held the position for over 30 years. These two events provided us with the opportunity to update procedures and practices and to ensure their compliance and efficiency going forward. The work was carried out under the temporary leadership of the Personnel Administrator and with added administrative support from the part-time Financial Assistant in Document Services.

These two individuals devoted substantial time to reviewing current practice, consulting with MIT central payroll staff to familiarize themselves with proper policies and practices, and to soliciting input from local unit payroll coordinators as well as Library Delivery Services to ensure the most efficient workflow with the least overall impact on staff. Significant changes included: 1) the transition of most payroll entry from MITVMA to SumMIT; 2) the direct mailing of support staff pay stubs to individuals rather than to Administrative Services for distribution; and, 3) the transition of those who received paper paychecks to direct deposit.

A significant change to past practice, as recommended by MIT auditors, was the central collection and retention of all timecards, which required collaboration with Library Delivery Services staff to arrange for weekly coordination and service. Timecards may now be used for verification purposes by the Libraries' Payroll Coordinator to authorize time reported in the payroll system by those in the local units. Other recommendations included: 1) completion of all required information on timecards, including the report of "In" and "Out" times, proper leave codes, and consistency between top and bottom portions; 2) proper approval and signature by supervisor or other designee on all timecards; and, 3) initials to any changes made on timecards by employee or supervisor.

The patience and cooperation of the library staff enabled Administrative Services staff to address these important payroll issues and to create a more efficient process for everyone. Responsibilities associated with the program were finalized recently with administrative duties resting with the Financial Assistant from Document Services, who increased her percent effort from 80 to 100 percent. In addition, payroll oversight and authorization transferred to the Libraries' Financial Administrator, and policy issues remain with the Libraries' Personnel Administrator.

Other Budget and Finance Activities

• Responsibility for the purchase and payment of records management services from Iron Mountain Inc. was transferred from the Institute Archives to the office of MIT's Executive Vice President.
• A review was carried out by the MIT Audit Division addressing the need to set guidelines for library staff on personal reimbursement for collections purchases. Such guidelines were subsequently set.
• An improved system for tracking our travel expenses was put in place, and responsibility for approving most travel documents was recently transferred from the Financial Administrator to the Administrative Assistant.
• Library thesis fees, historically paid through the Cashier's Office, were incorporated into the billing process of Student Financial Services.
• The Libraries' Sponsored Research Program continues to demand administrative support in terms of budget, operations, HR, travel and proposal preparation/submission.
• A review and inventory of the Libraries' Fund Accounts was begun in order to improve our awareness and stewardship of gifts and other financial reserves. Coincidentally, the Institute has asked that information about such assets be included in future budget requests, so much of our work in this regard is already begun.

Human Resources

Recruitment

The Libraries filled seven administrative staff positions as a result of serious searches during FY05. As was the case last year, two of these were Head Librarian positions. We also filled the position of Director of Development and appointed a Project Archivist to a one-year term. The remaining three appointments were to non-librarian, supervisory positions which have traditionally represented excellent advancement opportunities for qualified library support staff. While serious searches were conducted in all three cases, each resulted in the promotion of an internal library support staff member. This is a very positive testament to the quality of the support staff in the MIT Libraries as well as to the benefits of a work environment conducive to personal development and growth.

The number of support staff positions filled this year was fourteen - one less than FY04. Ten of these were Library Assistant positions; one an Administrative Assistant position; another Customer Services Assistant; and a Local Technology Expert. Applicant pools for support staff positions remain healthy and promising with the majority of applicants possessing solid library experience.

There was only one Sponsored Research Staff (SRS) position filled this year, that of DSpace Programmer. This represents a significant but only temporary decrease in recruitment activity for the Libraries' sponsored research program. Renewed funding allowed the continuation of terms for four library SRS members this year.

It is worth noting that one quarter of all library positions filled in FY05 were temporary term appointments, and that an additional ten temporary appointments, all made in FY04, were extended during this year. Temporary appointments now represent nearly ten percent of the total library staff. This staffing model, in practice for several years now, has been an effective approach in maintaining the flexibility to respond to new and evolving service needs, support programmatic developments, and sustain the MIT Libraries' leadership position in the library world. In the case of temporary positions such as Project Archivist and Metadata Production Specialist, appointment terms are limited because the projects are funded by soft money.

Also worthy of note is the increasing number of MIT alums or former MIT students in the Libraries' employ. Two additional library assistant hires this year brings that total to eleven - almost six percent of the total staff. Four of these individuals are librarian staff, three are technical staff, three are library assistants, and one is a member of the Sponsored Research Staff.

The voucher/casual employment program remained steady. This type of employment enables the Libraries to maintain our standard of high quality service and to carry out short-term projects in the face of staff vacancies and student recruitment difficulties. In FY05 the Libraries employed about a dozen voucher employees.

In mid-March, the Libraries became the first MIT department to transition its voucher program to MITemps. A time was scheduled for Veritude and NextSource — the two outside vendors chosen by MIT to provide this service — to meet with us and our current voucher employees. The agenda included an introduction to the program, an opportunity to receive help completing the required paperwork, and preparation for the online time reporting and verification. By the beginning of April, the Libraries had successfully transferred all seven current voucher employees to the MITemps program, and have since signed on an equal number of new "Associates".

Affirmative Action and Diversity

One of the seven appointments made to the Libraries administrative staff in FY05 was identified as a minority. This appointment brings our total of underrepresented minorities to 7, or 8% of the total administrative staff. Minority representation among support staff remains slightly higher at 10%.  

In FY05, 10% of all applicants for administrative staff positions were identified as possible minorities. More than half of these minority applicants did not meet the basic education or experience qualifications for the positions for which they applied. Three applicants who met those qualifications on paper were contacted for telephone screening interviews and did not demonstrate fulfillment of other required qualifications such as "a strong commitment to positive public service", "excellent interpersonal skills", "initiative and flexibility", "ability to work and learn in a rapidly changing environment", etc. Of the seven serious searches conducted, two minorities were invited to MIT for full interview. One resulted in an appointment; the other did not.

Retention

The Libraries' retention rate dipped slightly below 90% in FY05. Sixteen support staff employees left the Libraries' employ. The term appointments for three of those staff expired; one was a layoff and another was due to a reduction in hours; two left to further their education; one was the result of a relocation; and several cited greater job opportunities (one of those being at the Institute). While the tuition assistance benefit remains an effective recruitment tool for support staff who wish to pursue a Master of Library Science degree, it has an impact on the Libraries' retention rate as those staff members most often complete the program and move on to librarian positions in other organizations. Armed with MLS degrees and excellent pre-professional experience in the MIT Libraries, three departing staff members joined the ranks of professional librarians.

Ten percent of the Libraries' administrative staff - five librarians and four other professionals - terminated their employment in FY05. Four were the result of relocations and two individuals accepted positions of greater responsibility in other academic institutions. The remaining three individuals retired from the MIT Libraries - each after completing over 30 years of library service.  

Salaries

Unfortunately, after a consistently successful run in improving our salary ranking among peer institutions over the past few years, the MIT Libraries lost ground in FY05, both in Beginning Professional Salary and Average Professional Salary. This is understandable considering the constraints on the FY04 merit pool and salary freezes for promotions and other staff changes. However, it is disappointing since significant improvement had been realized over the past four years and a slight competitive edge had been gained over Harvard last year.

According to the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Annual Salary Survey for 2004-2005, MIT professional librarian salaries still rank within the top quartile among 113 academic and research libraries. However we have dropped from the rank of 13th to 21st in average salary and from 5th to 7th in beginning salary.

Among 21 selected peer institutions in this ARL group*, MIT has fallen from 7th to 11th in average professional salary, relinquishing our first-ever, one-year lead over Harvard.

*MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, UCLA, Connecticut, Princeton, Columbia, USC, Dartmouth, Yale, UMass Amherst, Brown, Michigan, Northwestern, Virginia, UT Austin, Duke, Wisconsin, Penn, Georgia Tech, Purdue

Other Notable HR Activities

•  Promotions .   Three librarians were promoted in FY05 according to the established librarian promotion policy, one from Librarian I to Librarian II, and two from Librarian II to Librarian III. These promotions are noteworthy achievements for our librarians; criteria for advancement include demonstration of significant development in areas such as collaboration, service and leadership, as well as substantial contributions to the profession. Two other librarians were promoted to vacant Associate Department Head positions as a result of departmental reorganizations. Searches for these two positions were waived since, in both cases, we were confident that national searches would not produce better-qualified candidates for the positions. These promotions created two vacancies for which the serious search process was employed.

•  Vacation Tracking .   Vacation balances for all administrative staff were collected and submitted to central HR in May in preparation for the transition to SAP-Payroll. This was not so tedious a process since the Libraries have collected this information from staff in this format on an annual basis for the past several years. There were only a few individuals with vacation balances exceeding or in danger of reaching the 40-day maximum, and they have been strongly encouraged to decrease those balances before the September 1 deadline. Support staff balances have been monitored as well and individuals in similar "excess balance" situations have been alerted to the September 1 deadline.

•  Position Review .   A closer review of the Computer Support Assistant positions in the Libraries is a task that was left over from the Support Staff Reclassification Project of 2003. Work began this year with library managers and MIT Compensation staff to review these positions to determine whether they are classified appropriately and how they relate to similar positions at the Institute.

•  Headcount Inventory .   An inventory of all positions in the Libraries was developed to improve our ability to track and manage staff resources. It includes information about currently filled and unfilled positions, their historical precedents, and all position transfers among units which have occurred over many years.

•  Temporary Appointments Log .   An inventory of all temporary appointments in the Libraries, along with end dates and extension dates, was created to improve tracking of funding commitments and to keep Human Resources as well as incumbents up-to-date on appointment details.

•  Salary Review Data .   Information on staff rank, department, gender, race, etc. was collected and analyzed as part of our regular Support Staff and Administrative Staff salary reviews.

Rewards and Recognition Program

Interest and participation in the Libraries' Rewards and Recognition Program was rekindled this year through the creative and diligent efforts of the R&R Committee. To promote the Infinite Mile Award program, committee members attended local departmental meetings to make a brief pitch and generate enthusiasm for the program. Carabiner key chains, imprinted with the slogan "Raise the Praise", were purchased for a nominal fee and distributed to all staff.  

In an effort to support participation in the nomination process and, more specifically, to encourage more support staff participation, the committee held several workshops/open labs in the Libraries' Digital Instruction Resource Center, where past committee members provided brief tips about what makes a good nomination. Participants had computer access in order to write their nominations while present, and light refreshments were provided. In addition, committee members drafted several sample nominations and, along with a list of tips for writing nominations, posted them on the Libraries' staff website for quick and easy reference.

By all accounts the efforts of the FY05 R&R Committee were well rewarded. Infinite Mile Award nominations were up by more than 50% over the previous three years. Nearly as many were received this year as were the first year of the program. Support staff participation in the nomination process soared from 3% in FY04 to 21% in FY05 - the highest since the program's inception. Staff who attended the open labs noted that the success of this initiative was in the opportunity for individuals to take a few moments, away from their desks and phones, to produce an actual nomination. (All who attended the open labs submitted one or more nominations.)  

The Infinite Mile Awardees were recognized at the fifth annual Rewards and Recognition luncheon and ceremony on June 9 th . Twenty-five of our colleagues, four individuals and four teams, received certificates and cash awards for individual and collective accomplishments in the areas of Innovation and Creativity, Communication and Collaboration, Results, Productivity, and Outcome, and Community. Administrative Services' own Judith Gallagher, in her role as the Libraries' new Payroll Coordinator, received the individual award for Communication and Collaboration for her exemplary work to implement the numerous changes to payroll practices this past year.

The Libraries' Spot Award program remains robust, with thank you submissions up by another 20% this year. An average of 225 "thank you's" were submitted each month and a total of 52 awards were distributed. The program consists of a monthly drawing of four names from a pool of submitted "thank you's" and a final drawing at the end of the year (at the annual R&R Ceremony) from all of the names that were not drawn during the year. In addition to the actual thank you notes, winners of the drawing receive $100 in gift certificates to vendors such as The Home Depot, Amazon.com, and Simon Malls.

And finally, the Libraries' support of the Rewards and Recognition Program was demonstrated Institute-wide this year. Both Ann Wolpert and Lewis Music Librarian Peter Munstedt served on the Institute's Excellence Award Committee.

Facilities and Operations

CRSP Projects for FY05

The Libraries have made excellent progress toward realizing their goals in the area of space improvement over the past several years. With the continued generous support of MIT's Committee for the Review of Space Planning (CRSP), as well as the careful use of limited library funds, FY05 was no exception. We were able to accomplish a number of projects, both large and small, which significantly enhance our ability to offer world-class services to the MIT community.

• The Archives Storage Center (ASC) was finally completed during FY05. This facility now houses many of the most important and valuable materials from the Archives collections, all in a state-of-the-art controlled environment. Special systems include HVAC, water detection, access control and security. All are monitored around the clock by MIT Facilities, MIT Police, and the Archives staff.
• The second space change funded primarily by CRSP allowed relocation of the combined departments of Systems and Technology Services (STS) and the Digital Library Research Group (DLRG) into a space in Building E25 which was the former Schering-Plough Library. The project included demolition of the former Schering-Plough library space, the weeding, relocation and/or storage of all print materials, and the fit-out of the new space. Three existing walled spaces were converted to two new offices and a small conference room. The large reading room space was converted into individual cubicle spaces for twenty-two staff members, a small meeting space, a large conference room, and a small kitchenette for staff and visitors. All of this work was done with landscape partition furniture and removable walls and doors.

Library Space Improvements (Non-CRSP) for FY05

Though CRSP funds provide for the majority of space changes within the Libraries, there were several minor renovations and moves that were completed with library funds during the year.  

• The largest of these initiatives was the relocation of the InterLibrary Borrowing (ILB) unit from Hayden Circulation (Hayden first floor) to Document Services (Hayden basement). The project included the disposal of outdated furniture and equipment in Document Services and the relocation of existing but unused cubicle furniture into the cleared-out space in Document Services. The cubicle furniture came from 14-0330, the former Systems and Technology Services space. New counters, shelving and a custom shipping table made the relocation of the three ILB staff members complete.
• The Institute Archives reclaimed a space in Hayden Basement (14-0330) which was vacated by the move of the Systems and Technology Services group to E25. Though the space was largely usable in its vacated state, a few minor changes were carried out to improve functionality for the Archives processing work which is to take place there: work cubicles were removed (going to Document Services for ILB), heavy-duty shelving was installed, and some carpet was replaced with vinyl tile.
• To address the need for more meeting space in Hayden, an oversized office vacated by the DLRG move to E25 was repurposed as a small conference room. Only minor modifications were needed: removal of old furniture, removal of existing shelving and standards, painting, the addition of a white board, and sound treatments on two adjacent doors.  

CRSP Projects Pending for FY06

Several projects have been approved for the upcoming FY06 CRSP cycle:

• Building N57, the Library Storage Annex (formerly the RetroSpective Collection), will receive badly-needed upgrades and improvements in several areas: its loading dock will be fitted with a weather barrier; a new patron reading area will be created; the existing entry on State Street will be upgraded; and bathrooms and lighting will be improved. This near-campus facility is an important element of the Libraries' strategic planning around the management and service of our print collections, so these improvements are a critical first step in preparing for future years.
• The Hayden Library, building 14, will renovate space in the basement which was emptied due to the relocation of Archives collections from the Rare Book Room to the new Archives Storage Center.   The space will be upgraded and divided to house additional print materials from the Humanities and Science collections as well as a new space for the Gifts Section of Acquisitions and Licensing Services. This new location for the Gifts Section will yield additional space elsewhere in the Hayden basement for more Humanities and Science materials, and it will also facilitate a major improvement in the overall layout of print materials in Hayden.
• After many years of stoic acceptance of worn-out carpet by its users and staff, Barker Engineering Library (10-500) will receive CRSP funds to re-carpet all public areas and for the creation of a new media room on the fifth floor. The existing carpet is threadbare in many locations, and it is expected that the replacement will help to enhance user experience, improve safety and keep carpet pad vermin to a minimum. The media room will allow users to watch videos and DVDs in a single or group environment, and will also serve as a small group study space.
• The Libraries' Geographic Information Systems (GIS) activities have grown significantly over the past several years. CRSP has agreed to fund a small change to the current GIS space in the Rotch Library to meet this growing demand. The renovations will include new counters, switched lighting, computer power and data, and a video viewing screen. It will also include the installation of two blackout-style curtains for projection and video viewing.

Delivery Services

The Delivery Services unit underwent major changes over the summer of 2004, including a new manager and a reduction in staff. The department is now supervised by the Facilities and Operations Administrator, who took over in June of 2004. Shortly thereafter, the position of Section Head was eliminated and the hours of the other full-time staff member were reduced slightly. Together, these changes effectively reduced the unit's weekly hours by one-third.

This significant resource saving was made possible by a fresh assessment of the staffing level needs, and it has resulted in what is widely regarded as much improved service to library departments and ultimately to library users. The unit has flourished through this change, adding additional services to the Libraries such as special deliveries, gifts pick up, remote book drop locations, coordination of weekly timecard delivery, and the easing of package delivery limits. It has also improved efficiencies of the delivery process with the purchase of new mail sorting and delivery equipment and improved communication with library departments.

Looking Ahead

In addition to its regular operations, Administrative Services expects to focus special attention next year on several areas including:

• Implementing the new SAP Payroll functionality in the Libraries
• Updating the Salary Review Benchmarks
• Several cost analyses
• Proceeding with any building planning if/when it is approved: a new Engineering & Science/Humanities Library; a new Dewey Library
• A renewed focus on recruiting underrepresented minorities to the library staff
• Targeted training in support of Administrative Assistants working in library departments

Keith Glavash
Assistant Director for Administration