CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

This Call for Comment -- issued by Dean Jeffrey Edleson, Dean Judith Warren Little, Department Chair Richard Ivry, and University Librarian Thomas Leonard -- encourages all interested parties to carefully read the proposed plan for the Social Welfare Library and Education/Psychology Library at UC Berkeley and to submit comments and recommendations for consideration. All suggestions will be given consideration; most helpful are ideas that take into account the academic and scholarly needs of students and faculty at UC Berkeley and enhance the mission of the Library and the University. The comment period is January 23, 2014 February 28, 2014. We invite you to submit comments via email to future@library.berkeley.edu. In addition to aiding the Deans, Departments, and University Library, comments will be reviewed by the Academic Senate Library Committee (composed of faculty, a representative of campus librarians, and students). Revisions to the proposed plan may be made in light of public comment. The ongoing planning in 2014 will be widely shared on campus and with members of the public who use these important campus libraries.

Proposal for the Social Research Library January 2014

We are pleased to share the proposed reconfiguration of the Education/Psychology Library and the Social Welfare Library to better address current campus and research needs. The recent Commission on the Future of the UC Berkeley Librarys report asserts that the consolidation of campus libraries could reduce costs, increase efficiency, and improve the quality of collection development and service delivery to both students and faculty, and encourages the University Librarian to work with academic leaders to identify where and how space usage can be improved for user communities and service delivery better attuned to the needs of users. By changing the service models, re-allocating spaces, and consolidating staff work areas of these two campus libraries, the Library can shift energy toward providing new in-depth information services, such as assisting faculty with meeting the new Open Access requirements, providing access to research and resources for online programs, and exploring opportunities for continuing education for both alumni and the wider community. The proposed plan continues to support the departments and disciplines with: Events such as Faculty New Book Talks, celebrating faculty research and publication; Research and reference service by librarians; Enhanced faculty research support assist in preparing literature reviews, forward citation searching, article impact analysis; Assistance for researchers preparing Data Management Plans (DMPs); assist with archiving researcher-produced data; In-class instruction for courses and open workshops taught by librarians;

Circulation services and pickup point for books and journals paged from other libraries on campus and from off-site shelving; Highlighting of new scholarship, such as a display of book jackets, so researchers will more quickly find this research; Computers for use by the UC Berkeley community and the public; New training room, with priority for Library workshops, training, and course-related instruction but available for reservations by others with approval; and Additional individual and group study spaces available longer hours.

The Library will continue to build research-level collections in all three areas, but integrate the high use books from the three disciplines into one easily browsable collection in a newly renamed Social Research Library in Haviland Hall. The Library has conducted a careful analysis of the usage of the collection in both the Education/Psychology Library and Social Welfare Library, and found a steady decrease in book circulation and a correspondingly large increase in the use of digital resources (ejournals, e-books, and databases). A citation analysis of Berkeley doctoral dissertations shows a strong interrelationship among the three disciplines -- in particular between education and psychology and social welfare and psychology. Mid-level use books from the Education/Psychology Library would be transferred to the Gardner Stacks; lower use books (and all bound journals) would move to off-site storage. For UC Berkeley borrowers, off-site journal articles can be scanned and emailed on request. Print course reserves would be available in Moffitt or Haviland. The Library will also soon be implementing Universal Paging; circulating books from campus library collections may be requested and picked up at the most convenient library location. These pick-up locations could include the library in Tolman, the library in Haviland, and a library in the building that replaces Tolman Hall. Part of the classical core of the campus, Haviland Hall which is home to the Social Welfare Library today, and the envisioned future home of the Social Research Library -- is a neighbor of Tolman Hall. The library in Haviland Hall was designed by John Galen Howard and features large windows and excellent natural light, built-in bookshelves, and tables for quiet study. It has an adjoining seminar room, which when rejoined to the library (as in the original plan,) will offer additional shelving and a perfect space for group work, small seminars, and library instruction. To avoid possible misunderstandings: there are no plans to close the Education/Psychology Library in Tolman Hall until that building is decommissioned by the UC Berkeley administration. By implementing this proposal, some portions of the current Education/Psychology Library could be used in new ways to support the research and teaching mission for Education and Psychology. With Tolman Hall designated as seismically poor the University has begun planning for a new building to replace it. University Librarian Tom Leonard, a member of the Building Committee, has learned that a library with a substantial paper collection is out of scope for that project. The new building will prioritize collaborative research and flexible spaces. The Library plans to fulfill this vision with an emphasis on e-

resources, high quality research support, longer hours, and a variety of study spaces for both individuals and groups. Contemplating that future, we are interested in exploring ways to adapt the current space to better meet student and faculty research needs, as well as inform the design of library and learning spaces in the new building. Library data show that, while faculty and students may have a home department or major, they tend to use many campus libraries and library collections. The Education/Psychology Library is primarily used by Education, Psychology, Sociology, Social Welfare, Political Science and English, disciplines also supported by Doe/Moffitt Libraries and Gardner Stacks. The Social Welfare Library is primarily used by Social Welfare and Education. The creation of a more inclusive Social Research Library builds on the research and teaching trends we have identified, supporting those areas with relevant library expertise and ensuring the viability and integrity of library support for the future. Faculty of the School of Social Welfare, Graduate School of Education, and Department of Psychology met with librarians and library administrators in Fall semester 2013. This proposal was informed by their early comments. We welcome additional comments from these groups, as well as the full UCB community of students, faculty, and staff. The comment period is January 23, 2014 February 28, 2014. We invite you to submit comments via email to future@library.berkeley.edu. # # # #