The Ohio Five has had a number of longstanding subcommittees organized around different areas of librarianship. The purpose of these groups is to advance consortial initiatives in their respective areas and to provide a vital professional development resource for their members.
Charges for each of the subcommittees are available here:
- Access Services Subcommittee
- Collection Services Subcommittee
- Curricular Engagement Subcommittee
- Digital Initiatives Subcommittee
Subcommittee Chairs
Each library subcommittee will have a chair for a term lasting one year, beginning July 1, with the option to serve one additional year. As the subcommittees are relatively small, we will not adopt an election process to establish new chairs at this point. The process of selecting a new chair will be the result of either a) a member volunteering to serve as the new chair, or b) a discussion among the members about who is best positioned to chair the group. If for some reason, the group cannot select a new chair, the sponsoring director liaison will be consulted for guidance.
Subcommittee chairs as of Fall 2023 are as follows:
- Access Services - currently open
- Collection Services - Mark Gooch, Collection Management and Discovery Services Librarian, College of Wooster
- Curricular Engagement - Steering committee composed of
- Annie Dempsey, Learner Experience Librarian, College of Wooster
- Liz Lang, Public Services Librarian, Ohio Wesleyan University
- Megan Mitchell, Academic Engagement & Digital Initiatives Librarian, Oberlin College
- Lisa Morrison, Social Sciences Liaison Librarian, Denison University
- Shannon Simpson, Scholarly Instruction Librarian, Kenyon College
- Elizabeth Sullivan, Assessment & User Experience Librarian, Oberlin College
- Digital Initiatives Subcommittee - Jenna Nolt, Digital Initiatives Librarian, Kenyon College
The responsibilities of the chairs include:
- Organize and lead in-person meetings for the subcommittee (e.g. develop agendas with input from members and the director liaison, arrange logistics, communicate minutes, etc.)
- Represent the subcommittee in other venues, including meetings with the Ohio Five Library Committee.
Director Liaisons
Members of the Ohio Five Library Committee will serve as a resource for the library subcommittees to help ensure that the activities of the subcommittees are in alignment with larger consortial strategic directions. The liaisons and their subcommittees include:
- Access Services - Dee Peterson, Director of Libraries, Ohio Wesleyan University
- Collection Services - Pending discussion
- Curricular Engagement Group - BethAnn Zambella, Director of Libraries, Denison University
- Digital Initiatives Subcommittee - Makiba Foster, College Librarian, College of Wooster
The responsibilities of the director liaisons include:
- Each library director will serve a standing appointment as the liaison to one of the library subcommittees. These appointments will be reviewed annually at the annual Ohio Five Library Committee’s retreat.
- It is suggested that the director attend a portion of the group’s in-person meetings, either during the lunch hour or at the conclusion of the meeting, for the members of the group to share updates and to seek guidance on proposed project ideas or future collaborations. Efforts will be made to schedule in-person meetings at the director’s location to facilitate attendance, but in the event that in-person attendance is not possible, a virtual session will be offered.
- Directors will have access to the rolling agenda for their subcommittees. These will reside on an Ohio Five Team Drive. As in-person meetings are planned, directors will be invited to review and contribute to the group’s meeting agendas.
- Minutes from in-person meetings will be posted to an Ohio Five Team Drive and a link will be shared with all members and the director liaison once posted.
- On occasion, a director liaison may wish to ask questions or make requests of a subcommittee if that group is well positioned to provide valuable insight or input on a particular issue. It is suggested that prior to issuing requests of the subcommittee that the director liaison first discuss the question/issue with the other directors during regularly scheduled bi-weekly calls to ensure that it aligns with others’ interests and institutional priorities.
Ohio Five Staff
The Director of Consortial Library Systems and the Library Systems Analyst will serve as ex officio members of all subcommittees and as resources to the chairperson. This includes helping with logistics of meeting organization (both physical and virtual), recording minutes, and assisting the chair to facilitate discussions when necessary. Current staff members include:
- Director of Consortial Library Systems - Spencer Lamm
- Library Web Services Assistant - Matt McNemar
The Ohio Five Director of Consortial Library Systems will also serve as a resource to the director liaisons. Being in a position that frequently interfaces with all areas of the library across all five colleges, the Director of Consortial Library Systems may be optionally consulted for insight or input on new ideas or initiatives under consideration for a particular subcommittee, or to discuss the group dynamics of any given subcommittee.
Forming New Interest Groups and/or Subcommittees
Interest Groups
- Library employees interested in forming a new interest group or subcommittee should first submit an expression of interest to the Ohio Five Director of Consortial Library Systems. This will lead to a brief discussion about the topics of interest and any known possibilities for collaboration across the colleges.
- The requestor can then submit a brief proposal to the Ohio Five Director of Consortial Library Systems that outlines:
- The purpose of the interest group, including topics/goals to be discussed
- Why collaboration is important for this group
- Frequency of meetings
- Types of attendees/members. This should include:
- A leader who will organize an initial meeting and serve as the point person for Ohio Five staff.
- Names of other interested staff who would attend the meeting. Should have at least five total, including the requestor.
- Description of Ohio Five staff involvement required
- The Director of Consortial Library Systems will share the proposal with the Ohio Five Library Committee for discussion at the next regularly scheduled committee meeting (held bi-weekly).
- Pending feedback from the Ohio Five Library Committee, the requestor may be asked to revise the proposal. Once the proposal is approved, the Director of Consortial Library Systems will inform the requestor and offer assistance to arrange meeting logistics.
- After the meeting is held, the requestor should submit the following to the Ohio Five Director of Consortial Library Systems:
- Meeting agenda
- List of attendees
- Meeting minutes
- If the group would like to hold additional meetings, the group’s leader can also include in his/her report a recommendation that further meetings are needed as well as a description of that need. This request will be shared with, and reviewed by, the Ohio Five Library Committee.
Subcommittees
- An Interest Group may submit a request to the Ohio Five Director of Consortial Library Systems to become an official Ohio Five Library Subcommittee. This request should include:
- A charge
- Subcommittee chair
- Subcommittee members
- Meeting schedule
- Description of anticipated funding needs (e.g. meals, transportation, training, etc.)
- This request will be shared with, and reviewed by, the Ohio Five Library Committee. If approved, the Chair of the Ohio Five Library Committee (currently Dee Peterson) will inform the group. As an official subcommittee, the group would be assigned a director liaison, a set meeting schedule, Ohio Five staff support, and a portion of funds from the Ohio Five budget to support modest expenses associated with meetings and professional development.