TO: LAUC-I Board

FR: Professional Development Committee

RE: Suggestions

Date: December 11, 2001

The Professional Development Committee would like to recommend that two actions be taken at the earliest possible time:

1). Ask the University Librarian to raise the Professional Development supplemental fund for LAUC-I members based on the following:

• Every year, travel expenses, conference registrations and memberships are soaring.

• According to a PDC survey in 1998, the average cost of any one out-of-town conference was $1,250. Any LAUC-I member who serves on ALA committees has to attend at least two out-of-town conference a year. That means any LAUC-I member who wants to be actively engaged in professional development activities has to pay a large sum of out of pocket expense.

• The total PD allocation has stayed the same for at least the last three years, which is around $34,400.

• For the previous two years ('98 and "99), the MOU mandate was $10,200, the UL's supplemental fund was $24,200.

• This year's union contract is $19,980. That means the UL's supplemental fund is only $14,420.

• UCI is designated as one of the three UC campuses to accommodate future student growth. We have already seen an increase in the number of new LAUC-I members. We hope more LAUC-I members will be hired to provide adequate services. If the PD funding stays the same, more members mean less money for everyone.

• The support of professional development activities is an important factor in recruiting new librarians to UCI.

We recommend that the Board ask the University Librarian for an additional $10,000, at the least, to be allocated for next year. That will bring the UL's supplemental fund to the same level as FY 98 and FY99.

2). The PD committee requests that the Chair appoint an AdHoc committee to :

• evaluate the current professional development Tier structure, and the impact of the new union contract on PDC work load, and

• find an alternative way to support LAUC-I members who have already used up all the annual allocation for conferences, but still need funding for additional job-related workshops or meetings.