Charge

The Discovery Services Steering Group (“DSSG”) exists to ensure that Princeton University Library offers a consistent and exceptional set of discovery services to its users. These services must be idiomatic to all of the Library’s diverse user groups and, ultimately, facilitate access to our rich and varied physical and digital collections.

To that end, the DSSG and its ancillary working groups will oversee descriptive policies related to the library catalog, the next generation of the finding aids discovery system, the digital repository, and other special collections (e.g. numismatics). The group will advise on local best practices related to workflows and levels of description.

The DSSG will work to find efficiencies and identify unmet needs and unexploited opportunities to offer better services, and may make recommendations to the Library Leadership Team for improvements in policy, staffing, and infrastructure. The group will also organize working groups which may extend beyond its core membership to implement or oversee special projects, write reports, or carry out other specific tasks with a predetermined goal or lifecycle.

During academic year 18/19, DSSG will:

• Draft and propose a Library-wide resource description policy which includes best practices regarding levels of description and elements required across collections, and which is reflective of both expressed and anticipated user needs.
• Analyze description of collections and recommend changes related to conversion of data from one data standard/system to another.
• Formalize a process for user feedback
• Act as advisors for the LD4P2 project
• Other projects as appropriate

Committee Norms

Communication. Communication between meetings takes place in the #dssg channel on the PULibrary Slack Team. There is not a dedicated channel as the scope of the group spans multiple services. Substantial and official communications, including agendas, notes, and cancellations will go to the DSSG Listserv: xxx. The Listserv may include additional members with whom the group regularly communicates.

Agendas, Notes, and Working Documents. All meetings must have an agenda or be cancelled, and notes should be finalized within a week. Note taking will rotate. Agendas, notes, and any other working documents will be created and maintained in the group’s GSuite Team Drive.

Reports. DSSG will provide an update to the Library Leadership Team at the end of each semester  and the summer. This report may be circulated to the entire staff as appropriate.

Charge Review. This document and the membership should be reviewed on an annual basis coinciding with the end of the academic year.

Membership

In order to be successful, DSSG must maintain a cross-functional membership with representation from Library IT, Cataloging and Metadata Services, Scholarly Collections and Research Services, and Rare Books and Special Collections. This group will further interface with the Access and Fulfillment Steering Group on topics such as locations management, access to electronic resources, and circulation policies; the User Experience Steering Group for usability testing and understanding of user personae; and the Web Steering Group, to ensure consistency of style and branding.

The group should strive to stay as small as possible while remaining inclusive, but may spin off working groups to accomplish specific tasks which include additional members. There are no term-limits, but membership may be reviewed at any time, and must be reviewed as part of the annual charge review.