ANNOUNCEMENTS
- University Librarian Note
- New Email Address for the Dean’s Office
- Cheers for Peers
- Did You Know? A Monthly Factoid from Library Assessment
- Recognizing Excellence
- Senior Administrative Team Meeting Minutes
- Collection Development Committee Notes
- Content Access Policy & Technology Meeting Minutes
FACILITIES NEWS
BUSINESS NEWS
HR NEWS
EVENTS AND TRAINING
- Staff Events Calendar
- CU Folks & Roots at MPAL: Eddie Barbash + KASA & Friends (October 3)
- Player Piano Demonstration (October 4)
- Hub Training (October 4, 14, 18, 21, 25)
- Library Teamwork and Engagement Module 3 (October 24)
- Alphas’ Adventures in “Munchland”: Black Bibliography for a New Literacy (October 24)
ANNOUNCEMENTS: University Librarian Note
Check back next month for a note from Dean of Libraries and University Librarian Claire Stewart.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: New Email Address for the Dean’s Office
The old DEANS-OFFICE@library.illinois.edu email account has been disabled. Please use the new LibDean@illinois.edu email address. Any instances of the old email address on unit web pages and materials should be replaced.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Cheers for Peers
Library Human Resources is happy to announce this month’s Cheers for Peers submissions. The following Library employees have been cheered by their peers:
- Damian Behymer
- Kristen Blankenship
- Erik Chapman
- Kit Condill
- Jenny Johnson
- Scott Mann
- Dani Postula
- Kristen Zidon
To view the detailed Cheers for Peers submissions please view the Growing People blog.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Did You Know? A Monthly Factoid from Library Assessment
October is Country Music Month and with over 4,000 items, it can be daunting to start your search.
The top five item types include:
- Audio music- Physical (Physical items including CDs): 1,562
- Audio Music – Electronic (Online Resources): 1,066
- Books: 873
- Notated Music (Musical notation to visually represent music): 328
- E-Books (Electronic Books): 252
If you are interested in learning about the genre, Music and Performing Arts Librarian Kate Lambaria has a few selections for you.
- Her country: how the women of country music became the success they were never supposed to be
- Black country music: listening for revolutions
- Queer country
And then for a solid history of the genre:
Head over to the Music and Performing Arts Library to listen to some Country music and many other genres.
Thank you to Micheal Norman for providing the statistics and Kate Lambaria for selecting the books.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Recognizing Excellence
- Spring 2024 Presentations by Library Faculty and Academic Professionals
- Spring 2024 Publications by Library Faculty and Academic Professionals
- Sara Benson Selected to Serve on Library of Congress’ Copyright Public Modernization Committee
Please share your award, recognition, or grant! To initiate a request for publicity, employees (or their supervisors) should submit this Awards/Recognitions/Grants Publicity Request Form.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Senior Administrative Team Meeting Minutes
Please see the detailed meeting minutes as follows:
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Collection Development Committee Notes
The most recent meeting minutes of the CDC are posted at:
https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/committee/collection-development-committee/
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Content Access Policy & Technology Meeting Minutes
The meeting minutes of CAPT (including workgroup reports) are posted at:
https://www.library.illinois.edu/staff/committee/content-access-policy-technology-capt/
FACILITIES NEWS: Facilities Update
Tim Newman, Assistant Dean of Libraries for Facilities
For a complete list of projects in planning and construction, please visit wordpress.library.illinois.edu/staff/facilities.
BUSINESS NEWS: Reimbursable versus Non-Reimbursable
Kim Johnson, Associate Director of Fiscal Operations
All expense reports in Chrome River require a concise but detailed business purpose. A business purpose is defined as one that supports or advances the university’s goals, objectives, and mission and adequately describes the expense as necessary, reasonable, and appropriate for the university.
Can an external audience who knows nothing about you, your department, or the trip understand why the expense was warranted? Units must ensure that expense reports and supporting documentation include complete and transparent information that can be understood by both internal and external reviewers (managers, auditors, IRS, FOIA, etc.).
In accordance with IRS rules on Accountable Plans, expenses incurred by system employees must serve a business purpose. This means all expenses must provide a benefit to the institution, not a personal benefit to the employee.
Elements of an Appropriate Business Purpose
When requesting a payment, reimbursement, or justifying an expense, the business purpose should clearly describe the reason for the expenditure. Providing the 5 “W’s” (Who, What, Where, When, and Why) in the business purpose field will comprise an appropriate response for each expense line in Chrome River.
Much of the information needed for each expense is covered by the information entered on the report header and/or individual expense lines.
- WHO: This is typically answered by the employee submitting the expense report. When an expense is incurred on behalf of someone else, such as a non-employee, the individual’s name should be included in the report.
- WHAT: This is usually answered by the attached supporting documentation and the expense tile selected for the expense line.
- WHERE: The location of the expense is often identified in supporting documentation.
- WHEN: The transaction date will often identify the when.
- WHY: The “why” is the most important piece of information to support a business need. This describes why the university is paying for the expense and how the expense supports the mission of the university.
Constructing a Business Purpose
- Describe the purpose of the expense.
- State the facts by using action verbs that describe the activity.
- Clearly state how the expense benefits the university.
- Describe any unique or unplanned circumstances related to the expense that requires further explanation.
Merely re-stating WHAT is being purchased, instead of describing WHY the payment is being requested and HOW it benefits the university, is inadequate.
Most transactions fall under one of five common themes:
- Presenting Knowledge
- Professional Development
- Recruitment
- Networking
- Donor Solicitation
| Insufficient | Appropriate |
| Conference | Attending 2025 Medical Equipment Training Conference, Orlando, FL. This conference provides professional development and networking opportunities with industry peers in the Higher Education Field. |
| Supplies | Various supplies purchased to repair the air handler located in the Financial Operations building. |
| Mileage | Monthly business-related travel incurred as part of the Ag in the Classroom presentation to various school-age children across Illinois. |
| Registration | Conference Registration to present grant research findings on COVID-19 vaccine. |
| Lodging | Lodging purchased for visiting lecturer, Joe Smith. Mr. Smith presented a session at the Business and Finance Symposium. |
| Meal | Donor solicitation lunch with Sarah Smith |
| Membership | This membership will provide certification for a program required to complete my research. |
University Payables does NOT need to see
- Repeated information that is already included in the transaction or attached supporting documentation.
- History of the university or unit
- A copy-and-paste narrative added to every expense report from your unit
- The description of the event provided by the event organizers
Reason for Business Purpose
The University of Illinois System’s financial transaction documentation must consistently meet and comply with legal, governmental, and auditing requirements. Providing thorough, complete transaction justifications and supporting documentation protects and benefits the system in the following ways:
- Minimizes the risk of penalties and fines due to unsubstantiated business expenses.
- Ensures compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
- Establishes adequate and consistent documentation standards for all financial transactions.
- Provides an independent and efficient source for obtaining transactional information.
- Complies with tax regulations that specify requirements for nontaxable reimbursements under an accountable plan versus reimbursements taxable to employees.
- Minimizes reputational risks and adverse public perception.
A detailed, relevant business purpose will help reimbursements be processed more efficiently, with less chance of the expense report being rejected.
HR NEWS: Departures
- Monica Carroll – Engineering and Physical Sciences Liaison and Innovation Librarian – Grainger Engineering Library Information Center – 9/5/2024
- Ginger Schutz – Senior Library Specialist – Acquisitions & Cataloging Services – 10/31/2024
HR NEWS: Civil Service Vacancies
- Associate Software Developer/Software Developer SCaRS – Library IT – Decision soon
- HR Associate – Business & Human Resource Service Center – Decision soon
- HR Representative – Business & Human Resource Service Center – Interviews soon
- Web Application Developer – Library IT – Posting soon
HR NEWS: In Memoriam
EVENTS AND TRAINING: Staff Events Calendar
To see the most up-to-date staff events calendar, please visit uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/staff.
EVENTS AND TRAINING: CU Folks & Roots @ MPAL: Eddie Barbash + KASA & Friends
October 3 at 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Join us for an afternoon of music and insight in collaboration with the CU Folk & Roots Festival! Experience a captivating performance/lecture by Eddie Barbash + KASA & Friends, browse a curated display of folk and roots materials from the Music & Performing Arts Library’s collections, and enjoy light refreshments.
EVENTS AND TRAINING: Player Piano Demonstration
October 4 at 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Enjoy a free concert featuring the Music & Performing Arts Library’s Steinway Duo-Art Reproducing Piano. See the piano in action and learn more about the instrument and roll collection. Visit the Library’s website for more information about the piano and roll collection.
This event will take place in the Music & Performing Arts Library’s player piano room, which is located on the second floor of the library. MPAL is located in the Music Building (1114 W Nevada St., Urbana). See our website for accessibility information and how to get to MPAL.
EVENTS AND TRAINING: Hub Training
The Reference Management Team will be holding Fall 2024 Hub Trainings. The October sessions are listed below as well as in the Staff Calendar and on the welcome page for the Canvas course (see below).
We will once again be having one in-person session and one held via Zoom for each topic, with sessions taking place on Mondays from 2-3 p.m. and Fridays from 3-4 p.m. The same content is presented in both sessions so you can attend either the Monday or the Friday session. Registration is not required (Civil Service non-exempt staff should get permission from their supervisor before planning to attend).
To enroll in the Canvas course associated with Hub Training, use this link: https://canvas.illinois.edu/enroll/YYL6RR . The course includes materials and recordings from past Hub Training sessions and will be updated to include the Fall 2024 sessions.
- October 4 at 3 PM: Recording, Analyzing, and Visualizing Data in LibInsight
- October 14 at 2 PM & October 18 at 3 PM: E-resources Access & Troubleshooting
- October 21 at 2 PM & October 25 at 3 PM: Neurodiversity
EVENTS AND TRAINING: Library Teamwork and Engagement Module 3
October 24 at 12:00 p.m.
We are pleased to invite you to participate in the University Library DEIA Educational Workshop Series. This series was developed by Dr. Ellen Burts-Cooper of Improve Consulting in collaboration with the DEIA Task Force. These workshops are a mixture of presentation and discussion, led by two library facilitators. By attending this workshop, you will have the opportunity to meet colleagues from across the library and learn from each other. This workshop, Library Teamwork and Engagement, focuses on teamwork and collaboration, discussing trust and creating an environment of engagement.
We will have more workshops next semester, please keep a lookout for them.
Registration: https://uiuc.libcal.com/event/13083169
EVENTS AND TRAINING: Alphas’ Adventures in “Munchland”: Black Bibliography for a New Literacy
Thursday, October 24 at 6 p.m. via Zoom (online only)
Jesse Erickson, Astor Curator of Printed Books & Bindings at the Morgan Library, joins the RBML virtually to discuss Black bibliographical exploration and trace the migrations of Black Vernacular English (BVE) from 18th-century literature to that of the hip hop generation. This live Zoom presentation is open to the public; please pre-register at go.illinois.edu/Erickson.
If you would like to submit content for the November issue of Library Office Notes, please submit it to Heather Murphy by Monday, October 28, 2024.
