Notes from the JSMIN meeting, August 14, 2014

Attending: Jesse, Jim, Kate, Mark, Naun, Robert, Sarah

We talked the tension between the latitude of the working groups to pursue ongoing and new ideas that are likely to yield mutual (or net) benefits for 2CUL and JSMIN's responsibility for pushing TSI forward, as time and resources permit.  Since everyone in JSMIN is also involved to varying extents in the working groups, this issue may be chiefly an academic one, but our discussion generated the following conclusions:

• There are currently two models for the work of the functional teams.  The first is characterized by regular conversations to explore questions and concerns of common interest, solve discrete problems together, and plant seeds for further collaborative possibilities (especially if and when they have a shared management system to work with).  The work of the Batch Processing and Cataloging groups are good examples of this current approach to TSI.  The second encompasses the first, but includes the implementation of a shared management system to support deeper and potentially more effective collaboration at the departmental level.  The work of the E-Resources group, with their joint implementation of Callisto and the consortial edition of 360 Resource Manager, is a good example of this second model.
• The role of JSMIN in supporting these two models (and potentially others) is to:
  • Help bridge the gaps between working groups when ideas and projects require broader involvement
  • Delegate the responsibility for investigating new ideas, solving problems, and participating in regional or national initiatives of mutual interest at the divisional level
  • Commission ad hoc groups and task forces, when appropriate