Pioneer Committee Meets at U of U

Members of the Pioneer Committee met March 11, 2009 at the University of Utah Marriott Library to strategize future improvements to the online resources across the state, especially in light of the current budget cuts. Agenda items included budget issues, database pricing, and promotion.

While details from the stimulus package for libraries are still forthcoming, LSTA grant money will likely be fully funded. Subscription prices for the major electronic resources will stay stable for the next year. The EBSCO sole source has been approved for one year, with a one year renewal and SIRS pricing will remain the same this year.

Future promotional activities will include involvement at the upcoming ULA Conference and possible improvements to the Pioneer web site. Since November, a campaign has been in place with FrontRunner riders, giving them easy access to all Pioneer databases on the train. The committee brainstormed ways of getting Pioneer more exposure in the press.

The Pioneer Committee is made up of representatives from the Utah State Library, Utah Education Network, academic libraries, K-12 school libraries and public libraries. The EBSCO databases and some others used by Utah colleges and universities, are part of Academic Pioneer, the portion of Pioneer that is targeted to higher education.