Minerva Users’ Council April 8, 2009 • Maine InfoNet

See attendee list at end of document

Pam Turner opens at 10:05

Minutes

no corrections or additions so they stand as presented.

Reports

Executive Board

Pam Turner

Infonet Director

James Jackson Sanborn

What is Maine InfoNet? Reviewed new mission & vision statements.
Helping libraries better serve Maine people.
Discussed Triple I interaction. Key impact of negotiations is that it is holding up ability to bring in new Minerva members because we don’t know how many licenses we’ll have.
Marvel funding is given to Umaine for dissemination across the state. Additional $50,000 of funding was granted. Also received funding for a federated search across Marvel – it will be available at beginning of new fiscal year. Hopefully can come up with a good if not perfect federated search tool.
Verizon has stopped supporting Verizon.net emails. Will do a global update that flags Verizon customers. When they come into the library a flag will come up asking the library to validate their email address.
Warren Memorial Library closed – so any materials from there have the status of unavailable.
Bailey Memorial is making ILLs, having programming.
45 of 62 Minerva libraries joined the Download Library. 2462 check-outs to date. Will set up a separate list-serv for it. Low number of MP3 titles available for iPods.
Collection development summit being set up by Maine InfoNet – June 15, 9-3 in Orono. Kick-off meeting so format will be a brief general opening session and then have break-out sessions. Brainstorming & kick-off so want to get as many people to attend as possible. Look at options for planning grants. Hoping for future regional meetings or focus groups around specific areas of interest.
Maine InfoNet staffing – Jonathan Williams is back from maternity leave. Approval to hire for systems training and support position. Has been posted in state of Maine job site – “Education Specialist: Library Training and Support”. Please encourage people to apply. Opened last Thursday, closes a week from tomorrow. Pleased to announce new Maine InfoNet staff member – Nelson Eubanks. Start date is April 27. All of the staff will be working out of the same office and working together.

Maine InfoNet Rep

Judy Frost

Still looking at how to bring as many Maine libraries into the system as possible? What will that form look like? What can we do to be part of a collaborative instead of looking at ourselves as a stand-alone organization?
InfoNet retreat in February was very exciting. Mission and vision work clicked.

Finance and Budget

Jay Sherma

Will go over budget on Triple III line by about $2,000 because of negotiations.
Should end the year with a balance of $5,000 to $12,000. Depends on the delivery line and whether we will need to forward pay any part of that.
Budget is predicted on the current environment. Not totally sure of Triple I cost because it has a 5% inflator figure included. $14.50 per stop for delivery service is the other assumption. There is now a contingency fund of 20% of actual cost. Very different from the past. Need to have funds available to address issues that may come up – it is responsible and appropriate.
With the loss of Walker we have lost $3,700. They will get billed but we won’t be able to collect.
Van delivery number will be finalized in June. Currently out on RFP. More delivery services have expressed an interest. RFP is clearer in defining responsibilities.
Continues priorities and procedures that have been going on for the past 10 years.
Redefining membership costs is still on the table. That possibility still exists.

Membership

Pam Turner

Now have updated contact information sheets.
Discussed the “great settle-up”. James will work on a system with a sub-group to figure out how to do this more effectively. Will start with academics. If you have bills to go across systems, go ahead and do it. The new system will work best within a system such as within Minerva.
Working on a procedure manual. Will be a long process.
Working on membership fee issue – sliding scale possibility,
Also working on loan rules. Will also start with academic libraries.

Circulation & Statistics

Kevin Davis

Policy for control of local records has been shared. Please make sure to pass on to front line staff.
Do have a list of other issues that have been raised and will be addressed.
Statistics revised help page on state statistics page.
Goal is to make the committee obsolete.
Will be doing a manual for how to use the statistics function.

Cataloging

Katherine Morgan

New attendance policy – each library must send a rep to at least 3 meetings a year.
Blue Ray will not get a new material type.
Q will be for new equipment
Unavailable will take the place of “Owns”
Discussing status code changes. Will work with Circulation Committee to ensure no duplication of efforts.
Would like a central location for new policies.
Ellen’s blog is minervacats.blogspot.com with updates.

Nominations

Martha Ott

Academic: Shelly Davis and Carin Dunay
Public: Colleen Crowley, Kevin Davis, Pam Turner
School: Karen LaForgia

Materials budgets and member libraries

Pam Turner

Member libraries are supposed to keep their materials budget at the average of the past 3 years.
No one will get thrown out if their budget is cut by their funding body.
Might be helpful to do a statistical analysis for load-bearing review so lending libraries aren’t being overburdened by libraries that are losing collection funding.
Being in Minerva is not an excuse not to do collection development. Would harm the consortium.
Can add to discussion with public about the value of libraries in the consortium – for less than $5,000 Topsham gets xx dollars of service which then Topsham didn’t have to spend.
Many libraries are having their collection budgets frozen and funding issues.
We need to support each other; no one knows what their budgets are going to be like in the next year or two.
Discussion about different ways libraries are dealing with the economy and its impact.

Nonpayment Policy

Bills are sent out in early May but not due until August so we span across fiscal years.
Will be voted on by email.
If they don’t pay their bills, they will be shut out of circulation.