Minutes
MINERVA Executive Board Meeting
Maine State Library Studio
March 24, 2014
In attendance: Shelly Davis, Kevin Davis, Steve Norman, Judy Frost, Karen Valley, Nikki Maounis, Amber Tatnall (telephone), remote sites: James Jackson Sanborn, Alicia Revitt, Gail Roy
Also attending, Sally Leahy, McArthur Public Library; Pam Turner and James Rathbun, Baxter Memorial Library, Cyndi Burne, Topsham Public Library; Janet McKenney, Maine State Library
Call to order by Shelly Davis, Chair
Minutes of February 28, 2014 were accepted with agreement that proprietary contract information will be redacted when minutes are posted on the website.
NEW BUSINESS taken out of order:
Maine State Outreach items – status in the catalog and requesting.
Items purchased with federal funds are listed as unavailable. New items are more apparent in the catalog and users want access to them. Titles have always been in the Minerva catalog but were not as apparent and needed to be requested directly. Large Print titles aligned with the Talking Books program, and purchased with federal money, were put in Minerva because of the number of requests for large print titles and circulation statistics could be tracked through Minerva. These titles should be available only to talking books program users, not the general public, through the national CUL (Collaborative User Library) catalog.
The switch to III is a good time to move books by mail and large print to URSUS for greater efficiency. Solutions include a) make a list of records and suppress them, b) leave titles in catalog and change location to “call MSO” with note about why the item can’t be requested. The decision will have to be more global since Sierra will add others outside Minerva.
Cyndi Burne said it would be more helpful not to see the records at all so patrons aren’t confused especially those who may see option from home or who don’t check with library staff. Pam Turner finds it disconcerting if staff is expected to check vision disability if a title is requested from MSO. She noted that during the review of the MOU, it was determined that the MSO collection would be available even if there is no membership fee charged. We are now learning this is not possible because of federal regulations. There is a large inequity if we are providing items to MSO but the majority of their new items are not available to members.
Janet McKenney said there is no problem just having titles in the CUL catalog and not in Minerva. She clarified that the Maine State Library catalog is In URSUS, the Large Print items with MSO are in Minerva. There are three categories of patrons: MSL/URSUS patrons using MaineCat, MSO certified large type patrons using the CUL catalog and the general Minerva user. The underserved patrons eligible for Books by Mail have access to Minerva requesting now. Both collection and user access to Minerva will move to URSUS. Large Print will be restricted to those who have access to the CUL
catalog.
MOTION: Suppress unavailable large print records in the catalog with the understanding that the records will be moving to URSUS this summer. Passed unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS:
Syndetics: Discussion on continuation of the features. James Jackson Sanborn suggested that we investigate again in the fall. We’ve requested user statistics and they are strong across features. With Sierra in place, we may have options with other vendors. Item tabled.
Spring Users’ Council meeting: This is scheduled to be a “virtual” meeting. CMCC will not be available as an origination site. Shelly will check on other possible locations.
Executive Board election: The ballot is out and only half of representatives have voted so far. Deadline is April 11, 2014.
THO cataloging issues deferred to later in meeting.
Update on review of Minerva policies: Nearly all of the minutes have been reviewed and Pam Turner will solicit Board members for copies of missing minutes.
Committee responsibilities & RFA template: Nancy Crowell will add a section that captures Executive Board actions. The RFA (request for action) template edits were discussed. Amber Tatnall will edit who was notified and the action taken. Amber and Nancy will work on format for labeling procedures and guidelines.
REPORTS:
Maine InfoNet – James Jackson Sanborn: UM Farmington and others are loosing faculty positions. The Board is drafting letters of concern regarding the loss of library leadership.
Sierra timeline for migration begins at the end of the Maine State Library contract the first of July. Pre-July prep includes beta testing with two small libraries. URSUS will start move to Sierra in July, UNE in August and Portland Public Library in September/October.
There will be a password protected website with FAQs, training, timelines, introductory videos. Videos will be the first up.
New staff will start on April 22.
Maine InfoNet Representative-Judy Frost: The yearly retreat will discuss the long range planning feedback from the constituency meetings. There will be a collection development meeting in the spring. There is discussion on how to sustain statewide conversations among multitype libraries which have been sponsored that’s to host institutions’ largess. Also, there is discussion on how and when to add staff to support Minerva – possibly a half-time position.
Minerva Technical – Alisia Revitt: nothing to add.
Finance –Gail Roy: The RDA toolkit has been billed and 40 of 52 billed have paid to date. Minerva annual bills are out.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Membership Committee – Pam Turner and James Jackson Sanborn: Kennebunk is setting up its rules and types and should be in this quarter before the end of the fiscal year. Pam is looking at next round of potential members. James wants to wait until we are in Sierra but can get candidates ready to go. Cyndi Burne sees value in a mentoring program especially going forward. Pam said it was built into the new member application. James can add training and coordination of those activities in the new position responsibilities.
Circulation Standards Committee – Cyndi Burne: Cyndi is passing the chair to James Rathbun.
The Cataloging and Circulation Standards Committees recommend that volume fields of media, be uniformed and the packaging standardized. Combo packs with DVDs and Blu-ray are particularly troublesome. The practice has been that all combo packs (whether intact or split) share the same bib record. If the discs have been split into two separate circulating items, the volume field is used to differentiate the DVD from the Blu-ray.
MOTION:
Effective immediately, the policy for the treatment of DVD/Blu-ray combo packs requires the establishment of separate bib records dependent on how the pack will circulate. If the pack is to remain intact, one bib record must be created for the intact combo pack. If the pack is to be separated, one bib record must be created for each circulating item; i.e. one bib record for the separated Blu-ray, another bib record for the separated DVD, another for the separated 3D Blu-ray, etc. Volume fields are not to be used in these records.
This policy does not require retroactive conformance but members are encouraged to adapt grandfathered items to the new policy as staff time allows.
Motion passed.
A discussion on adjusting loan rules will continue at a future meeting. A survey will gather information to help frame a policy related to DVD series and length of circulation.
The Board accepted the resignation of Cyndi Burne as Circulation Standards Committee Chair and extended its thanks to her for her leadership. James Rathbun was welcomed as the new chair.
Cataloging Standards Committee
MOTION:
The Cataloging Committee is authorized to enforce the policy related to the treatment of DVDs/Blu-rays and combo packs.
Motion passed.
Meeting adjourned 1:00 PM. Next meeting May 14.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Crowell, pro tem
PDF of agenda and docs: 20140324Agenda&Docs
