Board Meeting Minutes, July 11, 2003: Wisconsin Public Library Consortium

WPLC Board Meeting Minutes: July 11, 2003
Location: South Central Library System

Present: David Weinhold (ESLS), Peter Hamon (SCLS), Phyllis Davis (SCLS),
Stef Morrill (SCLS), Inese Christman (WVLS), Mark Arend (WLS), Mellanie
Mercier (WCFLS), Steve Platteter (MWFLS), Kathy Schneider (WiLS), and Linda
Miller, Project Manager.

The meeting came to order at 10:00 a.m.

1. Partner Reports

Activities were discussed under other agenda items.

2. Current Project Reports

Audible books project:
There are currently 95 titles available, and funds remain to be spent. The small buttons on the players are often difficult for senior citizens to use. Common complaints are the short battery life of about five hours and that the player must be manually turned off before turning off your car otherwise it will continue to play.

A different type of player is being investigated that functions similar to an audio cassette. It can be inserted into a cassette player in a car or played with headphones on its own. This may be easier for senior citizens to use.

Brookfield has been very pleased with the project. Their players have been in constant circulation.

Audible.com has never developed a circulation process, and Stef and Mellanie have to be responsible for tracking circulation. The libraries send Stef a form each time a transaction takes place. Audible.com's services are geared for the individual consumer rather than libraries. OverDrive now offers an alternate system that handles the circulation online and tracks all activity but is more expensive.

Marathon County libraries tried the Otis audible and e-book players with mixed results. Some users had trouble using the audible players while others had very good experience with them. The e-book players are still being used.

SCLS and WCFLS will continue the project through December.

WPLC Website:
Linda shared information regarding the WPLC website usage statistics for January 1 to July 10, 2003. The search that is resulting in the most referrals (110) to the website is "otis player." The search in second place is "wisconsin public library consortium" with only 15 referrals from search engines. There were 28,041 total hits. Most visitors arrive at the website by using the address, not through referrals by search engines or links from other sites. Visitors from California equal 44% of the total while 30% are from Wisconsin. The city that originates the most visits is San Jose, followed by Madison, Santa Clara, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, and Appleton. The user survey report has been downloaded 519 times. May was the busiest month, no doubt because of the release of the survey report. Google is the search engine most often used. The home page is the most frequent entry point followed by the survey page, Listen Up, Wisconsin, and the statistics page.

Survey/Call Center:
Linda presented a campaign that the PR Committee had prepared for the user survey. Mark Arend wrote an article for the Trustee Tale newsletter http://www.winnefox.org/trusteetale/summer2003.pdf produced by Winnefox and OWLS and distributed to trustees and legislators in those systems. MWFLS and ESLS also distributes this publication to their trustees. Mark will post the article to the WPLC list.

Linda presented a draft of policies and procedures for the call center service. Peter commented that a portion of the cost of a project should be provided for WPLC to cover overhead expenses such as the review of project proposals. Peter suggested charging 5% for partners and 10% for everyone else.

The first priority should be given to projects that build upon the user survey. Second priority should be given to other surveys conducted by libraries. Third priority should be given to all other surveys.

A suggestion was made to include a statement in all contracts for use of the call center that allows WPLC to use the data collected unless the customer specifically prohibits this.

Peter said that the call center should belong to WPLC who ought to be paid for overhead and administration costs for any use of the call center. SCLS should be paid for overhead related to use of the facility.

David expressed concern over the phone lines being used for a commercial firm's survey.

Peter suggested that WPLC rent the facility from SCLS so that no partner is liable for damages that may occur.

A second draft of the policies and procedures for the call center services will be prepared for Board review. The call center and surveys are separate services of WPLC. Priorities for the use of the services will be the same: 1) projects building upon the state survey; 2) other projects for libraries; and 3) projects for any other agencies. References to the researcher will be left open with the requirement that any researcher wishing to use the services submit a resume and proof of bonding. Peter commented that although this should be left open, the researcher will most likely be Josh.

WPLC will reserve the right to retain copies of any data collected. A percentage of the cost should be designated for WPLC and SCLS overhead with a higher percentage charged to non-partners. WPLC will rent the facility and equipment from SCLS.

There was a discussion of the relationship between Josh and WPLC. When Josh has a project requiring the call center, he will contract with WPLC for its use. WPLC will also market the use of the survey and call center services. When interest is shown, Josh will be contacted regarding the project.

Cost is obviously going to be a concern to libraries. WPLC could also offer services to help libraries analyze data they have already collected. Data mining and analysis would not be as expensive as a survey. David commented that people from SRLAAW thought the cost of the survey project was low. Peter commented that WPLC could also consider offering R&D services in the future.

3. netLibrary

Linda reviewed the campaign that was prepared by the PR Committee to promote netLibrary resources. The committee believes that one good way to promote the use of the netLibrary collection is to be sure that the titles are available through the libraries' catalogs. Committee members are going to prepare a brief listing of titles each quarter for inclusion in system and library newsletters. Kathy will check netLibrary for articles featuring new titles that could be used.

The PR committee also recommended that CE credits be given for participation in the netLibrary training. David commented that when the netLibrary training was provided, CE credits were typically provided. So the library systems should be willing to give CE credits for the online WiLS training. Kathy added that there would need to be a way of confirming who has completed the online training.

Mark Arend asked if the usage statistics are being used to focus the development of the collection. Kathy responded that the statistics help identify the most popular subjects. The Selection Committee tries to select titles from the three most popular subjects.

Kathy reported on the online training. The first session had 48 people sign up, but only 20 completed the course. The second session had only 5 sign up and 4 completed the course. The Board decided that the next online course should be early to mid-September. UW is moving from WebCT to Desire to Learn software. It should be easy to convert the course into the new software. Kathy will contact Peg Branson to discuss the CE credits for the online training.

The financial report for the netLibrary project was reviewed. About 800 new titles have been added in 2003. In response to a question, Kathy mentioned that only some of the partners are checking their usage statistics regularly. David shared that ESLS has always had about 15 new accounts created each month. David thinks that this is primarily a result of people finding titles via the catalog. Mellanie said that WCFLS has about 20 new accounts each month.

Kathy stated that he health and medicine subject areas need to be weeded. The Selection Committee should assume responsibility for this task.

Ebook vendors are now using the Adobe software. netLibrary is going to charge $1800 the first year for the software, and $300 each subsequent year. However, only the newer titles are in PDF. OverDrive's titles are all available in PDF. About 90% of the titles purchased since January 2003, including the academic collection, are in PDF format. Only about 20% of the titles purchased before that are in PDF. Kathy has asked netLibrary for clarification on whether they are going to charge $1800 to each library or each library system, and she is waiting for a reply.

OverDrive has a startup cost of $28,000 and $1000 a month per PAC. Kathy recommends that WPLC have a task force assess the content available from OverDrive before putting together a proposal. Their content is different from netLibrary with a larger fiction collection.

Stef is concerned about the confusion for users if there are two different collections. Another issue that Kathy foresees is that libraries may not allow patrons to download to library computers.

Kathy thinks that the first step is to form a task force to investigate the reader issue and content available from all vendors - netLibrary, OverDrive, and Follett and then investigate individual vendor services. Volunteers will be requested to work on this investigation. Their activities will be coordinated by Kathy and Mark Beatty.

The netLibrary user group will meet at July 24 at WiLSWorld.

David commented that the list of new titles needs to be posted to the WPLC website.

4. New Projects

Phyllis asked if the web portal project should be revisited since it does not appear that the state is going to do such a project.

5. Annual Meeting

David commented that with the changes to the bylaws there is no longer a Steering Committee made up of partner directors. So there does not need to be a different group to attend the annual meeting. Now the WPLC Board can make policy decisions. David proposed that the next meeting be the annual meeting. This will not need to be coordinated with a SRLAAW meeting.

Phyllis reviewed the latest budget information. The only income that has not yet been received is the $1600 from the schools. David asked about the cost for installing the noise suppression. The group agreed to purchase these items unless it turns out to be more than $1000. If it is more than $1000, the matter will be brought back to the board.

David recommended that WPLC avoid increasing the expense for netLibrary even if this means using reserve funds. David wants the board to consider reducing the partner shares due to the budget cuts that are affecting the partners. David would like to see the ESLS payment reduced to less than $2000 for 2004. He would like the share for ESLS at less than $1000. Peter stated that if the budget returns to the 2002 level that reserve funds will need to be used.

Peter suggested that two budget proposals be brought to the board. Phyllis commented that what is needed first is an understanding of the total amount of funds that will be available, and then a budget can be prepared. Phyllis will work with a committee to prepare two budgets for the next meeting.

David expressed concern that there will not be sufficient funds for new projects. Phyllis commented that funding for new projects is important since WPLC does not want netLibrary to be its only project. Kathy commented that an OverDrive project will be costly, even as a demo.

6. Next Meeting

The next meeting will be the annual meeting and is scheduled for Friday, August 29, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. at the SCLS office.

The meeting adjourned at 12:45 p.m.


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Members Bylaws Committees Meetings Discussion List Statistics Current Projects Proposals for Future Services Reports Links Home Contact Us		WPLC Board Meeting Minutes: July 11, 2003 Location: South Central Library System Present: David Weinhold (ESLS), Peter Hamon (SCLS), Phyllis Davis (SCLS), Stef Morrill (SCLS), Inese Christman (WVLS), Mark Arend (WLS), Mellanie Mercier (WCFLS), Steve Platteter (MWFLS), Kathy Schneider (WiLS), and Linda Miller, Project Manager. The meeting came to order at 10:00 a.m. 1. Partner Reports Activities were discussed under other agenda items. 2. Current Project Reports Audible books project: There are currently 95 titles available, and funds remain to be spent. The small buttons on the players are often difficult for senior citizens to use. Common complaints are the short battery life of about five hours and that the player must be manually turned off before turning off your car otherwise it will continue to play. A different type of player is being investigated that functions similar to an audio cassette. It can be inserted into a cassette player in a car or played with headphones on its own. This may be easier for senior citizens to use. Brookfield has been very pleased with the project. Their players have been in constant circulation. Audible.com has never developed a circulation process, and Stef and Mellanie have to be responsible for tracking circulation. The libraries send Stef a form each time a transaction takes place. Audible.com's services are geared for the individual consumer rather than libraries. OverDrive now offers an alternate system that handles the circulation online and tracks all activity but is more expensive. Marathon County libraries tried the Otis audible and e-book players with mixed results. Some users had trouble using the audible players while others had very good experience with them. The e-book players are still being used. SCLS and WCFLS will continue the project through December. WPLC Website: Linda shared information regarding the WPLC website usage statistics for January 1 to July 10, 2003. The search that is resulting in the most referrals (110) to the website is "otis player." The search in second place is "wisconsin public library consortium" with only 15 referrals from search engines. There were 28,041 total hits. Most visitors arrive at the website by using the address, not through referrals by search engines or links from other sites. Visitors from California equal 44% of the total while 30% are from Wisconsin. The city that originates the most visits is San Jose, followed by Madison, Santa Clara, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, and Appleton. The user survey report has been downloaded 519 times. May was the busiest month, no doubt because of the release of the survey report. Google is the search engine most often used. The home page is the most frequent entry point followed by the survey page, Listen Up, Wisconsin, and the statistics page. Survey/Call Center: Linda presented a campaign that the PR Committee had prepared for the user survey. Mark Arend wrote an article for the Trustee Tale newsletter http://www.winnefox.org/trusteetale/summer2003.pdf produced by Winnefox and OWLS and distributed to trustees and legislators in those systems. MWFLS and ESLS also distributes this publication to their trustees. Mark will post the article to the WPLC list. Linda presented a draft of policies and procedures for the call center service. Peter commented that a portion of the cost of a project should be provided for WPLC to cover overhead expenses such as the review of project proposals. Peter suggested charging 5% for partners and 10% for everyone else. The first priority should be given to projects that build upon the user survey. Second priority should be given to other surveys conducted by libraries. Third priority should be given to all other surveys. A suggestion was made to include a statement in all contracts for use of the call center that allows WPLC to use the data collected unless the customer specifically prohibits this. Peter said that the call center should belong to WPLC who ought to be paid for overhead and administration costs for any use of the call center. SCLS should be paid for overhead related to use of the facility. David expressed concern over the phone lines being used for a commercial firm's survey. Peter suggested that WPLC rent the facility from SCLS so that no partner is liable for damages that may occur. A second draft of the policies and procedures for the call center services will be prepared for Board review. The call center and surveys are separate services of WPLC. Priorities for the use of the services will be the same: 1) projects building upon the state survey; 2) other projects for libraries; and 3) projects for any other agencies. References to the researcher will be left open with the requirement that any researcher wishing to use the services submit a resume and proof of bonding. Peter commented that although this should be left open, the researcher will most likely be Josh. WPLC will reserve the right to retain copies of any data collected. A percentage of the cost should be designated for WPLC and SCLS overhead with a higher percentage charged to non-partners. WPLC will rent the facility and equipment from SCLS. There was a discussion of the relationship between Josh and WPLC. When Josh has a project requiring the call center, he will contract with WPLC for its use. WPLC will also market the use of the survey and call center services. When interest is shown, Josh will be contacted regarding the project. Cost is obviously going to be a concern to libraries. WPLC could also offer services to help libraries analyze data they have already collected. Data mining and analysis would not be as expensive as a survey. David commented that people from SRLAAW thought the cost of the survey project was low. Peter commented that WPLC could also consider offering R&D services in the future. 3. netLibrary Linda reviewed the campaign that was prepared by the PR Committee to promote netLibrary resources. The committee believes that one good way to promote the use of the netLibrary collection is to be sure that the titles are available through the libraries' catalogs. Committee members are going to prepare a brief listing of titles each quarter for inclusion in system and library newsletters. Kathy will check netLibrary for articles featuring new titles that could be used. The PR committee also recommended that CE credits be given for participation in the netLibrary training. David commented that when the netLibrary training was provided, CE credits were typically provided. So the library systems should be willing to give CE credits for the online WiLS training. Kathy added that there would need to be a way of confirming who has completed the online training. Mark Arend asked if the usage statistics are being used to focus the development of the collection. Kathy responded that the statistics help identify the most popular subjects. The Selection Committee tries to select titles from the three most popular subjects. Kathy reported on the online training. The first session had 48 people sign up, but only 20 completed the course. The second session had only 5 sign up and 4 completed the course. The Board decided that the next online course should be early to mid-September. UW is moving from WebCT to Desire to Learn software. It should be easy to convert the course into the new software. Kathy will contact Peg Branson to discuss the CE credits for the online training. The financial report for the netLibrary project was reviewed. About 800 new titles have been added in 2003. In response to a question, Kathy mentioned that only some of the partners are checking their usage statistics regularly. David shared that ESLS has always had about 15 new accounts created each month. David thinks that this is primarily a result of people finding titles via the catalog. Mellanie said that WCFLS has about 20 new accounts each month. Kathy stated that he health and medicine subject areas need to be weeded. The Selection Committee should assume responsibility for this task. Ebook vendors are now using the Adobe software. netLibrary is going to charge $1800 the first year for the software, and $300 each subsequent year. However, only the newer titles are in PDF. OverDrive's titles are all available in PDF. About 90% of the titles purchased since January 2003, including the academic collection, are in PDF format. Only about 20% of the titles purchased before that are in PDF. Kathy has asked netLibrary for clarification on whether they are going to charge $1800 to each library or each library system, and she is waiting for a reply. OverDrive has a startup cost of $28,000 and $1000 a month per PAC. Kathy recommends that WPLC have a task force assess the content available from OverDrive before putting together a proposal. Their content is different from netLibrary with a larger fiction collection. Stef is concerned about the confusion for users if there are two different collections. Another issue that Kathy foresees is that libraries may not allow patrons to download to library computers. Kathy thinks that the first step is to form a task force to investigate the reader issue and content available from all vendors - netLibrary, OverDrive, and Follett and then investigate individual vendor services. Volunteers will be requested to work on this investigation. Their activities will be coordinated by Kathy and Mark Beatty. The netLibrary user group will meet at July 24 at WiLSWorld. David commented that the list of new titles needs to be posted to the WPLC website. 4. New Projects Phyllis asked if the web portal project should be revisited since it does not appear that the state is going to do such a project. 5. Annual Meeting David commented that with the changes to the bylaws there is no longer a Steering Committee made up of partner directors. So there does not need to be a different group to attend the annual meeting. Now the WPLC Board can make policy decisions. David proposed that the next meeting be the annual meeting. This will not need to be coordinated with a SRLAAW meeting. Phyllis reviewed the latest budget information. The only income that has not yet been received is the $1600 from the schools. David asked about the cost for installing the noise suppression. The group agreed to purchase these items unless it turns out to be more than $1000. If it is more than $1000, the matter will be brought back to the board. David recommended that WPLC avoid increasing the expense for netLibrary even if this means using reserve funds. David wants the board to consider reducing the partner shares due to the budget cuts that are affecting the partners. David would like to see the ESLS payment reduced to less than $2000 for 2004. He would like the share for ESLS at less than $1000. Peter stated that if the budget returns to the 2002 level that reserve funds will need to be used. Peter suggested that two budget proposals be brought to the board. Phyllis commented that what is needed first is an understanding of the total amount of funds that will be available, and then a budget can be prepared. Phyllis will work with a committee to prepare two budgets for the next meeting. David expressed concern that there will not be sufficient funds for new projects. Phyllis commented that funding for new projects is important since WPLC does not want netLibrary to be its only project. Kathy commented that an OverDrive project will be costly, even as a demo. 6. Next Meeting The next meeting will be the annual meeting and is scheduled for Friday, August 29, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. at the SCLS office. The meeting adjourned at 12:45 p.m.

		Updated October 22, 2004