Board Meeting Minutes, August 15, 2007: Wisconsin Public Library Consortium

WPLC Board Meeting Minutes: August 15, 2007
Location: South Central Library System

Present: Rick Krumwiede (OWLS), Lin Swartz-Truesdell (KCLS), Steve Heser (MCFLS), Stef Morrill (SCLS), Mike Sheehan (NWLS), Mark Arend (Winnefox), Phyllis Davis (SCLS), John Thompson (IFLS), Bob Hafeman (MCLS), Peggy Shaffer (LLS), Noreen Fish (La Crosse PL), Linda Miller, Project Manager, and Kathy Schneider (WiLS).

The agenda was revised to add the Budget as the second agenda item.

1. Reports from the WPLC Partners

Peggy Shaffer reported that the statistics for OverDrive usage are helpful for the Lakeshores libraries.

KCLS now has its new children's catalog online.

Stef Morrill reported that a SRLAAW committee is meeting with Al Zimmerman to develop guidelines for counting and reporting use of e-resources. Linda Miller reported that she had provided information to Al on how the OverDrive statistic process worked.

Linda reported that she had provided preliminary cost information for 2008 membership to both Arrowhead Library System and Southwest Wisconsin Library System. ALS has stated that it plans to join WPLC effective January 2008.

2. Budget

Stef Morrill distributed a report on expenses and income to date.

The proposed budget for 2008 had been distributed earlier to WPLC members and others via the WPLC e-mail list. Members of the Budget Committee included David Weinhold, Kathy Schneider, Phyllis Davis, Stef Morrill, and Linda Miller. The proposed budget for OverDrive expenses, including content, is true to the budgeting approach set by the Board previously, which applies the formula based on the allocation of membership and "cost to continue" costs. For the 2008 budget, no WPLC member moved into a higher membership category due to an increase in population, but members need to be aware that the cost to continue is based on membership categories which are based on population levels as stated in the bylaws.

Peggy Shaffer moved to adopt the budget as presented, and Mark Arend seconded the motion. The budget for 2008 was adopted.

3. Survey

The final report of the survey was received from Josh Morrill. Stef read a letter from Josh. The survey report is posted on the WPLC web site.
Comments from the survey participants are available in a separate report which WPLC members can request from Linda Miller.

Phyllis Davis commented that only persons with land lines were included in the survey, and that for future surveys, a way is needed to include persons with only cell phones. This is a growing issue for any agency conducting a telephone survey.

Since Josh is already scheduled to present survey findings at WLA on October 18, Board members agreed that attending that presentation would be fine and that it was not necessary to schedule a separate meeting with Josh.

Lin Swartz-Truesdell reported that Kenosha has posted on the library's web site the report of the survey which Josh did for the library.

The survey has been getting noticed by the library community. The recent issue of LJ Hotline contained an article on it, and the survey has been discussed on several blogs. Also, Josh Morrill was interviewed by LibVibe.

4. OverDrive

Statistics are available via OverDrive's Content Reserve web site. Anyone who needs more information on how to collect statistics should contact Linda. While statistics for individual libraries have required that the library have a unique identifier in the patron's library card number, OverDrive may be able to offer some additional methods in the future. Linda does receive requests from individual libraries for statistics and encouraged library systems to share usage statistics with their member libraries.

Kathy Schneider reported that the Selection Committee plans to wait until January to add more video titles. This decision will likely mean that more of the content funds will be carried over to 2008 than originally expected.

Kathy informed the Board that the Selection Committee had received requests to consider adding music, which is a format that OverDrive now offers. The cost averages $25 each.

She asked for comments from the Board. Phyllis stated that SCLS would like to add enough to test the service. Lin suggested that music might attract new users. No one voiced any objections to adding music as the third downloadable format.

Phyllis asked that the WPLC Selection Policy be reviewed for coverage for videos and music.

Files of MARC records for OverDrive titles are being moved to the WPLC web site.

The Selection Committee decreased the number of Maximum Access/Always Available titles from 50 to 25. Some changes were made in this year's collection of titles, which Kathy reported to the WPLC list so that catalogers can pull titles that were removed and add new titles. The Selection Committee is considering dropping this category of titles in 2008 when the subscription is up for renewal in mid-year.

The Selection Committee does not anticipate any problem spending the content dollars available through the LSTA grant. The committee does plan to carry over $10,000 to $20,000 to fill holds.

A web-based training session is now available from OverDrive on troubleshooting OverDrive use. A session for WPLC is scheduled for September 18 at 10:00 AM. This workshop is part of the WPLC plan to support library staff as they support library patrons who use the OverDrive service. The training plan also includes maintaining the wiki, which is primarily done by SCLS, and tracking questions that patrons ask regarding the service so that the information can be added to the wiki. The wiki is available at http://overdrivefaq.pbwiki.com/. Rick Krumwiede wanted to be sure that the WPLC wiki is posted on the OverDrive site. Such a link does exist but needs to be more visible.

For NetLibrary, Kathy will post to the WPLC web site information on getting statistics. The authorization will be valid for six months.

5. Bylaws Review

The WPLC Bylaws state that the bylaws are to be reviewed every four years.
The review was first done in 2003, and the review is due to be done again in 2007. Board members who have agreed to serve on the Bylaws Review Committee include: Kristen Anderson, Mike Sheehan, Lin Swartz-Truesdell, and David Weinhold.

6. LSTA Grant Project

Since the WPLC Board meeting in June, several activities have occurred in the project. Linda continues to communicate with Marsha Valance, Regional Library Management Librarian. Marsha was unable to attend the August WPLC Board meeting. The Regional Library Ambassadors have been trained by OverDrive. The Ambassadors are volunteers in communities throughout the state who provide one-on-one assistance to RL users. During the training, it was discovered that the web conferencing software requires java and is not compatible with screen readers. To address this issue, the audio, video, and PowerPoint of the training were made available to the training participants, and some have been using those resources. At the American Library Association conference, Linda met with the coordinator of a multi-state consortium that provides an OverDrive collection for LBPH. She also met with OverDrive staff regarding marketing materials, but only print materials are available. The Regional Library is working with its automation vendor to upgrade the system to be able to download the MARC records. Marsha Valance is serving on the WPLC Selection Committee. The Regional Library has been tracking feedback on the use of the service, which has been positive.

The training plan for the project includes:
*Offer OverDrive training sessions for both public library staff and the Regional Library *Provide public library staff, the Regional Library staff and RL volunteers with access to the OverDrive training resources *Offer OverDrive training sessions for both public library staff and RL staff in troubleshooting *Keep the WPLC wiki current *Remind public library staff and RL staff of the availability of the wiki *Track questions and review for content to be added to the wiki

7. Project Proposals/New Projects

WPLC members can get a 20% discount on PlayAways. Details are on the WiLS web site.

8. Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 7, 2007, 10:00 AM at the SCLS office.

Linda K. Miller


		Home > Meetings > Minutes > Board Meeting,August 15, 2007

Members Bylaws Committees Meetings Discussion List Statistics Current Projects Proposals for Future Services Reports Links Home Contact Us		WPLC Board Meeting Minutes: August 15, 2007 Location: South Central Library System Present: Rick Krumwiede (OWLS), Lin Swartz-Truesdell (KCLS), Steve Heser (MCFLS), Stef Morrill (SCLS), Mike Sheehan (NWLS), Mark Arend (Winnefox), Phyllis Davis (SCLS), John Thompson (IFLS), Bob Hafeman (MCLS), Peggy Shaffer (LLS), Noreen Fish (La Crosse PL), Linda Miller, Project Manager, and Kathy Schneider (WiLS). The agenda was revised to add the Budget as the second agenda item. 1. Reports from the WPLC Partners Peggy Shaffer reported that the statistics for OverDrive usage are helpful for the Lakeshores libraries. KCLS now has its new children's catalog online. Stef Morrill reported that a SRLAAW committee is meeting with Al Zimmerman to develop guidelines for counting and reporting use of e-resources. Linda Miller reported that she had provided information to Al on how the OverDrive statistic process worked. Linda reported that she had provided preliminary cost information for 2008 membership to both Arrowhead Library System and Southwest Wisconsin Library System. ALS has stated that it plans to join WPLC effective January 2008. 2. Budget Stef Morrill distributed a report on expenses and income to date. The proposed budget for 2008 had been distributed earlier to WPLC members and others via the WPLC e-mail list. Members of the Budget Committee included David Weinhold, Kathy Schneider, Phyllis Davis, Stef Morrill, and Linda Miller. The proposed budget for OverDrive expenses, including content, is true to the budgeting approach set by the Board previously, which applies the formula based on the allocation of membership and "cost to continue" costs. For the 2008 budget, no WPLC member moved into a higher membership category due to an increase in population, but members need to be aware that the cost to continue is based on membership categories which are based on population levels as stated in the bylaws. Peggy Shaffer moved to adopt the budget as presented, and Mark Arend seconded the motion. The budget for 2008 was adopted. 3. Survey The final report of the survey was received from Josh Morrill. Stef read a letter from Josh. The survey report is posted on the WPLC web site. Comments from the survey participants are available in a separate report which WPLC members can request from Linda Miller. Phyllis Davis commented that only persons with land lines were included in the survey, and that for future surveys, a way is needed to include persons with only cell phones. This is a growing issue for any agency conducting a telephone survey. Since Josh is already scheduled to present survey findings at WLA on October 18, Board members agreed that attending that presentation would be fine and that it was not necessary to schedule a separate meeting with Josh. Lin Swartz-Truesdell reported that Kenosha has posted on the library's web site the report of the survey which Josh did for the library. The survey has been getting noticed by the library community. The recent issue of LJ Hotline contained an article on it, and the survey has been discussed on several blogs. Also, Josh Morrill was interviewed by LibVibe. 4. OverDrive Statistics are available via OverDrive's Content Reserve web site. Anyone who needs more information on how to collect statistics should contact Linda. While statistics for individual libraries have required that the library have a unique identifier in the patron's library card number, OverDrive may be able to offer some additional methods in the future. Linda does receive requests from individual libraries for statistics and encouraged library systems to share usage statistics with their member libraries. Kathy Schneider reported that the Selection Committee plans to wait until January to add more video titles. This decision will likely mean that more of the content funds will be carried over to 2008 than originally expected. Kathy informed the Board that the Selection Committee had received requests to consider adding music, which is a format that OverDrive now offers. The cost averages $25 each. She asked for comments from the Board. Phyllis stated that SCLS would like to add enough to test the service. Lin suggested that music might attract new users. No one voiced any objections to adding music as the third downloadable format. Phyllis asked that the WPLC Selection Policy be reviewed for coverage for videos and music. Files of MARC records for OverDrive titles are being moved to the WPLC web site. The Selection Committee decreased the number of Maximum Access/Always Available titles from 50 to 25. Some changes were made in this year's collection of titles, which Kathy reported to the WPLC list so that catalogers can pull titles that were removed and add new titles. The Selection Committee is considering dropping this category of titles in 2008 when the subscription is up for renewal in mid-year. The Selection Committee does not anticipate any problem spending the content dollars available through the LSTA grant. The committee does plan to carry over $10,000 to $20,000 to fill holds. A web-based training session is now available from OverDrive on troubleshooting OverDrive use. A session for WPLC is scheduled for September 18 at 10:00 AM. This workshop is part of the WPLC plan to support library staff as they support library patrons who use the OverDrive service. The training plan also includes maintaining the wiki, which is primarily done by SCLS, and tracking questions that patrons ask regarding the service so that the information can be added to the wiki. The wiki is available at http://overdrivefaq.pbwiki.com/. Rick Krumwiede wanted to be sure that the WPLC wiki is posted on the OverDrive site. Such a link does exist but needs to be more visible. For NetLibrary, Kathy will post to the WPLC web site information on getting statistics. The authorization will be valid for six months. 5. Bylaws Review The WPLC Bylaws state that the bylaws are to be reviewed every four years. The review was first done in 2003, and the review is due to be done again in 2007. Board members who have agreed to serve on the Bylaws Review Committee include: Kristen Anderson, Mike Sheehan, Lin Swartz-Truesdell, and David Weinhold. 6. LSTA Grant Project Since the WPLC Board meeting in June, several activities have occurred in the project. Linda continues to communicate with Marsha Valance, Regional Library Management Librarian. Marsha was unable to attend the August WPLC Board meeting. The Regional Library Ambassadors have been trained by OverDrive. The Ambassadors are volunteers in communities throughout the state who provide one-on-one assistance to RL users. During the training, it was discovered that the web conferencing software requires java and is not compatible with screen readers. To address this issue, the audio, video, and PowerPoint of the training were made available to the training participants, and some have been using those resources. At the American Library Association conference, Linda met with the coordinator of a multi-state consortium that provides an OverDrive collection for LBPH. She also met with OverDrive staff regarding marketing materials, but only print materials are available. The Regional Library is working with its automation vendor to upgrade the system to be able to download the MARC records. Marsha Valance is serving on the WPLC Selection Committee. The Regional Library has been tracking feedback on the use of the service, which has been positive. The training plan for the project includes: Offer OverDrive training sessions for both public library staff and the Regional Library Provide public library staff, the Regional Library staff and RL volunteers with access to the OverDrive training resources Offer OverDrive training sessions for both public library staff and RL staff in troubleshooting Keep the WPLC wiki current Remind public library staff and RL staff of the availability of the wiki Track questions and review for content to be added to the wiki 7. Project Proposals/New Projects WPLC members can get a 20% discount on PlayAways. Details are on the WiLS web site. 8. Next Meeting The next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 7, 2007, 10:00 AM at the SCLS office. Linda K. Miller

		Updated November 6, 2007