Steering Committee Meeting Minutes, September 26, 2001: Wisconsin Public Library Consortium

Steering Committee Meeting Minutes: September 26, 2001
Location: South Central Library System

Present: Mellanie Mercier (WCFLS), Matt Bollerman (MWFLS), Peter Hamon (SCLS), Peg Zappen (La Crosse), David Weinhold (ESLS), Peggy Shaffer (LLS), Sue Sievert (Kenosha), Stef Morrill (SCLS), Phyllis Davis (SCLS), Inese Christman (Marathon Co.), Mary Tlusty (L.E. Phillips), Ken Hall (WLS), Linda Miller, Project Manager, Kathy Schneider, WiLS, and Bill Wilson, Project Evaluator.

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

1. Welcome

2. Partner reports Winnefox libraries are reporting increased interest especially since the schools opened. Training is now one-on-one. There has been difficulty getting statistics.

IFLS has had more workshops including one on using netLibrary for reference.

Marathon County has purchased four readers. After one month for staff use, they will be available for the public. An inservice on netLibrary was conducted for school staff in Marathon Co. The topic has also been added to the basic Internet class for the public. Inese also reported problems in getting statistics.

SCLS is developing a marketing plan for netLibrary services. A reader is available in each of 46 public libraries. A sum of $193 was given to each library to purchase content. Trustees were trained on the readers at the System Celebration. They especially liked the Cliff Notes. Stef will be experimenting with readers other than the REB.

WCFLS has conducted demonstrations for school librarians in districts in Waukesha Co. The Badger Association for the Blind is now able to get a screen reader for netLibrary. It must be downloaded from the netLibrary site. The association is publicizing. It is also concerned about the requirement that users must first go to a library to create an account. WCFLS is handling on a case by case basis. WCFLS supplemented the grant funds available and purchased 105 readers which were distributed to libraries throughout the county. Seven libraries are circulating them to the public. The other libraries will circulate after October 1st. The reader project required a significant amount of Mellanie's time, creating accounts for each library, assisting library staff in selecting and downloading content. She also mentioned that the USB cable and connection had been troublesome. Another challenge is that many libraries do not have an analog telephone line which is required to connect and download content. She is investigating a source to order extra stylus as these tend to get lost. Some libraries chose to create genre specific readers while others included a mixture on a single reader. Some removed the dictionary to make more room for books. Sussex has a waiting list for the readers. There has been a lot of newspaper coverage of the project.

KCLS has conducted a demonstration for the board, completed training for library staff, and provided training for the schools. The schools also like the Cliff Notes. Publicity has been distributed especially to the newspaper. Sue has also experienced problems in getting statistics. Some members of the public have expressed concern about privacy of their use of netLibrary. The project went live this summer.

Lakeshores held training for library staff in June and went live on July 1st. Newspapers have covered the story. netLibrary use increased when school started. No training has yet been offered to the schools. Peggy is also concerned about the difficulty in collecting statistics. The Resource Center, formerly the Extranet, does not seem to work consistently.

ESLS has nine readers. David also reported that he was amazed at the amount of time required to get them configured, registered, and get the titles installed. Due to the implementation of the new integrated library system, promotion of netLibrary will not occur until after the first of the year. Records for netLibrary titles will be added to the catalog.

La Crosse purchased new readers to add to the collection of RocketBook readers that it already had. In 2002, there will be more emphasis on promoting netLibrary. Other automation activities are requiring staff time currently.

Matt reported that MWFLS is not really involved in the netLibrary services beyond the initial notice to the libraries of the service. Promotion, use, and collection of statistics are the responsibilities of each library.

3. Project Evaluation

Bill Wilson, Himmel & Wilson, distributed the evaluation report. Phone calls to library staff were completed in early October. A group of 50 persons who had attended at least one training session conducted by WiLS was selected, and 46 completed the survey. A separate set of questions was used for library directors. Bill summarized the report and mentioned that most believed that all e-books had to be read with a handheld device prior to training. Most used netLibrary after the training, but few had done anything with handheld devices after the training. There was interest in increasing the size of the netLibrary collection and increasing the loan period. Very positive comments were made about the training. There was concern over the perceived low use of netLibrary to date. Evaluation activities will continue with an emphasis on collecting data that will be useful in charting the future activities and services of the consortium. Himmel & Wilson were paid $5,000 for evaluation services.

4. netLibrary Issues

There was general agreement that collecting statistics is difficult. Ken Hall has noticed problems with how netLibrary set up the accounts. This has made it difficult to get statistics for individual libraries. Kathy Schneider will get passwords to Ken to alleviate the situation. Lakeshores is getting statistics for libraries outside of the system WAN. Peggy Shaffer is concerned about getting statistics. Peg Zappen said that this is not a training issue, but that it is just not easy to do with the current design. Committee members do not believe that the statistics are accurate. Kathy encouraged everyone to collect the same statistic twice as a check. Peggy reported that the Catalog, Access, and Circulation Committee would like members to share tips on collecting statistics. There was discussion on whether or not it is reasonable and necessary to collect and report statistics. Peter suggested that a test be conducted to determine the accuracy of turnaways and that statistics be collected annually. Kathy stated that netLibrary is planning changes to the Resource Center and encouraged members to share their concerns with the company. The best way to do this is to use the "contact us" feature on the netLibrary web site. She will also communicate the displeasure of the group. There is interest in determining the number of users registered in the partner population. The committee agreed that any training on statistics should be delayed until further information is known, that members should collect statistics as needed especially on a systemwide basis, and that statistics should continue as an agenda item for future meetings.

Discussion on ways to offer schools access to the WPLC collection followed. Matt moved and David seconded that access be offered to schools for a fee of $750 for districts with zero to one high school up to a maximum of $3,000 for an entire district. Motion carried.

The Catalog, Access, and Circulation Committee recommended that the loan period be changed to seven days for a trial period of six months. David moved and Peg Z. seconded the motion. Motion carried. Kathy will implement the change.

5. Consortium Expansion and Continuation

Peter discussed the financial issues related to the continuation of the WPLC. He said that all of the funds allocated for netLibrary will not be expended by the end of 2001. The grant will extend into 2002. The income collected from new members in 2001 is in the bank now. This amount could grow if schools participated or the remaining library systems joined. Since system funding is not expected to grow, the project needs to consider this. A proposed budget of $63,000 for 2002 was presented. Budget items include funds for expanding the netLibrary collection, project management services provided by Linda Miller, updating the training curriculum developed in the current grant, developing a web site for WPLC, and the development of new services. Ken moved and Matt seconded that the budget be approved. Motion carried.

The next meeting of the Steering Committee is scheduled for December 5, 2001 at 10:00 a.m .at the SCLS offices.

The meeting adjourned at 12:45 p.m.

Linda K. Miller
linda@lmatechwork.com
815-229-8215 voice
815-229-5362 fax


		Home > Meetings > Minutes > Steering Committee Meeting, Sep. 26, 2001

Members Bylaws Committees Meetings Discussion List Statistics Current Projects Proposals for Future Services Reports Links Home Contact Us		Steering Committee Meeting Minutes: September 26, 2001 Location: South Central Library System Present: Mellanie Mercier (WCFLS), Matt Bollerman (MWFLS), Peter Hamon (SCLS), Peg Zappen (La Crosse), David Weinhold (ESLS), Peggy Shaffer (LLS), Sue Sievert (Kenosha), Stef Morrill (SCLS), Phyllis Davis (SCLS), Inese Christman (Marathon Co.), Mary Tlusty (L.E. Phillips), Ken Hall (WLS), Linda Miller, Project Manager, Kathy Schneider, WiLS, and Bill Wilson, Project Evaluator. The meeting came to order at 10:00 a.m. 1. Welcome 2. Partner reports Winnefox libraries are reporting increased interest especially since the schools opened. Training is now one-on-one. There has been difficulty getting statistics. IFLS has had more workshops including one on using netLibrary for reference. Marathon County has purchased four readers. After one month for staff use, they will be available for the public. An inservice on netLibrary was conducted for school staff in Marathon Co. The topic has also been added to the basic Internet class for the public. Inese also reported problems in getting statistics. SCLS is developing a marketing plan for netLibrary services. A reader is available in each of 46 public libraries. A sum of $193 was given to each library to purchase content. Trustees were trained on the readers at the System Celebration. They especially liked the Cliff Notes. Stef will be experimenting with readers other than the REB. WCFLS has conducted demonstrations for school librarians in districts in Waukesha Co. The Badger Association for the Blind is now able to get a screen reader for netLibrary. It must be downloaded from the netLibrary site. The association is publicizing. It is also concerned about the requirement that users must first go to a library to create an account. WCFLS is handling on a case by case basis. WCFLS supplemented the grant funds available and purchased 105 readers which were distributed to libraries throughout the county. Seven libraries are circulating them to the public. The other libraries will circulate after October 1st. The reader project required a significant amount of Mellanie's time, creating accounts for each library, assisting library staff in selecting and downloading content. She also mentioned that the USB cable and connection had been troublesome. Another challenge is that many libraries do not have an analog telephone line which is required to connect and download content. She is investigating a source to order extra stylus as these tend to get lost. Some libraries chose to create genre specific readers while others included a mixture on a single reader. Some removed the dictionary to make more room for books. Sussex has a waiting list for the readers. There has been a lot of newspaper coverage of the project. KCLS has conducted a demonstration for the board, completed training for library staff, and provided training for the schools. The schools also like the Cliff Notes. Publicity has been distributed especially to the newspaper. Sue has also experienced problems in getting statistics. Some members of the public have expressed concern about privacy of their use of netLibrary. The project went live this summer. Lakeshores held training for library staff in June and went live on July 1st. Newspapers have covered the story. netLibrary use increased when school started. No training has yet been offered to the schools. Peggy is also concerned about the difficulty in collecting statistics. The Resource Center, formerly the Extranet, does not seem to work consistently. ESLS has nine readers. David also reported that he was amazed at the amount of time required to get them configured, registered, and get the titles installed. Due to the implementation of the new integrated library system, promotion of netLibrary will not occur until after the first of the year. Records for netLibrary titles will be added to the catalog. La Crosse purchased new readers to add to the collection of RocketBook readers that it already had. In 2002, there will be more emphasis on promoting netLibrary. Other automation activities are requiring staff time currently. Matt reported that MWFLS is not really involved in the netLibrary services beyond the initial notice to the libraries of the service. Promotion, use, and collection of statistics are the responsibilities of each library. 3. Project Evaluation Bill Wilson, Himmel & Wilson, distributed the evaluation report. Phone calls to library staff were completed in early October. A group of 50 persons who had attended at least one training session conducted by WiLS was selected, and 46 completed the survey. A separate set of questions was used for library directors. Bill summarized the report and mentioned that most believed that all e-books had to be read with a handheld device prior to training. Most used netLibrary after the training, but few had done anything with handheld devices after the training. There was interest in increasing the size of the netLibrary collection and increasing the loan period. Very positive comments were made about the training. There was concern over the perceived low use of netLibrary to date. Evaluation activities will continue with an emphasis on collecting data that will be useful in charting the future activities and services of the consortium. Himmel & Wilson were paid $5,000 for evaluation services. 4. netLibrary Issues There was general agreement that collecting statistics is difficult. Ken Hall has noticed problems with how netLibrary set up the accounts. This has made it difficult to get statistics for individual libraries. Kathy Schneider will get passwords to Ken to alleviate the situation. Lakeshores is getting statistics for libraries outside of the system WAN. Peggy Shaffer is concerned about getting statistics. Peg Zappen said that this is not a training issue, but that it is just not easy to do with the current design. Committee members do not believe that the statistics are accurate. Kathy encouraged everyone to collect the same statistic twice as a check. Peggy reported that the Catalog, Access, and Circulation Committee would like members to share tips on collecting statistics. There was discussion on whether or not it is reasonable and necessary to collect and report statistics. Peter suggested that a test be conducted to determine the accuracy of turnaways and that statistics be collected annually. Kathy stated that netLibrary is planning changes to the Resource Center and encouraged members to share their concerns with the company. The best way to do this is to use the "contact us" feature on the netLibrary web site. She will also communicate the displeasure of the group. There is interest in determining the number of users registered in the partner population. The committee agreed that any training on statistics should be delayed until further information is known, that members should collect statistics as needed especially on a systemwide basis, and that statistics should continue as an agenda item for future meetings. Discussion on ways to offer schools access to the WPLC collection followed. Matt moved and David seconded that access be offered to schools for a fee of $750 for districts with zero to one high school up to a maximum of $3,000 for an entire district. Motion carried. The Catalog, Access, and Circulation Committee recommended that the loan period be changed to seven days for a trial period of six months. David moved and Peg Z. seconded the motion. Motion carried. Kathy will implement the change. 5. Consortium Expansion and Continuation Peter discussed the financial issues related to the continuation of the WPLC. He said that all of the funds allocated for netLibrary will not be expended by the end of 2001. The grant will extend into 2002. The income collected from new members in 2001 is in the bank now. This amount could grow if schools participated or the remaining library systems joined. Since system funding is not expected to grow, the project needs to consider this. A proposed budget of $63,000 for 2002 was presented. Budget items include funds for expanding the netLibrary collection, project management services provided by Linda Miller, updating the training curriculum developed in the current grant, developing a web site for WPLC, and the development of new services. Ken moved and Matt seconded that the budget be approved. Motion carried. The next meeting of the Steering Committee is scheduled for December 5, 2001 at 10:00 a.m .at the SCLS offices. The meeting adjourned at 12:45 p.m. Linda K. Miller linda@lmatechwork.com 815-229-8215 voice 815-229-5362 fax

		Updated October 22, 2004