Board Meeting Minutes, November 13, 2003: Wisconsin Public Library Consortium

WPLC Board Meeting Minutes: November 13, 2003
Location: South Central Library System

Present: David Weinhold (ESLS), Peter Hamon (SCLS), Phyllis Davis (SCLS), Mark Arend (WLS), Mark Merrifield (NFLS), Rick Krumwiede (OWLS), Kristen Anderson (WRLS), Bruce Gay (MPL), Inese Christman (WVLS), and Linda Miller, Project Manager, and Kathy Schneider (WiLS).

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

1. Partner Reports

NFLS reported that about nine librarians have taken advantage of the netLibrary training. WiLS provided them with a list of those that have taken the training

OWLS reported that the new web catalog was launched. There are some problems with the remote access authentication for people without netLibrary accounts, but the problems should be resolved soon.

Bruce Gay was welcomed to the board as the representative for Milwaukee Public Library. He reported that almost every librarian in Milwaukee attended the netLibrary training about two years ago. Since then usage has increased slowly but steadily. MPS staff may not be aware of the training that WiLS is currently offering.

ESLS reported that information about the netLibrary training has been distributed, and some librarians may attend. The number of new users has been increasing with about 15 to 20 per month. ELS is seeing about four uses for every registered user.

David asked about getting statistics. Kathy Schneider commented that the original users are associated with the original WPLC collection, and new accounts are associated with the new shared collection. Statistics for both accounts need to be checked.

SCLS reported that a packet is being created to send to schools. Mark Arend requested a copy of it. Librarians are happy with the netLibrary announcement regarding the Spanish titles.

WVLS reported that Marathon County Public Library is still very actively circulating the reader devices and purchased a lot of new titles before the service was discontinued. MCPL is using netLibrary statistics in selection and including information on netLibrary in their reference staff meetings. The library board is using the survey report in its planning.

WLS reported that librarians that will be taking the netLibrary training.

Linda Miller asked how many partner web sites have a link to the WPLC website. Everyone will check.

2. WiLS Report on netLibrary

Kathy distributed information on the WebCT based basic netLibrary training. The contact hour credits have been set. Currently, people from 10 out of the 14 partners are registered with 29 persons participating. There will probably be one more session after the holidays for a total of four sessions with the last session starting in January. The only other training planned for 2004 is the using netLibrary at the reference desk, which is offered on a partner by partner basis.

Kathy reported that netLibrary rejected the request to allow an 18 month transition period before enforcing the new model, and they also rejected the request to make exceptions for schools. netLibrary says the new collection will begin in July. Kathy will draft a letter of response from WPLC for Linda to send. WPLC will request that the new collection not begin until January 2005 so that potential new members can include it in their budgets.

Linda suggested making a special effort to contact non-participating library systems to join before July. There was a suggestion that WPLC could offer some special payment terms to assist them. Kathy suggested the option that some could choose to only purchase access to the shared collection – not the entire collection. Peter Hamon suggested pursuing membership from 300 schools or districts. Then the fact that there is a potential of up to 300 schools or districts could be used as a negotiating point.

The Board discussed contacting the individual member libraries in the non-member systems. Interested libraries could try to persuade their library system to join, since this is more cost effective or a group of libraries could share a membership.

Linda commented on the affiliate membership option that is included in the bylaws. Such membership does not entitle them to a seat on the board, but does provide access to the services. This was written primarily with schools in mind but could perhaps be an option for individual libraries also. Bruce commented that some libraries in the Milwaukee suburbs may find that option appealing.

It was agreed that WPLC should contact the three non-member systems and individual member libraries to inform them of the July deadline and options for full and affiliate membership. David added that if there are concerns over payment, they should be informed that WPLC is willing to explore payment options.

Kathy commented that the collection now has close to 10,000 titles including the 4,000 public domain titles.

Kathy raised the issue of the feasibility of users downloading content to a computer and would be helpful to know if libraries allow files to be downloaded to library computers or personal laptops via the library network. Responses indicated that libraries have taken many different positions. Because OverDrive content is only available as downloaded files, this is an issue.

Also, netLibrary has some 14,000 titles available as PDF downloads. In order to download netLibrary titles in PDF format, an additional gateway product from Adobe must be purchased. The cost is $1500 per library and $300 per year for maintenance. The definition of “library” could be a library system but could not include all of WPLC. There is a question about whether the titles would be compatible on PDA devices. Mark Arend commented that the number of titles in the current collection that are available in PDF format needs to be known before any decisions can be made.

In December, netLibrary will launch a collection of IT titles. The content is from Microsoft, but Microsoft will not allow their titles to be part of a shared collection at this time.

Kathy commented that at this point no individual public libraries have purchased titles. The academic libraries have made one exception for an individual library to purchase the New Catholic Encyclopedia, since it cost about $4000. However, since individual libraries do have the ability to purchase content on their own, this raises the question of what obligation does WPLC have to notify members of this option. Such content would be linked to a specific IP address.

Peter commented that it would be nice to refuse to make individual purchases to persuade netLibrary to allow material to be included in the shared collection. However, this seems unlikely to be effective. Publishers tend to relate the issue to the print model. Perhaps publishers can be persuaded to allow sharing if a certain number of copies are purchased. Individual libraries should purchase a title themselves if it cannot be shared. This may encourage the use of electronic titles in general, since having popular titles available could draw users to the entire collection.

Kathy responded that the $40,000 that WPLC spends annually on netLibrary services just does not provide enough leverage. If the amount were $300,000 for the same number of libraries, it would make a difference.

David commented that libraries should be informed that if they purchase a title individually, this could be available to their entire system. Kathy commented that WPLC should either let libraries know they can purchase titles on their own, or increase the amount of money available for the purchase of shared titles. The group agreed that each partner should inform their member libraries of the option of making individual purchases.

Kathy reported that netLibrary is planning to release a new interface in December that will be ADA compliant. Also, netLibrary is reviewing pricing. At a recent netLibrary meeting with publishers, leasing content, swapping out old editions for new ones, purchasing multiple copies of titles, and paying additional fees were among the issues discussed.

Linda reported that the PR Committee has prepared two articles to promote use of the netLibrary collection.

3. Current Projects

SCLS reported that a new library has been set up for the audio books project.

4. Research Services

The Research Services committee consisting of Phyllis Davis, Peter Hamon, David Weinhold, Linda Miller, and Josh Morrill met in October. The focus of the meeting was to establish the cost to offer the service and the charges for the service, particularly use of the call center. WPLC is ready to begin promoting these services. Linda distributed a draft of a plan to promote the services.

Josh gave a presentation on the survey at WLA, which completes his commitment to WPLC. There were many positive comments from those in attendance, and a lot of interest was shown for research services and the call center, including by UW Madison. Phyllis commented that libraries trying to pass a referendum may be interested in using the call center to contact registered voters.

Linda reported that the committee identified two separate services: research services, which would be provided primarily by Josh Morrill, and the call center which would be available to Josh and other researchers. Services will be marketed primarily to libraries, researchers, educational agencies, and other non-profit agencies. Information will be distributed to the library systems annually as a reminder of the availability of the services, and WPLC members should distribute information to their member libraries. Information will also be provided to CESA school districts, local government associations, researchers in Wisconsin, research study programs by universities, and Wisconsin public radio.

Charges for using the call center will be $150 per day for WPLC members, with $95 for SCLS, $45 for WPLC, and $10 for the project manager. The rate will be $160 per day for non-members, with $100 for SCLS, $50 for WPLC, and $10 for the project manager. The higher amount to SCLS recognizes the cost of about $50 per day to SCLS. The researcher will pay actual telephone charges. SCLS will set some of the money aside for replacement of equipment.

Rich Krumwiede raised the question of whether WPLC needs its own domain for the web site. Currently, the web site is part of the WLS website domain. Linda responded that she and Joy Schwartz have discussed this possibility previously and she will investigate it further. The Board agreed.

5. New Projects

Virtual Reference Review
Mark Arend discussed the possibility of doing a comparison of two virtual reference services in Wisconsin: AskAway from SCLS, and Ask Wisconsin Libraries from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay. The purpose of the comparison would be to identify what is working well and to investigate creating a statewide service under the direction of WPLC. Josh has prepared a proposal. Peter would like to see a survey done and agrees that having a statewide system is a good idea. Kathy said that there may be a committee from the Ask Wisconsin Libraries project that was recently formed to work on an evaluation of that project.

Peter commented that another area of interest is what demographic is most adaptable to this new type of service. Some users’ communication styles are a good fit for virtual reference. If this service appeals mainly to younger users, this may be a good way to attract them early so that they will continue to support the library as adults. Phyllis said that she would like to share this idea with librarians in SCLS and get their feedback.

OverDrive
Kathy presented information about OverDrive ebooks. The Cleveland Public Library as well as the King County Library System in Washington use the service. The company is marketing the services to libraries. The model is very different from netLibrary. There is a large initial cost for the technology and an ongoing maintenance cost. However, the content is significantly less expensive and includes more fiction, best sellers, and children’s titles than netLibrary. There are many popular trade publications. All of the content is for downloading, not for viewing online. The content and approach to the service is complimentary to netLibrary.

OverDrive’s initial cost (which may be around $28,000 and $12,000 per year) is charged per library. The term “library” can refer to a library system with a shared ILS. Kathy does not have information about options for a collection that could be shared among WPLC members. There is no access fee. A copy of a title is purchased. The titles are available in Adobe and Palm formats. Each copy that is purchased will be in one specific format The checkout period can be set to any length, after which the title is no longer available to the user. MARC records are available for the titles.

Mark Arend asked how willing OverDrive is to obtain new content at the request of their customers. Kathy was not sure, but she added that they do offer a service in which they will digitize your own material to make it available electronically. Mark would like to have additional information on that service. Kathy will provide some promotional materials to the group.

Kathy will try to have ballpark prices from OverDrive for the next meeting. Phyllis said that SCLS may be interested in the service. Kathy will get pricing for an individual library system as well as for all of WPLC. Kathy said the price for WPLC will likely be very high.

NetLibrary usage
Phyllis has not yet prepared a proposal for the analysis of the netLibrary usage statistics, but she still feels that this is needed. There is a lot of data that could be useful in guiding the development of the collection. Kathy said that WiLS has a student that is very good at data analysis. If Phyllis can provide the questions, perhaps he can analyze the data for the answers. Kathy also commented that she would be interested in comparing usage between the partners.

David asked about finding out how many registered netLibrary users the WPLC collection has in Wisconsin. Kathy was planning to ask netLibrary how to obtain that information. She commented that there is a need for WPLC members to be able to easily obtain and analyze statistics. Perhaps a workshop could be arranged. It would be most helpful if this information would be easily accessible on the web.

Phyllis suggested that members should submit questions for her to compile. Then she will send these to Kathy who can have the student analyze the data for answers. Kathy will gather information on how to manage netLibrary statistics and put this on the WPLC website.

Marketing Libraries
David was recently visited by two persons with an idea to create a marketing campaign for libraries based on real stories of librarians and users. David asked if a PR project would fit the mission of WPLC. Peter commented that since WPLC extended its mission to include research, it can also be extended to include using research to do PR.

Mark Merrifield commented that WPLC may not be ready for such a project yet. WPLC has undertaken several interesting and diverse projects. This has put WPLC in a position to be able to showcase many good projects through the cooperative efforts of many library systems. Mark said that a PR project is a good idea for the future.

David thinks that a project that would market libraries statewide could have broad appeal. There may be other agencies, such as WLA, that may want to partner with WPLC. Rick commented that the WLA Foundation Board is working on a new grant program. A project such as this that relates to advocacy could get some grant funding. Unfortunately the Foundation does not have a lot of funds available.

David commented that WPLC may not want to put off such a project too long. As budgets continue to be cut in the future, it may become impossible to do such research. Rick agreed that many libraries will have further budget cuts, and that it would be interesting to do some research on how such budget cuts will impact the 30 million users that visit Wisconsin libraries each year. It would be beneficial to tie some real stories and advocacy to some research. Phyllis also agreed that it would be helpful to use stories to show the real impact that cuts have on users.

Peter commented that WPLC has a lot of data collected from the survey. WPLC needs to do more about using this information to show the impact of budget cuts. Perhaps some funds could be raised to hire someone with the needed skills to do this.

David was impressed with the PR person’s knowledge of libraries and his sincerity regarding promoting the value of libraries. David will speak to the PR person and try to have something to present at the next meeting. The project will look at the impact of budget cuts as well as information from the user survey for advocacy purposes.

Storage Facility
Peter suggested a possible idea for a project to establish a storage facility for off-site storage of library materials.

6. Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 4, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. at the SCLS office.

The meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m.


		Home > Meetings > Minutes > Board Meeting, November 13, 2003

Members Bylaws Committees Meetings Discussion List Statistics Current Projects Proposals for Future Services Reports Links Home Contact Us		WPLC Board Meeting Minutes: November 13, 2003 Location: South Central Library System Present: David Weinhold (ESLS), Peter Hamon (SCLS), Phyllis Davis (SCLS), Mark Arend (WLS), Mark Merrifield (NFLS), Rick Krumwiede (OWLS), Kristen Anderson (WRLS), Bruce Gay (MPL), Inese Christman (WVLS), and Linda Miller, Project Manager, and Kathy Schneider (WiLS). The meeting came to order at 10:00 a.m. 1. Partner Reports NFLS reported that about nine librarians have taken advantage of the netLibrary training. WiLS provided them with a list of those that have taken the training OWLS reported that the new web catalog was launched. There are some problems with the remote access authentication for people without netLibrary accounts, but the problems should be resolved soon. Bruce Gay was welcomed to the board as the representative for Milwaukee Public Library. He reported that almost every librarian in Milwaukee attended the netLibrary training about two years ago. Since then usage has increased slowly but steadily. MPS staff may not be aware of the training that WiLS is currently offering. ESLS reported that information about the netLibrary training has been distributed, and some librarians may attend. The number of new users has been increasing with about 15 to 20 per month. ELS is seeing about four uses for every registered user. David asked about getting statistics. Kathy Schneider commented that the original users are associated with the original WPLC collection, and new accounts are associated with the new shared collection. Statistics for both accounts need to be checked. SCLS reported that a packet is being created to send to schools. Mark Arend requested a copy of it. Librarians are happy with the netLibrary announcement regarding the Spanish titles. WVLS reported that Marathon County Public Library is still very actively circulating the reader devices and purchased a lot of new titles before the service was discontinued. MCPL is using netLibrary statistics in selection and including information on netLibrary in their reference staff meetings. The library board is using the survey report in its planning. WLS reported that librarians that will be taking the netLibrary training. Linda Miller asked how many partner web sites have a link to the WPLC website. Everyone will check. 2. WiLS Report on netLibrary Kathy distributed information on the WebCT based basic netLibrary training. The contact hour credits have been set. Currently, people from 10 out of the 14 partners are registered with 29 persons participating. There will probably be one more session after the holidays for a total of four sessions with the last session starting in January. The only other training planned for 2004 is the using netLibrary at the reference desk, which is offered on a partner by partner basis. Kathy reported that netLibrary rejected the request to allow an 18 month transition period before enforcing the new model, and they also rejected the request to make exceptions for schools. netLibrary says the new collection will begin in July. Kathy will draft a letter of response from WPLC for Linda to send. WPLC will request that the new collection not begin until January 2005 so that potential new members can include it in their budgets. Linda suggested making a special effort to contact non-participating library systems to join before July. There was a suggestion that WPLC could offer some special payment terms to assist them. Kathy suggested the option that some could choose to only purchase access to the shared collection – not the entire collection. Peter Hamon suggested pursuing membership from 300 schools or districts. Then the fact that there is a potential of up to 300 schools or districts could be used as a negotiating point. The Board discussed contacting the individual member libraries in the non-member systems. Interested libraries could try to persuade their library system to join, since this is more cost effective or a group of libraries could share a membership. Linda commented on the affiliate membership option that is included in the bylaws. Such membership does not entitle them to a seat on the board, but does provide access to the services. This was written primarily with schools in mind but could perhaps be an option for individual libraries also. Bruce commented that some libraries in the Milwaukee suburbs may find that option appealing. It was agreed that WPLC should contact the three non-member systems and individual member libraries to inform them of the July deadline and options for full and affiliate membership. David added that if there are concerns over payment, they should be informed that WPLC is willing to explore payment options. Kathy commented that the collection now has close to 10,000 titles including the 4,000 public domain titles. Kathy raised the issue of the feasibility of users downloading content to a computer and would be helpful to know if libraries allow files to be downloaded to library computers or personal laptops via the library network. Responses indicated that libraries have taken many different positions. Because OverDrive content is only available as downloaded files, this is an issue. Also, netLibrary has some 14,000 titles available as PDF downloads. In order to download netLibrary titles in PDF format, an additional gateway product from Adobe must be purchased. The cost is $1500 per library and $300 per year for maintenance. The definition of “library” could be a library system but could not include all of WPLC. There is a question about whether the titles would be compatible on PDA devices. Mark Arend commented that the number of titles in the current collection that are available in PDF format needs to be known before any decisions can be made. In December, netLibrary will launch a collection of IT titles. The content is from Microsoft, but Microsoft will not allow their titles to be part of a shared collection at this time. Kathy commented that at this point no individual public libraries have purchased titles. The academic libraries have made one exception for an individual library to purchase the New Catholic Encyclopedia, since it cost about $4000. However, since individual libraries do have the ability to purchase content on their own, this raises the question of what obligation does WPLC have to notify members of this option. Such content would be linked to a specific IP address. Peter commented that it would be nice to refuse to make individual purchases to persuade netLibrary to allow material to be included in the shared collection. However, this seems unlikely to be effective. Publishers tend to relate the issue to the print model. Perhaps publishers can be persuaded to allow sharing if a certain number of copies are purchased. Individual libraries should purchase a title themselves if it cannot be shared. This may encourage the use of electronic titles in general, since having popular titles available could draw users to the entire collection. Kathy responded that the $40,000 that WPLC spends annually on netLibrary services just does not provide enough leverage. If the amount were $300,000 for the same number of libraries, it would make a difference. David commented that libraries should be informed that if they purchase a title individually, this could be available to their entire system. Kathy commented that WPLC should either let libraries know they can purchase titles on their own, or increase the amount of money available for the purchase of shared titles. The group agreed that each partner should inform their member libraries of the option of making individual purchases. Kathy reported that netLibrary is planning to release a new interface in December that will be ADA compliant. Also, netLibrary is reviewing pricing. At a recent netLibrary meeting with publishers, leasing content, swapping out old editions for new ones, purchasing multiple copies of titles, and paying additional fees were among the issues discussed. Linda reported that the PR Committee has prepared two articles to promote use of the netLibrary collection. 3. Current Projects SCLS reported that a new library has been set up for the audio books project. 4. Research Services The Research Services committee consisting of Phyllis Davis, Peter Hamon, David Weinhold, Linda Miller, and Josh Morrill met in October. The focus of the meeting was to establish the cost to offer the service and the charges for the service, particularly use of the call center. WPLC is ready to begin promoting these services. Linda distributed a draft of a plan to promote the services. Josh gave a presentation on the survey at WLA, which completes his commitment to WPLC. There were many positive comments from those in attendance, and a lot of interest was shown for research services and the call center, including by UW Madison. Phyllis commented that libraries trying to pass a referendum may be interested in using the call center to contact registered voters. Linda reported that the committee identified two separate services: research services, which would be provided primarily by Josh Morrill, and the call center which would be available to Josh and other researchers. Services will be marketed primarily to libraries, researchers, educational agencies, and other non-profit agencies. Information will be distributed to the library systems annually as a reminder of the availability of the services, and WPLC members should distribute information to their member libraries. Information will also be provided to CESA school districts, local government associations, researchers in Wisconsin, research study programs by universities, and Wisconsin public radio. Charges for using the call center will be $150 per day for WPLC members, with $95 for SCLS, $45 for WPLC, and $10 for the project manager. The rate will be $160 per day for non-members, with $100 for SCLS, $50 for WPLC, and $10 for the project manager. The higher amount to SCLS recognizes the cost of about $50 per day to SCLS. The researcher will pay actual telephone charges. SCLS will set some of the money aside for replacement of equipment. Rich Krumwiede raised the question of whether WPLC needs its own domain for the web site. Currently, the web site is part of the WLS website domain. Linda responded that she and Joy Schwartz have discussed this possibility previously and she will investigate it further. The Board agreed. 5. New Projects Virtual Reference Review Mark Arend discussed the possibility of doing a comparison of two virtual reference services in Wisconsin: AskAway from SCLS, and Ask Wisconsin Libraries from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay. The purpose of the comparison would be to identify what is working well and to investigate creating a statewide service under the direction of WPLC. Josh has prepared a proposal. Peter would like to see a survey done and agrees that having a statewide system is a good idea. Kathy said that there may be a committee from the Ask Wisconsin Libraries project that was recently formed to work on an evaluation of that project. Peter commented that another area of interest is what demographic is most adaptable to this new type of service. Some users’ communication styles are a good fit for virtual reference. If this service appeals mainly to younger users, this may be a good way to attract them early so that they will continue to support the library as adults. Phyllis said that she would like to share this idea with librarians in SCLS and get their feedback. OverDrive Kathy presented information about OverDrive ebooks. The Cleveland Public Library as well as the King County Library System in Washington use the service. The company is marketing the services to libraries. The model is very different from netLibrary. There is a large initial cost for the technology and an ongoing maintenance cost. However, the content is significantly less expensive and includes more fiction, best sellers, and children’s titles than netLibrary. There are many popular trade publications. All of the content is for downloading, not for viewing online. The content and approach to the service is complimentary to netLibrary. OverDrive’s initial cost (which may be around $28,000 and $12,000 per year) is charged per library. The term “library” can refer to a library system with a shared ILS. Kathy does not have information about options for a collection that could be shared among WPLC members. There is no access fee. A copy of a title is purchased. The titles are available in Adobe and Palm formats. Each copy that is purchased will be in one specific format The checkout period can be set to any length, after which the title is no longer available to the user. MARC records are available for the titles. Mark Arend asked how willing OverDrive is to obtain new content at the request of their customers. Kathy was not sure, but she added that they do offer a service in which they will digitize your own material to make it available electronically. Mark would like to have additional information on that service. Kathy will provide some promotional materials to the group. Kathy will try to have ballpark prices from OverDrive for the next meeting. Phyllis said that SCLS may be interested in the service. Kathy will get pricing for an individual library system as well as for all of WPLC. Kathy said the price for WPLC will likely be very high. NetLibrary usage Phyllis has not yet prepared a proposal for the analysis of the netLibrary usage statistics, but she still feels that this is needed. There is a lot of data that could be useful in guiding the development of the collection. Kathy said that WiLS has a student that is very good at data analysis. If Phyllis can provide the questions, perhaps he can analyze the data for the answers. Kathy also commented that she would be interested in comparing usage between the partners. David asked about finding out how many registered netLibrary users the WPLC collection has in Wisconsin. Kathy was planning to ask netLibrary how to obtain that information. She commented that there is a need for WPLC members to be able to easily obtain and analyze statistics. Perhaps a workshop could be arranged. It would be most helpful if this information would be easily accessible on the web. Phyllis suggested that members should submit questions for her to compile. Then she will send these to Kathy who can have the student analyze the data for answers. Kathy will gather information on how to manage netLibrary statistics and put this on the WPLC website. Marketing Libraries David was recently visited by two persons with an idea to create a marketing campaign for libraries based on real stories of librarians and users. David asked if a PR project would fit the mission of WPLC. Peter commented that since WPLC extended its mission to include research, it can also be extended to include using research to do PR. Mark Merrifield commented that WPLC may not be ready for such a project yet. WPLC has undertaken several interesting and diverse projects. This has put WPLC in a position to be able to showcase many good projects through the cooperative efforts of many library systems. Mark said that a PR project is a good idea for the future. David thinks that a project that would market libraries statewide could have broad appeal. There may be other agencies, such as WLA, that may want to partner with WPLC. Rick commented that the WLA Foundation Board is working on a new grant program. A project such as this that relates to advocacy could get some grant funding. Unfortunately the Foundation does not have a lot of funds available. David commented that WPLC may not want to put off such a project too long. As budgets continue to be cut in the future, it may become impossible to do such research. Rick agreed that many libraries will have further budget cuts, and that it would be interesting to do some research on how such budget cuts will impact the 30 million users that visit Wisconsin libraries each year. It would be beneficial to tie some real stories and advocacy to some research. Phyllis also agreed that it would be helpful to use stories to show the real impact that cuts have on users. Peter commented that WPLC has a lot of data collected from the survey. WPLC needs to do more about using this information to show the impact of budget cuts. Perhaps some funds could be raised to hire someone with the needed skills to do this. David was impressed with the PR person’s knowledge of libraries and his sincerity regarding promoting the value of libraries. David will speak to the PR person and try to have something to present at the next meeting. The project will look at the impact of budget cuts as well as information from the user survey for advocacy purposes. Storage Facility Peter suggested a possible idea for a project to establish a storage facility for off-site storage of library materials. 6. Next Meeting The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 4, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. at the SCLS office. The meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m.

		Updated October 22, 2004