Minutes Of
April 11, 2002
In
Attendance: Deborah Abraham,
Doug Rendell, Linda Hummel-Shea, Marjorie Hill-Devine, Ron Gagnon, Tom Scully,
Camilla Glynn Healey, AND Mary Rose Quinn.
Call to order: Deborah Abraham called the meeting to order at 2:10 pm.
Minutes: Minutes of the February meeting were moved by Camilla Glynn Healey, seconded by Tom Scully, and approved unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report: Tom Scully distributed the Treasurer’s Report. A motion was made by Camilla Glynn Healey and seconded by Doug Rendell to accept the Treasurer’s Report. The vote to accept the report was unanimous.
Executive
Director’s Report
Atrion Contract Signed
Ron announced that NOBLE has signed a contract with
Atrion. Next year will cost about $7,000 less than current year for improved service response times. We
will be getting the month of June, 2002, free. Ron sent cancellation letters to
Dimension Data on March 26 via UPS with tracking, received on 27th. Our
sales rep. is no longer with Dimension Data. Minuteman and CLAMS are changing
over to Atrion as well. SAILS was first. Introductory meeting scheduled for May
29 covering Atrion and changes in ISP for localtech contacts and
interested directors. Martha, Michele and Ron are going to Atrion with Verizon
network service manager on April 24 for kickoff meeting.
Construction Completed
The reconstruction of Member Services area took place
the week of March 25. Most of the work was completed by
Tuesday afternoon. There was no significant disruption to operations. Work was
done by Wallick Bros., who also did meeting room wall removal. Maintenance
painting of Member Services, ILL and printing room is being done in off-hours.
The area has not been painted since we moved in 1994.
Imaging Grant
The equipment for the imaging grant has been selected,
ordered, received and installed. We will be upgrading Web server storage as
NOBLE contribution to grant funding. After staff education, training sessions
will be scheduled for individual libraries. Already libraries have been asked
to consider and select materials. There has been a visit to Lynn to view
collection and help to decide the direction the project will take. A visit to
Gloucester is scheduled for tomorrow. We are participating in NE Mass. Digital
Library Initiative. NMRLS is attempting to coordinate various digitization
projects. Doug asked about the relationship between the NOBLE and the NMRLS
projects. There was a brief discussion about the images in the online catalog.
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April 11, 2002
Acquisitions
Libraries are being asked to gather vendor contact
information for set up in system. Test orders have been done with Bunker Hill
and Beverly to fine-tune system set-up. (System problems last week related to
III bungling some set up work) Elizabeth is contacting libraries that have
indicated an interest for on-site training.
Budget
The State budget situation for libraries is bleak.
Latest budget from the Governor requests 14% less than current year, which is less than last year.
Line 9506, the source of most network funding, is down 3% from the current
year’s reduced level. Telecomm funds depend on total requests, so actual
reduction could be greater. Federal LSTA funds are recommended for a
significant increase by subcommittee, but many steps to go before funding is
assured. CIPA court case was presented last week on Internet filtering. We are
awaiting a ruling from the judges.
NOBLE received $105K
in virtual catalog funds yesterday. Still awaiting grant funds for Lynn
branches. Ron notified Rob Maier that the funds had still not been received
even though we had requested it months ago. Rob will work to expedite the
payment.
Innovative Users Group Meeting
Elizabeth and Ron will be attending the Innovative
Users Group Meeting, April 27-30 in Houston. They will be meeting with
Innovative staff regarding imaging software, old version vs. new. The old
version is installed and operating. Elizabeth will be speaking on Millennium
Create Lists. She will be presenting the session three times.
FCC Filing
Ron filed a comment with the FCC in reaction to their
document requesting input on proposed changes to e-rate program. Ron’s comment
was one of only three filed by the April 5 deadline from all of Massachusetts
(City of Boston, N.Attleboro schools)
ILL Semi-Annual Meeting
There will be the ILL Semi-Annual Meeting on April 24 at
NOBLE. Ariel has been implemented at the Region’s expense to facilitate the
exchange of scanned documents.
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April 11, 2002
Web Sites
A new calendar program has been implemented on NOBLE’s
SIS and staff pages. It is available to all libraries at no cost for web pages
or staff management. A new database program has also been implemented for web
sites. Indexing of web sites is also available. NOBLE Staff has been cleaning
up SIS in preparation. Executive and Members minutes from FY1999 to present
have been indexed and are available on SIS.
Working Groups:
Brochure Committee
The brochures will be done at the end of the week.
ERWG
ERWG voted to remove NetLibrary records from the catalog due to changes in the way subscriptions are handled. Since the titles could be constantly changing the NOBLE database would be in need of constant revisions. ERWG voted to remove all NetLibrary records (with the exception of those related to individual library contracts)
Personnel
The Personnel Committee is in the process of scheduling its next meeting.
Nominating
The Nominating Committee, Marjorie Hill Devine, Linda Hummel-Shea, and Dennis Kelly have put together next year’s slate of candidates. Tom Scully has agreed to continue as Treasurer and Kimberly Lynn will take on the duties of Secretary.
Database Quality
Tom Scully reported that the Database Quality Committee was looking at GMDs and the ambiguous use of descriptors. The group discussed and made decisions re: musical scores and maps. Song Books will not be considered “musical scores” and atlases will not be designated “maps”.
The following is a compilation of the Board’s work on the Goals for the Strategic Plan. Thanks go to Ron for compiling the notes.
Mission: NOBLE: The technology partner for libraries
north of Boston.
1. Develop a fully
integrated library system that supports a variety of formats.
2. Encourage and support interlibrary resource sharing.
3. Improve library collections by providing tools for evaluation and development.
4. Serve as a gateway to the evolving World Wide Web and to deliver full-text information to member libraries and their users.
Objective 4-1 Identify and advise members on developing technology and related services.
Objective 4-2 Provide reliable electronic service minimizing downtime and maximizing speed.
Objective 4-3 Represent member libraries to vendors to provide feedback and encourage and/or demand new products and upgrades.
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April 11, 2002
5. Provide staff development opportunities for member libraries through training and documentation.
Objective 5-1 Facilitate and simplify public and staff use of NOBLE and member library services through staff training, documentation and standardization.
Objective 5-2 Raise awareness of NOBLE services.
Objective 5-3 Provide training on new services and upgrades by training trainers for member libraries.
Objective 5-4 Provide training and forums on areas of continued interest to member libraries.
Objective 5-5 Identify new and developing technology of potential interest to member libraries and design educational programs to introduce them.
6. Support user education by creating an educated staff.
7. Pursue funding opportunities which support our mission and goals.
Objective 7-1 Apply for State and Federal funds, which directly benefit libraries and Library Consortia.
Objective 7-2 Identify business resources, which could provide additional funding for NOBLE.
Objective 7-3 Locate non-traditional grant opportunities which could benefit NOBLE, Inc. financially.
8.
Create and/or maintain strategic partnerships NOBLE and
organizations which advance Library Service to our members.
Objective 8-1 Work collaboratively
with state and regional agencies and organizations and other consortia.
Objective
8-2 Cooperate with the private sector (profit and non-profit) to develop
advantageous relationships.
Objective
8-3 Develop relationships with vendors, which enhance NOBLE’s systems,
services, and visibility.
9. Provide a forum for communication with and among member libraries.
10. Highlight NOBLE services and diversity to current and prospective members and users.
Camilla Glynn Healey made a motion seconded by Doug Rendell to adjourn at 4:15 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Rose Quinn,
Secretary