NOBLE Executive Board meeting

November 10, 2004

@ NOBLE

In Attendance: Deb Abraham, Tom Scully, Mary Rose Quinn, Dennis Kelley, Barbara Lachance, Linda Hummel-Shea, Doug Rendell, Sue Koronowski, Martha Holden, Martha Driscoll, Elizabeth Thomsen, Ron Gagnon

Call to Order: Mary Rose Quinn called the meeting to order at 2:16 p.m.

Treasurer’s Report: Tom Scully distributed the Treasurer’s Report. Barbara Lachance presented motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Dennis Kelley seconded the motion that passed unanimously.

Approval of FY2004 Audit: Ron distributed copy of audit completed by Bob Guimond. Ron noted that Mr. Guimond decided not to include a note regarding ongoing Verizon underbilling issue in the formal audit. Motion to approve audit was presented by Sue Koronowski. Mary Rose Quinn seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Annual IRS Form 990 and Mass. Attorney General filings were signed at the meeting.

Executive Director’s Report:

v NOBLE is awaiting a final equipment upgrade quote from Atrion. This project will involve replacement of central site equipment and a new central router, T-3 line, and firewall. Upgrade will take a few months to implement and will improve library response time.

v NOBLE needs to spend about $1,200 to upgrade its OS to accommodate new Millennium Silver software. This will involve minimal downtime and is planned to occur near Christmas and New Year’s.

v MBLC is administering Packet Shaper grant from Gates Foundation. NOBLE will receive a 75% subsidy on the product that will allow NOBLE to manage Internet connectivity, provide statistics and restrict and manage certain uses of the Internet. NOBLE’s share will be about 25% of approximate $30k cost (FY2006).

v Ron distributed copy of letter to Verizon dated November 5, 2004. Letter asks for resolution of ongoing problem with Verizon billing.

v Verizon service problems continue with Salem experiencing intermittent problems and more recently with Peabody experiencing sporadic outages. NOBLE will continue to monitor the situation and take necessary action.

v NOBLE contracted with Clean Team to provide office cleaning services. Cost is approximately 10% higher than with previous service but new company has better range of services and has contract with Flatley, therefore a presence in Cherry Hill Park.

v NOBLE is in the process of renewing maintenance agreement for Innovative software.

Approval of FY2006 Action Plan: Ron distributed proposed FY2006 Action Plan. MBLC submission deadline is December 1 for grant eligibility. Ron distributed a timeline of events from 2004-2007 that outlines major events over next few years. Major events include consideration of NOBLE office lease renewal vs. possible move; and system upgrade grant - planning, process and implementation.

Barbara Lachance presented motion to approve NOBLE FY2006 Action Plan. Sue Koronowski amended the motion to include NOBLE’s use of Commonwealth News Service as a free public relations vehicle for NOBLE advertising. Martha Holden seconded the amended the motion that passed unanimously.

Grant Software: Ron Gagnon discussed libraries’ preferences for software to be included in the grant proposal. Ron then presented NOBLE recommendations for the software component of the telecommunications grant. The recommended package includes AirPAC; Self-Check Interface (SIP2); EDIFACT, and Inventory Express. Elizabeth Thomsen highlighted the differences between WebBridge and MetaFind. While MetaFind’s single-search capability was appealing, the ongoing cost is quite high. Tom Scully presented a motion to approve the software as recommended by NOBLE with the addition of WebBridge (using EZ Proxy). Deb Abraham seconded the motion that passed unanimously. NOBLE will continue to monitor the development of MetaFind and similar software.

As there was no New Business, Doug Rendell presented a motion to adjourn, seconded by Martha Holden.

Meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.