WRLSWEB Network Advisory Committee Meeting
April 10, 2008
Sparta Free Library
Minutes
Members present: Karen Bernau, Cindy Brown, Karen Carr, Shirley
Creager, Deb Dagnon, Jim Eliason, Laurie Erickson, Judy Grant,
Muriel Gunderson, Meredith Houge, Carol Krett, Deb Lambert, Chris
McArdle Rojo, David Polodna, Jeanne Rice, Karyn Schmidt, Mary
Waarvik, Rita Wachuta-Breckel, Pamela Westby
Guests: Randy Dagnon, Noreen Fish, Myrna Paulson, Marcia Sarnowski,
Lisa Wagner
Meeting was convened by Polodna at 10:06 am.
I. Greetings and Introductions/Roll Call. Roll call was taken as
indicated above. [It was an oversight of the chair that Jim
Eliason, the new director of the Necedah Memorial Library was not
formally introduced and welcomed. I apologize for that. DLP]
II. Approval of minutes from February 7 Meeting: Muriel Gunderson
noted that the spelling of her first name was wrong. Motion by
Schmidt, seconded by Krett, to approve the minutes of the February
7, 2008 meeting with the correction of the spelling of Muriel
Erickson's surname. Carried.
III. Timing Software -- Update: Deb Dagnon provided a statement on
behalf of David Goldfein who was absent. The LPL board has
approved the licensing of the timing software; now a licensing
agreement is being reviewed by the city attorney. The expectation
is that the attorney's work will be completed in four to eight
weeks. The cost of licensing the timing software will be $60 per
year per computer. This charge will be billed annually by LPL. If
the installation can be done remotely, Randy Dagnon will handle
that and there will be no additional cost. If on site assistance
is needed, a local technician will need to be hired to perform that
service.
IV. LPL's Short Term Patron Card: Paulson distributed a one page
procedural statement that explained this new type of card, designed
to address the needs of itinerant individuals who wish to take
advantage of library services. The card is issued for only three
months with a check-out limit of five items per day. Discussion
followed about situations other libraries face which might benefit
from this type of card. Any library that would like to offer a
short term card should contact Deb Dagnon for assistance in setting
up the proper coding.
V. Replacing Horizon: Deb Dagnon reported that the original target
date for implementing a new integrated library system (ILS) has
been moved ahead a year to January 2010. Dagnon also summarized
her investigation of vendors' products at the recent Public Library
Association conference in Minneapolis, noting that she saw several
products but not all that were presented. The process will remain
that a small core team (2 to 4 people) will perform initial
investigations and eliminate vendors whose products do not satisfy
basic requirements. Once the choices have been narrowed down to 3
to 6 products, demonstrations will be arranged and anyone wishing
to observe will be invited to attend. Then a larger committee (7
to 15 members) with broader representation will work through the
final selection process. Polodna proposed, given that we have more
time to invest in the selection process, that a preliminary step to
develop an list of ideal features and capabilities might be helpful
to the core team and allow an earlier opportunity for all members
to have input into what the new ILS would look like. He suggested
that the June NAC meeting be devoted exclusively to a discussion of
this topic. Materials can be provided in advance to help members
think about what their preferences and desires are, so that they
can be prepared to express their ideas at the June meeting. The
group agreed this would be valuable, so it was concluded that the
June meeting will be devoted to the discussion of a new ILS for
WRLSWEB.
VI. Library Card Format: Polodna reported that his two question
survey about patron card needs had been answered by about twenty
(of thirty-three) libraries which use the system borrower's card.
Of those responders, a clear majority favored the card sets, but
very few libraries actually need cards at this time. He then sent
around some samples of card/fob sets and noted that some library
staff had suggested a redesign of the card would be nice,
especially if it could be made more colorful and appealing. Since
we need to order about 50,000 cards to get a price break, and since
there is strong interest in the card sets, Polodna wondered if
folks would be willing to accept a redesigned card set that was
universal -- indicating WRLS/WRLSWEB rather than any individual
library. The rationale for this request was that since the card
sets would have barcodes printed on them, trying to order sets
unique to each library would commit a significant number of
barcodes to cards which might or might not get used. Going with a
universal card would allow the usage of the sets by any library
which wanted to offer them. If we were to go this route, 30,000
sets could be ordered and shared among any libraries which thought
the sets would be advantageous. WRLS would continue to have extra
separate barcodes for existing card stock and libraries could use
both. Discussion followed with a few points being expressed: 1) a
new card design (perhaps a gold card) could be used to promote
libraries and WRLSWEB and that could be beneficial beyond
satisfying the desires of patrons for different style cards; 2) the
current "institutional" design (and color) is helpful because it
stands out from all the other cards people carry in their wallets
and helps them find their library card quickly; 3) it might be fun
to have a choice of designs so a patron could choose the one they
liked; 4) there could be separate designs for children and adults;
5) a photo depicting the region could offer a pleasant and colorful
graphic for the new card. Each of these ideas was discussed with
pros and cons presented. Those present all seemed to agree that a
universal card would be acceptable and having the sets to offer the
public would be a beneficial enhancement. Polodna said he will
give this further thought and share his conclusions, and any design
ideas, with WRLS members. It is likely we will order some style of
universal card set this year.
VII. Managing Expired Holds: Deb Dagnon wanted to follow up on her
recent memo about checking expired holds regularly, emphasizing
that especially holds that have been expired for a week or more.
Keeping the materials moving is crucial to the system's
responsiveness and is the only fair was to treat the other
partners. The discussion turned to the pull list and all were
reminded that when one library has the pull list opened on their
screen, no other library can look at it because all members work
from the same pull list. So it is important to open the list,
print it, and then close so others can use it. Once you have done
your pulling you can go back in and update the list.
VIII. Enforcement of WRLSWEB Rules: Polodna noted that the expired
holds issue was a segue to this enforcement topic. The WRLSWEB
bylaws and agreements do not specify how rules developed by NAC
will be enforced, yet as issues arise it may be necessary to
confront a participating library with noncompliance and take
actions to enforce the rules. Polodna wanted to know what strategy
should be used and who should be the person responsible for
pursuing compliance. McArdle-Rojo shared information about how
SELCO in Minnesota enforces the rules, beginning with a warning and
moving to retraining. Many felt that most cases of noncompliance
were due to library staff having forgotten what was required, and
therefore additional training would be welcome. Those in
attendance indicated it seemed reasonable that Polodna would be the
one to enforce the rules since he already has that role in regard
to library law. Polodna then asked what penalties might be applied
if the member didn't readily come back into compliance with the
rules. Denial of privileges and fines were both suggested, though
no strong support for either was expressed. After discussion, it
was proposed that the existing rules need to be reviewed and that a
clear process for establishing "rules", as opposed to guidelines or
suggestions, needed to be presented and accepted by all. The
decision was that at the August NAC meeting, the rules and
guidelines would be reviewed and discussed. Polodna emphasized
that no WRLSWEB rule is ever in stone: any can be brought up for
review and amendment at any meeting.
IX. Additional Issues and Concerns: Randy Dagnon announced that the
AVG Anti-Virus license would expire this year and that the cost
will go from $4 to $6 per year per computer. He also noted that a
new version would be provided and required at the time that
licenses were renewed.
Waarvik offered a special thanks to Randy for his technical
assistance on his recent visits. Others echoed that.
X. Next Meeting: June 5, 2008.
XI. Adjournment: Motion by Carr, seconded by Bernau to adjourn.
Meeting was adjourned at 12:00 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
David Polodna
|
