FALCONS Meeting Minutes – February 2015
Date: February 19, 2015
Present: Auburn, Aurora, Berkshire, Candor, Cato, Cortland, Dryden, FLLS, Newark Valley, Nichols, Ovid, Poplar Ridge, Seneca Falls, Spencer, TCPL, Union Springs, Weedsport.
Absent: Alternatives, Apalachin, Cincinnatus, Fair Haven, Groton, Homer, Interlaken, Lansing, Lodi, Marathon, McGraw, Moravia, Newfield, Owego, Port Byron, Trumansburg, Waterloo, Waverly
Elections: Lisa Carr volunteered to serve as the Vice Chair and Lisa Semenza volunteered to serve as Recording Secretary for 2015. They were approved unanimously.
Announcements:
Rex reported that Amy Zuch has resigned as the Director of FLLS. The FLLS Board of Trustees met on 2/18/15. Rex has asked them to consider input from FLLS staff and Library Directors when choosing a new Director. The Board President, Greg Kiehl, can be reached at gkiehl@flls.org. It is uncertain as to how things will proceed in the interim. The FLLS staff is commended for carrying on as they have been without a Director.
Linda reported on delivery. The drivers have been starting out on their routes ½ hour earlier to adjust for the need to incorporate TCPL into the routes. TCPL is the first stop on the North route and items from there are now being delivered more quickly. Arlene Krebs has been hired as a new Page.
Linda also reported on items available for Directors to take to their libraries:
- “History Unbound” project materials from SCRLC (posters, bookmarks, cards) – there is a guide on the SCRLC website for primary sources for history research.
- MedlinePlus bookmarks – Medical information is available online at m.medlineplus.gov.
Linda is following up on the discussion from the November 2014 meeting regarding downloadable media with a representative from Recorded Books.
ILL is fully up and running.
Advocacy Day in Albany is on 2/25/15. Amanda, Kristi and Linda are going to represent FLLS. They are looking to increase the number of libraries that have representatives attending.
Amanda reported that the Outreach Mini-Grants have $15,000 available and are due 3/15/15. She is available to offer assistance in reviewing the grants. All the information is available on the FLLS website at https://www.flls.org/outreach.
There are spots open on the COSAC Board. This is the coordinated outreach council. A representative from Tioga County is needed. The next meeting will be in April.
The Summer Reading meeting will be held on 3/19/15. Pre-registration is required. There will be a Performers’ Showcase, Rosen Grant distribution, crafts and a green screen with costumes.
The deadline for the Community Needs Assessment has been extended to 5/15/15. Focus groups related to this should be happening now.
Approval of Minutes: LuAnn Whirl (BERK) made a motion to accept the November 2014 minutes. Jacalyn Spoon (CORT) seconded this motion. Motion was approved.
OLD BUSINESS
Streaming Video (Overdrive and Others)
- TCPL is still interested in video streaming but would like to explore some of the other vendors and lending models. If HOOPLA is used there is a fee for each viewing. Each library would have to pay into this to have it available to their patrons.
- Amanda reported that there is a Collection Development Policy draft available at https://www.flls.org/overdrive. She would like edits and suggestions prior to submitting it to the FLLS Board for approval.
- Each library should either set up a Content Reserve Account in order to be able to purchase electronic books from Overdrive (request this by contacting Rex at rhelwig@flls.org) or pay a fixed amount to FLLS to go toward ordering materials (5% of the library’s book budget or $2-$3/circulation). FLLS is looking to have 100% participation from member libraries by 2016. Once Overdrive is fully supported there should be money available for “extras” such as HOOPLA costs. Amanda is setting up an Overdrive Selection Committee to help decide which titles should be purchased by the pooled money.
- At this time FLLS pays the entire $12,000 platform fee for Overdrive. Some content could be transferred if it was decided to go with another platform in the future. Rex wants to limit the number of interfaces needed to download books in order to keep the system patron friendly.
- LuAnn Whirl asked if they can view what their patrons are recommending the library purchase in Overdrive. The answer is yes but you have to have the Content Reserve account to access that information.
- Sandy Groth asked if they can still have their own content reserve account if they’re paying FLLS to buy content. Yes.
- Diane Pamel asked how much items cost. Per Amanda, range from $9.99 to $90.
- Linda Beins asked if magazines can be purchased. Yes but we would also need to also purchase the Magazine delivery platform at a cost of $7500 per year.
System-wide Common Card Circulation Policies – Lisa Carr committed to chairing this committee at the November 2014 meeting. FLLS can host conference calls for 12 people to help with committee meetings.
- She wants to have a meeting at the end of March with representatives from each county.
- Internal policies (e.g. what information does each library need on their registration to meet their data needs?) prior to external policies (e.g. loan periods, fines, issuing cards to someone who has outstanding fines in another library).
- Stat counts don’t work right if we don’t all follow the same rules.
New Patron Codes (Limited Access & Baby)
- “Limited Access” – Rex will add this to Polaris ASAP. There had been some suggestions that “Limited” had a negative connotation however this won’t be common knowledge to patrons. Each library can set what they are “limiting” to meet their needs and present it to patrons as they see fit (e.g. “Read down fines” for teens).
- “Baby” – The cards have been printed. The parameters are not yet set. There will be no fines on Board Books in Tompkins County libraries.
Holds with Multiple Bib records, Holds Queue Issues
- A number with a different ISBN # can be added to a Bib Record if the pagination and publisher are the same. Andrea will provide a “Polaris Tip of the Week” for how to add a different ISBN # to the record. Make sure Mass Market Paperbacks and Large Type have their own Bib records. Use discretion in filling holds with items of a different format than requested.
- There was a discussion on moving a patron’s position in the queue and why none of the libraries have permission to do this any longer. Rex explained that there was widespread queue shuffling going on, some of it leaping over other patron’s places in the queue. Often the movement of a patron in the queue was unnecessary because of the overarching rule “fill a hold with my item being picked up at my library first” would have automatically supplied that patron first anyway. Patrons don’t realize that they will move to the top of the queue if an item becomes available in their home library and some get upset when they see a large number for their place in the overall queue. Following discussion, it was decided to leave this number available with the possibility of adding a disclaimer to the PAC.
- The patrons are not able to group all Bib records for the same title into a single request (linking holds) in order to get the first one available (if they don’t care about format). Staff can link holds across multiple Bib records on behalf of the patron though.
- Linda reported that you can get a report from Request Manager to see which holds are expiring for patron and you can extend the expiration date. She will send out information on accessing these reports. Collection Development tip – if a number of a certain library’s patrons are waiting for the same book, the library should probably purchase a copy.
NEW BUSINESS
Delivery (Linda) South routes should forward sort to TCPL. It would be helpful if North routes grouped TCPL items together but don’t add extra bags. If any books are damaged by water, please do not leave them in the bottom of bags to damage others. Some of the old canvas bags have gotten wet by being put down in the snow. The new bags have water proofed bottoms to avoid this problem. A larger size delivery van will probably be needed when they are replaced.
Computers (Eric) Computers with Symantec version 11.1 (Windows XP and 7) are not taking updates. He will be sending discs around to install updated versions of Symantec. If any library has an old computer that has not yet had the hard drive wiped/reformatted, Eric will be setting up a schedule so that they can be sent into FLLS to have this done prior to disposal.
OPEN DISCUSSION
State Audits – Lisa Carr (AUB) suggested that each library do what they can to get all their policies in order prior to being chosen for an audit by the State Comptroller. She says it is not a matter of “if” but “when”. Rex asked her to send out a list of what information they will want to look at.
Tax Forms – Diane Pamel (DRY) reported that Sandy has set up a Bib record for the instructions for how to fill out the tax forms. Printed copies are no longer available. Carla (UNS) reported that if a patron just wants the tax tables, they are found on p72-76 in the instructions.
Meeting adjourned: The motion to adjourn was made by Libbie Messina (CATO) and seconded by Sandy Groth (AURO). The motion passed and the meeting adjourned at 11:10.
A tour of the new FLLS offices followed the meeting.
Next meeting: May 21, 2015