Maine InfoNet Board Minutes, December 10, 2008
Maine State Library, 1:30 – 3:30
Members present: Richard Boulet, Director, Blue Hill Public Library; Cora Damon, Librarian, Maine General Medical Center; Judy Frost, CMCC; Clem Guthro, Director, Colby College Libraries; Linda Lord, Acting State Librarian; Barbara McDade, Bangor Public Library, Director; Steve Podgajny, Director, Portland Public Library via telephone; Liz Reisz, Director of York School Libraries; Joyce Rumery, Dean of Libraries at UM; Richard Thompson, Director, State of Maine Office of Information Technology.
InfoNet staff present: James Jackson Sanborn, Executive Director, Maine InfoNet.
Members absent: Ralph Caruso, CIO University of Maine System; David Nutty, Director of Libraries at USM.
Approval of October 29, 2008 Minutes
Minutes were approved as amended.
Executive Director Report
General Activities:
He attended the Maine Library Commission meeting in early November. Maine InfoNet will be a standing report on their agenda.
He also attended a demonstration of WorldCat local for URSUS member libraries, the Minerva Executive Board and Users Council Meeting.
He presented at HISLIC where interest in Maine InfoNet was expressed. They would like more InfoNet marketing materials especially about Marvel.
Audiobook program:
Overdrive audiobook program now has 129 members with over $52,000 in membership fees paid. Nine additional libraries have yet to pay, which will add $4, 000-5,000 more. A grant request written by Barbara McDade to the Maine Community Foundation for the purchase of content received $4,000. Since up to 20% of funds will be saved for later years about $50,000 will be available to initiate the program. Some of the funds will be used to develop an authentication system for non-III libraries, similar to the Marvel authentication system. It will be built with flexibility to add services later on. A Collection Development Group has been formed to map out how funds will be expended. This group will set priority for items such as maximum access vs. individual titles, schedule for spending available funds, and balancing interests (fiction/nonfiction, adult/YA titles, etc.).
Minerva Update:
Minerva has set annual member fee at $3,750. Additional revenue will help cover cost increases as well as build a reserve/contingency fund for future server migration. A tiered system for user fees is still being considered but will not be implemented until next year at earliest. Simplifying loan rules has been recommended. Syndetics contract offer of a 10% reduction over next two years and a 2% increase in third year has been accepted.
Grant Projects:
EAD Project is going forward with Bates as lead. Mellon is being approached for support.
Marilyn is involved in developing an IMLS proposal for the Northern New England Digital Audio Archive Project with Maine Folklife Center out of UMaine as lead. MIN would be involved in technology management. Funds might also come from Maine State Archives. Board will need to vote on MIN involvement once more is known about timeline, etc. Steve expressed interest and requested more information. James can send out summaries of both digital projects.
UMaine faculty member needs co-PI eligible to apply for IMLS grant to fund development of ‘Commons of Geographic Data’. Ongoing commitment of MIN staff time will be limited.
Decisions about grants we should be involved in should consider how closely the project matches the organizations long-term goals and how much staff time will be required.
Upcoming Activities:
James will take part in the Larger Libraries Meeting this month and Maine Libraries Commission meeting in January.
III Contract Update
Karl Beiser and Gary Nichols are still working out a counter proposal that reflects reality and brings cost down. The counter proposal enumerates costs not in proposal, e.g. new members of Minerva and Solar.
MIN Staffing
Vacant position is frozen and no information has been forthcoming about if or when the freeze might be lifted. Cuts at Maine State Library have affected three unfilled positions, the book budget, periodicals and serials.
A work-study student for up to 20 hrs/wk will be hired, hopefully in January, to work on Marvel, Minerva and URSUS statistics and other projects, which will free up MIN staff for higher level responsibilities.
501 c3 investigation
James reported that the process is straightforward. Application fees would probably be less than $500. A lawyer will need to be hired to complete paperwork properly. Several questions need to be addressed at Board retreat:
- Do we want to incorporate as MIN or ‘Friends of MIN’ (or similar structure)?
What is the purpose for changing status?
- Are there alternatives to 501 c3?
- Is there any reason to permit/prohibit change? We have an MOU with University.
We don’t want a separate entity that would require management of staff costs. Model of other entities that are 501 c3 related to state government is needed.
Proposal that MIN Board be coordinating body for last copy center policies
MIN would serve as coordinating agency with BPL acting as fiscal agent. BPL has bought building and shelving to house collection. Last copy center will be made up of MSL, BPL, PPL, Colby, Bates, Bowdoin and UMaine system. (URSUS libraries) MOU already drafted. Need policies. Membership issues. Tie-in for MIN is the infrastructure. Linda moved that MIN Board serve as oversight and governance body for Last Copy Center of Maine (LCCM). Would not require significant staff involvement but would need to be involved in ILS. Original members have agreed to cover costs. Motion passed.
Discussion of draft Strategic and Business Plan Development (distributed last meeting)
Hold for board retreat.
Collection Development and Summit – Statewide Collections Conference working group update
The collection development/collection coordination working group is made up of James Jackson Sanborn, Barbara McDade, Joyce Rumery, Dean Corner and Deb Rollins from the MSL, and Clem Guthro. All libraries need to be involved, not just the big players, in taking a comprehensive look at what we are doing. Need to identify a unique perspective that would be of interest to IMLS. What is the role of MaineCat? Perhaps Mellon would be interested in Open Source projects. Could provide opportunity to demonstrate the role libraries play on a statewide basis. An IMLS grant could make it possible to do something strategic.
Finance Committee and fiscal affairs/Alternative funding/revenue models
Hold for board retreat discussion. Sue Jagels was chair, Steve Podgajny and Richard Thompson were committee members.
Board Retreat
Date changed to February 27, 10:00am – 3:00pm.
Other business
Clem and the Director of the Waterville Public Library met with their state legislator who suggested drafting a petition to be generated locally that would explain how state funded resources are used and why continuing support is needed. Currently there is no legislative committee. Marvel databases need to keep up with inflation. Asking for $550,000 from PUC.
Need to look at budget at January 14 meeting.
Adjournment at 3:45pm.
