State Library Board Report
September 27, 2007

The State Library Board met September 27, 2007 in the Boardroom of the State Library, 274 East First Avenue, Columbus, Ohio.

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, September 27, 2007. State Library Board members present were: Dr. George W. Paulson, President; Ms. Mary Vesper Schwetschenau, Vice-President; Ms. Lucille Hastings; and Ms. Jo Budler, Secretary. Mr. David Miller was excused.

Visitors present were: Mona Chapin, Cincinnati Art Museum; Joe Brown, Hank Kelly, and David Tipton, Ohio Christian University; Melissa Marolt, Mike Wantz, and Charlie Hanson, Perry County District Library; Stephen Marine and Susan Wentz, NetWellness; Rachael Hartman and Donna Fried, Geauga County Public Library; Carol Verny, OHIONET; Stephen Hedges, OPLIN; Jason Buydos and Kim Fender, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County; Lisa Rhine, Wittenberg University; Sean Creighton, Southwestern Ohio Consortium on Higher Education; Chris Wick and Tracy Woodard, Clermont County Public Library; Doug Evans, Ohio Library Council; and Terri Fredericka, INFOhio.

State Library staff members present were: Anne Libby, Julia Ward, Missy Lodge, Cheri Wilks, Lisa Hickle, Dianna Clark, Roger Verny, Ashlee Clark, Diane Fink, Jim Buchman, Steve Updegraff, Larry Walls, Bill Morris Marsha McDevitt-Stredney and Cheryl Lubow.

OATH OF OFFICE

Dr. Paulson administered the oath of office to Mr. Lynn Grimshaw. Mr. Grimshaw was appointed to a two-year term on the State Library Board by the State Board of Education at their July meeting.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The minutes of the July 26, 2007 Board meeting were approved by common consent.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

There were no requests for public participation.

LSTA REPORT

Full Grants
Ms. Missy Lodge, Head, Library Programs and Development, reported that the State Library received ten proposals for approximately $812,666 and is recommending seven proposals for funding at $671,331. Ms. Lodge also provided background on the Board change to the automation grant process on September 26, 2006, and that non-school libraries seeking automation could do so through the full grant process.

Automation
Ms. Lodge introduced David Tipton, Joe Brown, and Hank Kelly of the Ohio Christian University. They presented their proposal to automate the library collection and join OhioLINK. Automating through OhioLINK will provide more and better resources for students and faculty. Additionally, members of the community will benefit from these enhanced resources due to Ohio Christian University’s partnership with the Pickaway County Education Improvement Committee.

Mona Chapin of the Cincinnati Art Museum presented a proposal to automate the Mary R. Schiff library of visual arts resources, many of which are unique, rare or hard to find. The Museum will partner with the University of Cincinnati to add its holdings to the University of Cincinnati online catalog and OhioLINK.

Ms. Hastings moved (M-30-07) that Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants from FFY07 funds be awarded to the following libraries in the specified amounts for Automation projects for the period of October 1, 2007 – September 30, 2008.

Ohio Christian University   $ 99,780
Cincinnati Art Museum       $125,002

Ms. Schwetschenau seconded the motion. The motion passed with all members voting “yes”.

Innovative Technology
Ms. Lodge then introduced Jason Buydos and Kim Fender of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County to present the library’s proposal to initiate a digitization program to provide access to print materials that are in the public domain and have local significance. Digitization will eliminate access barriers to customers and will allow the library to share its collection with other libraries. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has selected 161 volumes of the City Directory as the initial collection for digitization.

Mr. Grimshaw moved (M-31-07) that a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant in the amount of $186,474 from FFY07 funds be awarded to the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County for an Innovative Technology project for the period of October 1, 2007- September 30, 2008.

Ms. Hastings seconded the motion. The motion passed with all members voting “yes”.

Services to Targeted Populations
Ms. Lodge introduced Lisa Rhine of Wittenberg University and Sean Creighton of Southwestern Ohio Consortium on Higher Education (SOCHE) to present their proposal to increase access to academic print information for students with disabilities in 13 SOCHE institutions. The participating libraries will purchase equipment to convert textbooks to digital text for students. OhioLINK will create a virtual library repository of electronic texts which will allow for inter-institutional sharing among participants. There is potential for expanding the project statewide after the pilot year.

Ms. Schwetschenau moved (M-32-07) that a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant in the amount of $77,875 from FFY07 funds be awarded to the Southwestern Ohio Consortium on Higher Education for a Services to Targeted Population project for the period of October 1, 2007- September 30, 2008.

Ms. Hastings seconded the motion. The motion passed with all members voting “yes”.

Services to Youth
Ms. Lodge introduced Chris Wick of Clermont Public Library to present the library’s proposal to initiate an “Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library” program in all 10 branches of the library. All Youth Services staff will receive Ready to Read training which will be incorporated into all pre-school programming. Outreach programs for parents and child-care providers will also be initiated. Finally the Early Literacy Resource Collection will be expanded and circulating Early Literacy Kits added.

Ms. Hastings moved (M-33-07) that a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant in the amount of $41,368 from FFY07 funds be awarded to the Clermont County Public Library for a Services to Youth project for the period of October 1, 2007- September 30, 2008.

Mr. Grimshaw seconded the motion. The motion passed with all members voting “yes”.

Trading Spaces
Ms. Lodge introduced Donna Fried and Rachael Hartman of Geauga County Public Library to present the library’s proposal to implement Trading Spaces concepts at the Geauga West and Bainbridge branches. To enhance comfort and usability for customers, the library will refurbish the “living room”, “family room”, and “rec room” areas. Additionally, retail merchandising techniques will be employed to increase usage of audiovisual items and large print books.

Ms. Lodge then introduced Mike Wantz, Charlie Hansen, and Melissa Marolt to present Perry County District Library’s proposal to reinvent the library as a more inviting, comfortable and vital place for everyone in the community. The Trading Spaces concept will be implemented in all seven of the library branches. Lounge and café style seating, wheeled display gondolas, and new internal signage will be added at all locations. Additionally staff will be trained in merchandising techniques.

There was discussion on the appropriate use of LSTA funds.

Ms. Schwetschenau moved (M-34-07) that Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants from FFY07 funds be awarded to the following libraries in the specified amounts for Services to Targeted Populations/Trading Spaces projects for the period of October 1, 2007 September 30, 2008.

Geauga County Public Library $67,535
Perry County District Library $33,297

Mr. Grimshaw seconded the motion. The motion passed with all members voting “yes”.

LSTA Automation Funding Guidelines
INFOhio
Mr. Roger Verny, Deputy State Librarian, led the Board in a discussion of LSTA automation funding guidelines for INFOhio. Currently, the Board has committed approximately $200,000 a year to school automation and is receiving school automation grant proposals coordinated and reviewed by INFOhio. For the most recent round of funding, INFOhio received proposals from 22 districts for $445,637 but were only able to recommend 14 districts be funded for $207,834. The LSTA Advisory Council recommended that the annual commitment amount be increased.

The Board discussed the current projected LSTA funding, where money could be redirected, and asked to see a breakdown of the current LSTA projected funding at the next Board meeting before making a decision.

Open Source Integrated Library Systems
Ms. Jo Budler, State Librarian, updated the Board regarding open source integrated library systems. The State Library held a meeting in April about open source integrated library systems and over 70 people attended. The State Library also offered a demonstration on Evergreen, the open source integrated library system software used by Georgia Pines. The Board indicated at the Retreat that it is committed to supporting funds toward the development of open source integrated library systems. The State Library, Regional Library Systems, Ohio Library Council, and LibLime, an open source integrated library system vendor, met to discuss the roles and responsibilities. OHIONET was not able to attend the meeting but is still interested in partnering. During the meeting it was discussed who could perform the following functions: hosting the server, supporting the software, and providing training. The participants have not reached a consensus but have made a commitment to not duplicate efforts. Ms. Budler stated that they are not seeking funding for development at this time.

NetWellness
Ms. Budler introduced Steve Marine, Program Director of NetWellness, and Susan Wentz, Case Western Reserve University, to present the proposal for funding NetWellness. They presented a PowerPoint presentation outlining NetWellness’ background, current initiatives and numbers, audience served, and funding. Mr. Marine indicated to the Board that NetWellness is seeking funding from the State Library Board, in addition to funds from Delta Dental and the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN), to maintain the baseline budget. OPLIN’s support is contingent on support from the State Library Board.

Ms. Hastings moved (M-35-07)that a grant for $421,000 be awarded to NetWellness for a Resource Sharing project for the period of October 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008 from FFY 2007 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds in the amount of $271,000 and from SFY 2008 ALI 350-604 (OPLIN Technology) funds in the amount of $150,000.

Ms. Schwetschenau seconded the motion. The motion passed with all members voting “yes”.

STATE LIBRARIAN'S REPORT

Security at State Libraries
Ms. Budler informed the Board that at Dr. Paulson’s request, she asked other state libraries what valuable collections they housed and how they handled security. She received twelve responses, and the libraries that do not have collections of exceptional value, like archives or rare books, do not have security. Ms. Budler’s recommendation is to either have the information desk staff check bags of patrons leaving, which will be made easier once the new meeting room is built, or to close the stacks and have patrons sign in. There was discussion about appropriate action and what could be done without much cost. It was decided to wait until the Kent State project construction has been finished, and then get State Library staff feedback on the possible solutions.

Kent State Construction Update
Ms. Diane Fink, Head, Fiscal and Business Services, provided the Board with information on the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science Columbus program moving into the State Library building. The project began with discussions between the State Library and Kent State more than two years ago. Since Kent State University will be paying for the construction costs, they will be responsible for the contracts with vendors. The bid opening for the project was held last Thursday and Kent State has received several proposals from vendors in the areas of general trades, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), and electrical. They expect to make the awards to the contractors within the next 30 days. Construction should begin in mid to late October and be completed by the end of December or the first of January. Ms. Fink also noted that many parties are involved in the project including the State Library, Anchor Management Companies, Kent State University, and the Ohio Department of Administrative

Services (DAS) Real Estate Division. The State Library and Kent State have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to meet State of Ohio requirements and are finalizing an operational MOU for the facility.

State Library Departments Schedule
Ms. Budler shared with the Board a schedule of State Library department presentations for upcoming Board meetings. Ms. Hastings indicated that she would like to have a date for the July 2008 meeting. July 31, 2008 was the proposed date and it was approved by common consent.

Statewide Resource Sharing Process
Ms. Budler updated the Board that the State Library has contracted with RMG Consultants, Inc. to conduct three focus groups across the state of public library directors and leaders at the end of October. On November 14th, the State Library will host a multi-site videoconference to update the library community on the focus groups and ask for feedback. RMG Consultants will then issue a Request for Information (RFI) for the next generation of statewide resource sharing.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Board Commitment of LSTA Funds for LCO Databases and KnowItNow
Ms. Budler stated that this agenda item was on the July Board agenda but was moved forward to the September agenda because not all Board members had a chance to review the information. The Board agreed by common consent the following reiteration regarding their commitment of LSTA funds for Libraries Connect Ohio (LCO) databases and KnowItNow:

At the Board retreat in March 2007, the State Library Board discussed the use of LSTA funds to partially fund the LCO Databases. At the May board meeting, Board members voted to approve $1.3 million commitment, years of current obligation, ending June 30, 2008. In addition, a commitment was made of $1.3 million through June 30, 2009 based upon issuance of RFP for core set of databases.

Because vendors cannot be expected to and will not respond to short subscription periods, the RFP will be issued for a five year subscription. The State Library Board discussed this at the May 31, 2007 Board meeting.
The State Library Board confirmed:

• A desire to have alternate funding in addition to LSTA at the end of FY09,
• A willingness to work with the library community to obtain alternate funding, and
• A need to redefine the make-up of the core set of electronic resources available to all Ohio.

The State Library Board approved a commitment of LSTA funds of approximately $750,000 through June 30, 2009 to the KnowItNow project.
The State Library Board acknowledged

• The value of KIN as a statewide service which has the potential to benefit all Ohioans,
• The need to obtain software which will allow KnowItNow to be ADA compliant and therefore used by Ohioans who are blind, and
• The need to explore the development and use of open source software in the KnowItNow service.

NEW BUSINESS

State Library Board Nomination
Ms. Budler noted that Mr. Miller’s second term on the Board ends December 31, 2007. The State Library Board recently accepted nominations to fill a vacancy and the nominees for the vacancy are still willing to be considered. The Board discussed issuing another call for nominations and it was decided that in addition to the nominations received previously, the Board would accept additional nominations to come before them at the October 25, 2007 meeting.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further items for discussion, Ms. Schwetschenau moved (M-36-07) to adjourn. Mr. Grimshaw seconded the motion. The Board adjourned by common consent at 3:45 p.m., Thursday, September 27, 2007.