Central Library / Collection Development Advisory Committee
February 20, 2004
MHLS Conference Room
10am-1pm

Present: Patti Haar, Sally Alderdice, Greg Callahan, Jim Cosgrove, Ellen Guerci, Josh Cohen, Tom Lawrence, Lauren Muffs, Sue Hermans, Sherry Haluska, Merribeth Advocate.

Database trials and discussion:

• Current trial going on, comparing ProQuest (waiting for a final price, expecting approx. $56,000) and MasterFILE Premier ($40,000)
  • Are patrons expectations being met with MasterFILE Select? Hard to measure what it is that they can't find.
  • M.Advocate will distribute potential per/library pricing to members (See Action #1)
• Additional databases
  • Centralizing calls from vendors: J. Cohen will list possible databases for consideration and will give to this committee.
  • Heritage Quest would be a popular addition.
• Tracking usage
  • Don't know exactly what is being used and where.
  • Info to members about counters on their websites (See Action #2)
  • Discussed libraries surveying their community about use of electronic resources
• Outreach to users
  • What things should libraries put their energies into promoting: storytime and DVD's sell themselves.
  • We are combating a cultural problem of informational literacy, but students are growing up with electronic resources for their course work, and a gradual sophistication is emerging. Saugerties survey and Project 2022 verify that electronic services are not on the radar of most patrons.
  • Could do more demos. Combo of library staff and public.
    • T. Lawrence offered that S. Hermans could go out to schools, or to support member libraries going out to schools, or to homeschoolers.
  • Brochure/bookmark idea: A teaser w/ specific example: Library vs. Google. 26,666 hits vs. info you can use. To serve as advertisement as well as education. Referred to Marketing & Program Committee to discuss/create.

Central Library Program:

• Currently providing reference support, supporting processing CBA materials, databases, S.Herman's travel.
• In upcoming CL plan, staff time needs to be used for helping members, focusing on areas that this committee recommends as priorities.
• Need to give members the tools to use Central Library services more.
• The role of the central library for reference services:
  • Traditionally member libraries went to their county reference centers for answers to questions that could be answered by the reference centers enhanced print collections. Because libraries now have the same electronic services as each other, they act on their own in answering reference questions.
    • The effectiveness of this differs based on staff ability.
• Training: A series of broad based staff training by S. Hermans on a regional level would help bridge the gap, with the goal to standardize reference behaviors.
  • What can we do with the resources we have to please the customer. They only care about the end, not the means to the end.
  • Include ways for member staff to transfer knowledge to staff who cannot attend training.
• Central Library Reference: Central Library will prepare a brochure and business card, with their 800 number of central library, which can be given to the patron for them to make the connection. Giving library staff who cannot answer a question the opportunity to offer "here is someone who could give you help today." (see Action #3)
• Building web resources: (see Action #4)
  • Use the expertise of Central Library staff to supervise selective links, added based on what patrons are looking for. Recommended Links, using model at <http://poklib.org/html/recommended_links.php> would be created in a form that every member library could link to the page, without the PPLD sidebar on the left. Libraries of all sizes could benefit from having this linked to their own web page.
  • Create a Central Library page that every library can link to with info. about Central Library services for MHLS patrons.
  • Create a web portal template for access to county and local information.
• Cataloging local information: Central Library could use staff time to get the unique local info into the OPAC

Local Records:

• Phone survey results show very few member libraries are currently storing this info in databases. Committee agrees it is worth doing across the system with a centralized product. Input would be done locally, with agreements in the counties about rotating data entry.
• Innovative product (approx. $9000) is very similar to OPAC. Less apt to be data mined. MHLS will try to arrange a demo for the next committee meeting. (see Action #5)
  • A possibility for Central Library funds in budget year 2005.

Mystery Rotating Collections:

• Committee reviewed collection circ statistics: every other item went out once in the past year. Committee is requesting MHLS to disband the collection. It should not be still be a system service at this level. The committee recommends that MHLS determine how to best disperse the collection.
• Libraries are encouraged to market what they already have in a new, eye catching way to fill the rotating collection spot. See Marketing section of the website at http://midhudson.org/funding/marketing/main.htm
• Members can borrow from each other in bulk.

Serials display in OPAC:

• Committee recommends the a resolution as to how serials are displayed to benefit patrons looking for magazine holdings, following the sample.
• In the sample recommended format, patrons will not be able to place a hold on a specific issue through the OPAC, but staff could place a hold from the staff side. A mediated service.
• Committee recommends that the STATUS read "ASK STAFF", rather than "IN LIBRARY USE"

Jim Cosgrove is Committee Chair for 2004
Next meeting: Tuesday, May 25, 10am-1pm, MHLS Conference Room

Report back to DA:

1. Potential per library pricing of upgrading to ProQuest or MasterFILE Premier distributed to members.
2. Committee looking at tools for the members to be able to get best use of Central Library services. Central Library will be providing members with web tools (a Recommended Links page they can add to their websites, a Central Library info page with patron services detailed, and a web portal template for local information), centralized resource training and is looking at cataloging local materials for the OPAC.
3. Committee reviewed Mystery Rotating Collection circ statistics: every other item went out once in the past year. Committee is requesting MHLS to disband the collection. It should not be still be a system service at this level. The committee recommends that MHLS determine how to best disperse the collection.
4. As a result of the local records phone survey, the committee is looking in the future to centralizing local records in one database. If you had been thinking of starting a database yourself for this, wait for the group product.

Actions:

1. M. Advocate will distribute potential database pricing in next DA packet
2. M. Advocate will distribute info to members about counters on their websites
3. Central Library will prepare a brochure and business card, with their 800 number of central library, which can be given to patrons at member libraries.
4. Central Library will create web resources including: Recommended Links, a Central Library info page, web portal template.
5. MHLS will arrange a demo of the Innovative database product.

Submitted by Merribeth Advocate, 2/23/04