Attending: Patti Haar, Jim Cosgrove, Tom Lawrence, Greg Callahan, Ellen Guerci, Sally Alderdice, Pat Kaufman, Sue Hermans, Josh Cohen, Merribeth Advocate, Cassie Artale, Pat Mallon
Excused: Sherry Haluska

Central Library application

• Every system in the state has a central reference library to handle difficult reference questions, funded to build a strong reference collection and provide reference service to member libraries.
• At MHLS, county reference center funding were started to provide support locally. They may get county funds, but no longer get MHLS funds. Cannot be funded through central library funds.
• Central Library Development Aid application from PPLD for program year 2004-5 was approved by MHLS board at the May board meeting. The total amount of funding stated in the report is not expected to be realized, due to proposed cuts and per-capita funding that does not take into account increased census figures. No capital expenditures are funded through this. Personnel costs in the application have been an issue with the MHLS board. T. Lawrence has tried in the past couple of years to decrease personnel costs, increasing funds for materials and electronic collections. This year will spend the following on electronic databases:
  • $3,400 for the Alternative Health Module addition to the Health and Wellness Resource Center
  • $20,000 ProQuest in 2004, $40,000 in 2005
  • $12,000 Contemporary Authors / Contemporary Literary Criticism
• Central Library Book Aid provides funding for adult circulating non-fiction. Currently focusing on 300's,700's and 900's.
• T. Lawrence asked for guidance from the committee on what central library services would benefit the members
  o Budget process for next year starts immediately, so continuous input is important
  • Recommended Links site <http://poklib.org/html/recommended_links.php>:
    • Currently linked to more than 30 default member pages. Committee will look at categories and provide recommendations (See Action 1). Suggested adding more local information (newspapers, movie theatres, recreational info, schools), and integrating categories from Helpful Links for Living <http://midhudson.org/gateway/hvresources.htm>. Want more foreign language sites (French, Chinese, Korean). New page should be up by end of summer. New software may be able to provide access to edit the page - one person from each county, with central library doing overall development and coordination of general links.
    • Remove the left-hand navigation bar from the page that links to the default member pages; add a header at the top that says PPLD is the Central Library of MHLS.
    • Expand the kid's version of Recommended Links <http://poklib.org/html/recommended_links1.php> (also linked to the member default sites)
  • Local history cataloging for members materials
  • Reference support by phone: Libraries calling the central library with reference questions should identify themselves as a library. May develop training observations. If members have an unsatisfactory experience, ask for another staff member or the Head of Reference and notify T. Lawrence or Lauren Muffs. Staff could need more training on role central library support plays in the system.
  • Reference support through Innovative links created by central library: Popular searches. Curriculum based homework help.
  • Developing local pathfinders, starting with small business information. Want member input on what pathfinders they want the central library to create for general use.

Coordinated Collection Development

• If members want to recommend a title to be owned by the central library, tell S. Hermans.
• T. Lawrence will share the results from PPLD conspectus analysis with the committee. (See Action 2)
• Mid-York does cordinated collection development well

Distribution of rotating collection materials

• Mystery collection: 650 books. Send a list of titles, authors available and have participating libraries choose up to 30. Anything left over will be available to anyone.
• DVD collection: 790 items. Will be distributed to the 42 libraries who have been participating by sending an assortment to the library, making sure sets go together.

Music CD's

• Distribution will be based on typical MHLS formula, which takes into account library size. Prior to distribution, titles and MARC records will be put into Millennium, with a tracking code in the Icode 1 field.

Last Copy Policy and Procedures

• Revised draft of policy at <http://midhudson.org/collection/last_copy.htm> (See Action 3)
• MHLS will buy the most current volume of the Wilson Fiction Catalog so members can borrow it. (See Action 4)

Local newspaper index

• Committee preferred the Innovative product ($9,000) to an SQL or Access database. This separate database would be configured to include local obituaries, births and marriages. J. Cohen will get specific information about setting this up, and bring to DA meeting. (See Action 5)
• A system-wide project.
• Can create an interface with historical societies.

EBSCO Link Source

• Links database articles together
• $9,000 for system, $500 for libraries owning their own databases that would want to customize the list
• J. Cohen will arrange for a demo. (See Action 6)

Report at DA

1. Review draft of Fisction Last Copy Policy and procedures
2. The Central Library is developing local pathfinders - what topics do members want?
3. Newspaper index: We could use a Millennium module to display local obituaries, births and marriages info. It would appear something like the Ozarks News and Historical Index at http://198.209.8.2:81/screens/opacmenu.html
4. Users Groups - what do members want?
5. Issue of cataloging multi-volumes correctly is being referred to Resource Sharing Advisory Committee.

Actions

1. Committee will work by e-mail on Recommended Links categories
2. T. Lawrence will share the results from their conspectus analysis with the committee.
3. Committee will review revised draft of Last Copy Policy and Procedure at <http://midhudson.org/collection/last_copy.htm> by e-mail, preparing it for review at June DA meeting.
4. MHLS will buy the most current volume of the Wilson Fiction Catalog so members can borrow it from the MHLS Professional Collection.
5. J. Cohen will get specific information about setting this up a separate Innovative product for indexing local newspapers and bring to DA meeting.
6. J. Cohen will arrange for a demo of EBSCO Link Source.
7. Other Catalogs: over promising and under delivering. MHLS staff will tighten up wording in paragraph at top of page <http://gigcat.midhudson.org/screens/catalogs.html>.
8. MHLS staff will get input at June DA meeting about what users groups members want.

Next meeting, August 17