Minutes from April 20, 2005 meeting approved by E. Guerci, seconded by P. Kaufman. Action items update:
· Draft of sign with Print services now.
· L.Shedrick will confirm if one-stop authentication for databases (re: last minutes Action Item in report to DA item 5) was discussed by the Resource Sharing Advisory committee

Central Library training 2005 status

• Central Reference Library Services Coordinator Reports from 1/1/2005-6/30/2005 were reviewed. Felt the Subject Searches looked low. Committee wondered if Stumped? pads are effective.
• Current offerings: On-site training offered in the following areas upon request (Training-on-Demand): The Rules for Great Customer Service, Database Training, OPAC Training, Readers' Advisory, Reference Interview, Reference Topics
• Libraries visited: So far in 2005: 32 for reference assessments, 14 for training.
• Committee future recommendations:
  • Discussion about continuing lack of basic skills in many member library staff.
  • Attendees at the Orientation for New Library Staff workshop expressed interest in further training in the CL training areas: Readers Advisory, OPAC, Database Training (HOMEACCESS)
  • Due to the importance of basic understanding of these topics, committee asked for scheduled sessions in each county of CL training offerings (see Action 1)
• Knowledge inventory
  • Goal: To help directors know what training their staff needs (what they don't know is where training should be directed)
  • How to be used: To focus trainings
  • Committee cautioned that the Inventory should avoid "test" questions that sound like a reference class quiz.
  • S. Hermans will revise this as a companion piece to the Core Competencies. (see Action 2)
• Core Competencies
  • Could be useful in performance evaluations
  • Committee suggested that Knowledge Inventory should be based on Core Competencies. S. Hermans will revise this. (see Action 2)
  • P. Kaufman will send core competency resources with specific questions to S. Hermans & J. Cohen (see Action 3)
  • Committee will review at next meeting
• Training Binder
  • Committee agreed that members are not aware of services provided by the Central Library.
  • Felt they did not see a purpose to the binder, were not sure who it was designed for, when they would access it and why. Concern a print resource like this would be outdated. Suggested to make it a web page of what the Central Library offers and what it could do for members. (see Action 4). Committee will review at next meeting.
  • Noted that many of the resources suggested in the binder are in the Reference & Collection Development section of midhudson.org already, and that the section would benefit from breaking the info into categories. M. Advocate will send the committee a draft new navigational menu for the Reference and Collection Development section for review. (see Action 5)
• Useful Links: usage statistics
  • Usage statistics were not available at this meeting. L.Muffs will provide them for the next meeting. (see Action 6)
  • Committee reviewed site and asked for the following:
    • Reorder entries to display alphabetical vertically
    • Change header at top to say "Useful Sites" not "Adriance Memorial Library's Useful Sites"
    • Add Poughkeepsie Public Library District to existing text ("These links are selected and maintained by staff at Adriance Memorial Library, the Central Reference Library of the Mid-Hudson Library System") as patrons in other counties know the library as Poughkeepsie rather than Adriance.
  • Want this page to serve as a virtual reference desk in member libraries. CL needs to check each section of links to insure the sections are inclusive. (see Action 7)
  • Committee asked that CL revise the Children's Recommended Links page w/out the PPLD left-hand navigation bar (revised as was Useful Links), as requested at the 8/17/2004 committee meeting. (see Action 8)
• Local portals for MHLS members
  • L. Muffs reported that Central Library will not be able to offer training on creating Local Portals.
  • Committee questioned how to add local info to Useful Links. Categories of local info determined by the committee at the 11/17/2004 meeting were: State & local government, education, art & recreation.
• Online database demo
  • Committee members were asked to review two database trials and report to committee by e-mail: (see Action 9)
  • Grolier Online: S. Hermans will send URL and passwords to committee. Committee should look at each of the components and suggest a package that would be complementary to the HOMEACCESS databases. Does not have to be one of the vendors "suggested combos".
  • Jewish History & Genealogy: www.jewishdata.com M. Advocate will send access info to committee.
• Central Book Aid/ Central Library Development Aid
• Committee reviewed 2005 Central Books Aid / Central Library Development Aid application
• Will discuss recommendations for 2007 application at next meeting
• Committee meetings and membership
  • S. Haluska is resigning from the committee. Term to '07 will be filled by another Ulster County representative.
  • Committee discussed recommendation from the 9/1/05 Advisory Committee Restructuring meeting and decided membership does not need to be expanded to include county reference directors, and to stay with 4 meetings per year
• Review of Collection Development initiatives
  • Get Ready: M. Advocate will collect info and report at next meeting (see Action 10)
  • Wilson Web: CL will bring usage statistics to the next meeting (see Action 11)
  • Downloadable audiobooks: discussion tabled until next meeting
• Rotating Collections / Spanish
  • Committee reviewed concepts from their rotating collection discussion at the 11/17/2004 meeting: ability to place holds has ended the need, and MHLS rotating collections should increase in price each year to encourage local purchasing in that area.
  • Committee recommended that the 2006 price for each collection should be raised by 50% (children's will be $112.50, adult will be $150)
  • What it would cost for the collection to become self-sufficient? At the next meeting M. Advocate will bring collection circ statistics (by library if possible) and price of a collection. (see Action 12)

Actions

1. Central Library training will be scheduled in each county, with sessions covering the CL training offerings.
2. S. Hermans will revise both the Knowledge Inventory and the Core Competencies as companion pieces to each other, and committee will review at next meeting.
3. P. Kaufman will send core competency resources with specific questions to S. Hermans & J. Cohen.
4. Central Library will make a web page, or send the info to MHLS to make the page, of what the Central Library offers member libraries and what it can do for them. Committee will review at next meeting.
5. M. Advocate will send to the committee for review a draft new navigational menu for the Reference and Collection Development section of midhudson.org.
6. L. Muffs will provide usage statistics for Useful Links for the next meeting.
7. Central Library staff will check each section of links in Useful Links to insure the sections are inclusive.
8. CL will revise the Children's Recommended Links page w/out the PPLD left-hand navigation bar (as was Useful Links).
9. Committee members will review two databases and exchange thoughts through committee e-mail: Grolier Online and Jewish History & Genealogy.
10. M. Advocate will collect info from members about their use of Get Ready and report at next meeting.
11. CL will bring usage statistics from Wilson Web to the next meeting.
12. M. Advocate will bring Spanish Rotating Collection circ statistics (by library if possible) and price of a collection to the next meeting.

Report to DA from the October 11, 2005 meeting of the Central Library / Collection Development Advisory Committee:

• Sue Hermans is developing Library Staff Core Competency Guidelines, broken out by Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. These will be able to be used to determine training needs and could also be used in performance evaluations. If you have resources that would be helpful with this development, please forward them to Sue at Adriance.
• The Reference and Collection Development section of midhudson.org will be redesigned. The committee will review a draft of the new navigational menu, then send it to the members for comment.
• The committee suggests that directors review one item from the Reference and Collection Development section of midhudson.org each month with staff at a meeting.
• S. Haluska is resigning from the committee. Committee is looking for another Ulster County representative. Term to '07.
• Committee reviewed concepts from their rotating collection discussion at the 11/17/2004 meeting: ability to place holds has ended the need, and MHLS rotating collections should increase in price each year to encourage local purchasing in that area. Committee recommended that the 2006 price for each Spanish Rotating Collection should be raised by 50% (children's will be $112.50, adult will be $150)

Merribeth Advocate