Attending: Jim Cosgrove, Sue Hermans, Greg Callahan, Ellen Guerci, Pat Kaufman, Merribeth Advocate, Lauren Muffs. Guest: Karen Moksvold.

Not attending: Josh Cohen, Tom Lawrence, Sally Alderdice, Bonnie Snyder, Patti Haar, Sherry Haluska

Approval of minutes: E. Guerci, seconded by G. Callahan

Report from the subcommittee: additional copies of bestsellers and DVD's

• Subcommittee met as requested to discuss ways of supplying items in high demand: bestsellers and DVD's. Attending the April 1 meeting: Janet Huen, John Georghiou, Josh Cohen, Jennifer Feigelman and Merribeth Advocate. Ellen Guerci and Kelly Tomaseski excused.
• Recommendations:
  1. All libraries should use the Millennium Acquisitions Module for entering their order records into the system. Benefits:
     1. All on-order items will show in the catalog so it is clear how many copies are actually coming
     2. Member library staff time will be saved because they won't be entering the item information twice
     3. Items will get on the shelf faster, because when they come it they will need only minimal processing as the record for the item was already created
  2. There seem to be enough copies of the best sellers and a McNaughton Plan to inject additional copies into the system is not recommended
  3. A McNaughton Plan for DVD's would not necessarily help enough to warrant its purchase, and is not recommended
• Committee discussion centered around the DVD element of this topic:
  • Not getting enough DVD's into the system may be a perceptual problem on part of librarians
  • Members agreed that they are not hearing complaints about people waiting for DVD's (except for a few vocal individuals)
  • Committee consensus that member libraries must 'play fair' - some do not purchase, some make them no-holds
    • L. Shedrick to prepare a report to be e-mailed to the committee (See Action 1) - # of DVD's each library has, how many not-holdable, how many of the holds use them as a pick-up agency

Info about Get Ready listing

• Put out by Mid-York Library System, Get Ready is a publication of current books and AV materials - when and where they will be promoted or seen (TV, radio, etc..) Listing is updated biweekly and is available through a password protected web site on an annual subscription basis. Committee reviewed sample listing and agreed it would be an asset for all members as for collection development, readers advisory and as a reference tool.
• Mid-York has offered us a group buy on Get Ready:
  • $45 / year is the regular price
  • $15 each for 25 or more subscriptions billed to a single account and paid for with a single check
  • $10 each for 50 or more
• Committee recommended collecting info on who would like to subscribe - decide on the individual price after seeing the interest. (See Action 2)
  

Downloadable audio books

• There will be a vendor demonstration of another product at the May DA meeting.
• Committee will discuss this as a possible new format collection at the next meeting. (See Action 3)

Report: Broadening titles available

• On behalf of the committees exploration of how to make the best use of our shared collection and how to structure broadening the collection to include things that are coming out that we might not typically buy, Karen Moksvold (SISP student, currently employed at IBM Library) presented a report on her snapshot analysis of adult fiction in our catalog vs. award winning and short listed titles. Findings:
  • Went in thinking a lot would not be represented, but almost every award winning title, including short listed, is represented in our holdings
  • Patterns emerged of some individual holdings, with some libraries more likely to buy the short listed titles. Mahopac owned many of the titles. P. Kaufman attributes this to having a staff member who is involved in readers advisory
  • Committee noted that if everyone used the Millennium Acquisitions Module we could see that someone is buying the less publicized titles. Asked for L.Shedrick to clarify for members that any library can use Acquisitions (See Action 4)
  • K. Moksvold recommended the Book Award Annals http://book.awardannals.com/ for purchasing recommendations

Review HomeAccess page set-up

• Committee reviewed draft of new page at http://midhudson.org/test/homeaccess_navigation_bar/science.htm. Consensus was to continue to develop new page and bring live when complete.
• Committee discussion about making it easier for patrons to know about and use the electronic databases
  • Referring to the MHLS Marketing & Program Advisory Committee to create a sign to put by the print reference collection that there is a larger virtual reference collection available through the library computer and the home computer (See Action 5)
  • Concern about the way locally funded databases are segregated from HomeACCESS choices. Makes it hard on the patron. Referred to MHLS Resource Sharing Advisory Committee to investigate instituting a product where all choices the cardholder is eligible for are on the same menu.

X-Refer

• Committee felt the title list for this product was underwhelming
• S.Hermans recommended a look at Grolier Online which can include The New Book of Knowledge, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Americana, La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre, The New Book of Popular Science, Lands and Peoples, America the Beautiful (See Action 6)

Local Portals

• P. Kaufman and J. Cosgrove expressed interest in learning more about implementing a local portal, with PmWiki freeware software http://www.pmwiki.org/, on behalf of their county (See Action 7)

Upcoming meeting dates

• July 27
• October 17

Tabled until the next meeting

• Central Library Topics
  • CL training 2005
  • Binder
  • Knowledge Inventory
  • Core Competencies
  • Useful Links

Actions:

1. L. Shedrick will prepare a report to be e-mailed to the committee - # of DVD's each library has, how many not-holdable, how many of the holds use them as a pick-up agency
2. M. Advocate will put send out info about Get Ready, with an Action Memo to compile interested libraries. Also promote at May DA.
3. At the next meeting the committee will discuss the possibility of making downloadable audio books a 'new format' collection.
4. L.Shedrick will clarify for members that any library can use Acquisitions
5. MHLS Marketing & Program Advisory Committee will create a sign to put by the print reference collection that there is a larger virtual reference collection available through the library computer and the home computer
6. At the next meeting S.Hermans will demo Grolier Online
7. L. Muffs will arrange a local portal training/discussion session within a month

Report to DA from the 4/20 meeting of the Central Library / Collection Development Advisory Committee:

1. Analysis of MHLS combined collection of member library holdings indicate:
• The number of copies of bestselling books currently being purchased are generally covering this need.
• Almost every award winning title, including the short listed ones, are represented in the collective holdings.
• DVD holdings indicate that not all libraries are purchasing material in this format, and that some libraries are designating their only copy of a particular title as no-holds.
• Committee noted that if all libraries used the Millennium Acquisitions Module for entering their order records into the system, the order records would show in the catalog so it would be clear how many copies are actually on-order. Laurie will clarify at the DA meeting that every library is eligable to use the Acquisitions module.
2. MHLS libraries can get a reduced subscription to the Get Ready sheet - an ongoing listing of the books currently being promoted on TV. Members are to respond to Action Memo 05-07.
3. Committee discussed making it easier for patrons to know about and use electronic databases.
• Previewed a draft redesign of the HomeACCESS page.
• Asked the MHLS Marketing & Program Advisory Committee to create a sign to put by the print reference collection indicating that there is a larger virtual reference collection available through the library computer and the home computer.
• Asked the MHLS Resource Sharing Advisory Committee to investigate instituting a product where all database choices the cardholder is eligible for are on the same menu, so locally funded databases are not segregated from HomeACCESS choices.
4. A meeting is being set-up for representatives from Putnam and Ulster counties to meet with Central Library staff to learn more about implementing a Local Portal for their counties. Interested parties from Columbia and Greene are encouraged to attend.

Merribeth Advocate, April 25, 2005