Attending: Jim Cosgrove, Patti Haar, John Georghiou, Greg Callahan, Sue Hermans, Tom Lawrence, Sally Alderdice, Josh Cohen, Gloria Goverman, Pat Kaufman, Luisa Sabin-Kildiss, Merribeth Advocate.

Minutes from the 3.17.2006 meeting were approved by J. Cosgrove, seconded by G. Callahan. Action items were reviewed.

Athens: Authentication/tracking product. No longer represented through WALDO. Problem to solve: incorporate the library owned databases and HomeAccess databases into one authentication screen. Will look at this through Innovative.

• Issues discussed: HomeAccess name could be changed for clarity. Need to rethink what we want for databases: other reputable sources are putting up the same info on their sites, new selections could fill targeted niches.

Central Library Survey: 27 surveys returned = 41% of the system membership. (See Action 1)

• Issues discussed: Need to make Central Library services relevant to member library staff. Need regular training for frontline staff. CL investigating internal adjustments to prioritize phone calls from member libraries seeking reference support. Considering piloting IM reference services to libraries and patrons. Shifting CBA from reference titles to more circulating non-fiction. Need for system wide non fiction collection development

Reference E-Newsletter:

• Central Library will pilot a quarterly Reference E-Newsletter for the next 18 months, with Fall being the 1st issue, with information that will be directly targeted to staff. Included will be recent acquisitions, frequently asked reference questions, reminders, training tips, webographies for things that are cyclical in schools. (See Action 2)

Draft Core Competencies Quiz: This is to standardize the level of what staff knows.

• Issues discussed: Committee members piloted the quiz with their staff - sparked conversation with staff. This is a good start: next step is to refine it, include other possible correct answers, break into levels of ability. Use as a part of training and make available for directors to use as a training assessment tool. (See Action 3)
• Committee suggested a fall training session in each county on the OPAC (as well as keeping it an On-Demand offering) to improve staff understanding. Suggested title: 25 OPAC Tricks You Don't Know. Pre-test attendees with OPAC Core Competency Quiz.

Central Reference Library Budget Review and Service Plan:

• Annual budget is about $200,000 CLDA and $71,500 CBA.
• Committee reviewed a spreadsheet of where '06 money was spent.
• Need to develop a plan for 2007-2011. Plan goals: Improve the ability of library staff to answer or refer reference requests; to build a strong system-wide non-fiction collection. Vehicles for this include virtual resources, databases and continuing education offerings.
  • Virtual resources, including selected web sites to assist library staff in answering reference questions, portal to Local information links, Readers Advisory links and lists, Pathfinders. Genealogy support was also mentioned.
    • Issues discussed: Committee should define the info to be included in Local Portals. Committee should set criteria for the pathfinders - these subject guides should be prepared in response to questions being asked; directed toward patrons; linked to member library web sites.
  • Databases discussed included ProQuest, Contemporary Authors and Literary Criticism, Car Repair Manuals, Antiques.com, Ancestry or Heritage Quest, Serials Solutions (a federated search engine and puts all database titles into catalog), Overdrive (questionable), Book Collection: Nonfiction and Grolier Online. (See Action 4)
    • Issues discussed: Car Repair Manuals and Antiques.com will help get new people into library databases. Consider cost-sharing some of the cost of new databases with all member libraries. Databases chosen will be for all member libraries.
  • Continuing Education offerings discussed included Subject Searching, OPAC tricks and techniques, Using Databases, Web Links, Tips for using Google for reference, Reference Interview and ethics, helping patrons with online forms.
    • Issues discussed: Topic specific training in each county on a monthly basis with open registration, an evaluation component as a way to ensure programs are on target and summaries of the evaluations for the committee.
• Committee asked to schedule a work session prior to the next committee meeting to continue the service/budgeting brainstorming. (See Action 5)

Next meeting: July 11 work session, 10am in the MHLS Conference Room.

Actions:

1. Committee asked for T. Lawrence to tabulate the survey results and compile the comments for the July work session.
2. CL staff will produce a quarterly Reference E-Newsletter, with fall being the 1st issue.
3. S. Hermans will refine the Core Competency Quiz and administer it as a pre-test for fall OPAC training.
4. S. Hermans will put database trial information on the list serv so members can check out Book Collection: Nonfiction and Grolier Online.
5. P. Haar will schedule a committee work session prior to the next quarterly committee meeting.

Merribeth Advocate