Attending: Carol Corrigan, Anne Jordan, Midge Quick, Barbara Flach, Kara Lustiber, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Josh Cohen, Margaret Keefe, Merribeth Advocate.
Not attending: Maria Steinberg, Jody Ford.

Committee reviewed Committee Mission Statement & Member Responsibilities.

Minutes from 12/15/05: approved by B. Flach, seconded by M. Quick. Committee reviewed Action Items.

New:

• Appointment of Committee Chair for 2006
  • A. Jordan was thanked for being the 2005 chair. B. Flach has agreed to be the 2006 chair; M. Quick has agreed to continue on as the DA reporter. M. Quick was thanked for her enthusiastic presentation of the Book Club in a Bag project.
• Youth Services Related
  • 2006 Summer Reading Program: $12,200 coming to MHLS to help members promote and expand their SRP. The funding came from DLD because of large participation from MHLS libraries over the past few years, and will be used as follows:
    • Reach Out Challenge: points for different levels of Outreach - due July 14. Last year 7 libraries were awarded a banner from these funds. Prize idea for this year is a free-standing poster display stand from Demco.com. <search for product code WE14924620 or WE14986390>.
    • Give-away bags for Kids Expo
    • Performer Grant of $200 tied to SRP - due April 3.
    • Additional SRP incentives from Janway for libraries to use in promoting SRP to schools, day-care, etc… Libraries can make a promotional display or give to schools to give out as incentives. Libraries can request these from Kerstin Cruger.
  • 2007 Summer Reading Program: As reported at the SRP workshop, DLD has made NY the 37th state involved in the Collaborative Summer Library program (CSLP) <http://www.cslpreads.org/> for the 2006 & 07 SRP theme. Every MHLS library will have access to this. There will be a manual, along with PSA video and audio announcements, complete teen program, adult programs.
  • Performer's Showcase: M. Keefe investigated the DA suggestion of contacting the county arts councils - reported it would be better done at the local county level. Did a survey at this session to see what price people would pay - was higher than expected, so this will be reflected in the 2007 line-up. Committee recommended adding a staff education component on tips for booking performers & negotiating fees, including staff relating their successful experiences.
• Getting to Yes: Non-user Focus Group Data
  • Committee reviewed summary of non-user data
  • Critical need to stay relevant, need for a whole new way to market the library continuously in an overarching coordinated theme
  • Ideas discussed: Promoting HomeACCESS through newsletters, individual promotion, tied to something current in the news like Bird Flu; Making voters more pro-library, helping people register to vote in general; Offering more social events accompanied by related resources from collection & HomeACCESS (wine tasting or local restaurant 'taste of…')
  • Recommended to MHLS Continuing Education / Professional Development Advisory Committee that customer service tips and techniques integrated into every training MHLS offers (ex: "remember when helping a patron with this…")
• PR Audit of MHLS
  • Issues discussed:
    • The value of having an annual plan and set procedures to improve/coordinate overall effort and impact.
    • Print materials: Making a consistent impact, having the header show consistently in a rack, always having specific tagline (including URL) added to materials, consistency with colors and font. Committee agreed that OPAC and HomeACCESS are the primary categories for MHLS promotional materials. Committee agreed it was not important to include a listing of all libraries, but is important to have a blank area to stamp / label library name & web address.
    • Promotional vs. instructional -different design rules but consistent in each category:
      • Instructional would be neon colors w/ logo included at bottom or back. Print in house. Bookmarks for database with instructions on front and general on back. Business, health, newspapers and magazines.
      • Promotional could be printed outside.
    • Web page that says what MHLS does for member libraries, for member libraries to link to their public web pages.
    • For upcoming meeting: rack-card templates.
• Marketing HomeACCESS
  • Ideas discussed included: 'Librarian is your safari guide to information.' Explaining difference between Internet and HomeACCESS. Adding aspect of librarians being info professionals, and info literacy.
  • Ideas for individual database rack cards include "if you like to read the NY times", "if you have a rash", "homework due tomorrow", "helping your student succeed" . Try for direct relevancy. Include tag line of "other databases available"
  • Committee suggested a general brochure promoting all HomeACCESS databases.
• Blogging Workshop
  • Ideas discussed included the need to look beyond print to see how people are getting info; a library blog for public view and interaction; taught thorough a workshop w/ 2 focuses: how to do it, how to manage it. Suggested uses included: An online book discussion, an online newsletter, discussion of local issues (increase in requests to local info - finding out what is going on in the community). Ask at DA meeting if there is an interest.

Old:

• Book Club in a Bag Report
  • Committee reviewed the web resources for the project, and approved of appearance of kits including supplemental materials and labels
  • Issues discussed included: Additional libraries will be able to join in at any time and create new bags; including in OPAC a dummy holding statement that links to the Book Club in a Bag web page.
  • Launch begins at the April DA meeting, so staff is on board before launch to the public.
• MHLS-managed web site update
  • Two libraries have submitted their info for online giving. Others are interested and in the process of talking to their board. There will be no deadline to this opportunity to add funding info to MHLS managed web pages. Libraries still need to respond to Rebekkah if they would like to add this.
• EZ Library Program Database upgrades
  • Committee agreed to remove the graphic entirely, and rename it "Program Ideas - for all ages" using the name as a graphic.
  • Committee asked MHLS staff to integrate resources from the MHLS Programming pages into the database, and to review the drop-down menu of topics for relevancy (removing Author Visits).
• Book Holds
  • L. Shedrick distributed instructions about priority paging and placing holds for book groups - instructions are linked to the Resource Sharing & Millennium web page. Committee recommended the priority paging demo for an upcoming DA meeting (possibly May), and that the holds instructions be linked to the Programming web page and posted to the Millennium list serv.

Actions:

1. MHLS Staff will prepare a draft web page of what MHLS does for member libraries, for member libraries to link to their public web pages.
2. MHLS Staff will prepare rack-card templates.
3. MHLS staff will remove the graphic from the EZ LIbrary Program Database - replace with text.
4. MHLS staff will integrate resources from the MHLS Programming pages into the database, and to review the drop-down menu of topics for relevancy (removing Author Visits).
5. L.Shedrick will demo priority paging at an upcoming DA meeting (possibly May).

Next Meeting: Monday, June 19th

Merribeth Advocate