November 2001 Executive Committee Meeting

Date: 
2001/11/28

 

Wednesday,  November 28, 2001
Conyers-Rockdale Library, Conyers, GA

 

Minutes approved 4/25/2002

The meeting was called to order at 2:00 PM by Chair Alan Kaye.

Committee members in attendance: Alan Kaye, Barbara Hutsell, Steve Shaefer, Diana Tope, Charles Gee, Mike Dugan, Greg Heid, Walter Murphy, Debbie Manget. 

PINES staff present:
David Singleton, Elizabeth McKinney de Garcia, Julie Walker, Lois Upham.

Other library directors present: Susie Stewart, Joan Adam, Jim Cooper, Carolyn Fuller, Susan Cooley, Lyn Hopper. 

The minutes of the August 7, 2001 meeting were approved.

David Singleton introduced the newest member of the PINES staff; Elizabeth McKinney de Garcia; Elizabeth is the new Project Coordinator for PINES.

A new B&W map of the PINES system was distributed.  David stated that Brad LaJeunesse had remained at his post in Atlanta for this meeting. He said that two positions for PINES central staff remain unfilled.

The Project Manager’s report was given by David Singleton:
David stated that Phase Two of PINES is virtually complete.  The database now contains over seven million item records and over 500 thousand patron records.  The cost for Phase Two was approximately 3.4 million dollars.  Problems with the Labor Day data merge did occur, but were to be expected with when merging two extremely large databases.  The PINES staff is working with Sirsi on identifying and resolving the problem records.    Since upgrading to Unicorn 2001.12, approximately 20-30 patches have been applied to address problems in the software.  One of the major problems was that Sirsi did not update the pullonshelfholds report to reflect the changes in Unicorn 2001, so holds were not attaching as we had set the system to do.  Once this report was identified and revised, the number of problems with holds has dropped sharply.

PINES will implement User services (the ability for a patron to see his/her own patron record w/ a library card and a PIN) very soon; this will include the ability to see checkouts, holds, and fines, and to renew materials online, but will not include patron-placed holds at this time. 

Several members of the committee raised concerns regarding recent training sessions conducted by Sirsi trainers. It seems clear that training needs to be more specifically aimed at PINES policies and practice.  There was agreement that experienced PINES personnel need to be more involved.  Regional training was also requested.  David Singleton stated that the upcoming training sessions would address these concerns, and that subsequent training would be conducted by staff from PINES and PINES libraries, using the train-the-trainer approach, so that training will be fully customized to the needs of PINES libraries.

David asked Elizabeth Garcia to demonstrate the proposed webpages for PINES; the staff website, available to staff in all PINES libraries, will include FAQs, participating systems, mailing addresses of libraries, and an online PINES HelpDesk request form.  The public website will include links to web sites of participating library systems, a description of the PINES project, basic information on getting a PINES card, and other information

A contract for retrospective conversion of the genealogy collections at Middle Georgia Regional Library and Ohoopee Regional Library has been awarded to Electronic Scriptorium.

Serials module implementation has been rescheduled for February. Commitment for acquisitions module implementation has been withdrawn until existing problems are successfully resolved, and until the acquisitions module is fully wizardized by SIRSI.

The chair expressed appreciation to David Singleton and all the members of PINES staff for the continuing success of the project. 

A discussion of guidelines for appointments to subcommittees followed.  Julie Walker distributed a list of current subcommittee members and proposed guidelines for subcommittee appointments.

Motion to approve subcommittee guidelines by Dugan; second by Hutsell. Seven in favor; one absent.

The full slate of the subcommittee appointments shown on the list submitted by Julie Walker was unanimously approved.

Motion to accept additional nominations from the floor by Shaefer; second by Dugan.  All in favor.

Jim Cooper nominated Martha Goodson to the Reports committee.

Action Items.  Eight agenda items requiring action by the executive committee were considered:

1.) The executive committee voted to accept the recommendation not to create a new item type that would allow the  renewal of 7-day videos.  Motion by Dugan; second by Shaefer.  All in favor.

2.) The executive committee approved the motion to make fine-free or food-for-fines library promotions local options which apply only at the initiating library systems.  The participating library/system must make it clear to the public that these promotions are local and do not apply to other PINES libraries.  Motion by Gee; second by Hutsell.  All in favor.

3.) On the recommendation that PINES members have the ability to set local maximums for overdue fines, the executive committee referred this recommendation back to the Circulation subcommittee for further study and clarification.

4.) In the area of User Services, the executive committee decided that library users must request PIN numbers in person (not on the telephone or via e-mail) with proper ID.  The request may be made at any PINES library.  Motion by Manget; second by Hutsell. 7 in favor; 1 opposed.

5.) Action postponed on user-initiated holds.  This procedure will not be implemented until the entire PINES system has fully integrated Phase Two records and the hold features of the system are working 100% correctly.

6.) The executive committee approved adding  “Deposit” “Lease” and “Outreach” to non-holdable items.   Motion by Hutsell; second by Dugan. 8 in favor; 0 opposed.

7.) The executive committee voted to retain the current policy of designating library system rather than individual facility as the “my library first” holds setting.  Motion by Dugan; second Tope.   7 in favor; 1 abstained.    Jim Cooper expressed the viewpoint that this decision works a hardship on multi-county regionals.  Debbie Manget recommended that the issue be revisited.

8.) The committee decided that whether or not to allow proxy check-out of items on hold should be a local decision and requested that it be so stated in the PINES manual.   Motion by Dugan; second by Hutsell.  All in favor.

Old business.
  The Training Options Ad Hoc Committee reported that a web-based format, perhaps using Flash scripts that can include sound and motion, is probably the best and most easily updated option.  The work of this committee should be understood as developing ancillary materials and options rather than as developing basic PINES training. 
 
A PINES promotional video that is being developed by a group of directors in the University of South Carolina Library School program will be shown at the ALA convention in Atlanta.

Electronic voter registration at public libraries continues to be investigated.  Greg Heid reported on his meeting with the staff of the Secretary of State.  The recommendation is that this procedure be implemented in phases, with PINES libraries as the first phase.

David Singleton reported that progress has been made on streamlining reports using an expedited searching method that works better than Sirsi’s standard method in large databases such as PINES.  The executive committee encouraged the PINES staff to share that solution with Sirsi at some point, especially is some benefit could be provided to the project in return.

The chair announced that the PINES executive committee would meet with the Board of Regents OIIT to explore opportunities for GIL/PINES cooperation.

David Singleton reported that reimbursement checks have been mailed to PINES libraries for PINES loans and PINES mailbags have been reordered.

David Singleton reported that his staff has investigated several options regarding collection agencies. His recommendation is that collection agencies should contract individually with library systems, and that several libraries had expressed no interest in using a collection agency, while others agreed that perhaps no single collection agency could serve the needs of all interested PINES libraries.  Central staff will be happy to advise and share information.  On the motion to accept David’s recommendation; all in favor.
 
New business. David Singleton stated that the Ocmulgee Regional Library System has been placed on probationary status for failing to comply with the terms of the PINES membership agreement.  Every effort will be made by BOR/GPLS staff to help Ocmulgee to achieve full participation in PINES, as outlined in the membership agreement.  

The announcement was made that the next meeting would be on the afternoon of February fourteenth.  This will be a Joint PINES/GIL meeting at the OIIT headquarters near the Capitol Building in Atlanta.

Meeting adjourned.