2006 PINES Annual Membership Meeting
PINES Executive Committee Meeting
and
Georgia Library PINES Annual Membership Meeting
May 18, 2006 – 9:00 AM
Macon State College-Warner Robins Campus Auditorium – Warner Robins, Georgia
Minutes Approved 5/17/2007
Committee Members Present: Jim Cooper, Carolyn Fuller, Dusty Gres, Lyn Hopper, Claire Leavy, Frances Messer, Lois Roberts, Steve Schaefer, Diana Tope
Committee Members Absent:
PINES Staff present: Bill Erickson, Elizabeth Garcia, Katherine Gregory, Brad LaJeunesse, Bin Lin, Julie Walker
GPLS Staff present: David Singleton
Visitors: PINES Annual Training Meeting members and Library Directors
I. CALL TO ORDER.
The meeting was called to order at 9:14 by Chairperson Dusty Gres.
II. WELCOME.
Dusty welcomed everyone to the 2006 Annual Meeting, thanked Judy Golden for hosting the event, and the PINES staff for coordinating the PINES Annual Meeting and training sessions. Roll call of the PINES libraries was taken.
III. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
- The minutes of the May 19th 2005 Annual Meeting Executive Committee Meeting were approved by a motion from Jim Cooper and a second by Carolyn Fuller.
- The minutes of the January 5, 2006 Executive Committee Meeting were corrected to read Frances Messer as present. The minutes were approved by a motion by Carolyn Fuller and a second by Diana Tope.
IV. PINES STAFF REPORTS.
New Libraries. Julie Walker noted that new policy names have been added in PINES. Henry Co has a new branch, Three Rivers Regional is opening a St. Simon’s branch and another facility had a name change. Currently 44 of 58 systems belong to PINES (45 members counting State Library). There are 252 participating libraries with 2 more being added this summer. Talks are on-going with Troup-Harris-Coweta. No intent form has been signed, but their PINES membership will be discussed at an up-coming board meeting.
PINES Budget. Julie noted that PINES will do their best to act within the budget. There were no additional funds in the budget for the two libraries that have signed intent forms, but those two have already sent in their data. Julie called attention to PINES Budgets for FY06 ($1,379,309) and FY07 ($1,329,500). She pointed out the savings in maintenance due the EVERGREEN conversion. She explained that the courier contract needs to be re-bid and that Unique’s contract for processing overdue notices has gone smoothly and resulted in savings in both supplies and postage.
PINES User Survey. Julie Walker distributed copies of the 2006 PINES Annual Patron Satisfaction Survey. There were 3,473 responses in 7 days, and it was noted that this is the last survey for SIRSI software. Julie said that it will be interesting to compare results with the future EVERGREEN survey. User comments can be viewed on the website. Steve Schaeffer requested that future handouts include the exact web address for ease in access.
Training and Presentation. Katherine Gregory reported that PINES trainers worked with 391 people over the year and there are approximately 200 attendees for this year’s conference. Five Sub-committee 60 meetings were held with 41 members attending along with PINES staff. PINES presentations were also made at several state and national library conferences in addition to a technical conference in Alberta, Canada in near future.
HelpDesk. The HelpDesk responded to 1,272 requests. Julie noted that Michael Imsand, who ran the helpdesk, has left GPLS and that the position is being advertised. A greater volume of questions is expected in the year ahead as PINES transitions to the new EVERGREEN software.
Overdue Report; Overdue Notices. Members in attendance received a list of PINES Overdue Materials and Circulation statistics from FY2000 – FY2005. Elizabeth explained that the overdue data will be online and will include a list of facilities. The May 16, 2006 PINES Overdue Materials report that lists 30-day, 90-day and 180-day Overdues by Library System, was distributed.
Number of Items in Collection State-wide: 8,652,062 PERCENT
Number of Items 30 days overdue: 172,067 (1.99%)
Number of Items 90 days overdue: 150,797 (1.74%)
Number of Items 180 days overdue: 131,781 (1.52%)
David Singleton asked Elizabeth how many library systems were using UNIQUE Collection Services and she replied that there were approximately 12 with individual agreements. Discussion ensued regarding the comparative value of having the service. Dusty said she had done an informal survey of libraries that used the service and found that they got more materials back. Greg Heid reported that he had an outstanding response from the service. David Singleton noted the recent AP article on Unique that included information about Lee County Library initiating the service.
Delivery Service. Elizabeth Garcia reported that it is necessary to re-bid the courier contract since it ends October 31, 2006. She appreciates comments via e-mail regarding service quality as they have been useful in preparing the new request for bids. Velocity’s new line hauls have improved transit times in some areas but there are still problems in the Savannah hub. There is speculation that this is because the Savannah service is sub-contracted.
Cataloging Report. Bin Lin reported that training for the SIRSI system ended in April and that members should let her know if you have need for additional training. Bin also ran down a quick list of approved vendors for original and copy cataloging in PINES and stressed the importance of having the vendor approved by her office prior to contracting any cataloging services. She asked that libraries notify GPLS for the vendor’s PINES authorization code and not share an authorization code with a vendor. Bin and Julie will send out a list of approved vendors. Greg Heid pointed out that there was a list of approved vendors posted on the GPLS website for members to access but that fee agreements are between library and vendor -- PINES evaluates the quality of the vendor’s cataloging and helps with paperwork. Bin and Julie will send out a list of approved vendors to PINES libraries. David Singleton commented that Greg Heid and others on Georgia Council are looking into the possibility of state-wide discounts with approved vendors. Several librarians commented that sharing information about contract cost agreement helps in negotiating with the vendors. Steve Schaefer suggested that PINES contact approved vendors to alert them to the EVERGREEN transition.
Software Development. Julie introduced Bill Erickson. He explained that EVERGREEN is in Beta test and available for download on the open-ils.org site. The full PINES database is now loaded into the OPAC and member libraries are encouraged to play around in the database and get a feel for it. Brad LaJeunesse said the “official Beta” should be loaded on website in a week and that early training sessions will be geared to “training the trainer” since that is the most logical way to get information and training out to the EVERGREEN staff users. He explained that on Labor Day weekend, BOTH systems will be taken down on Friday night (September 1) and that EVERGREEN will “go live” on Tuesday morning (September 5) at 8:00 AM. Wendy Weinberger asked if the week-end without libraries might be spun to our advantage with the media. Julie said that David Baker would be asked to generate a press release on the transition to EVERGREEN. This would include something every library could use on a local level.
V. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS
Universal Statistical Categories
Q: The Evergreen patron registration form can allow for any number of statistical categories that a library would wish to collect about its patrons. We would like to determine which stat cats should be universal for ALL PINES patrons.
A: The subcommittees did not recommend any statistical categories that should be included for all PINES patrons
Executive Committee decision was determined by a motion from Lyn Hopper and a second by Diana Tope. The Primary language will be a universal statistical category in the PINES patron record; the default language will be English.
New Book Status
Q: A PINES Director proposed that the length of time an item remains in New Book status be changed from 6 months to 12 months. The director proposing this change says “I believe it would encourage larger library systems to join PINES.”
A: The subcommittees’ votes were 1-YES and 18-NO on this issue.
Executive Committee decision was determined by a motion from Jim Cooper and a second by Steve Schaefer. The current policy will stand.
PINES Children’s Card
Q: PINES libraries have the option to issue a Children's Card that limits the card holder to only borrowing materials in the Children's collection. From the proposing director: “I believe this would provide parents concerned with their children borrowing adult material some control.”
A: There were 18 NO votes on this issue; one conditional YES, with a full-privilege card being the default for children, and parents being allowed to invoke a limited card if desired.
Executive Committee decision was determined by a motion from Steve Schaefer and a second by Jim Cooper. The current policy will stand.
Patron Credit
Q: Evergreen has the ability to allow patrons to carry credit on their accounts. Examples include a refund for a lost-and-paid item, or a patron who pays a $3 fine with a $20 bill and chooses to keep the remaining $17 on account for future fines. Because this involves money, Julie called the Department of Audits for a ruling on the legality of this practice. Claire Arnold from Audits said libraries will not be required to keep these funds in any separate accounts; there is no upper limit to how much they can keep, and no time limit on how long they can keep it.
Your thoughts: shall we allow patrons to keep credit on their PINES accounts? Should we establish an upper limit?
A: Several voters expressed concerns about auditor questions and refunding of credit accounts; 6 voter recommend NOT allowing credit on PINES accounts; 3 votes were received to allow an upper limit of $20 per patron account, 1 vote for keeping credit up to $24, 1 vote for keeping credit up to $5.
Executive Committee decision was determined by a motion from Steve Schaefer and a second by Lyn Hopper. No credit on patron accounts at this time.
Allowing Placement of Multiple Holds
Q: What should happen when a patron attempts to place more than one hold on a title? Currently, a patron cannot do this himself, and staff must use an override to place such a hold. Julie explained that she was aware that book clubs and some teachers do legitimately wish to receive multiple copies of the same title, which is a great use of the PINES system. However, she also wonders if some impatient patrons try to place multiple holds just to get the item faster, which would result in wasted effort at the libraries…and some people probably just forget that they’ve already placed a hold!
The following choices were presented in committee:
- Give the user a warning, such as “You already have a hold on this title; placing another hold may cause you to receive multiple copies. Do you wish to continue?”, and then allow the hold to be placed.
- Do not allow patrons to place multiple holds, but allow staff to do this using an override.
A: The Subcommittees’ votes: 13 in favor of option #2, 2 in favor of option #1.
Executive Committee decision was determined by a motion from Jim Cooper with a second by Carolyn Fuller. Option #2 was selected: Do not allow patrons to place multiple holds, but allow staff to do this using an override.
Adult and Juvenile Profiles vs. Birthdates
Q: Currently in PINES policy, there is NO difference in the privileges accorded a holder of an ADULT card and a JUVENILE card. These designations are strictly for statistical purposes. In Evergreen, we plan to use the patron profiles to determine privilege; therefore, there seems to be no reason to have different profiles depending on the age of the patron. Rather, it makes sense to use the BIRTHDATE to collect statistical data about the ages of our patrons. At any given moment, a library can run a report counting the number of users who are 18 and under at that moment. As it stands in the current system, when you run a report counting JUVENILE users, you are likely counting many people who have turned 18 since applying for a PINES card 5 years ago, so the stats you are getting may not be accurate.
PINES asks for a parent/guardian signature for all cards issued to persons under the age of 18, and this requirement would, of course, continue; again, the requirement for a signature would be determined by the birth date given. The question: do you support eliminating ADULT and JUVENILE patron profiles, and instead using the BIRTHDATE field to collect statistical data on patron age?
A: 18 subcommittee members voted YES to eliminating ADULT and JUVENILE patron profiles, and instead, recording BIRTHDATE in the patron record. There were a few concerns expressed regarding patrons who refuse to give date of birth.
Executive Committee decision was determined by a motion from Frances Messer with a second by Claire Leavy. Eliminate ADULT and JUVENILE profiles and use BIRTHDATE in the patron record. Color coding will be used in EVERGREEN to indicate patrons under the age of 18.
PINs by Email/Phone
Q: We have a request from a PINES library for a policy re-consideration. They propose that PINES libraries be allowed to issue patron PINs via email, and possibly via telephone. Current PINES policy requires that PINs be given only in person.
A: Votes were running 6 NO and 2 YES before Greg Heid proposed the following solution: “Allow pin numbers to be obtained via email similar to Amazon or a bank when you email the institution requesting a password that you have forgotten. This service can be accomplished with a simple button on the PINES website that leads the patron to a predetermined web form that they fill in and send. The server verifies the email address and other information typed in and then sends the pin number to the patron's email address. This is simple, easy, and creates a semi secure method for people to obtain their pin number without creating liability for staff members or the library system.” Six (6) subcommittee members then voted to support Greg’s solution.
Executive Committee decision was determined by a motion from Steve Schaefer with a second by Carolyn Fuller. YES to Greg Heid’s proposal for PINs by electronic access to PINES.
Executive Committee decision was determined by a motion from Carolyn Fuller with a second by Diana Tope. NO to the proposal that PINs to access PINES be given out over the telephone.
Items Rolling to Lost/Long Overdue
Q: In the Evergreen software, it will be possible to “roll” an item that has been overdue for a long period of time into a status of LOST, with the cost of the item being charged to the user’s record. The question has two parts:
1. Should that time frame be consistent throughout PINES?
If YES, then 1A-What should the time frame be? An example would be 45 days past the due date. (Keep in mind that PINES sends overdue notices at 7, 14 and 30 days past the due date).
If NO, then individual library systems would determine their “roll” time.
A: There was much discussion on this issue, and votes were fairly equally divided between choosing a consistent time frame for rolling over (45-90 days most frequently mentioned), and leaving this as a local decision. A suggestion for offering a tiered approach, such as we use in our billing structures, was made, and many subcommittee members agreed that this might be a good solution. Libraries could choose 90/180/360 days as the time frame to “roll” items; the term “LONGOVERDUE” was preferred to LOST. This allows library systems using a collection agency to work through their process.
Executive Committee decision was determined by a motion from Jim Cooper with a second by Frances Messer that all PINES libraries use a consistent time from for conversions and that we use the term long-overdue to describe these lost items.
Executive Committee decision was determined by a motion from Jim Cooper with a second by France Messer that all PINES libraries items roll to LONG OVERDUE at 180 days in all PINES libraries.
Require all Libraries to have Branch Delivery 3 Days per Week
Following discussion of the correct procedure, this item, which was tabled at the January 5, 2006 Executive Committee Meeting, was allowed to die. It may be raised again at a later date.
New Subcommittee Members
Julie Walker announced that subcommittee members were still needed and noted that Mary Ann Spell from Middle Georgia Regional Library should be added to the Cataloging & Bibliographic Management Subcommittee list. She distributed a list of individuals who were approved to serve on PINES Subcommittees for a 3-year term (copy is on file) and asked members to e-mail suggestions to her and the Executive Committee will vote electronically. The motion to accept the nominations for new 3-year term committee members was made by Lyn Hopper and seconded by Steve Schaefer. The motion was approved.
VI. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTION RESULTS
Dusty announced the names of the new PINES Executive Committee members and thanked candidates for placing their names forward. These terms will begin July 1st and are for three years. Congratulations to Lisa Rigsby (DeSoto Trail Regional), Richard Sanders (Hart County), and Joe Shinnick (Three Rivers Regional) and many thanks to Steve for assistance in conducting the election process.
VII. OLD BUSINESS - NONE
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
Jim Cooper requested that the Executive Committee appoint a sub-committee to review the Constitution and Bylaws with the EVERGREEN transition and to revisit how business is transacted and members are represented at the PINES Annual meeting. It was noted that changes to the Constitution and Bylaws are made by the entire PINES membership and that electronic voting is permitted. Dusty asked for volunteers. Jim Cooper, Dusty Gres, Frances Messer, and Lois Roberts agreed to work with Julie Walker in reviewing the Constitution and Bylaws and prepare to report at the next meeting.
IX. ISSUES/REQUESTS/DISCUSSION/REPORTS FROM THE MEMBERSHIP
Membership Comment - Comment was made and readily agreed that EVERGREEN is an exciting step forward and a “cool” thing for Georgia Libraries.
Membership Comment - The question was raised about having a state-wide collections program since those who use Unique Collection Services, Inc. were so satisfied with the service and the results.
X. NEXT MEETING
After much discussion of which day and generous offers from member libraries to host the next PINES Executive Meeting, it was agreed to meet at 10:00 AM in Statesboro on Friday, July 7th at the Statesboro Regional Library.
XI. ADJOURNMENT
The motion to adjourn the meeting was made by acclamation and the meeting was adjourned at 11:25 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lois M. Roberts, Secretary
PINES Executive Committee
