OHIO
PUBLIC LIBRARY INFORMATION NETWORK (OPLIN)
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH REGULAR MEETING of the BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Minutes
-- June 13, 2008

1. WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred eighth meeting of the Ohio Public
Library
Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at
10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 13, 2008 by Board Vice-Chair Mary Pat Essman
at the State Library of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were board members: Holly Carroll, Terry Casey, Karl
Colon, Mary Pat
Essman, Bonnie Mathies, Jeff
Wale, and Michael Wantz.

Also present were: Stephen Hedges, Karl
Jendretzky, Laura Solomon, and
Bobbi Galvin (OPLIN); Diane
Fink and Jeff Jones (State Library); and
Doug Evans (Ohio Library
Council).

2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Vice-Chair called for public participation, and there was
none.

3. APPROVAL OF THE
AGENDA

Mary Pat Essman announced that the New Business item "Approve
contracting for E-rate consulting services" would be a discussion
rather than a vote, and that the Executive Session to discuss the
evaluation of the Executive Director would be moved to the end of the
agenda.

Terry Casey motioned to
approve the agenda; Karl Colon seconded. All aye.

4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of April 11
meeting

Jeff Wale asked that the
portion of the minutes dealing with the discussion of Board candidate
recommendations to the State Library Board be amended to reflect that
geographical location of the candidates and whether or not candidates
were library staff or trustees were considered to be important factors,
but not as important as the experience and abilities of the candidates.

Terry Casey motioned to
approve the minutes from the April 11th meeting as amended; Michael
Wantz
seconded. All aye.

Mary Pat Essman noted that the minutes included a request from
Terry Casey to research any restrictions on how E-rate reimbursements
could be spent. Stephen Hedges reported that his research indicated
there are no restrictions.

5. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCE REPORT

Diane Fink gave a detailed finance report, updated as of May
31.

Report A covered budget and expenditures for the fiscal years
in the previous
biennium
(FY
2006-2007), listing open encumbrances, disbursements, and available
balances. There are no open encumbrances for these fiscal years.

Report B covered budget and expenditures in the current
biennium
(FY 2008-2009). This report included a column showing the
allocation of the 10% budget reduction mandated by the Office of
Budget and Management (OBM), totaling $433,000 each year.

Diane first
presented information about FY 2008. In the "Information Resources"
section, Diane clarified the
budgets for WebFeat and CARE Affiliates, noting that CARE will be
replacing WebFeat as part of the move to Ohio Web Library. She also
noted that the $1,550,350 available balance is all unused spending
authority rather than actual funds.

In the "Education, Training, and Support" section, Diane noted
that Kent State University has not yet completed the OPLIN web site
review, even though the contract expires June 30. Stephen Hedges
speculated that they may not complete the work, nor ask for payment.
Jeff Wale indicated that he thought it was important that KSU complete
their work on this contract and provide a report to OPLIN.

In the "Telecommunications" section, Jeff Wale noted that no
funds were budgeted for Network Upgrades and asked about the router
upgrade project. Diane explained that the freeze on equipment purchases
had prevented OPLIN from purchasing new routers this fiscal year;
however, $200,000 in funds have been allocated to the router
replacement project in the state's new
capital budget, and OPLIN has promised to match those funds with up to
$200,000 from OPLIN, which should allow OPLIN to begin purchasing
routers once the capital budget bill takes effect. Karl Jendretzky also
pointed out that OPLIN has been able to temporarily upgrade some of the
larger routers in the network without purchasing new equipment.

Turning to FY 2009, Diane pointed out some changes to the
Information Resources budget caused by the new Ohio Web Library
collection of databases beginning July 1. She also noted that the
E-rate Consultant line under "Education, Training, and Support" was an
estimated amount that will change once those plans are finalized.
Lastly, she reminded the Board that the Filtering line item is a
legislative earmark in our budget and cannot be eliminated, only
reduced in proportion to our overall budget.

Reports C and D covered projected revenue and cash balances
in Fund 4S4 for FY 2007, FY 2008, and FY 2009. In response to a
question about earned interest on the cash balance, Diane explained
that state agencies, including the State Library, typically are not
permitted to earn interest.

Diane Fink then provided a brief overview of the budget
development process for FY 2010-2011. She announced that Russ Keller is
the State Library's newly appointed analyst from the Office of Budget
and Management.

Jeff Wale thanked Diane for her excellent report.

Terry Casey motioned to
accept the Finance Report; Jeff Wale seconded. All aye.

6. OLD BUSINESS

Mary Pat Essman welcomed Holly Carroll to the Board.

6.1. Discuss draft of
Strategic Plan

Stephen Hedges asked the Board if the draft he provided of the
new strategic plan captured the discussion from the Board retreat, and
whether they had any concerns with the draft in general.

While the Board felt the draft adequately captured the Board
retreat
discussion, several members noted that the plan did not mention funding
concerns. In a climate of major budget reductions, the plan should
note that funding cuts may limit the OPLIN ability to carry out some
objectives. The plan should express the Board prioritization of some
objectives as being more "core" than others, and possibly emphasize the
role these core objectives might play in assisting the economic
development of the state. Some activities might also need to be
considered as possible sources of additional revenue in the future.

Regarding the new marketing goal in the plan, it was suggested
that
making use of partnerships and collaborations to market OPLIN be
specifically addressed in the plan.

Stephen will incorporate these suggestions into the next draft
of the plan, to be prepared for the August Board meeting.

7. NEW BUSINESS

7.1. Discuss contracting for
E-rate consulting services

Stephen Hedges began this discussion by presenting some
background information. E-rate refunds are a very important
component of the OPLIN budget and
staff spend a lot of time working on applications,
answering audit questions, and tracking bills. As much as 10%
of the Director's time may be devoted to E-rate. Nevertheless, small
errors continue to occur which result in losing some discounts each
year.

Dan Farslow, who handled the E-rate applications for the Ohio
schools
for many years and also contracted with the State Library to do E-rate
workshops for public libraries, recently retired from state employment
(eTech Ohio); Dan had often offered advice to OPLIN. Roger Verny, Diane
Fink, and Stephen viewed Dan's departure as a good opportunity to
explore the possibility of hiring professional E-rate consultants to
handle Dan's public library work and the OPLIN E-rate applications.
Roger
prepared a draft RFP for managing all OPLIN E-rate-related needs,
conducting
E-rate applications workshops for public libraries, and coordinating
E-rate activities for libraries statewide.

Prior to this Board meeting, where Stephen had originally
intended to ask the Board if they supported releasing the RFP, the
State Library and OPLIN were contacted by eTech Ohio to discuss having
eTech handle the items in the RFP. Jo Budler and Stephen met with David
Barber (eTech Interim Director) and Elizabeth Wallace, and felt that
the eTech offer is promising, pending more details.

The Board generally felt that outsourcing the OPLIN E-rate
applications could increase the OPLIN E-rate reimbursements and would
free up significant staff time. They speculated about the possibility
of offering E-rate assistance to individual libraries for a fee, though
wary of being responsible for errors. Several Board members noted that
it is very important for libraries to have access to reliable
e-rate advice. The consensus of the Board was that the Executive
Director should continue to pursue acquiring dependable E-rate
consulting services.

7.2. Discuss transferring
OPLIN email to gmail.com

Stephen Hedges explained that the OPLIN mail server hardware
is out of warranty, spam in oplin.org email accounts is a growing
annoyance,
and because of the limited
amount of space for each email account, library staff that
do not regularly "clean out" their old emails are routinely locked out
of their account and must call the OPLIN Support Center to fix the
situation. Email trouble calls currently make up almost half the calls
received by the Support Center.

One possible way to remedy all of these problems would be
to move
the
oplin.org email service to Gmail (Google Mail). Karl Jendretzky
clarified some of the technical and financial issues involved in such a
move. Karl also shared information he had collected about other ways of
handling the spam problem.

The Board was uncomfortable with the ads in free Gmail,
although
those that currently use Gmail admitted that they seldom notice the
ads. There were also concerns about ownership, protection, and
management of library email data. The Board asked OPLIN staff to gather
more details about improving OPLIN email service, ideally without
moving the email to an outside server. The Board also asked the
Executive Director to ask for a legal opinion regarding confidentiality
of
library email data.

7.3. Discuss proposed move
to SOCC

Stephen Hedges presented information about possibly moving
OPLIN back to the State of Ohio Computer Center (SOCC) in July 2009.
SOCC rental fees are based on the percentage of an agency's budget that
comes from the General Revenue Fund; if an agency is funded 100% by the
GRF, SOCC space rental is discounted 100% (free). When OPLIN funding
was taken from the Library and Local Government Support Fund (LLGSF)
for three years, instead of from the GRF, OPLIN had to pay 100% of the
SOCC rental fee and it was much cheaper to move to a new location. Now,
OPLIN could save about $34,000 each year by moving back to the SOCC.

Stephen has not yet been able to open a dialog with the SOCC
Site Manager to discuss details. The Board felt that it would be good
for OPLIN to return to the SOCC, so Stephen will keep pursuing this
effort.

8. OPLIN EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Stephen Hedges presented his Director's report. He highlighted
the OPLIN funding in the Capital Budget bill, the upcoming launch of
the new Ohio Web Library page, and the work being done to develop
website hosting packages for public libraries.

8.1. Databases
and Network Reports

8.4.1. Database
changes

Laura Solomon presented a synopsis of the changes to the
database collection taking effect on July 1.

8.4.2. Database
usage

Laura Solomon reported on database searches and noted the
normal decrease in usage in the month of May.

8.4.3. Support
Center (April and May)

Karl Jendretzky reported that the number of work
orders did not include circuit upgrades that are still in progress. The
latest sampling of library bandwidth usage identified several libraries
qualifying for new upgrades to their circuits, and several others that
already qualify for a second upgrade.

9. CHAIR'S REPORT

9.1. Establish board terms

Mary Pat Essman asked the Board to draw lots to determine
their terms on the Board, as specified in the new Ohio Revised Code
language defining OPLIN (ORC Sec. 3375.64). The Board members drew
lots, with the following results:

Terms expiring June 2008 (3): Terry Casey, Bonnie Mathies, and
Gayle Patton.

Terms expiring June 2009 (4): Mary Pat Essman, Jim Kenzig, Bob
Richmond, and Michael Wantz.

Terms expiring June 2010 (4): Gary Branson, Holly Carroll,
Karl Colon, and Jeff Wale.

9.2. Resolution

Bonnie Mathies read the following proposed resolution:

WHEREAS TERRY CASEY
has been a member of the Ohio Public Library Information Network
(OPLIN) Board of Trustees since July 2002, and

style="font-family: monospace;" />


WHEREAS he has
freely and unselfishly given of his time and efforts to ensure the
success of OPLIN by serving on the Board for six years, and

style="font-family: monospace;" />


WHEREAS he
generously volunteered his time and skills toward supporting the
creation of OPLIN while he was a member of the Ohio Library Council
Board of Trustees, and

style="font-family: monospace;" />


WHEREAS his
political insights have guided OPLIN through good times as well as
turbulent times, and



WHEREAS he has
consistently demonstrated a deep interest in the Ohio public library
community and its uses of the World Wide Web,

style="font-family: monospace;" />


NOW, THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED that on the 13th day of June, Two-Thousand and Eight, the
members of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Public Library Information
Network recognize the significant contributions made to public
libraries and library service by TERRY CASEY during his tenure with the
Ohio Public Library Information Network, and

style="font-family: monospace;" />


BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Board extends its most sincere thanks and
appreciation to TERRY CASEY for his continued volunteer service as a
member of that Board.

Karl Colon motioned to
adopt the resolution as recommended. Michael Wantz seconded. All aye.

10. EXECUTIVE SESSION

Holly Carroll motioned that
the Board go into Executive Session to discuss the performance
evaluation of the Executive Director. Jeff Wale seconded. Roll call:
Michael Wantz, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; Bonnie Mathies, aye; Karl Colon,
aye; Holly Carroll, aye; Terry Casey, aye; Mary Pat Essman, aye.

The Board entered Executive
Session at 11:55 a.m.

The Board returned from
Executive Session at 12:17 p.m.

Mary Pat Essman thanked
Stephen Hedges for doing a good job and informed him that the Board
Chair would contact him to share details of his evaluation.

11. ADJOURNMENT

Terry Casey motioned to
adjourn the meeting at 12:19 p.m.

OHIO
PUBLIC LIBRARY INFORMATION NETWORK (OPLIN)

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH MEETING (Board Retreat) of the BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Minutes
-- April 11, 2008

1. WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred seventh meeting of the Ohio Public
Library
Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at
10:05 a.m. on Friday, April 11, 2008 by Board Chair Gayle Patton at
2323 W. Fifth Avenue, Columbus, Ohio.

Present were board members: Gary
Branson, Terry Casey, Mary Pat
Essman,
Jim Kenzig, Bonnie Mathies, Gayle Patton, Bob Richmond, Jeff
Wale, and Michael Wantz. New member Holly Carroll was unable to attend
because of a prior commitment to present at a workshop at Kent State
University.

Also present were: Stephen Hedges (OPLIN), Karl
Jendretzky
(OPLIN), Laura Solomon (OPLIN), Vincent Riley (OPLIN -- morning only),
Bobbi Galvin (OPLIN -- afternoon only), Jo Budler (State
Library), Roger Verny (State Library), Diane
Fink
(State Library, until 1:15), Jeff Jones (State Library, after 1:00),
Doug Evans (Ohio Library
Council, until 11:15), and Carol Verny (OHIONET).

2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair called for public participation, and there was none.

3. APPROVAL OF THE
AGENDA

Bonnie Mathies motioned to
approve the agenda; Mary Pat Essman seconded. All aye.

4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of February 8th
meeting

Mike Wantz motioned to
approve the minutes from the February 8th meeting; Bob Richmond
seconded. All aye.

5. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCE REPORT

Diane Fink gave a detailed finance report, updated as of March
31.

Report A covered budget and expenditures for previous fiscal
years
(FY
2006-2007), listing open encumbrances, disbursements, and available
balances. There are no open encumbrances for these fiscal years.

Report B covered budget and expenditures for the current
fiscal year
(FY 2008). Diane called attention to a new column showing the
allocation of the 10% budget reduction mandated by the Office of
Management and Budget (OBM), amounting to $433,000 each year in FYs
2008 and 2009. The largest reductions were in the telecommunications
accounts, where shortages will be covered by Fund 4S4 (E-rate). Only
$149,257.95 remains in General Revenue Funds after the budget
reduction, most of which will be used for administrative expenses.

Reports C and D covered projected revenue and cash balances
in Fund 4S4 for FY 2007-2008.

Diane Fink then provided an overview of the budget reduction
measures undertaken by the State Library as a result of the OBM
mandate. Diane will be attending an OBM briefing on FY 2010-2011 budget
levels this afternoon at 2:00.

Terry Casey pointed out that it is possible for the
legislature to
try to take OPLIN's Fund 4S4 balance as they attempt to make up for
General Revenue shortages. He advised that OPLIN research the federal
regulations governing disposition of E-rate reimbursements as a
possible defense against such action.

Terry Casey motioned to
accept the Finance Report; Gary Branson seconded. All aye.

6. PLANNING SESSION

Roger Verny lead the Board into a long discussion of OPLIN's
strategic plan through June 2011, the end of the next budget biennium.

Roger started by asking the Board to list the environmental factors,
both external and internal, that impact OPLIN. Among
the external factors were:

• the library community is neither understood nor
  highly-valued by
  state government, and is in competition for a dwindling pool of state
  funds in a poor economic environment;
• K-16 educational organizations are receiving a lot of state
  attention right now, which could be either a threat or an opportunity
  for public libraries;
• OPLIN and the Internet connections to libraries are often
  taken
  for granted by the public library community, except when there are
  bandwidth shortages;
• second generation web services, mobile networking, and
  social computing cannot be ignored, but
  public libraries often suffer from a lack of affordable and skilled IT
  resources for handling these services; and
• competing with Google, satisfying the growing need for
  information, and balancing demands for privacy and the demands of law
  enforcement are all challenges for public libraries.

Among the internal factors were:

• OPLIN has a talented but small staff, with good
  technical skills;
• OPLIN has not done enough product "bench testing," nor
  enough marketing; and
• OPLIN enjoys strong support from the public library
  community.

Roger then asked the Board to consider the question, "Who are
OPLIN's customers?" Possibilities considered were public libraries, end
users, K-12 students, and OPLIN "members." The Board consensus was that
OPLIN services might eventually reach end users through the libraries,
but public libraries are really OPLIN's customers.

Roger Verny then began the process of reviewing OPLIN's
current
goals and objectives, asking for comments, revisions and additions.

[During this process the
Board took a lunch break from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.]

The goal of providing Internet connections to libraries is a
continuing goal. The Board suggested that the current objective within
this goal "to assist public library systems with their branch
connections" was actually an activity within the objective "to provide
adequate Internet bandwidth to every public library." The Board also
felt that it was important to increase the marketing of this service
and remind public libraries that their Internet connection is an
important service which they receive from OPLIN.

The Board felt that the goal of providing online subscription
databases needs more activities aimed at increasing database
usage. The Board saw a demonstration of the Ohio Web Library search
tool which OPLIN staff is developing for roll-out on July 1. There was
discussion of including promotion of the Ohio Web Library as an
activity within the objective of increasing database usage.

The Board now decided to remove marketing and promotion
objectives
and activities from the other goals and create a new goal: targeted
marketing and promotion of all OPLIN products and services. Objectives
within this goal might include: investigating social networking sites
as promotional tools; making presentations and contacts at conferences;
developing displays for areas near public library computers; and
developing plug-ins and widgets for embedding OPLIN services in web
pages and browsers. Marketing must also include customer surveys.

The final current goal of assisting libraries with new
technologies
was modified to place OPLIN in more of a leadership role. While current
informational publications should continue, OPLIN should also develop
educational programs on network technologies, web technologies, and
data security. A forum should be established where libraries can
contribute their experiences with new technologies to a technical
knowledge base. After seeing a demonstration of a possible web site
template for public libraries which Laura Solomon developed, the Board
felt that this service should be added to OPLIN's current web hosting
services.

During the lunch break, Diane Fink learned that the
state guidelines for the FY 2010-2011 biennial budget called
for an
additional 10% reduction in General Revenue Funds, meaning the OPLIN
budget that began this fiscal year at $4.33 million per year GRF, and
was already reduced to about $3.9 million, would be further reduced to
about $3.5 million. The Board was unwilling to remove any goals or
objectives
to accommodate this reduction, including the new marketing and
promotion
goal. The Board was also unwilling to spend all E-rate funds, wanting
to keep some reserves for unanticipated network improvements. The Board
suggested that the budget be balanced by reducing expenditures within
goals and objectives, not by eliminating goals and objectives.

Stephen Hedges thanked the Board for their guidance, and will
prepare a draft of a new strategic plan for the next Board meeting.

7. OLD BUSINESS

7.1. Discuss sponsorship of
Ohio Library Council conferences

The Board discussed support
for this year's OLC conferences after tabling the discussion at the
last meeting. The four workshops scheduled after July 1 were seen as
good opportunities to promote the Ohio Web Library by combining OPLIN
staff presentations with a special sponsor's logo promoting the Web
Library on conference materials and signage.

Jim Kenzig motioned to
support the four OLC workshops after July 1 as the Bronze Partner
level; Gary Branson seconded. All aye.

8. NEW BUSINESS

8.1. Accept resignation of
Laura Watkins

Laura Watkins has resigned her position as OPLIN
Communications Manager to accept a promotion with her previous employer.

Mary Pat Essman motioned to
accept the resignation of Laura
Watkins effective March 1, 2008. Bonnie Mathies seconded. All aye.

8.2. Discuss realignment of
staff positions

Stephen Hedges explained how staff job duties had been shifted
to take over the duties of the Communications Manager, since the
position cannot be filled under the state's current hiring freeze.
Revised position descriptions were presented; the biggest shift in
duties would be shouldered by Bobbi Galvin, whose position would be
retitled to "Customer Relations and Support Staff." Stephen and Jeff
Jones will be asking the Department of Administrative Services to
approve a 4% pay increase for Bobbi due to the significant change in
her position description.

Stephen asked the Board for an opinion on what to do once the
hiring freeze is lifted. Should OPLIN seek a new Communications
Manager? Should OPLIN continue to function with current staff? Or
should OPLIN seek a different type of staff member.

The Board felt that it would be unhealthy to try to function
for an extended period with current staff. The consensus was that OPLIN
could use someone to handle marketing and training once austerity
measures allow. Stephen proposed to allow for this position as he and
Diane Fink develop the budget for future fiscal years, and that he work
with Jeff Jones to develop a new position description along those lines.

9. OPLIN EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Stephen Hedges presented his Director's report. He highlighted
the passage of Senate Bill 185, placing OPLIN in permanent law, and
described the work of the committee that reviewed the proposals
received in response to the Libraries Connect Ohio Invitation to
Negotiate for database purchases. The committee's list of proposed
purchases using LSTA grant funds will be presented to the State Library
of Ohio Board for approval at their April 24 meeting.

9.1. Databases
and Network Reports

9.4.1. Database
usage

Laura Solomon reported that while database searches were down
compared to previous months,
documents retrieved were up 21%.

9.4.2. Support
Center (February and March)

Karl Jendretzky reported that the number of circuit work
orders was high, with twenty-six circuit upgrades still in process. The
latest survey of circuit usage identified less than 10 sites which need
to be investigated further, so upgrades will be slowing. Jeff Wale
thanked the OPLIN Help Desk for their excellent customer service.

10. CHAIR'S REPORT

10.1. 2008-2011 Board
candidates

Gayle Patton noted that three Board members' terms expire on
30 June this year: hers, Terry Casey's, and Bonnie Mathies'. She and
Bonnie are eligible to renew for another term and have elected to do
so. With one vacancy to fill, she and Stephen Hedges suggest that names
be selected from the recent nominees for the April 1 Board opening,
rather than calling for new nominations.

Gayle recommended that the OPLIN Board request that the State
Library of Ohio Board select either Sandi Plymire, Director of
Muskingum County District Library, or Benjamin Chinni, Trustee of
Euclid Public Library to fill the vacant position. Stephen Hedges noted
that the State Library Board seemed to appreciate that he knew the
OPLIN Board's preference when he was asked the last time they made an
appointment to the OPLIN Board. Questions were raised as to whether it
was important to look for a trustee or to consider geography. Both were
considered to be important, but the experience and abilities of
the candidates were felt to be more important.

Jim Kenzig motioned that
Sandi Plymire and Benjamin Chinni be
nominated for appointment to the OPLIN Board by the State Library
Board, and that in the event the State Library Board requested a
preference from the OPLIN Board, that the preferred candidate be Ms.
Plymire. Bonnie Mathies seconded. All aye.

10.2. Fiscal Year 2009 Board
officers

Gayle Patton asked Stephen Hedges to provide some background.
Stephen explained that in the past a committee was appointed each
spring to select new Board candidates and also recommend a slate of
officers for the following fiscal year. The actual election of officers
takes place at the first meeting of the new fiscal year. The Attorney
General's office now recommends that all discussion of Board candidates
and officers take place in an open meeting. This meeting or the next
meeting would be an appropriate time to discuss next year's slate of
officers.

Mary Pat Essman asked Gayle Patton if she would consider
continuing for another year as Board Chair. Terry Casey also expressed
his support for this suggestion.

Jeff Wale motioned that the current officers of the Board be
the slate of officers presented for ratification at the August 2008
Board meeting. Gary Branson seconded. All aye.

11. ADJOURNMENT

Bob Richmond motioned to
adjourn the meeting at 2:28 p.m.

OHIO
PUBLIC LIBRARY INFORMATION NETWORK (OPLIN)

ONE HUNDRED SIXTH REGULAR MEETING of the BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Minutes
-- February 8, 2008

1. WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred sixth meeting of the Ohio Public
Library
Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at
10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 8, 2008 by Board Chair Gayle Patton at
the State Library of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were board members: Bonnie Mathies, Gary
Branson,
Michael Wantz, Bob Richmond, Terry Casey, Gayle Patton, Mary Pat
Essman, Jeff Wale, and Karl Colon.

Also present were: Stephen Hedges (OPLIN), Karl
Jendretzky
(OPLIN), Laura Watkins (OPLIN), Bobbi Galvin (OPLIN), Jo Budler (State
Library), Jeff Jones (State Library), Diane
Fink
(State Library), Doug Evans (Ohio Library
Council), and Carol Verny (OHIONET).

2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair called for public participation, and there was none.

3. APPROVAL OF THE
AGENDA

Terry Casey motioned to
approve the agenda; Mary Pat Essman seconded. All aye.

4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of December 14th
meeting

Karl Colon motioned to
approve the minutes from the December 14th meeting; Gary Branson
seconded. All aye.

5. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCE REPORT

Diane Fink gave a detailed finance report, updated as of
January 31.

Report A covered budget and expenditures for previous fiscal
years
(FY
2006-2007), listing open encumbrances, disbursements, and available
balances. There are no open encumbrances for these fiscal years.

Report B covered budget and expenditures for the current
fiscal year
(FY 2008). Currently only 12 payroll disbursements have been posted
through the OAKS system, but this problem should be remedied in the
near future. All payments for databases have been made except for the
last payment to Rotunda (Ohio Capital Connection), which will be paid
out in April.

Reports C and D covered projected revenue and cash balances
for FY 2007-2008.

5.1. OBM targets
for cost savings (FY08 and FY09)

Diane Fink commented on the state's current economic
situation. The
Office of Budget and Management (OBM) requested cost savings plans of
10% and 16% in each fiscal year of the current biennium from any
agency that has general revenue funding, including OPLIN. These plans
were due January 30; the Governor's office issued a press release on
January 31 regarding budget cuts for cabinet-level agencies (agencies
with directors that report directly to the governor). The State Library
and OPLIN plans are currently being reviewed by OBM. The
state's
intention is to control costs over the next 17 months to balance the
budget before that becomes too difficult.

Controls immediately put in place include: a hiring control
process
(similar to a year ago, when the governor took office); equipment
purchases may not exceed $300 without OBM approval; and new
restrictions on travel (only essential travel allowed, as determined by
fiscal officer). Gayle Patton asked Diane about "turn around time" on
these controls. Diane suspects that travel will be faster because it is
internal, the other controls she will have to wait and see.
Restrictions on printing were mentioned, although not
defined. OBM has revised travel rules to increase mileage
payout and no longer
distinguishes between in-state and out of state travel, and has lowered
the
daily amount of meal reimbursements for travel.

OBM suggests voluntary and mandatory ERI (Early Retirement
Incentives). Each state agency will evaluate as needed;
Diane hopes
to know more early next week. Gayle Patton asked how OBM arrived at the
10% and 16% figures; Diane was unsure. Terry Casey said that
state
operations are a small part of the state budget; Diane reviewed the
main points. Jeff Wale pointed out that the board will need to
determine the budget for OPLIN. Terry Casey said that May or June will
be the time for decisions and said that the "panic button" has been
pushed. Jeff Wale told Diane Fink that she does a "great job."

Diane Fink said that OBM is thinking about FYs 2010-2011 and
that
agencies should receive budget request planning information next week.
Budget requests will be submitted for multiple scenarios and will be
due September 15, 2008. Sometime between September 15 and the middle of
January 2009, decisions will be made; by the end of January 2009, the
governor will introduce his budget plan.

Mary Pat Essman
motioned to accept the Finance Report; Jeff Wale seconded. All aye.

6. OLD BUSINESS

Stephen
Hedges mentioned the revised travel expense forms supplied for board
members; Karl Colon thanked Stephen for providing these forms. Stephen
also talked briefly about the cancellations of planned conference
attendance by Karl Jendretzky (Code4Lib) and
Stephen
Hedges
(ALA Legislative Day) due
to the new state travel restrictions.

6.1. Ohio Web Library page
testing and development

Stephen Hedges reported that 361 Studios have finished their
page design and there is still room under their contract for revisions
as needed. Index Data has submitted a beta version of their search
engine.

7. NEW BUSINESS

7.1. Appoint Laura Solomon
as Library Services Manager

Stephen Hedges thanked Jeff Jones for submitting Laura
Solomon's
hiring paperwork as early as possible, narrowly avoiding the
newly announced state hiring freeze. Jeff Wale expressed concerns with
the date of posting and speed of the process, considering that
everything happened over a short time during the holidays, and asked
for an "ethical
standpoint" clarification from Jeff Jones. Jeff Jones responded that
the process as conducted fell within state guidelines and that he was
not concerned about the possibility of any challenges. The position
description clearly defined the minimum and preferred qualifications,
and Laura Solomon was "by far" the most qualified of the 22 applicants.
Stephen Hedges noted that Laura Solomon would
begin employment on February 19, 2008, with an annual salary of $60,000.

Terry Casey motioned to
appoint Laura Solomon
as Library Services Manager; Mary Pat Essman seconded.

Roll call: Bonnie Mathies,
aye; Gary
Branson, aye; Michael Wantz, aye; Bob Richmond, aye; Terry Casey, aye;
Gayle Patton, aye; Mary Pat Essman, aye; Jeff Wale, no; and Karl Colon,
aye.

7.2. Approve Teleworking
Policy

Stephen Hedges described the draft Teleworking Policy and
suggested
that it go into effect immediately, pending approval by the Department
of Administrative Services (DAS). Stephen would require that all
current staff sign off on the new policy. Stephen said that each staff
member would need to have an individual agreement if they intend to
work remotely. Laura Solomon
is currently the only individual being considered for a teleworking
agreement under the policy.

Jeff Jones has been in contact with DAS for review. Jeff
outlined the policy and information to be supplied by teleworkers and
noted that Workers Compensation information must also be submitted.
Stephen Hedges said that it was clear that the responsibility is on the
Executive Director to supervise and communicate with the employee. Jeff
Wale asked about encrypted data on the remote computer; Karl Jendretzky
said that it was the same as for current staff. Karl Colon asked about
data access and Karl Jendretzky responded. Bob Richmond asked if Laura
Solomon would use her own computer and Internet connection. Stephen
Hedges said that OPLIN will provide the laptop computer and Laura
Solomon will provide her own connection. OPLIN will provide a
pay-as-you-go cell phone for as long she needs business-related remote
phone service. Other calls will be forwarded to her home phone from her
office phone at no cost. Terry Casey asked how long the
arrangement is expected to last; Stephen Hedges estimated six months
for the initial period of time for this arrangement. Michael Wantz
asked what percentage of work will be done at the office versus at
home; Jeff Jones said that will be determined by each individual's
specific situation.

Michael Wantz and Karl Colon suggested that a provision be
added specifying that "the amount of teleworking hours under each
agreement shall be
determined by the Executive Director and specified within the
agreement" be added to the
policy.

Bonnie Mathies motioned to
approve the Teleworking Policy as amended; Jeff Wale seconded.

Roll call: Bonnie Mathies,
aye; Gary
Branson, aye; Michael Wantz, aye; Bob Richmond, aye; Terry Casey, aye;
Gayle Patton, aye; Mary Pat Essman, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; and Karl
Colon, aye.

7.3. Discuss sponsorship of
Ohio Library Council conferences

Stephen Hedges talked about 2008 OLC conference sponsorship
details
and presented the options to the board. Karl Colon asked Diane
Fink if we have money for sponsorship. Diane Fink talked about
the
different sources of money available to OPLIN. Stephen Hedges said that
the most expensive options might not be appropriate in the current
budget
climate; Terry Casey agreed. Gayle Patton suggested that the board may
prefer to address this issue at the board retreat; Doug Evans noted
that waiting would probably eliminate OPLIN from
naming rights to the conferences. Discussion was tabled until the April
board retreat.

8. OPLIN EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Stephen Hedges talked about the online executive report on
OPLIN news and projects.

Internet filtering grants -- the cost savings requested by OBM
could result in the elimination of future filtering grants.

Upgrading routers -- Diane Fink said that OPLIN is asking for
$200,000 in capital budget funds to be matched for router upgrades.
Capital funding is different than operational funding and not affected
by general revenue funding cuts. Karl Jendretzky worked to
find
the best prices for routers. Stephen Hedges thanked Diane and Karl for
their work on preparing the capital budget request.

Senate Bill 185 -- the third House hearing was held February
7.
Stephen Hedges and Lynda Murray (OLC) testified at the second hearing.
So far there has been no opposition and the hearings are going well.

E-Rate -- February 7 was the deadline and all
applications have
been certified. Youngstown has not been included in OPLIN's
e-rate
applications; Stephen Hedges believes they will stay with their current
Internet access provider.

Upgrading circuits -- Karl Jendretzky reported that 21
libraries
were identified as eligible for upgrades; ten of those can be upgraded
to Ethernet. Six Time Warner Telecom installations are in process.
There are current work orders for all large metropolitan libraries to
be switched to 100Mbps Ethernet, which is cheaper than the existing
DS3s. Stephen Hedges said that he would like to purchase new routers
for those currently "at capacity," but the equipment purchasing freeze
will affect upgrades.

Invitation To Negotiate for databases -- The Libraries Connect
Ohio
(LCO) partners have received submissions from 37 vendors in response to
the Invitation To Negotiate (ITN) for databases to be purchased with
future Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant awards. January
30 was the first meeting of the committee to review responses; they
will be meeting again on February 28.

Terry Casey asked for more information about the State Library
board
retreat attended by Stephen Hedges. Stephen replied that it was an
opportunity to update the State Library board about current projects.
Jo Budler noted that the purpose of the retreat was talking about
current initiatives and checking the issues with the board.

8.1. Databases
and Network Reports

8.4.1. Database
usage

Laura Watkins reported that database searches are down, but
documents retrieved are up, which could indicate that people are
finding what they need and do not have to do as many searches.

8.4.2. Support
Center (December and January)

Karl Jendretzky reported that the number of circuit work
orders was high, due mostly to the circuit upgrades. Jeff Wale
thanked the OPLIN Help Desk for their excellent customer service.

9. CHAIR'S REPORT

Gayle Patton announced that the April 11 meeting will be the
board retreat. It will be held in the E-Tech Ohio conference room, in
the
same building as the OPLIN office, and will take place from 10am-3pm.
During the retreat we will review the OPLIN Mission, Goals, and
Objectives.

Gayle Patton noted that all board members should have received
financial reporting forms from the Ohio Ethics Commission. These are
due
April 15; all board members should have received a listing of
their OPLIN travel reimbursements from the State Library. Diane Fink
pointed out that all fees are paid by OPLIN, but the late filing fee is
$100.

Gayle Patton informed the board that Jim Kenzig (OPLIN
trustee) is now back to work and hopes to attend the April board
meeting.

There was a discussion about a board replacement for Laura
Solomon.
The board needs to provide the names of two candidates to the State
Library board for selection. Stephen Hedges provided demographic
information on everyone who expressed interest in the position and
noted that demographically Holly Carroll is an exact replacement for
Laura Solomon. Jeff Wale asked if the board should replace Laura now or
wait for June when we regularly add new board members. Terry Casey said
that we should announce recruitment for the regular openings as soon as
possible.

Mary Pat Essman nominated
Holly Carroll as board replacement for Laura Solomon; Terry Casey
seconded.

Gary Branson nominated
Sandi Plymire as board replacement for Laura Solomon; Jeff Wale
seconded.

Karl Colon
motioned that the board
endorse both candidates as excellent choices and prioritize Holly
Carroll as a replacement because of her geographic area; Mary Pat
Essman seconded. All aye.

Bob
Richmond asked if the new board member will attend the board retreat;
Stephen Hedges said yes.

Stephen Hedges noted that the State Library remodeling is now
complete. Jo Budler noted that the State Library is moving their
collection to vacate 16,000 square feet as a cost reduction.

10. ADJOURNMENT

Bob Richmond motioned to
adjourn the meeting at 11:33 a.m.

 

 

OHIO PUBLIC LIBRARY INFORMATION NETWORK (OPLIN)
ONE HUNDRED FOURTH REGULAR MEETING of the BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Minutes -- October 12, 2007

1. WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred fourth meeting of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at 9:33 a.m. on Friday, October 12, 2007 by Board Chair Gayle Patton at the Greater Columbus Convention Center (Room C122) in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members: Bonnie Mathies, Mary Pat Essman, Gayle Patton, Laura Solomon, Jeff Wale, Karl Colon, and Michael Wantz. Gary Branson arrived at 9:39 a.m.

Also present were: Stephen Hedges (OPLIN), Joel Husenits (OPLIN), Karl Jendretzky (OPLIN), Laura Watkins (OPLIN), Vince Riley (OPLIN), Jo Budler (State Library), Diane Fink (State Library), Carol Verny (OHIONET), and Scott Miller (Gongwer).

2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair called for public participation, and there was none.

3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Mary Pat Essman motioned to approve the agenda, Bonnie Mathies seconded. All aye.

4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of August 10 meeting

Jeff Wale motioned to approve the minutes from the August 10th meeting, Laura Solomon seconded. All aye.

5. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCE REPORT

Diane Fink gave a detailed finance report, update as of September 30th.

Report A covered budget and expenditures for the recently completed biennium (July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2007). There have been no changes in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 numbers, but for FY2007, OPLIN and the State Library have approximately five months to pay off any open encumbrances. All encumbrances have been paid off as of the end of September. OPLIN receives a combination of General Revenue Funds (GRF) and 4S4 funds. There were not a lot of network upgrade costs during the last FY, and the previously anticipated library paid-for databases service was not offered, so there is some leftover spending authority.

Report B covered budget and expenditures for the current FY, through September 30. There have been no disbursements posted for staff salaries due to problems with the new Ohio Administrative Knowledge System (OAKS) financial software being used by the State of Ohio. In order for payroll to post statewide, every agency has to resolve its payroll errors. The State Library and OPLIN have no errors or issues at this point, but some other agencies do, and OBM is working with them to resolve the issues.

Diane reported that monies related to the Libraries Connect Ohio (LCO) statewide database collection have been encumbered to the respective database vendors. She also explained how lease agreements with state agencies work, and how this system applied to rent costs for the OPLIN office. She also reiterated the change in the paid-for databases, and how vendors now work directly with OHIONET, resulting in unused spending authority in the OPLIN budget.

Report C was a revenue and cash balance summary. There has been one large disbursement for OPLIN's portion of the LCO databases, and OPLIN has started receiving some of the E-rate refunds for telecommuncations costs incurred last fiscal year.

Report D covered projected vs. actual revenue and cash balance. OPLIN has not yet received a transfer from OIT for the E-rate refund on their services.

Diane reported that OBM has not yet released instructions for the upcoming capital budget request, but that they will probably be released soon. When they are, the State Library and OPLIN will meet with OBM and start this process. OBM is using the new OAKS system to manage the state's resources at a higher level, and they are implementing rules to allow money to remain in the state treasury for as long as possible. In light of the current economic climate and recession fears, OBM is trying to be very cautious with state spending, and this is reflected through Governor Strickland's policies, which differ with past administrations. The State Library will hear more from OBM after January 1st regarding Strickland's priorities for the upcoming 2010-11 budget request, which will be the first one developed entirely under his administration.

Jeff Wale motioned to approve the Finance Report, Bonnie Mathies seconded. All aye.

6. OLD BUSINESS

6.1. Policy on Extending OPLIN Connection

Stephen Hedges noted that at the last Board meeting, he reported on a potential problem with E-rate paperwork if a public library shares its OPLIN-provided Internet connection with other entities in its community. Any portion of that bandwidth going to that other entity would not be E-ratable. Stephen sent a message to all Ohio public library directors to try and find out which libraries were sharing their connections, and it turns out that there are less than 10. In some of the cases, they are sharing with schools, which is still E-ratable. It seems to be small enough of a problem that OPLIN can probably just adjust its E-rate application process with those individual public libraries, and leave this official policy as is.

Bonnie Mathies noted that she feels comfortable with this plan. She thinks that there will be a movement around the state for more public entities to share their resources, and that OPLIN needs to keep a close eye on this.

Jeff Wale questioned the language regarding bandwidth in the policy, and Stephen Hedges summed up the current policy as: if a library shares their OPLIN connection, they cannot ask OPLIN for more bandwidth if they run out. OPLIN will only count what the library is using when figuring out its bandwidth allocations. Jeff noted that OPLIN should not penalize public libraries that are being good neighbors, but we also do not want anyone to take advantage. It is difficult to measure the impact of sharing on a library's usage because there is no good way to track the usage beyond the router. Karl Colon noted that OPLIN could ask the library for usage data from their side in order to get a percentage of library vs. non-library traffic.

Stephen Hedges noted that for E-rate purposes, a rough traffic estimate is usually sufficient. OPLIN can do a simple calculation according to number of workstations, for example. The E-rate people are usually good about pointing out potential problems with an application, and affording the chance for a revision.

There was general agreement amongst the Board to leave the current policy as it is written.

7. NEW BUSINESS

7.1. Internet Technology Security Management Plan

Stephen Hedges explained that he did an assessment of OPLIN security policies for the Ohio Office of Information Technology and found that OPLIN is very good on security practices, but lacks official policies. This draft is an omnibus document that addresses that lack. The staff has suggested changes and additions, and now he would like to have input and approval from the Board.

Jeff Wale noted that he thinks the draft is excellent, and that few organizations have this type of document in place. He suggested several wording changes and additions, which the Board discussed and approved.

Karl Colon moved to accept the Internet Technology Security Management Plan as amended, Laura Solomon seconded.

Roll call: Bonnie Mathies, aye; Mary Pat Essman, aye; Gayle Patton, aye; Laura Solomon, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; Karl Colon, aye; Gary Brandon, aye; and Michael Wantz, aye.

7.2. RFQ for Ohio Web Library Webpage Design

Stephen Hedges explained that as OPLIN staff have been working on the back-end search engine part of the revamped Ohio Web Library website, they are starting to think about the front-end as well. Usability testing at Kent State University's lab is already planned, but the OPLIN staff feels OPLIN should also have a professional web designer developing the "look-and-feel" of the site, instead of doing it in-house; we might only have one shot at developing a page that the public is willing to use.

Stephen spoke with a design firm he knows and received an unofficial estimate for this type of job. The Masterkey search technology we are pursuing is built on Javascript functions, and they based their estimate around the assumption that we would have no more than 10 of those. The estimate is low enough that OPLIN should not need to do a formal RFQ process, particularly since the intention is to get quotes from vendors on the State Term Schedule.

Karl Colon asked whether Javascript technology will work across various major browsers and versions. Stephen Hedges noted that he has some issues with one browser, but that IndexData (the makers of Masterkey) will be writing the final code and would be responsible for guaranteeing this functionality.

Laura Solomon asked whether Javascript could present accessibility issues for visually impaired and other users. Karl Jendretzky speculated that OPLIN could fashion an alternate, slightly slower, more standard front-end that could address accessibility issues.

Stephen Hedges elaborated on the progress of the Ohio Web Library interface development. The code for the search technology is free, but so new and undocumented that it is difficult and labor-intensive to work with. OPLIN is asking the developers (IndexData) to build a custom version to our specifications. That would only provide the search engine functionality; this request seeks a company to make the webpage look good.

Diane Fink noted that if a firm is on State Term Schedule, any spending under $25,000 is within the individual agency's discretion. Stephen Hedges suggested approval of up to $10,000, and hopes that the site is ready by spring. He also hopes that the vendor can address any potential accessibility issues.

Laura Solomon motioned to approve up to $10,000 for website design services related to the Ohio Web Library website, Bonnie Matheis seconded.

Roll call: Bonnie Mathies, aye; Mary Pat Essman, aye; Gayle Patton, aye; Laura Solomon, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; Karl Colon, aye; Gary Brandon, aye; and Michael Wantz, aye.

Jeff Wale cautioned the OPLIN staff to make sure that the project's specifications are well thought-out and scripted before getting quotes.

7.3. Internet Filtering Assistance Grants

Stephen Hedges noted that the timing of the grants was bad this year, as half of the applications came in at the last minute, during a shortened conference week. He put together the final list of requests yesterday.

There are 39 applications this year (as opposed to 43 last year). A few of the requests are larger than last year, and the total amount requested is about $110,000. The Ohio legislature requires OPLIN to distribute $100,000, and last year we distributed $107,000. We have gone a little over $100,000 each year of the grant, pulling the extra from other areas of the OPLIN budget.

Stephen reviewed the list of requests, and explained some of the individual cases. There are some notable discrepancies in cost estimates from library to library. OPLIN probably did not make it clear enough that we wanted applications for a single year of costs; in some cases, we received requests related to multi-year projects. Stephen explained his recommendations for what to accept and what to reject. He needs to talk to several libraries for further clarification on their situations and needs, and whether their requests are for a legitimate filtering project. Stephen noted that the popular thing this time is for libraries to buy VPN/firewalls with built-in filtering capabilities.

Jeff Wale made a motion that 36 of the 39 Internet filtering grant applications be awarded, excluding the applications received from the Geauga County Public Library, Lane Public Library, and Greene County Public Library, in amounts determined after cost assessments conducted by OPLIN staff and not to exceed the amount of each individual request or a total amount of $92,500. Michael Wantz seconded.

Roll call: Bonnie Mathies, aye; Mary Pat Essman, abstain; Gayle Patton, aye; Laura Solomon, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; Karl Colon, abstain; Gary Branson, aye; and Michael Wantz, aye.

Gary Branson made a motion that the Internet filtering grant application from the Lane Public Library be awarded in an amount determined after cost assessments conducted by OPLIN staff and not to exceed $5,064. Karl Colon seconded.

Roll call: Bonnie Mathies, aye; Mary Pat Essman, abstain; Gayle Patton, aye; Laura Solomon, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; Karl Colon, aye; Gary Branson, aye; and Michael Wantz, aye.

Bonnie Mathies made a motion that the Internet filtering grant application from the Greene County Public Library be awarded in an amount determined after cost assessments conducted by OPLIN staff and not to exceed $8,890. Mary Pat Essman seconded.

Roll call: Bonnie Mathies, aye; Mary Pat Essman, aye; Gayle Patton, aye; Laura Solomon, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; Karl Colon, abstain; Gary Branson, aye; and Michael Wantz, aye.

Jeff Wale made a motion authorizing the OPLIN Executive Director to communicate with the Geauga County Public Library and award their Internet filtering grant application in an amount determined after his cost assessment, and not to exceed $3,956. Gary Branson seconded.

Roll call: Bonnie Mathies, aye; Mary Pat Essman, aye; Gayle Patton, aye; Laura Solomon, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; Karl Colon, aye; Gary Branson, aye; and Michael Wantz, aye.

8. OPLIN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Stephen Hedges reported that the new position descriptions for OPLIN Support Center personnel have been completed. He also presented a quote from OIT regarding OPLIN's large router upgrade project. While the OPLIN approved using some E-rate money in order to match a capital budget request to upgrade site routers, there are some at the OPLIN core and the metro libraries that we need to upgrade as soon as possible, and the capital request budget process has not yet started. OIT received quotes from five vendors for these core routers, and SARCOM was the lowest, offering a large discount; we plan to go ahead with that purchase.

Stephen also reported that OPLIN staff have decided that our firewall is not reliable, coming from a company that provides very little support. OPLIN may ask for a quote on a new firewall and tie that into the router project.

Stephen reported that we are also awaiting a quote from IndexData regarding the Ohio Web Library search engine development.

Stephen gave an update on the recent focus groups. OPLIN had to cancel the one scheduled for southwest Ohio, because only 3 of the 12 invitees could come. Laura Watkins and Stephen are going to do a complete report with detailed feedback, but overall the groups have been very productive and have repeated the same general needs: bandwidth and the ability to compete with Google. We have not heard a lot of people saying OPLIN needs to purchase more databases; rather, librarians want better access to what is already provided. Regarding bandwidth, Stephen reported that he has been talking a lot about the escalating costs of bandwidth and the desirability of prioritizing traffic, but most public libraries just want more, to accomodate more computer use and wireless access. Stephen feels that OPLIN is seem somewhat as a utility by the libraries.

Mary Pat Essman stated that she did not want to see OPLIN cancel the southwest session, and suggested that she and Karl Colon could find some suitable participants for the focus group.

Stephen Hedges noted that the groups have also discussed a number of things that OPLIN cannot address. Microsoft Vista has come up repeatedly as a technological challenge to libraries, because old hardware cannot run it. More and more people are thinking of the public library as a community computing center. Karl Colon noted that libraries are seeing ever-increasing circulation, plus an ever-increasing use of the computers. He noted that a recent ALA report came to similar conclusions about library needs: money, staff, bandwidth, and training. The Ohio Library Council is doing long-range planning and thinking about these issues.

There was more general discussion about the focus groups and the positive benefits for OPLIN.

8.1. OPLIN in Permanent Law

Stephen Hedges reported that Jon Iten, Lynda Murray, Diane Fink, and Jo Budler have all looked through the proposed language to try and weed out any hidden traps that would fundamentally alter the relationship between OPLIN and the State Library. At this point, they all think the language is clean. Jon Iten has sent it to Senator Schuler to attach to Senate Bill 185. There will be no immediate change in the number of OPLIN Board members, or the language describing their length of terms.

8.2. E-rate refunds

Stephen Hedges noted that OPLIN has been approved for refunds of approximately $1,041,000 for costs incurred between July 2006 and June 2007, and has received the bulk of that.

8.3. Databases and Network Reports

9.4.1. Database usage

Laura Watkins reviewed the current database usage statistics, and wants to try and find a more consistent way of measuring database metrics. She has been in touch with all of the database vendors, and each one is unique and has different ways of determining their numbers. Usage is generally up this year, both the number of searches and the number of document requests.

Stephen Hedges noted that someone asked us at the Stakeholders meeting on Wednesday if the database vendors were SUSHI compliant, but in reality, some are not even COUNTER compliant.

9.4.2. Support Center (August and September)

Karl Jendretzky reviewed recent Support Center activity, and reported that it has been business as usual.

9. CHAIR'S REPORT

Gayle Patton noted that she thought the Stakeholders Meeting was very good and well-attended. She also reported that after discussions with the Board, all members feel that Jim Kenzig should remain on the Board so long as he wishes to remain.

Stephen Hedges pointed out the latest issue of The OPLIN Circuit and mentioned the return to a printed newsletter, which was a direct response to feedback form one of the early focus group sessions.

10. ADJOURNMENT

Mary Pat Essman motioned to adjourn the meeting at 10:54 a.m.

OHIO
PUBLIC LIBRARY INFORMATION NETWORK (OPLIN)

ONE HUNDRED THIRD REGULAR MEETING of the BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Minutes
– August 10, 2007

1. WELCOME & CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred third meeting of the Ohio Public
Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to
order at 10:05 a.m. on Friday, August 10, 2007 by Board Vice-Chair
Gayle Patton at the State Library of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members: Bonnie Mathies, Bob
Richmond, Mary Pat Essman, Gayle Patton, Laura Solomon, Jeff Wale, Karl
Colon, and Michael Wantz. Terry Casey arrived at 10:33 a.m.

Also present were: Stephen Hedges (OPLIN), Joel
Husenits (OPLIN), Karl Jendretzky (OPLIN), Laura Watkins (OPLIN), Bobbi
Galvin (OPLIN), Jo Budler (State Library), Diane Fink (State Library),
Carol Verny (OHIONET), Doug Evans (OLC), and Stephen Marine
(NetWellness).

Gayle Patton welcomed the new board members and
Laura Watkins, OPLIN's new Library Services Manager.

Stephen Hedges informed the new Board members
about their state ethics forms, travel expense reports, and W9 forms.

2. NOMINATION
& ELECTION OF BOARD
OFFICERS

Gayle
Patton reminded everyone that at the last Board meeting, outgoing Chair
Donna Perdzock and the two other departing Board officers formed a
Nominating Committee for new Board officers. Their suggested nominees
are: Gayle Patton (Chair); Mary Pat Essman (Vice-Chair); Bonnie Mathies
(Secretary); and Bob Richmond (Treasurer).

Michael Wantz
motioned to accept the slate of Board officer nominees.
Karl Colon seconded. All aye.

3. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair called for public participation, and there was none.

4. APPROVAL OF THE
AGENDA

Bonnie Mathies motioned to
approve the agenda, Bob Richmond seconded.
All aye.

5. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of June 8
meeting

Mary Pat Essman motioned to approve the minutes from the June 8th
meeting, Bob Richmond seconded. All aye.  

Bonnie Mathies noted that although the minutes were long, she
appreciated the detail.

6. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCE REPORT

Diane
Fink gave a detailed finance report. For the benefit of the new Board
members, she explained how the state fiscal year and budget process
works. She also explained OPLIN's status as a line item
within the
State Library's budget, as well as how the State Library is
funded.
OPLIN has mixed funding, receiving both state General Revenue Funds
(GRF) and Fund 4S4 monies from non-state revenue sources, primarily
E-Rate reimbursements.

Diane presented two sets of reports for this meeting: one for the
Fiscal Year (FY)
ending on June 30, 2007, and the other as of July 31, 2007.

For
the first set of reports (ending June 30, 2007), Report A covered the
OPLIN budget and expenditures for FY 2006-2007. OPLIN receives large
telecommunications invoices monthly from the Office of Information
Technology (OIT) and
AT&T. Report B covered revenue and cash balance, which carries
forward from one FY to the next. Report C covered the Gates Staying
Connected Grant. This grant from the Gates Foundation
required
matching funds and OPLIN contributed money towards that. The grant took
four fiscal years to complete, and all monies OPLIN committed have been
expended. The grant provided hardware upgrades for public libraries,
workshops and training, a network security assessment, and
videoconferencing equipment. Report D projected revenue and cash
balance figures on June 30th, and therefore matched Report B. Report E
summarized the budget request for the State Library and
OPLIN. Diane
summarized the state budget process.

Diane reported that between
the last FY and the current one, the state has converted to a new
financial system called OAKS (Ohio Administrative Knowledge System).
Diane summarized the future rollouts for
the OAKS system over the next several years.

In the second set of reports, Report A covered
budget and expenditures for FY 2006-07 as of July 31st.  Diane
talked
about the differences between this Report A and the one from the first
set. OPLIN distributed $105,423.35 for filtering grants during the last
FY, but one of the libraries given a grant failed to make their
purchases by June 30th; OPLIN will have to bill them to retrieve their
grant and the money will go back into the state GRF. Report B covered
budget and expenditures for FY 2008-09. In the OAKS financial system,
all state agencies now have to resolve any errors before the official
payroll figures are released. Building rent is one of the largest
expenditures for OPLIN, and is paid quarterly. Diane explained
OPLIN's
Libraries Connect Ohio agreement and expenditures, and also explained
how the OPLIN/OHIONET paid-for databases plan has evolved.

Terry Casey arrived at 10:33 a.m.

Report
C covered revenue and cash balance. OPLIN is starting to receive some
E-Rate refund checks, which will be deposited into Fund 4S4. Report D
covered the projected vs. actual revenue and cash balance.
Diane
explained that all state agencies have operating budgets and capital
budgets; the capital budget process occurs in alternating years to the
operating budget process. This year, the Office of Budget and
Management (OBM) will review agency capital
budgets. Agencies usually receive instructions in the fall. The
operating budget for FY 2010-11 will start developing next July, but
agencies will start receiving preliminary instructions in
January. 

2010 is expected to be tighter than 2008 and 2009, but 2011 might be
better, due to planned changes in the tax structure.

The
State Library has a new budget analyst at OBM; he met
with the State Library and OPLIN a week ago. The State Library also has
a new legislative services commission analyst. Diane invited all the
new OPLIN Board members to call or e-mail her with any questions.

Bonnie Mathies motioned to approve the Finance Report, Terry Casey
seconded. All aye.

7. OLD BUSINESS

7.1. Board
Meeting at OLC Convention

Stephen
Hedges noted that the next OPLIN Board meeting is scheduled for October
12th, which is the Friday of the Ohio Library Council convention. He
suggested holding
the meeting at the Convention Center and starting the meeting at 9:30
instead of 10:00 a.m.

Mary Pat Essman motioned to
have the next
OPLIN Board meeting at the Convention Center on Friday morning,
starting at approximately 9:30 a.m., provided we can secure a meeting
room. Jeff Wale seconded. All aye.

7.2. Staff
Pay Increases (see
agenda item
11)

Stephen Hedges deferred this discussion until the Executive
Session to
be held at the end of the
meeting.

8. NEW BUSINESS

8.1. Router
Upgrades

Stephen
Hedges reported that the routers on the OPLIN network are reaching
their "end of life" in June 2008, which means that
the vendor (Cisco)
will no longer provide hardware support. Software upgrades have already
stopped and there are also issues with the larger routers at the metro
libraries related to the new ethernet services. In the next year, OPLIN
staff are planning to replace many of the routers, using E-Rate money
to pay for it. 

Stephen recommended to the Board that OPLIN use
$500,000 of E-Rate refund money on router upgrades, but plan to use the
majority of that as a match to a capital budget request. It looks like
it might cost around $800,000 to replace all of the routers. OPLIN
might be able to recoup some of the costs by trading in old equipment.
If OPLIN does not receive the capital request, OPLIN staff can still
replace half of the routers this year and half next year, using E-Rate
money.

Karl Jendretzky explained how the current routers were bought
over a period of time five or so years ago, and elaborated on the
issues with the current configuration. 

Jeff Wale
motioned to
spend up to $500,000 in E-Rate refunds (plus any funds received from
trading in old equipment) on router upgrades. Karl Colon
seconded.

Stephen Hedges explained that OPLIN staff would replace the
most
crucial routers and equipment first.

Roll
call: Bonnie Mathies, aye; Bob Richmond, aye; Mary Pat Essman, aye;
Gayle Patton, aye; Laura Solomon, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; Karl Colon, aye;
and Michael Wantz, aye. Terry Casey was absent.

8.2. NetWellness Support

Stephen
Hedges explained that in the early days of OPLIN, the legislature
earmarked money in our budget to support the NetWellness project. Over
the years, that money was replaced by federal grant funds. Those funds
have expired, and NetWellness is running out of funds. OPLIN is now in
possession of a cash balance of E-Rate refunds, and one potential use
would be to give an emergency bailout to NetWellness, in order to keep
them going until they can find an alternate source of funding.

Stephen
Marine, the Program Director of NetWellness, explained the background
of the current funding crisis. NetWellness started as a grant program
from the Department of Commerce in 1994-95, with the purpose of
extending the reach of the Internet and providing health information to
under-funded areas. When that original grant ran out, NetWellness had
four more years of funding due to the work of a state legislator, but
in 2001 that funding was eliminated.  Federal congressmen then
became
interested and supported grants for NetWellness.  NetWellness
is
searching for a more stable revenue stream, but in the meantime those
grants have expired.

The development of an ongoing funding model
now has two facets. One is a new champion in the state assembly, who
came forward late in the process but was not able to get funding into
the recently passed state budget. He wants to work on that next time,
and the Governor's office has been responsive as well, so
chances look
good to get a line back in the next budget. The second prong is a
supporter model along the lines of the public radio/TV model. Delta
Dental Insurance (of OH, IN, MI) is providing significant sponsorship
now, and is talking about making NetWellness a nationwide product.
NetWellness is hoping to secure a strong commercial funding model that
does not jeopardize the integrity of the site. They think
that in two
years they will be solid again financially.

Stephen Hedges explained
that he talked to Stephen Marine about how much of the NetWellness
budget goes toward content creation, instead of operations, and
NetWellness has provided that budget information. Diane Fink suggested
that OPLIN could do a grant program, but noted that it would not be
able to provide 12 months of support, because a grant program cannot
work retroactively to the beginning of the current fiscal year.

Stephen
Hedges noted that there is no doubt about the usefulness of
NetWellness, and that their web stats are impressive. In fact, he would
not have recommended OPLIN renew its current contract with Consumer
Health Complete had he been aware of NetWellness' problem. His biggest
concern is using E-Rate money for this ad hoc support before the focus
groups, which are planned for this fall, have provided input to help
OPLIN determine priorities for spending that money.

Stephen feels
that the terms should focus on a limited amount of money that could get
NetWellness through next June. Stephen further noted that there are no
restrictions on how E-Rate refund money can be spent; it has been used
in the past to hire staff, for example. The router upgrades are the
only high-priority, major expenditure related to E-Rate money that
OPLIN staff foresees in the near future.

Jo Budler suggested that
the State Library Board could potentially offer support to NetWellness
as well, in the form of federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)
grant money. That Board would likely
prefer to provide matching funds, instead of being the sole provider.

Diane Fink led a general discussion about how a contract could
work and
the timeframes of such a contract.

Stephen
Marine explained NetWellness' current prospects for future
funding.
They have held discussions with various companies and are putting
together a professional business plan. There have been talks about
co-branding some of their content, but these are more long-term funding
discussions.

Stephen Marine further explained that all NetWellness
content is non-profit. He spoke of the differences between
NetWellness, WebMD, and other similar health information websites.
NetWellness works with faculty from three large medical academic
communities, and medical experts answer about 1000 questions a month,
creating the content themselves. Every topic has an actual expert in
that area to respond to questions from ordinary users.

Michael Wantz
relayed his concern about the appearance that OPLIN would not be buying
something concrete with its E-Rate refund money, but instead giving it
away.  It might be a good use, but is it appropriate?

Stephen Hedges
suggested that Ohio libraries would feel the loss if NetWellness went
away.  Mary Pat Essman suggested that OPLIN would really be
buying
content. But she noted that any agreement would have to have
a "one
time" stipulation.

Stephen Marine explained that NetWellness staff
have had many discussions about whether they should become a
profit-making entity, but they always conclude that they should
not.
The feeling is that the real value of their product is that it is
coming from authoritative university-based medical sources. 
NetWellness acknowledges sponsors on their website, and would
acknowledge OPLIN's support.

Michael Wantz suggested that if
NetWellness were to go for-profit, OPLIN should get a refund. 
Stephen
Hedges suggested that in that situation, it might be better for OPLIN
libraries to instead get a "free pass" to the
content.

There was a general discussion about contract terms.

Terry Casey returned at
11:15 a.m.

Terry
Casey questioned whether NetWellness was the most deserving recipient
of public dollars, in the form of OPLIN E-Rate refund money.

Mary
Pat Essman suggested that it was heavily used by her library, and
others agreed that public libraries would feel the loss if NetWellness
content went away.

Jo Budler explained that she would likely
recommend to the State Library Board that it uses LSTA money
to match
any OPLIN contribution.  She noted that State Library staff
have
reviewed NetWellness, and that its "Ask an Expert"
service is not
available anywhere else.  NetWellness compares very favorably
to other
medical information websites, as well.

Terry Casey suggested that
places like the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic have better branding
and name-recognition than NetWellness, and thinks it is problematic to
use Ohio money to provide a service freely available to the entire
world.

Stephen Hedges noted that OPLIN's expenditure would
only
assure the availability of NetWellness content through the end of the
current fiscal year.

Terry Casey motioned to
authorize up to
$75,000, contingent upon matching funds from the State Library or other
source, to support NetWellness for one quarter.

Terry Casey
explained that he would like more time for OPLIN to explore other
similar sources for health content before committing more money.

Mary
Pat Essman stated that $75,000 would not be enough to help NetWellness,
and it would sap time and energy from the Board having to reexamine the
issue every quarter.

There was more general discussion about the terms of the
contract.

Jeff Wale noted that this type of database usually costs about
$150,000
.

Jeff
Wale motioned to authorize up to $150,000, contingent upon matching
funds from the State Library and/or LSTA grant money, to support
NetWellness content for up to one year. If NetWellness
becomes a
profit-making entity, OPLIN and Ohio public libraries will receive
"free access" to its content for two years.

Roll call: Bonnie
Mathies, aye; Bob Richmond, aye; Mary Pat Essman, aye; Gayle Patton,
aye; Laura Solomon, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; Karl Colon, aye; Michael
Wantz, aye; and Terry Casey, no.

8.3. Change to Support
Center Hours

Stephen
Hedges explained that when he started as Director, the OPLIN Support
Center expanded its hours from 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
Since then, the staff decreased from three to two positions, but
retained those hours. In reality, they have been receiving very few
calls after 5:00. Stephen would like the Board to endorse setting the
hours to 8:00-5:00 Monday through Friday and keeping only two staff
members.  The third position would remain inactive; there is
no need
for it right now.

Diane Fink noted that the third position had been funded out
of E-Rate
refund money.

Bob
Richmond motioned to change the operating hours of the OPLIN Support
Center from 8:00 to 5:00, Monday through Friday, with two staff
members.  The OPLIN Board will reexamine this arrangement from
time to
time. Laura Solomon seconded.  All aye.

8.4. Policy on Extending
OPLIN Connection

Stephen
Hedges explained that this item is a potential E-Rate issue. It has
recently come to his attention that if a public library is sharing its
connection with another entity, OPLIN cannot apply for an E-Rate refund
for the entire connection; OPLIN would have to guess at how much
traffic is library-generated and designate the other portion as
ineligible. Right now, OPLIN does not know which public
libraries are
sharing connections, but some apparently do this to support their
community. Should OPLIN ask libraries whether they are doing
this on
our annual connectivity survey, or conduct an independent
survey? 

Bonnie
Mathies noted that her community is considering this type of connection
sharing, and that more groups around the state are beginning to do
this. Many people assume that their local public library is the focal
point of information coming in, so why should they not be allowed to do
this? Bob Richmond noted several libraries and branches in his area
that are sharing connections.

Stephen Hedges recommended that the
Board table any action on this item until an independent survey
determines how many Ohio public libraries are sharing their current
Internet connection.

8.5. FY2008 Internet
Filtering Assistance Grants

Stephen
Hedges noted that OPLIN once again has $100,000 per year to assist
public libraries with filtering. In the past, OPLIN has distributed
this money in the form of grants to libraries. The OPLIN Board needs to
formally approve this to start the process this year. 

As part of
the process, OPLIN asks libraries to submit two reports: a financial
report in July the same year they receive the money; and a general
narrative report one year later, which many recipients forget to do.
This second report form asks questions OPLIN may not really need.
Stephen wondered whether it could be simplified somewhat, and whether
we should ask libraries to return it as soon as possible (instead of
waiting a year).

Terry Casey motioned to
approve this year's
Internet Filtering Assistance Grant process, and to simplify the
reports as described, Jeff Wale seconded. All aye.

9. OPLIN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT

9.1. OPLIN in
Permanent Law

Stephen
Hedges reviewed the proposed legislation to put OPLIN into permanent
law, as suggested by Jon Iten (an attorney working for OLC).
The
proposed language was based on the language of 1997's AM. HB
118.
Stephen noted an issue regarding language related to the State Library
being OPLIN's fiscal agent.  According to Jon Iten,
if OPLIN is an
independent Board in permanent law, then that Board would typically own
OPLIN equipment; currently the State Library does. Independent entities
can contract fiscal services to another agency, but under this
arrangement, OPLIN employees might no longer be State Library
employees. Jon Iten feels that there is probably a way to write the
language so that the relationship between OPLIN and the State Library
is roughly the same as now. 

It appears that this process might
separate OPLIN from the State Library, and it reopens the discussion
from two years ago. Stephen suggested the Board table this discussion
until he and Jon Iten and the Department of Administrative Services
(DAS) can get a better idea of
what all the hidden implications are. Diane Fink suggested that OBM
should be involved too.

Stephen noted that in 1997, the intent might
have been to set OPLIN up as an independent agency, but that is not the
intent now. Rather, the intent now is to provide a stable platform for
the network and the databases, and allow for vendor contracts beyond
two years. Diane Fink noted that technically even permanent state
entities can really only do two-year contracts, because they only have
funding from budget to budget, but they can include automatic renewals
in their contracts.

Gayle Patton suggested the Board table this discussion until
later.

9.2. Security Update

Stephen
Hedges noted that OPLIN, along with other state entities, has been
asked to submit a report by August 14 describing how we comply with the
state data privacy policy.

Although OPLIN already complies with many
of the individual activities, many of the questions on the report
require the agency to have an official policy in order to fully comply,
so Stephen will be coming to the OPLIN Board with many new policies for
approval during the next few meetings.

9.3. Office
Activities

Stephen Hedges reviewed recent activities by the OPLIN
staff.

9.4. Databases
and Network Reports

9.4.1. Database
usage

Laura
Watkins reviewed the current database usage statistics, which are
generally on the rise. She noted that some of the data OPLIN receives
from the vendors is subject to error, and OPLIN staff are working to
figure out how the vendors determine their metrics.

Karl
Jendretzky noted that a lot of new optional subscriptions are just
starting up, so strange things may happen with the numbers. Bobbi
Galvin noted that some vendors have recently changed their reporting
tools, and the numbers have changed as a result.

9.4.2. Support
Center (June and July)

Karl Jendretzky reviewed recent Support Center activity, and
reported
that nothing out of the ordinary has been happening.

9.4.3. Web
Hosting

Karl
Jendretzky reported that OPLIN's web hosting service is up
and running.
OHReadytoRead is using the service, and some medium-sized libraries are
also signed up. Karl and Stephen attended a small library conference a
few weeks ago, and many people there seemed interested.

Stephen
Hedges noted that there is an ambiguity about what web hosting is. He
suspects that libraries erroneously think OPLIN is offering website
design services. Providing website templates was an objective, in
addition to hosting. Stephen wondered if OPLIN should involve
OHIONET
or the regional library systems in that service, i.e. OPLIN does the
hosting, and other entities do the content building and hands-on
service.

10. CHAIR'S REPORT

10.1. Executive Director's
Evaluation

Gayle
Patton distributed the Executive Director's Evaluation, which
Donna
Perdzock compiled from individual Board responses. Gayle
noted that
Stephen Hedges has been here for over a year, and there were no major
disconnects between the Board member opinions and his own
self-assessment.

Terry Casey noted that Lynda Murray from OLC had
heard many positive things about Stephen at a recent ETM ("Every Third
Month") libraries meeting, as
well as from CLEVNET.

11. EXECUTIVE SESSION

Terry Casey
motioned to go into Executive Session at 12:10 p.m. to
discuss 
personnel compensation, seconded by Bob Richmond. Jo Budler, Diane
Fink, and Stephen Hedges were invited to attend.

 Roll call: Bonnie
Mathies, aye; Bob Richmond, aye; Mary Pat Essman, aye; Gayle Patton,
aye; Laura Solomon, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; Karl Colon, aye; Michael
Wantz, aye; and Terry Casey, aye.

Karl Colon motioned to
return from Executive Session at 12:28 p.m.,
Terry Casey seconded.

Roll
call: Bonnie Mathies, aye; Bob Richmond, aye; Mary Pat Essman, aye;
Gayle Patton, aye; Laura Solomon, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; Karl Colon, aye;
Michael Wantz, aye; and Terry Casey, aye.

12. ADJOURNMENT

Terry Casey
motioned to adjourn the meeting at 12:31 p.m.