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

Minutes—June
11, 2010

1.
WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred twentieth
meeting of the Ohio Public Library
Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at
9:59 a.m. on Friday, June 11, 2010 by Board Chair Karl
Colón at the State Library of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members:
Don Barlow, Jason Buydos, Ben Chinni, Karl
Colón, Jim Kenzig, Jamie Mason, Gayle Patton, and Jeff Wale.

Also present were: Stephen
Hedges and Karl Jendretzky (OPLIN); Beverly Cain and Diane
Fink (State Library); and Mackenzie Betts (Ohio
Library Council).

2.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair first recognized Beverly Cain, the new State
Librarian.

Beverly
reported that she has been in her new job for just over a week, and
this was her first meeting other than with State Library staff.
Unfortunately, she had an OhioLINK meeting at the same time as the
OPLIN meeting, and being familiar with OPLIN already, she planned to
leave for the OhioLINK meeting after her introduction to the OPLIN
Board. She noted that she looked forward to working with the OPLIN
staff and Board to continue to improve services to Ohio public
libraries.

Beverly Cain left the
meeting at 10:04.

The Chair next recognized Mackenzie Betts from the Ohio
Library Council (OLC).

Mackenzie
reported that Doug Evans was not able to attend, but felt it was
important for an OLC staff member to audit the discussion of the OPLIN
strategic plan, since OLC will be doing strategic planning on July 15.
Both Stephen Hedges and Beverly Cain have been invited to participate
in that planning session.

3.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Gayle Patton motioned to
approve the agenda as presented; Jeff Wale seconded. All aye.

4.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
of April 9 Meeting (Board Retreat)

Jeff Wale motioned to
approve the minutes of the April 9 meeting; Jamie Mason
seconded. All aye.

5.
ACCEPTANCE OF THE
FINANCIAL REPORTS

Diane Fink presented the Financial Reports as of May 31,
2010. Report A showed
the
budget and expenditures for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, which are
unchanged from the previous meeting since those fiscal years are
closed;
Report B
showed
the
budget and expenditures for the current Fiscal Year (2010) as well as
the budgeted allotments for Fiscal Year 2011; and Report
C showed the
revenue and cash balances for Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010.

Report B:
Diane reported that the available balances for staff salaries will
cover the last two payrolls of the fiscal
year. No other expenditures from the Administration category are
planned, other than Board member travel and about $1,200 for additional
Ohio Web Library
promotional cards. All payments for Information
Resources, with the exception of the final monthly payments to Past
Present & Future, and all payments for Education &
Training
have been completed. Diane noted that much of the unused balances are
actually
spending authority, not cash, and will be deleted from the accounts at
the end of the fiscal year. Diane also noted that the Office of
Information Technology (OIT) has not yet billed OPLIN for the capital
funds we received for new routers.

Included in Report B were the budget allotments for the
upcoming Fiscal Year 2011. Diane reported that the Office of Budget and
Management (OBM) instructed agencies receiving General Revenue Funds to
set aside 10% of their budgets (except payroll) in case of future
revenue shortages. While this affects some programs within the State
Library, it does not affect OPLIN. Cost Savings Days will again be used
to reduce payroll expenses in all agencies, including OPLIN, as they
were in the current fiscal year. In response to a question, Diane
explained that the budget is developed in consultation with the OPLIN
Director and the OBM analyst assigned to the State Library, but may be
adjusted throughout the year. She specifically pointed out that
payments for "translators" that enable the Ohio Web Library search to
target some websites had been removed from the budget, because Karl
Jendretzky had written custom software to handle this task, thus saving
OPLIN more than $19,000 next year. Finally, she noted that $81,000 will
again be available to support Internet filtering in libraries.

Report C:
Diane reported
that the cash balance in Fund 4S4 was about $1.3 million at the end of
May. She noted that this balance does not reflect the cash transfers
related to Cost Savings Days, which would be about $14,000. An E-rate
reimbursement received from OIT after May 31 will increase the balance
in the fund at the end of the fiscal year; however, large payments for
databases fall due at the beginning of the next fiscal year, which will
immediately reduce the cash balance. She anticipates that OPLIN will
receive one transfer of $3,702,150 million
from the Public Library Fund early in the next fiscal year, as was the
case in the current fiscal year.

Miscellaneous:
Diane reported
that she has had no news from OBM concerning our capital
budget requests, nor has OBM yet released
preliminary guidance for the FY 2012-2013 biennial operating budget.
The state recently has increased efforts to improve cost efficiencies
related to printing, but OPLIN has already started participating in the
state's cost-per-copy program. The Board asked Stephen Hedges to report
on that, and he said that having the machine has increased the amount
of document scanning done in the office, as well as being much more
economical than replacing the broken copier. Karl
Colón asked Diane if the delay in OBM budget work was related to the
lack of legislative Budget Planning and Management Commission meetings.
Diane replied that she still anticipated that budget submissions will
be due in
September
2010, but she thought it likely that no significant work would begin on
the budget until after the November elections. Karl asked if multiple
State Library budgets would be submitted, and Diane replied that OBM
usually requested several budgets anticipating different funding
scenarios.

Gayle Patton motioned to
accept the Financial Reports; Jason Buydos seconded. All aye.

6. OLD BUSINESS

6.1. Review Strategic Plan
proposed changes

Stephen
Hedges gave a high-level overview of a copy of the strategic plan with
proposed changes annotated. The section describing the funding
environment was removed, as per the discussion at the Board retreat.
The "Goal: Internet" section contained changes reflecting the current
situation, many of them due to the new Ohio Revised Code language
defining OPLIN. Within the "Goal: Databases" section, the objective
calling for continually increasing usage was removed, though the
activities were retained. Only minor changes were proposed for the
"Goal: Technology Leadership" and the "Goal: Marketing" sections to
reflect the current environment.

Discussion of specific changes followed. Karl
Colón called attention to the section within each goal providing
background information and inquired if those sections could be removed
to simplify the plan. After some discussion, the Board decided to
retain those sections because they explain the reason for each goal.

In
regard to providing Internet connections, Stephen noted that language
expressing a preference for using the Broadband Ohio Network has been
removed, since there will now be a cost associated with using that
network. Jason Buydos asked about changing the language that sets
the maximum average usage that would trigger a circuit upgrade at 80%
capacity,
since feedback from the libraries has indicated that a circuit is
perceived as "slow" when the average usage is closer to 70%. Stephen
noted that this would increase total circuit costs. Jeff Wale suggested
adding language that the upgrades would be limited by available funds;
after some discussion, the Board decided to add language about
available funds as a note at the end of the entire plan, since all the
goals are subject to this limitation. Jim Kenzig questioned the need
for any specific upgrade "trigger," but most Board members felt that
having a specific usage level that initiated an investigation which
might lead to an upgrade was a good idea. There was some discussion
about making the trigger a range of usage levels, but the eventual
consensus was that changing the trigger to 70% was the best option.

As the Board looked at the proposed changes to the databases
goal, Don Barlow asked how a database was determined to be
"high-quality." Stephen explained that the databases are actually
selected by a committee of librarians from public, K-12, and academic
libraries, and it is this committee that judges the quality and value
of the databases. There was then a discussion of changing
"high-quality" to "selected," but the Board eventually decided to leave
this wording unchanged.

Jim Kenzig suggested that the activities attached to
objectives be moved to a footnote-like section at the end of the plan.
The activities, however, are not included in the published plan
anyway.

Regarding the technology leadership and marketing goals, the
Board supported the minor changes that were proposed.

Stephen will present a clean version of the plan for approval
at the next Board meeting.

6.2. Prioritize goals and
objectives

After a brief discussion, the Board was in agreement that the
order in which the goals are presented in the strategic plan—Internet,
databases, technology leadership, and marketing—also represents their
order of importance.

6.3. Focus group alternatives

During
the Board retreat, Stephen Hedges was asked to develop some methods of
doing focus groups other than the usual face-to-face meeting. Stephen
presented a document that began with a survey of the types of
information which can currently be gathered from libraries with
problems (trouble tickets), library technology staff (OPLINtech mailing
list), and librarians with some technical proficiency (library blogs).
What is most needed, then, is a way to gather feedback from general
librarians and library administrators.

After looking at the
information we already have, Stephen developed five questions which
could be posed to all Ohio public librarians: 1) Are your Internet
connections performing well? (not just the OPLIN connection, but any
branch connections); 2) Do you use information databases? If so, which?
Any problems? (not limited to Ohio Web Library); 3) What sort of
problems, if any, does the Internet cause for your library? What
advantages?; 4) Do you use OPLIN e-mail? Any problems or gripes?; and
5) Do you think OPLIN should charge libraries for Website Kits?

These
questions could be used in an online focus group, or Board members
could casually ask some of them in their meetings with other
librarians. They could also be posed by e-mail on the OPLINlist, as a
"Question of the Week," for example. Stephen has been researching
online focus group practices, and he and Laura Solomon have been
testing video-conferencing software. Stephen also decided to proceed
with asking four of the questions on the OPLINlist, in order not to
delay any work of the ad hoc committee reviewing the OPLIN mission
statement; those responses will be discussed under New Business.

Board
members were in favor of trying an online focus group. Stephen reported
that he had thought about using Bobbi Galvin, from the OPLIN Support
Center, as the facilitator of a video discussion between about 8-10
librarians, but Board members felt it was important to have a
facilitator who was not associated with OPLIN. Since our previous focus
group was led by Wayne Piper of OLC, the Board asked Stephen to
speculate as to how much OLC might charge to facilitate an online
group, assuming all the preparatory work and recording was done by
OPLIN; Stephen guessed that it might cost a few hundred dollars. OPLIN
might also need to supply webcams and microphones to group participants.

Jason
Buydos motioned to approve spending up to $500 to conduct an online
focus group, with the Director having the power to increase this amount
slightly if needed; Don Barlow seconded. All aye.

Gayle Patton
expressed reservations concerning the question about the cost of the
website kits; that cost is a decision the Board has already made.
Stephen noted that he was in agreement, and had in fact not used that
question on OPLINlist, having changed his mind about its effect. Board
members then offered some general suggestions about other questions,
and asked that the questions be submitted to the Board before the focus
group.

When asked about how soon a focus group could be completed,
Stephen replied that he thought he could have focus group responses
ready by the next Board meeting. Some Board members felt that this
timeline was too aggressive, but Gayle Patton pointed out that having
responses at the next meeting would give the Board time to make any
needed adjustments in the budget to be submitted to OBM.

6.4. Approve revised
"Extending OPLIN" policy

Stephen
Hedges submitted a revised version of the "Policy on Extending OPLIN to
Other Public Institutions," as per the discussion at the Board retreat.

Jim Kenzig motioned to
approve the revised policy as presented; Jason Buydos seconded.

Roll
call: Don Barlow, aye; Jason Buydos, aye; Ben Chinni, aye; Jim Kenzig,
aye; Jamie Mason, aye; Gayle Patton, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; and Karl
Colón, aye.

7.
NEW BUSINESS

7.1. Responses to "Questions
of the Week"

Stephen
Hedges had noted in the discussion of focus groups that he had posed
one question a week on the OPLINlist e-mail list for four weeks. He now
shared the responses to those questions.

The first week's
question was: "Are your Internet connections performing well?" A large
majority of respondents said their connections were fine. The libraries
that reported problems generally fell into two groups: libraries that
had internal networking problems; and libraries that were using 70%-80%
of their circuit and had not qualified for an upgrade. Further
investigation indicated that a circuit that averages 70% use of total
capacity sometimes spikes at a level high enough to slow the
connection, and these temporary slowdowns are what people remember.
Stephen therefore recommended that the threshold that triggers an
upgrade be reduced from 80% average usage to 70%, which the Board had
already agreed to do in their strategic plan discussion.

The second question was: "Do you use information databases? If
so, which? Any problems? (not limited to Ohio Web Library
databases)." Stephen called attention to the responses to this question
which complained about too many irrelevant results from the Ohio Web
Library search interface. As a result, some changes were made to
improve ohioweblibrary.org. Most notable is Karl Jendretzky's
development of in-house "translators" for some web sites that give us
more control over the results which are presented to the Ohio Web
Library user; OPLIN currently has been buying standard translators from
a vendor, at a cost which would have been slightly less than $20,000
next year.

The third question was: "Thinking of your library (not your
home), if there was one thing you could change about the
Internet, what would it be?" A significant number of responders
said, "Make it faster." A few also wanted to control/reduce the amount
of advertising and "frivolous" websites. Stephen noted that he and Karl
had devised a way to allow libraries to choose to block advertising at
the network core, which would require that OPLIN purchase a DNS server
for $4,000-$5,000. Stephen questioned, however, if this is something
OPLIN should do, considering that many "free" websites depend on
advertising revenue. Jason Buydos pointed out that this again raised
the question of whether OPLIN can/should deliver network services
beyond simple connectivity. Several Board members said that their
libraries already block advertising; Jim Kenzig noted, however, that
blocking ads can also block videos that start with brief ads. Karl
Colón pointed out that the proportion of respondents which requested ad
blocking was relatively small. The consensus of the Board was not
to pursue implementing advertising controls at the network core,
although some Board members suggested that OPLIN might publish
instructions for libraries that want to block advertising themselves.

The final question was: "If you use an OPLIN e-mail account
(i.e., ends with 'oplin.org'), is there anything about it that annoys
you? Anything you would change if you could?" The responses to this
question indicated that e-mail is the OPLIN service which most affects
library staff on a daily basis, and that library staff feel that the
service is "old" and limited. Stephen therefore recommended that OPLIN:

1. purchase a new e-mail server (next agenda item);
2. replace the Squirrelmail web-based e-mail software with
   Zimbra;
3. allow users to choose their own account name;
4. increase account storage capacity from 25 MB to 1 GB and
   increase timeout from 30 minutes to 1 hour; and
5. create new e-mail user documentation.

7.2. Approve new e-mail
server proposal

Stephen
Hedges presented a draft document which he proposed to send to OIT
asking for permission to buy a new e-mail server. Stephen and Diane
Fink explained that an equipment purchase of this size would require
OIT approval, which would only be granted if the current server is more
than 5 years old and the e-mail service is judged to be an essential
service within OPLIN's area of responsibility.

Stephen has
collected quotes from four vendors, ranging from $4,994 to $6,099; all
four of the vendors are participants in either the state's Minority
Business Enterprise (MBE) program or the Encourage Diversity, Growth,
and Equity (EDGE) program.

The Board discussed the adequacy of
the storage space that would be available on the new server (4 TB) and
also noted that the Support Center trouble ticket data demonstrates the
need for changes to the e-mail service.

Gayle Patton motioned to
submit the purchase request for a new e-mail server to OIT for
approval; Don Barlow seconded.

Roll
call: Don Barlow, aye; Jason Buydos, aye; Ben Chinni, aye; Jim Kenzig,
aye; Jamie Mason, aye; Gayle Patton, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; and Karl
Colón, aye.

8.
OPLIN DIRECTOR'S
REPORT

Stephen Hedges reported that Connect Ohio has been contacted
by the
National Telecommunications Information Administration
(NTIA) with questions about the coordinated Broadband Technology
Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant applications submitted by the State
Library and Connect Ohio. Judging by the questions, it appears that
NTIA is most interested in the training components of the grant
applications and less interested in supporting computer purchases. The
State Library, whose application encompasses only computer purchases,
has not been contacted by NTIA.

Stephen informed the Board that he had published a webpage
about the
events leading up to the creation of OPLIN, which had required some
interesting research. He plans to publicly announce the page sometime
before Meribah Mansfield retires from the Worthington Libraries.

Stephen briefly reported that the confusion over the continued
existence of the OPLIN Board seems to have been resolved, though he
will monitor future developments. Both House Bill 495 and Senate Bill
268, containing recommendations for state boards and commissions to be
continued for another five years, include the OPLIN Board. He also
noted that the State Library Board approved the re-appointments of Gary
Branson, Karl
Colón, Jamie Mason, and Jeff Wale to the OPLIN Board. At the same
meeting, the State Library Board approved another year of LSTA funding
($1,518,401) for purchasing Ohio Web Library databases.

Stephen
provided the Board with a current report from OIT on the progress of
the project to install the new Juniper routers at library sites. Now
that all configuration files have been satisfactorily tested, the
roll-out is going very quickly.

Finally,
Stephen shared e-mail correspondence with lawyers from the Attorney
General's office and the Department of Administrative Services. Stephen
had asked for guidance after finding a clause in the Ohio Revised Code
exempting "institutions" with boards of trustees from the requirement
to buy telecommunications services through OIT. The eventual answer
from DAS was that OPLIN is indeed exempted from this requirement. This
will mean a major change in the relationship between OIT and OPLIN,
with OIT now being put in the position of having to compete for OPLIN's
business, and also allowing OPLIN to possibly take advantage of some
NTIA-funded infrastructure build-out projects.

8.1.
Databases usage

Stephen Hedges
told the Board that he has assumed the responsibility for database
usage statistics in order to free more of Laura Solomon's time for
working on website kits. In presenting the statistics for the previous
two months, he noted that documents retrieved are fewer than in the
same month last year; however, there was a spike last year caused by a
temporary change in the method EBSCO was using to record documents
accessed from ohioweblibrary.org.

8.2. Dynamic Website Kits

Stephen
Hedges reported that 13 libraries are currently using Dynamic Website
Kits, with another 17 in various stages of development and several
others considering signing up.

Stephen also noted that the Board
had asked him to review the pricing of the website kits. After
reviewing the amount of time spent on the website kits so far, Stephen
and Laura Solomon think the current pricing is in order, except for the
fee for basic setup, which should be raised from $200 to $300.

Jamie
Mason motioned to correct the pricing of the Dynamic Website Kits by
raising the website creation fee to $300 for libraries who request
website kits after July 1, 2010; Don Barlow seconded. All aye.

8.3. Support
Center (April and May)

Karl Jendretzky reported that Support Center ticket activity
is
lower for the past two months. Outside of the tickets, however, there
was a good deal of activity tracing network problems reported by
libraries responding to the weekly questions posed on OPLINlist.

Karl
also reported that he has been working on moving more critical servers
to the OPLIN equipment rack in the State of Ohio Computer Center, where
more reliable power is available. Karl briefly reported on his work
developing new translators for the Ohio Web Library search, as well as
the building of a test server for sending library notifications
directly to patrons' cellphones.

10.
CHAIR'S REPORT

10.1. Director's evaluation
summary

Karl Colón thanked the Board for their participation in the
evaluation of the OPLIN Director. Stephen Hedges' performance review
was very positive, with many good comments from the Board. Stephen
thanked the Board, especially for the many helpful comments. Karl noted
that some comments suggested that Stephen should not be reticent in
making recommendations to the Board; Karl assured Stephen that there
was little danger that this Board would "rubber-stamp" all his
recommendations. Jeff Wale remarked that Stephen is held in high regard
by the librarians Jeff meets.

11.
ADJOURNMENT

On motion of Jim Kenzig
the Board
adjourned at 12:06.

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

Minutes—April 9, 2010

1. WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred nineteenth meeting of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 9, 2010 by Board Chair Karl Colón at the State Library of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members: Don Barlow, Gary Branson, Jason Buydos, Ben Chinni, Karl Colón, Jim Kenzig, Jamie Mason, Bonnie Mathies, Gayle Patton, Sandi Plymire, and Jeff Wale.

Also present were: Stephen Hedges, Laura Solomon and Karl Jendretzky (OPLIN); and Diane Fink (State Library). Doug Evans (Ohio Library Council) joined the meeting at 12:35.

2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair asked to postpone public participation until the afternoon, when Doug Evans was expected to arrive.

3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

In addition to the postponement of the public participation, the Chair asked that an item, "Legislation update," be inserted as the first item of new business. No other changes to the agenda were proposed.

Gary Branson motioned to approve the agenda as amended; Bonnie Mathies seconded. All aye.

4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of February 12 Meeting

Gayle Patton motioned to approve the minutes of the February 12 meeting; Jason Buydos seconded. All aye.

5. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCIAL REPORTS

Diane Fink presented the Financial Reports as of March 31, 2010. Report A showed the budget and expenditures for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, which are unchanged from the previous meeting since those fiscal years are closed; Report B showed the budget and expenditures for the current Fiscal Year (2010); and Report C showed the revenue and cash balances for Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010.

Report B: Diane reported that the available balances for staff salaries and for telecommunications should be adequate for the remainder of the fiscal year. She also pointed out the two contracts with consultants, one for Explore Ohio site development, which is paid monthly, and one for E-rate services, which was paid in one payment. Finally, she noted that a $199,831 purchase order for the Juniper routers which the Office of Information Technology (OIT) purchased is still open, but does not appear on this report because it encumbers Capital Funds.

Jeff Wale asked Karl Jendretzky about the progress of the Juniper router roll-out. Karl replied that a few have been placed in libraries for testing, which is going well, but most should not be deployed until OIT completes the purchase of additional memory, to handle the latest version of the operating software. A discussion of the factors which have delayed the memory purchase followed. Jeff asked that OIT's planned roll-out schedule be shared with the Board; Stephen and Karl replied that the latest schedule they have from OIT, which anticipates completion of the project in July, is about a month old, so they will request a new schedule and then email it to the Board.

Report C: Diane reported that the cash balance in Fund 4S4 was about $1.5 million at the end of FY 2009. In FY 2010, OPLIN received one transfer of $3,702,150 million from the Public Library Fund. As of March 31, the cash balance was $1,425,485, but additional E-rate reimbursements are expected soon.

Miscellaneous: Diane reported that the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) has yet to release preliminary guidance for the FY 2012-2013 biennial operating budget, which is later than usual. Budget submissions will probably be due in September 2010. Diane also announced that Beverly Cain will become the new State Librarian on June 1.

Gayle Patton motioned to accept the Financial Reports; Jamie Mason seconded. All aye.

6. OLD BUSINESS — none

7. NEW BUSINESS

7.1. Legislation update

Karl Colón asked Stephen Hedges to report on news that legislation was planned that would eliminate the OPLIN Board.

Stephen informed the Board that Rep. Todd Book held a press conference on Thursday in which he announced his intention to eliminate or merge about 100 state boards and commissions. Bill Morris, Governmental Affairs Coordinator for the State Library, alerted Stephen that the OPLIN Board was on the list of boards to be abolished. The intent of the legislation seems to be to streamline government rather than saving money; the total savings would only amount to about $1 million, and most of that would result from the elimination of all funding for the Workers Compensation Council, which is likely the primary target of the legislation.

Stephen has been in touch with Lynda Murray of the Ohio Library Council (OLC). She plans to draft a letter which can be used by libraries to inform legislators who co-sponsor the bill about the negative effects that would result for public libraries from the elimination of the OPLIN Board, once we know who the co-sponsors are. Diane Fink has received word from our OBM analyst that it is likely that the elimination of the OPLIN Board would eliminate the entire OPLIN organization; this is probably not understood by Rep. Book and any potential co-sponsors.

Karl Colón asked Stephen to keep the Board informed of all developments and anything Board members could do to help remove OPLIN from this legislation.

7.2. Review Strategic Plan

7.2.1. Goal: Internet connections. Progress report and possible futures

Stephen Hedges provided the Board with copies of each goal of the current strategic plan with his comments inserted as a starting point for discussion. For background, Karl Jendretzky showed the Board a map of the current OPLIN Internet connections, divided between libraries with T1 circuits and libraries with Ethernet circuits; 67 libraries now have, or will soon have, Ethernet connections.

Stephen started the discussion by calling attention to recent federal plans to extend broadband, which depend heavily on community anchor institutions, such as libraries, to have large connections which can be shared with other community entities. He also noted that recent federal stimulus awards will provide some new opportunities for connecting libraries to fiber in some areas.

In regard to libraries sharing connections, however, Stephen pointed out that OPLIN currently has a policy on "Extending OPLIN to Other Public Institutions" which discourages this practice. Historically, the OPLIN Board has taken the position that OPLIN receives funding to serve public libraries only, and that prompted the development of this policy. Now, however, such a policy might not be politically prudent. While the Board acknowledged the change in the political climate and the possible need to re-word the policy, the fact remains that OPLIN does not receive funds to provide Internet connections to any entity other than public libraries, and that in fact the Ohio Revised Code restricts the organizations which may legally participate in OPLIN. If a library wants to share an Internet connection in its community, then it is up to the community library to purchase that connection; it could not use the OPLIN connection. The Board requested that Stephen make minor modifications to the wording of the policy and present the new wording for approval at their next meeting.

As for taking advantage of new fiber providers, Stephen explained that OPLIN has always assumed that it must purchase connections through contracts negotiated for the state by OIT. He has asked OPLIN's liaison from the Attorney General's office if this is actually a legal requirement, but has not yet received an answer. If it is not a legal requirement, then OPLIN might explore options to take advantage of new broadband build-out projects.

The Board asked Stephen to revise the wording of this and all other portions of the strategic plan, taking the day's discussion into account, and bring the proposed new wording to the next meeting for approval.

7.2.2. Goal: Databases. Progress report and possible futures

Stephen Hedges asked that Laura Solomon report on database usage as background. While the past two months have seen continued gradual increase in usage, Laura took this opportunity to explain some of the factors that affect statistics. All vendors tend to count statistics differently, and sometimes they make system changes that make it impossible for them to provide accurate statistics for several months. Such was the case recently with EBSCO, so some of those statistics have been estimated. A system change at World Book caused problems with the Ohio Web Library search, so their search statistics are much lower than usual. General usage trending within a single database resource is usually the only meaningful data. Stephen also shared a spreadsheet showing the cost of each resource and how those costs are distributed among the Libraries Connect Ohio (LCO) partners.

Board discussion centered on the areas of database training and whether or not continuous improvements in database usage are feasible. Staff from the State Library has previously provided database training, but that service is currently unavailable. There are some training videos that State Library staff developed, and which are posted on the OPLIN website, but no other training is provided. Some Board members felt that OPLIN had a responsibility to provide some sort of database training, perhaps in cooperation with other library organizations, but there was general agreement that this would probably have to be done through online training. There was a suggestion that the OLC Reference and Information Services Division could develop more training videos that could be posted on the OPLIN website.

As for continuous improvements, the Board noted that it was more tenable to commit to maintaining and monitoring database usage. The Board therefore asked Stephen to edit and combine the second objective of this goal ("Increase usage") with the first objective ("Provide online subscriptions"). The Board also reviewed the idea of providing custom database search interfaces for libraries, and heard evidence from Karl Jendretzky that illustrated the problems OPLIN had encountered in testing this idea.

Jim Kenzig motioned to remove the custom search interface premium service from the strategic plan; Jason Buydos seconded. All aye.

The Board took a short break for lunch from 12:00 to 12:40 and honored Laura Solomon for her recent selection as a Library Journal "Mover and Shaker."

7.2.3. Goal: Technology Leadership. Progress report and possible futures

Stephen Hedges reported that most of the activity taking place related to this goal took the form of communicating with libraries about new technology through various blogs, and the Dynamic Website Kits, but he also asked to again discuss the need to provide more assistance to libraries with their internal networks.

Laura Solomon provided an overview of the Website Kits development process, as well as a portfolio of completed Web Kits. Ten libraries are currently using Web Kits, with another four about to go "live." An additional nine libraries have requested Web Kits. Stephen noted that the Web Kits have been very successful, and that he has asked Vince Riley to start assisting Laura with some of the basic setup of new Kits. Stephen also provided a brief overview of Ohio public library websites that are particularly bad to illustrate that there is still a need for the Web Kits. Jim Kenzig noted that OPLIN originally had planned to review the pricing of the Web Kits after initial roll-out; Stephen acknowledged that now would be a good time for such a review, and promised a recommendation at the next Board meeting.

Turning to the issue of libraries' internal networks, Stephen noted that OPLIN staff often notice that libraries are not able to get full use of their OPLIN connections because of bottlenecks in their local network. Sometimes Karl Jendretzky may help a library with such issues as a "favor," but officially OPLIN is not responsible for anything beyond the OPLIN router, and usually cannot access anything beyond the router because of firewalls. Stephen also noted that the problem is not confined to any particular type or size library; library technical staff usually have skills for managing computer workstations, but may not have networking skills. It was suggested that another OPLIN blog, written by Karl and concerning networking issues, might be helpful.

Jeff Wale asked if OPLIN should spend money on more "pods." These are small computing devices that Karl and Terry Fouts (OIT) have developed which can be plugged into a library's router to test their OPLIN connection, or placed within the library's network to troubleshoot internal traffic. It is sometimes difficult to get the pod to a library site, however, requiring a trip to the library; Karl and Terry are now researching the possibility of building the pod software into the new Juniper routers as they are deployed in libraries.

Board discussion turned to the possibility of providing direct support to libraries for internal networking problems. Several possibilities were mentioned:

• maintaining a list of approved contractors that libraries could hire for assistance;
• selecting one contractor that could be dispatched to a library (at the library's cost); or
• hiring additional OPLIN staff to work on internal networks, supporting their cost through user fees.

All of these options had one problem or another, ranging from liability issues to the likelihood of being able to sustain additional staff at a time when budgets may well be cut again. There was concern that before proceeding with any idea, more data would need to be gathered, possible response gauged, a careful analysis of the data undertaken, and a business plan developed.

Jim Kenzig motioned that the director develop a business plan for providing direct support to libraries for internal networking problems; Ben Chinni seconded. Jason Buydos attached a friendly amendment that the steps undertaken to develop the plan be at the director's discretion.

Because the Board seemed evenly divided in their discussion, the Chair requested a roll call vote: Don Barlow, aye; Gary Branson, aye; Jason Buydos, aye; Ben Chinni, no; Jim Kenzig, no; Jamie Mason, aye; Bonnie Mathies, aye; Gayle Patton, no; Sandi Plymire, no; Jeff Wale, no; and Karl Colón, no. There were 5 votes in the affirmative and 6 in the negative, so the motion was lost, and the director will not develop a business plan.

Stephen reported that the lack of conferences this year hampered OPLIN efforts to provide in-person programs on new technology. Doug Evans noted that there would be some limited opportunities for such programs at the OLC Expo in September.

7.2.4. Goal: Marketing. Progress report and possible futures

Stephen Hedges reported that OPLIN had not conducted any focus group sessions in the last few years, despite the fact that this is listed as an activity toward determining the technology needs of public libraries. Currently, it may be very hard to get library staff to travel to such an event. There was discussion of the possibility of using webinar software to do online focus groups, or perhaps doing a focus group at the OLC Expo. The Board asked Stephen to list some optional ways of doing focus groups when he re-writes this portion of the strategic plan.

Karl Jendretzky explained a problem encountered with implementing one of the services OPLIN had identified as valuable to libraries: text messaging library notices to users' cellphones. Any message over 160 characters exceeds the normal limits for a cellphone message and breaks the system Karl has set up. Since most library email notices are much longer, Karl asked the Board if OPLIN should still offer this service to libraries. The service only costs OPLIN the price of an annual cellphone plan, and would be free for libraries, but would have the 160 character limitation. Several Board members that currently have a similar service in their libraries said that they limit their messages now, and did not think it was worthwhile trying to find a work-around for the problem. They suggested offering the free service "as-is" with the limitation on message length.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair paused before proceeding to the next agenda item and opened the floor for public participation, postponed from agenda item 2.

Doug Evans provided a summary of Lynda Murray's activities in regard to the proposal by Rep. Todd Book to abolish state boards, including the OPLIN Board. Lynda has heard that one possible co-sponsor may be Rep. Dan Dodd.

7.3. Prioritize goals and objectives

Karl Colón suggested that this item be tabled until a later meeting when the Board would have more time to consider it and would have the suggested revisions to the goals and objectives, to which the Board agreed.

7.4. Review introductory material (with mission statement)

Stephen Hedges suggested that the portion at the end of the introductory material, dealing with the "Funding Environment" and discussing fee-based services, was no longer accurate and should either be re-written or removed.

Gayle Patton motioned that the final section of the introductory material, headed "Funding Environment," be removed from the strategic plan; Jim Kenzig seconded. All aye.

Discussion then turned to the mission statement. As currently written, the statement could almost be taken to mean that OPLIN should serve as the Internet service provider for all Ohio citizens; Stephen pointed out, however, that a major revision may not be possible, since the Ohio Revised Code now assigns OPLIN, "...the purpose of ensuring equity of access to electronic information for all residents of this state." Stephen provided a proposed re-wording of the statement, but several Board members pointed out that the re-write may be too specific in its effort to limit OPLIN's mission.

Gayle Patton and Jason Buydos argued that the Board should wait to get some current feedback from focus groups before revising the mission statement. The Chair assigned Gayle, Jason, and Jamie Mason to an ad hoc committee to analyze input from the public libraries and draft a revised mission statement.

7.5. Board candidates

Sandi Plymire reported on behalf of the Nominations Committee that all four Board members whose terms expire this year—Gary Branson, Karl Colón, Jamie Mason, and Jeff Wale—are eligible and have agreed to serve for another full term.

Jim Kenzig motioned that Gary Branson, Karl Colón, Jamie Mason, and Jeff Wale be recommended to the State Library Board for re-appointment to the OPLIN Board; Don Barlow seconded. All aye, with Gary Branson, Karl Colón, Jamie Mason, and Jeff Wale abstaining.

Sandi also reported that the Nominations Committee had developed a slate of candidates for officers of the Board for next fiscal year. Gayle Patton and Bonnie Mathies have agreed to run again for Treasurer and Secretary respectively, Jeff Wale will be the candidate for Vice-Chair, and Sandi will be the candidate for Chair.

8. OPLIN DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Stephen Hedges reported that OPLIN has now received a rejection letter from the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA), following the letter already received from the USDA Rural Utility Service, regarding our application for broadband stimulus funds to buy routers. Stephen did not submit a second-round request from OPLIN, but instead assisted the State Library with their application for funds to subsidize the purchase of 5,071 public computers for libraries.

Stephen also reported that he had testified before the Sunset Review Committee on February 18. This committee periodically reviews all state boards to determine if they have served their purpose and are no longer needed.

Finally, Stephen reported that he is working on a web page about the early history of OPLIN, before the establishment of the Board. This task is an outgrowth of the discussion at the last Board meeting concerning ways to recognize the contributions of the people involved in the creation of OPLIN. The work has been enjoyable, as he has been receiving a lot of information from those people and learning many new things.

8.1. Databases and Network Reports

8.1.1. Database usage

This was covered within the discussion of agenda item 7.2.2.

8.1.2. Support Center (February and March)

Karl Jendretzky reported that no unusual activity appears in the Support Center reports for the past two months. Many of the tickets opened initiated the first installations of Time Warner Cable circuits in libraries, which seem to be progressing very smoothly. Email problems continue to generate the most tickets. In response to a question, Karl explained that "complaint forms" generally result from music and movie content providers complaining about unauthorized downloads on library computers.

10. CHAIR'S REPORT

Karl Colón briefly reviewed the form used for the director's annual evaluation. He asked Stephen Hedges to email the blank form to all Board members, and asked all members to email their completed forms to Bonnie Mathies by May 14 to allow her time to compile the results and share them with the rest of the Executive Committee before the next Board meeting. Karl also mentioned that he had received several emails lately praising the OPLIN director and staff.

Karl reminded Board members to be sure they submit their Financial Disclosure forms to the Ethics Commission before the April 15 deadline.

Karl also reported to the Board that his legislators have reminded him that the projected budget for the next state biennium is likely to be much smaller. Karl speculated that the current transfer of money to the Public Library Fund to cover the cost of OPLIN may well be discontinued.

11. ADJOURNMENT

On motion of Sandi Plymire the Board adjourned at 2:53.

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

Minutes—February
12,
2010

1.
WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred eighteenth
meeting of the Ohio Public Library
Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at
10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 12, 2010 by Board Chair Karl
Colón at the State Library of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members:
Don Barlow, Gary Branson, Jason Buydos, Ben Chinni, Karl
Colón, Jim Kenzig, Jamie Mason, Bonnie Mathies, Gayle Patton, Sandi
Plymire, and Jeff Wale.

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

2.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair called for public participation and there was none.

3.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Gayle Patton motioned to
approve the agenda as presented; Don Barlow seconded. All aye.

4.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
of December 11 Meeting

Don Barlow motioned to
approve the minutes of the December 11 meeting; Jason Buydos
seconded. All aye.

5.
ACCEPTANCE OF THE
FINANCIAL REPORTS

Diane Fink presented the Financial Reports as of January 31,
2010. Report A showed
the
budget and expenditures for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, which are
unchanged from the previous meeting since those fiscal years are
closed;
Report B
showed
the
budget and expenditures for the current Fiscal Year (2010); and Report
C showed the
revenue and cash balances for Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010.

Report B:
Diane noted the two open encumbrances, one for the fourth quarter OPLIN
rent, and one for the ongoing contract for Explore Ohio website content
management. She also noted that all budgeted encumbrances for Ohio Web
Library databases have now been paid. Finally, she pointed out that the
final filtering grant, which appears as an available balance in the
report, was actually being transferred to the library's account today,
completing the FY 2010 filtering grant payments.

Report C:
Diane reported
that the cash balance in Fund 4S4 was about $1.5 million at the end of
FY 2009. In FY 2010, OPLIN received one transfer of $3,702,150 million
from the Public Library Fund. An additional $7,645 was received from
libraries for web services, as well as $562,467 for E-rate
reimbursements. As of January 31, the cash balance stands at
$2,139,327.

Miscellaneous:
Diane reported
that the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) is expected to release
general guidance for the FY 2012-2013 biennial operating budget within
the next few months, possibly in time for discussion at the OPLIN Board
retreat in April. Budget submissions will probably be due in September
2010. If the majority party of either the House or the Senate changes
after the November elections, the ensuing budget process in the
legislature will be delayed by about a month.

Diane
also announced that following Jo Budler's departure to take the Kansas
State Librarian position, Missy Lodge, currently Head of Library
Programs and Development, will serve as Interim State Librarian.

Jeff
Wale asked if the decline in tax revenues going into the Public Library
Fund would have an impact on the OPLIN budget. Diane replied that it
would not, since OPLIN received its allotment from the Public Library
Fund in a single transfer at the beginning of the fiscal year.

Gayle Patton motioned to
accept the Financial Reports; Jamie Mason seconded. All aye.

6. OLD BUSINESS

6.1. Request for Internet
connection from Central Library Consortium

Karl
Colón reminded the Board that this issue had been tabled at the last
meeting to allow an ad hoc committee to study the issue. Stephen Hedges
told the Board that he would start the discussion by reporting on the
information found during the investigation of the issue, and then the
ad hoc committee would present their recommendations.

Stephen referred the Board again to the letter received from
Carol Roddy,
Executive
Director of the Central Library Consortium (CLC), requesting that OPLIN
continue to pay for management fees associated with CLC's
state-contracted Internet connection, billed by the Ohio Office of
Information Technology (OIT), as well as take over payments for the
circuit itself, billed by AT&T. As the ad hoc committee began
considering this request, they asked Stephen to provide the history
of the relationship between OPLIN and CLC.

Stephen provided the Board with a document summarizing that
history, and then verbally discussed the major elements of that
history. From the beginning of OPLIN in 1995, the budget language
defining OPLIN gave the Board complete authority to certify
participants in the network. Documents from the early OPLIN years
clearly establish that the OPLIN Board envisioned providing an Internet
connection to one location in each public library system, usually the
main library, although from the beginning the State Library received
connections at two locations and regional library systems received
connections as well. Also from the beginning, there was an OPLIN T1
connection in Lithopolis, which was variously identified as connecting
to either CLC or Wagnalls Memorial Library.

Most of the decisions the Board made about the connections
provided to Ohio library entities were based on financial
considerations: could OPLIN afford the connection? That was the case in
August 2002, when CLC requested that OPLIN pay OIT management fees on a
second T1 line they had installed. The audio recording of this meeting
contains discussion about OPLIN's practice of paying management fees
for additional T1 circuits that large libraries were then buying, which
was: the library paid for the additional circuit costs, but OPLIN paid
management fees on all the circuits going to the library. The Board
voted to do the same for CLC, but this was recorded in the minutes as
approval that "OPLIN pay for the circuit costs for CLC."

In 2006 CLC replaced their double-T1 connection with a 10
Mbps Ethernet connection. At the time, OPLIN practice in such
situations—when a library shifted completely away from an
OPLIN-provided connection—was
to reimburse the library in some way for an amount similar to what
OPLIN would have been paying for a connection to the library. In the
case of CLC, OPLIN agreed to pay OIT management and bandwidth charges
on the Ethernet circuit while CLC paid the actual circuit charge.
Wagnalls Memorial Library continued to use one of the old T1 lines, and
OPLIN began paying for this connection in 2007 when Wagnalls began
receiving state funding. Stephen admitted that he had forgotten about
this arrangement with CLC and had asked CLC to begin paying OIT charges
on their Ethernet circuit after noticing those charges on the OPLIN
bill from OIT several months ago, which then prompted CLC's request to
the Board for payment of all their connection charges.

In
the
course of doing research, Stephen called the ad hoc committee's
attention to the fact that the OPLIN Board no longer has the authority
to certify OPLIN participants; possible participants are now defined by
the Ohio Revised Code (3375.64). This language would seem to exclude
CLC from OPLIN. With the support of the Ohio Library Council, Stephen
requested information from Jon Iten, legal counsel to OLC and one of
the major drafters of the Revised Code language on OPLIN, about how to
interpret this language. Mr. Iten replied that it was never the intent
to exclude any current network participant, but then also pointed out
that CLC is not a separate legal entity, but a group of libraries
operating together, with an Administering Library entering into
contracts with the other libraries for specific services. In the case
of the CLC automation project—the primary user of the Ethernet
connection to the CLC office—the Administering Library is Grandview
Heights Public Library, which is unquestionably an OPLIN participant.

6.1.1. Recommendation

While OPLIN participants are defined by the Revised Code, the
nature
of the services provided to participants remains under the authority of
the OPLIN Board. The ad hoc committee—Jeff Wale, Jason Buydos, and
Gayle Patton—noted
that Mr. Iten's memo clarified for them that the question before them
was really the nature of the services OPLIN would provide to Grandview
Heights Public Library. Jeff pointed out that the committee asked
Stephen to keep CLC informed of developments as information was
collected, so CLC has seen both the background memo and Jon Iten's
memo. Karl
Colón remarked that, despite the change in the Board's authority and
the diverse ways the Board had used its previous authority to approve
Internet connections to library entities, the original intent of
providing each library with one connection has been consistent
throughout OPLIN's history. Karl also noted that the current OPLIN
"Policy on the Provision of Network Services" had not been revised
since the Ohio Revised Code language took effect.

6.1.2. Amend
policy on "Network Services"

On behalf of the ad hoc committee, Jeff Wale presented a
proposed revision of the "Policy
on the Provision of Network Services" with language that specified one
connection to one location per library with the exception of
connections for three State Library of Ohio locations (State Library,
SEO Library Center, and OPLIN office). Jamie Mason asked for
clarification of the difference between the SEO Library Center and CLC.
Various members of the committee responded that "CLC" is actually a
separate location of Grandview Heights Public Library, as viewed by
OPLIN, and SEO Library Center is a service outlet of the State Library
of Ohio. The committee's recommendation is that State Library sites be
treated differently from public libraries. There was also a question as
to whether any public libraries currently have two separate
connections. Jason Buydos said there was initially some confusion about
Cleveland Public Library and CLEVNET, but that in fact CLEVNET shares
Cleveland Public Library's single connection; there are no libraries
with two connections.

Stephen Hedges noted that since the committee's development
of the proposed language, he and Karl Jendretzky had discussed the
issue of the seventeen libraries with multiple T1 lines. While these
multiple lines function as a single connection, some libraries might
misinterpret the "one connection" wording of the policy to mean that
multiple T1 lines would no longer be provided to libraries. After some
discussion, the wording was changed to authorize one connection, or
aggregated circuits acting as one connection.

Jason Buydos motioned to
amend the Policy on Provision of Network Services as proposed; Jeff
Wale seconded.

Roll call: Don
Barlow, aye; Gary Branson, aye; Jason Buydos, aye; Ben Chinni, aye; Jim
Kenzig, aye; Jamie Mason, aye; Bonnie Mathies, aye; Gayle Patton, aye;
Sandi
Plymire, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; and Karl
Colón, aye.

6.1.3. Response
to CLC

The
Board now turned to consideration of the specific request from the CLC
office. The recommendation of the ad hoc committee was that the request
be denied, in accordance with the revised Network Services policy,
since the request was in effect for two connections to two Grandview
Heights Public Library locations. It was noted, however, that paying
the OIT management costs for the CLC connection would place a financial
burden on the CLC libraries for which they had not budgeted. Therefore
the committee also recommended that OPLIN continue to pay OIT
management costs for the CLC connection through the end of OPLIN's
fiscal year on June 30, 2010. Stephen reported that this cost would be
about $250 per month.

Jason
Buydos motioned to reject the request from CLC, but continue to pay
their OIT management costs through June 30, 2010; Gayle Patton
seconded. All aye.

The Board asked Stephen to formally convey this response as
soon as possible to Carol Roddy, CLC Executive Director.

Karl
Colón expressed his thanks to Stephen and the ad hoc committee for
their extensive work on this issue.

7.
NEW BUSINESS

7.1.
Approve Capital Budget request

Stephen Hedges reported that he and Diane had prepared two
state
capital budget requests from OPLIN for FY2011-2012, which must be
submitted to the
Office of Budget and Management (OBM) by February 26.

The first request
completes the router replacement project, for which OPLIN received
capital budget funds for FY2009-2010. At the time OPLIN made the
previous request, the plan was to match the capital budget request
($200,000) with OPLIN funds, but subsequent state budget cuts forced
OPLIN to reallocate those match funds to pay for operational expenses.
As a result, OPLIN has only purchased a new core router and 71 library
site routers to replace routers that reached industry end-of-life in
June 2008. This proposed second request for funds to replace 154 more
routers will be for more than $200,000, though the final budget is
still being discussed with representatives from OIT. Gayle Patton asked
if the five spare routers included in the proposal were enough; Karl
Jendretzky replied that all the new routers would be covered by a
replacement warranty, so spare routers would not be needed for extended
periods of time.

Stephen also noted that an E-rate Priority 2
application had been filed to discount the cost of some of the routers,
which would be placed in "high-discount" libraries located in school
districts with a large percentage of students receiving free or
reduced-cost lunches. Priority 2 applications for libraries qualifying
for less than an 80% discount are usually not funded by E-rate. Karl
further noted that this would be the second replacement of OPLIN
routers in libraries.

The
second request would cover the cost of installing fiber-optic Ethernet
connections at 114 libraries which currently have single T1
connections. These installs are made possible by the new contract with
Time Warner Cable, which would allow OPLIN to buy 3 Mbps Ethernet
connections for a slightly lower monthly cost than the 1.5 Mbps T1
lines. Even though none of these libraries has yet qualified for a
circuit upgrade, this upgrade would save OPLIN money; however, the Time
Warner Cable contract also requires a payment of $1,500 for installing
a circuit, which OPLIN cannot afford. This capital budget request would
therefore pay for the installation fees at the 114 libraries, for a
total of $171,000.

OBM requires that agency capital budget
requests be prioritized, and we would designate the router replacement
request to be our top priority. Stephen also noted that the second
request might qualify for a federal Broadband Technology Opportunities
Program (BTOP) grant, but BTOP requires at least a 20% match from the
grantee. The timing of the capital budget and BTOP deadlines does not
allow OPLIN to apply to both funding sources and cancel one application
later, so Stephen recommends OPLIN pursue the capital budget funds
rather
than the BTOP funds.

In response to a question, Diane Fink
reported that our capital budget request for FY2009-2010 was submitted
in January 2008 and we received the funds in August 2008. Stephen also
explained that biennial capital budgets alternate with biennial
operating budgets; the state is currently in the FY2010-2011 operating
budget. Diane noted that the State Library would not be
submitting
any capital budget requests other than the two OPLIN requests.

Bonnie Mathies
motioned to approve the capital budget requests; Jeff Wale
seconded. All aye.

Karl Colón reminded Stephen that Board members would be
willing to talk to legislators to explain the capital budget requests
if needed.

8.
OPLIN DIRECTOR'S
REPORT

Stephen Hedges reported that OPLIN has received a rejection
letter from USDA Rural Utility Service regarding our application for
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) stimulus funds to buy routers.
OPLIN had applied for funds simultaneously through the BIP and BTOP
processes, with a preference for BIP because matching funds were not
necessarily required. The rejection letter indicated that the lack of a
loan request in our application was the reason for the rejection, and
the application has now been passed along to BTOP evaluators. Stephen
noted that USDA has historically favored grant/loan combinations, and
that in the recently announced second round of funding they no longer
offer 100% grants. Stephen also speculated that the size of our request
may have been too small, since second round requests are expected to be
for no less than $500,000. As noted earlier, Stephen does not plan to
submit a second-round request from OPLIN, but has offered to assist the
State Library with their BTOP application. A brief general discussion
of the BTOP process ensued, particularly how libraries planned to
participate in the second round of funding.

Stephen then reported on House Bill 276, which is a bill
seeking to deregulate some aspects of the telecommunications industry.
The bill is complex and has garnered a lot of interest from lobbyists
and consumer advocates. The Ohio Consumers' Council (OCC) in particular
is concerned that the bill may be bad for consumers and is seeking ways
to amend the bill to provide some consumer benefits. OCC approached the
Ohio Library Council about the possibility of having telecommunications
companies establish a fund to support public computing in libraries,
and Lynda Murray and Stephen then worked together with OCC to draft a
proposed amendment that would channel up to $5 million per year from
telecommunications companies to OPLIN, which would then distribute the
funds to libraries and community computing centers in the form of
grants. Lynda and Stephen met with Rep. DeGeeter and Rep. Sayre to
present the amendment, but at this point in time it appears that the
amendment will not be added to the bill. If, however, things change and
the amendment is added, it is likely that the bill will be acted on
quickly, and Board members should be aware of it.

Stephen also reminded the Board of recently announced changes
in Ohio library leadership, particularly the departures of Tom
Sanville,
Jo Budler, and Meribah Mansfield from their current positions. Meribah
was very actively involved in the creation of OPLIN, and Stephen asked
the Board if they would like to do something special to commemorate her
service to OPLIN. Gayle Patton asked if OPLIN had done anything special
for Steve Wood, who was also active in the creation of OPLIN; Stephen
replied that he had attended Steve's retirement reception in Cleveland
Heights, but otherwise nothing special was done. Gayle suggested that
OPLIN create an online tribute to Meribah recognizing her service to
OPLIN and then announce its location on the OPLIN email lists. There
was general approval of this suggestion.

Stephen noted that prior to the Board meeting some members had
expressed an interest in hearing more about the current state of
OhioLINK, in light of Tom Sanville's departure from the Executive
Director position. The Board of Regents is actively working to
consolidate services, including some OhioLINK technology projects,
under OARnet direction. That transition process has had some problems,
leading to frustration among OhioLINK library directors. The OhioLINK
Board's governing authority has also been removed and now resides with
the Chancellor of the Board of Regents. This turmoil could affect OPLIN
because OhioLINK is one of the Libraries Connect Ohio (LCO) partners,
but Tom Sanville has assured LCO that OhioLINK's contributions to LCO
are not in any jeopardy. There was general Board discussion about the
possible impact of the technology transition on the Search Ohio
libraries that use OhioLINK technology for sharing materials.

8.1.
Databases
and Network Reports

8.1.1.
Database
usage

Laura Solomon noted that the Board is once again seeing raw
statistical data on database
usage rather than the usual chart because
EBSCO is still having a problem delivering statistics and is therefore
absent from the usage report. The previous problem receiving statistics
for OhioLINK-hosted resources has now been resolved. EBSCO is promising
to have their problem resolved by the end of the month.

8.1.2. Support
Center (December and January)

Karl Jendretzky reported that no unusual activity appears in
the Support Center reports for the past two months. He went on to
explain, however, that some interesting things have occurred which do
not appear in the reports. In the process of installing the new routers
at library sites, OPLIN discovered that many libraries using Innovative
Interfaces, Inc. software (III) had servers which were misconfigured
and caused the library catalog to fail when the new router was
installed. The old CISCO routers did not reveal the problem, but the
new Juniper routers do. This misconfiguration also explains why some
III servers were being used as spam relays and some Search Ohio users
reported problems connecting to the catalog. The Board encouraged Karl
to contact III libraries and alert them to this possible problem with
their server configuration. Karl also reported that OIT is now
satisfied that most configuration issues with the new routers have been
resolved and they will begin an aggressive schedule of
deploying
the routers.

Karl also noted that some of the Support Center tickets on his
reports initiate the first installations of Time Warner Cable
circuits in libraries, which has involved meetings and discussions with
TWC staff to familiarize them with our operations and vice versa.

10.
CHAIR'S REPORT

Karl Colón reported that he had appointed Jeff Wale as the
at-large member of the Board Executive Committee; prior to becoming a
Board officer, Karl had been the at-large member.

Karl announced that the terms of four Board members
expire this June: himself, Gary Branson, Jeff Wale, and Jamie Mason
(completing Holly Carroll's term). All four members are eligible for
another term. Karl appointed Sandi Plymire and Ben Chinni to a
Nominating Committee to prepare a slate of continuing/replacement Board
candidates for the April Board retreat. Karl reminded the Board that
the retreat is scheduled to last until 3:00 pm, at a location yet to be
determined.

Karl asked the Board members to be sure they submit
their Financial Disclosure forms to the Ethics Commission before the
April 15 deadline.

Karl also asked Board members to pay close attention to House
Bill 400, which would eliminate the state income tax without any
proposed means of protecting the Public Library Fund from a revenue
loss.

11.
ADJOURNMENT

Sandi Plymire motioned to
adjourn the meeting at 11:50 a.m.; Jason Buydos seconded.

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

Minutes—December
11,
2009

1.
WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred seventeenth
meeting of the Ohio Public Library
Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at
10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 11, 2009 by Board Chair Karl
Colón at the State Library of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members:
Don Barlow, Gary Branson, Jason Buydos, Ben Chinni, Karl
Colón, Jamie Mason, Bonnie Mathies, Gayle Patton, Sandi
Plymire, and Jeff Wale.

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

2.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Doug Evans reported that the Ohio Library Council is asking
all OLC members to contact the Ohio Senate to urge passage of HB318
before the Senate adjourns for the holidays. This is a joint effort of
OLC, the K-12 and higher education communities, health and human
services providers, and local governments. Continued Senate inaction on
this budget-balancing bill could have a huge financial impact on
libraries and other state services. If the scheduled income tax
reduction is not delayed, as HB318 proposes, there is concern that
there will be additional drastic cuts in the funding for state services.

Karl
Colón asked everyone to introduce themselves, since
the new Head of
Employee Services for the State Library (Matthew Dyer) and two new
Board members (Jason Buydos and Jamie Mason) were present.

3.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Bonnie Mathies motioned to
approve the agenda as presented; Don Barlow seconded. All aye.

4.
APPROVAL OF BOARD VICE-CHAIR

Karl
Colón noted that the Nominating Committee had recommended Sandi Plymire
as the new Vice-Chair of the OPLIN Board, but this was inadvertently
omitted from the last meeting.

Gayle Patton motioned to
approve Sandi Plymire as Vice-Chair of the Board; Jeff Wale seconded.
All aye.

5.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
of October 9 Meeting

Don Barlow motioned to
approve the minutes of the October 9 meeting; Sandi Plymire
seconded. All aye.

6.
ACCEPTANCE OF THE
FINANCIAL REPORTS

Diane Fink presented the Financial Reports as of November 30,
2009. Report A showed
the
budget and expenditures for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009;
Report B
showed
the
budget and expenditures for the current Fiscal Year (2010); and Report
C showed the
revenue and cash balances for Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010.

Report A:
Diane reported that all purchase orders for FY 2009 have now been paid
or otherwise closed. She noted that a small balance for unemployment
charges was canceled because it was no longer needed; this balance,
added to mandated contract reductions and the cancellation of one
filtering grant, resulted in a year-end General Revenue Fund (GRF)
balance of $2,956.52 which now reverts to the state treasury. In Fund
4S4, approximately $1.4 million of the $3 million spending authority
was unused.

Stephen Hedges asked Diane to clarify OPLIN funding for the
benefit of the new Board members. Diane explained that through FY 2009
OPLIN received funds from the state GRF as well as some non-GRF funds—primarily
E-rate reimbursements—which
were grouped into Fund 4S4. For these 4S4 monies, OPLIN had to request
"spending authority" to be able to use them. In the current FY
2010-2011 biennial budget, all OPLIN accounts draw from Fund
4S4, which is
now a combination of money transferred from the Public Library Fund
(PLF) plus $2 million in spending authority that allows OPLIN to
spend E-rate
reimbursements and other money not collected from the PLF. Diane also
explained that OPLIN has drawn additional funds in the past from the
state's Capital Budget to purchase replacement routers for the network.

Gayle
Patton asked for clarification of the $10,000 budgeted in FY 2008 for
Kent State University's review of the OPLIN web site, which was never
expended. Stephen explained that KSU had not provided OPLIN with a
final report, as per the contractual agreement, and therefore will not
bill OPLIN for the work they did. Diane noted that this money was
budgeted to come from Fund 4S4 and thus remains in the fund.

Report B:
Diane took a few
minutes to explain the OPLIN budget categories and line items to new
Board members. She pointed out reductions in rent and a consultant's
contract that were negotiated at the end of FY 2009. The total amount
in Fund 4S4 is $5,702,150, which consists of $3,702,150 transferred
from the PLF and $2 million spending authority. Jeff Wale asked about
differences in the FY 2010 budget for telecommunications compared to
actual expenditures in FY 2009; Diane explained that budget amounts
will be adjusted as the total amount actually needed becomes clearer
near the end of the fiscal year.

Report C:
Diane reported
that the cash balance in Fund 4S4 was about $1.5 million at the end of
FY 2009, but after the Office of Budget and Management (OBM)
transferred the entire $3.7 million from the PLF to OPLIN, followed by
large payments for databases and telecommunications, the cash balance
now stands at about $3.35 million. Diane called attention to $6,435
received so far this fiscal year for the Website Kits. She also
reminded the Board that OPLIN now applies for E-rate reimbursements
semi-annually rather than annually, which smooths the cash flow a
little.

Miscellaneous:
Diane
is
still waiting for instructions from OBM for the 2011-2012 Capital
Budget. Once OBM releases those instructions, OPLIN can begin the
process of applying for more capital funds to purchase replacement
routers, since we were ultimately unable to match our 2009-2010 capital
funds with GRF monies and thus have not yet purchased all of the needed
routers.

Gayle Patton motioned to
accept the Financial Reports; Gary Branson seconded. All aye.

7. OLD BUSINESS

7.1.
Discussion of Internet connection for Central Library Consortium

Stephen Hedges presented a formal letter from Carol Roddy,
Executive
Director of the Central Library Consortium (CLC), requesting that OPLIN
take over payments for their state-contracted Internet circuit and
associated management fees. He also provided a network diagram of CLC
which he and Karl Jendretzky had obtained during a visit to CLC on the
preceding day, December 10.

Stephen explained that this item is
"old business" because the issue was previously discussed at the April
2007 OPLIN Board meeting, without any formal action taken.
Historically, OPLIN had been paying for a connection to CLC, which was
shared by the Wagnalls Memorial Library, since both entities are
located on the same premises. When Wagnalls began receiving state
public library funding, they requested an independent connection, at
which point OPLIN provided Wagnalls with a T1 circuit and discontinued
payments for CLC's 10 Mbps circuit. It recently came to light that the
billing for circuit management fees had never been transferred to CLC,
and the discussions about resolving this issue lead to this renewed
request from CLC that OPLIN pay all costs for their Internet connection.

Stephen
has suggested to CLC that they put their consortial traffic on the
Wagnalls circuit, which OPLIN would upgrade as needed, and discontinue
their independent circuit. This network model would conform closely to
the OPLIN arrangement with Cleveland Public Library/CLEVNET. The CLC
Board has declined this suggestion. Stephen then explained the way the
CLC network is currently configured among the libraries in the
consortium and reported that CLC might be willing to reconfigure their
network to fit within an OPLIN proposal for connecting all the member
libraries as well as the CLC office to each other and the Internet. For
example, OPLIN could pay for connections between the member libraries
and the OPLIN core, separate the shared CLC catalog system
traffic
at the core, and send that catalog traffic back to the CLC office on a
CLC-paid circuit. This would increase our cost, since OPLIN would have
to pay management fees on all circuits terminating at the core. (Seven
of the OPLIN-provided CLC library circuits currently terminate at the
CLC office and OPLIN does not pay management fees for them.)
Another example would be to terminate all of the CLC library circuits
at the CLC office, so OPLIN would pay no management fees, and then
bring all of the traffic from the CLC office to the OPLIN core on an
OPLIN-paid circuit. Since most CLC libraries currently pay for a
separate circuit for their general Internet traffic and use the
OPLIN-provided circuit for their CLC catalog traffic, either scenario
would save money for the individual libraries by putting all of their
traffic on an OPLIN-provided circuit. The question becomes: what should
OPLIN pay for, and what should CLC pay for?

Karl
Colón asked about the configuration of the SEO network. Stephen replied
that it would correspond to the first example: all the member library
circuits terminate at the core and catalog traffic then gets directed
to the SEO office. CLEVNET corresponds to the second example, where
library circuits terminate at a central location before traffic is
directed to the OPLIN core. Board members then discussed the physical
relationship between the CLC office and the Wagnalls library
facilities, and the similarities and differences between that
relationship and the Cleveland Public Library/CLEVNET relationship.

Jason
Buydos questioned how providing consortium connections fits within the
OPLIN mission. Stephen and Karl Jendretzky replied that OPLIN prefers
to pay for library connections, some of which may also happen
to
carry consortial traffic. If the consortium assumes management fees for
the circuits to member libraries, as is the case with CLEVNET, the cost
to OPLIN for providing a larger circuit to such a library is offset by
the management savings.

Gayle Patton asked Stephen if he had a
recommendation, and he replied that he did not. Karl Jendretzky did
point out that, from a purely technical standpoint, circuits that
terminate at the OPLIN core are easier to monitor and upgrade.
Karl
Colón noted that much of the information under discussion had only been
gathered a day earlier, and wondered if tabling this issue would give
the OPLIN Director more time to develop a recommendation. Stephen
responded that he feels this is a policy question before the Board, and
was reluctant to promise a recommendation.

Karl
Colón noted that this issue could be approached as either a policy
issue or a decision about a single case. Ensuing Board discussion
circled around the limits of OPLIN's general mission and how involved
OPLIN should be in the details of the relationship between CLC
libraries and the CLC office. Several Board members felt that this must
be handled as a policy issue and not a single case decision. Karl
suggested that this issue be tabled to allow time for further
investigation, development of a recommendation, and more discussion at
the next Board meeting. If this is to be a policy decision, it could
have ramifications that affect many more libraries than just the CLC
libraries.

With the consent of the Board, Karl
Colón appointed Gayle Patton, Jeff Wale, and Jason Buydos to an ad hoc
committee charged with the responsibility of working with Stephen to
develop the case and policy information necessary for the Board to
debate this issue fully at the next meeting. He also authorized travel
expenses for committee members to the CLC office should they feel such
a trip would be beneficial.

Gary Branson motioned to
table the discussion until the next Board meeting; Jeff Wale seconded.
All aye.

8.
NEW BUSINESS

8.1.
Approval of switching some AT&T circuits to Time
Warner
Cable

Stephen Hedges reminded the Board that Time Warner Cable now
has a
master contract with the Ohio Office of Information Technology (OIT)
for fiber-optic circuits,
which means they join AT&T and TW Telecom as potential vendors
of
OPLIN Ethernet circuits. In another recent development, OIT did not
receive funding to maintain the Broadband Ohio Network, which had been
using the OARnet fiber backbone to bring state agency traffic from
remote areas of the state back to Columbus over the past year,
including many OPLIN circuits to libraries outside central Ohio. For
OPLIN, this means paying AT&T and TW Telecom for long-haul
Ethernet
service, which adds considerable expense in some cases.

Time Warner Cable is not regulated as a telecommunications
company and does not charge for Ethernet long-haul. Their cost for
local circuits is slightly higher than the other two vendors, and they
charge a $1,500 per circuit installation fee and can also charge for
any construction costs incurred in building fiber to the library. OPLIN
sent TWC a list of all libraries which would require long-haul
Ethernet as well as all libraries which currently have multiple T1
lines because they are located in areas where we have not been able to
get Ethernet. TWC was able to provide service to most of these
libraries, and agreed to waive all construction costs if OPLIN
would commit to installing circuits in large groups.

Stephen provided a detailed explanation of a large spreadsheet
which listed the libraries in question and factored in installation
costs, AT&T disconnection penalties, monthly
costs/savings, and then calculated optimum proposed dates for switching
the circuits to TWC. Circuits from TW Telecom were not included in the
plan because their disconnection penalties are too expensive to be
considered at this time. Stephen also noted that all parties that would
be
involved in the process of finding a solution to our long-haul Ethernet
problem—AT&T, TWC, and OIT—have been very willing to be
flexible to the extent possible within the confines of contracts and
corporate policies.

Jeff Wale asked several questions about the
process of constructing TWC circuits into the library buildings;
Stephen replied that the $1,500 installation fee covers pulling fiber
to the library's demarcation point, and that the library must give
permission to construct before any work is done. Jeff also asked if
OPLIN had any previous experience with TWC; Karl Jendretzky replied
that we have no direct experience, but we have had conversations with
Columbus Metropolitan Library, which uses TWC connections for branch
libraries, and they are pleased with TWC.

Stephen noted that
decisions about circuit changes are not generally brought before the
Board, but this change would affect a significant portion of the entire
OPLIN network. Karl Colón asked if a vote of the Board was
required; Stephen replied that he was informing the Board of his
intention to proceed with the changes unless the Board had objections.
Stephen also noted that TWC could provide 3 Mbps Ethernet circuits to
117 libraries that currently have single T1 circuits, for approximately
the same monthly charge as OPLIN currently pays to AT&T for the
T1s, but the
total installation costs for all these circuits would be too much for
our operating budget and may become a capital budget request.

Jeff
Wale had no objection to the plan as a whole, but cautioned that OPLIN
should monitor the construction process carefully to avoid problems for
the libraries. Jeff also asked if the switch would affect our plans for
replacing routers, and Karl Jendretzky replied that it would not.
Karl Colón asked if OPLIN staff had confidence in the
robustness
of the TWC network and their ability to meet their
commitments; Karl
Jendretzky replied that he had good reports from other TWC users and
expected TWC to be able to meet the terms of their state contract. Ben
Chinni noted that the quality of residential service from TWC varies
depending on the area of the state; Karl Jendretzky replied that
this service differs fundamentally from TWC's residential service,
being entirely on fiber, and is covered by a statewide Service Level
Agreement. Don Barlow asked about the term of the contract; Stephen
replied that he did not know, although the contract does include 5-year
pricing options; negotiating contract extensions, etc., would be the
responsibility of OIT.

There was no further discussion. In
response to a question from the Chair, Stephen noted that libraries
affected by the switch would be notified as soon as possible.

9.
OPLIN DIRECTOR'S
REPORT

Stephen Hedges gave an update on the progress of the E-rate
training workshops done by Lorrie Germann, our E-rate consultant from
eTech Ohio, at the State Library. He noted that he and Lorrie have
decided to apply for E-rate Priority 2 funds for OPLIN to offset the
cost of some of the replacement routers.

Stephen asked Karl Jendretzky to explain recent changes to the
OPLIN servers. Karl has been moving from virtual servers back to
physical servers after the virtual server controller failed and brought
down all our servers on a recent weekend. With the exception of two
hard drives, no new hardware has been needed for this change.

Stephen reported that he submitted brief comments to the FCC
in response to a request for comments on the E-rate system. The FCC
questions indicate that there may be some changes to E-rate in the near
future.

Stephen commented on two recent meetings. First, the Columbus
Metropolitan Library technology staff held a "retreat" at the OPLIN
office, which gave OPLIN staff the opportunity to share information
with them. Second, Stephen reported that he presented a sketch of a
proposed new system for gathering, keeping, and reporting library
statistics to the OLC Government Relations Committee. This new system
would function as a "data center" where libraries could store some key
statistical data for later retrieval. It would not replace the State
Library's annual survey, nor would it be as accurate as the State
Library's statistics, but it would replace the annual OPLIN
Connectivity Survey and provide "raw" data more quickly than the State
Library statistical reports.

9.1.
Databases
and Network Reports

9.1.1.
Database
usage

Laura Solomon presented detailed statistical data on database
usage rather than the usual chart because several vendors, most notably
EBSCO, have had problems delivering statistics. This is a high-priority
issue for EBSCO. Other statistics are missing because OhioLINK is
moving some servers to a more centralized data center for all higher
education institutions. Laura expects to have complete statistics for
the next Board meeting.

Laura also reported on her social media training activities,
which included a webinar done with Lynda Murray (OLC) covering the Save
Ohio Libraries social media campaign.

9.1.2. Support
Center (October and November)

Karl Jendretzky reported that there was no unusual activity in
the Support Center in the past two months.

10.
CHAIR'S REPORT

Karl Colón thanked everyone for their participation and wished
happy holidays to all.

11.
ADJOURNMENT

Gary Branson motioned to
adjourn the meeting at 11:51 a.m.; Don Barlow seconded.

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

Minutes—October 9, 2009

1. WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred sixteenth meeting of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 9, 2009 by Board Chair Karl Colón at the State Library of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members: Don Barlow, Gary Branson, Ben Chinni, Karl Colón, Jim Kenzig, Sandi Plymire and Jeff Wale.

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

2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair called for public participation and there was none.

3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Gary Branson motioned to approve the agenda as presented; Sandi Plymire seconded. All aye.

4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of August 14 Meeting

Don Barlow motioned to approve the minutes of the August 14 meeting; Jeff Wale seconded. All aye.

5. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCIAL REPORTS

Diane Fink presented the Financial Reports as of September 30, 2009. Report A showed the budget and expenditures for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009; Report B showed the budget and expenditures for Fiscal Year 2010; and Report C showed the revenue and cash balances for Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010.

Report A: Diane explained that state agencies have until November to pay off purchase orders after the close of a fiscal year, so the FY 2009 expenditures report still shows one open purchase order for an unemployment claim. Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009 had several budget cuts mandated by the Office of Budget and Management (OBM), and those reductions totaled $1,056,551 for the FY08-09 budget biennium.

Report B: Diane pointed out that the budget for rent shown in this report for the current fiscal year is much less than in previous fiscal years, because of a reduction negotiated with the landlord; in response to a question, she clarified that OPLIN makes quarterly rent payments. The consulting contract with Past, Present & Future is also less than it has been previously due to a re-negotiation. Payments to Wright State University reflect scheduled payments for the OPLIN portion of the Ohio Web Library databases. The payment for E-rate consulting covers the second year we have contracted with eTech Ohio for this service.

Jeff Wale asked Stephen Hedges if he is happy with the eTech Ohio E-rate consulting and Stephen replied that he is, noting that they have fielded a lot of calls for E-rate assistance from the public libraries. While Stephen was not able to report a specific increase in our E-rate funding attributable to eTech's consulting, he did note that they increased the speed of our E-rate cash flow by applying for semi-annual instead of annual E-rate reimbursements. In response to a question about discounts for internal connections, Stephen noted that OPLIN has had discussions with eTech about the possibility of qualifying virtual servers as E-ratable internal connections, but that any such discounts were likely to benefit individual libraries rather than OPLIN.

Diane noted that all OPLIN accounts now draw from Fund 4S4, which is a combination of money transferred from the Public Library Fund (PLF) plus $2 million in "spending authority" that allows us to spend E-rate reimbursements and other money not collected from the PLF.

Report C: Diane explained that this report tracks the cash flow into and out of Fund 4S4. The balance at June 30 was approximately $1.5 million. Diane called attention to an OBM document authorizing one transfer of $3,702,150 from the PLF to Fund 4S4 on August 31. She noted that this differed from the practice in Fiscal Years 2002-2004, when funds were transferred monthly from the Library and Local Government Support Fund (LLGSF). Diane speculated that the difference in procedure was due to the fact that $5 million was also transferred from the General Revenue Fund (GRF) into the PLF to cover the transfer of funds out of the PLF, and she assumed that the same procedure would be followed next fiscal year. In response to a question, Diane clarified that money in Fund 4S4 carries forward from year to year.

Diane noted that payments from libraries for website kits and refunds from telecommunications companies are reflected in the "Other Revenue" column of Report C. She also called attention to the increased frequency of E-rate reimbursements.

Miscellaneous: Diane reported that she is awaiting instructions from OBM for the FY2011-2012 Capital Budget. OPLIN intends to apply again for capital funds to purchase more replacement routers for the network. She also noted that state revenues are currently running slightly ahead of estimates. In response to a question, Diane explained that OPLIN does not invest cash balances, but the state treasury does, and the treasury retains any earned interest.

Jeff Wale expressed appreciation for Diane's good management of the OPLIN finances.

Jeff Wale motioned to accept the Financial Reports; Gary Branson seconded. All aye.

6. OLD BUSINESS — none

7. NEW BUSINESS

7.1. Approve nominations of Board candidates

Jeff Wale presented a summary of the discussion of the Nominating Committee, comprised of Jeff and Gayle Patton, regarding candidates to replace Holly Carroll and Mike Wantz on the Board. After looking at the group of candidates who recently expressed interest in the two Board vacancies created at the end of regular terms in June, the Nominating Committee proposed that Jason Buydos, Technical Services Director at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, and Jamie Mason, Deputy Director at Rocky River Public Library, be submitted to the State Library Board for appointment to the OPLIN Board. Both individuals are highly recommended by their library directors. Stephen Hedges noted that the Board should recommend one individual to fill the final year of Holly's unexpired term, while the other individual would be recommended to fill Mike's full three-year term.

Jim Kenzig motioned to recommend to the State Library Board that Jamie Mason be appointed to fill the unexpired board term of Holly Carroll, and Jason Buydos be appointed to a full board term; Don Barlow seconded. All aye.

7.2. Approve Internet filtering assistance grants

Stephen Hedges reminded the Board that OPLIN has $81,000 earmarked in the budget for filtering assistance grants to libraries. After approval of the grant procedures at the last Board meeting, libraries were invited to apply online, with applications due last Friday, October 2. As per the procedures, applications were ranked with new filters receiving first priority, upgrades to existing filters receiving second priority, and requests for filtering maintenance funds ranked third, with requests for maintenance from libraries with lower overall total revenue taking precedence over libraries with higher revenue.

Stephen reported that 50 applications were received, totaling $93,267.29. After making some corrections and removing some unrelated expenses, OPLIN will be able to fund 48 of the applications, and partially fund a 49th request; OPLIN will not have enough funds to fulfill the 50th request, from Akron-Summit County Public Library. He presented a list of his recommendations, divided into three groups to make it possible for Board members to abstain from voting on grants to the libraries which employ them.

Group 1

NEW INSTALLS
    Canal Fulton Public Library: $2,565.50
    Kingsville Public Library: $2,850.00
UPGRADES
    Washington-Centerville Public Library: $4,454.24
    Delaware County District Library: $3,424.50
    Briggs Lawrence County Public Library: $2,247.24
    Brown Memorial Library: $1,443.00
    Mount Gilead Public Library: $4,500.00
    Mount Sterling Public Library: $1,795.00
    Twinsburg Public Library: $4,500.00
    Mary L Cook Public Library: $1,443.00
RENEWALS (ranked least to most Total Overall Revenue)
    Forest-Jackson Public Library: $129.00
    Rock Creek Public Library: $1,850.00
    Grand Valley Public Library: $375.00
    Mechanicsburg Public Library: $225.92
    Alexandria Public Library: $199.00
    Wagnalls Memorial Library: $199.00
    Henderson Memorial Library Association: $250.00
    Kinsman Free Public Library: $625.00
    Harbor-Topky Memorial Library: $810.00
    Delphos Public Library: $312.00
    Plain City Public Library: $199.00
    Newton Falls Public Library: $1,125.00
    Carnegie Public Library (East Liverpool): $350.00
    Hubbard Public Library: $1,025.00
    Brown County Public Library: $1,718.00
    Lebanon Public Library: $1,005.00
    Perry Public Library: $450.00
    London Public Library: $1,200.00
    Pickerington Public Library: $199.00
    McKinley Memorial Library: $1,000.00

Jim Kenzig motioned to provide Internet filtering assistance grants to this group of libraries in amounts not to exceed the amount recommended for each library by the Director; Sandi Plymire seconded.

Roll call: Don Barlow, aye; Gary Branson, abstain; Ben Chinni, aye; Jim Kenzig, aye; Sandi Plymire, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; and Karl Colón, aye.

Group 2

RENEWALS (continued)
    Madison Public Library: $950.00
    Putnam County District Library: $858.28
    Marysville Public Library: $398.00
    Troy-Miami County Public Library: $3,408.00
    Ashtabula County District Library: $1,300.00
    Reed Memorial Library: $1,525.00
    Kent Free Library: $2,825.00
    Rodman Public Library: $1,585.00
    Nelsonville Public Library: $1,953.00
    Portage County District Library: $2,500.00
    Portsmouth Public Library: $1,079.72
    Muskingum County Library System: $1,636.00
    Grandview Heights Public Library: $199.00
    Morley Library: $2,750.00
    Fairfield County District Library: $2,568.00
    Geauga County Public Library: $3,500.00
    Upper Arlington Public Library: $2,227.50
    Warren-Trumbull County Public Library: $4,500.00

Jeff Wale motioned to provide Internet filtering assistance grants to this group of libraries in amounts not to exceed the amount recommended for each library by the Director; Don Barlow seconded.

Roll call: Don Barlow, aye; Gary Branson, aye; Ben Chinni, aye; Jim Kenzig, aye; Sandi Plymire, abstain; Jeff Wale, aye; and Karl Colón, aye.

Group 3

RENEWALS (continued)
    Greene County Public Library: $2,769.10

Stephen Hedges explained that Greene County Public Library had requested $4,500, but only $2,769.10 will be left from the available $81,000 once all the other grants are awarded. He noted, however, that it is not unusual to find that a library cannot meet all the grant requirements when a contract is sent to them, and he suggested that any such unused grant funds could be applied toward the balance of Greene County's original request.

Gary Branson motioned that Greene County Public Library be awarded an Internet filtering assistance grant in an amount not to exceed $4,500, the exact amount of the award to be determined by the balance of funds available once all other grant recipients come into contract for their awards; Sandi Plymire seconded.

Roll call: Don Barlow, aye; Gary Branson, aye; Ben Chinni, aye; Jim Kenzig, aye; Sandi Plymire, aye; Jeff Wale, aye; and Karl Colón, abstain.

8. OPLIN DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Stephen Hedges commended the OPLIN staff for creating an interactive website for presenting the Annual Report to Stakeholders. He reported that about 40 people attended the accompanying online meeting on September 18, and the response to the online format was generally positive. The software used for the online meeting was a free trial version of DimDim, so Karl Jendretzky is now looking into installing the open source version of DimDim, or some other open source online meeting software, for possible OPLIN use in the future. Stephen had originally planned to do next year's Stakeholders Meeting in conjunction with the Ohio Library Council (OLC) Expo, as normal, but now asked for Board reaction to the idea of using the online format instead. After brief discussion, the Board recommended doing both, perhaps recording the meeting at the Expo and making the recording available online.

Stephen reported that he submitted an application for $123,600 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds from the USDA's Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) to buy more replacement routers for our library sites. Using data from Connect Ohio, Stephen identified 56 libraries in underserved areas of the state that could qualify under the program. He also submitted materials to allow funding through NTIA's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) should the BIP application be rejected; if we should be funded under the NTIA program, we will have to supply a 20% cash match. Stephen reported that there is a lot of competition for these funds. He hopes to have some indication of the success of OPLIN's application in about a month.

Stephen also reported that Karl Jendretzky and Terry Fouts, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) engineer who does frequent work on the OPLIN network, have almost finished configuring the first of the replacement site routers for use at Stark County District Library. Karl explained that once the first router is successfully configured, that configuration can then be copied to the other new routers. Karl also gave an update on the status of the new OPLIN core router, which is awaiting approval for power use in the State of Ohio Computer Center (SOCC).

Stephen informed the Board that Time Warner Cable has a new state contract for Ethernet connections. This provides OPLIN with a choice of competitive vendors in many parts of the state for the first time. Stephen hopes to leverage this competition to control some connection costs which would otherwise be rising due to the demise of the Ohio Broadband Network. This network, which was put together by OIT and OARnet last year, and which OPLIN was using to carry Ethernet traffic from remote locations back to the OPLIN core, is being dismantled due to lack of funds to maintain it. This means that OPLIN would need to purchase long-haul connectivity for the AT&T and tw telecom Ethernet connections we have outside central Ohio, paying the vendors to carry our traffic back to Columbus rather than to the nearest Ohio Broadband Network node. In some cases, this could triple our current connection costs. Time Warner Cable does not charge extra for long-haul connectivity.

Stephen reported that he and Karl met with representatives from Index Data to discuss new software they are developing for building "connectors" to websites that we want to include in the Ohio Web Library search. Stephen plans to keep in touch with them as they continue development of this product. OPLIN currently pays $19,600 a year for WebFeat "OpenTranslators" that perform a similar function, and Stephen thinks OPLIN can save money by switching to the Index Data product. Karl also noted that he had received a call from EBSCO, who are impressed with the volume of Z39.50 searching the Ohio Web Library is doing within their databases.

Stephen also reported that he and Laura Solomon met with Lynda Murray and Mackenzie Betts from OLC to discuss using social media to support library funding, and specifically to decide what to do about the SaveOhioLibraries.com website that was created following the June 19 announcement of the Governor's intention of cutting state funding for libraries. As a result of that meeting, Laura rebuilt the SaveOhioLibraries website so it could be used to support the local library levies on the November ballot.

8.1. Databases and Network Reports

8.1.1. Database usage

Laura Solomon presented statistics on Ohio Web Library searches and document retrievals. Because of ongoing problems WorldBook is having with delivering statistics, they are not included in this report. While searches were down slightly compared to last year—perhaps due to the lack of WorldBook statistics—the number of documents retrieved is again well ahead of last year.

8.1.2. Support Center (August and September)

Karl Jendretzky called attention to the higher than average number of email issues, and explained that some of this was activity resulting from offering libraries the option of using their own domain name in accounts hosted on the OPLIN mail server. Other activity was the result of compromised library servers that were being used to send email spam, which required OPLIN intervention. Karl noted that he sees a possible problem with servers operating the Innovative Interfaces integrated library system software (III); four libraries in the last three months have had their III servers compromised.

Jeff Wale asked if OPLIN had received any complaints about canceling subscriptions to Ohio Web Library databases at the end of the fiscal year. Laura replied that librarians were sad to not have NoveList anymore, and Stephen noted that much of the response OPLIN has received concerning NoveList has come from school librarians. Jeff also asked about the status of NetWellness; Stephen replied that the University of Cincinnati library has left the NetWellness partnership, and Case Western and Ohio State universities are now actively seeking funding to continue the project. Stephen has heard that if they are successful in their search for funding, some other division of the University of Cincinnati may re-join the partnership, but not the library.

9. CHAIR'S REPORT

Karl Colón noted that there have been several recent court cases which could impact the state budget, and possibly necessitate a budget corrections bill. OPLIN will need to watch developments carefully and be ready to respond to any further budget pressures.

10. ADJOURNMENT

Sandi Plymire motioned to adjourn the meeting at 11:09 a.m.

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

Minutes—August
14,
2009

1.
WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred fifteenth
meeting of the Ohio Public Library
Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at
10:02 a.m. on Friday, August 14, 2009 by outgoing Board Chair Gayle
Patton at the State Library of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members:
Don Barlow, Gary Branson, Ben Chinni, Karl
Colón, Jim Kenzig, Bonnie Mathies, Gayle Patton, and Sandi
Plymire.

Also present were: Stephen
Hedges and Laura Solomon (OPLIN); Diane
Fink (State Library); and Lynda Murray (Ohio
Library Council).

Gayle welcomed Ben Chinni to
the Board and asked all present to introduce themselves.

2.
NOMINATION and ELECTION of
BOARD OFFICERS

Gayle Patton reminded the Board
that the Nominations Committee proposed a slate of candidates at the
April Board Retreat, as follows: Karl Colón, Chair; Holly
Carroll,
Vice-Chair; Bonnie Mathies, Secretary; and
Gayle Patton, Treasurer. Holly will not be able to serve as Vice-Chair,
so that position would remain vacant for now.

Don
Barlow motioned to
approve the Nominations Committee's slate of officers, with the
exception of the Vice-Chair; Gary Branson seconded. All aye.

Gayle Patton passed leadership
to the new Chair, Karl Colón.

3.
ESTABLISH BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE for
FY 2010

The Chair called for approval
of the proposed meeting schedule:

• August 14, 2009 (previously
  approved)
• October 9,
  2009 (previously approved)
• December 11, 2009
• February 12, 2010
• April 9, 2010 (Board Retreat)
• June 11, 2010
• August 13, 2010
• October 8, 2010

Gayle
Patton motioned to
approve the FY 2010 meeting schedule as
presented; Jim Kenzig seconded. All aye.

4.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair recognized Lynda
Murray to provide comments on the new
state biennium budget.

Lynda recounted the events of
the weekend following Gov. Strickland's June 19 proposal to cut public
library funding by an additional 30%. The Ohio Library Council
mobilized the directors of the larger libraries, while a grass-roots
effort launched the very successful Save Ohio Libraries campaign on the
Internet. As a result of substantial public pressure on the
legislature, the proposed reduction was cut back to about 10%, by
reducing the percentage of general tax revenues going into the Public
Library Fund from 2.22% down to 1.97%. The transfer of $5 million
annually from the General Revenue Fund (GRF) to the Public Library Fund
(PLF) to cover the cost of OPLIN and the Library for the Blind was
retained. Nevertheless, OLC currently projects that public libraries
will receive about 25% less state funding this calendar year compared
to last year.

While the state budget will
most likely be amended more than once over the biennium, the strong
public outcry over the proposed cut in library funding has given
libraries some political safety. The current relationship with the
Governor's office is not good, however, and will take some work.
Another area of concern is the evolving shift in state revenues away
from taxes and toward fees and other non-tax sources.

Lynda shared a few of the
highlights and successes of the Save Ohio Libraries social media
campaign, and then read the following resolution, as passed by the Ohio
Library Council Board on July 17:

cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">

A RESOLUTION Honoring LAURA SOLOMON: WHEREAS, Ohio's public libraries provide the highest quality of patron service and experience the most frequent use of all the public libraries in the United States; and WHEREAS, Ohio's public libraries play an essential role in providing reading materials, research and reference services, homework help, early literacy opportunities, Internet access, services to help people find jobs, and an endless variety of other vital services; and WHEREAS, in 2007 Ohio's public libraries entered into an agreement with state government that public libraries would be funded through the Public Library Fund; a fund that was a true revenue sharing partnership that set aside 2.22% of the state's tax revenue to fund public libraries; and WHEREAS, public library funding in Ohio has been deteriorating as a result of the economy since 2002 and estimates that state funding will erode by 20% in 2009; and WHEREAS, Governor Strickland proposed cutting funding to public libraries by an additional 30%, bringing the total decline of funding to an untenable 50%; and WHEREAS, following the development of the independent Save Ohio Libraries Web site, Laura Solomon selflessly dedicated hundreds of hours to updating and refreshing the site with valuable information; and WHEREAS, the Save Ohio Libraries Web site inspired, informed, and directed tens of thousands of Ohio's patrons to contact their legislators and the Governor; and WHEREAS, the logo and links to the Save Ohio Libraries Web site appeared in places throughout the world, garnering support from celebrities, soldiers overseas, and people from across the globe; and WHEREAS, the Ohio General Assembly listened to the hundreds of thousands of patrons who contacted them in support of public libraries, and substantially reduced the cut proposed by the Governor; therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Ohio Library Council Board of Directors, Ohio's 251 public libraries, and their eight million patrons, applaud, and appreciate the work and initiative of Laura Solomon, for surely her work Saved Ohio's Public libraries.

Lynda noted that libraries
fared much better in the budget than some other budget items, such as
the
Early Literacy Initiative. OLC is encouraging libraries to lend help
and support to other organizations in their communities wherever
possible. She also
reported that an unprecedented number of libraries are preparing to
seek local levy support.

Don
Barlow motioned that the OLC resolution be read into the minutes; Gayle
Patton seconded. All aye.

In
response to a question, Laura Solomon stressed the importance of OLC
moving quickly to capture and increase the social media "capital" it
has accumulated through the Save Ohio Libraries campaign. Lynda
acknowledged that this is indeed a concern for OLC.

Lynda
Murray left the meeting at 10:35.

5.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Bonnie
Mathies motioned to
approve the agenda as presented; Jim Kenzig seconded. All
aye.

6.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
of June 12 Meeting

Gary
Branson motioned to
approve the minutes of the June 12 meeting; Gayle Patton
seconded. All aye.

7.
ACCEPTANCE OF THE
FINANCIAL REPORTS

Diane Fink presented two
separate packets of Financial Reports, one
as of the end of the previous biennium (June 30, 2009) and one as of
July 31, 2009.

The first packet contained four
financial reports: Report A showing
the
budget and expenditures for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009 as of June 30;
Report B
showing the revenue and cash balances for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009 as
of June 30; Report C
showing the budgets for FY 2009, 2010 and 2011; and Report D showing
projected revenue and cash balances through FY 2011.

Diane
explained
that state agencies have five months to pay off purchase orders after
the close of a fiscal year, so the FY 2009 expenditures report still
shows a few open purchase orders for an unemployment claim and some
expected telecommunications bills. She also noted a $1,500 available
balance for "Consultant," which resulted from the suspension of the
Past, Present, and Future contract from April 30 to June 30 in response
to an Executive Order from the Governor. The $623,551 budget reduction
for FY 2009 actually reflects cuts mandated by the Office of Budget and
Management (OBM) in February 2008, September 2008, and April 2009.

Looking at revenues,
Diane pointed out the larger than usual,
one-time E-rate income in FY 2009, due to requesting reimbursements
every six months rather than annually, which in effect advanced OPLIN
E-rate revenues by six months. Diane also noted that Report C
shows the history of the new OPLIN biennium budget as it progressed
through
the Executive Recommendation (February 2009) to the House
Recommendation (April), the Senate Recommendation (June) and the
Conference Committee final budget (July). The Executive Recommendation
drew OPLIN funding from the PLF rather than the GRF; otherwise there
was no change throughout the process from the budget which OPLIN had
requested.

In the second packet of reports
(as of July 31), Diane pointed out
that more FY 2009 payments have been made against open
purchase
orders. She explained that the $979 available balance for filtering
will be returned to the state; some libraries that had been awarded
grants had already made their filter purchases and thus been
disqualified from receiving their grants. The filtering funds are
earmarked and cannot be used for anything else. The FY 2010
expenditures have been very sparse, because only limited bills could be
paid
during the July interim budgets that preceded the Conference Committee
final budget. The largest expenditure was for OPLIN's portion of the
Ohio Web Library databases.

Diane noted that OBM had asked
agencies to identify areas of cost
savings last spring, but had taken no further action in that regard.
OPLIN negotiated some savings during this process, particularly for
rent, and those savings will be applied to telecommunications costs.
Diane pointed out that OPLIN is now operating solely from the 4S4 fund,
since OPLIN no longer receives GRF funding, and also briefly explained
how
"spending authority" is
used.

In regard to FY 2010 revenue,
Diane reported that OBM has not yet
determined how the PLF funds will be distributed to OPLIN. The last
time OPLIN funding came from the PLF, the funds were distributed to
OPLIN monthly. This time, since there will be a one-time transfer from
the GRF
to the PLF to cover OPLIN (and the Library for the Blind), OBM may
decide to transfer all OPLIN funds in one payment. OPLIN has
sufficient cash reserves to operate into September, pending an OBM
decision.

Diane also reported that OPLIN
currently plans to request Capital
Budget funds once again, to replace more routers, and is waiting for
instructions to be issued from OBM to begin that process.

Gayle
Patton motioned to
accept the Financial Reports; Bonnie Mathies seconded. All aye.

8.
OLD BUSINESS

8.1.
Discuss possible OPLIN services

Stephen Hedges presented
recommendations regarding new services OPLIN might possibly offer,
following discussion of new services at the Board retreat and
refinement of the list of possible new services at the June Board
meeting.

Regarding the development of a
website providing employment assistance, Stephen conducted a quick
email survey of what public libraries are currently doing in this
regard. He found that many already have developed their own web pages
for helping job seekers, and that those sites tend to point to roughly
the same group of established job help sites on the Internet. (The
results of the survey are posted on WebJunction Ohio.) He also noted
that the State Library has a similar web page, "Finding Help in Tough
Times." He therefore recommended that OPLIN not devote staff resources
to creating another employment assistance website.

Another proposed website would
provide a portal to government information and forms. Stephen has
discussed this with the State Library and come to the conclusion that
this project is a better fit with their mission. The State Library also
has the reference staff who would be able to create/maintain such an
e-government portal(s). His recommendation is that OPLIN confine its
efforts to assisting the State Library with this project as needed.

Two other services had been
approved at the June meeting. Stephen reported that testing is underway
on a service that would allow libraries that currently use email
addresses with the oplin.org email domain to use their own email domain
address. He recommends announcing availability of this free service if
the testing is successful. The Second Life training service for
librarians is set to continue, and he expects to receive a $200 invoice
soon for renting our Second Life office space for another year. He
recommends paying for one more year, then re-assessing the demand for
this free training at the end of that time period.

Finally, Stephen presented a
plan from Karl Jendretzky for operating a SMS gateway that would allow
libraries to send notices directly to patrons' cellphones. The service
would convert email notices to text messages and could send up to 3600
messages per hour. The service would not have any provision for
handling text message replies, and would send all messages from one
phone number for all libraries. The annual cost to OPLIN would be about
$500 and would require about one hour per week to maintain. Stephen
recommended that this service be tested with at least one library
system, with a goal of providing it to libraries at no cost.

Jim Kenzig suggested that OPLIN
get a secondary email domain for accepting the library notices, to
prevent any possible problems that might affect the oplin.org email
service for library staff.

Karl Colón suggested
OPLIN
might also consider providing training to libraries in improving their
social networking capability. Are there basic online social tools that
all libraries should be able to use effectively? Following some general
discussion, Stephen Hedges suggested that OPLIN partner with the Ohio
Library Council on this initiative, since it would have some political
utility that might be helpful for OLC. Stephen agreed to set up a
meeting between himself, Laura Solomon, Lynda Murray, and Mackenzie
Betts (OLC).

Don
Barlow motioned to
accept the Director's recommendations on these new services; Jim Kenzig
seconded. All aye.

9.
NEW BUSINESS

9.1.
Accept Holly Carroll resignation

Stephen Hedges distributed
copies of a letter of resignation from Holly Carroll, effective August
29. Holly has agreed to take the position as Executive Director of the
Poudre River Public Library District in Fort Collins, Colorado,
beginning September 8 and must regretfully resign from the OPLIN Board.

Gayle Patton
motioned to
accept the resignation of Holly Carroll, with reluctance and best
wishes; Sandi Plymire seconded. All aye.

9.2.
Approve Internet filtering assistance grants procedure

Stephen
Hedges presented the proposed procedure for this year's round
of Internet filtering assistance grants. The only change from last year
is the total amount of the funds earmarked for content
filtering assistance—now down to $81,000—and a
slight
change in the
wording of the budget bill to specify that the purpose of the funds is
to help libraries "use" filters as opposed to "purchase" filters.
Another difference from last year is the fact that the amount earmarked
is stable; last year OPLIN delayed the grants too long as budget
reductions were anticipated that would reduce the amount
available
for grants. This year OPLIN can proceed on a more normal schedule
designed to have libraries under contract by January 1, 2010.

Gayle
Patton motioned to approve the
Internet filtering assistance grants procedure as presented; Don Barlow
seconded.

Don Barlow asked if we should
inform libraries that grants over
$5,000 must be approved by the State Library Board. Gary Branson asked
if the maximum grant should be lower than $10,000 in light of the lower
total funds available. After discussion of these factors, the motion
was revised:

Gayle
Patton and Don Barlow agreed to
amend their motion to make the maximum grant amount $4,500.

Roll
call: Don Barlow, aye; Gary
Branson, aye; Ben Chinni, abstain; Jim Kenzig, aye; Bonnie Mathies,
aye; Gayle Patton, aye; Sandi Plymire, aye; and Karl
Colón, aye.

10.
OPLIN DIRECTOR'S
REPORT

Stephen Hedges reported that
the Stakeholders "Meeting" will be online this year, since the planned
venue for the meeting, the OLC Annual Convention, has been canceled.
OPLIN staff are working to design an interactive website for presenting
the Annual Report to Stakeholders and may also schedule an online
meeting to give librarians a chance to ask questions.

Stephen also submitted an
extensive written report on his activities in regard to
applying for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus
funds for broadband. The time frame for applying for the first round of
funding has been very tight, though the deadline was recently extended
by a few days. Stephen commented on the evolving efforts to create a
statewide application for public computer centers, which eventually
became separate applications from libraries for hardware and
facilities, and a statewide proposal for training and a public
awareness campaign. Most of this work has been done in collaboration
with Connect Ohio, the State Library, and OLC, though at one point the
Board of Regents was also involved. The public libraries have
unquestionably become the strong partners in this project.

In addition to working with
Connect Ohio on a statewide application, Stephen has also been
preparing a separate application to the USDA for broadband stimulus
funds to buy 56 more replacement routers for the OPLIN network, at a
cost of over $100,000. This project loosely fits within the category
for funding middle-mile broadband infrastructure, though it is clear
from the application materials that government entities are not really
the intended target of the stimulus funds. While OPLIN intends to
request more funding for routers from the upcoming Capital Budget, a
successful ARRA application would reduce our dependency on state
capital funds.

Finally, Stephen mentioned the
inaugural meeting of the Drupal Users Group. Although this group was
created by Laura Solomon, it is not an OPLIN group, and is intended to
be self-administered.

10.1.
Website Kits progress

Laura Solomon reported that the
Franklin-Springboro, London, and Marion public libraries have new
webkits in place, bringing the total of completed beta-test webkits to
six, with four more to be completed. Homer, Canal Fulton, and
Harbor-Topky libraries have joined the waiting list for "stable"
(post-testing) webkits. She also informed the Board that she has begun
writing the "Kit and Caboodle" newsletter with tips for webkit
customers and potential customers; it is posted on the OPLIN website at

target="_blank">http://oplin.org/kit-caboodle-newsletter.

10.2.
Databases
and Network Reports

10.2.1.
Database
usage

Laura Solomon noted that the
large spike in use last July was due to the start of the new Ohio Web
Library search. Otherwise database usage has been as expected from
month to month.

10.2.2. Support
Center (June and July)

Stephen Hedges reported that
most tickets, as usual, dealt with email and billing issues. Stephen
also noted that spam has become a persistent problem that most be dealt
with as it arises, though this activity is not reflected accurately in
the ticket count. Other Board members remarked that they have also been
dealing with increased spam attacks on their email servers.

11.
CHAIR'S REPORT

Karl Colón thanked
Gayle Patton
for two outstanding
years as OPLIN Board Chair, and also for her kindness
and consideration in helping him prepare for the position.

11.1.
Appoint Nominating Committee

Karl Colón appointed
a
committee to select candidates to replace Mike
Wantz and Holly Carroll on the Board,
as well as recommending a candidate for the position of Board
Vice-Chair. Gayle Patton and Jeff Wale will comprise the Nominating
Committee, and the Chair requested that they expedite their work by
starting with the list of potential candidates gathered last spring and
bring nominations to the next regular Board meeting.

12.
ADJOURNMENT

Sandi
Plymire motioned to
adjourn the meeting at 11:46 a.m. Gary Branson seconded.