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

Minutes — April 10, 2020

1. WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred seventy-ninth meeting of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at 10:03 a.m. on Friday, April 10, 2020 by Board Chair Travis McAfee online at https://www.gotomeet.me/OPLIN/april-oplin-board-meeting.

Present were Board members: Angela Baldree, Travis Bautz, Jamie Black, Justin Bumbico, Roger Donaldson, Chris May, Travis McAfee, Hilary Prisbylla, Tara Sidwell, Garalynn Tomas, and Holly Varley. 

Also present were: Karl Jendretzky, Laura Solomon, and Don Yarman (OPLIN); Stephanie Herriott and Jamie Pardee (State Library); and Michelle Francis and Jay Smith (Ohio Library Council).

ACTION ITEMS

2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Justin Bumbico motioned to approve the agenda as presented; Jamie Black seconded. There was no discussion, so the chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

3. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair called for public participation.

Jay Smith reviewed current legislative activity of particular interest to public libraries, focusing on measures within emergency legislation HB 197 concerning absentee voting, flexibility extended to local boards for open meetings, and resetting the deadline for state tax filing to match federal deadlines. Michelle Francis directed members to the website for information about events that have been rescheduled or cancelled. She outlined the current status of the PLF, noting that May’s distribution is expected to be dramatically below original estimates due to the pandemic’s effect on the economy. OLC is making sure legislators know the important roles public libraries are playing during the Covid crisis, and was successful in getting libraries added to Broadband Ohio’s list of public WiFi locations. 

Stephanie Herriot reported that Bill Morris has been appointed interim executive director of the State Library, and that the State Library Board will begin interviewing the finalist candidates for State Librarian in the coming weeks.

4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of February 14 meeting

Chris May motioned to approve the minutes of the February 14, 2020, meeting as presented; Holly Varley seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

5. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCIAL REPORTS

Jamie Pardee reviewed the financial reports, noting that few expenses were recorded in March due to the timing of payments. Agencies are being restricted in purchases unless those can be shown to be essential, mission-critical expenses. OPLIN has not received the annual bill from OIT for internet service; when it arrives, we will seek Controlling Board approval to increase spending authority to pay it. Pardee was required to submit to OBM a budget revision showing 20% cut across all funds, about $200,000 falling to OPLIN. The proposed cuts were accompanied with a justification why cuts shouldn’t be made; for OPLIN, the cuts would prevent OPLIN from paying OIT charges for internet service, which would stop internet access for public libraries.
 
Jamie Black motioned to accept the financial reports; Tara Sidwell seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

6. OLD BUSINESS — none

7. NEW BUSINESS

7.1. Set date for OPLIN Board Planning Meeting

The calendar for Board meetings has not been set for FY2021. The plan is to hold the Board’s strategic planning meeting at the August Board meeting, tentatively set for August 14.

REPORTS

8. OPLIN DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Yarman outlined what effects the stay-at-home order are evident in OPLIN services: 572% increase in Ancestry sessions between February and March, fewer calls into the office, a bit more support email. With librarians working from home, the office saw an uptick in problems reported with remote database authentication, mostly due to new library card number patterns that hadn’t been updated in the system.

The deadline to file form 471 for E-rate was extended to April 29, giving OPLIN more time to finalize the contract with AT&T.

iSchool intern Hannah Simpson is finishing up her work creating Marketing Kits for each of the Ohio Web Library databases. Yarman showed samples, which include product logos, graphics sized specifically for fliers, bookmarks, in-library TV screens, and social media campaigns.

8.1. Library Services Manager report

Laura Solomon reported the migration of sites to Drupal 8 has officially passed the halfway point. To assist libraries that have been closed, Solomon has been busy helping Webkit clients make changes to their operating hours and emergency messages, and preparing websites to convey new sources of information and managing information they already have. She has installed PureChat on a few websites, giving libraries a live chat client to interact remotely with patrons. Later today, Solomon will present “Toto, We're Not in the Library Any More: Working Effectively Beyond Your Building's Borders,” advising librarians on best practices with working from home.

Solomon is finalizing a new design for the Ohio Web Library portal: updating its look and colors, and more importantly fixing some accessibility issues with the current site, which is not usable with screen reader tools.

8.2. Technology Projects Manager report

Karl Jendretzky reported that the maintenance service on OPLIN’s Juniper devices expired unceremoniously in January, but Juniper continues to support the equipment while we process the renewal. Jendretzky has verified the inventory of 239 devices statewide and awaits list-price quotes from Juniper to seek discount pricing from vendors. Jendretzky worked with OIT to push out a bulk reconfiguration on all Juniper devices to disable on-device logging; this is Juniper’s recommendation to avoid excess wear on a device’s flash storage. As the Juniper SRX300s are firewall devices, Jendretzky has created a prototype firewall configuration that OPLIN might be able to offer to libraries; he is piloting the possible new service at two libraries.

All CLEVNET circuits that were connected to the AT&T head-end at Cleveland Public Library have been moved to the new head-end at the SOCC, and the old infrastructure has been ordered disconnected to stop billing. 

There is a server load issue that affects response time on the Webkit sites: as web crawlers request old files, the server has to work to generate and serve up these pages, causing spikes in server performance. Jessica Dooley is working on configuring a border cache to lessen the server load, along with internal scripts to feed those old pages into the cache at a managed rate; the goal is to lessen server loads while increasing stability and speeding page loads.

Other network happenings:

• OPLIN leveraged existing infrastructure to bring up the new CLC offices inside the State Library without additional monthly cost.
• SEO and CLC hardware in NR3 were swung to redundant circuits, providing increased reliability, while reducing hardware usage in OPLIN’s racks.
• The CBTS VOIP path was migrated onto OPLIN’s primary OARNET LAG to increase redundancy for those libraries using the state’s VOIP service.
• Jendretzky worked with SEO to identify high sensitivity network targets, and use OPLIN’s monitoring capabilities to try and track vendor issues.
• Libraries have stopped sending SMS notices to patrons during the pandemic closure, but the SMS Gateway Service operates on message credits; it costs OPLIN nothing for the service to sit idle.

9. CHAIR'S REPORT

The three members of the Nominations Committee—Jamie Black, Justin Bumbico, and Tara Sidwell—wished to be reappointed to second terms, and Yarman will ask the State Library Board to approve.

9.1. Recognition

The Chair asked the Board to consider the following resolution:

WHEREAS BEVERLY CAIN has served as State Librarian of Ohio since June 2010; and  WHEREAS she kept the Board of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) updated on State Library activities and offered her valuable perspective on OPLIN’s services to libraries; and  WHEREAS she advanced equity of access to digital information by championing the use of LSTA funds on key projects which support OPLIN’s mission, including: grants to create Ohio’s four digitization hubs; a special grant program that encouraged public libraries to join resource-sharing consortia; funding for the innovative Guiding Ohio Online program to provide rural libraries with a dedicated technology trainer for computer instruction and community outreach; and most especially, the annual grant to the Libraries Connect Ohio partnership which funds the statewide Ohio Web Library collection of subscription databases; and  WHEREAS she directed that State Library staff positions be assigned to Ohio Digital Network project support, ensuring that Ohio’s digital collections are given a path to inclusion in the Digital Public Library of America and an expanded audience of educators, researchers, genealogists, and general users; and  WHEREAS her commitment to Library Leadership Ohio, ILEAD, and countless other librarian development and education programs have helped nurture the next generation of library leaders; and  WHEREAS her exceptional perspective across library activities in the state have always been a helpful source of information for the OPLIN Board;  NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Public Library Information Network recognize the significant contributions made to public libraries and library service by BEVERLY CAIN during her outstanding tenure with the State Library of Ohio; and  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board extends its most sincere thanks and appreciation to BEVERLY CAIN for her esteemed service.

Jamie Black motioned to approve the resolution; Tara Sidwell seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

10. ADJOURNMENT
With no other business pending, the Chair adjourned the meeting at 11:15 a.m.

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

Minutes — February 14, 2020

1. WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred seventy-eighth meeting of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at 10:02 a.m. on Friday, February 14, 2020 by Board Vice-Chair Chris May at the OPLIN office in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members: Angela Baldree, Travis Bautz, Jamie Black, Justin Bumbico, Roger Donaldson, Chris May, Hilary Prisbylla, Garalynn Tomas, and Holly Varley. 

Also present were: Karl Jendretzky, Hannah Simpson, Laura Solomon, and Don Yarman (OPLIN); Stephanie Herriott and Jamie Pardee (State Library); and Jay Smith (Ohio Library Council).

ACTION ITEMS

2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Angela Baldree motioned to approve the agenda as presented; Justin Bumbico seconded. There was no discussion, so the Vice-Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

3. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Vice-Chair called for public participation.

Jay Smith outlined upcoming events on OLC’s calendar, which include a webinar on the state’s TechCred program, and a webinar about current ebook rights efforts. OLC Legislative Day will be held April 21. There will be a Trustees workshop on March 7; regional trustee dinners have also been scheduled, and those will feature speakers from the Ohio legislature. The Trump administration’s proposed federal budget again eliminates the Institute for Museum and Library Services; Michelle Francis and select Ohio library directors participated in a fly-in to Washington D.C. to urge lawmakers to restore IMLS funding.  Smith reviewed current state legislation that OLC is tracking, including HB76 that concerns ballot language, and HB450 which addresses fiscal officer succession.

Stephanie Herriott outlined the timeline for hiring a new State Librarian. The State Library Board should be selecting finalist candidates at their next Board meeting. 

4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of December 13 meeting

Angela Baldree motioned to approve the minutes of the December 13, 2019, meeting as presented; Justin Bumbico seconded. There was no discussion, so the Vice-Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

5. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCIAL REPORTS

Jamie Pardee reviewed the financial reports, noting that all expenses are on schedule with the budget. Unplanned spending authority currently sits at negative $52,000. As the projected cash balance at the end of fiscal year 2020 is $2.4 million, Pardee expects to go to the Controlling Board in May to request an increase in spending authority over a portion of that balance.
 
Jamie Black motioned to accept the financial reports; Holly Varley seconded. There was no discussion, so the Vice-Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

Don Yarman mentioned that he and Pardee had already discussed meeting with the Controlling Board about this, as well as requesting that the Board waive competitive bidding requirements for internet filtering as Cisco Umbrella/OpenDNS has such a broad install base in library systems across the state. Karl Jendretzky explained that any change would not be something OPLIN could program centrally; each library would have to change how its networks are configured. If OpenDNS stops working—for example, if it could no longer accommodate emerging standards such as Strict-Transport Security—then it would be worth the effort to move libraries to something new.

6. OLD BUSINESS — none

7. NEW BUSINESS — none

REPORTS

8. OPLIN DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Yarman reviewed the E-rate work completed for the next service year. Bid decision letters have been issued for the two forms 470 previously issued. Most circuits will stay with their incumbent vendor, but favorable pricing will move seven libraries to new vendors. AT&T responded to the 470s with both state pricing and with E-rate-specific “lowest corresponding price,” which will require OPLIN to sign a service agreement directly with AT&T for those circuits. Assistant Attorney General Kari Hertel confirmed that this is permitted,  and she is assisting in the process of contract review. Yarman will release another 470 listing a few additional sites OPLIN has identified needing upgrades. Jamie Black asked how 470s are organized: by region, by vendor, by library? Yarman explained that it is up to each organization how they are broken up; E-rate consultant Lorrie Germann had recommended that OPLIN put all planned renewals and upgrades on a single 470. The second 470 for possible coterminous upgrades to Spectrum circuits was standalone because the language had not been formally approved, so it was better to segment that request off. 

Yarman thanked Jay Smith and Bill Morris for attending Sunset Review testimony, noting that it was good to see familiar, supportive faces in the room.

Yarman introduced Hannah Simpson, OPLIN’s iSchool intern. Hannah is currently a Communications Specialist at Delaware County District Library. While at OPLIN she is creating marketing kits with publicity materials for each of the Ohio Web Library databases; the kits will include web and flier graphics, as well as promotional copy for social media campaigns.

8.1. Library Services Manager report
Laura Solomon reported that 32 websites have been upgraded to Drupal 8 and launched; 14 more sites are either in process with Braindunk or under review by libraries. Solomon created a new support site for Webkit customers, webkits.oplin.org; in addition to the manuals and training videos, the new site contains graphics sized specifically for Webkit layouts. Libraries can download and customize images to promote some of the programs and services they have in common. On February 24, Solomon will present a webinar on “Evolving Technology,” an update to her popular “Emerging Technology” webinar she has presented each year. Registration for that program is full, but the recording will be posted to OPLIN’s YouTube channel.

8.2. Technology Projects Manager report
Karl Jendretzky talked about the development of ezproxy-guardian code, which ingests activity logs from EZProxy and scans them for behaviors that are markers for improper use (e.g. too much data transferred, too many failed attempts to establish a session), and checks also for markers of legitimate use. Rules vary by database as different targets behave differently. Some behavior is blocked outright; some behavior just generates an email alert. The goal is to generally increase the security of EZProxy access to databases and protect vendor data from outside scraping.

Jendretzky rebuilt the network in the colocation space to create redundant connections to OPLIN’s primary core. The new NR3 core allows for link aggregation (LAGs) for the colocation tenants CLC and SEO, so there isn’t a single failure spot for their consortium servers. SEO’s move into the NR3 colocation space went very smoothly, and the CLC's servers, already in NR3 racks, will transfer onto their redundant connection in the next two days. In addition, the CLC has moved their offices into the State Library, and Jendretzky is adjusting network programming to carry the CLC’s office connection along the circuit OPLIN provides to the State Library. Jendretzky will announce a network maintenance window soon which will affect library customers on the state’s VOIP solution, as he builds redundancy into pathways for voice traffic.

OPLIN is seeing library messages on the SMS Gateway being blocked as spam if the message contains any URL with a “.info” suffix. Only a few libraries in Ohio use .info domains, and Jendretzky advises them not to include those domains in the text messages it sends out to patrons.
With the addition of a new stats API for Transparent Language, all statewide database stats are now being harvested automatically by programs for stats.oplin.org. Jendretzky continues to tweak the scripts as vendors make changes to their interfaces which break the automatic harvesting. Yarman added that he provided no stats report to the Board for this meeting because the usage numbers for December and January were almost identical to December and January of the previous year.

The SRX300 routers that OPLIN has deployed in most libraries are actually firewall devices, and Jendretzky is investigating what basic firewall services OPLIN can easily provide to libraries through those devices. The goal is to identify a set of best-practices rules—such as isolating “Internet of Things” devices from more critical parts of the libraries network, or segmenting staff and patron traffic— that can support a small library network with little staff attention after the initial on-boarding.

9. CHAIR'S REPORT
As Chair Travis MacAfee was unable to attend the meeting, Yarman reported that Board members Black, Bumbico, and Sidwell were previously appointed to the nominations committee, and he will discuss with them the process of filling upcoming Board vacancies. Yarman outlined plans for the April planning meeting, a longer Board meeting that starts at 9:00 a.m. and lasts through lunch. In addition to the usual review of OPLIN’s service plan, the Board will brainstorm about the feasibility of new services that could have an impact on OPLIN’s next budget request. One topic for discussion will be the request from the Sunset Review Committee for any recommendations for legislative changes that would improve agency efficiency. Yarman also reminded the Board that they have to complete ethics training every year, and he will email the link to that training when it is available.

10. ADJOURNMENT
With no other business pending, the Vice-Chair adjourned the meeting at 10:52 a.m.

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

Minutes — December 13, 2019

1. WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred seventy-seventh meeting of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at 10:01 a.m. on Friday, December 13, 2019 by Board Chair Travis McAfee at the OPLIN office in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members: Angela Baldree, Travis Bautz, Jamie Black, Roger Donaldson, Chris May, Travis McAfee, Hilary Prisbylla, Tara Sidwell, Garalynn Tomas, and Holly Varley. 

Also present were: Karl Jendretzky, Laura Solomon, and Don Yarman (OPLIN); Stephanie Herriott and Jamie Pardee (State Library); and Michelle Francis and Jay Smith (Ohio Library Council).

ACTION ITEMS

2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Jamie Black motioned to approve the agenda as presented; Holly Varley seconded. There was no discussion, so the chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

3. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The State Librarian was unable to attend the meeting, and OLC staff were delayed, so the Chair postponed public participation until later in the meeting.

4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of October 11 meeting

Chris May motioned to approve the minutes of the October 11, 2019, meeting as presented; Tara Sidwell seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

5. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCIAL REPORTS

Jamie Pardee reviewed the financial reports, noting that disbursements remain in line with estimates for this time of year. There is a balance of about $50,000 in Information Resources which can be moved to unplanned spending authority, which will reduce the $102,000 deficit. Yarman reported that OPLIN’s E-rate reimbursement requests were approved by USAC, and OPLIN is on track to get $1.6 million for the current service year, a bit above estimates, so it may not be necessary to ask the Controlling Board to increase the agency’s spending authority. The projected cash balance at the end of the fiscal year is $2.2 million.
 
Angela Baldree motioned to accept the financial reports; Jamie Black seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

Pardee also reported that the State Library Board met Tuesday, December 10. They awarded almost $225,000 in federal LSTA grants, the largest grant going to five libraries in Columbiana county for the purpose of joining SearchOhio. The State Board of Education appointed Janet Carlton, Digital Initiatives Coordinator at Ohio University Libraries, to a five year term on the State Library Board starting in January. On Thursday, congressional negotiators reached a deal to approve $1.3 trillion in federal spending for 2020, avoiding a government shutdown.

6. OLD BUSINESS — none

7. NEW BUSINESS

7.1. Advanced Digital Researcher Award/Ohio History Day
For several years, OPLIN  has sponsored Junior and Senior “Advanced Digital Researcher Awards” for Ohio History Day projects. The best projects have used subscription resources from public libraries, but frequently those are resources beyond what is offered in the Ohio Web Library, particularly newspaper archives that public libraries make available. Last year, State Library staff had hoped to sponsor an award to promote Ohio materials in DPLA, but their funding source prohibited them from award sponsorship. Yarman discussed the possibility of expanding the scope of the award to encourage use of the digital primary resource materials created by Ohio libraries.

Jamie Black asked how many projects were submitted, and whether the award amount was a factor. Yarman said he didn’t think the award amount was relevant: the researchers just weren’t exploring digital materials beyond free websites easily discovered with a Google search.

REPORTS

8. OPLIN DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Yarman reported that the transition from lyndaLibrary to LinkedIn Learning is still paused, and the company has no additional information. Yarman has attended several meetings concerning the Ohio Digital Network project; he reported that the Digital Public Library of America plans to hold its annual network council meeting at the State Library next year, and DPLA is considering Columbus for DPLAfest, the biannual conference of participating institutions.

Yarman reviewed the expected E-rate refunds for the current funding year. There are 70 sites put out for bid for contract renewals or upgrades. In addition, there are sixteen libraries under contract where new pricing may make it possible to upgrade their capacity at the same monthly cost. Jamie Black asked who reviews the contracts; Jendretzky replied that these are state contracts vetted by the Department of Administrative Services.

[PUBLIC PARTICIPATION]
Michelle Francis introduced Jay Smith, OLC’s new director of Government and Legal Services, who outlined his background. Francis reviewed recent OLC webinar and workshop topics, including the recent Safety and Security Conference. For the first time since 2008, the Public Library Fund exceeded $400 million for the year.

Jay Smith reviewed current legislation that OLC is watching, including  HB76, which makes changes to ballot language for local levies. OLC testified in opposition to the bill. OLC is supporting an amendment to HB46 that will make it permissive, not required, for Ohio libraries to participate in the Ohio Checkbook program, as other political subdivisions are.

Jendretzky demonstrated the new OPLIN Database Usage Reporting Tool, https://stats.oplin.org. 

8.1. Library Services Manager report
Solomon reported that Drupal 8 migration is on track and picking up speed. Twelve library sites are now live on D8, nine sites have been upgraded and are awaiting word from the libraries to release, and the consultants are working on twelve more sites. The project is about a quarter complete. Solomon has completed revisions to the Webkit manual, incorporating all the changes Drupal 8 brings. There was a security issue with the queuing module used on the Drupal 7 sites, and Solomon upgraded that module to the D8 version for the Webkit customers.

8.2. Technology Projects Manager report
Network

• Still working with AT&T to complete the migration of the CLEVNET headend from the Cleveland Public Library to the SOCC.  AT&T had provisioning issues which necessitated redoing the orders. As soon as last sites are moved the legacy headend equipment can be removed, saving OPLIN money.
• While OPLIN can’t switch to lower pricing on Spectrum circuits mid-contract, it does appear that many libraries will get increased bandwidth for the same cost. Those libraries are out on a separate 470 for E-rate.
• Jendretzky is exploring, in the long term, a change to OPLIN’s internal routing from OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) to BGP (Border Gateway Protocol), which is more complex to implement but is more common to larger scale networks. OPLIN might implement the new protocol the next time the library site routers are replaced.

Servers

• Jessica Dooley has been a good addition to the staff. Good to have a companion to delve into server administration. Jendretzky and Dooley have been using Fail2Ban to identify attacks on the servers and block the offending addresses. They’ve also tightened access rules to the Webkit server and adjusting Drupal permissions to better protect library websites, and increased security on the listserv server to prevent bad subscription spam.
• Looking to refresh some of the server hardware used for internal OPLIN services. The public-facing services are hosted on AWS to avoid the risk of hardware failure, but it’s less expensive to host our own hardware for internal use. Jendretzky has a lead on surplus hardware from another state agency that OPLIN might be able to acquire and put into production for the office.
• The way OPLIN uses EZProxy makes it difficult to use EZProxy’s internal tools for blocking illicit use: if a single robot exploits EZProxy to scrape content from one vendor, EZProxy will cut off all remote access for all resources for that library. As a solution, Jendretzky has begun developing a custom daemon to monitor EZProxy’s log files, enabling more targeted defence automation for identifying and blocking bad behavior.

NR3/Data center

• Jendretzky is reallocating hardware at the OPLIN core to balance the needs for fiber and copper connections while adding increased redundancy to OPLIN core. 
• Enabling environment for SEO staff to configure equipment in preparation for moving services to the SOCC. The shared rack with CLC will have more advanced, fully redundant connection with more upstream bandwidth, and no additional hardware costs to OPLIN.
• Jendretzky is planning an overnight maintenance window for core equipment.
• Construction continues at the SOCC to consolidate parking lot and dock entrances and improve property security.

Services

• OPLIN renewed InfosecIQ phishing testing/education for another year; five additional libraries have requested accounts.
• SMS Gateway activity is leveling off; about 1.5 million text messages were relayed last year, and the service is on track to send 1.6 million in 2019. No need to buy additional credits for a couple years. 
• No new libraries on OpenDNS; continues to meet needs with little support attention. 
• Ten different databases are loading stats into Ohio Database Usage Reporting Tool (ODURT). The new service runs on about 2500 lines of code.

9. CHAIR'S REPORT
The Chair had no items to report.

10. ADJOURNMENT
With no other business pending, the Chair adjourned the meeting at 11:03 a.m.

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

Minutes — October 11, 2019

1. WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred seventy-sixth meeting of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at 10:03 a.m. on Friday, October 11, 2019 by Board Chair Travis McAfee at the OPLIN office in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members: Travis Bautz, Jamie Black, Justin Bumbico, Chris May, Travis McAfee, Hilary Prisbylla, Tara Sidwell, and Holly Varley. 

Also present were: Karl Jendretzky and Don Yarman (OPLIN); Marissa Moore and Jamie Pardee (State Library); and Michelle Francis (Ohio Library Council).

ACTION ITEMS

2. NOMINATION and ELECTION OF SECRETARY

Jamie Black nominated Garalynn Tomas to fill the open office of secretary; Chris May seconded. There was no discussion, so the chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Justin Bumbico motioned to approve the agenda as presented; Travis Bautz seconded. There was no discussion, so the chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair called for public participation.

Michelle Francis thanked the Board for OPLIN’s sponsorship and participation at the Ohio Library Council Convention two weeks previous. Francis outlined upcoming OLC events, workshops, and webinars, and discussed OLC’s efforts to support the American Library Association’s “#eBooksForAll” campaign (ebooksforall.org), and encourage Macmillan and other publishers to engage libraries in more productive conversations about their licensing terms. The Public Library Fund came in above estimates, and Francis expects the fund will end calendar year 2019 over $400 million, a ten year high. Francis also discussed “First Amendment Audits,” which involve individuals filming activities inside libraries, disturbances with signature gatherers and groups opposing them, and public library involvement with the upcoming 2020 census.

Jamie Pardee introduced Marissa Moore, the State Library’s intern. Beverly Cain is expected to return from medical leave within two weeks.

5. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of the August 9 meeting

Jamie Black motioned to approve the minutes of the August 9, 2019, meeting as presented; Tara Sidwell seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

6. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCIAL REPORTS

Jamie Pardee noted that OPLIN started the fiscal year July 1 with a cash balance of almost $2.7 million, with an estimated cash balance of $2.26 million after projected revenue and expenses for fiscal year 2020. OPLIN has received $95,000 in E-rate reimbursements. There is a new line item on the revenue report showing receipts for SOCC co-location. Administrative expenditures are on target for four months into the fiscal year, and information resources have all been paid for. The reports show $93,000 negative balance in spending authority; there is cash to cover projected expenses, but it may be necessary to ask the Controlling Board to increase authority to spend into the cash balance. 
 
Chris May motioned to accept the financial reports; Holly Varley seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

7. OLD BUSINESS -- none

8. NEW BUSINESS -- none

REPORTS

8. OPLIN DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Don Yarman reviewed the recent timeline of events for the migration of lyndaLibrary to the LinkedIn Learning platform, resulting in the vendor “pause.” Yarman finds the pause very encouraging, as there are signs that vendor is considering alternatives to requiring LinkedIn social media accounts for library patron access to the Lynda video training, as well as the use of personal LinkedIn accounts for library staff to manage the service. There is no word on how long the pause will last, but LinkedIn did ask for clarification on whether those libraries who elected not to migrate to LinkedIn Learning should still have access to the legacy lyndaLibrary platform after December 31.

Those libraries that indicated they would not move to the LinkedIn Learning platform offered a few different reasons: most cited the intrusion into patron privacy, and a few others objected to the requirement for staff to use personal LinkedIn accounts for library administrative purposes; one library objected to the requirement for patrons to use PINs as part of the authentication requirement.

As Jamie Pardee reported, OPLIN received the E-rate reimbursements for circuit costs January-June and for the internet bandwidth costs paid to OIT.  Only one funding commitment—for internet service—for the current service year has been received; no circuit cost reimbursements have been approved, as reviewers are late in completing consortia reviews. OPLIN’s E-rate workshop/webinar has been scheduled for October 28.

Yarman reported that statewide database usage is trending downward in the first months of the fiscal year, which is certainly due to a drop in promotional activities since the spring. Hannah Simpson, a library science student with a background in marketing, will be interning for OPLIN in the winter, and one of her duties will be to develop marketing packages for the databases to help libraries promote their use. Lynda.com has the highest use of any single resource, followed closely by Ancestry, which has the lowest cost-per-use of the statewide databases. All databases except for Transparent Language have been incorporated into the new automated stats reporting tool. 

8.1. Library Services Manager report
Laura Solomon was not able to attend the meeting. Yarman reported that 28 of 39 eligible libraries have converted to the new storyblock layout, which facilitates their site migration to Drupal 8. The Drupal 8 migration project is slightly behind schedule; the paradigm sites, Wood County and Tuscarawas County libraries, are live on their D8 sites, and 8 more sites are in progress. Staff do not anticipate a problem catching up with the project timeline and meeting the grant deadline of September 30, 2020.

8.2. Technology Projects Manager report
Karl Jendretzky added that while the Drupal 8 migration is behind schedule, OPLIN and Braindunk are scrutinizing sites closely to catch all bugs, and the fixes identified now will carry forward to smooth migration of the remaining sites. 

Jendretzky reported that AT&T has finished migrating moving the Cleveland Public Library branch circuits to their new head-end at the SOCC, and will begin moving the remaining CLEVNET libraries with AT&T circuits, allowing us to disconnect the legacy AT&T head-end in Cleveland.

Spectrum has released new pricing, and Jendretzky anticipates putting all OPLIN’s current Spectrum circuits on the fall 470 to take advantage of the new costs. Libraries may be able to piggy-back onto OPLIN’s large order to get Spectrum fiber built to their hard-to-hit branches. Michelle Francis spoke about ConnectOhio’s contract with the state to improve rural connectivity mapping, and asked OPLIN to distribute the survey to libraries. The survey is more focused on schools and households, with the library section of the survey not yet activated, and Jendretzky confirmed that every library system except one had fiber. Total aggregate bandwidth from libraries is approaching 9.5 Gbps during the afternoon peak, which is less than half of OPLIN’s available bandwidth; Jendretzky sees no bottlenecks, and no big hardware purchases are looming. 

Jendretzky is shuffling existing hardware in the SOCC to improve circuit redundancy and reliability for the CLC and SEO consortia. He discussed the ability to do direct cabling and route mapping to make connections between consortia and their member libraries (for example, Worthington to the CLC, Euclid to CLEVNET). Jendretzky also outlined construction at the SOCC which will result in better perimeter security and control over loading dock access.

Jendretzky discussed development work on the new OPLIN Database Usage Reporting Tool. It presents interesting challenges, as each vendor delivers different numbers in substantially different ways. Oxford presents a particular problem, as the reports are inconsistent, and it is difficult to build automation to parse the data. It’s a satisfying challenge, involving anticipating how OPLIN and libraries will want to make use of the data in the future.

In other service news, five additional libraries have signed up for InfosecIQ accounts, which OPLIN will offer for another year; payment has been delayed by the state’s assurance processes. The SMS Gateway began using a new phone number (instead of a short code) September 3, alleviating a message error that had begun plaguing libraries this summer as their messages were caught in spam traps by some providers. Jendretzky anticipates OPLIN will transmit 1.6 million text messages in 2019, up from 1.54 million in 2018, and 1.38 million in 2017—steady, manageable growth. OPLIN’s message credit balance is 4.2 million, so no need to purchase new credits for two years. OpenDNS continues to serve libraries’ needs without difficulty.

9. CHAIR'S REPORT

9.1. Nominations Committee appointments
Travis McAfee appointed Jamie Black, Justin Bumbico, and Tara Sidwell to the nominations committee. The committee will identify a replacement for Jeff Garringer, who retired from the Pickaway County District Library and resigned from the OPLIN Board in August. 

Jamie Black motioned to authorize the nominations committee to submit its recommendation for OPLIN Board appointments to the State Library Board; Holly Varley seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

10. ADJOURNMENT
With no other business pending, the Chair adjourned the meeting at 11:05 a.m.

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

Minutes — August 9, 2019

1. WELCOME and CALL TO ORDER

The one hundred seventy-fifth meeting of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at 10:02 a.m. on Friday, August 9, 2019 by Board Vice-Chair Travis McAfee at the OPLIN office in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members: Travis Bautz, Jamie Black, Justin Bumbico, Jeff Garringer, Travis McAfee, Hilary Prisbylla, Tara Sidwell, Garalynn Tomas, and Holly Varley. 

Also present were: Karl Jendretzky, Jessica Dooley, and Don Yarman (OPLIN); Stephanie Herriott, Kirstin Krumsee, and Jamie Pardee (State Library); and Michelle Francis (Ohio Library Council).

ACTION ITEMS

2. NOMINATION and ELECTION OF BOARD OFFICERS

The Nominations Committee proposed the following slate of officers: Travis McAfee, Chair; Chris May; Vice Chair; Jeff Garringer, Secretary; Tara Sidwell, Treasurer. Jamie Black seconded the nomination. There was no discussion, so the chair called for a vote on the nominations; all aye.

3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Garalynn Tomas motioned to approve the agenda as presented; Holly Varley seconded. There was no discussion, so the chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

4. ESTABLISH BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE FOR FY2020

Following the pattern of holding OPLIN Board meetings at 10:00 a.m. on the second Friday of even-numbered months, Yarman presented the following meeting schedule:

• August 9, 2019
• October 11, 2019
• December 13, 2019
• February 14, 2020
• April 10, 2020, 9:00 AM (planning meeting)
• June 12, 2020

Jamie Black motioned to approve the meeting schedule; Tara Sidwell seconded. There was no discussion, so the chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

5. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Chair called for public participation.

Beverly Cain is on medical leave and sent no report. Yarman reported that as as Cain had previously said, the State Library was flat funded in the budget for the next two fiscal years.

Board members congratulated Michelle Francis on her new position as Executive Director of the Ohio Library Council. Francis reported that the state’s budget was passed July 17; during the interim, state agencies continued to be funded, and the PLF reverted to 1.66% of general revenue, the level set in permanent law. In the new budget, the level is raised to 1.7% for the next two years, and OLC worked with OBM to include true-up language in the budget to make library funding whole for July. OLC successfully requested the Governor to veto two budget amendments, one concerning property tax exemptions for home builders speculating on property, which would have reduced library levy revenues, and another that would have made changes to ballot language making it more difficult for libraries to pass levies. A Budget Wrap-up webinar will soon be posted to the OLC website. OLC elections are complete with results to be announced next week. The Annual Convention and Expo will be held September 25-27. Jamie Black asked whethere there was a new Director of Government and Legal Services, and Francis replied they in the process of searching for her replacement in that position.

4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of June 14 meeting

Justin Bumbico motioned to approve the minutes of the June 14, 2019, meeting as presented; Holly Varley seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

5. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FINANCIAL REPORTS

Jamie Pardee reviewed the financial reports which are current to the end of June. The cash balance at the end of FY2019 was $2,696,230.76, with a projected reduction to $2,208,589.76 by the end of FY2020. fiscal year is of $2.5 million remaining at the end of this fiscal year. Disbursements for FY2019 totaled $5.7 million. Pardee noted that although the reports reflect a negative available balance at the end of the June, that reflects a shifting of categories from unplanned spending authority, not deficit spending. Pardee estimates admin expenses in FY2020 to increase about $10,000 (mostly in staff raises). Current estimates show that our spending authority (about $5.7 million) will fall short of planned expenses, and we will have to ask the Controlling Board for a small increase in our spending authority near the end of the fiscal year. Yarman explained the plan to reduce the unencumbered cash balance to less than $2 million, or about a year of E-rate reimbursements to cover any unexpected changes in that program.
 
Jamie Black motioned to accept the financial reports; Justin Bumbico seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

6. OLD BUSINESS

6.1. Moving forward with LinkedIn Learning

Yarman reviewed the history of OPLIN’s agreement for Lynda.com and the announcement in December that, on the LinkedIn Learning platform, users would need to access the content via their LinkedIn social media accounts. This decision has garnered national attention, with the American Library Association, the State Library of California, and the EveryLibrary non-profit issuing statements in opposition. OPLIN’s Content Advisory Committee participated in discussions with LinkedIn about the move, and although they objected, they determined that the value of the content was such that OPLIN should continue to work with LinkedIn to provide statewide access. 

As OPLIN tried to find beta-testers for the new platform, it was revealed that not only does library patron access require a LinkedIn account, a personal LinkedIn account is required for a library staff member to administer the service; generic library admin accounts are not permitted by LinkedIn legal. Currently, OPLIN staff are able to manage the Lynda.com service because they have every library’s Lynda admin username and password, but it is not appropriate for OPLIN to have individuals’ LinkedIn passwords. LinkedIn eventually agreed that their technical staff would have to complete the portal configuration chores for each library, since OPLIN cannot compel libraries to do this on their own. 

The agreement had reached a crossroads: continue to try to find a way to move all Ohio libraries onto an untested platform before the November 12 deadline, or issue an RFP to find another learning resource for Ohio libraries to move to after the lyndaLibrary platform is decommissioned December 31.

Jamie Black asked about usage. Ohio libraries have a total of 89,346 users, which includes anyone who has ever logged into the service via a library account, whether they continue to use it. Last month, there were 29,000 logins, and Ohio libraries add between 2000–3000 users each month. It is one of OPLIN’s most used resources, second only to genealogy resources. The cost per video watched is 39¢, or about 10¢ per minute. Garalynn Tomas expressed concern about how much work administering the service would fall to the librarian using her own LinkedIn account; Yarman replied that not much day-to-day usage would be required—OPLIN still insists on retaining access to a stats API, and that unlike the current Lynda stats, OPLIN should not need the admin password to get usage numbers.

Hilary Prisbylla said that it’s important for vendors to recognize that libraries are partners, and LinkedIn’s treatment has been adversarial; she is concerned that they will continue to change the rules and act contrary to libraries needs and requests. There was discussion about the new terms of use, which require libraries to insure that users reside within their “geographical service location,” a concept that is irrelevant among Ohio libraries due to PLF support. Further, the marketing restrictions are very strict, and there are concerns about limits on how libraries may publicize their access. 

There was additional discussion about how any change in resources would need to be communicated (to the legislature, to library administrators, and to users). Ultimately, members recommended staying with the service, and find solutions to the administrative barriers. Yarman said he knows there are libraries that intend not to offer LinkedIn Learning platform access to their patrons, and asked the Board what information should be required to opt-out. Board members wanted a record of what they were objecting to.

REPORTS

8. OPLIN DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Yarman reported that while OPLIN used to conduct an annual survey (branch connection information, filtering policies, etc.), it has been a number of years since OPLIN has updated this information. As the legislature considers some broadband expansion projects, it would be good to refresh our data. Francis reported that it might be particularly important to know expansion costs for particular regions within the state. OPLIN does not currently provide branch circuits due to how it was originally implemented (a single T1 connection to each main library). It is probably cost-prohibitive for OPLIN to expand to manage branch circuits for libraries statewide, but presently we don’t know exactly how much that cost would be. Tara Sidwell expressed the difficulty of getting high-speed connections to library branches that serve smaller populations: it’s not worth the expense of the vendor to build out to those areas. Karl Jendretzky said that the volume of OPLIN’s orders (such as when OPLIN pushed to get fiber to all library systems in the state) can bring construction costs down.

8.1. Library Services Manager report
Laura Solomon is on medical leave. Yarman reported that she spent most of July scrutinizing the first two pilot sites migrated to Drupal 8, and recording video tutorials to help libraries understand the changes in website administration under the new Drupal 8 tools. The Wood County District Public Library launched their new Drupal 8 site on August 7. OPLIN launched a new website built on Drupal 8 on July 15. Solomon also has been working on upgrading libraries to a more modern template that will ease their transition to Drupal 8; 18 of 25 libraries have taken advantage of the upgrade “special” so far. Solomon has been working with the consultant Braindunk on some additional requirements libraries have requested: modifications to the mobile display of the website menus, so that submenus will be visible from mobile devices.

8.2. Technology Projects Manager report

Karl Jendretzky reported that because of the E-rate calendar, July is a busy time with new/upgraded circuits, including major vendor changes for Cuyahoga and Stark.  He continues to meet weekly with AT&T—11 branches of Cleveland Public Library have been moved from the ASE head-end in Cleveland to the SOCC, with about 17 to go. When CPL is finished, we will move 13 CLEVNET libraries, then decommission the OPLIN-paid head end in Cleveland, saving thousands of dollars each month. (It is more expensive to have the head-end in Cleveland that the co-location costs for CLEVNET in the SOCC.) Several libraries are swinging to hosted ILS, so Jendretzky has been tweaking router settings to keep them stable. He has bet with smaller fiber companies eager to take on some of OPLIN’s circuits. OPLIN expects to have a very large 470 this fall to take advantage of better Spectrum pricing, and that will give alternative companies a chance to bid for business.

Cincinnati requested paperwork to contract for rack space in the SOCC. SEO will soon move servers into the SOCC, sharing rack space with CLC. Jendretzky spoke with Akron about housing services in NR3, so the space is filling up nicely.

Jendretzky discussed growth in the automated stats collection system. With the addition of Gale stats, he has begun developing a generic stats table to allow easier updates to the vendor-specific pollers, and to the user interface for viewing the humbers. The new stats portal not only eases staff work in gathering the numbers, but will also reduce the workload for libraries retrieve their own numbers from the tables OPLIN provides.

The SMS gateway began generating a new, “DR017” error, which Jendretzky suspects is due to carriers discontinuing SMS “short codes.” On September 3rd OPLIN will transition from short code to a full phone number 877-675-4632. Libraries will have to do nothing; all changes are on OPLIN’s end.

Jendretzky has gathered quotes for a second year of providing Phishing/Security Awareness training. Currently 10,000 licenses are assigned to libraries for their use, so he’s gathering quotes for a total of 12,500 seats. A user satisfaction survey garnered 31 responses from libraries; two-thirds are satisfied/very satisfied with the service; the majority felt it important to keep the current product to minimize administrative on-boarding. Although three quotes were gathered, DAS rules will require to issue an official RFQ through the state’s procurement website. 

In her third week, Infrastructure Specialist Jessica Dooley is already helping out, troubleshooting an expired wildcard certificate on August 1 while Jendretzky was on the road to a library. Jendretzky and Dooley are discussing the development of future services OPLIN can manage.

9. CHAIR'S REPORT

The Chair had nothing further to report.

10. ADJOURNMENT
With no other business pending, the Chair adjourned the meeting at 11:40 a.m.