TexShare Advisory Board Meeting Minutes

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Approve minutes from 1 November 2001

Minutes were approved without comment.

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Public Comment

There were no public comments.

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Report from Task Force on TexShare Expansion--Rhoda Goldberg

The Expansion task force has identified libraries to be considered for future membership in TexShare. These included 53 nonprofit hospital libraries, 28 state governmental agency libraries, 26 county law libraries, and others. The Task Force found that K-12 school library participation would be a long term process. In the short term they recommended initiating TexShare school/library training opportunities, TEA  and TexShare funding for cooperative database purchases, and seeking funding for a pilot project with a small number of K-12 libraries.  A timetable is needed. There is concern about the level of participation in TexShare among members. Dr. McCord and Marsha Harper will present the Task Force Report to Representative Hunter.

The Task Force decided to look only at non-profit institutions for inclusion in TexShare.  They have not discussed private schools.  There was some discussion of the issue of public schools in TexShare.  A report was generated on the cost of admitting nonprofit hospital libraries and state governmental agency libraries into TexShare.

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Report on LSTA Cooperation Grant Program--Kathleen Walls, Grants Coordinator

LSTA Cooperation Grant program is a competitive grant to encourage libraries to establish library consortia and to share resources. While the grants required public libraries to take the lead in the past, academic libraries can now take the lead. Libraries can be single or multitype. The total funding for LSTA grants is $250M. Award amounts up to $75,000 does not require a match.  For award amounts over $75,000 a match is required.  All TexShare libraries are eligible to apply.  The application deadline is March 1, 2002.

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Building Awareness of TexShare --Joe McCord

Joe McCord requests that all TexShare members identify that the databases are provided by TexShare through a TIF grant.  Beverley Shirley reviewed LRS informational activities.  The board agreed that TexShare window stickers should be produced and that printing and distributing TexShare bookmarks would not be cost effective. The board wants more advertising for the data bases, although. TIF will fund training materials only.  While there is a great need to publicize the databases, TSLAC is restricted to the distribution of information.

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Working Group Reports:

Card Program- No report

Courier Program- Jo Anne Hawkins

The TExpress Courier program membership now stands at 217 libraries.  No subsidized slots are available now, but libraries may join at the unsubsidized rate.

For CY2001, an estimated 467,041 packages were sent and received.  The lowest number of packages sent and received occurred in September, 2001.  While Amigos has simplified the reporting process, timely reporting of statistics by members is still a problem.

Effective February 1, 2002, TExpress contracted courier company Marquis Messengers and Marquis Southwest merged with Consolidated Routing, a California-based company.

The Courier Working Group will meet at TSLAC in Austin on Monday, March 2.  On the agenda are revisions to the TExpress Users' Guide, a review of the Amigos 2002 Satisfaction Survey, strategies to encourage better reporting of usage statistics by member libraries, and the appointment of a new Working Group member to fill the vacancy left by April Bennington.

Education Services Program- No Report

Electronic Information--Tommie Wingfield

Tommie Wingfield reported that the EIWG is looking at Serials Solution, but has not made a decision yet.  TexShare libraries performed over 4 million searches and retrieved over 3 million documents in the first quarter of FY02. The group suggests that Database statistics go on the Website.

The addition of the Libraries of Clinical Medicine was discussed.  Baylor Health Science Center in Dallas, Scott and White in Temple, and The Texas Medical Association in Austin will get application packets.  Others will have to request TexShare membership packets.  The estimated cost to add the Libraries of Clinical Medicine is $40,000 to $50,000 per library.

ILL Program- Sara Lowman

The ILL Working Group met on December 7, 2001 and discussed the following topics:

•    Workshop --November 2002--Possible topics and speakers included the future of ILL, the status of the LoT Project and ILL, consortial best practices, best practices in public and academic libraries, and academic library software.
• LoT and ILL--10 Members of the Working Group participated in a focus group discussion of the Library of Texas project.
• ILL protocol. Minor changes were made. The Working Group is interested in increasing the level of support for the protocol. The Board agreed that libraries participating in ILL in Texas should support the protocol and suggested that that instead of a document that required signature, the protocol could become a guidelines document.

TexTreasures-Kathy Hoffman (presented by Valerie Johnson)

The TexTreasures Survey was finalized and distributed in several venues to TexShare members. (http://www.texshare.edu/programs/textreasures/texsurvey.html ) . Over 120 completed surveys have been submitted.  TSLAC staff are working on a report to be presented at TLA the next TSAB meeting.  The 2003 TexTreasures grant program was announced in November 2001 and the application deadline is March 29, 2002.  The Texas Collections Working Group will meet in late May/early June to review, score, and recommend grant awards to the Commission.

TexTreasures Grants projects are now available on the TexShare website at http://www.texshare.edu/programs/textreasures/texcollectionslist.html , along with a list of current grant recipients. TSLAC has produced a brochure that describes the TexTreasures Grants program.

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Strategic Partner Reports

Amigos Library Services--Judye Glick

Effective February 1, 2002, TExpress contracted courier company Marquis Messengers and Marquis Southwest merged with Consolidated Routing, a California-based company.  Amigos will meet with Consolidated at the end of February.

University of Texas at Austin--Sue Phillips

No report.

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Administrative Report

New LRS Staff Member

The Library Resource Sharing Division welcomes Russlene Waukechon, Database Coordinator. Russlene will coordinate the statewide online database program.

TexShare Rules

• The enactment of HB 3591, which expanded TexShare, necessitated a change in the TexShare rules (13 TAC §§8.1 – 8.6). The proposed rules were published in October 12, 2001 copy of the Texas Register. The Commission adopted the rules at its 16 November 2001 meeting. Final rules were published in the 30 November 2001 Texas Register and became effective on 3 January 2002. It is anticipated that the Texas Medical Association Library, Baylor Health Science Center, and the Scott and White Hospital Library will be admitted to TexShare under these new rules. Another change from the proposed rules was  §8.4(f), which now omits the annual election a TexShare advisory board secretary in order to reflect current practice.
• The Director of Library Resource Sharing received a letter requesting a change in TexShare rules to allow for-profit institutions of higher education to join TexShare.
• J.J. Baskin moved that the TexShare Advisory Board recommends that the rules not include language accommodating the request from  Hughes & Luce.  The Board is not fully convinced that the language is in line with the intentions of the founders of TexShare.

The motion was seconded by Eva Poole and unanimously adopted by the Board.

Membership participation form for Libraries of Clinical Medicine

Because a new constituency has been added to TexShare, a new membership participation form for that constituency has been developed. Libraries of Clinical Medicine will certify that they meet the qualification requirements by signature on the form.

Library of Texas Update

• The Electronic Information Working Group has begun work on database selection for the upcoming year.
• Blue Angel Technologies was awarded the contract for the Electronic Documents Depository system for archiving electronic government information. The hardware configuration necessary to implement the service has been identified and the hardware selected.
• The hardware configuration necessary to run the videoconferencing service has been identified and the hardware selected. The contract for the Web based learning component is being finalized.
• The Advisory Board and Technical Advisory Board for the Virtual Library have been formed and focus sessions on the project have begun. The Texas Center for Digital Knowledge has developed the questionnaire they will use for the technology assessment.

Building Awareness of TexShare programs ( See #5 above)

Web page featuring TexTreasures grantees has been established at http://www.texshare.edu/programs/textreasures/texcollectionslist

A package of informational items on the databases was compiled and distributed to regional library systems to provide to their memberships at the winter membership meetings. The Electronic Information Working Group was asked to consider appropriate materials for academic institutions.

A brochure providing information on the value of TexShare is in draft format. This brochure could be provided to librarians, students, faculty, library users, legislators, and other interested Texans.

A TexTreasures brochure is now available.

TexShare staff recommends that decals be printed and distributed to TexShare libraries.

The Library Resource Sharing Division will sponsor the following TLA programs:

ü       Z39.50:  The Last Mile – April 23, 8:30  - 12:00

ü       Assessing E-Resource Usage – April 23, 1:00  - 5:00

ü       TexShare - The Texas Information Highway – April 24, 10:15 – 11:50

ü       Library of Texas: Preserving the Past & Shaping the Future – April 25, 8:00  – 8:50

ü       TexShare Databases: Building the Future- April 25, 9:00 – 9:50

ü       Library of Texas Virtual Library– April 25, 10:00  – 10:50

ü       Here Today AND Tomorrow: Preserving Government Online Information – April 25, 11:00  – 11:50

ü       Mapping a Path to TexTreasures – April 26, 8:30 - 9:50

Database Access Issues

The Library Resource Sharing Division is beta testing the remote access program for public     libraries. Nine public libraries are involved in early testing, representing libraries from all over the state.

Ebsco Publishing has recently sent notification of instances of what may be unauthorized use of the TexShare databases. LRS staff is in contact with the institutions involved and will work with them to resolve the situation. The Electronic Information Working Group has been asked to recommend ways to better communicate to TexShare member libraries the provisions of the licensing agreements.

Focus Group

Peggy Rudd conducted a focus meeting with the TexShare Advisory Board to determine input for the TSLAC Strategic Plan. The group expressed that the creation and growth of the Data Base Program was the most rewarding part of TexShare.

Attendees:

Advisory Board Members

Joe McCord, The University of Houston at Clear Lake

Eva Poole, Denton Public Library

Nancy Anderson, Howard Payne University

J.J. Baskin

Paul E. Dumont, Dallas County Community College District

Maurice Fortin, Angelo State University

Rhoda L. Goldberg, Harris County Public Library

Eileen Shocket, St. Edwards University

Glenda Swink, Southwest Texas Junior College

Darryl Tocker, Tocker Foundation

Elaine Wells, The University of Texas Health Center (Tyler)

Texas State Library and Archives Commission:

Valerie Johnson, Library Resource Sharing Division

Beverley Shirley, Library Resource Sharing Division

Russlene Waukechon, Library Resource Sharing Division

Kathleen Walls, Library Development Division

Working Group Liaisons:

JoAnne Hawkins, University of Texas at Austin

Sara Lowman, Rice University

Tommie Wingfield, University of Texas at Arlington

Strategic Partners

Sue Phillips, The University of Texas at Austin

Judye Glick, Amigos Library Services

Visitors:

Joy Dass

Gloria Meraz, Texas Library Association

NEXT MEETING

The TexShare Advisory Board will meet next on Monday, April 15, 2002.