TexShare Advisory Board Meeting
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
1201 Brazos, Room 314
July 9, 2003
TexShare Advisory Board Chair, Eva Poole, convened the meeting.
1. Approve minutes from April 25, 2003
After the last sentence from the Electronic Information Working Group
Report was stricken, the minutes from the April 25, 2003 meeting were
accepted.
2. Public comment
None
3. Report on 2003 Legislative Session – Peggy Rudd
In the last days of the Legislative session, agency capital budgets were
cut in half, which impacted the TexShare database funding. TSLAC had originally
requested $12.1 million per year of the biennium in state money for databases.
The final appropriation was $3.25 million per year in state funding. This
forced us to consider collecting additional money in fees to help offset
the shortfall. The Task Force on TexShare Database Fees is charged with
recommending a fee structure to help pay for continuation of the databases.
The rider to the TSLAC appropriation was changed to allow us to collect
fees above the minimum of $500,000 that was previously established. The
Fees Task Force, Electronic Information Working Group, TSLAC staff, and
the vendors have all worked together to make the impact of the budget
cuts as painless as possible.
The Texas Library Connection, a Texas Education Agency program that provided
databases to K-12 libraries was not funded. As a result, we expect increased
use of TexShare databases at the public libraries by school children.
TSLAC is waiting to determine the impact of other legislation, including
state employee retirement bonuses, reduction of state agency human resources
staff, and smaller supervisor-to-staff ratios.
4. Report on TexShare Database Fees – Eva Poole
The Task Force on TexShare Database Fees developed a draft fee schedule
that was sent to the membership for comment on June 14, 2003. Based on
the comments received, at its July 7, 2003 meeting, the Task Force amended
the fee schedule, adding an assessment for public libraries serving populations
between 12,000-24,999 and changing the tier assignment for medical libraries.
A refined, longer-term fee schedule will be generated after additional
review and deliberation.
There will be an appeals process for libraries that cannot afford the
fees assessed to them. The process may result in a library receiving a
lower fee assessment or a waiver of the fee this year. At this point,
the appeals process has not been established. Advisory Board members are
asked to send any suggestions or comments regarding the assessments and
the appeals process to Eva Poole.
The Advisory Board spent a considerable amount of time debating the schedule,
and encouraged the task force to continue to work toward a permanent assessment
that will share the financial burden evenly and keep libraries in the
program.
The board unanimously approved the task force recommendation.
5. Report on Public Library Development Study – Deborah
Littrell
The final report will be presented to the Commission at the July
28, 2003 meeting. A joint TSLAC/TLA task force on implementation of the
Public Library Development Study will make recommendations and present
them at the Texas Library Association annual conference.
6. “Link to Learn” Video – Beverley Shirley
With funding provided by the Telecommunications Infrastructure
Fund Board, the Texas Education Agency established a “Link to Learn”
database training program. Because of lost funding, the “Link to
Learn” program has been discontinued.
7. Discuss Strategic Planning Session – Beverley Shirley
TSLAC is planning a 2-day strategic planning session and want
to work with a small committee to refine the agenda, timeline, and participants.
Sara Lowman, Bonnie Juergens, and Nancy Anderson volunteered. It was noted
that it would be best if the plan could be finalized before TLA in April
2004, and a suggested timeframe was early January.
8. Working Group Reports:
A. Card Program Working Group – Jay Clark
No new activity to report -- next meeting is scheduled for October 9,
2003
B. Courier Working Group - Jo Anne Hawkins
· The TexShare Courier contract with Amigos was approved by the
Commission at its May 19, 2003 meeting. The total per-site cost for FY04
will be $2,800 (a $50 increase from FY03). TexShare subsidy per site will
$810 (half of FY03). Libraries will pay $1,900 per site FY04 ($810 increase
from FY03).
· The TExpress User’s Guide has been revised to reflect the
new OCLC ILL Policies Directory Service and include web links where possible.
· The Working Group advised on the TExpress Satisfaction Survey,
which Amigos distributed to participating libraries in May.
· WG members continue to call libraries that aren’t reporting
TExpress statistics to remind them of the requirement and let them know
how simple the process is.
· The WG will schedule a conference call meeting before the end
of the summer.
C. Education Working Group – Lisa Loranc
The Education Working Group conducted a user needs survey. Over 120 libraries
responded to the survey with an even distribution between academic and
public libraries. The survey itself was intended primarily to discover
two things: what topics need to be covered, and what delivery method would
be most popular. A wide variety of topics were suggested, but classes
in online legal & medical research, homework assistance, and gathering
& reporting statistics were widely requested. The 3 choices for delivery
methods were videoconferences, web-based training, and traditional classroom
setting, with the responses fairly evenly spread among the 3 choices.
The WG is planning on attending the first joint meeting with the System’s
continuing education group on July 29, 2003.
D. Electronic Information Working Group – Tommie Wingfield
There are now 46 core databases compared to 60 last year. Selections include
offerings from EBSCO, Gale, OCLC, ProQuest, netLibrary, Stat!Ref, and
TDNet. TexSelect databases include offerings from Ovid, EBSCO, Gale, ProQuest,
and Bowker. A full list is available to members on the TexShare Web site.
E. Interlibrary Loan Working Group – Sara Lowman
Not much activity since last Advisory Board meeting; will meet this fall
to talk about the ILL spring symposium.
F. Texas Collections Working Group – Kathy Hoffman
No money will be available to fund TexTreasures grants in FY04. At the
recommendation of the Advisory Board, the working group evaluated and
scored the grant proposals that were received in order to provide feedback
to the applicants. Applications were received from eight public libraries
and one private academic institution. Eight applications scored at least
50 points, indicating that they were eligible for funding. If all eligible
grants were funded, the total budget required would have been $105,323.
While the primary reason for the working group is to evaluate and score
grant applications, the group will now focus on contributing to the development
of a digitization plan for Texas.
9. Strategic Partner Reports:
A. UT at Austin – Sue Phillips
Management of the TexShare Web site has been transferred from UT to TSLAC.
B. Amigos – Bonnie Juergens
Ms. Juergens presented the spring edition of the Gazette. TExpress Service
Satisfaction Survey results were compiled. Results indicate 87% “good”
or “excellent” rating for overall customer service, and 89%
“good” or “excellent” rating for the value of
the service to the price paid.
Because of the decrease in the subsidy for services in the upcoming year,
Amigos is requiring that libraries resubmit a signed agreement. The board
asked Amigos to check that the agreement form was correctly directed and
asked that Amigos send announcements to the TexShare electronic discussion
list.
The board suggested that the courier mailing labels include the Amigos
toll-free phone number.
10. Administrative Report – Beverley Shirley
Update on LRS Staffing
Welcome to Ann Mason as the new TexShare Coordinator.
Budget Report
· TSLAC FY03 Budget: Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF)
FY03 grant funds have not been released. TSLAC has directed as many resources
as possible toward the TexShare database program to ensure the continuation
of these essential resources. The Electronic Information Working Group
(EWIG) has selected a database package to maximize the benefit of current
funding.
· TSLAC FY04-05 Budget: Although the budget for TexShare databases
passed both houses of the Legislature, the general revenue – dedicated
(TIF) funding was cut by 50% in conference committee. At the end of the
regular session, database funding was set at $4.5 million per year. This
is still more than what was appropriated for databases prior to the TIF
grant.
· TexTreasures grants: Due to budget cuts, TexTreasures grants
will not be funded in FY04. We have identified several potential funding
sources for the projects presented in the proposals received and are outlining
a process for referring the proposals to these funding organizations.
TexShare Advisory Board
J.J. Baskin and Eileen Shocket Altmiller have agreed to serve for another
term. Martha Tandy of Weatherford College has accepted an appointment
to serve on the board as a representative of the community college constituency.
Working Groups
Mason is identifying those persons with expiring terms and is soliciting
nominations for their replacements.
Community College Membership
When community colleges joined TexShare in 1997, they were able to join
either as community college districts or as individual campuses. We are
in the process of identifying discrepancies between accreditation and
TexShare membership, and propose to work with these institutions to adjust
the basis of their membership.
TexShare Fees
The Task Force on TexShare Database Fees drafted a recommended fee schedule
for participation in the database program. The task force process involved
constituent communications, fact-finding, member comment, and a series
of telephone conference calls.
Strategic Planning
A two-day strategic planning session is proposed to address the following
items:
1. TexShare vision & mission
2. Statewide databases with limited budget
3. Multi-type resource sharing – TexShare, K-12, and beyond
4. New directions for membership & programming
5. Library of Texas and TexShare
We will work with a TSAB Strategic Planning Committee to revise and refine
the agenda, determine a participant list, and work out the logistics of
a meeting.
TexShare membership status
We are drafting a procedure to evaluate membership status for libraries
that have had a change in status that might affect their membership eligibility.
Library of Texas
1. Electronic Depository Program
· Shipped server hardware and documentation to our partner library
at UNT. We anticipate it will go live by the end of the month.
· Students from the University of Texas School of Information have
reviewed Web sites for 23 agencies and provided detailed recommendations
for appropriate meta-tags.
2. Resource Discovery Service
· Selected vendor, Index Data, and negotiated contract for software
to run resource discovery service.
· Established selection criteria and sent out a call for participation
in the pilot program, which will provide software upgrades to local public
or academic libraries from their current library automation vendors in
order to achieve the level of standard and profile compliance needed for
full participation in the RDS.
· Finalizing a contract to purchase interlibrary loan (ILL) software
that will expedite library-to-library lending of materials identified
through the RDS.
· Gave presentations at 7 regional library system meetings to raise
awareness of the Resource Discovery Service among public librarians and
encourage participation in our pilot program.
3. TexShare databases
· TexShare Electronic Information Working Group has selected databases
to retain under limited FY03 funding. TSLAC is negotiating discounted
pricing for libraries that wish to subscribe independently to those databases
that are no longer funded at a statewide level.
4. Training
· Completed installation of equipment for videoconferencing at
remaining videoconferencing site.
· Provided database training to over 500 librarians at the Texas
Library Association Annual Conference.
5. LOT Evaluation Process
· Determined a structure for the evaluation process
Communication Plan
TSLAC continues to work with the Communication Plan Implementation Task
Force to produce customizable items for use by TexShare member libraries
as they communicate with their communities, administration, and users
about the valuable resources and programs provided through their membership
in TexShare.
TLA Program
We are planning a program on TexShare for the Texas Library Association
Annual meeting in March. Advisory Board suggested the program focus on
the outcome of the TexShare Strategic Plan and talk about the status of
the Library of Texas.
Public Library Study
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission contracted with library
consultants Himmel & Wilson Texas to conduct a study of public library
development in Texas. The study results and recommendations will be the
centerpiece of open dialogue between the Texas State Library and its constituents
regarding future state library programming and library development.
Next TexShare Advisory Board Meeting is October 10, 2003.
Present:
TexShare Advisory Board Members:
Eva Poole, Denton Public Library, Chair
Nancy Anderson, Howard Payne University
Douglas Ferrier, University of Texas at Brownsville
Maurice Fortin, Angelo State University
Rhoda Goldberg, Harris County Public Library
Darryl Tocker, Tocker Foundation
Elaine Wells, University of Texas Health Center
Texas State Library and Archives Commission:
Peggy Rudd, State Librarian
Ed Seidenberg, Assistant State Librarian
Michael Avila, Library Resource Sharing Division
Ann Mason, Library Resource Sharing Division
Beverley Shirley, Library Resource Sharing Division
Deborah Littrell, Library Development Division
Working Group Chairs/Liaisons:
Jo Anne Hawkins, University of Texas at Austin
Lisa Loranc, Pasadena Public Library
Sara Lowman, Rice University
Tommie Wingfield, University of Texas at Arlington
Kathy Hoffman, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Strategic Partners:
Sue Phillips, University of Texas at Austin
Bonnie Juergens, Amigos Library Services
Guests:
Suzanne McAnna, University of Texas at Austin
Jeanne Pyle, University of Texas at Tyler
Carol McDonald, ICUT Inc.
Karen Conine, McLennan Community College
Gloria Meraz, Texas Library Association
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