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TexShare Advisory Board Meeting
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
1201 Brazos, Room 314
July 23, 2004

Vice Chairman J.J. Baskin convened meeting at 10:18. Chairman Eva Poole was absent.

1. Recognition of departing board members - Peggy Rudd

Elaine Wells and Rhoda Goldberg recognized for their service to the TexShare Advisory Board.

2. Approve Minutes from April 16, 2004

Minutes approved with change to one date.

3. Set October Meeting Date

Date of next meeting set for 10/6/2004, 10:15 to 2:45.

4. Public Comment

Public comment. Since most comment will be on membership status changes, items 4 and 5 will be combined.

5. Multi-Library Membership Issues – Beverley Shirley

Invoicing raised issues of membership requiring action by Advisory board or rule changes by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to Administrative Code (with 30 day comment period). Process should allow time for comments to be brought back to the TexShare Advisory Board and to the Library and Archives Commission at their October meetings. Specific recommendations and decisions:

1. Recommendation: Community College districts have a single membership in accord with statute (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board currently certifies by district). Decision: recommendation approved unanimously. A rule change will be recommended to the Library and Archives Commission.
2. Recommendation: Academic law libraries and other independently- administered libraries be considered as part of parent unit rather than holding separate memberships. Decision: recommendation approved unanimously. A rule change will be recommended to the Library and Archives Commission.
3. Recommendation: Multiple institutions served by a single library be treated as separate members in accordance with statute. Decision: Institutional partnerships and shared libraries are likely to become more common in the future. The recommendation does not allow the level of flexibility needed to be responsive. Joint libraries should be allowed to request an exception to the requirement that each institution have a separate membership. An ad hoc committee will be appointed at the next meeting and charged with recommending process and criteria for reviewing exemption requests. Board approved amended recommendation with Douglas Ferrier abstaining from vote. No rule change would be required.
4. Recommendation: Institutions that enter into partnerships with non-member entities be prohibited from providing TexShare services to those entities. Decision: recommendation approved unanimously. A rule change will be recommended to the Library and Archives Commission.
5. Recommendation: Houston Academy of Medicine – Texas Medical Association (HAM-TMC) library be treated as a shared library of multiple institutions and be offered an opportunity to provide access to TexShare databases to its non-member affiliates at a reduced rate. Decision: As a shared library of multiple institutions, HAM-TMC should be treated in accordance with decision number 3.
6. Recommendation: Independent entities aggregated under a nonprofit umbrella should be required to join TexShare as separate members. libraries of clinical medicine should be offered the opportunity to provide access to TexShare databases to non-member affiliates at a reduced rate. Decision: If entities comprising units of a library of clinical medicine are fully owned and administered by the library of clinical medicine, they comprise a single membership. Board approved amended recommendation unanimously. A rule change will be recommended to the Library and Archives Commission.

6. Discuss 2 Decision Points from Strategic Planning Recommendations

Held until next meeting.

7. Discuss Legislative Appropriations Request for 2006-2007 – Peggy Rudd

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has been asked to produce a 95% base budget. TSLAC is allowed to ask for exceptional items that will include:

• Restore the 5% cut
• $.50 per capita expenditure on databases and other TexShare programs
• Loan Star Libraries grant program
• Renovation to the Lorenzo de Zavala building and the Shoal Creek facility, to be bond funded

8. Report on TLA Task Force on Resource Sharing Options – Sue Phillips

As the Chair of the new group, Sue reported that the work of last year’s task force will continue.

9. Review Strategic Partner Roles & Responsibilities – Bonnie Juergens

TexShare Advisory Board approved revision to roles and responsibilities of TexShare Strategic Partners to:
Role: Provide unique and specific resource sharing expertise to TexShare.
Responsibilities:

1. Fulfill specific responsibilities or services as detailed in procurement documents, contracts, or other forms of agreement.
2. Provide advice and information to TSLAC staff to assist in development and implementation of TexShare programs and services.
3. Provide advice and information to TexShare working groups by designating a representative to participate in appropriate working groups.
4. Provide advice and information to the TexShare Advisory Board by designating a representative to participate in the meetings of the board.
5. Assist in facilitating communication and collaboration between TexShare and the broader resource sharing communities.

A. Card Program Working Group – Jay Clark
The TexShare Card Working Group has not met since the last Advisory Board meeting. Two members of the working group have resigned and need to be replaced. The Working Group is interested in better marketing of the TexShare card. The Card Working Group worked with the Courier Working Group to allow TexShare borrowers to return their books by TExpress courier.

B. Courier Service Working Group – Jo Anne Hawkins
The Courier Working Group held its last meeting in Austin April 23, 2004.

• They recommended changes to the TexShare website.
• TExpress shipping guidelines are being revised to allow the return of materials borrowed with TexShare cards via TExpress.
• The cost of each courier stop will increase from $2,800 to $2,925. The Texas State Library subsidy will increase from $810 to $835.
• Working Group members’ libraries are conducting a study to determine the average weight of outgoing TExpress packages. The result will be used to help determine cost avoidance.
• Incomplete statistics remains a problem for TExpress. TexShare coordinator is contacting members who are not turning in statistics.
• Results of the annual TExpress Satisfaction Survey were released June 23rd. The courier service had an 86% rating of Good or Excellent.
• The terms of two members will expire at the end of August and replacements

C. Education Services Working Group – Lisa Loranc
The Education Working Group met on July 22, 2004. The working group reviewed the statement of purpose and noted increased emphasis on on-line teaching. The working group:

• Congratulated Joan Alcott and Ping Liu for their work in creating a clearinghouse of on-line instructional materials.
• Discussed various training options.
• Discussed new training topics such as TexShare card awareness, gathering and presenting statistics, and TexTreasures grant writing.
• Discussed using library school students as TexShare instructors in local libraries

The group will distribute contact information for libraries with instructional material they can share. Working group members intend to be available to attend TLA District meetings. The working group will also consider action item #5 from the recommendations that came out of the Strategic Planning Session in January (Working groups discuss their charges and priorities). The next meeting will be October 4, 2004 at the Texas State Library at 10:00 a.m.

D. Electronic Information Working Group – Sue Phillips (for Syma Zerkow)
All of the core databases have been renewed for the coming year. We were able to renew access to ProQuest’s 20th Century American Poetry and 20th Century English Poetry. These are two databases that we have purchased but for which we must pay an annual access fee. The pledge drive to raise funds to renew our subscriptions to HeritageQuest and Stat!Ref was successful and received some national publicity
The EIWG held a conference call in May to discuss the results of the TexSelect survey asking libraries what databases they would like to see added as TexSelect offerings. Based upon this, Gale’s Opposing Viewpoints database and the Oxford Press databases via Amigos are now available. Negotiations are underway to add Newsbank’s package of Texas newspapers.

Training aimed at increasing the use of the TexShare databases in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Texas is under development.

Plans now need to be developed and information provided on what libraries can expect from the service in the coming year. We also need to work on procedures for TexShare to help libraries wishing to develop local consortia to purchase databases not offered by TexShare.

E. Interlibrary Loan Working Group – Sara Lowman
The working group met June 24, 2004 in Austin. They discussed Library of Texas and interoperability with currently used ILL systems. They made changes to the ILL protocol. Descriptions of the mentor program are to be posted on the ILL web page. The Interlibrary Loan tip of the month will be revived. The group also discussed changes to the ILL web page. The group also discussed dates and topics for the ILL Workshop.

F. Texas Collections Working Group and Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative – Ann Mason (for Ellen Safley)
The Texas Collections Working Group will consider changes to their charge. Given the shortage of funding from the State for 2004 and 2005, the Working Group will determine how to realign the charge to best meet the needs of TexShare and the citizens of Texas.

On Friday, May 21, 2004, five members of the working group joined 83 people from all over Texas to discuss the Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative. The attendees came from libraries, museums, archives, historical societies, foundations, state and local government, and other organizations interested in digitization efforts. The meeting focused on the future of historically significant materials with regards to preservation and public access. The initiative invitation reminded invitees that, “Digital preservation holds enormous possibilities not only for preserving our state’s cultural heritage, but also for increasing access to specialized, often unique historical items.”

The desired outcomes for the meeting:

• Develop a vision for a statewide collaborative to digitize and catalog Texas’s cultural heritage resources
• Gain consensus regarding the collaborative organization and structure
• Identify the resources and support stakeholders are likely to need from a digitization collaborative
• Determine how priorities for preservation and digitization can be incorporated within the vision for a digitization collaborative
• Prepare to apply for an IMLS Leadership Grant to generate the catalog of Texas’s cultural heritage resources, and plan for the work that will need to be done to implement the grant
• Agree to form a small group or groups to draft a statewide digitization plan and strategies for implementation based on discussions at the meeting. When it is completed, the draft will be shared via e-mail with the larger group for comments

Working Groups to be formed:

• Organizational Matters: Strategies and Structures, Initial Planning, Funding
• Resource Identification and Priorities
• Markets for Digitized Resources
• Funding, Support, and Institutional Buy-in
• Standards
• Training and Support

G. Texas Collections Working Group and Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative – Ann Mason (for Ellen Safley)
A roster of the new working group was presented. The Communications Working Group held their first meeting July 9, 2004.

TexShare Communications Working Group Charter:

1. To plan and engage in activities that will promote the visibility of TexShare and increase public awareness of its mission, function, programs, activities, and needs
2. To work with other TexShare Working Groups and TexShare stakeholders to successfully implement communication plans
3. To work with constituency groups to assess needs, gather input, and disseminate outreach materials and activities

Greg Tramel, Montgomery County Memorial Library System, was elected chair.

Next Steps:

• TSLAC would provide the following:
  1. One-page fact sheet/talking points with cost savings included to use as a tool
  2. Press release that includes space for local library information & user anecdotes
• TSLAC will investigate the possibility of presenting at the fall Library System meetings and/or the fall TLA District meetings.
• Ann Mason will set up a discussion list for the working group
• TLA program Form 1 will be submitted at the TLA Annual Assembly July 10-13, 2004 by TSLAC for a program entitled “TexSharing: Do it or Lose it!”

H. Texas Collections Working Group and Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative – Ann Mason (for Ellen Safley)
A roster of the new working group was presented. The first meeting was held July 16, 2004

11. Strategic Partner Reports

A. UT at Austin – Sue Phillips
No report

B. Amigos – Bonnie Juergens
Amigos Library Services sent eighteen “test” packages to TExpress participants across the state. Each hub had at least one test package passing through it. The results of the survey show an average of two-day delivery time. The shipments requiring three days passed through the El Paso and Midland hubs; however, one other shipment via Midland took only two days. Amigos will continue to periodically collect this data to use for quality control with the courier.

TexShare database invoicing: $62,000 still outstanding on the Heritage Quest pledge. Amigos will do a follow up on the outstanding amounts.

12. Administrative Report – Beverley Shirley

Advisory Board Members: The Texas State Library and Archives Commission will be asked to approve appointments to the board at their August 2 meeting. Rhoda Goldberg has served two terms and will be cycling off of the board this year. Elaine Wells is retiring and will not be available to serve another term. Elaine and Rhoda have been tremendous assets to us, and our heartfelt thanks go to them for their service to Texas libraries.

TexShare Database Fees: To date $1,484,109 in database fees have been collected from the TexShare membership in support of subscriptions renewed on July 1, 2004. With the fees collected, we were able to renew subscriptions to Gale databases, Ebsco databases, and to 20th Century Poetry from ProQuest. (The First Search databases are entering the second year of a two-year subscription.) Due to a change in administration at the Hewitt Public Library, they are on a 6-month trial period to determine if they want to retain database service. We discontinued service to one library, Balch Springs Public Library, due to nonpayment of fees. As a result of its appeal to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Cameron Public Library’s fees were deferred until FY05. We ran a successful pledge drive for Heritage Quest database. The pledge drive for Stat!Ref was not successful. The Electronic Information Working Group agreed that money set aside for ebook purchases should go to the supplement pledges for Stat!Ref, enabling us to keep this resource for one more year. The pledges for both of these databases are being collected by Amigos Library Services.

We plan to send out invoices for next year in August using the fee formula accepted at the April 16 meeting of the Advisory Board.

TexShare membership status: Several inconsistencies in the rules governing membership were identified and discussed at the October 10, 2004 and April 16, 2004 meetings of the TexShare Advisory Board and a teleconference with the Task Force on Database Fees. The Advisory Board is asked to make recommendations on these membership issues at its July 23, 2004 meeting. TSLAC sent invitations, including a summary of the issues, to the directors of all affected, inviting them to attend the July 23 meeting of the board.

Customized Annual Reports: Library Resource Sharing staff is developing an annual report to send to member libraries this year. Our goal is to send the report to libraries prior to the start of the Legislative session.

Strategic Planning: Progress toward recommendations generated at January 2004 planning session includes:

• Working groups instructed to discuss charges and priorities
• Recommendations for programs forwarded to appropriate working groups
• Contract for invoicing completed with Amigos Library Services
• New TexSelect offerings becoming available
• Pledge drive funding available for Heritage Quest and Stat!Ref
• Members of Texas Collections Working Group attended planning session for Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative
• Communications Working Group formed

Two issues were identified that require advisory board action: (1) Determine whether a mission and vision review committee should be formed, (2) Determine a process for identifying the role of the board and of the current membership vis-à-vis the larger library community with regards to fulfilling TexShare priorities. Included should be discussion of K-12 participation in TexShare and/or TexShare programs, the focus of the TexShare database program and its place relative to other library consortia to which members belong

Legislative Issues: The Legislative Budget Board indicated that all state agency budgets should be constructed at 95% of the 2004-2005 general revenue-related appropriations. 55% of the database program and all of the other TexShare programs are funded through appropriations related to general revenue sources. At the April 16, 2004 meeting, the Advisory Board asked that TSLAC staff create an impact document that the membership could use to present the worth of TexShare and formed a subcommittee to review that document. This has been completed.

New Working Groups: The two new working groups, the Communications Working Group and the Library of Texas Working Group, have been formed and held their first meetings in July.

Communications and Training information: The part of the TexShare Web site, providing links to TexShare outreach materials (brochures, bookmarks, press releases, etc.) has been restructured. See. Also, the list of training materials compiled by the Education Working Group has been available on the TexShare site at http://www.texshare.edu/programs/academicdb/libmaterials.html

Digitization Planning: Five members of the Texas Collections Working Group attended the May 21, 2004 planning session for the Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative. For more information, see http://www.library.unt.edu/digitalprojects/texdig/thdi.htm.

Strategic Partners: TSLAC staff met with representatives of current strategic partners, UT-Austin and Amigos Library Services to discuss revision to the roles statement as regards to strategic partners.

TLA Task Force: The Texas Library Association has suggested a TLA Task Force on Resource Sharing Options. Some issues that TLA has identified are funding scenarios, membership options including all types of libraries, and shared administration and management of selected programs.

Resource Sharing Programs at TLA: We have signed up for several programs to be presented at the TLA Annual Conference in Austin, April 5 – 8, 2005.

• TexShare: Reaching Back and Looking Forward
• TexSharing: Do It or Lose It!
• Approximating Reality: Proxy Servers in Your Library
• Connecting your Patrons to the Library of Texas – Best Practices
• Halt! Who Goes There? Authenticating Patron Access to Databases (Net Fair)

The meeting was adjourned in appreciation of the contributions of Elaine Wells and Rhoda Goldberg during their tenure on the TexShare Advisory Board.

Next TexShare Advisory Board Meeting is Friday, July 23, 2004

Present:

TexShare Advisory Board Members:
Eileen Altmiller, St. Edward’s University
Nancy Anderson, Howard Payne University
J.J. Baskin, Southwest Educational Development Labs
Douglas Ferrier, UT Brownsville/Texas Southmost College
Maurice Fortin, Angelo State University
Rhoda Goldberg, Harris County Public Library
Dennis Michaelis, McLennan Community College
Elaine Wells, UT Health Center at Tyler
Darryl Tocker, Tocker Foundation
Martha Tandy, Weatherford College

Texas State Library and Archives Commission:
Michael Avila, Library Resource Sharing Division
Dave Hardy, Library Resource Sharing Division
Ann Mason, Library Resource Sharing Division
Peggy Rudd, Director and Librarian
Beverley Shirley, Library Resource Sharing Division
Ted Wanner, Library Development Division

Working Group Chairs/Liaisons:
Jay Clark, San Jacinto College
Lisa Loranc, Pasadena Public Library
Sara Lowman, Rice University
Ellen Safley, UT Dallas
Jeanette Mosey, ACC
Jo Anne Hawkins, UT Austin

Strategic Partners:
Bonnie Juergens, Amigos Library Services
Sue Phillips, University of Texas at Austin

Guests:
Barbara Tims, Texas Medical Association
Craig Elaur, UNT HSC
Penny Worley, Scott & White, Temple
Joe Dahlstrom, Univ. of Houston – Victoria/Victoria College
Scarlett Burchfield, Texas Health Resources
Suzanne McAnna, UT Austin
Jeanne Price, Tarleton Law Library, UT Austin
Abigail Schultz, Tarleton Law Library, UT Austin
Leah Krevit, HAM-TMC
Elizabeth Eaton, HAM-TMC
Patricia Hayes, ICUT
Kathy Hoffman, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center