ASAE and the Center for Learning

COSLA

2006Spring Meeting

Friday, April30, 2006

ASAE and the Center for Learning

Washington, D.C.

General Meeting Minutes

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Members Present:

Akeroyd, Richard (NM)
Ashcraft, Carolyn (AR)
Boone, Mary (NC)
Boughton, Lesley (WY)
Brooker, Bobbie (IN)
Buckley, Francis (DC)
Budler, Jo (OH)
Butcher, Patti (SC)
Conroy, Margaret (MO)
Grobschmidt, Richard (WI)
Hainer, Eugene (CO)
Hildreth, Susan (CA)
Jones, Sara (NV)
Joslin, Ann (ID)
Liegl, Dorothy (SD)
Maier, Rob (MA)
McShane, Sybil Brigham (VT)
McVey, Susan (OK)
Miller, Suzanne (MN)
Mitchell, Rebecca (AL)
Morris, Donna Jones (UT)
Nelson, Jim (KY)
Nichols, Gary (ME)
Norman, Annie (DE)
Padilla, Irene (MD)
Robertson, Nancy (MI)
Rudd, Peggy (TX)
Scheppke, Jim (OR)
Shelton, Kay (AK)
Smith, Sharman (MI)
Sugg, Jeanne (TN)
Veatch, Lamar (GA)
Walsh, Jan (WA)
Wagner, Rod (NE)
Wegner, Mary (IA)
Welch, Janet (NY)
Wells, GladysAnn (AZ)
Wiggin, Ken (CT)
Yelich, Nolan (VA)
York, Michael (NH)
Zales, Clare (PA)
Member Designates:
Galbraith, Marc for Christie Brandau (KS)
Peiffer, Kathi for Norma Blake (NJ)
Guests Present:
Astrien, Bruce (ALC)
Bittner, Mamie (IMLS)
Bolt, Nancy (ALA-APA)
Chute, Mary (IMLS)
Danvers, Rebecca (IMLS)
Desch, Carol (NY)
Fiels, Keith (ALA)
Fitzsimmons, Beth (NCLIS)
Grady, Jennifer (ALA-APA)
Hahn, Trudi Bellardo (NCLIS)
Kaske, Neal (LOC)
LeFurgy, Bill (LOC)
Lord, Linda (ME)
Marcum, Deanna (LOC)
Radice, Anne-Imelda
Russell, Judith (GPO)
Sheketoff, Emily (ALA-WO)
Smith, George (IMLS)
Wilkins, Barratt (ASCLA)
Staff Present:
Hermann, Amanda (AMR)
Trail, Matthew (AMR)

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Call to Order/Welcome

President Nichols called the meeting to order at 12:35p.m.EDT.

President’s Report – Gary Nichols

Nichols reported the Board decided to have the COSLA 07 Spring meeting on the Monday prior to the ALA Legislative Days which will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Report from the Secretary – Michael York

Yorkpresented the minutes from the January 2006 Midwinter meeting. Yorkmoved to approve the minutes. McVeyseconded the motion. Hearing no further discussion, Nichols called for a vote. The motion passed.

Report from the Treasurer – Peggy Rudd

Rudd reported the CD that matured on 4/28 will be rolled over. Some of the contingency funds were used to pay expenses for the Leadership Retreat. Hermann will send the finance reports to the membership.

COSLA Institute – Nolan Yelich

Yelich invited the membership to attend the 400th Anniversary of the Founding of Jamestown. Yelich attended a celebration in England for the anniversary and Virginia decided to conduct a cultural exchange with the English librarians. This exchange could also be an opportunity for COSLA to participate. Yelich thanked the Chief Officers that submitted case studies for the Institute. The goal is to train over 100 people over the next three years. Applications are due June 2nd and the case studies are due May 26th. Nichols thanked Yelich for organizing the Institute. Yelich’s leadership put COSLA far ahead of other groups that are planning similar educational programs. Yelich noted funding for the program is still being persued. Information on funding will be distributed as soon as it’s available. Participants won’t have to pay until they are accepted for the program.

Certification Program for Public LibraryAdministrators and Staff- Nancy Bolt

Bolt reported that ALA-APA has created a Certified Public Library Administrator program for post MLS public librarians or senior managers in public libraries. COSLA members can support the program by encouraging participation, becoming a provider, encouraging others to become a provider or help subsidize someone’s attendance. Grady noted the fees are low and there are 16 candidates in the program. The goal is to have 40. There are nine standards for becoming a provider. Providers determine how the curriculum is taught. Bolt noted participants have five years to complete the coursework. The ALA-APA is also working to create a library support staff certification program.

IMLS – Anne-Imelda Radice

Radice reported she was most recently at the Department of Education, had also served at the National Endowment for the Humanities and also has experience working with the archives community. She has been working to break down silos so IMLS is not library or museum centric. IMLS is working with NCLIS to ensure a good transition. Nichols thanked Radice for meeting with COSLA.

LOC – Richard Akeroyd

Akeroyd reported that he and York have been in discussions with the LOC regarding the sharing of digital books. Marcum reported the LOC is working on a strategic plan. The LOC will discontinue work on programs that receive little or no use. The action plan from the 2000 Conference on Bibliographic Control will be incorporated into the strategic plan. The LOC will be making big changes in the near future and they will do their best to keep people informed. She is aware of the issues with Unabridged and will talk to Kurt Cylke and report back. NLS has secured the rights to an additional 1000 titles which will be available for download on their website. LeFurgy reported headway is being made on NDIPP. A call for expressions of interest for one or two multi-state initiatives will be released in the near future. The announcement will have more information but there is a significant amount of funding available. Preference will be given to proposals with proposed matching cost shares. Nine of programs have already been funded.

NLS – Michael York

York reported he spoke with Marcum about the desire to share digital content from NLS with the Unabridged program. York will participate in a long range planning meeting for NLS at the end of May. Akeroyd thanked Marcum and LeFurgy for attending the meeting. If COSLA members have any thoughts about the LOC, please let Akeroyd know.

Legislative Committee – Ken Wiggin

Sheketoff reported the main issue on the Hill is funding. Con. Jerry Lewis, the House Appropriations Committee Chair, has vowed to get all 13 appropriations bills passed by July 4th. ALA did a Dear Appropriators letter which requested $220.855 million for LSTA. The proposed budget for the EPA includes a $2.5 million cut that will result in either the closure or the crippling of the headquarter’s andregional libraries. The EPA is developing a plan to continue some of the libraries functions should the cut pass. Net Neutrality has become an issue. Typically, the internet is equally accessible to users operating at the same speed. Some telephone and cable companies are pushing to change this so the content from providers that pay a fee is more easily accessible.

Wiggin reported the COSLA and ASCLA legislative committees met the previous day to discuss the changes that are taking place at IMLS. A draft position statement was developed to address lapses in the Director position, recommends a new department be created to manage the research responsibilities and included a statement on the importance of the statistical data.

The legislative committee motioned for COSLA to support the consolidation of NCLIS and the NCES library statistics programs and that the principles embodied in the legislative language drafted by the COSLA and ASCLA legislative committees. Hearing no further discussion, Nichols called for a vote. The motion passed.

Wiggin noted the notes from the COSLA Leadership Retreat would be incorporated into the COSLA legislative agenda. The committee will continue to work with ASCLA on reauthorization and will then expand to other groups. Wiggin thanked Barratt Wilkins for his work on the issue.

IMLS – Annie Norman

Norman reported the IMLS report will be sent over the listserve. Chute noted that it was good to have a statement from COSLA regarding the consolidation. It is a great opportunity to have these programs come together. IMLS welcomes COSLA’s input. Research and statistics will not get lost. Radice noted that IMLS is still in the process of reorganizing the staff. Hildreth noted the suggestion to create the new department was to maintain the credibility of the data and to create synergy with the museum community. The membership discussed the importance of the data.

ALA – Susan Hildreth

Fiels reported the ALA Board has not yet taken a position on the consolidation. They do have some concerns about the data credibility and interoperability. If a resolution is introduced it will not move until the Annual meeting.

Fiels reported over 20,000 people participated in the development of the ALA strategic plan. They continue to move forward in the action areas. 1. Advocacy: ALA continues with the Campaign for American Libraries but will be looking to move it in a different direction. A Ford grant is helping to fund regional advocacy trainings. 2. Policy: The telecommunications act will be opened soon for reauthorization and ALA is looking to form a collation so all library interests are represented. 3. Education: ALA has put aside money in the 2007 budget for accreditation standards and has developed a certification program. 4. Leadership: Leslie Burger’s main focus is leadership training. 5. Member Services: ALA will be conducting a member satisfaction survey and is working to become more nimble to enable a better and faster response. The proposed dues increase will mean $1 million more dollars over the next 3 years. Fiels welcomed Radice and encouraged new COSLA members to introduce themselves. S. Smith thanked Fiels for ALA’s grant to Hancock County, Mississippi. Scheppke noted the E Rate program was exempt from the antideficiency act on a tentative basis but it should be given a permanent exemption.

Network Committee – Lamar Veatch

Veatch reported AMR has new software that will enable the committee to make changes to the COSLA profile survey on the website. Members should let Veatch know if there is information that should be included in the profiles. Veatch has been following up with members that do not have pictures on their profiles. Please send the photos to Hermann. The listserves will be transferred to Georgia. Members will be notified when the change occurs. Nichols thanked Scheppke for hosting the listserves and presented him with a gift.

Research and Statistics Committee – Suzanne Miller

Miller reported the LSTA OBE measures that were developed were presented to OMB which rejected the proposal. E-metrics measures were also rejected. The committee will continue to work on measures. The salary survey is complete except for one salary.

GPO – Richard Akeroyd

Akeroyd introduced Russell. Russell reported the letter COSLA wrote regarding the legacy collection was very helpful. They have approval to allow no fee access. The GPO’s appropriation has remained stagnant over the last ten years. Funding is needed for initiatives so a modest increase has been proposed. Russell reviewed the appropriations request.

NCLIS – Trudi Hahn

Hahn reported the winner of the health award and the $20,000 prize will be given on May 3rd. In March NCLIS co-sponsored a symposium with the University of Michigan. NCLIS is working on a report on key issues discussed and conclusions reached during the program. The National School Librarian of the Year program has been put on hold until after the consolidation of NCLIS into IMLS but hope it will occur after the transition. NCLIS has been working with the ChicagoPublic School system to roll out the on the “Battle of the Book” program in elementary schools. Neal Kaske wrote a piece in American Libraries about internet search engines adding a feature that would encourage users to seek out more information at the library. Fitzsimmons reported that the consolidation of programs into IMLS will create a stronger and more unified voice for libraries. She thanked COSLA for writing the letter to the President regarding the consolidation. NCLIS will discuss COSLA’s statement about the consolidation at their next meeting.

The National Archivist – Dr. Allen Weinstein

Wells introduced Dr. Weinstein. Dr. Weinstein invited members to visit the National Archives. There are four buildings in Washington, D.C., 11 Presidential libraries and the archives employees 270,000 to 280,000 people. The exhibits are privately funded. There are over 1 million visitors a year. Dr. Weinstein noted that his theme is partnership and they have worked hard to reach out to the states. They have also working with the LOC and have signed an agreement with the Library of Canada. The electronic records archives should be running in 2008. They were able to give some money to areas devastated by the hurricanes. The only FEMA regulation that allows funding for restoration is for historic houses. They are working to get libraries and museums included in this regulation. By the fall, every state will have a disaster plan. The last hurricane season showed us the impact that can be made on the local level. Rudd thanked Dr. Weinstein for the grants the National Archives gave.

Americans for Libraries Council – Bruce Astrein

Astrein reported the release date for the Building the Case for Libraries study has been postponed until June 5th so a more coordinated response could be made. Five local/state partners will be chosenas release sites where press events will be held. ALC is on the verge of receiving $5 million to give to the Gulf States affected by the hurricanes last year.

ERate – Gary Nichols

Nichols reported an ERate task force meeting will take place on May 1.

Review of Action Items – Michael York

York reviewed the action items collected from the meeting.

• COSLA members will review the materials for the COSLA Institute
• The deadline for the Institute nomination is June 2
• The deadline for case studies for the Institute is May 26th
• COSLA members will review the ALA-APA Certification program materials
• LOC will announce a Request for Expressions of Interest Multi-State Demonstration Projects for Preservation of State Government Digital Information
• COSLSA members will find the ERate information in their Legislative Days packets. No Libraries have been identified as part of waste, fraud and abuse.
• Members should send pictures to Hermann for the website.

Meeting Adjournment

President Nichols adjourned the meeting at 5:00pm EDT.

Approved October 3, 2006

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