Meeting came to order at 2:23 pm.  In attendance: Barbara Bussart (WNS), Beth Johnson (CRA), Julie Holden (PAW), Linda Caisse (NKI), Sue Dunn (WAR), Mary Anne Quinn (WAR), Ann Poulos (PRO), Beth Curran (PRO), Pat LaRose (NPT), Lisa Davis (OSL)

Minutes from the last meeting – and follow-up discussion

Novelist Plus has a function for searching the OSL catalog at the PAW website, but not at others.  Each library has to have this function activated individually, either by the EBSCO people or by accessing the administrator area and activating.  EBSCO says that they prefer to do this themselves.

Links to the EBSCO databases are still not quite right at all libraries.  They can be linked as a whole – EBSCO databases – or by individual title.  If by title, they must have the right code in the link to ensure that the user is asked for their bar code.  Some of the links at certain libraries put the user right into the database without verifying their residency/library card.  WAR has all of their codes working both in house and remote.

ASKRI – Karen Mellor is our contact person for this service.  There are some problems with linking to the databases through ASKRI.  If possible, the links should be direct from each library.   Who is paying for what, and when does each contract expire, OSL or Askri (through OLIS/Ref resource center at PPL)? Lisa says original EBSCO contract with OSL expires  July 1, 2009, not sure about the new contract with askri. 

Zip codes are a stopgap measure for id to use ASKRI.  Geo-locations will be active sometime in the first of the year, eliminating the need for the zip codes.

The new databases from EBSCO (Home Improvement, Small Engine Repair), Novelist Plus, etc.), still require a library card number (for remote users?). 

There should be a list provided to all libraries explaining who is providing which database and how to access it (bar code, zip code, etc.)

Should we be putting the minutes from our meetings on the exchange as well as on the support board?  Do enough people read the exchange?  OSL is working on a new web site system as well as a new communications system to make it easier to access the exchange mail.

Why can you not log into the EBSCO databases from any library with any library card?  If accessing the databases from Cumberland, you must use a Cumberland bar code.  If these are statewide, why isn’t the login statewide?

Some libraries have Gale online services available that they do not subscribe to, or they can access other library’s services (possibly because they subscribe to something else from Gale).  NPT was able to access NKI’s Gale products without a card.

No obits in the ProQuest ProJo past March 2008.  Joan is talking with ProQuest about this (main reason OSL subscribed to this database).  Possibility of ProQuest starting an obit database outside of the newspapers.  Obitfinder.com can help with these searches.

WorldBook.com has a very nice timeline function – able to create your own or add to existing timelines.  Default possible on different “age level interfaces” of worldbook.

Who will be working on the new/renewals of database contracts?  Will our committee have input?  The LIT committee?

Velti discussed at membership mtg. not funded.  Library elf does the same service more or less for free. – Pat says Newport looked into joining but Library elf was not taking on new customers.  A quick search on their site shows that they seem to be accepting patrons, but not new libraries.

Blu-Ray – new icons in catalog.  The holds problem seems to be resolved.

Is anyone planning on attending the Steering committee this week?  9:30 THU.

Did anyone attend the quarterly meeting?  Lisa attended.  $6000 for Overdrive was voted into the budget.

MP3 format is now supported by Overdrive, but with limited titles.  MP3 does not expire, so patrons must promise to erase the file within a certain time period.  Many publishers are not permitting their titles to be converted to this format.

Max Access – always available titles.  These are the “classic” titles, usually older, not the bestsellers.

What happens if a library does not get funded and/or closes?  Steering will check into this.

ENCORE – Jenifer Bond, now at Bryant College, has heard concerns from both staff and patrons about ENCORE, which has been in use on the HELIN catalog system for several months.  She will try to attend our next meeting to illustrate some of these concerns.

We were under the impression that individual libraries could opt to not use ENCORE.  This does not seem to be the case.  After a little searching, we found on the Nashville Public Library sight what appears to be a way to use the basic search function without having to use ENCORE.  All the other sites that we have checked did not allow this.  How much “tweaking” was entailed in making this available?

Lisa will ask Barbara Herzog about customizing the ENCORE interface.

Our committee will look at other sites to see what other libraries have done to make ENCORE workable.

Is it possible to have different front pages within the consortium, or will the page have to be uniform throughout the system?

Can we remove the “cancel all holds” button from the patron page?  Too many people think that this means cancel only the holds checked, and cancel everything instead.

Ref Roundtable possibility – exchange of what’s new at your library – events, programs, projects, etc.  Cool new stuff.  Handouts exchange. 

Title of “Lunch and Learn” ?  Reference Librarians Exchange?  Beth will look for available dates at Cranston in March 2009.

Next meeting – December 16, 2008  2:15 pm at OSL offices.

Meeting adjourned at 4:25 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara J. Bussart (WNS)