//Cooperating Libraries Automated Network / Meeting Minutes

Steering Committee
January 30, 2003

CLAN Steering Committee minutes

Meeting held January 30, 2003, Barrington Public Library

 

The meeting was convened by Chair Susan Reed at 9:40 AM.  In attendance were:

Holly Albanese, HPE; Deborah Barchi, BAR; Peter Bennett, PRO and CLAN; Becky Boragine, LIN; John Carney, EPL; Diane Dexter, LIN; Donna Dufault, NSH and WIL; Paul Holliday, CRA; David Macksam, CRA; Leslie McDonough, SCI; Virginia Moses, CLAN; Anne Parent, OLIS; Richard Payette, CLAN; Susan Reed, PAW; Cynthia St. Amour, PRO and CLAN; Regina Slezak, NPT.

 

The minutes of the previous regular meeting and special budget meeting were unanimously accepted.

 

Susan Reed requested that Ginny pursue Minuteman for information regarding print management.

 

Executive Director Ginny Moses reported:

DYNIX rep demonstrated Horizon to Peter, Cindy, Rick and Ginny—it looks better and better.

CLAN may want to migrate at the end of this year?  If so, all terminals will have to be replaced.  Non-MARC records, mostly periodicals (60K) will have to be cleared up.

New director at WRR is Patricia Redfearn.

 

Ginny distributed a handout that details information that could be found through DYNIX—in response to concerns about the Patriot Act. 

We will divide the membership fees into 4 equal quarters, starting in FY 04.  If there is a cash flow problem we will return to the current schedule, but no problem is anticipated.

 

In January Rick has ordered $135,000+ in PC’s and peripherals, and Peter has ordered $165,500+ worth of packet shapers.  Please stay prompt with payments to CLAN.

 

Audit is complete—we are in good shape.

 

Systems and Network Administrator Peter Bennett reported:

Horizon now equals DYNIX in functionality—more to come in R7.3, due in about a month

Could shoot for December 2003 to migrate

Training will be provided

Peter will check into the possibility of a demo at the CLAN offices

The membership expressed a desire to migrate in December—we’ll confirm that at the Feb meeting

We will be down for 3 days during migration—maybe more.

Client to be loaded on PC’s

See Rick regarding PC Reliance

 

Problem getting to internal CLAN sites by domain name from inside and outside libraries is solved

            PPL is running its own name server

            See Rick’s instructions on the CLAN Support site for help

            Call Rick or Peter for help, if needed

 

            Ipac news:  more than half the profiles for individual libraries are activated

Sometimes the profiles don’t load correctly—there is a developer currently working on this problem

            There are suggested work-arounds that do help

Rick and Peter made the asterix really big, with much labor required to do so

            Web Pac is no longer being supported

            The public catalog in Horizon is Ipac.

            Ipac is being renamed HIP

            With Horizon, licensing issues will go away

 

Susan Reed asked that Peter speak to OSHEAN issues

            Cutover plan was changed the night before it was put into action

            It is now the best configuration we could have

            PRO’s servers to users inside and outside of the network were the problem

            DNS (domain name server) issues had to be corrected—it is now done

Susan asked that Peter address issues of CLAN not supporting websites on PRO’s server  

            We are not web hosters, nor does CLAN support the server in any way

 

Peter and Cindy visited Atrion to see how the network routing is done—it is complex

 

Our network has had little security—now we need it and have it internally

 

If the membership wants CLAN to do web hosting we could add it to the servers and we would have to charge for the service

 

Some of the trouble with resolving problems came from Conversant being unresponsive

 

Technical Support Specialist Rick Payette reported:

 

            Call if you need help installing your new PC’s

            Next group purchase of PC’s will be in April

            Special orders are accepted during the first 2 weeks of each month

 

MOTION by Regina Slezak:  Executive Director to prepare a policy specifying what          action CLAN would take if we were approached by authorities for patron information

SECOND by Donna Dufault

Passed unanimously

 

Treasurer Leslie McDonough reported:

 

Handout showing 1st and 2nd quarters of FY 03 cash flow

 

A discussion of possible actions CLAN would take if state aid were cut ensued

Donna Dufault noted that SKI would consider dropping Gale databases to save money

Peter Bennett noted that if state aid were to be cut CLAN would need to cut costs drastically—perhaps Gale databases, the new cataloger’s position, NELINET (OCLC is up to $90K/yr and rising)

Anne Parent said there is no indication that aid will be cut

CLAN should address what would happen if a library needed to drop out of CLAN

Susan Reed suggested that Gale be optional, but that would raise the cost to any libraries that kept it

Regina Slezak said that dropping Gale databases or allowing them to become optional undermines the idea of CLAN as a network

Peter Bennett:  it is reasonable to say that if there is a crunch we will consider cuts

Leslie:  the budget passed based on the possibility of making cuts if state cuts aid

Holly:  CLAN needs to stick to its principles

Leslie:  Each library has not got the option to drop Gale databases because it was a CLAN-wide decision to purchase them

OLIS representative Anne Parent reported:

 

            If we get an increase in federal funding we want database interfaces statewide

           

            HR 13 –the MLIS appropriation bill—Langevin signed on right away

            Kennedy has not

            There are 25 cosponsors in the House already

            We need Republicans to sign on

 

            The bills are slightly different in the House and Senate

            The latest figure is $154M—an increase of $17K

 

HR 107—Digital Media Consumers Rights Act, having to do with fair use—Kennedy has withdrawn his support

 

Request CLAN write a letter of support

 

MOTION by Leslie McDonough to have Ginny write and send such a letter

SECOND by Donna Dufault

Passed unanimously

 

CLAN’s representative to Library Legislative Day needs to be selected at the February CLAN meeting

 

The Library Board of RI has approved seeking legislation for annual appropriation for public library construction reimbursement for a 5 year period, beginning in fy04 at $2.5M and increasing annually by $1M, reaching  $6.5M in FY08

 

New appointee to Library Board:  Leslie McDonough, representing small libraries and replacing Ann Crawford

 

OLIS staff seeking brief letters identifying usefulness of OLIS’ services, with an emphasis on service to the end users.  Include less visible services such as web service CE registration, etc.

 

Gates Grants finalized—see the website for details

 

LORI website updated

 

COLA meets 2/11 from 5-7—Elizabeth Dennigan is this year’s Sweetheart

Free attendance for members, $5 for non members

 

Could CLAN do training in reference searching in specific areas?  Science, etc.?  We need a cooperative effort

 

RILA representative David Macksam reported:

            Thanks to CLAN for preparing a handout on Patriot Act

A resolution was passed by ALA to change and amend the provisions of the Patriot Act and Homeland Security

State chapters will be asked to sign on

 

The FBI had a representative at the conference

 

A workshop on confidentiality will be held in the Spring—possibly April

 

The Legislative Action Committee wants input for its agenda for the Fall meeting

 

Statewide literacy efforts:  which will be supported?

 

Regarding Sate Grant-in Aid, the rumors are flying.  We don’t know what is true right now—anything is possible

 

LORI representative Regina Slezak reported:

We are looking at virtual catalog library models

 

Database Management Committee representative Paul Holliday reported:

DBM will have DP perform an item purge of items that have had a status of “lost” or “missing” for 3 years from the end of December 2002

It will occur in April or May—has become an annual activity

 

Other:

Debbie Barchi said that RILA is 100 years old in 2003 and there are festivities planned

 

RILA needs anecdotes from “the old days”

 

RIAL Conference is scheduled for June 12 and 13 at Bryant College

 

Meeting adjourned by unanimous agreement at 11 AM

Next meeting to be held April 27 at WGR.

           

                                   

           



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