Faulkner and Van Buren Regional Library Board Minutes

The Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library Board met at 6PM at the Van Buren County Library. In attendance were Regional Board members Joe Don Whittingham, Rhonda Davis, Stephanie Treece, Jeff Moncrease, and Stephanie Vanderslice; Karla Fultz, manager of Van Buren County library; John McGraw, director of Faulkner County libraries; and Faulkner County board member Jeff Whittingham.

Rhonda called the meeting to order. Nominations for chair and vice-chair were taken. Rhonda moved that Stephanie Vanderslice be named chair, Stephanie Treece be named vice-chair. Jeff seconded the motion, which was approved. 

The Minutes of October 11, 2017 were read. The chair asked if there were comments or questions. Jeff moved that the minutes be approved as presented. Rhonda seconded the motion, which was approved.

Bookkeeper reports from October to January were reviewed. There were questions about a $1350 dollar check to a Faulkner County employee. John explained that it was a scholarship from the state library to a staff member paid through her employer. The state library had issued the check to the Regional system, rather than the county, but that the mistake should not happen again. 

State aid expenditures were reviewed. Rhonda moved to accept the expenditures. Stephanie Treece seconded the motion, which was approved.

Digital Statistics were reviewed. There was a call for comments.

Old Business:

A Regional consortium was still under discussion, with three governing framework emerging in January. The board took no action on the frameworks proposed, wishing to see some assurances that costs for an Integrated Library System, be it Sierra or some other company, be reduced under a shared system.

New Business:

Several library systems are pushing the state library to negotiate with Overdrive for a single statewide ebook consortium. The board expressed support provided that there would be cost reduction for the platform fee paid. 

John reported that the state library was picking up Mango statewide in July as part of its Traveller package of databases. Mango had agreed to sell the Region access just through June for $3367. Rhonda moved to pay Mango $3367 for service through June. Jeff seconded the motion, which was approved. 

John suggested the remainder be reallocated to Hoopla, which had rejected half of the people trying to borrow in February, telling them the daily budget had been spent already. Jeff moved to reallocate the remainder of the Mango budget line to Hoopla. Stephanie Treece seconded the motion, which was approved.

The meeting adjourned at 7:16 PM.

The Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library Board met at 6PM at the Faulkner County Library. In attendance were Regional Board members Joe Don Whittingham, Rhonda Davis, Stephanie Treece, Stephanie Vanderslice and Jeff Moncrease; Karla Fultz, manager of Van Buren County library; and John McGraw, director of Faulkner County libraries.

Stephanie Treece called the meeting to order. The Minutes of the February 28 meeting were read. Joe Don moved that the minutes be approved as presented. Rhonda seconded the motion, which was approved.

Bookkeeper reports from February to April were reviewed. John noted that the February amendments to Mango and Hoopla were reflected in these reports.

State aid expenditures were reviewed. Rhonda moved to accept the expenditures. Jeff seconded the motion, which was approved.

Digital Statistics were reviewed. There was a call for comments. John said that Hoopla was still spending well under the amount budgeted per month, so the limit was raised to four items per month in mid-May, but it was too soon to see an increase in usage.

Old Business:

The ebook consortium had developed rather quickly. The Regional platform fee would decrease from $10,000 to $4,000 and we would be obliged to contribute at least $8,000 to the shared collections pool per year to purchase titles. We could contribute more if we like and some institutions would be contributing their entire budget. Several models exist for joining the consortium, and John recommended Advantage Plus, which would prioritize our patrons for holds on items we purchase. Rhonda moved to join the consortium under the Advantage Plus model, provided Laman Library and Saline County were joining under Advantage Plus or sharing everything. Jeff seconded the motion, which was approved. 

The regional consortium CARLI had produced a Memorandum of Understanding that had been vetted by the state librarian. UCA was still resisting a shared collection, and questions still exist what sort of legal entity would need to exist to pursue other interests, such as a shared catalog or a courier system. The board wanted clarification as to whether migration fees would be shared and whether it would be worthwhile to underwrite migration fees for smaller entities such as CBC or UACCM.

New Business:

A joint gathering of cataloging and collections staff had met to discuss a range of issues and produced a proposal to 

• increase DVD lending to 5 per card, 

• catalog TV series in multi-disk single-season packages, one of which could be checked on any card for 14 days, and

• reduce fines to $.10 per day as they are with books and audiodisk materials.

Stephanie Vanderslice moved to adopt the proposal as presented. Rhonda seconded the motion, which passed.

The meeting adjourned at 6:56 PM.

The Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library Board met at 6PM at the Van Buren County Library. In attendance were Regional Board members Rhonda Davis, Stephanie Treece, Stephanie Vanderslice and Jeff Moncrease; Karla Fultz, manager of Van Buren County library; and John McGraw, director of Faulkner County libraries.

Stephanie Vanderslice called the meeting to order. The Minutes of the June 7 meeting were read. Rhonda moved that the minutes be approved as presented. Stephanie Treece seconded the motion, which was approved.

Bookkeeper reports from May to September were reviewed. John noted that the "fifth quarterly" check of $37198 had arrived in July, and the restored state funds meant an additional $12500 in September and December, putting the state aid for the year $62000 above what was budgeted.

State aid expenditures were reviewed. Jeff moved to accept the expenditures. Rhonda seconded the motion, which was approved.

Digital Statistics were reviewed. There was a call for comments. John said Overdrive usage had exploded since joining the Arkansas Digital Library Consortium. Usage in October was up 500% over last October. Hoopla had also expanded greatly due to some extremely popular titles, but that growth might not be sustainable.

Old Business:

The ADLC had a bumpy introduction and there remain a few technical issues, but the use has expanded dramatically. John summarized the policies and agreements circulated in the board packet. The budget line for Overdrive is spent for 2018 but John suggested that some of the surplus could be applied to finish out the year and even pay the platform fees and pool commitments for 2019. Rhonda suggested that John and Karla examine how much should be put into to the pool and make a recommendation to the board. That suggestion was approved by acclimation.

John reported that the regional consortium CARLI had been inactive since the summer. A lot of the initiatives discussed there had been taken up at the Library Development District meetings, which were happening monthly and including public and academic libraries from Arkansas' 3rd congressional district. The LDD had hosted representatives of the Missouri consortium MOEBIUS and had discussed with representatives of the state library the need to form a consortium like those found in Missouri and Louisiana to spread ILS software costs around more fairly. John reported that he had informed Innovative that they are shopping for other vendors, but had had no response. 

There was discussion of the Regional Director position. Suggestions included a schedule of visits to every branch in the Regional system. The board directed John to send the job description to both county boards for revision. 

There was discussion of the additional money in the 2018 Budget. John proposed restoring regional reimbursements to each county ($20000 to Faulkner County and $10000 to Van Buren County), adding $500 to Hoopla, and $32000 to Overdrive (to bolster content in 2018 as well as pay the platform and consortium fees for 2019). John mentioned that there are several digital services that could be added, either from the 2018 excess or the substantial carryover the Region enjoys: a crafting database called Creative Bug, an online learning database called Niche Academy, and another ebook collection focusing on reference material called the Gale Virtual Reference Collection. John was asked to get information about educational database traffic from CALS and report back. Stephanie Treece moved to accept the amendments as presented. Rhonda seconded the motion, which was approved.

New Business:

John presented a bill from Digicert, which provides security to the website. The security certificate had expired and Faulkner County had tentatively paid for renewal in order to restore patrons' access to their accounts. Jeff moved that the Region reimburse Faulkner County for the cost of the security certificate. Rhonda seconded the motion, which passed.

Additional digital services were discussed, as well as their marketability. John was asked to set up trials for the services in the supplemental material.

John presented a 2019 Regional budget. It adds the courier to the Regional budget, operating twice as often as he has under the present arrangement. Overdrive spending increases by 23%, Hoopla spending by 60%, and regional reimbursements are restored. Rhonda moved to accept the budget as presented. Stephanie Treece seconded the motion, which passed.

Stephanie Treece moved to adjourn, with Rhonda seconding the motion. The meeting adjourned at 6:43 PM.

The Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library Board met at 5:15 PM at the Van Buren County Library. In attendance were Regional Board members Rhonda Davis, Jeff Moncrease, Stephanie Treece, Stephanie Vanderslice and Joe Don Winningham; Karla Fultz, manager of Van Buren County library; and John McGraw, director of Faulkner County libraries.

Stephanie Vanderslice called the meeting to order. The Minutes of the November 7 meeting were read. Rhonda moved that the minutes be approved as presented. Stephanie Treece seconded the motion, which was approved.

Bookkeeper reports from October were reviewed. State aid expenditures were reviewed. Rhonda moved to accept the expenditures. Jeff seconded the motion, which was approved.

Old Business:

There was discussion of the Regional Director job description. A proposal emerged to

• strike compensation and benefits from the description

• alter the first line to "employed by Faulkner County library and reports directly to the Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library"

• pay Faulkner County the State aid received for having a degreed director (presently $18000) contingent upon the Director's presence at all necessary meetings, paid in quarterly payments contingent upon the Director's continued employment.

Rhonda moved to accept these changes to the Regional Director job description. Joe Don seconded the motion, which passed.

New Business:

John circulated the Regional bylaws and mentioned that Joe Don was concluding a three year term and the bylaws had never been amended to define the membership of the board. Joe Don moved to ask the county judges to select a neutral fifth member for a two year term. Stephanie Treece seconded the motion, which passed. 

Discussion around the bylaws led to a proposal to amend the bylaws

• Adding to Article 3, section 4: The board will conduct Biannual evaluations of the Director.

• Amending Article 6, section 1: A quorum for conducting official regional library board business is any four members. 

• Adding a new Article 1: Membership, which stipulates that the board consist of two representatives from each county board, plus a fifth neutral member to be selected by consensus of the county judges and serving a two year term. 

Jeff moved to send these proposed changes to the county boards and vote on any and all proposed amendments at the next Regional meeting. Joe Don seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.

John reintroduced the digital services discussed November 7th, and added an offer from the New York Times for unlimited access to patrons, minus Crosswords and Cooking apps. John suggested spending roll-over funds on a year of service and creating budget space next year if the services prove successful. Rhonda moved to pay for a year of the New York Times and Creative Bug services. Stephanie Treece seconded the motion, which passed.

Stephanie Treece moved to adjourn, with Rhonda seconding the motion. The meeting adjourned at 6:47 PM.

The Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library Board met at 5:43 PM at the Faulkner County Library. In attendance were Regional Board members Kristi Eastridge, Ben Thompson, Stephanie Treece, and Jeff Willingham; Karla Fultz, out-going administrator of Van Buren County library; Andrea Singleton, in-coming administrator of Van Buren County libraries; and John McGraw, regional director.

Stephanie Treece called the meeting to order. There was a call for nominations to chair the board in 2019. Ben nominated Stephanie to be chairwoman. Jeff Willingham offered to serve as Vice-Chair. No other nominees coming forward, the slate of officers was approved by acclamation. 

The Minutes of the November 28 meeting were read. Ben moved that the minutes be approved as presented. Kristi seconded the motion, which was approved.

Bookkeeper reports from November to May were reviewed. John reported that $24,000 was unspent in 2018, adding to a substantial carryover. 2019 Electronic Income and Interest were ahead of projections and would produce an extra $4500 in income if this rate continues.

State aid expenditures were reviewed. Jeff moved to accept the expenditures. Kristi seconded the motion, which was approved.

Statistics were reviewed. John directed attention to the use of Overdrive after joining the Arkansas Digital Library Consortium last September. Numbers were almost double the year prior. Hoopla has leveled off and likely cannot grow more without more money.

Old Business:

John requested amending the courier line of the budget from $7,200 to $23,400. He had miscalculated the annual cost of the courier. Asked if cuts needed to be made elsewhere, John suggested it could be spent from the carryover, as the Region had left $25,000 unspent last year. In 2020 it should be possible to make space for it in the budget when ILS costs decrease. Ben moved to amend the courier line to $23,400. Jeff seconded the motion, which passed.

John reviewed the proposed bylaw changes proposed at the last meeting: 

• Adding to Article 3, section 4: The board will conduct Biannual evaluations of the Director.

• Amending Article 6, section 1: A quorum for conducting official regional library board business is any four members. 

• Adding a new Article 1: Membership, which stipulates that the board consist of two representatives from each county board, plus a fifth neutral member to be selected by consensus of the county judges and serving a two year term. 

Jeff moved to approve the amendments as presented. Kristi seconded the motion, which passed. 

New Business:

John circulated a signing sheet that authorized all members of the Regional board to be a signatory to a Regional paycheck, as well as Regional Director John McGraw and Van Buren County Library Administrator. Ben moved to accept the signing statement as presented. Jeff seconded the motion, which passed. 

ILS proposals were discussed. John shared staff feedback on the two lowest bids. Jeff moved to accept the Sirsi Dynix bid, provided John could get the cost below $40,000. Ben seconded the motion, which passed. 

The calendar for future meetings was discussed. Dates selected were August 5th at 5PM in Clinton, and November 4th at 5:30PM in Conway.

The meeting adjourned at 7:02 PM.

The Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library Board met at 5:21 PM at the Van Buren County Library. In attendance were Regional Board members Kristi Eastridge, Roger Hooper, Ben Thompson, Stephanie Treece, and Jeff Willingham; Andrea Singleton, administrator of Van Buren County libraries; and John McGraw, regional director.

The Minutes of the June 25 meeting were read. Ben moved that the minutes be approved as presented. Jeff seconded the motion, which was approved.

Bookkeeper reports from June and July were reviewed. John noted that the amendment passed at the June meeting adjusting the courier line is not reflected in these statements. Sierra had been paid in the last week.

State aid expenditures were reviewed. Kristi moved to accept the expenditures. Ben seconded the motion, which was approved.

Statistics were reviewed. 

Old Business:

New Business:

John discussed changes publishers were making to their arrangements with Overdrive and libraries. Increasingly publishers are moving to metered leases rather than perpetual leases, while other companies are embargoing their titles from libraries for a set period of time. This is going to effect how we build our collections and how that collection is used.

John discussed Kanopy as a prospective expansion of digital services next year. It is a streaming service that would complement existing services. 

The meeting adjourned at 5:55 PM.

The Faulkner-Van Buren Regional Library Board met at 5:21 PM at the Faulkner County Library. In attendance were Regional Board members Kristy Eastridge, Roger Hooper, Ben Thompson, Stephanie Treece, and Jeff Willingham; Andrea Singleton, administrator of Van Buren County libraries; and John McGraw, regional director.

The Minutes of the August 5 meeting were read. Ben moved that the minutes be approved as presented. Jeff seconded the motion, which was approved.

Bookkeeper reports from July, August and September were reviewed. John noted that the amendment passed at the June meeting adjusting the courier line is not reflected in these statements. John discussed a Hoopla promotion at ComiConway that would be paid for out of Faulkner County's book budget. 

State aid expenditures were reviewed. Ben asked about the expenditure for Phoenix 10. John said that is the first migration expense incurred and we need to create a budget line for it under Old Business. Roger moved to accept the expenditures. Ben seconded the motion, which was approved.

Statistics were reviewed. There was a discussion of Unique Users as opposed to total users. John explained that unique users measures the breadth of the service's adoption by the cardholders, as opposed to recounting frequent users. 

Old Business:

Migration to Sirsi-Dynix has begun and our go-live date is March 12. Training began earlier in the day. Prices for data extraction had been obtained from Innovative and an independent contractor recommended by Sirsi-Dynix. The independent, Phoenix10, was cheaper and immediate. John asked that the 2019 budget be amended to include a Migration budget line of $5000. Roger moved to make that amendment to the budget. Kristy seconded the motion, which passed. 

John reported that the Arkansas Digital Library Consortium met at the annual Arkansas Library Association Conference. The consortium had decided to boycott Macmillan titles in response to Macmillan's decision to embargo library purchases for two months.

New Business:

John discussed Kanopy as a prospective expansion of digital services next year. It is a streaming service that would complement existing services. It could be piloted out of the overage, as CreativeBug and the New York Times had been last year. John was recommending a budget and circulation limit well below what Kanopy was projecting. Jeff Whittingham moved to adopt Kanopy for one year with a budget line of $6000 and restrict patrons to 4 items per month. Kristy seconded the motion, which passed.

The 2020 Budget was taken up. Changes from 2019 are:

• Eliminating the Sierra budget line and adding a Symphony budget line

• Increasing Overdrive to $85000

• Increasing Hoopla to $19000

• Increasing Electronic/Online Services to 11100 to shift payment for Email and the entire Outlook suite to the Regional budget from the county budgets.

• Creating a Migration budget line of $28785 that will be paid from the carryover.

Ben moved to adopt the budget as presented. Jeff seconded the motion, whch passed.

2020 meetings were set for:

1. January 29th, 5:30PM, at the Van Buren county library

2. April 22nd, 5:30 PM at the Faulkner county library

3. July 22, 5:30 PM at the Van Buren county library

4. October 21st, 5:30 PM at the Faulkner county library

The meeting adjourned at 6:30 PM.