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Attending: Nancy Pieri (BETH); Carol Trager (BRUN; Deborah Canzano (COHS); Bob Jaquay (COLN); Pat Nonamaker (EGRN); Carol Hamblin (GUIL); Carol Gaillard (HOOF); Pat Sahr (NASS); Daryl McCarthy (NGRN); Sharon Hodges (PTRB); Margie Morris (POES); Judy Felsten (RCSC); Rebecca Lubin (RVLL); Jane Minotti (SNLK); Barbara Kubli (STEP); Paul Hicok (TROY); Bobbi Crowther (VAFL); Gail Sacco (VOOR); Barbara Schoen (WVLT)

Visitors: Phil Ritter (UHLS); Cathy Woodruff (Times Union Reporter covering this meeting)

Meeting convened at 9:15am

Minutes:
Motion (Kubli, Hamblin) to approve April 6, 2001 minutes. Carried.

UHLS: P. Ritter

• Annual Reports – making progress with reports, there were a number of errors and some have not been corrected. Two libraries have not yet submitted their reports. No state funds will be paid out until all libraries have reports in (we also need to wait for state budget to pass).
• Automation migration – process is moving along. There are two contenders – Triple I and Epixtech. Site visit to Danvers, MA to on May 3rd to see Triple I. Site visit to Andover, MA scheduled for May 18th for Epixtech. (Pat Nonamaker briefly described visit)
• Keith Curry Lance – presentation for Numbers Tell the Story was canceled in April due to a snow storm in Colorado. It has been rescheduled for July 19th & 20th.
• Adult Literacy Grant – was due to UHLS today (May 4th ) and is due to the state by May 9th. Guilderland & Troy are applying. UHLS has been asked to apply by Literacy Volunteers of America and State Ed. The UHLS Board of Trustees will write the grant. LVA & State Ed chose eight libraries to participate: Cohoes, Menands, Watervliet, Sand Lake, North Greenbush, Hoosick Falls, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, and Troy.
• Tutor.com – representative contacted Phil. Phil asked that information be sent to UHLS and this was distributed via email to all directors. He suggests that everyone try the link to see how it works and if it is worth pursuing. Mary Fellows is trying it to see if would tie-in as a Youth Service. Paul Hicok suggested the possibility of Central Library interest.
• Open positions for technology specialist and training specialist – closing date is May 14th. UHLS is having a hard time finding qualified applicants. They are not offering enough money to attract even an entry level person at either position. There is also concern on the part of some UHLS staff (not consultants) that their salaries are not high enough. Phil has suggested to the Administration Committee that a classification study be done by an outside agency to analyze the UHLS organization internally and to analyze job descriptions/positions. He will presenting an RFP to the UHLS Board.
• Communication – Part 1 - need for smooth flow of information for procedures and policies. Questions raised – How would this work? Is it micro-managing? Can we re-evaluate the process in six months to a year? UHLS put together three scenarios and how they would work. The Director’s Association’s Executive Board decided that Option 2 would be the best. All directors were sent a copy of this option via email from Bob Jacquay.
  
  Motion: (Felsten, Schoen) To use the following process - For policies and procedures: Interest Groups and Work Teams meet, discuss, formulate, and recommend policies and procedures to the Director’s Association which then makes its recommendations to the Services Committee – and to review this process in November. (Each recommendation submitted from IG & WT should include names of people recommending change, what the change/difference is, and why it is being recommended.) Carried.
  
• Communication – Part 2 - Interest Groups/Work Teams, how were they formed and what is their responsibility? Should they be reconfigured? Bob Jacquay suggested a liasion to work with Phil and UHLS consultants to re-evaluate this issue. Pat Nonamaker volunteered to be the liasion.
• LSTA (Library Services & Technology Act) Grant Proposals – deadline June 9th – three proposals
  

  Numbers II – continuation of Numbers Tell the Story
  I Spy My Hometown – modeled closely on the I Spy grant done by MVLA last year
  Family Literacy Grant – targets children at reading risk and their families

  
  Motion: (Sacco, Gaillard) Endorse UHLS pursuing LSTA grants that have been proposed. Carried.
  
• Salary/Benefits Survey – the last one was done in January 1999. A draft was send to everyone, suggestions for changes should be emailed to Phil by May 18th. This survey should be done yearly. A vote will be taken on the final version at the next meeting.
• Public Peformance Videos – Sara & Rachel, acting on the motion made last meeting to explore options for PPVs, offered four options along with a time frame for completion of project.
  
  Motion: (Schoen, Sahr) Accept Option #1 – Distribute the list of PPV to member libraries. Member libraries select titles. UHLS sends selected PPV to member libraries and disposes of titles that were not selected. Estimated completion date September 1, 2001. (Member libraries receiving these videos should not mark them as local request only so they will still be available to all libraries.) Carried. The Director’s Association trusts that UHLS will distribute the videos fairly.
  
• New ILL Form – more information is needed before this can be voted on – who recommended changes, what are the changes and why needed.
• Pool Collection Planning Committee (PCPC) – Phil recommends that a committee be formed with representation from each size library to meet with Rachel, Sara, and Mary. The task is to look at each section of the current pool collection and develop a plan for it. Looking at the pool collection as a whole has never been successful.
  

  Small Library – Rebecca Lubin, Margie Morris
  Medium Library – Barbara Schoen, Carol Trager
  Large Library – Carol Hamblin, Bob Jacquay

• Satisfaction Survey – UHLS Plan of Service requires that a survey be done every year. Last year’s survey regarding services was very successful and helpful for planning. It also revealed a need for a survey of the satisfaction level for the services currently provided. A draft of this survey was distributed and will be discussed at the next meeting. Recommended changes should be forwarded to Phil.

UHLS Board: P. Nonamaker

• New UHLS trustee from Albany Public – Erin Apostol – appointed to Administration Committee
• Discussion of RFP for Classification survey
• Annual Dinner
• Incentive Grant – everyone will get $500 grant - it will not be tied to annual report this year due to the many issues with them

UHLS Finance: P. Nonamaker

• Audit was done
• All 2000 UHLAN bills were paid
• UHLS is operating on reserves due to late NYS budget

UHLS Administration: N. Pieri

• All areas have been covered by above reports

Interest Groups: P. Nonamaker

• ILL – worked on form that was submitted today. Next meeting is in September.
• REF – met at the Albany Public Gates Computer Lab. Next meeting June 21st – core reference collection for small libraries.
• YS – did not meet. Next meeting May 11th at East Greenbush

Services: J. Felsten

• UHLS Plan of Service submitted to Board
• Need for Central Library Grant application for 2001 – was due May 1st. Will be brought to UHLS Board on May 9th.
• At next meeting they will review Program of the Year (5 applications), Advocate of the Year (7 applicants), Trustees of the Year (6-7 applicants).
• Open meeting law requires voting be done in a physical meeting or interactive meeting. No phone voting is allowed.

Automated Services Committee: N. Pieri

• Process for site visits

Central Library:J. Cannell

• No report.
• Brief discussion of status of EBSCO – EBSCO agreed to delay credits until next year so a quick decision did not have to be made- $24,000.00.

Nuts & Bolts:

• BETHLEHEM – They will be handing out rulers at the Memorial Day Parade – Library’s Rule! They will be closed on June 15th for the 4th Annual Staff Development Day.
• VOORHEESVILLE – Hoping for good votes for all >:school budgets. Gail will be running for secretary of PLS.
• BRUNSWICK – Along with Grafton and Poestenkill will be on the Brittonkill school ballot for a total of $37,000.00 Literacy Walk on Saturday, May 5th at the Tamarac High School. WalMart will be giving Brunswick $800 to match money raised at a previous event.
• GUILDERLAND – Carol announced that she will be retiring October 1st.
• COLONIE – Will be celebrating their 25th year at the current site in July.
• RENSSELAERVILLE – Will be having a public meeting on CIPA/filtering on Tuesday, May 8th.

Old Business

• Carol Hamblin reported that Waste Management in Schenectady will recycle old PCs. There is a charge of $7.90 for monitors. She will send out more detailed information.
• Standards – this agenda was too full for a discussion this month but it will be continued next month. Nancy Pieri suggested that the work team may be the place to have recommendations start.
• Times Union will have a presentation next month.

New Business:

• Nominations Committee – current officers have said they would continue for another year. Vote to be held next month. Brief mention that terms should be set for two years. More discussion to follow.

Motion (Trager, Canzano ) Meeting adjourned 11:30 am. Next meeting June 1st @ UHLS.

Discussion next month regarding CIPA- www.ala.org has very good information on this topic