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Attending: Jeff Cannell (APLM); Ginny LaJuene (ALTM); Nancy Pieri (BETH); Carol Trager (BRUN); Darlene Miller (CAST); Deborah Canzano (COHS); Pat Nonamaker (EGRN); Barbara Nichols Randall (GUIL); Carol Gaillard (HOOF); Lenny Zapala (MEND); Pat Sahr (NASS); Margie Morris (POES); Paul Hicok (TROY); Phil Ritter (UHLS); Gail Sacco (VOOR); Barbara Schoen (WVLT)

Visitors: none

Meeting convened at 9:00am

Minutes:
Motion (Gaillard, Trager) to approve February 7, 2003 minutes. Carried.

UHLS: Phil Ritter

• Riverway Storytelling Festival – all is going well
• UHLAN Update Bulletin – HorizonL has been an attempt for communication regarding automation issues. The bulletin will put in writing what is going on and the answers to questions asked.
• National Library of Medicine Grant – UHLS has agreed to work with Crandall Library on this grant. There are 4 training workshop (3 hours each) and library must do all 4 sessions. UHLS obligation is to find 4 sites; there will be 30 people in all. BETH, EGRN, ALPM, & TROY offered to participate.
• Construction Grant – UHLS has completed all paperwork and it is now at the Department of Library Development. Albany used less money to complete its project and the remaining funds must go to a library that was not funded at 50%. Bethlehem was funded at 45% and will receive the remaining funds.
• NYLA Lobby Day, March 18th -- Appointments have been made. An email will be sent to all directors with the times. There is a briefing at 9:00 and a rally at the Capitol from 12:30 to 1:00. It is important to get patrons to send letters to legislators in order to try to keep money from being cut this year. Gail Sacco asked if the Library Advocacy Advisory Council was effective/successful? Phil feels it has been doing more than has been done in the past but not necessarily enough. PULISDO has purchased airtime on public radio.
• UHLS Directory – Corrections have been made. Directors should check the directory on the Intranet to see if there are any other changes to be made. Notify Heidi of corrections needed.
• UHLS Annual Report Narrative – There was discussion regarding the necessity of the reports. The narratives will be used at the Annual Dinner if the State is delayed in putting out statistics. A folder of member library information will be created for each table at the dinner. UHLS needs 25-30 copies of any informational brochure that you put out for your library to include in the folders.
• NYS Education Dept Proposed budget cuts – UHLS has made no decision as to budget cuts (possibly 15%), but right now they are trying to control spending where they can. Spending has been suspended on the following items:
  
  • Travel and training – payment for anything within Albany and Rensselaer Counties. Anything outside the counties is on a case by case basis. No travel or training outside of NY is paid for.
  • UHLS may not be able to pay for one person from each library to attend the NYLA Conference in Saratoga as they have in the past.
  • Automation Upgrade Pool – money is added yearly to prepare for future upgrades. The $55,000 earmarked will not be going in this year as the automation system is new.
  • New equipment will not be purchased. Current equipment can be replaced if necessary.
  • Supplies & postage – cutting out non-essential purchases
  • Reduction in printing for publicity, programs, and brochures
  • Pool Collection – all purchases are suspended
  These measures add up to $165,000. There is $45,000 carried over from last year. The wildcard in this is the NYS Retirement that will be $55,000 if it goes up the expected 11%. There are no cuts planned in the area of automation or delivery services. The 2003 fiscal year should be okay with no impact on member library services but changes may be seen in 2004. UHLS is looking into refinancing the mortgage on the building for a savings of $27,000 per year after this year.

Horizon: P. Nonamaker

• Fines – The Implementation Team adopted a system-wide maximum fine in order to get Horizon up and running. A decision needs to be made by the Directors’ Association to accept this amount or change it. Fine rates are individual by library but the maximum fine rate is for the whole system. Many directors felt this needed to be discussed with their trustees before a decision could be made. This topic will be on the Directors’ Association agenda for a vote at the April meeting.
• Collection Codes – Karen Nuckolls has assured Phil that this has been corrected. The replacement cost codes have been corrected also. Fifty dollars had been the default amount. The codes are on the Intranet.
• Standardization of other circulation policies? – This question is raised periodically. Deb Canzano stated that she feels the individual standards reflect the communities that we serve.
• Reserves – There is a great deal of concern about how this is working. Karen reported that it would take two days to change codes to make materials local request. Another person had felt it would take about 30 days. There was lengthy discussion about the impact not having local request was having on libraries. Some reported an improvement in service to the patron and others reported their shelves being empty of new books for browsing patrons. This was not a big versus small library issue but more of patron usage issue.
  Motion: (Hicok, Zapala) Moved that UHLS implement local request. Ayes – 7; Nays – 7; Abstain – 1. Motion did not pass. This will be put on the agenda again next month. Phil will have more information at that time.
• Circulation reports – Rawdon wants to know what kind of reports directors want. Pat Nonamaker had told him we needed figures for books and circulation that goes over the circ desks and what is sent out to other libraries. Send other requests to Rawdon. Pat suggested that everyone check reports carefully as you use them as some reports show different figures from each other on the same information.
• Overdues – UHLS is trying to get someone from a system in Massachusetts that uses Horizon to see how they handle overdue notices.

UHLS Administration: N. Pieri

• Structural analysis of building – mostly cosmetic issues, no major structure concerns
• Air quality study – still being investigated. Other firms have been contacted.
• Trustee Award – minor changes made
• Discussion of distribution of materials at the annual meeting

Services: J. Felsten

• Annual awards for advocacy and program will stay the same as in previous years

Finance Committee & UHLS Board: J. Cannell

• Meeting held about refinancing the building – recommendations will be presented at the next UHLS Board meeting
• UHLS Board asked Directors’ Association to consider creating a Director of the Year Award. There was discussion by the directors as to the need and criteria. Jeff Cannell had sent out an email regarding a possible procedure to follow.
  Motion: (Sacco, Zapala) moved to create a Director of the Year Award. Ayes – 9; Nays – 3; Abstain – 2 (One director had left the meeting early). Carried. Nominating Committee was formed: P. Nonamaker, D. Canzano, and L.Zapala.

Central Library: J. Cannell

• NYS Proposed Cuts – Central Library has agreed to budget for the full $140,000.
• Bills for databases have already been paid through December 31st
• Money will be taken away from next year if the budget decreases. UHLS will need to pay the difference or some databases will need to be discontinued.

Nuts & Bolts:
GUIL: Has been awarded the DEMCO Grant through PLA – one library in the country receives this. It is for a cooperative with the library, the middle school, and the high school. Also there was discussion regarding protesters handing out leaflets at the library. Phil reminded everyone to have this topic covered in their library usage policy, as you would for any behavior rules. State as No Solicitation.
EGRN: A trustee on the Board is a lawyer and has been asked by NYLA to attend the ALA Training Institute to discuss library First Amendment issues.

Old Business:
None

New Business:
None

Motion: (Cannell, Zapala) Meeting adjourned 11:10 am. Next meeting April 4, 2003 at UHLS.