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Home > About MSL > Library Commission > Minutes Nov. 1, 2006

Maine Library Commission Minutes, November 1, 2006

The Maine Library Commission met at the Maine State Library on Wednesday, November 1, 2006 at 1:10 p.m.

Members present:  Karl Aromaa, Gretchen Asam (ATM), Charles Campo, Suzanne Finn, Inese Gruber, Barbara Harness, Moorehead Kennedy, Barbara McDade, Elizabeth Moran, Steve Nichols, James Ritter, Joyce Rumery.

Members absent:  Elaine Albright, Glenna Nowell, Steve Podgajny.

Also in attendance:  Karl Beiser, David Cheever,  Dean Corner, Benita Davis, Matt Dunlap, Bonnie Dwyer, Shirley Helfrich, Linda Lord, Gary Nichols, David Nutty.

  1. Maine State Cultural Building Task Force ( Matt Dunlap)
    • The Task Force is drafting a report to be presented to the Legislature in January 2007.  There will be six options to be reported but there will be a preferred option recommended by the Task Force.
      • 1st Option – Do nothing.
      • 2nd Option – Renovate the Cultural Building, with the costs, benefits and downsides of doing so.  Estimated costs = $40-60 million, including moving and storage costs.
      • 3rd Option – Much like the Harriman Report of 2001 which recommended a sizable expansion.  Estimated costs = $150 million, including moving and storage costs.
      • 4th Option – Tear down and complete reconstruction of the Cultural Building.  Most expensive option ($250 million).  There would be no Library, Museum or Archives for approximately 5 years.
      • 5th Option – Relocate the Transportation Department, Capitol Street, and build a new 360,000 sq.ft. cultural facility that would include an auditorium, military museum, rotating cultural exhibits, visitor center and ample parking.  The current Cultural Building would be converted for use by the Maine Supreme Court.  Estimated cost = $15-195 million.
      • 6th Option – Build a large, terrace parking space at the DOT site and build a new Cultural Building in Parking Lot F.  Estimated cost = $150-195 million, including moving DOT, Retirement, and Maine Credit Union operations
    • The Task Force will recommend implementing the report in phases because of the scale of the costs involved.
  2. Approval of Minutes of September 13, 2006.  Moved by Finn; Second by Harness.  Approved unanimously.
  3. Announcements (Dean)
    • The Maine State Library will be closed to the public from Wednesday, November 8 through Monday, November 13 for carpet installation.  The Library will reopen at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, November 14.
  4. Library Legislation (Dean)
    • The Joint Library Legislative Committee has drafted a bill to “Provide Essential Library Resources to All Maine Communities.”  There are five elements in this legislative package costing $2.5 million.
    • 1st – Funding to improve the collections of libraries sharing resources statewide.
    • 2nd – Funding to support the statewide delivery of library resources between libraries that agree to share their resources.
    • 3rd – Expand access to information through the statewide licensing of online data bases, electronic books, and research data.
    • 4th – Digital preservation of unique state and local of historical significance.
    • 5th – Funding support of Area Reference and Resource Centers that provide regional reference and loan services.
    • There is also a separate Cultural Affairs Council bond request for $3 million to support the New Century Grants for construction and renovation.
  5. Maine InfoNet Board ( David Nutty)
    • The newly constituted Maine InfoNet Board includes a representative from each of the major stakeholders in InfoNet.
    • A strategic planning day was held recently that identified three focus areas.
      • 1st – Programs
        1. Universal access through a federated searching solution which would search all Maine’s library catalogs, MARVEL.
        2. Physical delivery system including the electronic delivery of materials through digital technology.
        3. Universal patron card.  The Maine InfoNet Board is discussing pilot projects and the Joint Library Legislation Committee is discussing ways to address reciprocal borrowing.
        4. Expanded access to content by adding to the MARVEL databases; making local electronic databases available statewide.
        5. Production of local digital content.
      • 2nd – Marketing
        1. Branding Maine InfoNet for marketing identification.
        2. Energizing the library community by providing professional staff development.  A fully staffed Maine InfoNet will also include an R&D capability. 
      • 3rd - Funding
        • URSUS libraries are going to assess their user’s perspectives on services, resources, and the library as a physical space with an online evaluation survey, LIBQUAL.  MSL is also going to use this product in early 2007.
  6. New Century Grants (Linda)
    • Linda distributed a chart of the twenty-three libraries that requested grants.  Of these, twelve libraries were award grants totaling $350,000.  There was pointed discussion involving the rating factors used to score the applications, how the judging panel scored the applications and how the very small libraries could improve the quality of their applications to become more competitive.
    • On a motion by Moran, second by Finn, the Commission unanimously approved the distribution of the $350,000 grant funding to the twelve highest scoring libraries as designated by the judging panel.
  7. Maine Libraries Association Standards (Linda)
    • MLA is requesting a letter of endorsement of the standards from the Commission.
    • There was reservation expressed about the new standard requiring an MLS degree for a director of a library serving more than 10,000 people rather than more than 5,000.  Elizabeth Moran strongly felt that the standard should remain as it was in the 2000 edition of the standards – an MLS degree is required for libraries serving 5,000 or more residents.
    • A vote of endorsement was postponed until a letter can be drafted by Elizabeth expressing the reservation.
  8. LSTA (Linda)
    • The Library Services and Technology Act is reauthorized every five years.  $1.3 million was received last year in the last year of the 5 year plan.  Maine, along with four other states, is developing a new five-year plan.
  9. Blaine House Conference
    • The planning committee for the Conference consists of: Shirley Helfrich, Barbara McDade, Steve Podgajny, and Joyce Rumery.
  10. MSLN Restructuring
    • The Public Utilities Commission has agreed to the MSL request to reduce the number of circuit riders to two from three and to use that savings to hire a project manager to  monitor and assist with e-rate applications.
  11. ConnectME (Gary)
    • The ConnectME Advisory Council, appointed by Governor Baldacci and including Gary Nichols, was established to advise the ConnectME Authority on decisions affecting the growth of high speed bandwidth connections in Maine.  Many communities in the state do not have high speed connections and rely on dial-up connections.  This body will also be surveying those areas in the state that do not have cell phone access or have poor access.
  12. Consultant’s Reports
    • SMLD – Annual report was distributed.  Upcoming annual meeting will focus on technology developments.
    • CMLD – The CMLD Board identified three focus items for the coming year:  public awareness of libraries and resources, especially MARVEL; education and training of librarians; communication and cooperation among libraries.
    • NMLD – Upcoming fall meeting topics include:  disaster planning, communication and listening skills and genealogy.
  13. Other Business
    1. There is a request from a special library, the Humboldt Field Research Institute in Steuben, to be included as a member of MSLN.  It will also become a member of SOLAR, according to Karl Beiser. Moved by Kennedy and seconded by Campo, the request was approved unanimously.
    2. Some of the staff at MSL will be working with the Maine business publication, MaineBiz, to promote the business and news databases of MARVEL to readers of that publication.  In return for free 1/8 page ads, MSL will mention MaineBiz in select ways and offer copies at large workshops and meetings.
    3. Maine Serials List is up and running, replacing the Maine Union List of Serials.  Maine libraries’ holdings of serials and periodicals can be found at:  http://libraries.maine.edu/maineserials/default.aspx

Next meeting will be at the State Library on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 at 1 p.m.  Move to adjourn by Finn, second by Nichols at 3:44 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Dean Corner