Thursday, October 21, 2004
NMRLS, Danvers
Slate of Candidates
Becky Herrmann thanked candidates for volunteering to run, the Executive Board voted unanimously to accept the slate as follows to be voted upon at the November 17, 2004 Annual Meeting.
Candidates for Two-year Terms
| Name | Library | Term Ends |
| Donna Beales | Lowell General Hospital | 2006 |
| Jeffrey Klapes | Lucius Beebe Memorial Library | 2006 |
| Thomas Standring | Lay Representative | 2006* |
| Giselle Stevens | Shore Country Day School, Beverly | 2006 |
| *Re-election | | |
Officer for Three-year Term
| Name/Library | Title | Term Ends |
Nancy George
Salem State College, Salem | VP/President elect 2004
President 2005
Past President 2006 | 2007 |
FY2004 Annual Report
Greg reviewed the final FY2004 Annual Report including the newly added financial report. The document is comprised of reports submitted by committee chairs and staff and includes additional information about services that has not been provided in previous annual reports. The Annual Report was approved for distribution to the membership which will take place in preparation for the November 17th Annual Meeting.
Auditor's FY2004 Financial Report
Greg Pronevitz explained that the annual audit is standard for not-for-profit organizations. Our auditor generates two reports - the standard Financial Report and the Special-Purpose Report that goes to the MBLC. There were no specific issues raised as a result of the audit this year and the Board accepted it.
Personnel Committee Recommendations
The Personnel Committee met prior to the NMRLS Executive Board meeting. Bonnie Strong, Committee Chair, provided an overview of the Personnel Committee's recommendations and asked them to consider a recommendation to revise the job description for the Operations Coordinator to recognize additional responsibilities taken on after the August 2004 reduction in force and staff reorganization. The Board voted unanimously to accept the recommendation.
Discussion Items
ILL Committee Recommendation
Marnie Oakes, ILL Committee Chair, presented ideas regarding the future of the ILL Committee. She suggested that the Committee be disbanded as it has been difficult getting people together, there is little business, and the committee has just three members. She proposed some alternatives to the ILL Committee:
- Host two gatherings per year to get feedback from any member who wishes to attend.
- Appoint Ad Hoc committees to advise in the procurement of delivery service and ILL center services when necessary.
- Have staff prepare the resource sharing reports directly to the membership.
A discussion ensued about the original role of the Committee and about the impact of disbanding the Committee. The Board reached consensus that the Committee should be eliminated but that it could be reformed if the need arises. (Please see related story: ILL Committee Dissolved)
Regional Reference Center Standards, 2006-2008
Greg Pronevitz provided a brief overview of the new standards for regional reference centers, e.g., Memorial Hall Library, which were approved at the October 7th Monthly Meeting of the Board of Library Commissioners. (For further information see: mblc.state.ma.us/mblc/regional/services/reference/standards/))
Annual Meeting Update
Susan Grabski reminded the Board that the 8th Annual Members Meeting would be held on the 17th of November at the Cascia Hall, Merrimack College, North Andover. Invitations would be going to all members later in the week. Our keynote speaker at the annual meeting this year is Jane Brox. Her essays have appeared in The Georgia Review and other journals and magazines, and have been selected for inclusion in many anthologies, including Best American Essays, The Norton Book of Nature Writing, and the Pushcart Prize Anthology.
Strategic Planning Update
Greg informed the group that NMRLS had contracted with Alan Brickman to facilitate the process. NMRLS is hosting the first of 4 Planning Committee meetings on October 27, 2004. Over the coming months the Committee will be gathering information from the membership via survey, focus group, and interviews as well as preparing an "environmental scan" of the region. Please see related story: Strategic Planning)
NMRLS Website Redesign Project
Susan Grabski explained that we have had some difficulty gathering people who have time to provide input into the redesign of the NMRLS website. Some people have expressed an interest in helping; however, due to time constraints, are unable to participate. Consequently, NMRLS would like to handle the initial design and structure of the site in-house and then send it out to a representative audience for review and testing. The Board would like NMRLS to seek out those individuals who handle their library's website and ask that they participate.
Special and Academic Library Membership Criteria
Greg explained, while NMRLS has a process for recertifying its school library media center members, it has no specific process for certifying its special or academic library members. After our Annual Meeting in November, NMRLS will poll its academic and special library members by using a form based on the one used to survey school last fall.
Membership Update: Susan Grabski informed the group that NMRLS Membership stands at 312 (13 Academic, 53 Public, 205 School, and 41 Special).
Upcoming Meetings: Susan Grabski discussed the upcoming schedule of meetings. The proposed 2004-2005 calendar is as follows:
| Wednesday, November 17, 2004 | 8th Annual Council of Members Meeting
Merrimack College(Cascia Hall) | 11:30 AM - 3:30 PM |
| Thursday, December 16, 2004 | NMRLS, Danvers | 2:30 - 4:30 PM |
| Thursday, January 20, 2005 | Peabody Institute Library, Danvers | 2:30 - 4:30 PM |
| Thursday, February 17, 2005 | Location TBA | 2:30 - 4:30 PM |
| Thursday, March 17, 2005 | Location TBA | 2:30 - 4:30 PM |
| Thursday, April 21, 2005 | Peabody Institute Library, Danvers | 2:30 - 4:30 PM |
| Thursday, May 19, 2005 | Location TBA | 2:30 - 4:30 PM |
| Thursday, June 16, 2005 | Location TBA | 2:30 - 4:30 PM |
