Members Absent: Hilda Wiens

Staff Present: Jo Ellen Misakian

Others Present: Cathie Helmick, LoC Representative, via conference phone; Mary Ellen Tyckoson, SJVLS; Patrick Newall, CSUF; George Pilling, Visalia Unified School District.

The meeting was called to order by Anne Bernardo, Chair at 2:30 P.M. at which time it was determined that a quorum was present. Bernardo welcomed the returning and new members to the Board. Introductions were made.

1. Carry-over funding. Misakian will present to the Board at the May meeting, a detailed analysis of the measures needed to provide operating expense money for the interim period between the end of the fiscal year and when the money arrives from the state for the new fiscal year. This is to include, but not limited to, funding for InFoPeople workshops, wireless bridge, office rental, prepayment of some services, and staff salary. Tyckoson stated that the wireless bridge may cost less than anticipated. It may be in the neighborhood of $2,000. Helmick brought up the possibility of the funds allocated to the regions being carried-over to the next fiscal year. She will get a ruling on this for the Board.

2. Z39.50 software: Tyckoson will develop and post on the website a technology survey to determine member needs to accept the software onto their servers. She will also report back in May the price to mount the software on the individual library servers.

3. InFoPeople Workshops: Misakian reported on the results of the web survey of members for contracting workshops. The two winners were: Getting the Most from Microsoft Excel and Ready Reference on the Internet. The first workshop(s) will be scheduled for the summer. Faller reported COS has a computer lab of 26; Pilling indicated that Visalia Unified has 24, and Tyckoson stated that Fresno County Free Library has 20. Tyckoson will verify the fee for Heartland to contract an IFP workshop and whether registration fees apply. SJVLS is also looking to schedule FirstSearch training for members with an OCLC trainer. It is the intent to schedule FirstSearch training at opposite ends of the region.

   The Emergency Preparedness workshop, scheduled for May 15, hosted by the Fresno County Free Library was discussed. It was moved by VanderWerff and seconded by Anthony to expend up to $875 from the training budget to pay for member and participating library personnel to attend this workshop. Motion carried. If space allows, librarians from other than member libraries could attend but must pay the registration fee. Tyckoson will check with John Kallenberg to determine to what extent HRLN should be involved in preparation for the workshop. This includes publicizing the event.

4. New member applications: It was moved, seconded and passed to accept the following new member and participating libraries into the HRLN (VanderWerff/Crossfield):
   1. Central Unified, 1 member + 5 participating libraries

   2. Training Opportunities
      VanderWerff reported on the progress of the Library Technical Assistant online coursed being planned at Cerro Coso Community College. The plan is to have the program approved this spring and begin offering the courses in the fall of 2002. Bernardo relayed information from Jay Cunningham, California State Library LSTA administrator that indicated that we may apply for a LSTA grant in November 2002. He seemed favorable to the program and suggested a meeting with HRLN representatives and Kathy Low at the State Library.

      VanderWerff suggested that if successful, this program could be offered statewide, being a unique service the HRLN could offer much the same as the 24/7 reference service being offered by Arroyo Seco network.

1. Chair/President / Anne Bernardo
   Bernardo explained the purpose of the Board binders that were assembled and distributed to the Board. She stated her pleasure at working with this Board and asked members to notify her with any comments and/or concerns.

2. Staff / Jo Ellen Misakian
   Misakian offered her compliments and thanks to the SJVLS staff: Mary Ellen Tyckoson, Mike Drake, and Chad McCully, for their outstanding expertise and congenial attitude to help the HRLN. The website is exceptional, not only esthetically pleasing, but is also extremely functional McCully’s response to requests for posting and changing information is immediate.

   Doug Berg is preparing a document to submit to the IRS that will allow us to obtain a "Letter of Intent" needed by the state’s attorney general’s office to verify our federal income tax exemption. While waiting for this submission, Berg has filed extensions.

   Misakian and Berg will meet soon after April 15 to discuss if we should curtail some of his accounting services. Bernardo recommended a quarterly instead of a monthly report be prepared by Berg. Misakian will bring to the Board the recommendations coming out of the meeting with Berg.

   The wireless bridge should be in by the end of the month. This will eliminate the use of the business telephone line for which we pay a per-minute charge.

   Many administrative services and materials will be paid or prepaid before the end of the fiscal year.

3. State Library / Cathie Helmick
   Helmick, reporting from the state library, seconded the compliments to the SJVLS staff and also noted the attractiveness and usefulness of the website. She reviewed the status of the 24/7 project, www.247ref.org. She shared a letter from Paul Smith, legal counsel for the state library that clarifies the LoC Act as it pertains to membership. No eligible library may be denied membership in the LoC and all must have available to them the same services, unrestricted.

   The Regional Contacts meeting is scheduled in Sacramento on May 1. The focus will be on transition. It is the intent of the LoC Board that the process begin on transitioning the merging of CLSA and LoC services and funding and that it be done in a logical manner. She encourages those attending the meeting to solicit suggestions/ideas from the field to bring to the meeting.

4. SJVLS / Mary Ellen Tyckoson
   Along with the InFoPeople workshops, SJVLS will be offering two new member orientations and are looking into OCLC FirstSearch training in May. Mike Drake is setting these up and plans to offer orientation in the south and north areas of the region.

   Virtual catalog problems have almost all been addressed and solved. RSS servers were updated and operational last week. The new webserver allows for a limited number of listservs to be mounted. Explorations have begun on providing a listserv for the HRLN. The RSS server also allows for Webcasts, which will make training and information sharing available through this medium. The Resource Sharing Taskforce will be meeting on April 30.

1. Judy Brown reminded the Board of a request from Sharon Borbon at the Council meeting to ask for a report from SJVLS on service usage by HRLN members. Mary Ellen will prepare a quarterly report for the Board, beginning with the May meeting.

1. George Pilling stated his assumption of the difficulty of locating a school library user to sit on the board. The time involved and low interest level may prove to be a deterrent.

1. Doug Berg’s financial reporting suggestions

2. Budget issues/encumbering funds

3. Technology/Z39.50 needs survey

4. InFoPeople Workshop Offerings

5. Orientation/FirstSearch Workshops

6. Professional contracts

7. Staff contracts (closed session)

8. Report from the Resource Sharing Taskforce