Executive Committee Meeting
Action Items
March 8, 2006 WSU-Vancouver
March 9, 2006 Concordia University

Joint meeting with Steering Teams
Student Services Building (VSSB) 129

• Discuss annual reports (CDMC, ERC, SBC, & SCC) and related charges
• Review various committee communication techniques (e.g., face-to-face meetings, conference calls, representatives, email, surveys, blog)

Application site visit:
Concordia University
Northwest Center for Children's Literature
Library
Hagen Campus Center | map

Brent Mai, University Librarian
Dr. Mark Wahlers, Provost
Dr. Lisa Keyne, Assoc. Provost
Judy Anderson, Head of Reference & Instruction
Benjamin Nickodemus, Circulation Manager

Brief topics

Helmer provided an update and/or sought advice on several topics:

• EC Meeting: the June EC meeting has been rescheduled for May 25-26. Bilyeu may join the meeting by phone.
• Clark College: EC members expressed concern with the lengthy absence of Clark College from Council meetings. Helmer will contact the interim director.
• Executive Committee elections: Lee Lyttle is Chair-elect; member-at-large elections are in process.
• January 12-13 Council minutes: in response to a Council member's request, EC approved adding two bullets under item 12, Membership Criteria:
  • "EC practice has been to report findings rather than make recommendations about applications."
  • "Although current written criteria do not require the applicant to have a III system, Council's 2004 retreat yielded a decision not to pursue the inclusion of non-III systems in the near term."
• Personnel update: Susie Scroggins has been hired for the Admin Assistant position and will start on March 13.
• Membership contacts: Chemeketa Community College, Trinity Lutheran College
• Potential Courier projects
  • LSTA grant suggestion from OSL: EC agrees that this grant suggestion (temporary LSTA subsidies to expand courier coverage in Oregon), while potentially worthwhile, does not fit the Alliance mission and we have many other competing projects. ACTION: Helmer will respond to OSL.
  • Courier Symposium in Colorado: Helmer will continue to help plan the content of this meeting.
• Updates
  • Northwest Digital Archives (NWDA) sustainability discussion
  • NW Dir Symposium (Fischer, chair)
  • Joint Task Force on Digital Assets Initiative (Kelley, chair)
  • Leadership institute (Butcher, chair

Membership

1.1 Concordia University
ACTION: Helmer will revise membership application form to include a row for budget totals.

Regional Library Services Center

2.1 Site selection recommendation
EC reviewed the RLSC site selection vote process.

Background:

MOTION: Kopp moved that Council vote no later than April 14, 2006 (second day of the retreat) on a site recommendation to be forwarded from the RLSC Leadership Group by March 1, 2006.
SECOND: Kaag
VOTE: Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation.

Council directed that voting occur as follows:

1. Council members receive background information and a site recommendation from the RLSC Leadership Group by March 1.
2. Council members are given one week to discuss the site recommendation via email.
3. Helmer polls Council about their ability and willingness to vote on the recommendation via Web poll.
4. If Council members express a willingness to vote via Web poll, then EC will direct Helmer to conduct a vote on the site recommendation. If Council members do not wish to vote in that manner, a discussion and the vote will be scheduled to occur during the April retreat.

-- Council Minutes, January 2006

2.2 Funding for construction feasibility study
DECISION: EC determined that the request for funding is reasonable and, if the recommendation is approved, will allocate funds as follows:

• up to $20,000 from FY06 "New Initiative" fund
• remaining amount (up to $10,000) from reserve funds.

Background:

"Executive Committee will consider an appropriate mechanism for determining what the 'new initiative' will be." -- Council Minutes, April 2005

Executive Director Evaluation
Executive session

FY07 Steering Team Appointments

SBC recommendation: Summit Borrowing performance and courier service
Discussion paper | Draft report and recommendation | Committee blog discussion | Final vote tally

EC reviewed SBC's recommendation and discussed the pros and cons of requiring each member to have at least one dropsite. In general, EC members do not agree with SBC's recommendation, and would prefer an approach that allows each member to determine how to meet service expectations. That said, EC members all felt that it is important to respect SBC's expertise and so were inclined to support the concept of a dropsite for every member. It was also noted that WWC has independently reached a decision to become a dropsite and discontinue courier service through Whitman.

EC discussed the merits of recommending

Current policy : "Designation as a courier dropsite or proximity to an established drop site."
or
SBC's recommended policy : Require "each member institution to have at least one courier dropsite."

Here EC members differed: some preferred the current policy statement and did not want to see it made more prescriptive, others felt that the current statement is inaccurate and that it would be better to unambiguously state expectations with the understanding that Council reserves the right to vary from or change membership criteria.

DECISION: EC members voted as follows:

• 2 members voted for "Designation as a courier dropsite or proximity to an established drop site."
• 5 members voted for "Each member is required to have at least one courier dropsite."

ACTION:
Helmer will conduct an electronic Council vote on EC's recommendation: "Each member is required to have at least one courier dropsite." EC's split vote will be noted when the vote is taken.
Helmer will convey Council's continuing strong interest in SBC's study of Summit Borrowing performance, including "just-in-time" processing, courier service, and other factors that impact speed and accuracy.

EC discussed the fact that committee representatives sometimes cast votes that do not reflect an institutional decision. Helmer noted that when policy issues are not fully discussed within member institutions, the resulting committee votes provide, at best, an incomplete picture. In short, although committee members are asked to serve as representatives of their institution, full communication within the member institution is sometimes lacking. To address this issue, EC asked that Council be given a courtesy notification when committee votes on policy are announced. This should help Council members know when to confer with their staff on key issues.

DECISION: Alliance staff will send Council a courtesy notification when committee votes on policy are announced. Such notification is not needed for steering team votes, specific er products, votes not related to policy, etc.

Background:

"EC was asked to examine Summit Borrowing service expectations and advise Council on the implications of a member accessing the courier system as a forwarding site. As part of its investigation, it is expected that EC will consult with the Summit Borrowing Committee and consortium staff about workflow, shipping accuracy, and performance implications for Summit Borrowing. While WWC may provide a useful test case, recommendations should be general in nature and apply to all members." -- Council Minutes, April 2005

"EC will ask Summit Borrowing Committee to consider the service and workflow implications of having members libraries served as forwarding sites as opposed to dropsites. SBC will be asked to report back for EC's March 9, 2006 meeting." -- Council Minutes, October 2005

"Voting on SBC recommendation. Barnes Whyte addressed the question of when and how to vote on the forthcoming Summit Borrowing Committee (SBC) recommendation concerning the pros and cons of members accessing the courier system as forwarding sites rather than dropsites. For background on this topic see September 2005 EC action items, number 7.4. EC suggests that they discuss SBC's recommendation at the March meeting and, if the issue seems relatively straightforward, conduct a Council vote via email. Council members approved this approach to voting on SBC's recommendation." -- Council Minutes, January 2006

Membership application: Concordia University
ACTION: Barnes Whyte will prepare a site visit summary report for Council consideration in July 2006.

Membership criteria

• Discuss draft of revised criteria (Kopp & Popko)
• Majority versus 2/3 voting
• Geographic criteria

DECISION: Consideration of this topic was postponed.

Background:

"Membership Criteria Discussion: ... Barnes Whyte noted EC's decision to use the occasion of the current application to analyze membership criteria and the application process. Council's discussion imparts more importance to this issue and EC will actively consider these issues." -- Council Minutes, October 2005

"Kopp and Popko will incorporate Council's input in the next draft and Executive Committee will discuss further. Council will consider membership criteria at the April retreat and can expect to see a draft for revision and adoption in July." -- Council Minutes, January 2006

Governance Discussion

EC discussed various aspects of governance, including

• Council meeting frequency
• Number of EC members
• Video conferencing
• Importance of keeping Executive Committee responsibilities up-to-date as the consortium evolves
• Huge Council meetings are ineffective
• The question is not how often Council meets but what Council does
• Some feel that conducting business is the core activity of Council, others see it primarily as a venue for meeting peers and professional development
• It would be useful to break out into topical discussion groups
• Should every Steering Team include a Council member?
• Do Council members want to be more involved in the consortium?

EC came to a preliminary conclusion that the Alliance should hire a consultant with expertise in the management of non-profits to analyze the organization and recommend a governance structure. Such a consultation could also include an analysis of consortium staffing. Governance may be raised as an issue at the retreat but EC believes that it would be better to have the retreat focus on strategic planning and future directions for consortium activities.

ACTION: EC feels that videoconferencing would not work well for Council but might start with EC and/or steering teams. Kelley will investigate the ability of EWU staff to plan an approach to using video conference technology for some meetings. Helmer will send Kelley the name of the UO's teleconference expert.

Background:

"Council expressed a continuing interest in investigating teleconferencing options, especially for the January meeting. ICCL and OUS libraries all have teleconferencing equipment available. For Executive Committee's next meeting (March 11), ICCL and OUS will report back on options. Aspects to consider include system compatibility, need for and availability of a bridge for connecting several sites, scheduling, appropriate regional groupings, costs, and technical support staffing during a teleconference." -- Council Minutes, January 2005

"Council members will forward the names of teleconference staff to Helmer. EC will discuss Council meeting format and teleconference options." -- Council Minutes, October 2005

Assessing the Electronic Resources Program

DECISION: EC voted unanimously to recommend continuance of the ER program and to thank Greg Doyle and Debi Baker for this outstanding program.

ACTION: EC's recommendation and Helmer's ER assessment memo will be forwarded to Council for consideration in July 2006.

Background:

"Recommendation 1: Electronic Resource Program Manager
I recommend that Council authorize creation of an Electronic Resource Program Manager position to work with current staff and assume many duties distributed among the chair and committee members. I further recommend that Council commit to funding for a two-year period after which the program will be evaluated and the position sustained, modified, or eliminated as appropriate...

Salary, benefits, equipment and travel funded one third each from Administrative fees, Membership fees, [and] Reserve. ... At the end of two years (fall 2005) the Electronic Resource Licensing Program would be evaluated and modifications made as appropriate. From year three on this program would be expected to be sustained through membership fees and administrative fees charged to non-members with no further reliance on reserve funds."

-- John F. Helmer. Electronic Resources Program Recommendation, April 2003.

"Motion (Burkholder). Approve a full-time Electronic Resources Program Manager for a two-year trial period as outlined in Helmer's report. Motion passed with one abstention." -- Council Minutes, April 2003.

"ER Program Assessment. EC proposes to assess the ER Program at their March meeting and forward a recommendation for Council's July meeting. Council members approved this plan of action." -- Council Minutes, January 2006

10.1. Budgeting without membership growth

DECISION: Consideration of this topic was postponed.

Background:

"In order to plan for the future, Executive Committee was asked to work with Helmer to create a conceptual budget based on no growth in membership." -- Council Minutes, April 2005

10.2. Policies governing the reserve

EC feels that the following types of reserve are needed:

• Contingency
• Operating
• Capital

For each, EC will define the following:

• Target amount
• Purpose
• Process for approving expenditures
• Process for replenishing

ACTION: Kelley will investigate further and report back to EC.

Background:

"Council asked Executive Committee to review and propose policies for the management of reserve funds. Topics of interest include the amount and purpose of system reserve, expenditure of general reserve, and distribution of funds should Council decide to discontinue the consortium or change its legal status." -- Council Minutes, January 2005

Council Retreat, April 13-14, 2006

ACTION:

• Helmer will
  • provide an update for Danielle Tiedt and request a brief bio
  • poll for a retreat planning group conference call
• Barnes Whyte will
  • provide an update for Lorcan Dempsey and request a brief bio
  • distribute readings to Council

Background:

Draft agenda

Confirmed guests:

• Joan K. Lippincott, Associate Executive Director, CNI
  • Lippincott, Joan. K. “Net Generation Students and Libraries.” Educating the Net Generation, ed. By Diana and James Oblinger. Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE, 2005.
  • Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources. Dublin, OH: OCLC, 2005.
  • Lenhart, Amanda and Mary Madden. Teen Content Creators and Consumers. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project, November, 2005.
  • The 2003 OCLC Environmental Scan: Pattern Recognition. Dublin, OH: OCLC, 2003.
• Lorcan Dempsey, Vice President and Chief Strategist, OCLC
  • The (Digital) Library Environment: Ten Years After
• Danielle Tiedt, General Manager, MSN Search Content and Acquisitions, Microsoft

Planning group:

• Susan Barnes Whyte
• Pat Kelley
• David Bilyeu
• Helen Spalding
• Joan Lippincott

Council Meeting Discussion Topic for July 13-14, 2006

DECISION: Barring a change in plans stemming from the retreat, Council topics for July will be Northwest Digital Archives and Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.

Reimbursement for lost Summit Borrowing items

DECISION: EC members will read Nancy Nathanson's background report and take up this topic at another meeting.

Background:

"EC will consider reimbursement options for items that are expensive to replace." -- Draft Council Minutes, October 2005

Accreditation template

DECISION: Based on feedback to Popko's email to Council, the following group will develop accreditation text for adaptation by members:

• Marita Kunkel (OIT), Chair
• Steve Hiller (UW)
• Berniece Owen (PCC)
• Gary Jensen (WOU)

Background:

Popko conveyed his suggestion distributed to Executive Committee via email on January 11, 2006:

"I propose that we prepare and offer to our members a standardized text that summarizes what the Alliance is, what resources we represent, what services we offer, and esp. how these resources and services complement a local library collection. It would be written specifically to fit the standards and language of the Northwest Commission. It would be so accurate, so thorough, and so compelling that each of us would simply cut-and-paste it into our self-study documents. If a library wanted to elaborate in some customized fashion it could still do so."

Council members enthusiastically approved of this idea and asked that Executive Committee draft a group to work on such a statement. -- Council Minutes, January 2006

UW & Cascadia Community College

ACTION: Helmer will contact Betsy Wilson for an update.

Background:

"Include Cascadia Community College for a two-year transition period and consider options by the end of that period ... CCC student FTE should be included in UW's FTE for the purpose of determining membership fees. Because this is a pre-existing arrangement in Cascade, it will be continued for now as the consortium mission, membership criteria, and policies evolve." -- Council Minutes, April 2003

Assessment of Interest Groups

"Interest Groups are evaluated by Council every three years and will be sustained, discontinued, or revised as needed." -- Interest Group section of Committee Structure