NORTH CAROLINA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

Friday, July 19, 2002

Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, N.C.

Attending: Ross Holt, Pauletta Brown Bracy, Martha Davis, Diane Kester, Robert Canida, Vanessa Work Ramseur, Robert James, Irene Laube, Sandy Cooper, Peggy Quinn, Dale Cousins, Peggy Hoon, Sherwin Rice, Evelyn Council, Carol Laing, Elizabeth Laney, Sheila Little, Jerry Thrasher, Patrick Valentine, Al Jones, Terry Brandsma, Jan Blodgett, Joline Ezzell, Jennie Hunt, Robert Burgin, Paula Hinton, Sue Williams, Mark Pumphrey, John Via, Beverley Gass, Caroline Walters

(Full reports from the President, Treasurer, Leadership Institute, Community and Junior College Libraries Section, Documents Section, Library Administration and Management Section, Public Library Section, Reference and Adult Services Section, Round Table on the Status of Women in Librarianship, Technology and Trends Round Table, Commission on the Future of Libraries and the Book, Development/Endowment Committee, Governmental Relations Committee, Intellectual Freedom Committee, Literacy Committee, Membership Report, Operations Committee, Scholarships Committee can be accessed from http://www.nclaonline.org/ExBd/meetings/agenda/mtg020719 .)

Call to Order and Welcome: President Ross Holt called the meeting to order at 10:15 a.m. Evelyn Council and Director Bobby Wynn welcomed the NCLA Executive Board to the Fayetteville State University Library and encouraged board members to visit the rest of the library.

Minutes, April 19, 2002 Meeting: With three corrections noted, the minutes of the April 19 NCLA Executive Board Meeting were approved.

President’s Report:

President Ross Holt asked Irene Laube to introduce the new NCLA Administrative Assistant Caroline Walters. Ross welcomed Caroline, and thanked Cathy Rocco for the work she did as interim Administrative Assistant. Caroline will be available in the NCLA office between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Ross also encouraged Board members to look at the new NCLA website (http://www.nclaonline.org) that Bao Chu Chang has just made available. It features the same photographs as those on the NCLA display.

President Holt explained that in May, the State Library proposed a partnership with NCLA to lobby for NC LIVE and for state aid to public libraries because a large portion of state aid to public libraries was cancelled for May and June. The NCLA Executive Committee made the decision to contribute $5,000 to the effort, while the State Library contributed $5,000. Regular reports of work done by Capital Strategies, the lobbying group, are being submitted to Ross. The NCLA Public Library Section contributed $500 towards the $5,000. At this time, NC LIVE seems to be out of danger, but state aid to public libraries is still in jeopardy.

As decided on April 19, Ross Holt has appointed members to a Fundraising Liaison Committee who will coordinate the solicitation of corporate contributions for all NCLA needs. Diane Kester (Treasurer) will serve as chairperson of this committee. Other members are Elizabeth Laney (Development Committee), Sue Darden Williams (Scholarship Committee), Tim Daniels (Leadership Institute Committee), and a member of Conference Exhibits yet to be appointed. Any other NCLA group that plans to seek outside funding should delegate a representative to this committee.

To assist the Fundraising Liaison Committee, Ross has appointed a Vendor Liaison Council to advise and assist any NCLA group that might benefit from vendor input. Members so far are Chris Egan of UNC Press, Craig Flansburg of Gale, Scott McCausland of epixtech, Merrill Smith of EBSCO, and Anne Waters of John F. Blair. Members of this Council will be available when needed.

Treasurer’s Report:

Treasurer Diane Kester reviewed current NCLA assets. The settlement from the bonding company, 100% return on taxes from the state, and membership renewals are restoring the NCLA budget to a healthy state.

Old Business

Archives:

In the absence of chair Jean Rick, Ross Holt reported that the Archives Committee has written a policy for the requested changes in the retention schedule and has more specifically defined what pages of the NCLA website are to be archived. The old NCLA website on Mindspring was saved to CD and archived before it was taken down to make way for the new website.

Commission on Charter/Home Schools:

Vice-President Pauletta Brown Bracy reviewed the findings of a survey of the 100 charter schools as to the existence of library media centers, certified media coordinators, collections, library instruction. Public libraries were also surveyed as to services to charter school students and surrounding issues. Discussion ensued about what library professionals expect from charter schools and what can be done to assist them in developing school media programs. Using the survey and discussion, the members of the Commission on Charter/Home Schools will write a position statement(s) directed to the following audiences to raise awareness of the issues and problems: 1) NC Legislature, 2)

the charter schools, 3) to NC library professionals. The statement will be presented at the October 18 Board Meeting.

Finance Committee:

Acting on the proposal made by this committee at the April 19 Board Meeting, Patrick Valentine made a motion that NCLA committees submit budgets to the Finance Committee beginning with the 2003-05 biennium so that NCLA finances can be better managed. Paula Hinton seconded the motion. With a friendly amendment to include NCLA commissions, the motion passed without opposition.

Governmental Relations:

Chair Peggy Hoon reported that six (6) NCLA members attended ALA’s National Library Legislative Day. They visited thirteen (13) of the fourteen (14) congressional offices with a messages focusing on funding, LSTA, protection of fair use, and access to government information. The delegates also hosted a luncheon in the Rayburn Office Building for representatives, senators, and their staff.

Ross Holt read the recent lobbying agreement between the State Library, NCLA, and Capital Strategies. Capital Strategies has been reporting its activities on behalf of this effort on a regular basis. Even though the focus was on public library funding as well as NC LIVE, Ross felt that this was a good opportunity to raise some political awareness so that NCLA can lobby support for other issues later.

Jerry Thrasher presented a proposal outlining reasons for making a lobbyist a fundamental part of NCLA. He urged that the NCLA Board consider a motion to approve the concept of hiring a NCLA lobbyist for the association, and that an ad hoc committee or task force be established to explore and make recommendations to the NCLA Board on how best to accomplish this task. Patrick Valentine made a motion to establish a task force to explore issues of hiring a paid NCLA lobbyist to lobby for library interests in the state. The motion, seconded by Joline Ezzell, passed without opposition. Members of this task force are to be Peggy Hoon (Chair), Robert James, Sandy Cooper, Beverley Gass, Jerry Thrasher, a person from the Finance Committee, and possibly an official representative from NCPLDA.

Intellectual Freedom Committee:

Relative to a request at the last Board meeting that NCLA make a contribution to ALA to help fund legal action against the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), a check for $1,000 was issued to ALA prior to their July 1 deadline.

Chair Michael Sawyer reported on the court ruling on CIPA, repercussions from the USA Patriot Act, and one challenge which occurred at Henderson County Public Library.

Leadership Institute:

Chair Robert James reported that contributions from the private sector for the Leadership Institute are not going as well as hoped due to the economy. To date, DEMCO, has contributed $500 and LexisNexis has contributed $100. Additionally, seven (7) NCLA sections and round tables have contributed $3,100 to the effort. Robert has asked Catherine Wilkinson if the Leadership Institute can apply for a program grant.

Robert shared preliminary results of the Institute Committee’s survey of past Institute participants to determine: 1) the impact of attendance on participants’ NCLA involvement, 2) increased responsibility in their library, and 3) confidence in leadership skills. The response has been very positive.

Marketing and Publications:

This committee will have new logo designs for the NCLA Executive Board to review at the October meeting.

State Library Report:

State Librarian Sandy Cooper used several handouts to explain the Library Services Technology Act (LSTA) and how it is administered in North Carolina, to list the numerous grants and projects that have been funded in North Carolina in 2002-2003, to review the 2002-2003 Statewide Leadership Project Plan- “Libraries: The Very Best Place to Start”, and to describe the relationship between NCLA and the State Library. She said that NCLA has assisted the State Library to move quickly to expend monies to get projects completed. The NCLA Office has assisted with Stakeholder Planning, NC Libraries Building Communities Project, Hispanic Services Project, Planning Project for Powerful Partners, The Very Best Place to Start, and several others. NCLA has recently partnered with the State Library to hire Capital Strategies to lobby for NC LIVE and restoration of state aid to public libraries.

Section/Round Table Reports

Children’s Services Section:

Vice-Chair Carol Laing said that the Children’s Services Section plans a Fall retreat.

College and University Libraries Section:

No report.

Community and Junior College Libraries Section:

Chair Peggy Quinn reported that this section and the North Carolina Preservation Consortium (NCPC) are sponsoring a workshop named “Library Disaster Planning” on Friday, August 9 at Craven Community College in New Bern. CJCLS donated $250 towards a registration for the Leadership Institute, and continues to work on revitalization of this section.

Documents Section:

Chair Paula Hinton reported that Eileen G. Brown from the William Madison Randall Library, UNC-Wilmington will serve the remainder of this biennium as Documents Section Vice-Chair.

Library Administration and Management Section:

Dale Cousins shared that this section has discussed preliminary plans for a series of off-conference year workshops/forums on topics such as public relations and customer service during “tight” budget times.

North Carolina Association of School Librarians:

Chair Al Jones expressed the hope that Diane Kester will serve as Vice-Chair of this section. He and Diane attended the AASL Affiliate Assembly along with Karen Gavigan and Rusty Taylor representing the North Carolina Media Association. NCLA has to retain twenty-five (25) AASL members or 10% of membership in order to send delegates to the Affiliate Assembly.

North Carolina Public Library Trustee Association:

No report.

Public Library Section:

Chair Patrick Valentine reported that the Public Library Section Planning Board has voted to pay travel expenses for State Library employees to attend PLS meetings and programs they are invited to attend. The Board also voted to contribute $500 to the library lobbying effort this summer and $600 towards a registration for the Leadership Institute. Amy English, Randolph County Public Library is the new PLS webmaster.

Reference and Adult Services Section:

Chair Joline Ezzell reported that this section plans a program in Spring, 2003 possibly on managing the online reference interview. RASS has designed a new brochure for the section, which is being printed. It will be mailed to former section members, and distributed at section activities and NCLA biennial conferences. RASS will co-sponsor a fall workshop on “Spread the Word: Exhibits and Outreach” with the Round Table on Special Collections.

Resources and Technical Services Section:

Chair Evelyn Council reported that this section plans a conference call meeting to further discuss workshops to be held during the biennium.

New Members Round Table:

Chair Jennie Hunt described plans for a “big adventure” visit to interesting library collections in the Raleigh area. The trip is planned for October 11 or 18 and registration will be very affordable.

North Carolina Library Paraprofessional Association:

Sheila Little, representing this section in Chair Linda Hearn’s absence, said that this section will sponsor a workshop on October 7.

Round Table for Ethnic Minority Concerns:

No report.

Round Table on Special Collections:

Chair Jan Blodgett reported that this section is co-sponsoring a Fall workshop with the Reference and Adult Services Section.

Round Table on Status of Women in Librarianship:

Board members of this section are working on plans for an upcoming workshop, “Effective Presentations to 1 or 1,000”, to be presented by Dr. Arabelle Fedora in Winston Salem on September 27.

Technology and Trends Round Table:

Chair Terry Brandsma reported that plans for a full-day workshop/mini-conference on uses of technology and creative problem solving using technology are pending location of a facility with available dates.

Committee Reports

Annual Conference Study:

Chair John Via shared a preliminary report outlining the advantages and reservations of having annual conferences and Ross Holt opened the floor to discussion. Comments included: 1) ALA is in favor of annual state conferences. 2) Two big issues are whether or not the vendors would support annual conferences and if an annual conference is really better than the “off-year” workshops and programs presented by the sections and round tables. 3) The move to annual conference would precipitate a number of organizational changes such as the two-year term of office and responsibility of the Vice-President to plan an annual conference. 4) Small annual conferences might offer more choice for location. 5) Staff members can attend the “off-year” workshops but could not be spared to attend a three-day conference.

Suggestions for further research by this committee were: 1) Project a model for an annual conference. 2) Talk to several state library organizations which have annual conferences. 3) Draft possible by-law changes with the assistance of the Constitution, Codes, and Handbook Committee.

Conference Committee:

Vice-President and Chair Pauletta Brown Bracy said that NCLA currently needs to find a location and sign a contract for the 2005 conference. Pauletta made a motion that the NCLA Executive Board select Winston Salem for the 2005 conference. Vanessa Work Ramseur seconded the motion which passed without opposition.

Commission on the Future of Libraries and the Book:

Chair Robert Burgin reported that the Commission held its first meeting on July 15 to review its charge and decide on options for the product of its work. The decision was made to gather information from a literature review and from input from three audiences statewide- librarians, the public, and funders and power brokers. The results of the current literature research will be discussed at the next meeting of this commission.

Constitution, Codes and Handbook Revision:

No report.

Continuing Education:

No report.

Development:

Chair Elizabeth Laney said that this committee is open to suggestions for implementing the increase of the Endowment Fund. The Fund currently has 65 donors and a total of $21,202.23. The goal is to have a total of $100,000 in the Fund in 2004, the NCLA centennial year.

Literacy:

Chair Mark Pumphrey reported that this committee has been planning for its October 4 workshop titled “Libraries, Literacy and English as a Second Language” to be held at the Glenwood Branch of the Greensboro Public Library.

Membership:

Robert Canida has recently received corrections to the new membership brochure now being developed. Commendations go to Teresa Wehrli who is doing the new membership brochure while on maternity leave.

Nominating:

Chair Beverley Gass will consult with Ross Holt on selection of members for the Nominating Committee.

Operations:

Chair Irene Laube reported that a new Dell Inspiron laptop has been purchased for the NCLA Office. The existing leased Dell laptop was purchased for the use of the NCLA treasurer. A laser printer may be purchased later. Since Cathy Rocco decided to leave by the end of June, the position of NCLA Administrative Assistant was advertised with 100 inquires made by potential candidates and 20 applications received. Four candidates were interviewed on June 28, resulting in the hiring of Caroline Walters as the new Administrative Assistant. Network cable is being run to the NCLA Office today to provide a faster network connection.

Scholarships:

Chair Sue Williams reported that there were only four complete applications for scholarships this year and that no one applied for the McLendon Student Loan. Pending the final verification of candidates’ enrollment in a graduate library school program, a person has been selected to receive the Appalachian Scholarship for $1000 and one to receive the NCLA Memorial Scholarship for $750.

Other Reports

ALA Councilor:

Councilor Vanessa Work Ramseur presented a report outlining the major actions of the ALA Council at the 2002 Annual Conference in Atlanta, June 13-19. The report includes 9 important ALA websites and dates for various 2002-2004 ALA and ALA section conferences.

SELA:

John Via, NCLA representative to SELA, reminded the Board of the SELA Conference in Charleston on October 23-25, 2002. There will be a pre-conference presented by the African American Issues Round Table, and John plans to do a program on new library buildings in the southeast.

New Business

North Carolina Libraries:

Editor Al Jones reported that the first electronic issue of NC Libraries is the Spring/Summer 2002 issue with the second issue to be out in the Fall. The journal is now free and linked to the NCLA website. Al asked the Executive Board to think about how the “who” and the “how” of placing advertisements into the cumulative edition of the journal. Ross Holt can appoint a sub-committee under Marketing and Publications to address these issues.

Announcements/Other Business

Fifty-one dollars ($51) was collected at the NCLA Executive Board Meeting for the Endowment Fund.

Bob Martin was suggested as a speaker for the NCLA Centennial Conference as he did his dissertation on Louis Round Wilson, the founder of NCLA.

The next NCLA Executive Board meeting will be held at Davidson College on October 18, 2002.

The meeting adjourned at 3:07 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Martha Davis, Secretary

Approved by the NCLA Executive Board, October 18. 2002