VLAC Minutes

Absent: Chela Kaplan, Joyce Bullock

Guests: Myk Garn, Donna Eustace

1. Approval of Minutes

The minutes of December 19, 2003 were approved as distributed on motion by Carol Diedrichs and seconded by Norma Northern.

2. Kathy Hamperian

Kathy Hamperian’s term has ended and Dennis Taulbee will be talking to PETAC (Postsecondary Education Technology Advisory Committee) regarding her replacement.

3. KYVU Update (Northern)

Due to the budget situation, a hiring freeze has been placed on the agency. With the departure of Gene Ranvier, our Chief Student Services Officer, and Dottie Stone, a Call Center Information Specialist, the Call Center has had to reduce their hours of operation. Their new hours will be from 8:00 – 6:00pm EST Monday – Friday.

The UCAN initiative is coming along. There are several projects they are working on:
-Software for tracking calls and linking with KHEAA Call Center and KYVU Call Center
-Piloting with Morehead State University
-Piloting with Jefferson Community College and Jefferson County Public Schools regarding dual enrollment
-Piloting with the adult education center in northern Kentucky

KYVU’s spring enrollment is now at 25,000.

1. KYVL Update (Wohlstein)

The KYVL recently purchased the ACT software for member management information. It is equipped with task lists and tracking system for phone calls, emails, etc.

Enid will be attending the KCTCS library director’s meeting in March. The VLUG meeting is scheduled for May 21st, with EBSCO and ProQuest conducting trainings in the afternoon.

Enid is Chair for the Kentucky SOLINET Users’ Group (KSUG) Recruitment Task Force and they are currently looking at how to recruit to the library profession. The taskforce is trying to address diversity in the profession, recruiting staff and paraprofessionals to pursue a Masters degree, and also recruit qualified staff for library work. Enid suggested that everyone use the listserv for a one-page explanation (photo included) on why they became librarians and convey the passion for the trade. Perhaps as recruitment tool or catalog showcasing librarians.

It was the general consensus that there are not enough online degrees or professional development opportunities for librarians.

2. Work Group Reports (Wohlstein):

ADA:
ADA met today. The group has a draft of an accessibility statement and a subgroup has been created to finalize the document. We can build on the statement at a later date but we have the critical elements listed in the document, including design standards like multiple cascading style sheets for various needs of people with disabilities. The Kids’ Portal is not compliant, and will most likely be the most difficult to convert. The Kids’ Portal is considered to be the most critical for our K-12 students and teachers.. Next meeting will be in approximately one month with communication via email in the interim.

Endeavor:
The group will meet next on 5 March. The workgroup is currently working on these projects:
1) Response Time Testing design--hope to have something to share at the next meeting.
2) Hub Support -- more specific information on what Hubs do to support the consortium.
3) Training budget -- what do we have left? Enid, Keith, Tari, Weiling and Linda from EISI are working on this.
4) Research on security certificates for the web opacs.

Government Information Access:
The group is meeting 2 March. The membership of the group has changed very little but we did recently add an AICKU representative. The meeting will be a meet and greet, as well as taking a look at the KYVL site and government information and links listed, as well as discussing other projects as they relate to repositories in the state.

Information Literacy:
Group met this week. A draft of a survey for KYVU instructors was created. A final draft will be in the works via email and with the assistance of UofL staff. Revisions to the current How to Do Research Tutorial will be made soon, based on the evaluations and feedback of the workgroup. The group spoke with a project manager from Embanet to discuss the process of converting the tutorial into the Angel CMS environment. Revisions to the tutorial must be completed first as well as notification of the CAO’s of the KYVU instructor survey. The group may go ahead with the Angel conversion prior to the survey but the sense is that the feedback would be useful to consider before going forth. The group discussed other projects and partnerships for future, including connecting with the Kentucky Library Association Library Instruction Roundtable [LIRT] and looking at the American Library Associations’s LIRT projects and information.

The group has also agreed to a virtual environment on the Angel CMS. The group will have a workspace within Angel to communicate, post documents, surveys, real-time chat, etc. By entering the Angel portal, we will be able to keep our work in one location and relieve our respective email servers from the burden of email attachments but also allow us to communicate and participate without being bound to a particular computer. Being able to login into Angel from any computer with an Internet connection will give us the option to stay in touch regardless of location. We may also use the chat feature for meetings when all workgroup members cannot be present [due to distance, weather, etc]. The group will also have an opportunity to become familiar with Angel prior to the conversion of the Tutorial into the Angel environment.

Lee Van Orsdel suggested a Guest ID for those that want to learn more about ANGEL.

Outreach:
The group met last week. Members of the group reported on their findings in reviewing public library websites in the state. Members had taken the KDLA regions and surveying the library sites, if any, in the counties listed in each region. The group was looking for:
1) web presence,
2) last revision,
3) online catalog,
4) KYVL link and logo, and where,
5) KYVL description, and
6) KYVL instructional materials.

The group also gathered other information such as bookmobile info, special kids pages or resources, services and programs listings, exhibits, special activities, and any other areas or items of interest.

The group is looking for ways to make connections to the libraries and their programming, as well as trying to determine if libraries would benefit from receiving packets [cd, disk, paper] with the KYVL log, link, handouts for KYVL databases, templates to use for announcements or training, etc.

The group also had met to judge the “Create a KYVL Public Service Announcement Video” contest entries. Of the eleven schools with sent in a letter of intent, we ultimately had seven entries from elementary, middle and high schools. A winner from each division was selected.

Elementary division: Glendover Global Studies in Lexington
STLP Coordinators: Dianne Griffin & Beth Roberts
Students: Dee Turner, Ben Bonfert, Carrie Bae, Austin Armstrong
LMS: Joann Bender

Middle: Philip A. Sharp Middle School in Butler
STLP Coordinator: Prestine Chapman
Students: Nicole Lynch, Casey Mullins
LMS: Greg Williams

High School: Lincoln County in Stanford
STLP Coordinator: Cynthia Sanders
Students: Bryan Sanders, Trey Naron, Zac Harmon
LMS: Christy Denny

The students and their coordinator are invited to the Student Technology Leadership Program Awards Ceremony on 5 March at the Kentucky Teaching and Learning Conference, in Louisville. We will play the three winning entries, distributed a plaque to each winning school and distribute award letters to each student. Letters of recognition will be sent to the students and teachers of the other participating schools.

The Council on Postsecondary Education meets 15 March. The contest has been placed on the agenda and the winning PSA’s will be played for the Council. The students and teachers will also be invited to meet the Council and be recognized for their creative efforts.

KYVL is working with CPE communications staff to create press releases and determine how to best distribute the news about the contest. We will also be pursuing the conversion of all entries for placement on our site for download.

Portal:
The work group has finalized the Request for Information (RFI). The next step is review by CPE the legal and business offices, scheduled for next week. The group has contact information for a list of vendors which passed a pre-screening process last fall. The group intends to post the RFI for one month, when approved, and invite vendors to respond. Responses will be used for the creation of an RFP.

Per the RFI, in its current form:
“Based, in part, upon these written responses, it is anticipated that between five and eight vendors will be invited to participate in an oral discussion of their capabilities. The RFI sessions will be held in Frankfort, Kentucky at the Kentucky Virtual Library office. Each vendor session will be approximately 1.5 hours in length, including time for questions and answers.

Vendors that do not participate in the RFI process, or oral discussions, may still be invited to participate in the formal Request for Proposal process when it is conducted.

Written responses to the RFI should be no more than 15 pages in length. Attachments are allowed but may not be reviewed.”

The RFI also includes statements regarding our intent:
“The KYVL seeks a vendor for a state-wide contract whereby the KYVL can implement a new single, state-wide portal for federating searching of KYVL-created and -provided resources.

The KYVL also intends to offer other institutions and library systems in Kentucky use of the chosen product or product suite in a consortial arrangement. An example of anticipated usage may be a multi-site public library system electing to adopt a co-branded implementation of the portal software within that library system. Other possible implementations may be within university or college library systems and large school systems where a collaborative, consortial approach provides the best service and economy of scale for the patrons and staff.”

Carol Diedrichs brought up the proposition of a contingency in the RFI, for discounted rate, should the database be already purchased by one of the institutions.

Resource Sharing:
The group created a survey to gather feedback from interlibrary loan and resource sharing librarians and staff about our Resource Sharing Services, including the courier service, possible training sessions, and more. The survey has been posted for approximately a month on the KYVL site. The group will convene soon to discuss the results. The group is also reviewing the addition of a new fields to the Online Courier Pickup form and will be discussing those additions.

3. DLAC eLearning Steering Committee (Myk Garn)

The eLearning Steering Committee Team (ELST) was formed by the Distance Learning Advisory Committee (DLAC) for the purpose of looking at distance learning through out the state, with over 70 people comprising the workgroups. The team is looking at Workforce Development as it relates to Housebill 1 and helping Kentuckians improve people’s lives.

4. Other Discussions

Donna Eustace and Blenda Fields stressed the importance of having the KYVL website ADA compliant to receive KDE funding. They voiced concerns that KDE funding may not be allocated to KYVL for databases and that future funding may be determined on individual basis for school districts.

Enid commended the KYVL Workgroups should be praised for their commitment and time given. She suggested a Workgroup Retreat, where the participants could share ideas, issues and discuss goals.

Hannelore Rader reported that the U of L library’s new wing will be celebrated on April 12 with the university president and Senator McConnell attending.

Laura Davison reported the Kentucky Users Group would be trying to set up a spring meeting.

Next Meeting: April 2, 2004, 1:00 – 3:00, CPE offices – Conference Room A

Last Updated: 4/2/04