Minutes of the August 20, 1998 Meeting
Present: A. Ciliberti, John Cohn, Judy Cohn, M. Gaunt, J. Getaz, A. Hafner, J. Hunt, J. Mihalick, P. Price, P. Rigby, B. Simpson, R. Sweeney, P. Tumulty, M.Veldof
1. In John Gaboury's absence, Anne Ciliberti reported that the OCLC SiteSearch contract has been received and that good progress has been made in obtaining billing information and IP range data from each of the 45 institutions-there are just a few outstanding. VALE invoices should be mailed out from William Paterson in the next few weeks.
2. Anne reported a problem that was discussed with Drew Hopkins at Thomas Edison State College about their lack of IP addresses and the need for another means of authentication for their students. It was agreed that Marianne will forward Mr. Hopkins' concerns to Dave Hoover who will discuss possible options with him.
Rich Sweeney suggested the possibility of using Virtual Private Networks as a solution for the authentication problem. Further research on this issue will be necessary.
3. John Mihalick, our OCLC representative, reported that the SiteSearch software has been sent to Rutgers and loaded temporarily on a server loaned to VALE for this purpose until the VALE hardware arrives. He noted that the database producers have been notified and are prepared to deliver the data to OCLC within the next few days when the legal documents have been completed. There will be no waiting queue at OCLC, so the tapes will be processed and transfered to Rutgers and Seton Hall in a load-ready state.
4. In response to some questions about IP access to FirstSearch, John clarified that the bridge service points to a different URL than the standard FirstSearch address.
5. Marianne Gaunt reported that with respect to governance and organization of the Steering Committee, most members favored the proposal that only elected members be eligible for voting. This proposal was agreed to by the group.
The following names were randomly selected as the members who will serve three-year terms:
Gaunt, Judy Cohn, Barbara Simpson, Paul Rigby and Rich Sweeney. All other elected members will serve two-year terms.
6. Marianne suggested that communication paths might be improved by:
a. Posting sub-committee reports and all queries on the VALE listserv
b. Centralizing overall administrative queries with either John Gaboury, Anne Ciliberti or Marianne Gaunt who would then contact John Mihalick at OCLC.
c. Centralizing technical questions with Rich Sweeney and Dave Hoover who will be in touch with OCLC technical people.
The group agreed to this communication proposal.
7. Marianne also reported that with respect to Day I plans, decisions have been made to configure both servers at Rutgers, test them, and then move one to Seton Hall. Issues such as authentication, synchronization of software at the two sites, and possible overload when classes are logged on have been discussed. Further work is needed on the authentication and sycnchronization issues, but it has been decided to wait and see what the potential impact of classroom instruction is. The technical people will be returning to OCLC in September for additional training.
8. John Cohn reported for the Technical Sub-Committee. Although the group has not yet met, he has 10 volunteers. John asked for clarification about his group's charge and, after discussion, it was agreed that his committee will interface between the technical people and the libraries to communicate technical information. They will establish a chain of command, FAQs, etc. so that the front line people at each institution know what to do in the event of technical problems. John's group will try to obtain two names from each institution to serve as the local contacts for technical details and to have a chain of command/communication in place for Day I. John will rework the language of the original charge to clarify this understanding.
9. Rich Sweeney reported from the Interface Design group. They have met 4 or 5 times in the past month and have had good attendance. They have had trouble sorting out which version of SiteSearch we will be using and they have uncovered lots of technical questions about the database content, search capabilities, and the possible interface options of SiteSearch to the databases. They are working on a plan for a Day I interface as well as a more sophisticated design to be introduced later in 98-99 .
In response to these technical details, John Mihalick assured the group that more assistance would be immediately forthcoming from OCLC.
The URL for the draft logo will be posted on the VALE listserv and feedback is sought.
10. Barbara Simpson reported that the Training and Help Desk group has had several volunteers and plans to meet soon. She asked for clarification regarding the role of this group and NJIN's EATF Library Committee. After discussion, it was suggested that John Gaboury be asked to clarify with the NJIN board that they are two separate groups, although membership may overlap.
11. Paul Rigby distributed an initial report of the Assessment group and summarized that while the group had not met, some discussion and clarification of the assessment needs was beginning to materialize. He was pleased that SiteSearch has the capability of collecting tons of raw data and that the technical training in September will help us sort out how to develop reports, etc. We will need to establish what preliminary data should be collected beginning Day I, recognizing that more sophisticated data collection may have to wait for later for implementation.
12. Judith Lin Hunt reported that she has had several volunteers for her group, which has not yet met. They will be meeting soon.
13. Joan Getaz reported that she and Pat Tumulty had begun discussions about the "Unveiling of VALE" celebration and that they were looking at a mid-October to November date. These efforts must be coordinated with the Governor's Office and with the Presidents' Council. The group may also need to consider a budget for publicity efforts and the creation of a media kit.
14. Pamela Price asked for clarification about the lines of communication to the Council members. It was agreed that Marianne will report on VALE at the Council meetings, but that other VALE business will be reported via the Council listserv and through VALE meetings. Marianne agreed to distribute a status report to all library directors and Judith Hunt reminded the group how important it is for the directors to keep their local administrations appraised of VALE progress.
15. Marilyn Veldof reported that the State Library has awarded 18 grants for Z39 and web interfaces. The hub library system is beginning to take shape and that a new staff member has been hired to assist the State Library with technical issues. Other good news includes a $450,000 appropriation for State Library internal operations and a $1 million additional for per capita state aid to public libraries.
16. Anne Ciliberti reported that efforts are underway in negotiating a one-time purchase of the ABI Inform backfile at a cost of $8500.
17. Marianne Gaunt raised the issue of database licensing restrictions and asked that the terms be clarified and sent to all library directors.
18. The next meeting will be held at Alexander Library on Thursday, September 10 at 2 pm.
Minutes prepared by Anne Ciliberti
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