CTLC Fall 2013 Planning Meeting Summary

The CTLC 2013 Fall Planning Meeting was held at Collin College on October 11, 2013.  The new mission, governance, values, and membership statements drafted by the meeting attendees are  posted on the CTLC website About section.  The following is the meeting summary notes that were distributed via the CTLC listserv:

CTLC 2013 Fall Planning Meeting Summary

The Cross Timbers Library Collaborative Fall Planning Meeting was held on October 11, 2013 from 10 am to 3 pm at the Collin College Conference Center in McKinney, Texas.  These summary notes were prepared by Barbara Halbert.

Attendees were: Sherilyn Bird (Texas Woman’s University), Mary Boyd (SMU), Suzanne Byke (UT Arlington), Barbara Halbert (CTLC Volunteer), Martin Halbert (UNT), Cathy Hartman (UNT), Elizabeth Howard (Texas Weslayan), Norman Howden (El Centro College), Spencer Keralis (UNT), June Koelker (TCU), Bobbie Long (Collin College), Anjum Najmi (UNT), Cindy Potter (Texas Weslayan), Laurie Thompson (UT Southwestern)

Agenda

9:30 – 10:00                       Coffee and Conversation

10:00 – 10:30                    Welcome, Introductions, Review of Agenda

10:30 – 12:00                    Mission Statement discussion and drafting exercises

12:00 – 1:00                       Lunch and informal discussion

1:00 – 2:00                         Discussion of possible shared programs and projects, including CASE workshop

2:00 – 2:45                         Review of first CTLC conference and affinity groups, and planning for next year’s CTLC Conference

2:45 – 3:00                         Set time for next meeting and wrap up of day

Bobbie Long, Executive Director for the Collin College Central Park Campus Library welcomed the group and Martin Halbert, Dean of Libraries at the University of North Texas moderated the discussion.

The Mission Statement discussion and drafting exercises started with attendees reviewing four sample mission statements that had been posted on the CTLC wiki. After a brief discussion, the attendees decided to take elements from the second and fourth samples to create a mission statement “The Cross Timbers Library Collaborative fosters partnerships among the region’s libraries through cooperative staff development, resource sharing, and innovative programs.”  The attendees agreed that this statement should be posted on the CT-LC listserv as an outcome of the meeting.

With the mission statement completed, the attendees turned to drafting statements on the values, vision, and operational procedures for the Collaborative.  The attendees defined who the Collaborative serves as “All the libraries in the Cross Timbers Region of the United States”.  The values statement was the next item drafted by the attendees. “These values guide CTLC’s work within our libraries and the communities we serve: Inclusivity, Collaboration, Responsiveness, Cost Effectiveness, Sustainability, Innovation, Collegiality, Information Sharing, Flexibility, Leadership.” 

The attendees spent time discussing governance and communication issues next. There was interest in keeping the Collaborative’s processes transparent and it was agreed that the outcomes of meetings, conferences, etc. would be published on the CTLC web site and on the CT-LC listserv. It was mentioned that the current listserv used for communicating information about meetings has some issues, and it is unclear to some how to subscribe to the listserv. The current listserv is being maintained at UNT and UNT’s system has some restrictions on how subscribers may be added.  It was suggested that the group might want to investigate a different listserv that would be easier to subscribe to.  Barbara Halbert has been added as the list owner for the current CT-LC listserv and requested that the attendees contact her with information about adding subscribers.   The attendees felt it important to continue to have affinity groups that form to address common issues based on individual and/or institution interests. 

A statement on governance was drafted: “CTLC is a self-organized coalition of libraries with open membership. We are directed by participants; attendees at each planning meeting serve as the steering group for the organization. Transparency in governance will be maintained by publishing outcomes of the planning meetings via the website and listserv. Affinity groups based on the interests of individuals or organizations may form to address common issues. Planning meetings will be held at least twice yearly. Conveners will rotate among member institutions. An annual conference will be hosted by a member institution. Affinity groups may meet at will.”  The attendees also decided on a statement on membership at this time: “Membership in CTLC is defined by institutional participation. Any library in the Cross Timbers region which shares the Collaborative’s values are welcome to participate and identify themselves as participating organizations.”  It was suggested that the Collaborative consider joining the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) since the coalition addresses similar topics and is a useful resource for consortia. Membership is contingent of acceptance of ICOLC statements and it was suggested that a message be sent on the CT-LC listserv to ask participants to review the statements and indicate acceptance. 

At this point, the attendees were invited to tour the Collin College Central Park Campus Library.  Lunch was served after the tour. 

After lunch, the attendees discussed potential ideas for collaboration.  Rebecca Bichel, (UTA) had started a discussion on the CT-LC listserv regarding a CASE workshop on development with a focus on library fundraising.  There was interest in the topic which depended in part on how fundraising is handled at individual campuses. UTA and UNT have fundraising responsibilities in their libraries but others do not.  June Koelker (TCU) mentioned that LLAMA is hosting a webinar Nov. 13 -- “A Conversation about Websites for Library Fundraising: Perspectives from Duke University and the University of Texas” as a low cost alternative.  It was suggested that more details regarding the CASE workshop could be shared on the CT-LC listserv to see if other libraries were interested. 

It was mentioned that the topic of shared storage was highlighted at the recent TCAL meeting in Austin.  There was discussion among the attendees about their current storage options.  UT Southwestern is participating in the new Joint Library Facility (JLF) in College Station.  TCU will be shifting items soon into a remote storage facility.  TWU has been shifting items into a basement storage space.   UNT opened a large new annex last year with the capacity for several million volumes. SMU is investigating options.  It was suggested that an Offsite Storage Affinity Group could be started and that a conference call with Rick Lugg, the presenter at TCAL or the JLF director might be helpful to get started.

Joint purchasing of databases was another topic shared by the attendees.  There is some interest and the Collection Management Affinity Group would be encouraged to study the idea.

A final topic suggested was developing leadership among rising librarians.  Developing management skills through workshops and or mentoring was suggested.  Sherilyn Bird mentioned Jerry Magar (http://marshaclarkandassociates.com/associates/jerrymagar.html) of Marsha Clark and Associates as a potential trainer.  Field trips between staff were also suggested.  This is area that the attendees thought could be developed in future meetings.

A brief recap of the first CTLC conference held in August was given.  There were approximately 110 people in attendance.  The results of an online survey of conference attendees were shared; the conference sessions were very popular with attendees.  Discussion turned to the timing of the next conference.  There was concern that some institutions did not attend the first conference due to institution in-service days being scheduled during the same week.  In consulting TLA, ALA, TCAL conference schedules as well as individual institution calendars, it was determined that the next conference should be scheduled some time during the last two weeks of July or the first week of August. A call will be posted to the CT-LC listserv for people to volunteer to be on the Conference Planning Committee.  The   CPC will need to decide on a conference date, venue and keynote speaker by the next Planning meeting.  It was suggested that the Affinity Groups might want to meet during the lunch break at the conference and that non-exempt staff could be encouraged to attend the conference.  It was suggested that an Outreach Affinity Group could be formed to address the need to reach out more to the other types of libraries in the region including the Public Libraries. 

It was decided that the next CTLC planning meeting should be held in March 2014 and that confirmation of venue and date would be done via the CT-LC list serv.

Outcomes and Actions:

  1. Statements on Mission, Values, Governance and Membership were drafted by the attendees.  The statements will be posted on the CT-LC listserv and the CTLC web site as well as the CTLC wiki.
  2. Call for joining the ICOLC to be posted on the CT-LC with members being asked to read the ICOLC statements.
  3. Offsite Storage Affinity Group and Outreach Affinity Group will be formed to address specific topics from the planning meeting.
  4. The Collection Management Affinity Group will be encouraged to study the topic of joint purchasing of databases and other electronic media.
  5. A Conference Planning Committee will be formed via a general call posted on the CT-LC listserv. 
  6. The next Planning Committee Meeting to be held in March 2013 – details to be worked out via the CT-LC listserv.