Suffolk County Library Association

Minutes of the Executive Board Meeting

June 20, 2003

Location: SCLS Blue Room

Present: C. Guzzo, D. Cunningham, S. Holden, L. Tesoriero, S. Johnson, V. Antonucci, C. Gray, K. Minschke, E. Cichanowicz, R. McEneaney, S. Atlas, G. Dickerman, J. Clemens, R. Dressler, J. Loughren, F. Altemose, B. Hoffman, P. Bornstein, P. Thomson.

C. Guzzo called the meeting to order at 10:06AM. After a review of the April 26th minutes, K. Minschke moved to approve the minutes. R. McEneaney seconded. None were opposed.

TREASURER’S REPORT: J. Loughren distributed copies of the monthly financial statement for April & May 2003, as there was no May meeting. The report showed a fund balance of $35,590.86 as of the end of May 2003. S. Johnson moved to accept the financial report. C. Guzzo seconded. None were opposed.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT: J. Clemens raised the issue of budgetary requests, reminding everyone to consider what they anticipate needing for the upcoming year. Any requests to be considered for the 2004 budget must be sent to her or J. Loughren as soon as possible. If preferred, one can note what is needed and can submit the request when the 2004 budget will actually be drafted (in December). But she and Joe are happy to take all requests now. Joan commented that this year has been a very good year thus far fiscally. Joe agreed. Joan reported that this year’s Long Island Library Conference appeared to be very successful, and she thanked R. Dressler for her help in coordinating the SCLA table. Joan discussed how the absence of a corresponding secretary has been problematic at times, and that anyone needing assistance that would normally come from a corresponding secretary should contact Joan with that need. SCLA’s Executive Board meeting for September conflicts with the Suffolk County Legislative Breakfast. Joan is going to look into rescheduling the monthly SCLA Board meeting.

DIVISION REPORTS

DASL: R. McEneaney offered the following report. DASL offered a very specific workshop at the 2003 Long Island Library Conference, targeting academic librarians. The topic was Middle States Accreditation and Gloria Robeson, Associate Librarian at Adelphi University spoke. They were pleased with their turnout of 21 people, especially because they were scheduled for the last program slot of the day. There was also a DASL Business Meeting at Long Island University, Southampton campus with a visit to a local art gallery that followed. Upcoming programs include a workshop scheduled for September 26th at Suffolk County Community College, Selden Campus. The topic will be the PATRIOT Act 2, proposed for libraries. Tracy Mitrano, Co-Director of the Computer Policy and Law Program at Cornell University will be speaking. DASL’s Annual Meeting will be on December 5th at NYIT Islip, at their Culinary School. Planning has also begun for the 2004 Long Island Library Conference.

RASD: D. Cunningham reported that on April 30th, approximately 350 people attended “An Afternoon with Julia Alvarez”. Ms. Alvarez is the author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and she was very well received. The program was co-sponsored by the LI Reads Committee & Nassau Community College. Four members of SCLA/RASD were on the LI Reads Committee. RASD sponsored a program at the Long Island Library Conference titled “It’s a Small World: Multi-Lingual Collection Development for Long Island Libraries”. Approximately 100 people attended, and all 40 packets prepared for the workshop were taken. Requests for additional copies were made. Information will be posted on RASD’s web page as well. Publicity about the program was also sent to a few media publications that target both library staff and Hispanic business members. The RASD Annual Dinner was held on June 5th at the Irish Coffee Pub in East Islip. There were 30 people in attendance. Information from the CARE workshop on jobs will be posted on the SCLA web page. There is a Reader’s Advisory meeting scheduled for the Fall. And there is discussion about a new committee in which the focus would be multilingual issues.

CATS: C. Guzzo offered the following report. The workshop CATS offered at the Long Island Library conference was well attended. Even though it was specific to cataloging, there were 70 people who attended, which was a very strong turnout. CATS has scheduled more computer workshops, as their last workshop was so successful. Topics include Excel, Desktop, and Microsoft Word. Flyers have already been sent out to announce the 2 sessions in August about Excel. A library tour is scheduled for June 27th – Quogue, Hampton Bays, and Bellport libraries are the destination. Ron Richards will be speaking in December about upcoming new technologies for the 2004 year.

SSD: G. Dickerman reported that the SSD Annual Meeting and Breakfast was held on June 11th at 9AM. Dan Bubbeo, an author, spoke about the women of Warner Brothers. One of the objectives identified by the officers is to increase membership. However, they are finding that many people report not wanting to join SCLA now, since half the year is completed. SSD felt that the raffles at the end of the Long Island Library conference seem to be a problem. One suggestion made is that a microphone is used in the room designated for associations and that it be passed along the association tables. S. Johnson agreed that the raffles at the end of the conference were a major problem again this year, and assured everyone that the LI Library Conference Committee was well aware and attempting to address the problem for future conferences. The next SSD meeting will be on July 17th at Longwood Public Library.

YASD: P. Thomson read the following report. On May 7th, YASD sponsored “Poetry in the Branches” at the Long Island Library Conference. Jen Abrams, Coordinator of Poets House & Cheryl Boyce Taylor, poet, were the speakers. Because the keynote speaker went over the allotted time, there wasn’t sufficient time for this program in the room assigned. Fortunately, the program coordinators were able to find space for the program to finish up. On May 15th, the “First Social Meeting” was held at the North Shore Public Library. Nine people attended this network meeting and lunch. It was the first such meeting, and it was a very successful start. On June 12th, 20 people attended “Selected Non-Fiction Videos/DVDs for Young Adults”. Tracey Firestone offered a very informative lecture. Upcoming programs include Network Meetings & Lunches on July 10th and August 14 at the Brentwood Public Library and the South Country Public Library. Also, on August 16th and August 18th, the Battle of the Books, regional play-offs, and Battle of the Books award night will take place.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

ARCHIVES: S. Johnson received a list of people interested in helping out with Archives, and she thanked Regina for the list. Suzanne commented on the newsletter, which included a photo from the archives. She receives lots of requests for pictures. Suzanne reported that she will be sending an e-mail requesting consideration in next year’s budget for file folders. J. Clemens asked if people should send flyers, newsletters, and similar material to Suzanne as they receive things that might be of interest for the archives. Suzanne asked that all material be submitted at the end of the year in a manila folder. Joan suggested that a reminder be sent on the listserv asking for any relevant material. Suzanne said she would arrange for that. Suzanne also asked that each president and committee head collect relevant information for the archives. 

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS: No report.

CONTINUING EDUCATION: C. Gray reported that the committee met on June 10th at the Middle Country Public Library, Selden. Four people attended. Items discussed included review of the program offered at the Long Island Library Conference. They were pleased with their turnout, and a thank you note was sent to Carrie Mason-Draffan of Newsday. Plans were finalized for the October 3rd bus trip to the American Museum of Natural History. They are looking to see if the cost for a tour is a set amount or if it’s a suggested donation. They are also checking to see if participants will have access to the Museum’s cafeteria. The bus, provided by Sunrise Coach, is scheduled to leave Bellport at 7am. There would be an additional pick-up in Huntington, and the estimated time of arrival at the Museum is 9:30am. Lunch would be on your own, and a guided tour of the New York Historical Society is scheduled for 1pm. At present, the New York Historical Society is closed for renovations, but they are scheduled to re-open in August. As a back up, someone has looked into the possibility of a walking tour of Central Park. A $50 deposit is needed. The committee needs approval from the SCLA Executive Board for an advance of $150 for the deposit for the Sunrise Bus. The balance of $450 is due 3 weeks in advance of the trip. Also, money is needed for supplies and postage to send flyers to libraries and to SCLA members not on the listserv. One question posed is if there is a profit on this trip, if the committee can keep the profits, or if they must be turned over to SCLA. They hope to keep the cost of the trip to $35-$40 dollars. “How to Run Meeting” is the proposed topic scheduled for the February 2004 workshop. The next meeting is scheduled for July 1st at 9:45am at the Middle Country Public Library, Selden.

J. Clemens announced that a motion needed to be made. A question was raised as to how they came to the price announced. C. Gray said that the bus they have arranged for has a maximum capacity of 27 passengers. They factored the cost of the trip accordingly. The price between a smaller bus and the larger bus is very similar. S. Holden agreed, saying that she usually arranged for 50 people. Carol said that the problem isn’t getting a bus for 50 people, but rather ensuring that they could fill a bus that size. She would rather start her plans with a turnout of 27, and if there were more people interested, they could arrange for a larger bus. Joan asked if 27 people attending was what is needed to break even. Carol said yes. Having 50 people attend would ensure a profit. Joan asked where the money requested would come from the budget. J. Loughren said that it would come from the Program budget line. If the money was paid out of that budget line, the money that was reimbursed to SCLA would return to that Program line. Any additional money would be the Continuing Education Committee's. Carol said that she also needed money for flyers and postage in order to advertise the program. R. McEneaney said she could give Carol exact numbers of membership. Joan asked how many items do not go through the SCLS delivery system. K. Minschke reported that she just spent $54 for items sent outside of SCLS’s delivery system, and that was with her hand delivering items to St. Joseph’s and people in public libraries. When questioned why so many people request home delivery, Regina said that many people report that their Director doesn’t know of their involvement in SCLA, or that items get lost within libraries. B. Hoffman reported that she just sent 197 newsletters at 56 cents each. Kris said that she had 155 people after removing legislators. Carol said that she had a 2-fold motion she’d like to make. First, she asked for $150 for the deposit needed for Sunrise Bus. She also stated that she might need $50 for a deposit for the Central Park tour. The second part of the motion was to ask for money for postage. Joan asked if the Continuing Education Committee could provide the paper. Carol said that they couldn’t impose on their libraries any further, and included in that second request was approval for money for a ream of paper. R. Dressler seconded the motion. Joan made a motion to vote on approving the fund requests as stated. F. Altemose seconded the motion. There was no further discussion. All were in favor. None were opposed. Both motions passed.

ELSA: P. Thomson read the following report. As of June 16th, the committee received 2 complete nomination packets. Gail Pepa has received several phone calls inquiring about how and what to include when sending the nominations. She is encouraging everyone to send in any nominations as soon as possible, because the committee does want to adhere to the June 28th deadline. Everyone was also asked to take a moment to remind their colleagues that not only may they nominate a co-worker, but patrons can nominate someone as well. Staff should encourage patrons offering praise about a colleague to submit a nomination. They encourage everyone from school, special, academic, and public libraries to participate.

FALL DINNER: C. Guzzo reported that she was able to get pricing at the Meadow Club in Port Jefferson for a Thursday night for $50 a person. That figure included centerpieces, beer, wine and soda. S. Johnson reminded Cindy that we should not be paying tax, as SCLA is a tax-exempt organization. Cindy said she would make sure the price does not reflect sales tax. Cindy asked the group if there was a preference between buffet and sit-down service, as we could choose either for the same price. After some discussion, a vote occurred and a buffet was selected. There is a minimum of 75 people needed. Cindy tentatively booked the Meadow Club for Thursday, November 14th from 6-10pm. She was approved for a $500 deposit to secure the date. J. Loughren asked that Cindy send him an e-mail stating the request. J. Clemens asked if this date conflicts with NYLA, but Suzanne said no, NYLA is scheduled for the week before.

INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM: No report.

LDA AWARD: P. Bornstein reported that Irving Toliver was the recipient of the 2003 LDA Award, awarded on May 17th at the Long Island Library Conference. Art Friedman made the presentation during the keynote address to the recipient, who is a past president and member of the SCLS Board of Trustees and currently an active library advocate. Paula reported that she had the plaque, and asked J. Clemens if she could give it to Mr. Toliver. Paula also laid out the money for related expenses, including $100 for the plaque and $25 for conference registration, and asked if the she could be reimbursed from the check sent by Andy Ippolito, the sponsor of the award, when it arrives. J. Loughren asked if Paula laid out the money for the expenses herself, and Paula said she did. Joan reported how appropriate she felt the candidate was to win the award. She said that he was very pleased, and that he wasn’t often recognized for all the effort he has made advocating for libraries. Paula said that she would contact Mr. Toliver to let him know that the award is at Harborfields. Paula also asked about possible Newsday coverage; she recalled that last year, the recipient of the ELSA award was published in the Newsmakers section of the paper. Paula said she would try to find out more. L. Tesoriero said that she thought that ELSA sent the picture in to Newsday for publication. Joan said that the money already spent was a budgeted item, so Paula will not have to wait for Mr. Ippolito’s check in order to be reimbursed. B. Hoffman asked for a copy of the picture of the award being given for the newsletter. Paula said she would get that to her as soon as possible.

LEGISLATIVE: L. Tesoriero reported that she attended a program “Impact of the Patriot Act on the Freedom to Read” at the Long Island Library Conference, sponsored by the Long Island Coalition Against Censorship and the Long Island School Media Association. During this presentation, information was distributed regarding a House bill sponsored by Representative Bernie Sanders of Vermont, HR 1157. Known as the Freedom to Read Protection Act, it would require that the FBI to show reasonable cause before a court-ordered subpoena or warrant cold be issued requesting personal information about library patrons. Currently, the 2001 US PATRIOT Act does not require that prerequisite for an FBI investigation. Information about this issue was sent to the NCLA newsletter editor and published in their June 2003 newsletter. Laurene handed out copies of the handouts to the Executive Board members. Information in these packets includes how to send a letter to your local representative asking for their support for this new, proposed legislation. At the LILRC Legislation Committee meeting, PLDA representatives suggested that a special presentation of a certificate and recognition be given to those legislators who supported overriding the Governor’s veto for library funding. Those representatives not supporting the override of the veto include Acampora, Barraga, Conte, Ferrara, and Labriola. It was agreed upon, and the committee will continue to plan for the Legislative Breakfast. The next meeting is on July 31st. Laurene brought up the concern regarding expenses relating to the breakfast. Judy Wilner has contacted Joseph Price, and he has agreed to sponsor additional expenses above and beyond what is normally reimbursed by the Associations. Laurene also addressed the issue of publicity at the breakfast. She said that while the idea of flip charts sounded good, the committee is, instead, looking to have information professionally printed. The concern expressed is that any information provided needs to represent all libraries. The desire to create some publicity can still be addressed, but not for the Legislative Breakfast. Laurene suggested something general that can be left for legislators. J. Clemens suggested that Laurene talk to Stephen Ingram about some possibilities. Laurene said that she would submit budget requests for consideration for next year’s budget. Joan asked for clarification as to exactly how much will be requested from SCLA for this year’s breakfast. Laurene said that she would get specifics as soon as possible. Joan said that she wanted to get in touch with PLDA regarding the recognition of some legislators. She also mentioned that Della Bucher had expressed an interest in being involved with any publicity for the event. Joan was disappointed, as she thought that SCLA could offer something for the breakfast. Laurene reported that the concern is that flip charts or anything already recommended could only highlight a few, select libraries. Joan wanted the issue addressed again; she wants there to be something that SCLA contributes to the breakfast for the legislators. She suggested that, if a few libraries had to be chosen for publicity material, that one library from each zone might be appropriate. Joan said that she would get in touch with Peter Ward of PLDA immediately to discuss this matter further. Laurene recongized SCLA’s desire to be more involved, and she said that she would touch base with Stephen about possible publicity material to be created.

LISTSERV: No report.

L.I. LIBRARY CONFERENCE: S. Johnson reported that the Conference was very successful this year, with over 850 people in attendance. That number is higher than the 2002 Conference. The 2004 Conference will again be at the Crest Hollow, as a 2-year contract was signed for the 2003 & 2004 years. One issue that was raised was the possibility of the New York State School Library Media Conference to co-sponsor the Conference in 2005. The 2003-2004 committee will give this more consideration. Problems identified at the 2003 Conference included the final raffle at the end of the Exhibits, with very few people in attendance for the drawing. One suggestion was to have the final raffle issued during lunch, but the problem with the current facility is that lunch is split between two rooms. Suzanne noted that the Long Island Directories, which are supposed to be available the day of the Conference for Exhibitors, continue to be a problem. Suzanne said that she would like SCLA to become more involved in this issue to get the directories available on time. This is a very important issue. The conference committee has changed the by-laws to absorb the cost of the speakers. This should make the flow of the day easier, as there are typically problems the day of the conference with speaker’s registration. J. Clemens said that she thought that was a great idea. Another issue is the Program deadline. While the conference knows that most committees change boards in the Winter, the deadline is always well-known in advance. She encouraged everyone to be planning now for the 2004 conference. Letters will be sent out in July, and the deadline for program submission will be in December. Alan Schelp is the 2004 Chair of the Conference. The committee received excellent, positive feedback regarding Mick Foley, the keynote speaker. S. Holden asked if there was any way to smooth out the program slot right before lunch. For a few years now, tables have been rolled out and distracting noise has been created during the program slot just before lunch, and it’s very distracting to both the speaker and those attending a program. Suzanne replied that the Crest Hollow is not strong in that area, but that she would bring the feedback to the committee. Sue felt that the problem is so bad that people may not want to sponsor a program in that time slot. Suzanne reported that a variety of options are being considered, including changing the basic layout of the day to address that problem. 

LONG RANGE PLANNING: S. Holden reported that Queens College had their annual Career Day program on Saturday, May 3rd. Sue went representing SCLA and there were many people lined up waiting to speak to her. While many of the questions didn’t relate to SCLA directly, she did her best to answer all questions. She said that it was non-stop traffic for 5 hours, and stressed the importance of being there. Sue brought SCLA applications, newsletters, job postings, a list of Suffolk County libraries with markings identifying which libraries weren’t Civil Service libraries with her to hand out. Many of the questions asked of her related to Civil Service. Sue did her best to answer their questions. She felt that SCLA looked great, and reported that Queens College was very appreciative of the showing. St. John’s University did finally respond to a letter sent by Stephen Ingram, and SCLA made the request to be present at future orientations for students at St. John’s. On June 17th, 5 people attended a meeting at the Northport Public Library to discuss upcoming Fall Orientation visits and goals for 2003-2004. It was a very productive meeting. On August 21st, Queens will be having their Student Orientation for Fall Admissions. SCLA will be represented. Sue believes that Palmer’s orientation will be on September 5th. Sheryl Sessa is making sure that SCLA will be on that agenda. Sue is collecting items for the publicity folder they provide at these types of events. The committee wishes to change these packets a little bit. Sue also said that she needs to request money for paper and labels for more packets. Sue made the motion to request $100 for supplies needed for publicity. C. Gray seconded the motion. J. Loughren asked if Sue is planning on laying out the money for the expenses. Sue said she would do that, but she wanted to make the motion today to ensure reimbursement. J. Clemens made the motion that the committee be permitted to fund necessary expenses not to exceed $100 for publicity. None were opposed. The motion carried. Sue also talked about what the committee should be focused on in the future. She feels that reaching out to younger, high school students is a real possibility. Sue said that many times, libraries are not represented at high school job fairs, and when they are, libraries don’t seem to be appealing, so librarians attending don’t see much traffic. The committee felt that the focus should change to appeal to the population. A brochure created by Stephen Ingram was passed around, showing a template as to how the publicity might be altered for this age group. It seemed as though people liked the cover art work, but felt that the text of the brochure should be changed. R. McEneany said that it’s not only high school students that we should focus reaching out to, but undeclared undergraduate students as well are a good population. Joan reported that she has gone to Career Days and brought packets from Long Range Planning in the past. Sue said that having hand-outs and things that make you look interesting are necessary for those types of events. She reported that two librarians went to a job fair recently, and only one student stopped by at the table to talk about libraries. She feels there’s a real need to change that. 

MEMBERSHIP: R. McEneaney reported that there are currently 689 members after she dropped those people who haven’t renewed for 2003. Included in this number are legislators, honorary members, and institutions. Approximately 50 memberships are honorary. She was surprised at how many people, 129, did not select a division with their membership. Regina feels that it needs to be clearer on the membership form that one selection is included in the registration fee. Also, she felt that it needs to be clearer that each additional division selected is an additional $1 per selection. Regina said that she is scheduled for vacation from July 11 through August 5. Anyone who needs labels needs to let her know before she leaves, or they will have to wait for her return to get them.

NEWSLETTER: B. Hoffman reported that newsletters were sent out the prior day. There were 1,250 copies sent, 689 going to individual members and 196 sent by US Postal Service. The newsletter has to be laid out in increments of 4 pages. Barbara feels a 12 page newsletter is best. But postage increases to 60 cents an item with a larger newsletter. Barbara asked that something be included in the Message from the President encouraging people to have newsletters sent to the library in order to cut down on expenses. R. McEneaney said she felt it was unfair to ask that. She felt a better solution was to group mailings by institution for academics and then have it distributed at the place of employment. Barbara’s concern is that the mailing labels often don’t print together. Regina said that the mailing labels are sorted by zip code, but when people use the additional 4 digits, it separates out. Regina said that she could eliminate the additional 4 digits, and that should correct the problem. Barbara said that another option is to consider advertisements in the newsletter. She said that, once before, the concept was approved. J. Clemens asked if doing so would compromise SCLA’s non-profit status. Barbara said no, Patchogue-Medford Library does something similar with their Youth Advisory Board without a problem. Barbara said that ads can be limited to one page, so that she can control the layout of the newsletter copy easily. Regina suggested reducing the membership form as well, possibly down to ¼ of a page. Barbara said she didn’t want the form to be too small, as many people reading the newsletter are not members. She leaves copies in student lounges, staff rooms, and other places where she’s hoping people may see the newsletter and choose to join. Regina said the membership form could be a separate page, but Barbara said that is labor intensive. K. Minschke suggested using the website. Barbara said that she uses the replies to the Reference Question to assess how many people are reading the newsletter. S. Johnson asked where the web address was on the newsletter. Barbara said it was on the back. J. Clemens said that the phone number needs to be changed. The one listed is a very old number no longer belonging to SCLA. Barbara said she would remove it. J. Loughren said that he would be interested in looking at a proposed rate sheet for advertisements. Joan asked that Barbara bring a proposed fee schedule and any other relevant information to next month’s Board Meeting. Barbara said she would do so. Barbara also asked that color be considered for the newsletter. F. Altemose said that she finds that using 1 color is usually relatively cheap. Barbara said that she’s only looking to use one color. She prefers a bright color, such as yellow to catch people’s attention. She asked Paul what the cost would be. It would be an additional $75 on top of the $450 it now costs to print the newsletter. Joan asked if this is a recurring cost, Barbara said it is. Joan suggested perhaps trying it for one month and then to have the ability to offer feedback. Barbara asked if she should wait regarding advertisements. Joan asked if increasing the size of the newsletter would cause Barbara any difficulty remaining within her budget. Barbara said that if she keeps the newsletter to 8 pages, the cost to mail USPS is 37 cents. She has tried to find a way to send the newsletters cheaper, but that seems to be the only option. She has looked into changing the paper used, but Paul has suggested leaving the weight of the paper used as is, as to prevent the ink from leaking through. Joan suggested incorporating color if the newsletter can be kept to 8 pages. Barbara reminded everyone that the deadline is August 1st for the September/October/November newsletter. An article on Irving Toliver is to be included. Also, the Legislative Breakfast, and an interview with Alan Schelp about the Long Island Library Conference are also topics to be included. The newsletters will be printed the first week of September. Regina gave Barbara a list of people expressing interest in working with the newsletter.

NOMINATING: C. Guzzo is working on creating a slate. She posted a notice on the listserv about the creation of the slate and asking for nominations. She received 1 reply. At present, the slate is J. Loughren and Marina Sullivan, pending approval from her director for Vice President/President Elect. P. Thomson and Sue Tychnowicz, pending approval from her director are slated for Secretary, and Kitty Grinnell, Joe Cox, and Janet O’Hare are slated for the position of Treasurer. Members-at-Large include Edana Cichanowicz, Fran Altemose, and Paula Bornstein.

PROFESSIONAL CONCERNS: K.Minschke reported that on Wednesday, June 25th from 10-12, there will be a roundtable discussion. Four members of the committee will be facilitating discussion on 4 different topics. Also, the committee hopes to get a better handle on what topics need to be addressed. J. Clemens said she was pleased with the program, and that she sees natural ties to the Long Range Planning Committee. Kris also said that she has spent $54 in expenses regarding this program and would like to make a motion to be reimbursed for the expenses. Joan called for a motion. Kris made the motion. C. Gray seconded the motion. There was no discussion. The motion passed.

PUBLIC AWARENESS/PUBLICITY: No report.

SCHOLARSHIP: P. Thomson read the following report. Money has been sent to J. Loughren. Angela also asked that Joe check the SCLA mail and keep the money, sending only the raffle stubs to her. Angela is putting together the files on the scholarship candidates. The deadline for submission was June 2nd. The flyer for the Support Staff award went out to all Suffolk County libraries. Fran Byrne said she would discuss it at the SSD’s Annual Meeting as well.

J. Clemens reported that she was pleased with the response for the scholarship.

STATISTICAL SURVEY: S. Atlas reported that the packets requesting information was sent out 9 days prior. She printed them on bright paper, with the hopes that they will stand out in a pile. Already, she received 7 out or 55 packets back. The deadline for returns is set for July 25th. Sandy hopes to have all the information back by the end of August. One item that has been added for this survey is the rate for Sunday pay, in regards to clerical, custodial, and librarian staff members. Sandy asked about stationary – she removed the bottom of the stationary that had outdated information and made copies for her needs. She also asked for clarification as to how much SCLS does in putting together the surveys. In the past there was a person paid by SCLA who did much of the work. Now that the position is vacant, that issue needs to be addressed. Sandy reported that there has been $660 collected from sales of the past survey. She mailed about 7 out. She asked about getting reimbursed for expenses relating to the survey as to where the money would come from and if a motion is needed to be reimbursed. J. Clemens said that she would clarify printing issues relating to the survey. Jerry Nichols has said that SCLS will deliver the surveys to libraries. SCLA is only responsible to those surveys not going to Suffolk libraries. Data entry, in the past, was the responsibility of a paid employee of SCLA. Mickey Cantwell only offers the data already collected for the NYS report for the survey. Joan said that they might be billed for that; she wasn’t certain. Last year Joan did all of the work regarding the election slate herself. She said that all of that should have been sent to SCLS for printing and that SCLA should have been billed for the cost of that work. Sandy said that last year, she brought the brochure to SCLS to be printed, she decided on the cover and the number to be printed, and left it in the hands of the printer. She doesn’t recall seeing a bill. She is not certain of the financial end of the survey from last year. Joan said that, perhaps, SCLS paid for the printing. J. Loughren believed that to be the case. Sandy said that there was no postage involved with the initial distribution. It was only when it was announced on the listserv that additional copies were available for purchase that postage became an issue. Joan said that Sandy should be reimbursed and that it should come from the budget. Sandy also said that she isolated the information that was used to create the initial packet, so if she gets a request for an additional packet, it should be easy to reproduce. Joan suggested they explore how many hours are needed for data entry. Sandy said that, so far, she has spent several evenings, which include at least 3 hours each night and one full weekend. Joan said that information is what is needed for the end of the year report. Sandy also reported having some difficulty with the size of the file. It’s already too big to be stored on a floppy drive. Her master file doesn’t fit, and she has trouble e-mailing with the SuffolkWeb system.

SUFFOLK COUNTY JAILS LIBRARY SERVICE: No report. People were thanked for their participation in the program, and encouraged to continue to send non-violent books to either Yaphank or Riverhead Jails. The books get sent through the SCLS delivery system, with the destination clearly marked on the box.

WEB PAGE: No report.

LIASONS

CLASC: No report.

BOCES: No report.

LILRC: V. Antonucci reported that their most current newsletter has much of the information she reported. LILRC was pleased with the attendance at their Long Island Library Conference program. There were 135 people who attended a workshop on why a hard copy should be retained. LILRC’s Regional Digitization project is underway. There were 57 people who attended their workshop in May to learn more about he initiative. Approximately 16 libraries have already committed to working with LILRC on digitization projects. There are 3 workshops planned for July and August. There are only 10 slots that remain, and they hope to reserve registration to members of libraries that have already committed to the project. LILRC’s Annual Conference is scheduled for October 16 & 17. The theme is The Information Commons: Delivering Library Service in a Virtual World. Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now, will be the guest speaker. LILRC’s Annual Meeting is scheduled for November 20th. LILRC has arranged with Barnes & Noble an incentive discount program when purchasing classics and novels when using LILRC as the referring site. Hofstra University is once again a participant in the Research Loan Program. A list of new databases was passed around. Many subscriptions begin on July 1st. Everyone was encouraged to take advantage of these databases.

NCLA: L. Tesoriero reported that Art Friedman is the 2004 NYLA President. His involvement will be a benefit to everyone on Long Island. Laurene suggested two things. First, she suggested that SCLA become a member of NYLA if we aren’t already. Secondly, she requested that an invitation be extended to Art to have an opportunity to publish in SCLA’s newsletter and possibly the SCLA web page regarding NYLA. Laurene reported that Art is still working on the library directories, and at present, NCLA has 843 paid members. J. Clemens commented on how NCLA uses a stamp on their newsletter reminding individuals that their membership has expired. She said she would love to implement something similar for our newsletter. 

PLDA: No report.

SCLS: No report.

SLA: P. Thomson read the following report. The SLA conference in New York City last week was well attended and a great opportunity for New York librarians to network with librarians from all over the world. The Long Island Chapter is seeking one more candidate to make their 2003-2004 slate complete. They are currently planning for their annual meeting. Details have not yet been finalized.

OLD BUSINESS: F. Altemose said that she had plenty of tickets for the August Ducks game and that she still needed to sell a number of tickets. Fran asked for a motion to sell a ticket and a t-shirt combination incentive for a $2 discount ($18 instead of $20). J. Clemens called for a motion, which Fran made. E. Cichanowicz seconded. None were opposed. The motion passed. 

Virginia asked that a motion be made that SCLA sponsor the Fall Archives workshop. R. Dressler made a motion that SCLA offer $100 to help sponsor the 8th Annual Heritage Archives workshop. L. Tesoriero seconded the motion. None were opposed. The motion passed.

Edana reported that the Writers on the Vine fundraiser was very successful, netting a $462 profit. She suggested that next year, the sale of the tickets only be available at the Long Island Library Conference.

J. Clemens reported that there was no response from Xerox regarding their interest in sponsoring the SCLA membership handbook. S. Johnson asked if anyone else was contacted. R. Dressler made a motion to print the handbook with the ability to contact other companies (including Baker & Taylor, Recorded Books, Unique Books) for sponsorship. Suzanne also suggested contacting Bibliotheca. She felt they were very responsive at the Long Island Library Conference and very eager to become more visible. Joan asked Suzanne to send the contact information to Rona. Suzanne said she would. J. Loughren seconded the motion. None were opposed. The motion passed.

NEW BUSINESS: None.

J. Clemens asked again that people bring up issues ahead of time so that people have time to consider things before being asked to vote.

C. Guzzo asked for a motion to adjourn. R. McEneaney made the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 12:07PM.