Regional Advisory Council (RAC) Minutes: Year 3
Date: November 11-12, 2008
Location: Hotel Blake, Chicago, IL
RAC Members Present: Nancy Allee, Lori Bell (by phone), Terry Burton, Lisa Burwell, Mary Congleton, LaVentra Danquah, Mindy Egeland, Liz Fine, Pat Hamilton, Mark Holman, Rhona Kelley, Barb Knight, Janna Lawrence, Shirley Lewis, Logan Ludwig, Diane O'Keefe, Kolleen Olsen, Barbara Platts, Denise Rumschlag, Ann Schaap, Sheila Shellabarger, Jan Simon, Elaine Skopelja, Carolyn Warmann, Celine Woznica, Jason Young
GMR Staff Present: Max Anderson, Holly Burt, Kate Carpenter, Samanthi Hewakapuge, Ruth Holst, Jacqueline Leskovec, Charniel McDaniels
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. on November 10, 2008.
Welcome and Introductions: Kate Carpenter welcomed the group, which was followed by self-introductions of everyone present.
GMR Update and Summary of NLM Site Visit Report: Ruth Holst presented the GMR Update which included a brief overview of new projects and Web pages initiated during the past year; information about funding and outreach during Year 2 of the contract; and current goals and challenges facing the GMR. Kate Carpenter provided a summary of key findings and recommendations from the August 12, 2008 Site Visit by NLM. An executive summary of the Site Visit Final Report was distributed to RAC members (see Attachment 1 
). This was followed by open discussion among RAC members and GMR staff. Topics included:
- Targeting GMR funding to under served populations, regardless of geographic balance
- Keeping resource libraries aware of what's happening with their local hospital libraries
- Need for information on calculating library ROI (return on investment)
- Need for GMR to support librarians that do not or cannot belong to MLA
- For needs assessment, use questions that address priority vs. needs - some organizations ask "where you should be" and "where you are right now"
- For measurements, focus on value in outcome measures
Emergency Preparedness (EP) Working Group Report: Logan Ludwig reported on the activities of this group during the past six months. Highlights included:
- NNLM baseline assessment done in Spring, 2008 – comparison of GMR results with national results
- EP poster at Midwest Chapter (copies included in RAC folders)
- Trifold brochures and Role statement for Regional Coordinators (copies in RAC folder)
- Disaster checklist for Regional Coordinators
- Possible classes on EP for the region
- Publishers are working on package for libraries affected by emergencies
- When asked what RAC wants EP Working Group to concentrate on, suggestions were:
- How to determine the library’s core services
- Find/prepare a core collection template, e.g. Brandon Hill list
- Share best practices
- Identify what can be placed on the handheld device
- “Coaching” service – who can I call if I need help?
Pat Hamilton requested presentation slides be available to RAC members after the meeting.
Advocacy Working Group: Denise Rumschlag reported on activities of this group including the following:
- Continued wrestling with the definition of advocacy
- Advocacy web page updated
- Letter to hospital administrator
- Question about continuing or perhaps targeting other administrators outside hospitals
- Blog post on creating an elevator speech to promote one’s library, encouraging members to compose and share via the blog
Discussion about advocacy issues included the following topics:
- Suggestion to convert 6-hour classes (such as the Measuring Your Impact class) to mini-modules which could be Web-based and offered at a fixed time over several months – this would decrease travel costs
- Advocacy requires a two-pronged approach – one related to promoting the value of the library and one related to promoting/branding NLM/NNLM products
- Suggestion to fund a business school to do a study on the ROI of the library
- Terry Burton suggested the following quick survey: What does it mean to you? 1) NLM, 2) NN/LM, 3) GMR
- Discussion of public libraries and how they get information. Question: what does the public think of us?
- Public library’s role as community organization for public health
- Promote library’s role in consumer health and patient safety as part of the “charitable care” requirement for hospitals to maintain tax-exempt status
Adjournment for Day 1: The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Call to Order – Day 2: The meeting was recalled to order at 9:00 a.m. on November 11, 2008. RAC members were each assigned to one of five breakout groups in different locations. The groups met for approximately 90 minutes and returned to the main meeting room to report the results of their discussions.
Advocacy Breakout Group:
Denise Rumschag, Chair; Charniel McDaniels, Recorder
The following topics were discussed:
- Check with accreditation organizations & communicate with them about the value /worth of the library
- “Welcome to the Network” message to promote funding opportunities
- Share stories that other libraries can use - posted electronically
- Prepare a PowerPoint presentation for RAC members to advocate on behalf of GMR at local meetings
- Identify library school faculty and let them know what the network can do for libraries
- Promote joint projects through GMR, GMR-MLA, especially those with more than one entity
- Promote educational opportunities, electronic and modular
- How to appeal to hospital executives; what are their degrees, their literature, publications; publish there instead of just library publications
Consumer Health:
Elaine Skopelja, Chair; Samanthi Hewakapuge, Recorder
The following topics were discussed:
- CBOs (community based organizations) & outreach
- Attending meetings
- A targeted CBO brochure on what the GMR can do
- Funding: offer to collaborate with CBOs, especially public libraries with foundations
- Targeted, customizable brochures with space for organization stamp
- Disease specific groups & CBOs including support groups
- Various ways to find them
- Especially seniors
- Keep the networks among CBOs, public libraries, medical libraries, and hospital libraries going – need to help keep that circle open
- Develop best practices to work with CBOs
- Fit into their mission
- Offer training at meetings of public libraries and school libraries
- Push: “What’s in it for you”
- Educate public librarians about going to health fairs
- Promote Go Local to CBOs and public libraries
- Use actual health statistics, top health issues & where health information can be found
- Survey of consumer health services hospitals - What do they subscribe to?
- Promote GMR handouts Web page and other GMR resources
- Promote GMR funding, especially exhibit awards, to public libraries
Public Health:
Holly Burt, Facilitator and Recorder
The following topics were discussed:
- A new LISTSERV has been created for librarians interested in public health
- Reaching out to public health and/or other library community
- Resources should be identified as being local to national [?]
- Partnering with public health libraries – do a project similar to the “Public Libraries and Community Partners” Web site
- PR resources: whom to contact
- Use different strategies with public health practitioners versus public health administrators
- Describe training that is in place now
- Identify the key issues in public health
- Resources such as PhPartners; make easier to navigate [for?]
- Consider a web page for best practices
- “to communicate and connect public health libraries who are isolated”
Communication:
Liz Fine, Chair; Jacqueline Leskovec and Max Anderson, Recorders
The following topics were discussed:
- Feedback from NLM site visit indicated that existing communication structure is good and GMR should preserve the state representative concept
- Out of 1,000 members, only a third are on GMRLIST
- Promote LISTS during state meetings
- Continue person to person contacts at state meetings
- GMRLIST is well-managed, critical use
- Getting members to read Blog
- RSS feeds: too many for some
- Use monthly GMRLIST post to promote use of blog
- State reps: need to forward key messages from GMRLIST to state lists
- No “one-size fits all” answer to communication
- GMR page on Facebook could be used as a sounding board
- Built in informal communication
- Virtual communication is on the rise
- Podcasts can be used for routing communications/training
- Example: NLM podcasts as training tools at reference librarian dept. meetings
- State reps should standardize messages to be sent out
- Suggested short training be set up on how to manage your email
- Set up folders to be accessed when time permits
- Utilize tagging, good subject line
- Need training on how to do webcasts and podcasts
E-Licensing:
Terry Burton, Chair; Ruth Holst and Carolyn Warmann, Recorders
The following topics were discussed:
- Some previous work was done to identify groups that will do group purchasing agreements on behalf of libraries – some are formal and statewide; others are informal
- Some states do state-wide licensing on behalf of all citizens, others offer group licensing services as a product of the state library agency, and some states do both
- For example, Minitex and Michigan Library Consortium do both
- GMR as an entity cannot negotiate licenses on behalf of libraries
- Suggest a survey of current state e-licensing:
- What consortia exist that negotiate on behalf of libraries? What types of libraries are eligible for membership in those consortia?
- What products do you want to be available for group purchasing/licensing?
- Are you interested in participating in one?
- Consider an initial survey, asking if they belong to be in a consortium and then if they want additional products and services.
- Recommend a GMR Web page that pulls together resources, such as preferred contract language, courses on related topics, and list of existing group purchasing consortia
- Question raised about how we justify keeping librarians if we succeed in establishing a buying consortium for all libraries
- Should be careful not to exclude librarians
Wrap-Up: Kate Carpenter observed that many of the themes heard throughout the meeting echoed issues raised during the NLM Site Visit, including communication, assessment, and the role of the RAC.
The meeting ended with an open discussion, including the following:
- Public health and consumer health must communicate better – public libraries can be used to raise awareness of public health issues
- Ruth asked for suggestions on how to define outcome measures
- Encourage health sciences libraries to develop relationships with local newspaper/radio
- Encourage libraries to use GMR as a starting point: start with exhibit award
- Encourage libraries to be alert to grant opportunities within their parent institutions for which the library could be involved
- Promote intergenerational collaborations, students as vectors
- Senior outreach
- Work with public libraries to train seniors
- Commission a study on the impact of GMR on libraries in the region
- Engage MLA, a library school, or a business school for follow-up
- Collect stories about library successes
- Use podcasts to share stories - can be downloaded to thumb drives; many cars now have USB ports
- Create a “how to do a survey” class, including Survey Monkey
- Follow-up with outreach awardees from previous GMR contract to find out how funding has impacted their work
- Offer to work with awardees to write up stories and make them available
- Act as a matchmaker to link outreach project managers with free lance writers to get their stories into local papers/magazines
- Feed information to commercial publishers
- Public health newsletters a good place to place stories
- “Service” opportunities are often part of curriculum in public health and other disciplines
- Terry Burton suggested a quick 3-question survey of network members: What do you think of when you hear 1. NLM? 2. NN/LM? 3. GMR?
- Compare what they think to GMR goals – could be an outcome measure
Respectfully submitted,
Ruth Holst
Associate Director, NN/LM, GMR
