SWAN Board Members:
The Friday, January 19th board meeting packet is now available for you:
https://support.swanlibraries.net/sites/default/files/meeting/2018-01-19/pa…
This month's packet is 91 pages long. Though the packet is lengthy, it is primarily the budget draft document, the RAILS-SWAN agreement, and the RAILS-SWAN sustainability plan for review that make it so. I know we have a few folks planning to be absent, so please let us know if you are unable to attend so we can assure our quorum. No lunch is planned since I am thinking we will wrap up prior to lunch.
See you all on Friday,
Brande Overbey
Operations Manager
brande(a)swanlibraries.net<mailto:brande@swanlibraries.net> * (630)326-7104
SWAN Library Services
800 Quail Ridge Drive, Westmont, IL 60559
swanlibraries.net<https://www.swanlibraries.net/> * catalog.swanlibraries.net<https://catalog.swanlibraries.net/>
Hi All,
Happy New Year and I hope all of you are staying well. I came down with the flu in Mexico and I am still not feeling well. (It will be two weeks tomorrow and so much for the flu shot.)
At our December meeting, I mentioned that I wanted to conduct a mid-year evaluation of Aaron at the January meeting. I am going to push that off until our February meeting.
Jamie mentioned that she will be at the 1/19 meeting and I am pretty sure Julie will not be attending as well. As of today, will the rest of you be in attendance? If you will not be there, please write me back and let me know.
Have a good weekend and stay healthy!!!
Rich
Richard A. Wolff, Administrator
Tinley Park Public Library
7851 Timber Drive,
Tinley Park, IL. 60477
708-845-5718
Hi All,
To clarify my last email, Jamie will not be at the January meeting.
D'oh!
Rich
Richard A. Wolff, Administrator
Tinley Park Public Library
7851 Timber Drive,
Tinley Park, IL. 60477
708-845-5718
SWAN Board,
We are all set.
Aaron Skog
Executive Director
aaron(a)swanlibraries.net<mailto:aaron@swanlibraries.net> * (630)326-7022
SWAN Library Services
800 Quail Ridge Drive, Westmont, IL 60559
844-792-6542
swanlibraries.net<https://www.swanlibraries.net/> * catalog.swanlibraries.net<https://catalog.swanlibraries.net/>
From: Jane Plass [mailto:jane.plass@railslibraries.info]
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2017 12:39 PM
To: Aaron Skog <aaron(a)swanlibraries.net>
Subject: RE: RAILS Consortia Committee - revised charge
Yes, new reps will be seated at the July meeting as usual. However, we want to have voting representation straightened out before then. The info you provided about Rich and you is exactly what we need at this point.
Jane
Jane Plass
Associate Executive Director
Reaching Across Illinois Library System
Burr Ridge Office
Phone: 630.734.5129
Fax: 630.734.5050
jane.plass(a)railslibraries.info<mailto:jane.plass@railslibraries.info>
https://www.railslibraries.info
From: Aaron Skog [mailto:aaron@swanlibraries.net]
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2017 12:31 PM
To: Jane Plass <jane.plass(a)railslibraries.info<mailto:jane.plass@railslibraries.info>>
Subject: RE: RAILS Consortia Committee - revised charge
Hi Jane,
Questions have come up at the SWAN Board meeting today.
The charge for the Consortia Committee notes the new reps are seated after July. The SWAN Board will have an election with two reps and the new Consortia Committee will be appointed after the election, so I will not have a final answer, as the SWAN Board would prefer to have Board representation. The January 5, 2018 deadline requested confused them. In case we just need the names of SWAN representatives: Rich Wolff will the rep, Aaron will be the alternate.
Aaron Skog
Executive Director
aaron(a)swanlibraries.net<mailto:aaron@swanlibraries.net> * (630)326-7022
SWAN Library Services
800 Quail Ridge Drive, Westmont, IL 60559
844-792-6542
swanlibraries.net<https://www.swanlibraries.net/> * catalog.swanlibraries.net<https://catalog.swanlibraries.net/>
From: Jane Plass [mailto:jane.plass@railslibraries.info]
Sent: Friday, December 1, 2017 1:48 PM
To: Aaron Skog <aaron(a)swanlibraries.net<mailto:aaron@swanlibraries.net>>; akim(a)glencoelibrary.org<mailto:akim@glencoelibrary.org>; Anne Slaughter <anne.slaughter(a)railslibraries.info<mailto:anne.slaughter@railslibraries.info>>; Barbara Love (loveb(a)kewaneelibrary.org<mailto:loveb@kewaneelibrary.org>) <loveb(a)kewaneelibrary.org<mailto:loveb@kewaneelibrary.org>>; Betsy Adamowski (betsy(a)wheatonlibrary.org<mailto:betsy@wheatonlibrary.org>) <betsy(a)wheatonlibrary.org<mailto:betsy@wheatonlibrary.org>>; Carol Dawe <cjdawe(a)linc.lib.il.us<mailto:cjdawe@linc.lib.il.us>>; Carolyn Coulter <carolyn.coulter(a)railslibraries.info<mailto:carolyn.coulter@railslibraries.info>>; Dawn Bussey (dawnbussey(a)gepl.org<mailto:dawnbussey@gepl.org>) <dawnbussey(a)gepl.org<mailto:dawnbussey@gepl.org>>; Debbie Bloom <debbieb(a)idapubliclibrary.org<mailto:debbieb@idapubliclibrary.org>>; Debra Aggertt (daggertt(a)ilsos.net<mailto:daggertt@ilsos.net>) <daggertt(a)ilsos.net<mailto:daggertt@ilsos.net>>; Deirdre Brennan <dee.brennan(a)railslibraries.info<mailto:dee.brennan@railslibraries.info>>; Gwen Gregory <gwen.gregory(a)board.railslibraries.info<mailto:gwen.gregory@board.railslibraries.info>>; Jennifer Slaney <librybear(a)aol.com<mailto:librybear@aol.com>>; Julie Wayland (jwayland(a)princetonpl.org<mailto:jwayland@princetonpl.org>) <jwayland(a)princetonpl.org<mailto:jwayland@princetonpl.org>>; Kate Hall <kate.hall(a)board.railslibraries.info<mailto:kate.hall@board.railslibraries.info>>; Kendal Orrison <kendal.orrison(a)railslibraries.info<mailto:kendal.orrison@railslibraries.info>>; Kristine Hammerstrand <khammer(a)uillinois.edu<mailto:khammer@uillinois.edu>>; Lauren Offerman (laureno(a)trpld.org<mailto:laureno@trpld.org>) <laureno(a)trpld.org<mailto:laureno@trpld.org>>; Leslie Bednar (lbednar(a)illinoisheartland.org<mailto:lbednar@illinoisheartland.org>) <lbednar(a)illinoisheartland.org<mailto:lbednar@illinoisheartland.org>>; Lindsay Braddy (lbraddy(a)skokielibrary.info<mailto:lbraddy@skokielibrary.info>) <lbraddy(a)skokielibrary.info<mailto:lbraddy@skokielibrary.info>>; Matt Hammermeister <mhammermeister(a)pinnaclelibraries.org<mailto:mhammermeister@pinnaclelibraries.org>>; Pat Boze (pboze(a)ilsos.net<mailto:pboze@ilsos.net>) <pboze(a)ilsos.net<mailto:pboze@ilsos.net>>; Paul Mills <paul.mills(a)board.railslibraries.info<mailto:paul.mills@board.railslibraries.info>>; Rebecca Malinowski (rmalinowski(a)ccslib.org<mailto:rmalinowski@ccslib.org>) <rmalinowski(a)ccslib.org<mailto:rmalinowski@ccslib.org>>; Rich Wolff <r_wolff(a)tplibrary.org<mailto:r_wolff@tplibrary.org>>; Scott Pointon (spointon(a)whiteoaklibrary.org<mailto:spointon@whiteoaklibrary.org>) <spointon(a)whiteoaklibrary.org<mailto:spointon@whiteoaklibrary.org>>; Stacy Wittmann (wittmanns(a)eisenhowerpld.org<mailto:wittmanns@eisenhowerpld.org>) <wittmanns(a)eisenhowerpld.org<mailto:wittmanns@eisenhowerpld.org>>; Susan Westgate <swestgate(a)cslibrary.org<mailto:swestgate@cslibrary.org>>; Yvonne Bergendorf (director(a)wooddalelibrary.org<mailto:director@wooddalelibrary.org>) <director(a)wooddalelibrary.org<mailto:director@wooddalelibrary.org>>
Cc: Jody Rubel <jody.rubel(a)railslibraries.info<mailto:jody.rubel@railslibraries.info>>
Subject: RAILS Consortia Committee - revised charge
Consortia Committee members,
Thank you for your input during the discussion about the Consortia Committee charge at our October 16 meeting. The RAILS Board discussed RAILS committee structure and charges at its October 27 meeting and, at its meeting on November 17, approved a revised charge for the Consortia Committee and a charge for the new Resource Sharing Committee.
Both charges are attached and posted on the RAILS website at https://www.railslibraries.info/board/committees. In particular, please note the following changes to the Consortia Committee charge:
* Bullet points/topics related to library resource sharing in general rather than consortial issues specifically have been moved to the new Resource Sharing Committee charge.
* Each consortium may still designate up to two representatives, but only one is a voting representative. The second representative will serve as an alternate who can vote in the absence of the voting representative. Alternates are encouraged to attend all meetings. Appointment of representatives for successive terms is strongly encouraged to provide more continuity.
* The quorum has been defined as the majority of the voting members.
If your consortium has had two representatives or two representatives plus an alternate, please let me know by Friday, January 5, 2018 who will serve as your one voting representative and as your one alternate. To ensure OMA compliance, please respond to me directly; do not Reply All.
Remember that our next meeting is on January 22, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. - a week later than usual to avoid Martin Luther King Day.
Jane
Jane Plass
Associate Executive Director
Reaching Across Illinois Library System
Burr Ridge Office
Phone: 630.734.5129
Fax: 630.734.5050
jane.plass(a)railslibraries.info<mailto:jane.plass@railslibraries.info>
https://www.railslibraries.info
Hi All,
Attached are the FY2017-2018 that we established for Aaron. As we are near the halfway point of the fiscal year, I would like to review them with all of you during our closed session on Friday and write a mid-year review for Aaron based on the goals.
I have also attached a copy of the mid-year review we use here at Tinley. Please look over the goals and come with some prepared thoughts.
We will need you to take minutes during the closed session Tiffany. If you won't be able to make the meeting on Friday, please let me know as soon as you can.
Thanks and see you Friday.
Rich
Here's the very rough draft/takeaway from our discussion just now at the Quarterly. Just some points to mull over for next Friday's extended board meeting discussion:
Discussion Item: Plan for Strategic Planning Committee
Milavec introduced the Strategic Planning process to date. A board retreat was held last summer on June 30th, and it was identified that a new Strategic Planning process will be needed going forward, and to ensure that it includes our new 19 libraries. At the next board meeting on December 15th, we will be holding our first "planning to plan" meeting, to determine what process we will use, our timeline going forward, who we may use to facilitate, etc. Today is the membership's opportunity to share their feedback: what would they like to see, which recommendations that they may have regarding processes or facilitators that they have used in the past, etc.
Comments from the membership: Robin from South Holland noted that they are also starting their SP process. At ILA there was a session on "out of the box" ideas to make Strategic Plans a one-page graphic plan for ease of understanding, and also to add a dashboard on the website to show where the organization is in the process. It was also noted that for action steps, rather than a 3-5 year planning process, it should be taken year by year to ensure flexibility with technology and changing needs. She felt that these ideas may be beneficial for SWAN as well. PrairieCat also used that model. This plan can also be posted in public areas and staff rooms. Verzani shared that it is important to determine who should be involved in the process - membership, SWAN staff, even patrons? Kathy Berggren from Matteson noted that it is important to determine the function of this process - is it a plan, or a marketing tool? Action verbs will be important to make this a true plan, while using realism to ensure that they can be achieved within the designated time-frame. Sue from River Forest thought that the "big picture" things that we want to deliver to our membership and our users is important to keep in mind. Obviously, action steps are important to get there, but big picture is equally important. She noted an easy to use catalog and self-sufficiency in funding as examples. Values also figure in, but what will we see at the end of this - what are we working towards? Milavec asked, "What is SWAN?" This has actually been more difficult to define, as different stakeholders may have differing definitions for the organization. It is important to get the feedback of not only library leadership, but also staff. What about library boards? Is it beneficial to have them involved? This may help them to better understand what SWAN is, and what it provides to our libraries. Susan Ricker, SWAN staff member, would love to know how we define "who are SWAN's customers?" Is it the directors, the library staff, the patrons, or all of the above? How involved will library directors like to be? Robin from South Holland felt that moderate involvement is good - in person discussions at membership meetings, sharing of viewpoints, bouncing ideas off of one another. Pierre Gregoire from Frankfort agreed with Robin's level of involvement, but intensified direct involvement of Circ Managers is probably even more important. Guided discussion is helpful, perhaps among smaller focus groups. An online comment from Kevin Davis was shared; an online survey would be helpful, perhaps a focus group of directors and staff. Also, take advantage of existing groups (i.e Circ and Cat Advisory) to gather input and feedback. Discussion was also held on the benefits on hiring an outside facilitator to aid this process. Seleb noted that it is important that we make clear what we hope to get out of this process, both process and outcomes. Gregoire shared that another approach is to look at excellence practices.
Thanks!
Brande Overbey
Operations Manager
brande(a)swanlibraries.net<mailto:brande@swanlibraries.net> * (630)326-7104
SWAN Library Services
800 Quail Ridge Drive, Westmont, IL 60559
swanlibraries.net<https://www.swanlibraries.net/> * catalog.swanlibraries.net<https://catalog.swanlibraries.net/>
SWAN Board,
Sharing with you all some news shared yesterday with LINC libraries. This is great news for Carol, considering the circumstances she was in.
I am discussing some options with LINC Board President Dawn Bussey to assist them, seeing as that LINC only has two PT staff and one contracted staff at the moment.
Aaron Skog
Executive Director
aaron(a)swanlibraries.net<mailto:aaron@swanlibraries.net> * (630)326-7022
SWAN Library Services
800 Quail Ridge Drive, Westmont, IL 60559
844-792-6542
swanlibraries.net<https://www.swanlibraries.net/> * catalog.swanlibraries.net<https://catalog.swanlibraries.net/>
From: Dawn Bussey [mailto:dawnbussey@gepl.org]
Sent: Tuesday, December 5, 2017 5:05 PM
To: Aaron Skog <aaron(a)swanlibraries.net>
Cc: Dawne Tortorella <dawne(a)swanlibraries.net>
Subject: News from Carol Dawe
FYI
Dawn Bussey
Glen Ellyn Public Library
Director
630-790-6760
GEPL............so much more than books
From: CSTF(a)linc.lib.il.us<mailto:CSTF@linc.lib.il.us> [mailto:CSTF@linc.lib.il.us] On Behalf Of Carol J. Dawe
Sent: Tuesday, December 5, 2017 1:40 PM
To: CSTF LINC Group <CSTF(a)linc.lib.il.us<mailto:CSTF@linc.lib.il.us>>
Subject: [CSTF] News from Carol Dawe
Hello everyone,
I have accepted a position with the Lakeland Library Cooperative in Grand Rapids, Michigan as their Director. LLC is one of 9 library cooperatives in the state of Michigan. It supports 42 libraries in 8 counties in Western Michigan. The focus is governance, advocacy, continuing education and managing an ILS. (They will be searching for a new one!)
This is very bittersweet. I have loved my time at LINC but I am very excited about this new challenge and the timing could not be better. I will start in Michigan on the 1st of February. An end date here will be determined but EVERY EFFORT will be made to make this a smooth transition.
Thank you for all your support these many years.
Carol Dawe
Executive Director
Library Integrated Network Consortium
1001 East Main Street, Suite A
St. Charles, IL 60174
Cell Phone: 630-207-1205 (Best way to reach me.)
LINC Office: 630-377-6960
http://www.lincnet.info/<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmembers.lin…>
SWAN Board,
Some bad news that I just shared with staff. If you recall, Carla Owens was at our last COW at Oak Lawn.
Aaron Skog
Executive Director
aaron(a)swanlibraries.net<mailto:aaron@swanlibraries.net> * (630)326-7022
SWAN Library Services
800 Quail Ridge Drive, Westmont, IL 60559
844-792-6542
swanlibraries.net<https://www.swanlibraries.net/> * catalog.swanlibraries.net<https://catalog.swanlibraries.net/>
From: Aaron Skog
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 2:29 PM
To: All SWAN Staff <allstaff(a)swanlibraries.net>
Subject: Brookfield Zoo Library Closed Indefinitely
SWAN staff,
We received some sad news on Friday before last week. I followed up with the Brookfield Zoo, specifically Angela Sullivan, Interim VP of Conservation, Education & Training with a brief phone call, and Dawne spoke again with her today.
Carla Owens is no longer with the Chicago Zoological Society. The Library has been closed. At this time, I'm unsure of their future participation with SWAN. They have asked for a few months to figure things out. I am not sure the extent of the changes at the Zoo beyond their library.
Dawne has details on how they are going to handle returning borrowed items, and when to shadow their collection. This is a situation where we also need to determine what they will want to do with their library collection data we care for in Symphony. Right now, Member Services staff have helped with suspending holds and preventing future holds being placed on their collection.
That is all the information I have at the moment.
Aaron Skog
Executive Director
aaron(a)swanlibraries.net<mailto:aaron@swanlibraries.net> * (630)326-7022
SWAN Library Services
800 Quail Ridge Drive, Westmont, IL 60559
844-792-6542
swanlibraries.net<https://www.swanlibraries.net/> * catalog.swanlibraries.net<https://catalog.swanlibraries.net/>
Hello SWAN Board and Management Team,
For those interested, RAILS is hosting an OMA meeting/webinar in January. Sounds like it could be an interesting one so we wanted to pass it along:
https://www.librarylearning.info/events/default.aspx?eventID=25947
This session will cover the basics of complying with the Open Meetings Act (OMA), provide an update on any recent amendments to the statute, and summarize and discuss recent opinions issued by the Attorney General's Public Access Counselor (PAC) office and court cases involving OMA.
Topics:
* Basic overview of OMA requirements
* Discussion of procedures for complying with OMA
* Summarize most common OMA exemptions for going into closed session
* Address recent amendments to statute
* Discuss PAC opinions and court cases
Desired Outcomes:
Attendees will learn best practices for complying with OMA, and learn about new opinions and court cases that interpret the statute.
Thank you,
Brande Overbey
Operations Manager
brande(a)swanlibraries.net<mailto:brande@swanlibraries.net> * (630)326-7104
SWAN Library Services
800 Quail Ridge Drive, Westmont, IL 60559
swanlibraries.net<https://www.swanlibraries.net/> * catalog.swanlibraries.net<https://catalog.swanlibraries.net/>
