Denise W. Lomax, Secretary, FEDLINK Advisory Council (FAC) Minutes of the FAC Meeting - December 17, 1998 FAC Present: FLICC/FEDLINK Maxine Brown Susan Tarr Mike Conklin Milton MeGee Doria Grimes Mary Wilson Denise Lomax Ruby Thomas Ken Nero Carla Pomager Lee Porter FAC Absent: Fred Rettenmaier Bonnie Klein Sheila Riley Janet Wright AGENDA: 1. Introduction of Newly Elected FAC Members 2. Approval of the October 15, 1998 FAC Minutes 3. FAC Issues and Topics 4. Report on Customer Service Focus Groups 5. OCLC FY98 Deficits Coverage Proposal 6. Proposal for Change in Network Training Contracts 7. FLICC/FEDLINK 1999 Performance Plan 8. FLICC/FEDLINK Update 9. Committee Reports 10. New Business 11. Announcements Chair Fred Rettenmaier opened the meeting at 10:50 am. 1. Rettenmaier welcomed new FAC members, Carla Pomager of the Redstone Scientific Information Center (US Army) and Sheila Riley of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. He also expressed appreciation and bid farewell to outgoing members, Doria Grimes and Lee Porter. 2. The FAC approved the minutes of the October 15, 1998 meeting. 3. FAC Issues and Topics. Rettenmaier pointed out two sections of the FAC Bylaws: (1)Article X, Section 5. REMOVAL. FAC members who miss a total of four FAC meetings in a 12 month period may be replaced for lack of participation by a majority vote of the Council. (2)Article XI, Section 1. ELECTIONS. At the first meeting of each calendar year, the FAC shall elect from among its members a Chair, Vice-Chair, and a Secretary. These officers shall take office at the close of the meeting at which they are elected and shall serve terms of one year or until their successors are elected and take office. Officers shall be eligible for reelection, limited to two consecutive terms. Should the office of the Chair become vacant, the Vice-Chair shall assume the office for the remainder of the term. Other offices may be filled for the balance of the term by FAC election. Rettenmaier commended FEDLINK staff on the value they added in contracting for services. He applauded the cost cutting efforts being made, especially reducing the administrative fee for FEDLINK members. Rettenmaier said the FAC will continue to look to and support FEDLINK for new ways to add services and programs that would be of value to members and attract new members. He suggested that the FAC do a white paper that list all the value, even cost reduction, benefits of being a FEDLINK member. Maxine Brown volunteered to be the FAC representative to the FLICC Budget & Finance Working Group. Janet Wright volunteered to be the FAC representative to the FLICC Nominating Working Group. The FAC voted to accept the 1999 calendar of meeting dates. 4. Report on Customer Service Focus Groups. Ruby Thomas reported that all the focus groups, including one at the Military Librarian's Workshop, had been held. They discussed ways to improve FEDLINK Services in four areas: (1) Finance, (2) Contracting, (3) Publications & Training, and (4) Overall strengths and weaknesses of FEDLINK. She will compile all the input from the focus groups and present the compilation to management and also to the FAC at the January 1999 meeting. 5. OCLC FY98 Deficits Coverage Proposal. Mary Wilson and Ruby Thomas presented problems the Fiscal Office is experiencing with paying OCLC invoices when 1/3 of FEDLINK members carry a deficit. They explained that FEDLINK members do not respond to repeated notices of the insufficient funds in their OCLC accounts and that the Fiscal staff are held legally responsible for the unpaid bills. Discussion followed about how to fix the problem. Wilson presented their proposal of using end-of-the-year surplus funds to cover the deficits without prior authorization from the member. The FAC voted unanimously to permit Financial Services to transfer prior year surplus funds from members' FEDLINK training and online accounts to cover OCLC deficits of the same year. 6. Proposal for Change in Network Training Contracts. Tabled until next meeting. 7. FLICC/FEDLINK 1999 Performance Plan. Tabled until next meeting. 8. FLICC/FEDLINK Update Susan Tarr reported that she met with the FLICC full group and their ideas of what should happen with FEDLINK in 1999 is consistent with the two goals the FAC identified for themselves in 1999: (1) Reduce cost and (2) Increase value of Federal libraries. Tarr has been working on the revolving fund issue to get carry-over authority for FEDLINK accounts. She is working on getting the authorizing committee to support the revolving fund in its legislative push to get the appropriations law passed. FEDLINK must compete serials contract that runs out in FY99. FEDLINK will acquire new financial system in FY99. The customer service initiative will be a thrust for this fiscal year. 9. Committee Reports. Tabled until next meeting. 10. New Business. Tabled until next meeting. 11. Announcements. Tabled until next meeting. The meeting adjourned at 12:10 PM.