Christopher Wymer

The Automation Committee meeting included the adoption of the agenda. Key discussions focused on several projects. Regarding the Integrated Library System (ILS) RFP, the draft RFP was reviewed, outlining the timeline for activities such as testing demos and vendor presentations scheduled for March 17-20, 2026. Updates were made to the scope of work and functional questions, including the addition of grace periods. The committee also reviewed the status of the BC Analytics report migration, with plans to meet with Joint Service Agencies (JSAs) to prioritize reports. A proposal to automate the waiving of lost processing fees was discussed, but the committee ultimately voted to maintain current workflows. Furthermore, the possibility of moving towards paperless notices, excluding final overdue, lost, and billing notices, was explored due to issues with mailing equipment and increasing print costs. Staff reports covered updates on the new ILS virtual cluster hardware order, progress on 2024 and 2025 Category 2 infrastructure projects (routers and WiFi expansion), and noted a significant increase in PC hardware costs due to RAM price hikes. The administrative librarian reported on an issue where new enriched content widgets displayed content twice on mobile views and provided an update on discussions regarding the California Libraries Vision Statement.

Key discussions and actions included changes to delivery services for Coalinga-Huron, where the Council voted to switch to normal system delivery and dispute retroactive rate increases from Fresno County ITSD, adjusting the budget accordingly. The Council also approved reimbursing Merced's tech reserve for SJVLS's share of disputed T-Mobile billing related to hotspots and laptops. Updates were provided on CLSA funding advocacy efforts, requesting member attendance at the next CLSB meeting. The implementation of the Student Success Card initiative was debated, covering concerns about data security, duplicate accounts, and differing local approaches to adoption across member counties. Staff reports covered updates on an open RFQ for Microsoft Licenses, enabling enriched content for eBooks/eAudiobooks, progress on acquiring the sjvls.ca.gov domain, and network changes including closing the final CalNet T1 circuit. Directors provided updates on facility construction, collection development challenges following Baker and Taylor's closure, grant acquisitions, and plans for increasing service days/hours at some branches.

Key discussions and actions during the meeting included the endorsement of the Vision Statement for California Libraries, which is an aspirational document developed by library directors outlining future goals for adaptable library spaces, diverse staffing, and leveraging technology. The Council addressed significant financial items, notably approving a budget modification to dispute retroactive delivery rate increases from Fresno County ITSD and transition Coalinga-Huron to normal system delivery, and approving the reimbursement to Merced's tech reserve for SJVLS's share of a settled T-Mobile billing dispute. Other topics involved an update on advocacy efforts to restore CLSA funding, and extensive discussion on the challenges and implementation strategies for the Student Success Cards initiative, including data security and borrower record creation methods. Staff reports covered system updates such as the BLUEcloud Analytics migration, progress on securing the sjvls.ca.gov domain, and updates on the 2025 Category 2 E-Rate project.

The Electronic Resources Committee meeting focused on several action and discussion items. Key discussions included an update on OverDrive magazines, where a proposal for individual subscriptions for member libraries was reviewed following concerns about title duplication with Flipster. The committee also discussed marketing, training, and usage statistics for Tutor.com, with an interest expressed in virtual staff training. Furthermore, discussions addressed next priorities for systemwide resources, specifically streaming video options like Kanopy and hoopla, and digital news and newspaper content, with a focus on local news availability via ProQuest. There was also interest in digital literacy resources. Status updates were provided regarding The New York Times usage tracking and ongoing access/availability issues with CloudLibrary audiobooks related to a new provider transition.

The meeting agenda included several key discussions and actions. Discussions covered the Integrated Library System (ILS) Request for Proposal (RFP), including updates on vendor meetings (Innovative, OCLC, Millonex, ByWater, Civica) and the significant decision regarding whether the RFP must allow for self-hosting of the ILS, with a target go-live date of April 2027. The committee also discussed the migration of BC Analytics Reports from Jasper, addressing filtering and data refresh schedules. An action item involved approving the automated waiving of lost processing fees when lost items are returned, with consideration given to block retention settings. Another topic addressed reducing the number of print notices due to the failing folder/sealer machine, recommending continued print notices only for critical alerts like lost item notices and final overdues. Staff reports detailed progress on the Windows 11 deployment, PC ordering completion (noting minor hardware configuration issues), and efforts to resolve a billing issue with T-Mobile.