Texas State Library and Archives Commission
April 24, 2013

Minutes

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission met on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at the Omni Hotel, 1300 Houston Street, Fort Worth, Texas.

Commissioners Present:

Michael C. Waters, chairman

Sharon T. Carr, vice chairman

Martha Doty Freeman

F. Lynwood Givens

Wm. Scott McAfee

Sandra J. Pickett

 
Commissioners Absent:

Larry G. Holt

 
Staff Present:

Edward Seidenberg, interim director and librarian

Jelain Chubb, director, Archives and Information Services

Craig Kelso, director, State and Local Records Management

Deborah Littrell, director, Library Development and Networking

Ava Smith, director, Talking Book Program

Tracy Kuhn Lash, executive assistant

 
Guests:

Gloria Meraz, Texas Library Association

Joe Thrash, Office of the Attorney General

Susan Mann, Hillsboro Public Library

Pat Tuohy, Connecting Texas Libraries Statewide, Inc. (CTLS)

Laurie Mahaffey, Connecting Texas Libraries Statewide, Inc. (CTLS)

 

Chairman Waters called the meeting to order at 8:45 a.m. and welcomed everyone to the meeting.

  1. Approve minutes of February 11, 2013 Audit Committee and Commission Meetings.

Commissioner Carr moved to approve commission meeting minutes of February 11, 2013. Commissioner McAfee seconded. Motion passed. Commissioner Carr moved to approve the Audit Committee meeting minutes of February 11, 2013. Commissioner McAfee seconded. Motion passed.

  1. Introductions. No introductions at this time.
  1. Public comment. Pat Tuohy provided an update on the status and activities of Connecting Texas Libraries Statewide, Inc., a nonprofit that provides services to libraries statewide. Commissioner Freeman invited Ms. Tuohy to keep the commission up-to-date on CTLS activities.
  1. General announcements. Chairman Waters and Vice Chair Carr commended the agency’s work on the William Barret Travis “Victory or Death” Letter display at the Alamo earlier in the year, calling it a wonderful display of public service.
  1. Conflict of interest disclosures. There were no disclosures.
  1. Approval of commemorative resolutions.

Edward Seidenberg requested approval for commemorative resolutions thanking the entities that provided security and support during the display of the William Barret Travis “Victory or Death” Letter at the Alamo earlier in the year. Commissioner Carr moved to approve the resolutions for the Alamo Rangers, staff of the Alamo, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Alamo Executive Administrator. Commissioner Pickett seconded. Motion passed. Commissioners asked Mr. Seidenberg to write letters to other agencies and persons who participated or provided support for the display and to agency staff.

  1. Review of consent agenda: non-substantive corrections in other agenda items such as spelling, numbering, punctuation, grammar, or other revisions. A non-substantive correction noted.
  1. Review and approve Audit Committee recommendations regarding the Internal Auditor Procurement Process.

Commissioner McAfee reported that the Audit Committee approved a directive for the committee and certain agency staff to proceed with evaluation and selection of internal auditor applicant responses and to select no more than three qualified respondents to make presentations to the committee and/or full commission at the June 3, 2013, meeting. He recommended approval to the commission. No second required. Motion passed.

  1. Report of Legislative Committee.

Vice Chair Carr reported on the commission’s Legislative Committee activities during the 83rd Legislature and thanked everyone for the work they are doing to advance the cause of libraries and archives in Texas.

Gloria Meraz thanked commissioners for their work and support during the session and provided an update on Texas Library Association legislative activities. The association will continue to communicate to the legislature the importance of support for obtaining the agency’s Maintenance of Effort waiver from the federal government.

  1. Review of the status of legislation, appropriations, and other issues from the Texas Legislature and the federal government for SFY 2014 and 2015.

Edward Seidenberg provided an update and responded to questions on the status of agency budget requests and proposed legislation that could affect the agency.

  1. Review and approve acceptance of grants, and gifts greater than $500.

Ava Smith presented five gifts received by the Talking Book Program from patrons or relatives of patrons totaling $14,193.35 as follows:

  • Two gifts were received in memory of Mrs. Vera DeShazer, who was a patron from Richardson, Texas. A gift of $500 was received on February 14, 2013 from Jean Claude and Elizabeth Saade of Dallas, Texas.  A second gift of $500 was received on February 19, 2013 from the donor’s company, Cambridge Real Estate Holdings, Inc. of Dallas, Texas.
  • A gift of $500 was received on March 26, 2013, from Josephine Kuffel of Crowley, Texas.
  • A gift of $3,500 was received on April 4, 2013, a bequest from the estate of Alexander F. Imlay, Jr. of Houston, Texas, who had been a patron since 1972.
  • A gift of $9,193.35 was received on April 10, 2013, a bequest from the estate of Mrs. Glenna Stuckey of Edinburgh, who had been a patron since 1993.
  1. Review and approve contracts greater than $100,000.

Ava Smith requested approval to procure services for a feasibility study to upgrade and modernize the Talking Book Program’s library automation system from a Department of Information Resources-approved vendors in a not-to-exceed amount of $200,000. She said funding would come from the agency’s Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant from the federal government. Commissioner Givens recommended using a commercially available system which is less costly to maintain and upgrade. Commissioner Freeman asked for information on how LSTA funds are allowed to be spent. Responding to a question from Commissioner Pickett, Ms. Smith said that once a system or product is identified, funding would be provided in a variety of sources including gift and grant money but the agency might possibly have to request additional funds at the next legislative session.

Chairman Waters recessed the meeting at 10:02 a.m. for a break and called the meeting back to order at 10:19 a.m.

Commissioner McAfee moved to approve the contract as requested with additional language in the RFP. Commissioner Carr seconded. Commissioner Freeman recommended that the agency steer clear of using federal funds that would hamstring other agency programs. Commissioner Givens asked to see a plan on funding for the project. Motion passed with five in favor and one opposed.

  1. Report of the Director and Librarian.

Edward Seidenberg provided a written report of agency activities and initiatives and answered questions regarding the report.

  1. Review and approve adoption of agency rule review timeline.

Edward Seidenberg requested approval to publish a proposed timeline for agency rule review for the next four years in the Texas Register as follows:

Plan for Review of Agency Rules:

  • Chapter 9 Talking Book Program
     
  • Chapter 7 Local Records
     
  • Chapter 2 General Policies and Procedures
     
  • Chapter 4 School Library Programs
     
  • Chapter 1 Library Development
     
  • Chapter 6 State Records
     
  • Chapter 3 State Publications Depository Program
     
  • Chapter 8 TexShare Library Consortium

Complete By:

  • October 31, 2014
     
  • August 31, 2015
     
  • August 31, 2015
     
  • June 30, 2016
     
  • June 30, 2016
     
  • March 31, 2017
     
  • April 30, 2017
     
  • June 30, 2017
 

Commissioner McAfee moved to approve. Commissioner Carr seconded. Motion passed.

  1. Report on Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP)

Deborah Littrell provided a report on the agency’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) which was awarded in August 2010 in the amount of $11,6722,886 from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration and answered questions about the report.

  1. Review of Maintenance of Effort waiver plans.

Deborah Littrell updated the commission on the agency’s preparations for an application for a waiver from the federal Maintenance of Effort requirement for FY 2014. She provided a copy of the agency’s initial draft application and asked for comments. A draft application will be sent to the Institute of Museum and Library Services by May 15. The final draft will be provided at the June 3, 2013, commission meeting.

  1. Report on the State and Local Records Management Division; review and approve the FY 2014 fee schedules related to records storage and imaging services.

Craig Kelso presented the FY 2014 fee schedule for records storage and imaging services at the State Records Center and answered questions regarding the schedule. Commissioner Carr moved to approve the fee schedule. Commissioner Givens seconded. Motion passed. Commissioner Freeman requested regular reports on the revenue collected from records center services.

  1. Report on the Archives & Information Services Division.

Jelain Chubb reported on plans to provide additional storage for archival records as directed by the 82nd Legislature and on issues at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty. Chairman Waters said that he will appoint a three-commissioner committee at the June 3 commission meeting, to address the Sam Houston Center’s issues.

  1. Authorization to adopt rule review of Chapter 3 (State Publications Depository Program).

Jelain Chubb requested authorization to adopt rule review of Chapter 3 (State Publications Depository Program). The reasons for the rules do continue to exist, notably the acquisition of state publications and the need to make them accessible to the public, she said. Commissioner Carr moved to approve. Commissioner McAfee seconded. Motion passed.

  1. Discussion of the status of historical documents related to William Barret Travis.

Jelain Chubb presented a preservation report on the William Barret Travis “Victory or Death” Letter exhibit consisting of environmental conditions before, during and after the exhibit at the Alamo earlier this year and the impact of those conditions on the document. Commissioner McAfee asked staff to provide specific data on differences in the document before and after the exhibit to the commission at the next meeting.

  1. Review and renew the designation of the Friends of Libraries and Archives of Texas as a “friend” of the TSLA Commission.

Edward Seidenberg asked the commission to renew the designation of the Friends of Libraries and Archives of Texas as a “friend” of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission as required by statute. Commissioner Carr moved to approve the designation. Commissioner Freeman seconded. Motion passed.

  1. Reports on agency staffing and financial information.

Edward Seidenberg presented a report on agency staffing and financial information and answered questions on the reports. Chairman Waters asked staff to provide more detail in the Other Operating Expense category.

At this point in the meeting, Chairman Waters called the commission into Executive Session as authorized by Texas Government Code §551.071, and §551.074, regarding consultations with attorney and personnel matters, respectively. The time was 11:46 a.m.

  1. Executive session, as authorized by Texas Government Code §551.071, and §551.074, regarding consultations with attorney and personnel matters, respectively.

At 12:07 p.m., the commission returned to open session and Chairman Waters took up agenda item 23.

  1. Discussion of the status of the recruitment of a Director-Librarian.

Commissioner McAfee moved to adopt a Revised Timeline for Hiring a New Director-Librarian including reposting the position for Director-Librarian. Commissioner Carr seconded. Motion passed.

There being no further business before the commission, Chairman Waters adjourned the meeting at 12:11 p.m.

 

Submitted by,

 

Edward Seidenberg

Interim Director and Librarian

 

Page last modified: June 17, 2013