Texas State Library and Archives Commission
February 13, 2018

Minutes

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission met on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, Liberty, Texas.

Commissioners Present:

Michael C. Waters, Chair

Sharon T. Carr, vice Chair

F. Lynwood Givens

Larry G. Holt

Martha Wong

 

 

Staff Present:

Mark Smith, Director and Librarian

Gloria Meraz, Assistant State Librarian

Donna Osborne, Chief Operations and Fiscal Officer

Jelain Chubb, Director, Archives and Information Services

Craig Kelso, Director, State and Local Records Management

Jennifer Peters, Director, Library Development and Networking

Ava Smith, Director, Talking Book Program

Steve Rapp, Director, Information Technology Services

Michael Ford, Operations Manager, Information Technology Services

Alana Inman, Manager, Sam Houston Center

Tracy Kuhn Lash, Executive Assistant

 

 

Guests:

Alice McAfee, Office of the Attorney General

Dana Braccia, Texas Library Association

Wendy Woodland, Texas Library Association

Sandra J. Pickett

Donna Warren

Frank Marcopolos, State Office of Risk Management

Jacqueline Baynard, State Office of Risk Management

 

 
  1. Welcome, introductions, and general announcements.

    Chairman Waters called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m., welcomed everyone to the meeting, and said the commission is pleased to be in Liberty to see all the work done at the Sam Houston Center. He welcomed Sandra Pickett to the meeting saying it was a pleasure having her attend the meeting and thanked her for all the work she has done for the agency.  Mark Smith also welcomed the commission to the Center, thanked staff for all the work they did in preparation for the meetings in Liberty, and thanked Ms. Pickett for her guidance over the years. He said it was wonderful that the commission has the opportunity to see this great asset to the state firsthand.
     
  2.  Consideration of commemorative resolutions.

    Mark Smith read a commemorative resolution honoring Donna Warren who retired from agency service December 31, 2017. Commissioner Holt moved to approve the resolution. Vice Chair Carr seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Ms. Warren said it was an honor to have served the agency.
     
  3. Approve minutes of November 6, 2017 Commission Meeting.

    Vice Chair Carr moved to approve the minutes of the November 6, 2017 Commission meeting. Commissioner Wong seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
     
  4. Public Comment. There was no public comment at this time.
     
  5. Conflict of interest disclosures. No conflicts were disclosed.
     
  6. Review of consent agenda: non-substantive corrections in other agenda items such as spelling, numbering, punctuation, grammar, or other revisions. No corrections were noted.
     
  7. Report on current status and future plans for renovation and repair work at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center.

    Jelain Chubb and Alana Inman presented a written report on the progress of repairs and museum renovation at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center. Responding to questions from Commissioner Wong, Ms. Chubb said that the public is allowed to use certain areas at the Center as long as that use is an educational purpose. She also said that the Center could have a list of caterers but not an exclusive list as some art museums do for special events. Commissioner Wong commended the staff on the work done to renovate and improve the Center and said that the new museum is beautiful and well done.  Responding to Commissioner Wong’s concerns about the condition and exterior appearance of the Jean and Price Daniel House, Ms. Chubb said that the pre-bid process for cleaning and painting the building was underway with the Texas Facilities Commission and predicted that exterior work would begin in late spring or summer.

    Responding to a question from Commissioner Holt, Ms. Chubb said that landscaping of Center grounds had been on hold while all the drainage work was completed and that low maintenance trees, plants, and grasses are planned. Commissioner Holt said the Daniel house architecture begs for azaleas. Commissioner Givens noted that the drainage work looked good but he expressed concern about water under the buildings that he had observed. Ms. Chubb said that gutters and moisture barriers were planned for the historic buildings. No action required.
     
  8. Review and approve contracts greater than $100,000, and contract renewals and amendments.

    Jelain Chubb requested approval to extend a contract with the Texas Facilities Commission to continue work on the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center until August 31, 2019. Commissioner Givens moved to approve the contract extension. Vice Chair Carr seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
     
  9. Review and approve acceptance of grants and gifts greater than $500.

    Donna Osborne requested acceptance of a $500 gift from Mrs. Linda Dunn of Houston in appreciation for the services of the Talking Book Program. Vice Chair Carr moved to accept the gift. Commissioner Givens seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
     
  10. Report on the status of cell tower lease at State Records Center.

    Donna Osborne recapped that in November the commission authorized agency staff to work with legal counsel to determine if the agency needs to contract for external legal services to negotiate a new agreement for the cell tower lease at TSLAC’s property on Shoal Creek Boulevard in Austin. Alice McAfee informed the commission that the General Land Office is responsible for negotiating such leases for the state. She has been in contact with GLO staff who indicated that they are aware of the need to renegotiate in 2021. Commissioner Wong asked for information on the GLO track record of negotiation to determine how successful the GLO is in negotiating cell tower leases across the state. Commissioner Holt said it would be beneficial for the commission if GLO staff could outline the issues that are negotiated in a lease as well as some idea of market standards for cell phone tower leases.

    Chairman Waters asked that GLO staff attend the June 4, 2018 commission meeting and do a presentation to the commission. Commissioner Wong asked Ms. McAfee to inform the GLO staff of her concerns and interest. No action required.
     
  11. Report on status of agency information technology.

    Steve Rapp updated the commission on projects in the Information Technology Services Division including staffing. He had hoped to be fully staffed by this commission meeting but could report that hiring of two employees recently had already produced results in moving projects forward. He is working with Austin Community College to set up an unpaid internship program which would be part of technology coursework. Commissioner Wong suggested staff consider short-term summer internships and recommended staff contact the University of Texas, Texas State University, and Texas A&M University. Responding to a question from Commissioner Holt, Mark Smith said that the agency has internships in other areas of the agency including in the Executive office, Archives and Information Services, and Library Development and Networking. No action required.
     
  12. Demonstration of electronic meeting materials for future commission meetings.

    Steve Rapp, Tracy Lash, and Michael Ford provided information and a demonstration of a proposed electronic system for commission meeting materials as opposed to the current system of paper contained in binders. Mr. Rapp noted that when he joined the agency in the fall of 2017, the agency was considering purchasing an online board meeting package at a cost of approximately $7,000 annually. He reviewed this product’s functionality and meeting-related issues and suggested a less costly in-house version using a tabbed PDF version developed at his former state agency.

    After the demonstration and questions from the commission, Mark Smith noted that this in-house solution will save money, but that if a need for more functionality is determined, staff will revisit the issue. Chairman Waters said the commission looks forward to moving into this phase. No action required.
     
  13. Discussion of August Commission meeting date.

    After discussion, the commission agreed to hold its August meeting on August 1, 2018 in Austin. Chairman Waters asked staff to include a discussion of future meeting dates on its April 3, 2018 meeting agenda.
     
  14. Report on agency space needs.

    Mark Smith reported that the agency’s storage capacity at the State Records Center has become more urgent due to the possible acquisition of a large project and possibly as much as an additional 200,000 cubic feet of records due to the removal of a major private-sector records storage contractor from the state’s approved contractor list. He presented a list of five possible options to address the issue. Responding to questions from the commission, Craig Kelso said that even if the private vendor remains on contract with the state, the State Records Center will be full by the end of the year or in early 2019.Commissioner Wong asked why the agency is trying to compete with private industry. At this point in the meeting, 10:00 a.m., Chairman Waters called a break and told Commissioner Wong staff would respond to her question after a break. The meeting resumed at 10:15 a.m.

    Mr. Kelso said that until 2006 all state agencies were required to store their records at the SRC when it reached capacity. At that time, the state allowed agencies to use private vendors on contract to provide records management services. TSLAC services have consistently been less expensive and offered better customer service than private vendors and have always received high marks from state agencies, according to Mr. Kelso who added that a number of state agencies currently using private vendors would like to move records to the SRC. Besides cost savings, the advantage for the state to store records at the SRC is that TSLAC requires agencies to practice records management which private vendors do not. Records management practices save the state money.

    Commissioner Wong said her philosophy of government is the less the better and if private industry can do a good job they should perform the job rather than expanding government. Mark Smith said that if the agency did not offer these services, especially if the state loses a vendor, state agencies would be at a distinct disadvantage, would be paying more for records storage and receiving diminished service. Furthermore, Mr. Kelso said some agencies would begin their own records management programs with storage which would ultimately lead to government expansion and increased costs. Commissioner Holt said he shares the philosophy of not expanding government but that records management is a core government function which has existed since the days of the Republic. He said it is advantageous for the state to have control over the environment where records are stored, noting that one of the complaints about the private vendor being that they had lost records.

    Donna Osborne said that the Texas Facilities Commission had found that agencies were using expensive office space for storage rather than using the more efficient and cost-effective TSLAC records management services.

    After further discussion, Chairman Waters said he has asked management to bring their sharpened recommendations to the April 3 commission meeting.
     
  15. Report of the Director and Librarian.

    Mark Smith introduced Wendy Woodland, Director of Advocacy and Communication for the Texas Library Association, noting that TLA Executive Director Dana Braccia was present earlier in the meeting. Mark Smith provided a written report to the commission on agency activities and initiatives since the last meeting, provided additional updates, and answered questions from the commission. He reported that since his written report the Sunset Review Commission staff have established dates to begin the agency’s Sunset Review. Sunset staff will attend the next commission meeting which will be held April 3 during the Texas Library Association Annual Conference in Dallas. The Sunset staff will also hold a forum with Texas library leaders at the conference. Commissioner Wong said she wants to make sure that university level and medical schools as well as home schooled families provide input to the Sunset Commission on the breadth and depth of what TSLAC offers these constituents. Director Smith also informed the commission that two major projects are on track: the broadband project funded by the 85th Texas Legislature is on target for signing up 100 libraries to apply for federal e-rate funding and the Talking Book Program’s automation project is on track to be implemented in April. No action required on this item.
     
  16. Review and renew the designation of the Friends of Libraries and Archives of Texas as a “friend” of the State Library and Archives Commission.

    Mark Smith 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 noting that the Friends have been so designated since 1997. Vice Chair Carr moved to approve the request. Commissioner Wong seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
     
  17. Authorization to adopt amended rule 13 TAC §4.1, including the revised School Library Programs: Standards and Guidelines for Texas.

    Jennifer Peters requested authorization to adopt amended rule 13 TAC §4.1, including the revised School Library Programs: Standards and Guidelines for Texas, and authorization for publication in the Texas Register. The commission approved posting the proposed amended rule at its November 6, 2017 meeting. No comments were received when the proposed amendment was posted in the Texas Register from November 24, 2017 through January 18, 2018. Vice Chair Carr moved to approve the adoption. Commissioner Holt seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
     
  18. Discussion of and presentation by the State Office of Risk Management (SORM) on insuring agency assets.

    Donna Osborne provided a report and answered questions on the insurance products purchased by the agency and introduced Frank Marcopolos of the State Office of Risk Management (SORM) who recently conducted an on-site consultation for the agency’s Austin facilities and will conduct the same service at the Liberty facilities after the commission meeting. Mr. Marcopolos presented information on risk financing, insurance, and trends in risk management to help the commission manage the agency’s risks. Ms. Osborne said that his reports from the site visits and a recommended agency action plan will be presented at the April 3, 2018 meeting.
     
  19. Report on agency financial information.

    Donna Osborne presented a report on agency financial information and responded to questions on the report. No action required.
     
  20. Executive Session under the Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 551, including but not limited to §551.089, deliberation regarding security devices or security audits.

    Chairman Waters called the commission into Executive Session at 11:12 a.m. and returned to open session at 11:41 a.m. Chairman Waters said no action was taken during the Executive Session.

    There being no further business to come before the commission, Chairman Waters adjourned the meeting at 11:42 a.m.

 

Page last modified: April 16, 2018