[Eg-oversight-board] Proposed amendment to EOB meeting minutes

Grace Dunbar gdunbar at esilibrary.com
Wed May 11 12:15:23 EDT 2016 

Hil,

On Wed, May 11, 2016 at 11:10 AM, Terran McCanna <
tmccanna at georgialibraries.org> wrote:

> I attended the meeting last year and it was significantly longer and
> scheduled at the end of the day so that all topics could be addressed
> without rushing. I do not recall how long the meeting was the year before
> in Boston, but I do not recall it being rushed either. I am unclear as to
> why this year's meeting was only scheduled for 45 minutes during a lunch
> break. Since this is the only time that the entire board (or most of it)
> meets in person per year, I feel that it's the most important meeting of
> the year. In the future, I feel that sufficient time should be scheduled to
> allow all issues to be fully addressed, to allow any non-Board members to
> speak / introduce 'other business' if it is not on the agenda, and to allow
> new board members (like myself) a smoother introduction to roles,
> responsibilities, and meeting process.
>

The EOB is somewhat at the mercy of the space available at the
conferences.  After the meeting last year the EOB requested that we *not*
have the meeting at the end of the day as they felt it was less productive
after a long and draining day.  Also, recall that in past years much of the
in person meetings were devoted to officer elections which we removed from
the docket this year.  I agree that the 45 minute lunch time frame was not
ideal.  Finding an ideal time for all Board members can, however, be very
challenging.


>
> I also feel that for future annual meetings, the conference host(s) should
> automatically be offered a place on the agenda. It is the best opportunity
> we have to discuss what worked and what didn't so that we can give the
> following year's host/planning committee the support they need to put on a
> successful conference, and to avoid running into the same issues.
>

Actually, this is something that should be done in committee.  The standing
Conference Committee is the body that should be meeting with the conference
hosts to compile a report which they would then deliver to the EOB -
probably not at the meeting at the conference but at the following
meeting.  It is also important to try to have representatives from next
year's conference hosts attend that meeting with the Conference Committee.
This was, unfortunately, not done this year.  But I do feel fortunate that
Chauncey is on the host committee for 2017 and he was on the Conference
Committee this past year so he has a good foundation.  But, there is always
room for improvement!


>
> Considering both of these things, as well as the fact that the meeting
> notes recorded by the secretary do accurately reflect what was said during
> the meeting, and my firm belief that it is unethical to change the notes to
> reflect post-meeting side conversations that were not public and did not
> involve the entire Board, I have a counterproposal:
>

> I propose that the meeting notes remain as is, but that we also invite
> Tanya to attend the next EOB meeting and give her the opportunity to fully
> discuss the problems she encountered leading up to the conference and what
> we can do better in the lead up to future conferences. If she is
> unavailable, or if she is not comfortable communicating within the
> constraints of the IRC environment, then I propose that she be asked to
> submit a written statement expanding on what she said at the last meeting
> so that it can go on record in an open and transparent manner.
>

A few brief things to clarify some of the issues at play.
1.) Yes, the minutes reflect the words that Tanya said at that meeting
(with the potential exception of what Mike recalls differently).  However,
her immediate actions after the meeting were to find people and say that we
interpreted it wrong and that's not what she meant.  So, I believe she
should be allowed to correct that.  And, for the record, I don't want to
*change* the original minutes - I want to insert a correction into the
original minutes - just a * that says, "Tanya later requested that her
statement be clarified  thusly". <insert new wording>  Sorry if I wasn't
clear on that.  Obviously the original minutes should reflect what was
said, not always what was intended to be said.  We can't change history.

2.) The statement that Ruth proposed for the amendment was from Tanya
though I freely admit that I asked her if she would like to correct the
record since she felt the need to clarify it with several of us privately.

3.) Lastly, as Kathy mentions, a discussion like the one you mention is the
purview of the Conference Committee, not the whole EOB.  This is the whole
reason we have subcommittees.  I will happily appoint a subcommittee of EOB
members to get a detailed conference report from Tanya's team.  I would
appoint Amy, Garry, and Sharon if they would consent to being tasked with
that action.

Also, I would remind everyone that all EOB communication is subject to
examination by the EOB upon request.  I would happily turn over every email
that I sent in regard to the 2016 conference (or any EOB matter) should
anyone desire that detail.

Thanks for all your thoughts on this, Terran!  I appreciate the time you
took to think about the issues and how we can be better.  There are
certainly many things that can be improved in all of our processes and we
continue to learn as we go along.

Cheers!
Grace


>
>
>
> Terran McCanna
> PINES Program Manager
> Georgia Public Library Service
> 1800 Century Place, Suite 150
> Atlanta, GA 30345
> 404-235-7138
> tmccanna at georgialibraries.org
>
>
> On Mon, May 2, 2016 at 9:02 AM, Grace Dunbar <gdunbar at esilibrary.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I think a few things factored into this need for a correction to the
>> minutes.
>>
>> We had a very full agenda
>> <http://wiki.evergreen-ils.org/doku.php?id=governance:minutes:2016-4-21>
>> for that meeting which was only 45 minutes as opposed to our normal 60
>> minutes.  Tanya approached me just before the meeting started to request a
>> slot on the agenda.  I initially declined due to the late request and full
>> agenda but she was politely insistent and requested "two minutes", so I
>> added her to the agenda.  When she spoke, I recognized that her agenda item
>> should be given fuller attention/discussion by the Board but I didn't want
>> to sacrifice everything else on the agenda to get into those particulars.
>> There is the compounding factor that getting into a discussion about
>> perceived conflicts of interest and issues the conference committee had
>> this year has the potential for embarrassing or damaging the local
>> committee, as well as other vendors and organizations.
>>
>> Tanya sought me out immediately after the meeting to clarify her comments
>> and I found out later that she did the same with others.  Since she felt
>> the need to clarify her words I suggested that we propose a correction and
>> Ruth worked with Tanya to revise the wording.  In a pressure situation our
>> words sometimes come out wrong, especially when we're trying to reflect on
>> complex issues in a compressed time frame.  In my opinion, giving Tanya the
>> opportunity to clarify her own words is not only acceptable, but necessary.
>>
>> -Grace
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Apr 30, 2016 at 7:08 PM, Ruth Frasur <
>> director at hagerstownlibrary.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Agree to all the points made.  I think we'll have a good discussion at
>>> the next meeting and come to a decision that's wise, amenable, and
>>> reflective of the spirit of our community.  Thanks all.
>>>
>>> On Sat, Apr 30, 2016 at 1:20 PM, Amy Terlaga <terlaga at biblio.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I agree with Terran.  The original wording matches up with my memory of
>>>> the meeting.  I'm sympathetic to Tanya's situation - she meant to put it
>>>> better than she did.  So a clarification to what was said would make sense
>>>> to me.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks, Ruth, for bringing this to the Board's attention.
>>>>
>>>> +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
>>>> Amy Terlaga
>>>> Director of Member Services
>>>> Bibliomation
>>>> 24 Wooster Avenue
>>>> Waterbury, CT 06708
>>>> terlaga at biblio.org
>>>> 203-577-4070 x101
>>>>
>>>> On Apr 29, 2016, at 5:43 PM, Terran McCanna <
>>>> tmccanna at georgialibraries.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Since these conversations took place outside of the meeting, they
>>>> should not alter the official meeting record. I am particularly concerned
>>>> by the change in wording regarding the conflict of interest issue, since
>>>> the new wording puts a very different slant on the problem than the
>>>> original did, and on what I witnessed Tanya say during that meeting.
>>>>
>>>> I would be willing to consider an addendum to the record only if it is
>>>> approved by Tanya, but I am opposed to any change of the original wording.
>>>>
>>>> Terran McCanna
>>>> PINES Program Manager
>>>> Georgia Public Library Service
>>>> 1800 Century Place, Suite 150
>>>> Atlanta, GA 30345
>>>> 404-235-7138
>>>> tmccanna at georgialibraries.org
>>>> On Apr 29, 2016 1:27 PM, "Ruth Frasur" <director at hagerstownlibrary.org>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Dear EOB members,
>>>>>
>>>>> During the EOB meeting at the 2016 Evergreen International Conference,
>>>>> Tanya Prokrym expressed concerns related to the conference planning
>>>>> experience.  Following that meeting, Tanya clarified her comments in
>>>>> conversations (via face to face interactions and/or email) with Grace
>>>>> Dunbar, Yamil Suarez, Amy Terlaga, and myself.
>>>>>
>>>>> Based on her clarification and with her input, I proposed that the
>>>>> minutes from the EOB meeting be amended as follows.
>>>>>
>>>>> *Current language*
>>>>>
>>>>> Issues for 2016's conference / Tanya
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>    - Emails that created extra stress
>>>>>    - Need to look at relationship between EOB, SFC, and Conference
>>>>>    committee
>>>>>    - Not provided with a clear set of expectations about who had
>>>>>    authority to do what
>>>>>    - Didn’t know the right questions to ask
>>>>>    - Sponsorships
>>>>>    - Conflict of interest to have a point of contact be a vendor
>>>>>
>>>>> *Proposed Amended Language*
>>>>>
>>>>> Issues for 2016's conference/Tanya
>>>>>
>>>>>    - Email threads that were contradictory or confusing which created
>>>>>    stress
>>>>>    - Should examine the conference structure and clarify the
>>>>>    roles/authority of the EOB, SFC, Conference Committee, and Host Committee
>>>>>     to manage expectations and clarify procedures
>>>>>    - External pressure from some vendors and other organizations was
>>>>>    levied against the local  conference committee claiming conflict of
>>>>>    interest due to the host committee's vendor relationship
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Ruth Frasur
>>>>> Director of the Historic(ally Awesome) Hagerstown - Jefferson Township
>>>>> Library
>>>>> 10 W. College Street in Hagerstown, Indiana (47346)
>>>>> p (765) 489-5632; f (765) 489-5808
>>>>>
>>>>> *Our Kickin' Website <http://hagerstownlibrary.org>,  Our Rockin'
>>>>> Facebook Page <http://facebook.com/hjtplibrary>,  and The Nettle Creek
>>>>> Players <http://nettlecreekplayers.com>*
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>> eg-oversight-board at list.evergreen-ils.org
>>>>>
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>>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Ruth Frasur
>>> Director of the Historic(ally Awesome) Hagerstown - Jefferson Township
>>> Library
>>> 10 W. College Street in Hagerstown, Indiana (47346)
>>> p (765) 489-5632; f (765) 489-5808
>>>
>>> *Our Kickin' Website <http://hagerstownlibrary.org>,  Our Rockin'
>>> Facebook Page <http://facebook.com/hjtplibrary>,  and The Nettle Creek
>>> Players <http://nettlecreekplayers.com>*
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> eg-oversight-board mailing list
>>> eg-oversight-board at list.evergreen-ils.org
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>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Grace Dunbar, Vice President
>> Equinox - Open Your Library
>> gdunbar at esilibrary.com
>> 1-877-OPEN-ILS  |  www.esilibrary.com
>>
>>
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>
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-- 
Grace Dunbar, Vice President
Equinox - Open Your Library
gdunbar at esilibrary.com
1-877-OPEN-ILS  |  www.esilibrary.com
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