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

Wed May 11 12:21:20 EDT 2016

I would be interested in hearing what the other attendees heard, because
the meeting notes that I took myself say "conflict of interest with a
vendor being the point of contact."  I do not believe Chris made a
transcription error, I believe he wrote what she said nearly word for word.
Regardless of whether or not that is what she intended to say, that is what
she did say.

Perhaps the meetings should have audio recordings in the future.

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 Wed, May 11, 2016 at 11:56 AM, Mike Rylander <mrylander at gmail.com> wrote:

> Terran,
>
> If memory serves, the meeting was held during the middle of the day
> with a short, specific agenda based on agreement by the board.  I
> believe this was all discussed publicly, and there were several good
> reasons for the scheduling.  I think it was wedged into a lunch hour
> because that was all that was left to the board by the program
> committee. The IRC logs should be useful in explaining all of that,
> but IIRC it came down to, "late meetings are painful, and long
> meetings with open-ended agendas are likewise."  It was, to a degree,
> an experiment and I'm sure we'll improve on it next year.
>
> It's interesting that you assert as fact that the minutes are
> perfectly accurate, because I don't believe that is true, though not
> for the reason raised by Ruth. Please note that until the minutes are
> accepted by the board at the next meeting they are not recognized as
> fact, either.  Setting aside the fact that Tanya has said her words
> did not reflect her thoughts, the original line in question, as typed
> by Chris, does not match my recollection in terms of accuracy.  I'll
> be raising the issue at the next meeting, where it can actually be
> acted upon, but since you are asserting otherwise now I'll let
> everyone know what my concern is, so it can be considered before hand.
>
> Here is my issue with accuracy in the words of the record: I recall
> Tanya using the phrase "giving direction" with regard to "a vendor"
> but I don't recall her using the phrase "point of contact."  That
> difference between my recollection and the minutes as recorded by the
> secretary is concerning because the latter implies more specificity
> than the former.  In other words, what Chris typed implies Tanya was
> talking specifically about an official conference contact, but what I
> recall her actually saying implies no such thing, only that she was
> receiving direction.  Her clarification to several people suggests
> Chris' typing implies more meaning that was actually provided by
> Tanya, but the intent is materially beside the point of whether the
> words typed match the words spoken.  I don't believe they do.  They
> are, quite obviously, not a direct transcription of what Tanya said,
> which means they were interpreted by Chris before being recorded.
>
> I recorded this thought privately and shared it with another person
> approximately an hour after the minutes were posted, so I'm not
> working from far-removed memory here -- I noticed it immediately and
> noted it.  Since you have objected to amending the minutes in any way
> I feel I should bring up my concerns about the veracity of the record
> as it stands.
>
> To be clear, I am certain my complaint here is simply about a matter
> of transcription error and not intentional misrepresentation.  Chris,
> like all of us, is only human and we all make mistakes.  The
> straightforward process available to use to correct the minutes allows
> us to accept that fact.
>
> Thanks,
>
> --
> Mike Rylander
>  | President
>  | Equinox Software, Inc. / Open Your Library
>  | phone:  1-877-OPEN-ILS (673-6457)
>  | email:  miker at esilibrary.com
>  | web:  http://www.esilibrary.com
>
>
> 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.
> >
> > 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.
> >
> > 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.
> >
> >
> >
> > 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 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,  Our Rockin' Facebook Page,  and The Nettle
> Creek
> >>>>> Players
> >>>>>
> >>>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>>> eg-oversight-board mailing list
> >>>>> eg-oversight-board at list.evergreen-ils.org
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> http://list.evergreen-ils.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eg-oversight-board
> >>>>>
> >>>> _______________________________________________
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> >>>>
> >>>>
> http://list.evergreen-ils.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eg-oversight-board
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> _______________________________________________
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> >>>>
> >>>>
> http://list.evergreen-ils.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eg-oversight-board
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> 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,  Our Rockin' Facebook Page,  and The Nettle Creek
> >>> Players
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> eg-oversight-board mailing list
> >>> eg-oversight-board at list.evergreen-ils.org
> >>>
> http://list.evergreen-ils.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eg-oversight-board
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Grace Dunbar, Vice President
> >> Equinox - Open Your Library
> >> gdunbar at esilibrary.com
> >> 1-877-OPEN-ILS  |  www.esilibrary.com
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >> eg-oversight-board at list.evergreen-ils.org
> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
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> >
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> >
>
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