Evaluation and Planning Report - Advisory Board response

To: Jim Scheppke, Oregon State Librarian
Patty Sorensen, Chair, LSTA Advisory Council
Molly Raphael, Director, Multnomah County Library
Sharon Klemp, Reference Coordinator, Multnomah County Library
Caleb Tucker-Raymond, L-net Program Coordinator

From: Ruth Vondracek, Chair, L-net Advisory Board

Date: October 15, 2004
Re: L-net Evaluation and Planning Report

On behalf of the L-net Advisory Board I'm writing to you to report that the
L-net Advisory Board has reviewed L-net Evaluation and Planning Report
(http://www.oregonlibraries.net/2004report.pdf), the LSTA-mandated, external
evaluation report completed by D. L. Cohen Information Services in August 2004.
The Board was pleased by the thoroughness of the report and generally concurs
with the recommendations contained in it. We have already taken steps to address
some of the concerns in the report, and we will be working to implement others.
We do disagree in part or in sum with a few of the recommendations. The comments
below summarize our response.

Recommendation 1 - A clear mission for L-net should be established with specific
measurable objectives. The Board concurs. In the summer we completed drafting
the L-net Advisory Board Charge and Structure. Our vision statement is included
in that document. We will now begin to develop a mission statement, goals, and
measurable objectives.

Recommendation 2 - Elements of the L-net infrastructure need to be charged with
specific responsibilities and powers. The Board concurs.

- The L-net advisory board should become a governing board / council. The
Board strongly disagrees. We believe it would be problematic for the Board
to govern the project when there is a fiscal agent who manages the budget
and employs the Program Coordinator. The Board believes the Advisory Board
should advise the fiscal agent and the Program Coordinator on behalf of
Oregon libraries.

- The role of the L-net fiscal agent should be more clearly defined. The
Board concurs. We recommend that the fiscal agent be the governing body
for the service and that the fiscal agent take a strong leadership role on
the project, serve actively on the Advisory Board, provide strong fiscal,
technical, and administrative support to the Program Coordinator and staff,
and be an advocate and promoter to key players throughout the state in
order to ensure success of the program.

- Include front-line librarians on the advisory board. The Board concurs.
This is already being done.

- Establish the following teams... The Board concurs in part. As stated in
L-net Advisory Board Charge and Structure, we may appoint committees as
needed to do the ongoing work of the Board for the purpose of deepening
and strengthening the service. In establishing committees, the Board will
assign finite charges, goals, objectives, and timelines for completion of
work. We believe at this time that the program should focus its efforts on
both internal and external marketing. Internal marketing to participating
libraries will help address the communication problems within the program,
and external marketing would focus on capturing a broader audience.

- The Program Coordinator should monitor and nurture the teams. The Board
concurs.

- In addition to the above points in Recommendation 2, the Board recommends
that the Oregon State Library work more closely with the fiscal agent, the
Program Coordinator, and the Advisory Board to create stronger leadership
for L-net.

Recommendation 3- The Program Coordinator is encouraged to share information in
a more systematic manner. The Board concurs.

Recommendations 4-17 - Team charges. See our response to Recommendation 2, 4th
bullet

Recommendation 18 - Budget. The Board concurs, and on September 17, 2004 sent a
letter to the LSTA Advisory Council in support of a budget increase for the
program.

The Advisory Board will continue to move forward on the recommendations as
described above. We look forward to your comments concerning our response.

Thank you,

Ruth Vondracek, Chair- L-net Advisory Board

Ruth Vondracek Ruth.Vondracek@oregonstate.edu
Head of Reference & Instruction voicemail: (541) 737-9273
Oregon State University fax: (541) 737-8224
121 The Valley Library
Corvallis, OR 97331