NOTICE

The next meeting of the Content Advisory Committee will be on March 30, 2023, at the OPLIN Office and online.  Contact Christine Morris, christine@oplin.ohio.gov, for more information, including meeting link and agenda.

Charter

In keeping with the purpose and goal of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) as defined in Ohio Revised Code 3375.64, OPLIN acquires access to electronic information resources, and develops electronic resources, for the use of all residents of Ohio. To assist in the selection of these information resources, the Board hereby charters a Content Advisory Committee.

I. Purposes

The committee is created for the purpose of working with the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Public Library Information Network to offer recommendations and provide information relevant to the electronic information resources purchased by OPLIN and shall limit its activities to advising on those matters only. It is the role and sole prerogative of the Board to enact policy regarding electronic information resources. The specific purposes of the Committee may include the following responsibilities:

  • Review current information resource needs;
  • Prioritize content for retention, weeding or replacement;
  • Prioritize content for possible addition;
  • Recommend configuration of content for delivery via the World Wide Web;
  • Recommend changes to OPLIN and/or vendor support of information resources, including statistics.

II. Membership

The advisory committee shall consist of ten (10) members and may not include any OPLIN Board members. Members serve voluntarily at the invitation of the OPLIN Director and will constitute a cross-section of the Ohio public library community including reference and public service managers in public libraries. Members shall be recruited from library systems that invest in content beyond what OPLIN provides. Membership will be reaffirmed by the OPLIN Board at the discretion of the OPLIN Director.

III. Relationship to Libraries Connect Ohio

This committee nominates five (5) of its members to be part of any Libraries Connect Ohio advisory committee, which would also include five members from OhioLINK and five members from INFOhio. Such a committee will meet as needed to define the core Ohio Web Library collection.

The OPLIN Board recognizes that purchasing information resources statewide through the Libraries Connect Ohio partnership (http://librariesconnectohio.org) is the most economical way to provide a core collection of information resources and library services that will help all Ohioans. The Board also recognizes, however, that the information needs of public libraries sometimes differ from the needs of libraries supporting the curriculum of a school or college. This committee will therefore define any additional information needs of public libraries, despite the fact that funding for resources in addition to the resources purchased for the Ohio Web Library may not exist at the time. Committee recommendations regarding the content of the Ohio Web Library collection will be used to inform the work of committee members serving on any Libraries Connect Ohio advisory committee.

IV. Procedural Rules

Meetings: Because this committee may make recommendations to the OPLIN Board regarding purchases, it may be considered a "public body" under Ohio's Open Records and Open Meetings laws; committee meetings will therefore be open to the public and conducted under section 121.22 of the Ohio Revised Code and any applicable temporary law. Notices of meetings will be posted on the OPLIN website in accordance with Ohio's Open Records and Open Meetings laws.

Quorum: A gathering of six or more members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.

Minutes: Minutes of each meeting shall be created by OPLIN staff attending the meeting. After review by the committee, they will be posted on the OPLIN website.

Recommendations and Reports: Committee recommendations and reports will be submitted to the OPLIN Board through the OPLIN Director. Recommendations will include both suggested action and justification for suggestions.

V. Review

This charter shall be reviewed at the request of the Board of Trustees or the Executive Director of the Ohio Public Library Information Network.

Adopted by the OPLIN Board October 11, 2013.

Amended by the OPLIN Board February 11, 2022.