Minutes – December 12, 2025

Welcome and Call to Order

The two hundred eighth meeting of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at 10:01 ᴀ.ᴍ. on Friday, December 12, 2025 by Board Vice Chair Bill Lane.

Attending virtually via Zoom: OPLIN Board members Michael Butler, Jenny Eyink, Bill Lane, Mohamed Ragheb, Jennifer Reynard, Brad Stephens, CJ Stephens, Shawn Walsh, and Meredith Wickham; Jessica Dooley, Christine Morris, Laura Solomon, Don Yarman, and Derek Zoladz (OPLIN); Stephanie Herriott, Mandy Knapp, and Jamie Pardee (State Library); Jay Smith (Ohio Library Council).

Approval of the Agenda

CJ Stephens moved to approve the agenda as presented; Michael Butler seconded. There was no discussion, so the Vice Chair asked if there were any objections or abstentions. Hearing none, the motion passed unanimously.

Public Participation

The Chair called for public participation.

Mandy Knapp reported that the State Library Board approved a host of LSTA projects; a press release is forthcoming. The State Library is pursuing a high-capacity storage solution for its high-value/low-use collections. Knapp discussed the impact of the recent government shutdown, as well the decision of the Digital Public Library of America to spin-off the cultural heritage project to the Cleveland Public Library. The State Library has worked with some outside parties to form the State Library of Ohio Foundation. The State Library is in discussions with Westerville Public Library to take over management of the SearchOhio service. Finally, Knapp announced that the State Library would have a memorial reception January 9 for former State Librarian Beverly Cain.

Jay Smith provided updates on the Public Library Fund distribution and legislative changes, including the passage of bills affecting local property taxes and county budget commissions, and announced an upcoming webinar for further legislative updates.

Approval of the Minutes

Meredith Wickham moved to approve the minutes of the October 10, 2025 meeting as presented; Mohamed Ragheb seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

Acceptance of the Financial Reports

Don Yarman reported that the organization started the fiscal year, and is projected to end it, with $1.9 million in reserves, equivalent to a year's worth of E-rate funding. He noted that January will provide the first significant test of budget estimates, as half a year of telecommunications bills will be completed and Managed Branch Connections invoices will be sent. Don also mentioned that Spectrum's infrastructure upgrade project in the SOCC caused delays in new circuits coming online and resulted temporarily in higher telecom rates, though the overall budget remains on track.

Meredith Wickham moved to accept the financial reports; Mohamed Ragheb seconded. There was no discussion, so the Vice Chair asked if there were any objections or abstentions. With no objections, the motion passed unanimously.

Unfinished Business – none

New Business

Spectrum Settlement

Yarman explained that Spectrum had determined they should have offered a lower price for some of their circuits for the past 7 years, and owes OPLIN a refund of $390,000. From OPLIN's perspective, the Spectrum bids were already the lowest cost received. In addition, 70% of any refund would have to be returned to the Universal Service Fund, which Yarman fears would trigger a massive audit of OPLIN's E-Rate history. While Yarman maintains that OPLIN isn't owed the refund, he agreed with Brad Stephens that turning down $390,000 could raise flags with the State Auditor. Yarman had received permission from the Board's executive committee reach out to Gina Spade of Broadband Legal Strategies, LLC, for a consultation. That will be scheduled after the business is set up for invoicing in OhioBuys.

OPLIN Staff Reports

OPLIN Director's Report

Don Yarman noted that some Board members have received letters from the Ethics Commission regarding potential conflicts of interest; these are routine, reminding board members that their workplaces receive services from the organization they help oversee. While Yarman had hoped to make a capital budget request for OPLIN core improvements, the project was not large enough to qualify for capital funding (at least $10 million) so OPLIN and OIT will pursue incremental updates.

Digital Resources Manager’s Report

Christine Morris reported that both ALA and SHLB will have Washington fly-ins in late February and early March, and it is likely that she and Yarman will be selected to join one or both of them. OPLIN has received funding commitments for all the requests placed for the current funding year.

Library Services Manager’s Report

Laura Solomon reported that only five Webkit sites remain on the legacy template. Work continues on rebuilding the Sanborn Maps interface to conform to web accessibility requirements. Solomon added a full accessibility report to the Webkits, allowing libraries to see a centralized list of all accessibility errors on their sites, and she continues to hold regular accessibility office hours to help libraries meet the upcoming deadlines for web accessibility. She is investigating alternatives to the "Flipping Book" module that lets libraries present PDF newsletters on their sites; PDFs do not meet web accessibility standards without a lot of remediation.

Technology Projects Manager’s Report

Jessica Dooley shared about 70% of library circuits have been upgraded to 1Gbps symmetric, and that all but one of the 134 circuit orders for the current funding year are complete—the remaining is for a new Fairport Harbor library under construction. Because Dooley was in Cleveland for the library convention, she visited the site and clarified for the contractor that the library would have its own circuit, not shared with the school in the same facility. Dooley provided technical details explaining a widespread partial outage in October. Dooley's cybersecurity webinar for libraries received positive feedback, and she created a mailing list with a private archive for libraries to engage in sensitive cybersecurity discussion. CyberOhio is inviting applications from consortia for their next round of funding, and Dooley is planning to submit an OPLIN application which will provide YubiKeys for public libraries. CJ Stephens praised Dooley for her work pulling together and moderating a library panel on cybersecurity for the Right Click conference.

Chair's Report – none

Adjournment

With no other business pending, Michael Butler moved to adjourn; CJ Stephens seconded. Hearing no objections, the Vice Chair adjourned the meeting at 11:05 ᴀ.ᴍ.