August 8, 2025

August 8, 2025 don Wed, 09/17/2025 - 11:47

Minutes – August 8, 2025

Welcome and Call to Order

The two hundred sixth meeting of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at 10:00 ᴀ.ᴍ. on Friday, August 8, 2025 by Board Vice Chair Ben Bolbach on Zoom.

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

Nomination and Election of Board Officers

Shawn Walsh nominated the following slate of officers: Ben Bolbach, Chair; Bill Lane, Vice Chair; Meredith Wickham, Treasurer; Jennifer Reynard, Secretary. Michael Butler seconded the nominations. The Vice Chair asked if there were any objections or abstentions. With no objections, the motion passed unanimously. Ben Bolbach continued to run the meeting as newly elected Chair.

Approval of the Agenda

Michael Butler moved to approve the agenda as presented; Mohamed Ragheb seconded. The Chair asked if there were any objections or abstentions; with none, the motion passed unanimously.

Establish Board Meeting Schedule for FY2026

Following the pattern of holding OPLIN Board meetings at 10:00 a.m. on the second Friday of even-numbered months, Yarman presented the following meeting schedule:

October 10, 2025
December 12, 2025
February 13, 2026
April 10, 2026
June 12, 2026
August 14, 2026

CJ Stephens moved to approve the proposed meeting schedule; Shawn Walsh seconded. The Chair asked if there were any objections or abstentions; with none, the motion passed unanimously.

Public Participation

The Chair called for public participation.

Michelle Francis explained that the new state budget, HB 96, sets the PLF at a line-item appropriation rather than a percentage of the state's general revenue. She noted that for FY26 funding is approximately $26 million less than FY25, and in addition to the Library for the Blind and OPLIN, appropriations for the regional library systems, Ohioana Library Foundation, and the State Library will be deducted from the PLF. The governor vetoed the provision regarding the segregation of certain library materials for individuals under 18 was line-item vetoed, and while there are efforts to override this veto, it is unlikely to happen until September due to legislative recess. Francis also discussed new cybersecurity provisions in the state budget, noting that aside from some listed best practices, it contains little that is new to libraries.

Mandy Knapp provided updates on several State Library initiatives, including discussions about cybersecurity support for libraries and the State Library's upcoming RFP for a strategic planning consultant. She shared that her listening tour continues to visit libraries across the state. A potential downtown location for the State Library on East Chestnut was ruled out due to structural issues; the State Library is exploring a partnership with the Ohio Expo Commission regarding a building on the fairgrounds. Knapp also noted positive news regarding Federal LSTA funding through the Senate Appropriations Committee, though this is an early stage in the budget process.

Mohamed Ragheb passed along concerns from libraries about the end of the statewide WhoFi contract. Knapp said the State Library initially purchased WhoFi for wireless statistics counting, and it was never their intention to provide community calendar and other products the company later developed and bundled into their offering. She acknowledged that the timing of the contract end isn't great due to budget challenges, so the State Library will pay for an additional year of the products to give libraries time to consider their options. Yarman noted that the OPLIN staff will help libraries get their WiFi stats after the analytics portion of the WhoFi contract ends in December, and he intends to pursue a contract with the company for those other products in use by OPLIN's Webkit customers.

Approval of the Minutes

CJ Stephens moved to approve the minutes of the August 9, 2025 meeting as presented; Andrea Ralston seconded. The Chair asked if there were any objections or abstentions; with none, the motion passed unanimously.

Acceptance of the Financial Reports

Jamie Pardee reviewed the final financial reports for FY25—expenses totaling $4,897,000 and receipts of $5,400,000—and presented the FY26 budget estimates.

Meredith Wickham moved to accept the financial reports; Andrea Ralston seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a roll call vote on the motion.

Recorded vote: Ben Bolbach, aye; Michael Butler, aye; Jenny Eyink, aye; Bill Lane, aye; Mohamed Ragheb, aye; Andrea Ralston, aye; Jennifer Reynard, aye; Brad Stephens, aye; CJ Stephens, aye; Shawn Walsh, aye; and Meredith Wickham, aye.

Unfinished Business – none

New Business – none

Staff Raises

Andrea Ralston moved to approve staff raises of 4.5%; Meredith Wickham seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a roll call vote on the motion.

FY2026 Services Plan

In light of the new cybersecurity requirements for libraries which include annual training, the Board agreed to add cybersecurity planning to the services plan, encouraging libraries to enroll in OPCI training when available, and use alternative options like Niche Academy and the Cyber Frontline First Aid Kit (CFFAK) in the interim.

Shawn Walsh moved to approve the FY2026 Services Plan; CJ Stephens seconded. The Chair asked if there were any objections or abstentions; with none, motion passed unanimously.

Strategic Planning

Noting that OPLIN's strategic plan expired in June, Yarman suggested that the Board invite Evan Struble, the Deputy State Library, to lead a strategic planning discussion at the October board meeting. Board members expressed their enthusiasm for using the services of Struble and his staff.

OPLIN Staff Reports

OPLIN Director's Report

Don Yarman provided updates to his written report, nothing that his concerns about the vendor Everstream's bankruptcy were resolved, and that North Star Digital Literacy is finalizing the contract for Ohio's statewide digital literacy training platform.

Digital Resources Manager’s Report

Christine Morris highlighted the Supreme Court's ruling on E-rate's constitutionality, triggering discussions on funding mechanism reforms. Morris noted that the Congressional Revue Act resolution to reverse E-Rate support for hotspots is stalled in Congress, and meanwhile no requests for hotspot funding have been acted upon. Morris advises libraries to keep their options open when finalizing contracts with vendors. Morris also outlined that, even though grant funds were loss, the training for state E-Rate coordinators will continue.

Library Services Manager’s Report

Laura Solomon discussed some work remediating accessibility problems with some older OPLIN resources, like about:books and the Sanborn Maps interface (which Derek Zoladz is working to rebuild from scratch). Solomon continues to hold office hours to answer libraries' questions and concerns about meeting website accessibility requirements ahead of the DOJ deadline.

Technology Projects Manager’s Report

Jessica Dooley provided an overview of circuit installations, noting an increase in orders due to new managed branch connection services, and discussed Spectrum's infrastructure upgrade in the SOCC, replacing their fiber paths, core equipment, and network cards to ensure redundancy and abundant capacity. Dooley reported that the Cuyahoga County Public Library has finished migrating their network edge and production equipment from their Parma location to their rack in the SOCC, taking their disaster recovery equipment back to Parma.

Regarding the new cybersecurity rules for libraries, Dooley noted that the law takes what has long been best practice and makes it a legal requirement for local government entities. Dooley is pleased to hear about the progress of libraries in receiving training and support through programs like Ohio Persistent Cyber Improvement. She praised the Cyber Frontline First Aid Kit for providing helpful introductory content to organizations. Ragheb thanked Dooley and the OPLIN staff for their efforts working with vendors to bring up the new managed branch connections.

Chair's Report

Ben Bolbach echoed Ragheb's gratitude for Dooley's work coordinating communications between vendors and libraries during the projects to install new circuits, and the rest of the OPLIN staff for their commitment to service. Bolbach then appointed Jenny Eyink, Meredith Wickham, and CJ Stephens to the nominations committee.

Adjournment

With no other business pending, Andrea Ralston moved to adjourn; Jenny Eyink seconded. The Chair asked if there were any objections or abstentions; with none, the Chair adjourned the meeting at 11:07 ᴀ.ᴍ.