Minutes – April 11, 2025

Welcome and Call to Order

The two hundred fourth meeting of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees was called to order at 10:00 ᴀ.ᴍ. on Friday, April 11, 2025 by Board Chair Roger Donaldson at the OPLIN office in Columbus, Ohio.

Present were Board members: Ben Bolbach, Michael Butler, Roger Donaldson, Jenny Eyink, Jennifer Reynard, CJ Stephens, and Meredith Wickham.

Also present were: Jessica Dooley, Laura Solomon, Don Yarman, and Derek Zoladz (OPLIN); Stephanie Herriott and Mandy Knapp (State Library); and Jay Smith (Ohio Library Council).

Attending virtually via Zoom: OPLIN Board members Bill Lane and Shawn Walsh; Jamie Pardee (State Library).

Approval of the Agenda

Michael Butler moved to approve the agenda as presented; CJ Stephens seconded. There was no discussion, so the chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

Public Participation

Attending her first OPLIN Board meeting, new State Librarian Mandy Knapp reported that the State Library's source of federal funds, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, was the subject of a March 14 Executive Order which reduced its functions and personnel to those levels required by law. On March 31, the State Library was informed that all IMLS staff were placed on administrative leave with no access to email; that is the last communication the State Library has received. Knapp is in communication with the other state librarians in the country, and is tracking the progress of the two lawsuits challenging the order. A hearing on one of these, Rhodes Island v. Trump, is scheduled for April 18. Without IMLS funds to the State Library, OPLIN and other Libraries Connect Ohio partners will not receive the grant funds that help support statewide database subscriptions.

Jay Smith outlined the library-impacting provisions in the House's version of the biennial budget, including the elimination of the Public Library Fund as a percentage of the state's revenue, making it an annual line item appropriation. In the current proposal, OPLIN and the Ohio Library for the Blind and Print Disabled would be funded from the state's General Revenue Fund rather than the PLF. OLC's focus will move to the Senate, seeking to restore the governor's proposal of setting the PLF at 1.75% of GRF.

Approval of the Minutes

Ben Bolbach moved to approve the minutes of the February 14, 2025 meeting as presented; Michael Butler seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

Acceptance of the Financial Reports

Jamie Pardee estimates the cash balance at the end of the fiscal year to be $50,000 less than the beginning balance. Three-fourths through the fiscal year, expenses remain in line with estimates, with over $500,000 remaining in unplanned spending authority.

Meredith Wickham moved to accept the financial reports; Ben Bolbach seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

Unfinished Business

Northstar Renewal

Yarman reported that the selection committee has evaluated the responses to Broadband Ohio's RFP for a statewide digital literacy education platform and made their recommendation. While the contract is being finalized, Yarman cannot reveal which product was selected, nor negotiate with Northstar for an extension of the subscription which expired March 31. Broadband Ohio believes that funding disruptions at the federal level will not affect this project, and now that a vendor has been selected, the committed funds will be released. Yarman reported that library opinion is lukewarm on Northstar; some libraries are heavily invested in its use, while others prefer more library-focused solutions like DigitalLearn.

Virtual Meetings Policy

The draft policy was reviewed at the February OPLIN Board meeting and subsequently forwarded to Assistant Attorney General Danny Nunner, who had no comments or suggestions for change.

Jennifer Reynard moved to approve the virtual meetings policy; Ben Bolbach seconded. There was no discussion, so the Chair called for a vote on the motion; all aye.

New Business – none

OPLIN Staff Reports

OPLIN Director's Report

Don Yarman reported on the two visits he made to Washington D.C.—in March with the "Voices for Libraries" fly-in organized by COLSA, and earlier that week for SHLB—to talk to legislators about libraries, LSTA, and the Universal Service Fund that supports E-Rate. Most of the meetings were positive, particularly the meeting Yarman and Morris had with Senator Husted's aide, Tyler Jones, who was aware of the senator's commitment to broadband expansion in Ohio during his service as lieutenant governor. Yarman and Morris discussed with legislators how vital E-Rate was for library internet access, and lobbied for the continued eligibility of hotspots for E-Rate support. Hotspot funding is threatened by a resolution from Senator Cruz under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal and forbid E-Rate funding for hotspots; SHLB's position is that hotspots are an important solution to fill internet access gaps, and the decision to continue or terminate the program is more properly left with the FCC.

The Libraries Connect Ohio partners have met to determine plans in the event that LSTA funds are not available to support the shared database subscription packages, comparing which content packages are most important to each of the communities. Without grant funds, it is likely that the EBSCO content package will need to be scaled back, and other subscriptions cancelled completely, but the different networks will continue to work together for common solutions. Meredith Wickham commented that, as someone who comes from another state and has worked in two different states, a thing that makes Ohio libraries so uncommonly successful is the collaboration and partnership between organizations, and she appreciates OPLIN's commitment to that.

Digital Resources Manager’s Report

Yarman summarized Morris's written report, noting that she is keeping abreast of E-Rate developments and has been proactive helping libraries file their paperwork on time.

Library Services Manager’s Report

Laura Solomon reported that the migration of Webkits to the new templates is mostly complete, and her focus has began shifting toward the importance of libraries posting accessible content. For libraries that are unsure how to correct the errors the accessibility plugin identifies, Solomon will begin holding accessibility office hours. Solomon noted that some of the resources OPLIN has developed in-house, such as the Sanborn Maps interface, need improvements in accessibility, which will be a project for the next fiscal year.

Jen Reynard asked what were the repercussions of library websites failing to be compliant. Solomon answered that when a patron encounters a barrier to accessibility—in a website or library application—ideally they will contact the library, but they might complain directly to the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. Remediation is the responsibility of the party that created the problem (the library or a third party). 

Technology Projects Manager’s Report

Jessica Dooley announced that with Managed Branch Connections, Vince Riley placed two and half times the normal number of circuit orders for July. There are 135 orders open, which Riley placed in record time as vendors requested that all orders be submitted before they could begin work (building surveys, fiber installs, etc.). The upgrades of circuits from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps will necessitate upgrades to the core to handle that increased capacity. As OARnet is upgrading its own capacity, they have generously donated line cards with 100 Gig interfaces, which will greatly simplify installation.

Bill Lane asked for more information about OPLIN's core reaching end-of-life. Dooley explained that the core is made up of a chassis with modular components. OPLIN's existing 10G line cards and the new OARnet–donated 100G line cards are still under support. OPLIN's routing engines will reach end-of-support next year, and Dooley has already purchased replacements to be installed this summer.

Dooley noted that an overlooked value of OPLIN is the day-to-day assistance to libraries, with authentication requests, updates to DNS records, and general consulting. Jen Reynard said her library appreciates OPLIN's help on problems that come up infrequently. 

Mandy Knapp asked Dooley for advice on what certifications Knapp could steer libraries toward in the next round of TechCred funding (opening in May). Dooley said the program continues to broaden, and it depends on whether a library has dedicated IT staff or they are seeking more user-focused training. CJ Stephens recommended CompTIA A+ or Network+. Ben Bolbach recommended Microsoft certifications. Other suggestions included CCNA, Powershell, and cloud applications. 

Chair's Report

The Chair had nothing to report.

Adjournment

With no other business pending, the Chair adjourned the meeting at 11:17 ᴀ.ᴍ.