Minnesota III Users Group Meeting

May 7, 2002 at St. Olaf College

Minutes

Introductions: Greeting from the St. Olaf hosts, Judy Holt and Kathy Blough, followed by recap reports from Houston IUG conference.

Kathy Blough attended a session in Houston on regional IUG planners including topics on what did and did not work for existing IUG groups. Representatives from 5 regional groups attended.

? The groups hold regular meetings (annual, semi-annual, bi-annual) and often invite a representative from III.

? Most breakout sessions are by interest or modules with most training done by volunteers for lack of money and because the users are the best instructors also.

? One region does a videoconference.

Structure of group:

? Our list serve for MNIUG has posted few messages to date. We need to make better use of this tool. CLIC office will send out instructions for list serve signup. The address for the list serve is: IIIMNUSERS@topica.com.

? InnoCirc is new national list serve: http://lists.umd.umich.edu/mailman/listinfo/innocirc

? Should we have a web site? Ron Joslin, Macalester, will work on a web site and Don Zhou, Augsburg, will work on a list of III libraries and individuals. Use the group to share common experiences and concerns/problems, and most importantly as a stronger voice with III.

? Use the list serve to prepare for visits by III, consolidating questions and issues

? Try to get III trainer maybe once a year, splitting costs among us or even making use of sales persons. Caution alert for sales, won?t hear full story, not always the most knowledgeable about the modules.

? Should we try to include III users from Iowa and Wisconsin? Would they travel for a 2-hour meeting? Maybe we need to look at half-day and full-day meeting?

? How often to meet?

? We will call ourselves Upper Midwest Users Group.

? A committee is forming to discuss ways to most effectively advocate for the group and communicate with III.

Breakout sessions: 3 sessions (Public Services, 20 attendees: Technical Services, 36 attendees), Systems, 5 attendees)

PS has already sent out separate minutes.

Next meeting: Third week of October at the newly renovated St. Paul Public Library. Date and times to be determined.

Submitted by Lois Perkins. Corrections will be reflected in minutes of next meeting and can be sent to: lperkins@carleton.edu