Notes from the CFL Meeting & COF Roundtable Discussion
May 1, 2001
Council on Foundations Annual Conference
Philadelphia Marriott Hotel

Members present:

  • Hollister Knowlton, William Penn Foundation
  • Chris Richardson, Annie E. Casey Foundation
  • Ron Sexton, Carnegie Corporation
  • Ken Thompson, Gates Foundation
  • Jennifer Little, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  • Jamie Coniglio, Council on Foundations
  • Suzanne Cole, The Pew Charitable Trusts
  • Meredith Averill, Rockefeller Foundation
  • Michele Butler, Packard Foundation
New attendees:
  • Dan Martin, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
  • Chris Wuest, KnowledgeWorks Foundation
  • E. Ann Wilcox, Connelly Foundation
The CFL Roundtable was lively and crowded, and we had to add additional chairs to our table. The meeting took place in a large conference room containing over 40 other roundtables. We managed to contribute our fair share of volume and ideas.

Introductions were made and some members gave updates on their activities (hey, if you didn't make it to the meeting and want to tell us what is new and on your mind-email the CFL electronic mailing list at http://www.foundationlibraries.org and click on CFL LISTSERV):

  • Ken Thompson (Gates Foundation) - now a program officer in the Gates Foundation's Library Program. The remaining members of the Library staff now sit within program departments so there is no longer a centralized library function.
  • Michele Butler (Packard Foundation) - is planning a library move.
  • Meredith Averill (Rockefeller Foundation) - is in the process of filling an open technical services position to work with their new integrated system, EOS Q Series.
  • Chris Richardson (Annie E. Casey Foundation)- has moved into temporary quarters until Labor Day while offices are renovated. He is implementing SydneyPlus software, and has plans to cooperate with other departments with their data needs. He also has put together a prototype intranet.
  • Chris Wuest (KnowledgeWorks, Cincinnati) - has program responsibilities along with the library function. The foundation has been in existence only 3 years, with a focus on education-college access, education needs of children in substitute care, and needs of low wage workers. The focus is mainly Ohio, but they are also working on national initiatives, especially having to do with college access. Chris is using the services of the University of Cincinnati Libraries to help set up services and systems for their library. Will hire a student to help maintain the library.
  • Jamie Coniglio (Council on Foundations) - mentioned the Consortium of Foundation Web site at www.foundationlibraries.org. She plans to make sure that members are registered for the listserv available through the Web site and will explain to them what they have been signed up for. Suzanne thanked Jamie for all her work on this important communications tool. Jamie also pointed out the Call for Sessions at next year's Council conference is now available (http://www.cof.org/conferences/2002cfs.pdf). The deadline for submissions is July 13, 2001. We would very much like for the Consortium to be represented with a full session next year. So look for more on this through the electronic mailing list in the coming weeks.
  • Jennifer Little (Carnegie Endowment for Peace) - mentioned recruitment of new CFL members and asked member help in sending potential members names to her. She set up a intranet site for research staff containing selected articles concerning the new Bush administration foreign policy. She is also working on the Endowment archives and requested some ideas for how to archive a portion of the Web site. The International Migration Project will soon become a separate research institute, and she's in the process of capturing their records before they leave this July.
  • Dan Martin - from the newly established Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, established with funding from the founder of Intel, discussed his need for a librarian. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is located in San Francisco and has three major areas of activity-nature conservancy, higher education (science & technology), and scientific research not well supported through other methods.
  • Ann Wilcox - from the Connelly Foundation in Philadelphia shares the responsibility for being a program officer, administering grants, and managing the library.

Suzanne began a discussion of programs and projects for future meetings. The group discussed:

  • Core collection for philanthropy
  • Shared foundation library descriptions
  • Consortia pricing
  • Core Collection for Philanthropy
    This topic drew the most conversation. It was perceived as a useful way the Consortium could help the foundation community. Michele, Jamie and Ron volunteered to work on the design and development. The Core Collection was seen as a product that could be disseminated in several ways-on the web site, as a presentation at a 2002 COF program, (What Do You Do if You Don't Have a Librarian), and as a publication or "resource kit" available for sale through COF. Possible organizations to tap for ideas would be the Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University, ARMA, and SLA (solo librarian materials). One suggestion for a small foundation is to combine the librarian position with the job of records manager. Another thought was to add a chapter on establishing a library to a general "How to Set Up a Foundation" volume. Michele, Jamie and Ron will be meeting over the next several weeks to establish a basic outline and approach for this project. They will be leaning on Consortium members to provide the various sections of the publication. At our next meeting in the fall, we plan to have a working draft ready.

  • Foundation Library Descriptions
    We would like to collect detailed descriptions of each members' libraries, including information on collections, services and staffing. These would be useful for describing foundation library services and resources to a wider community, and help us with information sharing. Hollister volunteered to help get these together, with the help of Suzanne, Chris, and Ann. Ken suggested using the free web forms/polling software that is available on the web. Michele mentioned Zoomerang as a great tool. So please be prepared to answer background information regarding your library to be included in these descriptions.

  • Consortia Pricing
    We discussed the possibility of pooling resources and approaching vendors to get discount prices on our electronic resources. Chris volunteered to look into this as he spoke with vendors. The first vendor he planned to approach is Proquest. Other members present already get consortia pricing, and are happy with their arrangements. Some state library systems offer non-profits blanket consortia pricing-namely Washington, Ohio, and Michigan. If we need to establish a corporation to act as the conduit for consortia pricing, Dan Martin said this was fairly easy to do.

  • Consortium Affinity Group Application
    Suzanne mentioned that all the Consortium papers regarding its affinity group status are now with the Council on Foundations. They will be processed soon.

    Our group had to be ushered out of the conference room because the waiters had to set up for lunch.

    The Consortium will meet again in the fall, hopefully at a Mid-West location to be determined. Look for details on the electronic mailing list.

    Respectfully submitted,
    Jennifer Little
    Secretary




    • CONSORTIUM OF FOUNDATION LIBRARIES
    posted: 05.08.01

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