OBS-SIS Strategic Plan

Mission Statement

The Online Bibliographic Services Special Interest Section (OBS-SIS) of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) supports and serves its members by providing leadership, education, networking opportunities, and advocacy in the areas of online bibliographic services and automated library systems. Emphasis on all aspects of bibliographic services makes OBS resources valuable to all librarians, regardless of position or function. OBS also supports the vision and strategic directions of AALL.

Strategic Direction 1: OBS Communicates !

Objective 1a: OBS members, AALL, and the other SISs clearly understand and endorse the mission and activities of OBS.

• Mount the updated OBS strategic plan on the OBS website in July 2006. Publicize it on the OBS electronic discussion list and encourage member discussion.
• Distribute the updated OBS strategic plan at the OBS Business Meeting in St. Louis on July 10, 2006.
• Notify OBS members via appropriate forum as objectives detailed in the strategic plan are accomplished.
• Publicize the plan in the AALL Spectrum and on the LAW-LIB electronic discussion list

Objective 1b: OBS will utilize all available communication channels effectively to get its message out to its members, AALL, and the other SISs.

• Conduct the annual OBS membership survey each year. Publish results annually in Technical Services Law Librarian (TSLL) and on the OBS website.
• Keep OBS website as up to date as possible at all times. Create a FAQ section for members by Fall 2006.
• Post items of interest regularly on the OBS-SIS electronic discussion list.
• Publicize the work of OBS in the quarterly "From the Chair" column in TSLL . Submit items to the "SIS Column" published monthly in the Spectrum.
• Stock OBS tables in the Activities Area and at the CONELL Marketplace during the AALL annual meeting with current information about OBS as an organization and about the subject areas that fall within its mission.
• Create additional channels of communication as appropriate, in order to strengthen relationships with existing OBS members and recruit new members.

Objective 2a: An active participation in the formal AALL program planning process by the OBS leadership and all OBS members.

• Vigorously solicit ideas and be alert to issues of interest to the OBS membership that should become proposals for educational programs, web-based training, etc. Carry out the planning process to produce well-developed programs, etc.
• Actively participate in the AALL annual meeting program planning process to ensure there are programs of interest to the OBS membership.
• Support and cooperate with AALL in providing educational opportunities outside of the AALL annual meeting.
• Actively participate in any new initiatives that result from the AALL Educational Summit held in September 2005.

Objective 2b: OBS will maximize all available resources and seek to develop new ones in order to contribute to the continuing education of its members.

• Strengthen relationships with bibliographic utilities, ALA MARBI Committee, and other appropriate organizations, such as the ALA ALCTS and LITA divisions, so as to increase the flow of information from them to OBS members.
• Solicit special articles on topics of interest to OBS members for regular publication on the OBS website and in TSLL, Law Library Journal (LLJ) , and Spectrum .
• Explore and develop new technologies and ways to facilitate the exchange of information and educational content.
• Make contributing to the evolution of the OBS website a regular part of the annual work of each OBS Committee. Provide new educational content, including (but not limited to): links to relevant bibliographic utility and local systems websites and OBS members' reports from conferences.

Objective 2c: OBS will use appropriate informal methods of information exchange to educate OBS and AALL members.

• Utilize OBS Committee meetings during the AALL annual meeting to foster the exchange of valuable information through speakers, presentations, or moderated topics of discussion and to encourage members to ask questions and to interact with each other.
• Use the OBS electronic discussion list for messages concerning conferences/meetings of interest, relevant forwarded messages from other e-lists, regular Website-of-the-Month feature, questions and answers, notification of developments by the MARBI representative, etc.
• Make available information of interest at the OBS table in the Activities Area of the Exhibit Hall, at the CONELL Marketplace, and at OBS Committee meetings and OBS-sponsored programs during the AALL annual meeting.

Objective 3a: OBS provides opportunities for professional networking.

• Use OBS Committee meetings during the AALL annual meeting as a mechanism for the promotion of valuable informal interaction.
• Encourage frequent use of the OBS electronic discussion list for fostering networking opportunities between colleagues.
• Promote networking between AALL members at the OBS table in the Activities Are of the Exhibit Hall and at the CONELL marketplace during the AALL annual meeting.
• Encourage OBS members to participate in all AALL mentoring activities and to informally mentor on a regular basis.

Objective 3b: OBS provides strong leadership opportunities for its members.

• Recruit a broad range of OBS members from different types of libraries and different positions within libraries to run for OBS office each year.
• Solicit volunteers to provide leadership and membership of Committees during OBS Committee meetings and through the annual membership survey.
• Encourage members who have never served on a Committee to participate in OBS Committees.
• Develop a structured leadership development program that promotes membership participation in OBS.

Objective 3c: OBS encourages research and publication.

• Provide annual financial support for the joint research grant with TS-SIS and actively seek to recruit applicants for the grant.
• Cosponsor the Research Roundtable meeting with TS-SIS held during the AALL annual meeting.
• Actively solicit articles for the OBS website, TSLL, Spectrum , and other such publications as appropriate.
• Encourage and support authorship of more in-depth writings that promote research and learning contained in such publications as LLJ , the AALL publications and occasional papers series, and other such publications as appropriate.

OBS Structure

The Online Bibliographic Services SIS began as the OCLC SIS in 1977. It has broadened its scope since then and now has approximately 260 members.

The OBS standing committees are:

• OCLC Committee
• RLIN Committee
• Local Systems Committee
• Joint Research Grant Committee (with TS-SIS)
• Research Roundtable (with TS-SIS)*
• Web Advisory Committee
• Education Committee
• Nominating Committee

*Though not a standing committee, the Research Roundtable Coordinator acts in some ways as a committee chair in terms of planning.

The OBS Executive Board consists of:

• Chair
• Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
• Secretary/Treasurer
• Members-at-Large (two)
• Immediate Past Chair

When the phrase "OBS leadership" is used in this document, it refers to the members of the OBS Executive Board and the chairs of the OBS committees.

Future Planning

Managing ongoing strategic planning is the permanent responsibility of the OBS Executive Board. The Board will monitor progress in accomplishing the objectives detailed in this plan. It will also oversee the creation of the next plan when this one is complete in 2010.

2005-2006 OBS Strategic Plan Committee

Kevin Butterfield (Co-chair)
Ellen McGrath (Co-chair)
Georgia Briscoe
Patricia Callahan
Susan Goldner
Janet Ann Hedin
LaJean Humphries
Richard Jost
F. Tim Knight
Keiko Okuhara
Step Schmitt

2005-2006 OBS Executive Board

Richard Jost, Chair
Susan Goldner, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
Georgia Briscoe, Past Chair
Kathy Faust, Secretary/Treasurer
Step Schmitt, Member-at-Large
Caitlin Robinson, Member-at-Large

Approved July 10, 2006