Chair Scott Pagel called the meeting to order at 9:01am
The minutes of the 1997 Business Meeting were approved as posted on the website.
1. Secretary/Treasurer -- Ellen Platt (Santa Clara University)
The April 1998 Financial Statement shows a balance of $8214.35.
The Reception and tours planned for this meeting are being completely underwritten by the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) and will cost the SIS nothing. The SIS members who paid the original $20 fee for the tours will receive a refund from Headquarters.
The cost of the luncheon is being subsidized by Lexis-Nexis, who contributed $4,000 (about 1/3 of the total cost) toward the total expense of the luncheon for approximately 180 members; a charge to members attending the lunch covered the remaining 2/3.
Election results: Victoria "Tory" Trotta (Arizona State University) was elected Vice-Chair/Chair Elect, thanks to Joyce Manna Janto (University of Richmond) for running. Marguerite Most (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) was elected Secretary/Treasurer, thanks to L. Ruth Levor (University of San Diego) for running.
Ballots mailed -- 752; returned with address problems -- 1; valid ballots received - 212 (approximately 30%); late/invalid ballots received - 4; blank ballots received - 4 in Vice Chair/Chair Elect race, 11 in Secretary/Treasurer race.
A motion to grant permission for the Secretary/Treasurer to destroy the ballots was made, seconded and passed. The ballots will be destroyed when Ellen returns to work.
2. Chair - Scott Pagel (George Washington)
This year we tried some innovations, some were successful, others were not. I would like to recognize Dan Martin, for suggesting the tours and reception site for this meeting and Myra Saunders and Linda Whisman for organizing the reception and tours. The original plan called for a $20 charge for the tours, but BNA stepped in and paid the cost of the tours as well as the reception. Over 200 people signed up for the tours, which was a very good turn out. Please give Ed feed back on whether the weekend night worked versus having the reception on a weekday night. This year the weekend night was chosen because of distance and traffic considerations.
Another innovation was taking the usual directors and associate directors breakfasts and holding in their place a luncheon open to all SIS members. About 190 members attended the luncheon. Again, let us know what you thought this change was successful.
A less successful project was the strategic plan, which didn't really get off the ground. However, Ed has appointed a good committee to continue the work this next year.
1. Public Relations - Beth Smith (University of Nebraska)
The SIS had a table in the Activities area at this meeting and at Conell. She is outgoing as PR Chair and incoming as webmaster, so please contact her with ideas for the website.
2. Education - Mark Bernstein (Duke)
The committee received two proposals this year, neither was accepted by the programming committee. Proposals were solicited at the business meeting and via the listserv and website. Since the programmers work a year ahead, this year's proposals will be for the Philadelphia meeting.
3. Roundtables - George Pike (University of Pittsburgh)
The roundtables are immediately after this business meeting, the topic is the transition from print to electronic materials. Please drop in and participate (Secretary/Treasurer's aside, about 80 people attended the roundtable.)
There was no old business.
Incoming Chair - Ed Edmonds (Loyola University, New Orleans)
This year I have some fairly ambitious projects in mind, so I charge you all to participate and to help keep me on track, please feel free to call with ideas and comments.
Major emphasis will be placed on strategic planning for the SIS. One aspect of this planning will be to involve everyone who could be a member of the SIS. Presently there are 1500 persons listed in the association directory who are academically affiliated; only about 750 persons belong to the SIS. The members of the Strategic Planning Committee will be:
The fall focus of the strategic plan is to draft a survey to go to all AALL members with an academic affiliation to assess their perceptions of the SIS and its activities. Information from the survey and this business meeting will be discussed by the Committee at AALS in New Orleans later this year and form the basis for a draft strategic plan. In spring, the draft plan will be posted to the website, and the committee will solicit comments from SIS members as they move forward in the planning process.
I would like to thank Scott and Ellen for serving on the executive board for the past year, and BNA and Lexis-Nexis for sponsoring our reception and luncheon.
Anyone who would like to volunteer for a committee, but who has been unable to be appointed to an AALL committee, please consider volunteering for an SIS committee. This kind of involvement will reinvigorate the SIS and its committees.
Another aspect of reinvigorating the SIS is an initiative to enhance the effectiveness of the newsletter and make better use of the website; and to investigate using the latter as the primary means of communication with the membership.
Each major committee has a charge for this year as part of planning for the future and reinvigorating the SIS:
Membership - Will be examining the pool of potential SIS members, and gathering empirical data on who our members are. Headquarters can do some sorting, but the committee will have to do some analysis and gathering of data. The focus will be on ways to increase membership.
Education - The committee will be working to establish a different timeline for program planning; so this year's committee would be generating proposals for a year from August instead of the impending August. Possible changes in the committee structure could include a two year appointment, with a Chair and incoming Vice Chair, to enhance continuity of committee planning. This change may mean we don't have many proposals this year. There is a list of past proposals and he would welcome any program proposals for the next annual meeting. Some ideas which have been mentioned so far:
Strategic Planning - It is imperative that we have a strategic plan in place, and a standing committee to keep the plan in place.
George Pike (University of Pittsburgh) won the New Horizons t-shirt in the business card drawing.
Margie Axtmann (University of Minnesota) - Suggested the possibility of a program in connection with the business meeting as a way to present topics which may be too narrowly focused to be accepted as a regular program (admissions for instance).
Scott Pagel - Encourages everyone to get involved in the SIS.
Richard Leiter ((Howard University) - Chair of the Research Committee, reminds everyone that there is money (lots of money) available for research in the Aspen Grant. The purpose of the grant is to allow the membership to do research on what we do as librarians. The committee has received very few proposals in the past; look to the questions posted to the listserv as possible topics for grant funding. Proposals are solicited in the fall.
A motion to adjourn was made and seconded, the meeting adjourned at 9:35am.
Respectfully submitted,
Ellen Platt
ALL-SIS Secretary/Treasurer