ACRL New England Chapter News Online

ISSN 1527-0106

Fall 2003, Number 100

In This Issue (Home):

President's Letter

Where Does Your $ Go?

Board Meeting Minutes, May 28, 2003

Chapter Annals: Our History Derived From Past Newsletters

Interest Group Reports:
Access Services
Business
Instruction
Information Technology

Spring Conference Announcement

Marilyn H. Steinberg,
Treasurer, ACRL/NEC
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Have you ever wondered where your dues dollars go, and just what your NEC conference registration fee pays for? Please allow me to tell you!

If you are a member of ACRL through ALA, your dues stay with the national organization with the exception of $1.00 which is returned to our chapter! However, we do not get that $1.00 per member as a check which we could use for programming, rather we must submit reimbursement requests up to the limit of our membership numbers. Further, only certain items qualify for reimbursement, and food items are not among them. If you are a local chapter member only, your $12.00 stays with us! In the long run, our local memberships help pay for our various SIG (special interest groups) programs and meetings. When SIGs charge for a program, it is usually only to cover the cost of renting the room, or for refreshments. Rarely is there any return to the treasury from the programs. In fact, our treasury subsidizes each SIG $400.00 per year for their programming and other expenses. There are exceptions, however. Larger SIG's, such as NELIG and BLIG usually do show a profit when they have their annual programs. Finding outside vendor support is the secret to this formula, and while not required by the Chapter, it does help the SIG program committee provide outside speakers who charge a fee, provide better food service, and other "more expensive" programming items. Technology costs a lot at conference centers and even on campuses where the room(s) may be free of charge. Charging for the use of projection systems, computers, microphones, and other technology is one way institutions make money, but we must bear the burden, despite having members who work at the institutions.

As for your conference fee, which has been about $50.00 for several years, food tends to be the most expensive item on the debit side of the page, followed by program speaker fees or honoraria, overnights and meals for speakers from a distance, technology fees, and even postage for the mailing of notices, which runs about $400.00 plus for our entire membership!

All of the hours and hours of volunteerism from our members who plan the conferences, chair and staff the SIG's, and work out all of the details to make your day(s) worthwhile have a cost, which never gets charged except in satisfaction gained by all participants who will tell you that it is the part of our profession they love the most - networking and meeting new information professionals and participating in ways that money cannot buy.

So the next time you write a check for either dues or programming, keep in mind how much work your colleagues have done to bring about a program, as well as how YOU might help next time. Bear in mind that none of the NEC members who work on programs, chair committees, or sit on the Board are paid for their time, let alone their expertise. We do it because we enjoy the professional contacts we make, and we especially do it because we genuinely like the profession and wish to enhance our own and other professionals experiences.