In this Issue:
President's
Annual Report 1999-2000
Board Members 2000-2001
ACRL/NEC 2000 Spring
Conference Report
Breakout
Sessions
Women's Studies Spring 2000
Program Report
New Co-Chairs for the
Preservation SIG
ITIG Launches Technology
Column
Massachusetts Special
Collections Directory
Continuing Education
Committee
Welcoming New Members
ACRL/NEC Listserv - Special
Thanks
Updating Member
Information
Announcements
NEBIC & Simmons
College Present
"Information Literacy into the Curriculum"
Business Librarians' Interest
Group Announces
Spring 2000 Program
Return to Masthead
ACRL New England Chapter News Online
Spring 2000, No. 90
President's Annual Report, 1999-2000
Laura Walters
Tufts University
The two major goals of the New England Chapter for this year have been improving communication with our members and forming partnerships with other professional associations. We have made real progress in both these areas, and I would like to briefly outline our successes.
The fact that you are reading this newsletter online is our first success! Thanks to retiring newsletter editor Maggie Bartley, we have made a successful transition from print to web. Maggie did an extensive survey of current members regarding their preference for the newsletter format, and the overwhelming majority favored an electronic newsletter. We are proud of our first issue in this format, and we thank Maggie for all her efforts in making this a successful transition.
Maggie was helped by program chair Laurie Sabol, who spent countless hours tracking down e-mail addresses for our 1,200 chapter members. Without e-mail addresses, it would not be possible to inform members of the arrival of the newsletter. Laurie has also increased membership by reaching out to regional library schools and by strengthening communication with interest groups and with ACRL National.
The electronic newsletter also owes its success to the chapter's web manager, Andrew White. Andrew has volunteered many hours to create and maintain the chapter's web site. Thanks to Andrew, we have our own domain name (acrlnec.org) and a very attractive web site. The site lists all chapter events, including interest group meetings, and also links to ACRL National and other regional professional associations. The web site will soon sport the new official ACRL/NEC logo. The logo is the work of the publicity co-chairs Sarah Wenzel and Marilyn Steinberg, who are responsible for providing the chapter with a unifying visual presence that you'll notice on all our correspondence and publicity.
This year, the chapter has worked with several regional associations to sponsor professional development programs. Among our most successful sponsorships was the fall conference on digital libraries held at the Boston Public Library and presented in conjunction with the Boston Library Consortium. The chapter also co-sponsored two academic programs at the New England Library Association meeting in the fall, and we were a contributor to the Massachusetts Historical Records Advisory Board Forum held in the spring.
Thanks to member-at-large David McChesney, the chapter's calendar has expanded to include programs sponsored by professional associations in all the New England states. This is part of our drive to respond to the needs of all chapter members in the region. To accomplish this end, we have offered programs this year in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut and various parts of Massachusetts.
In addition to the fall conference on digital libraries, Harvey Varnet and his program planning team put on a very well-received spring conference entitled "Doing What Matters! Library Services, Educating Students and the Role of Assessment." The conference was so successful that participants asked for a follow-up workshop on state and regional assessment standards.
The conferences are but the largest of the many programs offered by the chapter. Our primary mission continues to be to provide quality professional development opportunities close to home. The chapter's seven interest groups offered at least two programs each this year on a wide variety of issues. The vast majority of these programs are free and open to all interested parties. In addition, the Continuing Ed Committee, chaired by Mary Ann Doyle, sponsored an excellent workshop on web technologies and document delivery that was attended by over 100 people.
It has been an honor serving as the president of the ACRL New England chapter. Retiring past-president Doris Ann Sweet has been a wonderful mentor, and I look forward to supporting Harvey Varnet in his presidency. The New England chapter is the most active in the country. I know that my participation in the chapter and attendance at its programs have enriched my professional life and made me a better librarian. I hope the same is true for you!
Laura Walters
Tufts University