Many presidential duties were mundane and yet time-consuming: signing and distributing reimbursement/payment forms, responding to requests for information, reviewing and signing contracts, writing letters, making meeting arrangements, monitoring procedures and operations, and writing reports for ACRL National (3 Chapter Topics submissions and the Annual Report). From the details sprouted greater actions and achievements. This report addresses some of the more important activities of the past year.
Business of the Board
The Board had a very productive annual retreat last June at which new Board members learned about responsibilities and expectations of their positions. An increase in financial support from $400 to $750 for interest groups was approved. Based on group discussion the President set priorities for the year, including:
- developing recommendations from the Continuing Education Committee survey;
- continuing development of a New England network of state legislative representatives;
- analyzing and making recommendations for Communications Committee tools (email lists, web sites, wiki, blogs, etc.);
- adding new promotional materials;
- adding new membership recruitment activities;
- comparing the Chapter Manual with National manual;
- reviewing the salary survey; and
- developing an awards/scholarships program.
Following the retreat, the Board met four more times through the year to address these matters and programs produced by the interest groups and annual conference committee. The meetings were convivial and productive, building upon the strength of the Board and the Chapter. New committee members and leadership were recruited, and the Nominating Committee did an excellent job of fielding a strong slate of candidates for officer positions. The Constitutions and Bylaws Committee conducted the manual reviews; the Continuing Education Committee developed and pursued their recommendations from the survey results; and the Legislative Representative continued her work on a New England network. The Board functioned smoothly and well as a governing structure.
Chapters Council
The President represented the New England Chapter at Chapters Council meetings the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans and the ALA Mid-Winter in Seattle. At these gatherings, as well as via email exchanges with the ACRL Chapters liaison, the Chapters Council President and the ACRL Executive Director, the President advocated for changes to funding formulas and policies for expense and new member recruitment reimbursements; for a change to ALA membership applications to include an additional communication preference; and for clarification of web hosting services offered by ACRL National to chapters. In these forums the President influenced the national organization’s relationships with ALA and local ACRL chapters.
Finances and Insurance
The Treasurer kept tabs on Chapter finances and submitted a funding/reimbursement request to ACRL National. The President corresponded with National representatives to clarify the formula and documentation required for types of expenditures eligible for reimbursement. As a result, National agreed to allow Chapters to interpret the guidelines and request reimbursement of expenses accordingly. In return, a Chapter is responsible for answering any audit questions which may arise from reimbursements it receives. This policy will be in effect for the FY2007 reimbursement request. Based on the formula of $1/ National member, the New England Chapter was eligible for a maximum of about $1,200 but in fact received reimbursement of $412 for FY2006 expenses.
Despite paltry financial support from National, the Chapter’s finances remained in good health. The Treasurer worked with a Chapter member to review accounts for the past several years, and all was found to be in good standing. The President and Board pursued new investments in marketing (banners) and scholarships, as well as greater financial support for interest group activities. In addition to renewing Board Liability insurance, the President arranged for additional co-insurance coverage for events at Brandeis University and Endicott College. Furthermore, Assumption College required a rider for Chapter coverage as a requirement for hosting a meeting there. As a program requirement, insurance and contracts for host site locations increasingly require the attention of the President and program planning committee chairs.
Chapter Communications
Like most organizations, the New England Chapter conducts its business and communicates with members and Board through numerous electronic channels, and these tools have become critical to Chapter operations. Currently the Chapter manages numerous electronic mailing lists (Board, membership at large, jobs, interest groups, etc), a robust web site, a wiki, and at least a couple of databases (membership and continuing education). Two of the mailing lists and the web site (except one interest group site) are hosted at the University of New Hampshire under the watchful eye and expertise of the Chapter’s webmaster. Other electronic/technology services are distributed at different colleges and universities around New England, or in the case of the wiki, hosted by a commercial service. In addition, interest in online registration and electronic commerce capabilities is strong, as well as blogging software and more wiki capacity.
After review of current practices, shortfalls and needs, the Board approved a motion to consolidate electronic mail services, web hosting (with wikis and blogs), electronic commerce and databases at one host to improve management, functionality and continuity. The President enquired of ACRL National about its offer of web server space for Chapter business, but support for Chapter needs was insufficient. The Webmaster produced a chart comparing commercial hosting alternatives and their features. She worked with the Communications Committee, including the President, to make a recommendation to the Board. The recommendation was approved by a motion, and an implementation plan will be forthcoming.
Membership and Outreach
ACRL National offers an incentive of $15/new member recruited by a Chapter. In the interest of tapping additional revenue sources, the President corresponded at length with National about requirements for identifying new members recruited and procedures for collecting the incentive payments. Ultimately, National’s requirement that the Chapter provide the name and contact information for each new National member it is responsible for adding proved impossibly impractical. Nevertheless, the New England Chapter took actions to encourage new members to join ACRL. The President took ACRL literature and membership forms and distributed them at the New England Library Association conference. This literature was also made available at ACRL New England Chapter programs.
The Membership Coordinator conducted an audit of the Chapter’s membership database and corresponded with those whose memberships had lapsed. She proposed simplifying membership terms to one year only. By eliminating the option for a three year membership, accounting was made more straightforward. The Board approved this change along with membership rates for 2007.
As a result of attending the Chapters Council meeting at ALA and discussing the New England Chapter’s membership database with the Coordinator, the President became aware of a discrepancy between ACRL National’s list of members in the New England Chapter and the Chapter’s own list. The NEC automatically includes members of National from New England in the New England Chapter at no extra cost. These members are included in the annual list of members National provides to the chapter, or so the Chapter thought. The list that National provides to NEC did not include any member who opted out of communications from third parties when joining. ACRL National attributed this to an ALA policy, and at the Annual Conference in New Orleans communicated helplessness about changing this. At ALA Mid-
Winter Chapters Council meeting the ACRL NEC President raised again the problems with this discrepancy in known membership and persisted with efforts to solve the problem. As a result of increasing dissatisfaction with this, the ACRL Executive Director petitioned ALA to add another membership communication preference, enabling members to choose to receive mailings and identify themselves to ACRL Chapters and other ALA affiliates, as distinct from third party commercial vendors. This change was immediately enacted, much to the satisfaction of everyone. The NEC anticipates receiving a list from ACRL National which is more inclusive of its actual membership.
Over the past several years, Board members have expressed a desire for more promotional or branding materials for the Chapter. The Communications Committee, including the Membership Coordinator, the Continuing Education Committee Chair, the Members-at-Large, the Secretary and the President, worked together to specify orders for new table/wall and podium banners with the Chapter’s logo. In total, a Member-at-Large procured one large and five small banners. The small banners will be kept by SIG Chairs and the large one by the Vice President/President-Elect. The banners were unveiled at the Annual Conference, and the Board is very pleased with them.
Salary Surveys
The Board discussed its practice of sponsoring a biennial salary survey of New England librarians which it had done in the past. The Communications Committee Co-Chair conducted a review of existing and new library salary surveys. The American Library Association published a new survey, ALA-APA Salary Survey 2006: A Survey of Public and Academic Library Positions Requiring an ALA-Accredited Masters Degree. Conducting surveys is time and labor intensive, and the Board determined that its resources were better invested elsewhere. The Board approved a motion recommending that the Chapter discontinue its biennial survey and post to the web site a list of salary resources, including the recent ALA publication. The President addressed this decision and recommendation in her winter newsletter column, and the Communications Committee Co-Chair posted a bibliography of resources to the Chapter web site.
Awards & Scholarships
Investing in New England librarian and library staff development and recognition had been a topic of Board discussion for a couple of years. Under the leadership of the Past President, an ad hoc working group, including the President, articulated an awards and scholarships program, and the eligibility, terms and applications for each one were laid out. The ACRL/NEC Board voted to approve and fund professional developmentscholarships and an award for New England library science students, library staff and librarians. They are:
- The Best Paper Award for an ACRL/NEC member with the best scholarly library/information science paper. $250/year.
- The Continuing Education Scholarship to enable a member of ACRL/NEC to pursue continuing education or professional development opportunities related to librarianship. Up to $500/year.
- ACRL National Conference Scholarship to enable a member of ACRL/NEC who has never attended an ACRL National Conference to attend it. Up to $1,000/conference.
- ACRL/NEC Annual Conference Scholarships for Librarians and Library Staff to enable 6 librarians or library staff who have never attended the Chapter’s Annual Conference to attend it. Covers Registration and up to $150 travel stipend.
- ACRL/NEC Annual Conference Scholarships for Library School Students to enable library school students to attend the ACRL/NEC Annual Conference. Covers registration.
The President prepared announcements about this new initiative for the annual conference, newsletter and web site.
Recognition of New England Federal Depository Library Centennial Celebrations
Following the suggestion of a Board member, the Board approved a motion to recognize the six New England Libraries celebrating centennials as members of the federal depository library program. The motion read:
Six academic libraries in New England are celebrating their centennial anniversaries as federal depository libraries. As part of land-grant institutions, they were designated federal depositories in 1907:
- Homer Babbidge Library, University of Connecticut
- Raymond H. Fogler Library, University of Maine, Orono
- W.E.B. DuBois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Dimond Library, University of New Hampshire
- University Library, University of Rhode Island
- Bailey/Howe Library, University of Vermont
The ACRL/NEC Board recognizes and applauds the commitment and work of these libraries over the past one hundred years in providing no-fee access to the wide range of documents, databases, and information published by all branches of the U.S. government. All participants in the Federal Depository Library Program play a vital role in sustaining the informed citizenry that is necessary for a vigorous democracy, economy, and culture. The ACRL/NEC Board wishes these libraries all the best as they move into their second century of service as federal depository libraries.
The President wrote letters of recognition to the library directors and documents librarians at these six libraries.
Programming
The ACRL/NEC interest groups and the annual conference planning committee continued in their fine tradition of producing outstanding programs for library staff in New England and beyond. Eight of the nine interest groups sponsored at least one program over the year, and the topics were interesting, relevant and popular. The Vice President/President Elect coordinated an excellent annual conference which drew an enthusiastic audience. The events sponsored by various groups within the Chapter are the foundation of its outstanding reputation.
Summary
The Chapter is remarkable for bringing together energetic, thoughtful and dedicated volunteers who guide each other through the challenges and opportunities of the academic library profession. The past year was another productive and noteworthy one for ACRL New England Chapter. With pride and confidence in its ongoing soundness and leadership, I pass on the presidency.
Respectfully submitted,
Christine Turner
June 14th, 2007 |
