ART LIBRARIES SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA
31st Annual Conference
Pre-Conference Executive Board Meeting
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Wyndham Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore MD
MINUTES
Present: Elizabeth Clarke, Executive Director; Norine Duncan, Secretary; Ted Goodman, Past President; Phil Heagy, Treasurer; Ursula Kolmstetter, Midwest Reg. Rep.; Irene Puchalski, Canadian Reg. Rep.; Laura Schwartz, South Reg. Rep.; Daniel Starr, President; Kay Teel, West Reg. Rep.; Allen Townsend, Vice-President/President-Elect. Laurie Whitehill Chong, Northeast Reg.Rep.
Incoming Board members (as observers): Jeanne Brown, Vice-President/President-Elect; Suzy Frechette, Midwest Reg. Rep.; Carol Graney, Northeast Reg. Rep.; Judith Herschman, Secretary.
Also attending: Vicky Roper, Headquarters staff member
1.
CALL TO ORDER
1A.
Call to Order (Starr)
9:03 Meeting called to order.
1C.
Robert’s Rules of Order (Duncan)
Robert’s Rules of order will be observed.
Meals will be on our own.
Minutes of the 2002 Midyear meeting were approved as submitted and as corrected in response to e-mails.
2.
CONFERENCES
Joan Stahl and Linda Tompkins-Baldwin reported: To date there are 417 paid, 91 non-paying delegates. Despite the state of the economy, it is hoped that attendance will be sufficient to break even. Very few cancellations have resulted from the war. The main changes are the tours at end of conference, for which there was very low registration.
Consensus was reached on which tour to keep after consultation with those who had registered. There are more outside speakers than in the past. Local talent has been tapped. Self schedulers want catering, equipment; in such cases, the group must cover cost. The hotel was willing to provide these services, but the conference planners did not anticipate the requests. Some groups went directly to hotel with their requests.
Clarke suggested that Headquarters might manage these requests, getting credit for Society. That arrangement would save money for the groups, also benefit the Society.
Clarke visited Houston, courtesy of the Houston Conference Board. She reports that the food is outstanding, reflecting the city's cultural diversity. The hotel ARLIS will book is not built yet, but it has to be finished for the 2004 Super Bowl. It's a Hilton and will be next to the new convention center. Chinatown is nearby. The hotel is a half-hour drive from the museum district. Its location is 6 blocks from rapid transit, and there will be a trolley from the hotel to the nearest stop on the rapid transit system. There is a commitment by the city to improve transportation for the Super Bowl. ARLIS can be accommodated at our desired time (early April); other possible dates are mid or late March. The hotel has meeting rooms, which will be free if we meet the room block and food and beverage quotas. (Due to the competition of Internet budget hotel services, Clarke recommends lowering the room block.) The other hotel considered was the Hyatt, but putting exhibitors in the basement was not acceptable. The Warwick Hotel could not accommodate ARLIS; there are not enough meeting rooms.
Motion #7: The Board unanimously accepted the proposal from the ARLIS/Texas- Mexico Chapter to host the 2005 annual conference in Houston, Texas.
Clarke met with the manager of the Banff Conference Center, which is like a lodge, and is not located in downtown. The historic Banff Springs Hotel is another possibility. Clarke recommends the hotel, with the convocation at the Conference Center. There is a shuttle from Calgary airport, which take a little more than an hour. Weather is unpredictable, could be in the 50s. April would be better. ARLIS has 2 members in Calgary, 1 in Banff. There is no chapter invitation yet. Sue Rawlyk and Clarke are nearby. Due to the large role that Headquarters now plays, as well as the guidance of the Conference Planning Manual, hosting a conference is not as burdensome for a chapter as it was in the past. The program chair does not have to be local. As chair of the Canadian national conference committee, Clarke is in a position to negotiate good deals for the Society. Room rates are $180 Canadian, will go up to over 200 ($150 US).
Action item 143: Puchalski to contact Chapter and ARLIS/Canada to ask if they are interested in hosting the 2006 conference.
Action item 144: Clarke to solidify proposals from the Banff Conference Center and Banff Springs Hotel. (mid-year)
Action item 145: Regional representatives to investigate possible competing proposals for a 2006 conference site.
3. HQ
and MANAGEMENT
[Clarke and Roper excused themselves during the Board's discussion.] The Society's lawyer reviewed the proposed contract. All his recommendations were present in the contract.
The conference services section will be useful when recruiting conference hosts; in addition to the conference planning manual, it can reassure chapters that the work is manageable.
Goodman recommended that the Management Standards document be removed from the AWS and archived. It was written to express in detail the Society's requirements in its search for a new management firm, prior to selecting Clarke Associates. Now that we have established a good relationship with our management firm, the document's somewhat antagonistic tone seems inappropriate.
Motion #8: The Board unanimously declared that the ARLIS/NA Management Services & Standards Guidelines will be superceded by provisions in the Administrative Management Services Agreement with Clarke Association Services, Inc.
Motion #9: The Board unanimously accepted the renewal of the Society’s contract with Clarke Association Services as stated in the Administrative Management Services Agreement document dated May 1, 2003.
Break 10:15
[Clarke returned.]
[This item was skipped until Roper returned; addressed after item 3E.]
Maintaining the management calendar might be a job for the new position of Administrative Documents Editor. Other software solutions might be explored. It would be desirable for the calendar to produce a list of duties for the month for each position or download to each person's local calendar. Another useful feature would be the ability to issue reminders.
Action item 146: Townsend to consult with the new Administrative Documents Editor on the best way to provide management calendar service, in consultation with Vicky Roper.
3Ci.
LJ supplement and other journals
3Cii.
Conference publicity
Continuity is a problem. Headquarters can do the work, but can’t be expected to know where and when to send what. Discussion was tabled until discussion of the Administrative Documents Editor position (item 3E).
Starr explained the revision carried out by Goodman. Policy is set by the Board. The old policy will be archived, and the history (crossed out policies that are obsolete) has been removed from the new document. Should the old policy be accessible to members, or should it be on the Board Only area of the AWS? Discussion was postponed until later today or at the post-conference meeting.
Goodman noted last-minute corrections in the sections on the Publications Committee and the AWS. The position description of the Administrative Documents Editor was standardized, and the Web Site Editor description was slightly revised. The roles of the Secretary and Administrative Documents Editor may need to be differentiated.
The Policy Manual will incorporate section J from Heagy and Trudy Jacoby. It is finished except for the portion on restricted funds. Section J will have to be approved separately.
Motion #10: The Board accepted the revised Policy Manual and commended Ted Goodman for his outstanding job; also agreed that the old Policy Manual will be archived. (8 yes, 1 abstention)
This position will be a 1-year Presidential appointment, renewable, with an honorarium. The position description was drafted by Betsy Peck Learned, Chair of the Publications Committee. Keeping the word editor in the position title retains the connection to the Publications Committee. Possibly, public relations duties may be added. This person will keep documents synchronized and up to date, considering implications of each change on the AWS as well as print publications. References to the AWS from print publications and vice versa need to be kept current. The person hired to fill this position needs to have had Board experience. A prompt hire is desirable, because this person is needed for editing the Handbook in the near future.
Clarke stated that she thought that the Administrative Documents Editor and Headquarters would be able to work well together.
Motion #11: The Board established the position of Administrative Documents Editor as described in the draft job description, with an appropriate honorarium, and with the additional stipulation that the editor have Executive Board experience. (8 yes, 1 not present)
Action item 147: After posting at conference and on ARLIS-L with short deadline, Townsend to select an Administrative Documents Editor soon, in consultation with Publications Committee and Board.
4.
FINANCES & DEVELOPMENT
[Items under 4.
were skipped until after 5. Membership.]
4A.
Treasurer’s report
ARLIS/NA has over $500,000 base assets. There was a $45,000 net assets increase for 2002. Despite the economy, the Society's investments made money. The prospects this year are doubtful; it may not be a profitable year. The estimate of profit for this conference was $30,000. Linda Tompkins-Baldwin's latest figures are close to that. A conference deficit would mean a deficit for the Society. A full audit will be performed in 2003. The Society wrote off $10,000 in bad debt in 2002.
Motion #12: The Board recognized the seating of a new Executive Board on March 24, 2003, and unanimously authorized the changing of financial account signatories on all ARLIS/NA accounts, to include Allen Townsend, President; Jeanne Brown, Vice-President; Phil Heagy, Treasurer, Judith Herschman, Secretary; Elizabeth Clarke, Executive Director; and Bonnie James, Headquarters staff.
Discussion was postponed until the post-conference Board meeting.
Clarke's proposal for corporate sponsorship was reviewed. She outlined the products that ARLIS/NA has to sell to sponsors that also support the Society. She proposes to consolidate them into opportunities for sponsors, following an annual model, rather than conference-based as we have done to date. She noted that the range of abilities to support us is great. What can we offer, and what should the levels be? How to package?
Clarke proposed that a smaller group of the Board work on this, and that proceeding with AWS advertising be held until this is resolved.
Action item 148: Task Force on Corporate Sponsorship (consisting of Clarke, Heagy, Townsend, Brown, Starr, and Gregg Most) to talk to vendors during the conference re sponsorship, for further discussion at the post-conference Board meeting.
5.
MEMBERSHIP (Roper)
Renewals are not doing as well as last year; we are 200 members behind where we were at this time last year. The form itself had no deadline printed on it.
Action item 149: Townsend to send out e-mail reminder to renew membership. After responses are received to the reminder, Roper to provide Townsend with a list. Townsend to decide on appropriate follow-up.
The follow-up can be distributed thanks to Headquarters' work on the online database of members.
ARLIS/NA's structure is complex for a small organization. How can we simplify it?
One issue that must be dealt with in the dues structure is that asking a member to reveal salary level is probably a violation of recent privacy legislation in both the U.S. and Canada. We might have a different version of the form for each category of membership.
Changes will have implications for both accounting and database maintenance.
Clarke pointed out that ARLIS/NA must offer valuable services to hold memberships--for example, certification. (Her proposal on certification will be discussed at the meeting of the Professional Development Committee, which is engaged in defining competencies.) She noted that ARLIS/NA should also charge for services not covered by membership dues. For example, according to Roper, approximately 15% of individual members request hard copies of Update; instead of considering that a benefit of membership, charge extra.
Action item 150: Puchalski to refer the issue of membership dues structure to the Membership Committee with a charge to simplify it, taking into consideration privacy legislation. There should be no more than 10 categories. Consult with publications committee on price of subscription. (June 1)
Revising dues structure must take into consideration of impact on the budget.
It will require by-laws changes (Sept-Oct) prior to November mailing of renewal forms.
Action item 151: Board to decide if there should be a dues increase and if it is feasible to have a vote on by-laws change in September/October in time for implementation in November. (mid-year)
5Ai.
Sustaining institutional memberships
To be considered as part of the dues restructuring.
A student member submitted a proposal for a student chapter of ARLIS/NA. The Board discussed issues but deferred decision to the post-conference meeting. There are 59 student members among 860 members total. The Membership Committee has undertaken outreach activities to attract students. Benefits we already offer include coordination of internships, and the Gerd Muehsam Award. Would it be preferable to encourage students to join existing chapters? Chapters could initiate contact with library school students, recruit as members, offer internships, and support national conference attendance by students with travel awards. ARLIS/NA could try to offer something special for students in the conference program.
5B.
Membership form
5C.
E-mail confirmations
The Board asked whether Headquarters could send e-mail confirmations to renewing members. Clarke indicated willingness to program the system to include an auto response to online renewals.
Distributing the AWS password change promptly is a related issue. The password change should take effect at the renewal deadline.
6.
AWARDS COMMITTEE
In the past, ARLIS/NA did not get any financial benefit from awards in return for administering them. Budgeting awards should include something for the Society. We need to strive to establish realistic sums. Most importantly, the funding should be in place before awards are offered.
6A.
H. W. Wilson funds
During the 3-year commitment, tracking the funds has been problematic. Wilson's timetable has been out of sync with ours. The Board liaison has been involved to straighten out the financial records. A management calendar for the committee needs to be set up, specifying who should contact, who should be contacted.
6C.
Travel awards
The Board expressed concern about past difficulty in finding funding to support the Society's own members’ conference attendance. Sponsors are more interested in supporting attendance by guests from abroad.
7.
TASK FORCES
How can the Board best keep track of its task forces? They should be listed (membership and charge) in the Handbook and on the AWS.
Action item 152: Townsend to follow up on discussion of the Joint Educational Task Force at the VRA conference and to clarify status of the task force; will it be ongoing?
7C.
ARLIS WEB SITE ADVISORY BOARD (AWSAB)
The AWSAB task force did not have a clear charge, and had to deal with issues that intersected with other groups' activities. Important policy issues remain unresolved. There are still many design and organization decisions to be made. There is opportunity to do web publishing (extract from Update, for instance). Linking to other sites useful to members has not been exploited fully. The Publications Committee's role is undecided.
Clarke stated that planning the web site has to come before content. The cost of a professionally planned and designed web site would be approximately $6,000 to $7,000.
The ARLIS Web Site (AWS) is the public face of the Society, and it should be a valuable resource for members.
Action item 153: Clarke to have Derek Crosley provide Board with usage statistics on the AWS from the beginning of this year.
The Task Force on Purpose and Design of the AWS is charged with presenting a model or models of the web site. What do we need (in general, not in detail)? Deadline: Aug. 1.
Membership will include Board liaisons to Publications Committee, Development Committee, Membership Committee; Administrative Documents Editor; web master; Schwartz (who has AWSAB experience), and Jim Viskochil (conference web site editor).
Action deferred pending the outcome of the Diversity Forum on Sunday.
8.
CHAPTERS
This issue won’t go away, it seems. We have believed that ARLIS/NA is not legally responsible for its chapters, but that may not be true. The IRS has requested an EIN number for each chapter. Most chapters did have the number already. The IRS views chapters as part of the national organization. Presently, we don’t have insurance for chapter officers. What would happen if we did accept responsibility for chapters?
What would be the impact on insurance cost? What benefits would there be for ARLIS/NA? Are chapters actually incorporated locally? It appears that some of their incorporation documents were cut and pasted from ARLIS/NA’s incorporation.
Starr read memo from the Society’s lawyer advising separation of national from chapters. Chapters are not mentioned in ARLIS/NA’s incorporation, but they are in the by-laws. They are integral parts of the Society; it’s difficult to excise them for legal purposes. Clarke stated her opinion that the Board must address this issue. The Board decided to seek advice from ALA, as a benefit of our affiliation.
Action item 154: Clarke to get quote on insurance to cover Chapters.
If cost is substantial, chapters might have to pay their share for insurance.
Action item 155: Starr to ask ALA for cost to incorporate chapters, locally or as part of national Society. (Or Townsend to ask the Society’s lawyer for advice.)
Later, decision will have to be made on administration of dues (i.e., will they be collected by the national Society on behalf of chapters).
The Board determined that the by-laws changes of the ARLIS/Montréal-Ottawa-Québec Chapter were acceptable (i.e., no conflict with national requirements). The Mountain West Chapter also had by-laws changes, which have been reviewed by Teel (West Regional Representative).
The ARLIS/Texas-Mexico Chapter feels that it has done all it can do to reach out to Mexican librarians and visual resources curators (on behalf of ARLIS/NA). It is difficult to get people to come to the U.S.; for one, it is expensive. Mexicans ask, what can you do for us? Their own professional organizations are different. Should ARLIS/NA address this problem as a diversity issue? What can be done to make ARLIS/NA (and/or the Chapter) more attractive to potential members in Mexico?
Motion #13: The Board thanked the ARLIS/Texas-Mexico Chapter and its Mexican Relations Committee for their diligent efforts to recruit members from Mexico. (7 yes, 2 abstentions)
Action item 156: Schwartz to arrange for translation of ARLIS/Texas-Mexico web page into Spanish.
ARLIS/Southeast requested meeting time and space at the conference. In the future, perhaps there can be one time for all chapters to meet, if desired, possibly in the ballroom. Another option would be to have regional meetings at the conference.
Action item 156a: Goodman to include space for chapter meetings at the 2004 conference.
9.
COMMITTEE LIAISONS
New committee chairs have been posted on the AWS.
Committee chairs should be charged to fill
in the gaps in Townsend's database of committee history.
Coverage of meetings at the conference was assigned as follows:
Professional Development – Graney
Public Policy – Schwartz
International Relations – Puchalski
Membership – Puchalski and Roper
Development – Heagy and Clarke
Finance – Heagy
Publications – Starr and Roper
Standards – Herschman
Muehsam – Schwartz
Research Awards – Frechette
Travel Awards – Starr
Wittenborn – Frechette
10.
PUBLICATIONS
Two resumés and some good suggestions have been received. The job description was posted before the conference. Tom Jacoby will work through summer on the current issue. The search committee has been set up. Interviews will be conducted here in Baltimore.
The form can be kept current on the AWS; eventually, it should be interactive.
The print edition would contain substantially more information than the author's existing web site (annotations). Furthermore, the author doesn’t plan to maintain the site. Other publishers would not consider such a small print run (50). Free advertising on listservs can keep the cost of promotion low.
Action item 157: Kolmstetter to inform Publications Committee of the Board’s approval of the business plan for Occasional Paper #15, and to advise them to look into alternative ways of advertising before spending money on advertising.
________________________________________________________________________
The post-conference agenda was distributed.
The Board presented a gift to outgoing President, Daniel Starr.
Meeting adjourned at 4:45.
Norine Duncan, Secretary