Annual
Report
(2003)
Submitted by Deborah Kempe,
Chair
kempe@frick.org
tel. 212 547-0658; fax: 212
879-2091
March 2, 2004
Leadership Update
2003 was an excellent year for
the New York Chapter of ARLIS/NY, thanks to our energetic, imaginative, board
and an enthusiastic membership. Heather
Topcik, our Member-at-large in charge of membership, stepped down in July of
2003 to take maternity leave. During
her absence, Deborah Kempe (Chair) assumed responsibility for contacting
members, including issuing letters of welcome to new members, renewal reminders,
letters to donors, and update of membership database and email list.
At the end of the year, three
board members completed their terms: Paula
Gabbard, Past President; Heather Topcik, Member at Large for Membership; and
Caitlin Kilgallen, Treasurer. Elections
were held in November for three openings, with the following slate of board
members for 2004:
Judy Connorton, Chair
Ken Soehner, Chair Elect
Deborah Kempe, Past Chair
Caitlin Kilgallen, Treasurer
Heidi Hass, Secretary
Erin Elliott, Member at Large for Membership
Faith Pleasanton, Member at Large for Advertising
Newsletter editors James
Mitchell, Alexandra deLuise, and Suz Massen, and website manager Jim Viskoshil
continue to attend board meetings and to contribute considerable amounts of time
and talent to the chapter’s important modes of communication.
Carol Graney ably served as our Regional Representative and link to ARLIS/NA.
We were pleased to welcome her at
our Fall Business meeting.
Financial report
It was my goal as chair to
leave the chapter with more funds than when I started, and I am pleased to
report success. The bank balance as
of Jan 2003 was $4,554. As of
February, 2004, with most renewals received, the balance is $6,736.
This should enable the chapter to continue the activities and services
confirmed as important by the board without resorting to a dues increase,
despite rising costs of services and facilities in New York City.
Bringing the balance up was done in a variety of ways:
recruitment of new members; increasing donations from members and
community vendors; reliance on hosts to offer free services and facilities for
meetings; and increasing newsletter advertising, coupled
with lower production costs. With
these measures, we were able to increase revenue and limit expenses while
continuing to offer a strong program of activities to our members.
Considering that the very institutions that we rely on are also searching
to increase revenues in a difficult financial climate, it remains to be seen if
the chapter can continue this trend. However,
I believe that the chapter will remain in good financial health for the
foreseeable future.
Activities and services
Four outstanding newsletters
were published in 2003, thanks to the efforts of our three editors.
Suz Massen joined longtime editors James Mitchell and Alexandra deLuise
this year. Color photos were
introduced for the first time. The
costs of production have gone down by almost $1,000 due to email delivery.
Almost everyone in the chapter elects to receive the newsletter via
email, with only a few copies printed and mailed.
The pdf format lends itself to an attractive printed product that many
members keep and read at leisure, while others prefer to read it only online.
Thanks to the efforts of Faith Pleasanton, we saw an increase in
advertising, picking up a new account with Prestel Publishers.
Donors to the chapter are also provided with an advertisement in the
newsletter. In addition to
announcements, chapter news, and updates on local libraries and members, there
were reports on a symposium at Avery Library, a NINCH town meeting, and the CAA
conference.
Three meetings were held, all
with attendance of over 70 members. The
Spring meeting took place in April. Hosted
courtesy of Watson Library and held in the Trustees Room of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, the meeting brought representatives of H.W. Wilson Inc. together
with art librarians for a dialogue on new products and development.
A lovely reception following the meeting was provided by Wilson.
The Spring meeting was in June at the New York Botanical Gardens, where
members were provided free entry to the grounds, followed by talks and tours in
the newly renovated library and art gallery, with displays highlighting the
special collections. Following
the meeting, a reception in the Library rotunda honored retiring librarian John
Reed, longtime director of the NYBG Library.
Prestel and Octavo contributed to the costs of the meeting. Our fall meeting was hosted by the Fashion Institute of
Technology. Before the business
meeting and announcement of elections, members were treated to a tour of the
exhibitions by F.I.T. gallery director Valerie Steele. The year ended festively with a holiday meeting that was both
traditional and decidedly not so. As
in previous years, members brought favorite holiday dishes for a grand buffet.
New to the meeting was a raffle to raise funds for the Celine Palatsky
travel award and a performance by the mysterious Suzy Wrong.
A toast was also given to Angela Giral upon her retirement as director of
Avery Library. Columbia University
kindly provided the meeting facilities at no charge and allowed us to
self-cater. Eastern Book Company
provided support for beverages.
The Summer outing, organized by
Judy Connorton, was a big success, as members took advantage of special tours of
the newly opened DIA Art Center in Beacon, NY.
The tours provided access to Michael Heizer’s “negative
sculptures,” normally roped off, and were given by knowledgeable and
passionate believers in contemporary art. All
agreed that it is a passionate place.
In addition to meetings and activities, other board actions reached out to the larger library community. As in years past, the board voted to contribute $500 to the welcome party at the ARLIS/NA conference in Baltimore. We also voted to contribute $50 and send a delegate to the annual reception for library professionals given by NYTSL. Ever since the establishment of the Celine Palatsky Travel Award more than ten years ago, the chapter has been fortunate to have funds sufficient to offer it annually to a chapter member. Several applications were received for this year’s award of $500 to assist in costs of attending the ARLIS/NA conference in Baltimore. Christina Peter, an MLS student and Cataloging Associate at the Frick Art Reference Library, was the recipient of the award, and attended her first ARLIS/NA conference.
Conclusion
I believe this report establishes the New York Chapter’s conformance with the goals and actions as established in the ARLIS/NA Strategic Plan for 2000-2005. One suggestion I have is that both our chapter and the national organization would benefit from increased sharing of membership rosters for recruitment purposes. It has been a true pleasure to work with our chapter board and the regional representative towards the goal of making a great network even better. After an exhilarating year, I look forward to continued service with my colleagues on the Board, under Judy Connorton’s able direction.