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 Amy Lucker:
Vice President/President Elect
Upon entering the ranks of professional art librarians, in 1984, I joined ARLIS/NA. In my first few years of attending conferences, and joining and chairing committees I quickly realized that I was fortunate to belong to a profession that was supported by and supported such a strong and collegial organization. I met many of the art librarians whose names I had seen when doing my reading in library school and found them not only wise but also extremely approachable.
Many years later I find that I am one of those librarians whose articles are read in library school. And while I am still not as wise as those to whom I looked in my early days, I am always happy to talk to the newly minted among us, and cheer them on as they get started. And ARLIS remains a constant; my advice to those in library school and those in the profession has always been "join ARLIS".
In the past few years, ARLIS, as an organization, has been looking inward, working to redefine itself and its mission as the times and our profession continue to change. Having strategized, and planned, the next couple of years will be spent implementing changes to the organizational structure. I believe the next few years are also the time for ARLIS to once again focus outwards, looking at where our organization and our members fit into the larger information and art worlds. It is time for us to strengthen our traditional ties with organizations such as VRA and CAA, and to develop deeper relationships with other organizations, such as SAA, MCN and AMIA. Our profession has changed in the past 20 years, and ARLIS cannot afford to become isolated or insulated. I look forward to working with a reorganized society to reenergize our membership, to reach out beyond our traditional borders, and to redefine the value that ARLIS offers to its members.
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