1998 ARLIS/NA Development Committee 
Minutes of the Meeting, March 7, 1998
Doubletree Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1997 and 1998 committee members present:  Betty Antrim, Kitty Chibnik
(1998 executive board liaison), Ross Day (1997 executive board
liaison), Elizabeth Lantz (1998 co-chair), Barbara Polowy (1997 chair,
1998 co-chair), Merrill Smith 
Other ARLIS/NA members present:  Penney
De Pas (executive director), Suzanne Freeman (chair, Membership
Committee), Mary Graham (vice-president/president elect)

Committee Chair Barbara Polowy called the meeting to order at 10:30
A.M. She briefly reviewed the committee's activities since the meeting
held at the 25th Annual ARLIS/NA Conference as recorded in the annual
report.  This report and the committee's ARLIS/NA Strategic Plan
assignments guided discussions at the meeting. 

Conference Fundraising
Although the Development Committee is no longer charged with
responsibility for conference fundraising, President Roger Lawson
asked the 1997 committee to help the Conference Planning Committee
with this effort and it did so.  The committee's continued
participation in conference fundraising was briefly discussed but not
resolved.  Committee members will continue to serve as advisors for
conference fundraising chairs, however, and the development report
from the society's database will include information to assist
conference fundraisers.

The Dictionary of Art Gift
At the time of the committee meeting The Dictionary of Art silent
auction bidding was still open.  The committee discussed some problems
encountered in staging the silent auction as a society fundraiser. 
The winning bid was submitted by the Montclair Art Museum and was
announced in the exhibit hall on Tuesday March  10, 1998.

ARLIS/NA Database Development Report
-Penney De Pas circulated printouts of the first version of the full
development report (created in the fall), a recent update to that
report, and keys to the codes used to identify financial data.  She
explained what information was originally included in the database,
what kinds of records have been added this year, how the data is
structured, and how records for all society activities (event
participation, purchases, and memberships, for example) are linked in
the database.  Other sources of potentially useful development
information were discussed including conversion of paper files from
past conference fundraising committees transferred from Merrill Smith
to Barbara Polowy. 
-The committee discussed the importance of historical 
information--records of personal contacts within organizations, 
amounts given, rejections,and giving preferences--to successful 
fundraising.   This kind of information is recorded in the ARLIS 
system on a "contact screen."  Ms. De Pas and Ms. Polowy will produce 
a draft contact screen template for review by the committee.

Report from Executive Board Liaisons
Ross Day and Kitty Chibnik reported discussions and decisions from the
Pre-conference Executive Board Meeting related to the work of the
Development Committee.  
-The liaisons announced that the society's
fiscal year may change from the current October to September schedule
to a January to December schedule. Thus, budget needs for the October
to December 1998 period should be conveyed to Ms. Chibnik before May
1, 1998. Penney De Pas suggested several items to include in the
committee's budget request.  
-Mr. Day clarified award committeefundraising procedures.  Award 
committee chairs are responsible for soliciting funding for awards 
andfor notifying award sponsors of the deadlines and procedures for 
getting the funds to ARLIS/NA Headquarters.  In the future, donations 
to the society in the form of awards will be tracked through the 
society's database and appear in the development report.  The 
Development Committee should be informed of award donations, but has 
no responsibility in soliciting and tracking them.

Development Committee Projects
-Barbara Polowy requested that the executive board help the committee
shape its activities by identifying projects or activities important
to the goals of the society and in need of financial support. 
-Ross Day noted that continued development of the ARLIS/NA 25th 
Anniversary Scholarship Fund should be on the committee's fundraising 
agenda.  The first awards from the income on the endowment are 
planned for 1999 and the larger the endowment, the more ambitious the 
scholarship program can be. 
-Merrill Smith suggested establishing an endowment to fund a
continuing series of conference lectures, perhaps on the art and
architecture of the city or region hosting the conference.
-Non-conference sponsorship opportunities were also suggested,
including establishing endowments to help fund publications and access
to technology for society members.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Polowy
Barbara Polowy, Art Librarian
Hillyer Art Library, Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063
413-585-2941  bpolowy@library.smith.edu