Present:
1999 Committee members:  Jim Carmin, Chair; Marilyn Berger, Board Liaison; Connie Okada
 2000 Committee members:  Jacqueline Allen, Chair; Louis Adrean, Board Liaison; Tara Carlisle, Sam Duncan, Mary Leonard, Chia-Chun Shih

1. Jim Carmin, Chair, distributed copies of the Annual Report of the
   1999 George Wittenborn Committee.

   Jim discussed the process of soliciting candidates for the awards from publishers and distributors, logistical problems due to the
   geographic distance between committee members in the Northwest region, problem books among the submissions, and the committee meetings at
   which the award winners were selected. Jim mentioned that he mailed the letters to the publishers. Marilyn Berger said this part could
   have been done by headquarters, which has a central database of the mailing list.

   The four recommendations included in the annual report were reviewed and discussed:

   a. Electronic Format/Multimedia Award

      Marilyn Berger concurred with the Committee's recommendation that the incoming Committee give priority to creating a list
      of electronic publishers that could be solicited for submissions for this new award. This list would also include web sites.

   b. Clarifications in the language of calls for submissions

      The consensus was that the language in the letter is clear enough and further clarifications are not needed.

   c. Small press submissions

      Marilyn Berger reported that the Board agrees with Jim's recommendation that small presses be solicited for a review copy
      of an eligible publication if the press is unable to give a copy to the Committee.  However, the press must first notify the
      Wittenborn Committee by letter that they are unable to donate a copy.

      Marilyn mentioned that it was her understanding that one of the three annual Wittenborn awards should be for a small press,
      but Jim said that he was not aware of it being in the Committee's guidelines.

   d. Submission letter in Spanish

      Marilyn Berger reported that the Board agrees that the letter of submission should be translated into Spanish.

2. Jim  discussed plans for the Wittenborn exhibit table, which will be staffed by outgoing and incoming Committee members. The three award
   winning books and two honorable mention books will be displayed.  Also available at the table for review will be the list of submissions
   for the 1999 award, the list and index of past award winners, and information on the history of the Wittenborn award.

   Jim will make the awards presentation at the Convocation on March 19.

3. Jim reported that the Committee decided against having an award seal that could be reprinted on book jackets or covers.  He said that it
   wouldn't help sales of the books since Wittenborn award winners tend not to be reprinted.

4. Jacqui Allen asked about the decision making process regarding intellectual content of the submissions since committee members may
   or may not be knowledgeable in the subjects of all the books.  Jim described the process the 1999 Committee followed in weeding the
   submissions and in refining the group of final candidates until consensus was reached on the award winners.

5. The meeting was adjourned at 5:20 pm.
 

Repectively submitted,
Connie Okada