Annual
Report
(2003)
Submitted February 2, 2004 by:
Nancy Thorne (President)
nthorne@design.upenn.edu
215-898-8323
Leadership update (officers for 2004):
President: Ann Gardner (gardnera@650dialup.com)
Vice-President / President-Elect: Kraig Binkowski (kbinkowski@delart.org)
Secretary/Treasurer: Ed Deegan (edeegan@pobox.upenn.edu)
Past-President: Nancy Thorne (nthorne@design.upenn.edu)
Summary of Activities and Membership:
The Spring Meeting was held May 9, 2003 in Philadelphia at the Rosenbach Museum and Library. Twelve members attended. Reports were received from the Secretary/Treasurer, the Vice-President / President-Elect and the Outreach Committee. Discussions at the meeting focused around encouraging increased attendance at chapter meetings and attracting new members. New chapter activities (social gatherings and informal networking opportunities) were proposed to engage members who are not available to attend a chapter meeting during a work day. It was agreed that the chapter would invite library students and colleagues who might be interested in joining to the Fall Meeting at the Barnes Foundation. The chapter would pay the guests' admission to the gallery. A brief discussion focused on members' experiences at the Conference in Baltimore. Following the meeting Elizabeth Fuller, librarian, gave us a history and tour of the Rosenbach Museum and Library.
The Fall Meeting was held November 14, 2003 near Philadelphia in Merion Station, Pennsylvania at the Barnes Foundation Museum. Twelve members and ten guests attended the meeting; six guests joined the chapter. Reports were received from the Secretary/Treasurer, the Outreach Committee and the Northeast Regional Representative. Discussions at the meeting focused around a professional development event for the 2004 Spring Meeting, informal gatherings among members, chapter finances and the chapter contribution to the Annual Conference. New members were appointed to the Outreach Committee, including one new student member. Following the meeting, members and guests visited the galleries of the Barnes Foundation Museum.
Chapter activities outside of meetings have made contacts and developed relationships with students in Drexel University's College of Information Science and Technology. On January 14, 2003 the Outreach Committee and a number of other members met at Drexel to represent ARLIS at a student event promoting professional organizations. The committee arranged with Drexel administration to sponsor two other promotions for ARLIS alone; members met with students April 9 and 10. In the fall, the committee encouraged students to attend the Fall Meeting at the Barnes Foundation.
ARLIS-DVC has thirty-three paid-up members as of December 31, 2003. Twenty-seven are regular members; six are student members. The total reflects the addition of eight new members (three regular members and five student members). Of the total, twenty-one also are listed in the ARLIS/NA Handbook and List of Members for 2003/2004.
ARLIS/NA Strategic Plan:
The chapter's activities and plans related to the Strategic Plan focus on education.
I. A I.E Members of our Outreach Committee have cultivated contacts in the administration and faculty of our local library school, Drexel University College of Information Science and Technology to support students considering art librarianship and to promote art-related curriculum. The Outreach Committee actively continues to seek to draw students into ARLIS membership and the activities of our chapter.
Chapter Action Item 2 Mentoring is presently not a formal program, but rather takes the form of personal friendships and individual volunteer internships. We expect increased opportunities for informal mentoring related to the 2004 Annual Conference in New York City, which is near enough to permit a student excursion.
I.B I.G Continuing education and professional development are priorities for the chapter. The Spring 2004 meeting will focus on online resources for reference and research. We also hope to begin promoting informal networking opportunities which will encourage members to meet socially outside of chapter meetings to share day-to-day challenges and solutions in this rapidly changing environment.
Issues for Executive Board:
The Delaware Valley Chapter has no formal issues to bring before the Executive Board at this time. Informally, let me share with the Executive Board some personal observations. Some concern has been expressed among members about a future requirement that all chapter members be members of ARLIS/NA. We are a small chapter making major efforts to draw in students and unattached colleagues. Modest dues have made it possible for several people to become members and to contribute actively to our professional community. ARLIS/NA membership is expensive for many new members, even considering "student" and "unemployed" membership categories. I personally would hope that official policies could permit some leeway.