Annual Report (2003)
ARLIS/NA Membership Committee

Submitted by:

Adeane Bregman, Co-Chair
Email: bregman@bc.edu
Phone: (617) 552-3136
Fax: (617) 552-0510

And

Kathryn L. Corcoran, Co-Chair
Email: kcorcor@mwpai.org
Phone: (315) 797-0000 ext. 2228
Fax: (315) 797-5608

Leadership: Leslie Preston and Heather Topcik, Co-Chairs; they resigned in August. Adeane Bregman and Kathryn L. Corcoran became Co-Chairs. Janine Henri is the incoming Chair for 2004.

Executive Board Liaison: Irene Puchalski

Committee Members: Margaret Boylan, Tamara Fultz, Gladys Markoff-Sotomayor.

Activities

·        Non-renewals: Committee members received sections of the list of members who did not renew, and attempted to contact them by email and telephone. As a result, 100 nonrenewals renewed their membership. At the business meeting in New York, the committee will review the project and decide if it will recommend that it should be done every year, and ways to improve the process.

·        Membership form: The committee looked at both the online and print versions of the 2004 ARLIS/NA membership form and recommended that they include the same information.

·        Membership reports and status of membership: Vicki Roper emails monthly reports to the Committee.

·        Dues restructuring: Allen Townsend (President, ARLIS/NA) emailed to the Committee his suggestions for new and simplified dues structure; Committee members reviewed the proposed dues structure.

·        Outreach to library schools:  The committee was commended by Heather Ball, Chair of the Professional Development Committee, on the significant increase in the number of LIS student applicants for the ARLIS/NA Internship Award due to the LIS communication channels established by the Committee.

·        Student chapters and student members:  There were 71 student members for 2004; 48 were new. New student memberships are the largest category of new members.

ARLIS/NA Strategic Plan 2000-2005, Progress on Action Items:

1. “Encourage new members through reciprocal advertising with other professional organizations and coordination with the North American Relations Committee, Chapter and liaisons.”
• Continue student outreach, local chapter communication, and outreach to diverse special interest groups.  
• Update and redistribute the list of library school contacts.
2. “Revise and update, in consultation with Headquarters, the ARLIS/NA brochure, budget request, and membership form.”
• Complete: Brochure. Reviewed Allen Townsend’s suggestions for dues restructuring.
3. “Retain members by aggressively working with Headquarters, Regional Representatives and Chapter officers to address issues of non-renewals, encouraging renewals and updating databases.”
• Complete: Nonrenewals contacted.
• To do: Outreach to local members who are not yet national members.
4. “Utilize the web site as a communication tool ensuring that basic membership functions of application, renewal, and updating directory information are in place. Establish a link for ‘new members’.”
• Complete: Membership forms available at http://www.arlis.org
• To do: Updating directory information online.
• To discuss: Creating a “new members” section on the ARLIS web site.
5. “Work with Development and Travel Awards Committee to secure funding to encourage membership growth, and to identify additional funding sources for new members.”
• To do: Survey local chapters to see what kinds of scholarships there are for students and new members.
6. “Work with Professional Development Committee to expand the mentor program to include new members to help foster membership retention as well as provide leadership training for the Society.”
• Programming for the ’04 conference addressing professional development for students.