2020 Winter Meeting

Download the minutes here.

ARLIS/NA Mid-Atlantic Chapter, Winter 2020 Meeting, January 10, 2020, George Mason University – Fenwick Library, Fairfax, VA

Business Meeting – 9:30-12:00

  1.  Introductions
  2. Approval of Summer 2019 meeting minutes (Winterthur):
    1. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L9LNRrzknltMaFv9rQgRLggDvGV-YW7z5Zf5Q0wzPKY/edit?usp=sharing
  3. Elections & 2020 Officers Roster
    1. Chair: Jennifer Page
    2. Vice Chair/Chair-Elect: Cathryn Copper
    3. Past Chair: Stephanie Grimm
    4. Secretary: Anna Tomlinson (2019-2021)
    5. Web manager: Courtney Tkacz (continuing)
    6. Content editor: Christopher Needham (continuing)
    7. Listserv manager: Roger Lawson (continuing)
  4. Officer reports:
    1. Website and Communications Report
      1. Courtney Tkacz, Web Manager: In October, the website was updated to funnel chapter memberships and renewals to the national website. Due to this movement of the membership function, our web traffic has decreased by a little over 50% compared to the same period last year. There have only been 773 total page views from 345 sessions from October-December 2019 compared with 1,596 total page views from 674 sessions from October-December 2018 (typical renewal season).  In mid-December, the national organization announced that chapters could process memberships and renewals again, so the website was updated once again to reflect that change.
      2. Chris Needham, content editor: No report; call for content submissions.
      3. Roger Lawson, listserv manager: 129 subscribers as of Jan. 9, 2020.
    2. Treasurer’s Report (Anna Tomlinson): (see attachment)
    3. Chair report:
      1. ARLIS/NA Society & Chapter Membership bundle update (FAQ Link: https://www.arlisna.org/membership/member-faqs)
  5. Humanities Commons Implementation Task Force
  6. WALRC and Backlund Award Updates
  7. Next Meeting Location
    1. Call for chapter meeting host sites.
      1. Baltimore Public Library was suggested as an option, given their recent renovations
  8. Proposed charge to formally establish Fundraising Committee
    1. Link to draft charge: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1990Y-U8KVTOlpqQs7JLwbx0NLl6rSYmbnTNXsBcwhmk/edit?usp=sharing
    2. Discussion:
      1. Bundled membership form does not allow for separate donations to chapter. Would we want a liaison to ARLIS/NA development committee? Do other chapters have this setup? (Ontario?)
      2. Motion (Lawson): Approve establishment of a standing fundraising subcommittee. Second: Woodrell
      3. Passed unanimously; Action: write committee charge and responsibilities
  9. Old business
    1. Follow-up question/discussion on Institutional Memberships:
      1. Stefanie Hilles (Chapter Liaison) confirmed that no other chapters currently have this, and it would require managing those memberships outside of the “bundled” option currently offered through the society’s website.
      2. Sponsorship vs. membership?
      3. Investigate other organizations’ models
      4. What would benefits be to an institution?
        1. Academic institutions – benefits to students – Library and Archives programs
      5. Institutional membership trending downward (?)
      6. Reconsider efforts on visibility
    2. Paypal account vs. Checking Account: Why are there funds in each?
      1. Anna Tomlinson noted that this isn’t really a specific practice, but that the money largely comes in through PayPal (donations + renewals). The bank account is a checking account only, so it doesn’t make much difference either way with where the money sits.
    3. 2024 Conference Host Sites: discussion to continue online
      1. Do we have members in attendance at institutions that might serve as potential “anchor” sites?
    4. Mentorship Subcommittee Survey?
  10. Other Business
  11. Good of the order:
    1. Corning Museum – call for establishing 2022 as the “International Year of Glass” (K. Woodrell). Decorative Arts SIG to coordinate.
  12. Strategic Directions & Chapter Activities Discussion
    1. What projects and initiatives has the chapter been involved indirectly? Where do these align with the current ARLIS/NA strategic directions? What opportunities might we have for new endeavors? What are we interested in doing as a chapter beyond our current activities?

Lunch Break – 12:00-1:30

Lightning Presentations – 1:30-3:00

  • Francis Bedford Archive (Claralyn Burt, NGA)
  • Scanning Comedias Sueltas (K. Sarah Ostrach, UMD)
    • US libraries’ holdings of Spanish plays printed 1600-1834: Comedies, ornaments (typographical, woodblocks for colophons, commentary, etc.)
    • Authority files, bibliography, institution holdings list
    • “Low overhead scanning project for new professionals, interns, volunteers”
    • Images uploaded to Google Drive, standardized UMD filename
    • Challenges:
      • National project with many contributors; slow communications
      • Differing institutional procedures
      • Variable scanning technology and item integrity
      • Detailed, time-consuming
    • Opportunities:
      • Scope
      • Rare materials
      • Above average pay
      • Practical experience
      • Interdisciplinary – literature, graphic design, typography, etc.
    • Good way for students and early professionals to build skills and contribute
    • Connects scholars and students
  • Incorporating Musical Iconography into a Music Research Course (Steve Gerber, GMU) (See handout)
  • Art + Feminism DC2020: Edit-a-thon Blitz (A. Simmons, J. Protka, A. Evenhaugen, L. Williams)
    • 2/29/20 – Hirshhorn
    • 3/13/20 – SAAM
    • 3/14/20 – NMWA
    • 3/21/20 — NGA
    • (Textile Museum may schedule related event)
    • (Suggestion: have participants receive a “passport” to encourage participation in all sessions)
  • Locally Made: Establishing a Pilot Artist-in-Residence Program (Stephanie Grimm, GMU)