Friday, July 11, 2008
Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD
- Approval of the November 16, 2007 Meeting Minutes (Phillips Collection Meeting)
The Minutes from the previous meeting were approved. - Treasurer’s Report
Yuki Hibben distributed and discussed the Treasurer’s and Membership report. She encouraged chapter members to continue to donate to chapter awards programs (Caroline Backlund Professional Development Award and Student Travel Award). - Elizabeth Schaub, ARLIS/NA Education Liaison (formerly South Regional Representative)
Elizabeth Shaub, ARLIS/NA Educational Liaison, attended this business meeting. Last year (2007), Elizabeth was the South Regional Representative for ARLIS/NA. After the 2008 national conference in Denver, ARLIS/NA Board members now have functional duties, such as Elizabeth’s. In this capacity, she updated chapter members on current Board business (i.e., ARLIS/NA Archives need a new home to make them more accessible) and also informed us about the Web initiatives of the Texas/Mexico Chapter.The Texas/Mexico site was developed by their chapter member, Sam Duncan, using Drupal, an open-source content management system. This is a database driven Web site, which allows for easier site updates. Also more than one person can update the site. The site includes blogs, rss feeds, and has the capability for site-wide searching built in. Functionally, the primary upkeep is to back-up the site’s database. But there are cons:
- »It takes a fairly concentrated effort to create a site with Drupal.
- »A large amount of deep thought needs to go into the site structure up front.
- »It is challenging to keep up with the updates.
- »ISP can potentially break the site.
- »Sophisticated things can go wrong…
- »Educating people about how to submit content is ongoing.
- »This type of site needs documentation.
- Roger Lawson, co-editor Newsletter, Report on Communications Survey
Roger Lawson gave a Tech Report to the chapter. There had been a previous chapter discussion about improving chapter communications. To this end, Roger implemented a chapter survey using Survey Monkey. There were only 20 responses. This survey indicated that the existing communication channels are valued. The chapter listserv is most frequently read by members; this is a tool that is delivered to us. The chapter blog is used the least; we may need notices of blog updates. We may need to consider third-party hosting to get more seamless functionality. For example, the Society of the Cincinnati used Network Solutions; Roger has information on what this might cost. We would want to create communications systems that we can use easily, that are configurable, and we might wish to consider open-source software. There is potential to use the chapter blog for special interest groups within the chapter and also to improve communications in general. - Kim Detterbeck and Anne Simmons, co-chairs, Student Outreach Committee
Kim & Anne reported. The committee (Sarah, Rebecca, Kristen, Kim, and Anne) have the goal of increasing the visibility of our chapter to students. To this end, they are monitoring library-school listservs and have applied for funding from ARLIS/NA for a brochure (and have a brochure mock-up). They may also need chapter funding. The committee would like to increase the Web presence for information of potential use to students. To that end, brochure content could be added to the chapter Web site. Maybe we could model off of ArLisNAP. They would also like to have member profiles, which could include advice about how members prepared themselves for art librarian work. It would also be good to link to local and relevant job postings. The committee is open to member suggestions. - Travel Award Winner Reports
Kim Detterbeck received the Student Travel Award. She thanked the group for providing this opportunity. The National Conference was a little overwhelming, but it was nice to see friendly chapter faces. There was a good mix of practical sessions.
Rebecca Cooper’s report was delivered via Kristen Regina. Her report is also posted on the Web and can be read at http://rcbacklund.wordpress.com - Chair’s Report
Kristen Regina gave the Chair Report. We received a thank-you note from ARLIS/NA for our Welcome Party donation. The fall meeting will be a joint meeting with VRA at the National Gallery of Art on October 24, 2008. In addition, Kristen called for the appointment of a Communications Liaison as a one-year appointment to implement findings from the survey and with Roger Lawson to hold the position in the first year. After a year, we would consider asking members about appointing this position as a regular chapter officer. This would be a membership vote. The description below details the position:Appointment of ARLIS/DC-MD-VA Communications Liaison, effective July 2008 – July 2009
Based on the model of ARLIS/NA’s Communication Liaison (CL), I appoint Roger Lawson as the local chapter’s CL for a one year, one time renewable term. The role of the CL will be to follow through and implement the results of the Communications Survey. As well, the CL will be responsible for the management of the chapter’s website, webmaster, blogmaster, list-serv, newsletter, and experimentation with other forms of contemporary communication or technology that the CL finds appropriate and useful to the chapter. After the first year of service expires in 2009, the chapter chair and CL would evaluate how technology issues are being met. The chair and CL could then agree to renew the contract and continue experimentation and modification of the chapter’s technology needs, decide that a new CL is no longer necessary, or decide that this should become a permanent chapter officer. At that point in time the bylaws would be amended, nominations from the chapter for such an officer would be solicited, and a vote would be put forward.
- New Business
Members in attendance discussed the current chapter awards. Should we consider merging the two awards committees? Should we consider expanding the Student Travel Awards to include online degree programs if students live/work geographically in the DC-MD-VA region? Should the Student Award be expanded to include students in relevant programs (e.g., art history programs), but not in library science programs? Should we make it official in the bylaws that if you receive one of the awards, you would automatically become a member of the awards committee? Members were also interested in discussing the level of funding that we award.
The group had a lengthy discussion on these topics, and especially on the student award. Ultimately, the group voted in favor of expanding the student award to include library school students living in our geographical region but voted in opposition of expanding the student award to non-library programs.Reminder: the Chapter will next meet on October 24, 2008 at the National Gallery of Art.
For more information, there is an ALA Tech Report (Volume 44, no. 4) on using Drupal in libraries. (See also http://www.techsource.ala.org/ltr/drupal-in-libraries.html)
Respectfully submitted
Karen O’Connell, Vice-Chair