Dear Colleagues,
Ann Whiteside and I want to assure you that the ARLIS/NA Executive Board is
aware of and listening to the current discussion concerning GLIRT. We have
not posted responses because we believe that this discussion should be held
by GLIRT members as well as other ARLIS/NA colleagues who are interested in
this issue. The Board is neither in favor of nor against the notion of
dissolving GLIRT; we need to know the facts before we can have an educated
and informed opinion, and we require a valid petition upon which to act or
not to act.
Ellen Corrigan very nicely outlined the conditions under which Round Tables
are formed and dissolved. I quote from her posting:
Snip>>>>According to the Bylaws (Article XII-C-1), 15 members are needed to
create a Round Table. But according to the Policy Manual (Policy E-1),
only "more
than 10" members are required to sustain the Round Table.
Policy E-3 also states, however, that the Executive Board may dissolve a
Round Table if it is unable to elect a moderator or submit an annual
report, the latter of which GLIRT does not appear to have done this past
year. On the other hand, Article XII-C-8 states that the Executive Board
is authorized to dissolve a Round Table "when in the opinion of the Board
its usefulness has ceased." <<<<<Snip
Ellen asks "How does the Board gauge the usefulness of a forum for
"discussion and informal exchange of information"?" This is clearly a
subjective call, but the Board will look at the following conditions (among
others) very carefully: if a Round Table does not demonstrate signs of
mission related activity (e.g., as outlined in the ARLIS/NA Strategic Plan
and the Core Competencies document), if it does not submit annual reports,
if it cannot elect moderators, if it does not draw new members, if the
membership as measured by meeting attendance dwindles to a very small
number, and if the members submit a request for dissolution to the
Board. The most important criteria is the opinion of the members of the
Round Table. The dissolution of a Round Table is not necessarily tied to
the aftermath of a conference. It can happen at any time if a request is
made and the necessary information is at hand.
We have asked Ray Anne Lockard as the sitting moderator of GLIRT to compile
the opinions all GLIRT members and to communicate this information in a
fair way to the Board through the GLIRT Board liaison, Ann Whiteside. We
promise that the Board will pay very careful attention to this report and
the recommendations that it contains.
Margaret Webster, President
Ann Whiteside, Vice President
Margaret N. Webster
President, ARLIS/NA
B-56 Sibley Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: 607-255-3300
Fax: 607-255-1900
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http: //www.arlisna.org
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