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All,

 

Thank you to all who have responded to my posting and to Sue Koskinen, our Western Regional Rep, for offering to answer any questions we may have.  

 

Concern seems quite high and covers a variety of elements within the agreement.  I would like to take the opportunity to present those I have received thus far.

 

Please understand that I am not against a signed agreement between the society and its chapters; I actually feel that this is a forward moving step that should be used to facilitate positive and mutually respectful relations between the society and the chapters. 

 

In that spirit I offer the following concerns for discussion.

  

1.  From Margaret Webster’s email “the ARLIS/NA Executive Board has unanimously voted to have our Headquarters collect all chapter dues centrally and to disperse them to the chapters.”  This is confirmed in the affiliation agreement in section II – “All CHAPTER and ARLIS/NA membership dues shall be collected directly from members by ARLIS/NA.  ARLIS/NA shall thereafter remit CHAPTER dues to CHAPTER.” 

 

This leaves several questions to be answered: 

*  Why were chapters not involved in this discussion?  If we are indeed a “legal entity separate and distinct from ARLIS/NA” (agreement III, A) is this a decision that the society can/should make for chapters without a dialogue first?

*  What are the procedures behind the society’s taking on responsibility for collecting and dispersing chapter dues?  At this point, the society has simply stated that “beginning with this fiscal year” this will take place and that “arrangements have not been fully fleshed out.”  It seems premature to ask chapters to sign a legally binding contract that turns over control of collecting the majority of their funds without having the protocols in place first.   

*  Who will decide the protocols?  The society alone with no chapter input?  Chapters collect different levels of dues – will this be accommodated?  And many other details … .

*  It also states that “chapter dues will be collected from each ARLIS/NA member who lives in the geographical region of the chapter.”  With this statement, ARLIS/NA has just made it mandatory that all society members are now chapter members as well.  It also implies that there will, by necessity, be an increase in society dues to accommodate this.

*  I can only imagine the financial costs and administrative difficulties that will be incurred by the society to oversee the bookkeeping and distribution of chapter funds, is this a cost effective method of enforcing the requirement that chapter members also be society members?

 

2.  The idea of chapter members also being required to be society members is nothing new – this has been the rule for a long time though it has been honored in spirit for the most part.  It is not unreasonable, most societies have this rule and certainly the society collecting and redistributing chapter dues will enforce this.  However, the society needs to acknowledge that chapters will lose 40-80% of their membership.  This is significant.  It also means that some chapters will likely fold, is this an acceptable outcome?  Does the society clearly understand the benefits incurred to it from having independent regional chapters?

 

3.  If chapters do not feel comfortable signing the agreement as it is will there be an opportunity to discuss the proposal and offer revisions? Or is it a “done deal” so to speak.

 

4.  If chapters need an extension in order to discuss it amongst their entire membership, will one be offered by the society?  At the meeting in Banff, it was mentioned that the society would like to have chapters sign off by the end of the year – the 5 week dead-line was quite a surprise and does not give adequate time for discussion given academic schedules, summer vacations, etc..

 

5.  If chapters decide not to sign, how will this affect the society’s ability to organize annual conferences?  Chapters are key to on-the-ground planning of our conferences.  Not to mention in recruiting new members, mentoring students, providing internships, liaisoning with local MLS/MLIS programs, providing networking opportunities, local programming, etc..

  

These are just a few of the most immediate concerns that have been expressed.

 

I respectfully request that the society allow for a reasonable amount of time for the chapters to consider this document and its impact, and to be able to have an open discussion amongst all members as well as with the members of the executive board.

 

Thank you.

 

-------------------

Barbara Rominski

ARLIS/NC Chair

 

Head Librarian

SFMOMA

phone (415) 357-4121

fax (415) 947-1112

 

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