Dear ARLIS-DVC Chapter members,

 

It is with great sadness that we are announcing that the Delaware Valley Chapter of ARLIS-NA will be closing, effective January 1, 2014.   

 

The past couple of years have seen a dramatic decrease in member involvement as well as poor attendance at meetings and events, despite our stepping up outreach efforts to bring in new professionals in the field.   As our members retire and staff workloads increase for those who are still working in art libraries, it seems that our chapter is no longer relevant.   ARLIS-NA is a virtual daily presence in our lives and, while in-person meetings and events are exciting, there no longer seems to be time for our DVC community to get together this way.

 

A survey sent to members recently indicated that 75% of them were in favor of merging with another chapter.  In terms of location, the closest chapters for our members would be the NY and the MD-DC-VA chapters.  Since the ARLIS Board has approved our dissolution, we are encouraging our members to decide which nearby chapter to join rather than to formally merge with a neighboring group.

 

The distribution of our treasury is currently being voted on by members.  An announcement will be made when a decision is reached.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Judy Donovan

 

President, ARLIS Delaware Valley Chapter

Art Librarian

The Barnes Foundation

2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Philadelphia PA 19130

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215-278-7292