Dear ARLIS/NA Community:
With the holiday season in full swing and as the year closes, I’d like to bring you up-to-date on some of ARLIS/NA’s activities this past year.
2018 ARLIS/NA Annual Conference
The 2018 Conference Planning Committee has been hard at work to make the upcoming conference a special one! As I write, 2018 Annual Conference in New York City is only 2 ½ months away!
A special thanks to Dan Lipcan and Lindsay King, program co-chairs, and Lori Salmon and Suz Massen, local arrangements co-chairs, who have been leading a
fantastic team of professionals. The
New York City Conference Team has put together a content-rich program, and I can assure you that this conference will be invigorating and deepen your understanding of trending topics. Would you like
new and innovative ways to handle challenges as well as expand the boundaries of art librarianship? Are there any ideas from outside the library profession to solve problems, spark new initiatives, or broaden audiences for library activities? Come to the
conference and find out! A variety of social celebrations and tours have been developed to connect you with colleagues across the country and internationally. Additionally, we are happy to announce for the second year in a row ARLIS/NA is offering
conference childcare for attendees. If you haven’t registered yet for the conference, please do so by accessing the
conference web site.
Thanks to a grant from The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, 20 first-time student attendees to the conference will be receiving free registration. We have awarded 20 library/information
science masters students with this honor.
For those of you who may be experiencing difficulties in getting a reservation at the conference hotel, the
New York Hilton Midtown, please be aware that there are plenty of rooms available at the reduced conference rate. If you are having problems getting a reservation or being told that rooms are not available
at the conference rate, please contact
Robert Kopchinski so we can address any problems that may be occurring with the hotel.
Executive Board Meetings
Here are some of the highlights from the mid-year Executive Board meeting held in Santa Fe in August:
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The Board approved extending Lauren MacDonald’s term as Education liaison by an extra year in order to allow for an adjustment in the imbalance of the Board rotational schedule.
A special thanks to Lauren who has big objectives and goals for the educational needs of the Society!
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Deep dive conversations occurred around diversity and inclusion, professional development and membership needs, Humanities Commons and ARLIS/NA, and the funding of special
projects.
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The Board supported the slate of candidates presented by the Nominating Committee. Many thanks to the committee members, Gregory Most (chair), Jon Evans, Laurel Bliss, and
Sylvia Roberts for their thoughtful work. The slate – Laura Schwartz for Vice President/President-Elect, Doug Litts for Treasurer, and Susan Rackover for Canadian Representative - was presented before the Society and accepted by acclamation during the autumn
of this year. I’m looking forward to working with Laura, Doug, and Susan. Congratulations!
In addition to meeting in person at two conference board meetings as well as the mid-year board meeting, our dedicated Executive Board meets every month via conference call. As of
October 17th, the Board had voted on 72 motions and 98 action items. Our action items have more than doubled from past years, and your
Executive Board is hard at work! The Executive Board
meeting minutes are available on the ARLIS/NA web site, please use your member log-in to access them. Many thanks to Stacy Brinkman, Kim Collins, Samantha Deutsch, Catherine Essinger, Jennifer Garland, Heather Gendron, Matthew Gengler, Roger Lawson, and
Lauren MacDonald. And a special kudos to Robert Kopchinski to help us run efficiently and smoothly!
A highlight from last month’s meeting, the FY2018 budget was approved and a policy for funding the Reserve Fund was approved by the Board. Hats off to Matthew Gengler, ARLIS/NA Treasurer,
and Robert Kopchinski at ARLIS/NA HQ for their hard work in bringing this before the Board for review. The Society is in strong financial shape, and this policy will establish parameters to pull funds for special projects and programs.
Committees, Task Forces, and Groups
In keeping with our
Core Values and Strategic Directions, the Strategic Directions Committee has been helping the Board identify issues of importance to the Society. I’d like to thank Sarah Carter for chairing this
fine
committee.
Additionally, Sarah Carter from the Strategic Directions Committee and Vanessa Kam from the
Diversity Committee have been participating in the development of the Leadership Institute. Developments out of the Leadership Institute will be highlighted during the
President’s Choice Session at the annual conference.
Among the many activities held by the
International Relations Committee, chaired by Deborah Kempe, was the successful study tour to Paris in June of 2017. The IRC Study Tours are a wonderful way to reach out to our global community, share our mutual experiences and knowledge, and engage with
our international colleagues. Kudos to all involved and a special thanks to Christine Ferret and our French colleagues.
Some other highlights from the year:
The
Public Policy Committee has been vigilant in monitoring public policy issues and keeping the ARLIS/NA membership informed. My deep thanks to Caley Cannon and her team for doing this tireless work in the form of
news alerts and crafting our position statements throughout this past year.
I’d also like to thank the Analytics Task Force for their work which included an environmental scan of current practices by other organizations. The task force has been charged with
identifying questions that association data can assist in decision-making processes.
Management Contract with AEG
I’m pleased to report that a three-year agreement between ARLIS/NA and our management company Associated Executives Group (AEG) has been signed and is effective from January 1, 2018
through April 30, 2021. Robert Kopchinski will continue as AEG Executive Director assigned to ARLIS/NA. A big “thank you” to Robert for his support and work over the past year – I am grateful that we will continue working with him and look forward to the
next three years with Robert and AEG.
Need more information?
As always,
a constant stream of information is being posted on the
ARLIS/NA web site thanks to the efforts of our
Editorial Board and the work of our dedicated committees, task forces, divisions, sections, SIGs, and chapters. Information about
current events,
public policy news alerts,
publications/research/reports, and other
learning opportunities can be found on the ARLIS/NA web site. Please log in and utilize the site to access all of its features.
I fear I have gone on far too long, and left out much of the other work being accomplished by our leaders and members. ARLIS/NA is vital and thriving thanks to the work of all of you!
Thank you for your time in reading this, and thank you as always for your continued interest and support in our Society.
In the spirit of the holiday season, I wish you peace and joy and all the best for 2018!
Sincerely and in gratitude,
Eumie
Eumie Imm Stroukoff
Emily Fisher Landau Director of the Research Center
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
217 Johnson St., Santa Fe, NM 87501
tel: 505.946.1011, fax: 505.946.1093
A Great American Artist, a Great American Story. Explore the remarkable career of Georgia O’Keeffe through her artwork, the objects and places that were meaningful
to her, and the experiences that defined her life.