Fall ENY/ACRL Conference
Adirondack Community College
8th National Conference of ACRL
Annual Business Meeting
Anyone interested in serving on the Government Relations Committee?
Medical Library Association Continuing Education Courses
ENY/ACRL Classifieds
March 21, 1997
Poughkeepsie, New York
SUMMARY
The meeting was called to order by the President, Barbara Durniak.
Treasurer's Report
Treasurer, Susan Zappen reported on the Spring 1996 Conference, the Fall 1996 Conference, and on account balances as follows:
Spring Conference 1996
70 registrants plus $300 in vendor support
|
Total Income |
$2,790.00
|
|
Total Expenses |
2,122.62
|
|
Net Income |
$ 677.38
|
Fall Conference 1996
73 registrants plus $650 in vendor support
|
Total Income |
$3,405.00
|
|
Total Expenses |
1,491.98
|
|
Net Income |
$1,913.02
|
The sharp rise in net income from the conference reflects the greater vendor support as well as lower expenses. ENY/ACRL did not have to pay for conference brochure mailing, shuttle buses, or room rental fees.
Account balances
|
March 1996 |
$7,173.79 Checking |
$8,500.00 Newkirk Funds
|
|
March 1997 |
$10,899.88 Checking |
$12,152.34 Newkirk Funds
|
Janice Graham Newkirk Fund
A certificate of deposit for $10,400 was purchased on May 29, 1996 at an interest rate of 5.15%. Total interest to date is $402.34. In addition to the CD, there is $1,350 in the ENY/ACRL checking account which reflects the $350 left out of the CD purchase and a recent check for $1000 from Newkirk Products.
Membership
The chair of the Membership Committee, Jane Subramanian reported that current membership is 206 members, not including those attending this conference who requested membership for the first time. She urged all members to take a proactive role in promoting the organization to their colleagues.
Liaisons from each institution have recently received lists of current members at their institution. Those present were urged to inform their non-member colleagues about the organization and to introduce themselves to Jane before leaving the conference. Jane reported that, to her knowledge, there was no liaison at either Cazenovia College or Clinton Community College. She asked for volunteers to fill these positions.
Jane reported that there had been several reports of problems receiving materials. Anyone with such a problem was encouraged to contact her. Sometimes memberships are received immediately following the printing of labels for a mailing; an effort is made to include the new member in that mailing if possible.
Jane commented that she would try to respond to all inquiries in a timely manner, though her schedule might not always make an immediate reply possible. She also reported that she has enjoyed the opportunity to interact with many members and is looking forward to her second year of service.
Government Relations
Government Relations chair, Karen Ingeman explained a handout she had distributed during the luncheon regarding the New York State budget and encouraged members to contact their legislators. She asked anyone interested in serving on the Government Relations Committee to let her know. She described the initiative by National ACRL to get every chapter to have a government relations liaison. ENY/ACRL is ahead of the curve on this issue. She encouraged members to watch the chapter web site for government-related issues. Karen concluded her remarks by asking for a moment of silence in memory of her friend and our colleague Meseratch Zecharias of Syracuse University, who passed away February 10, 1997.
Communications
Communications chair, Kristin Strohmeyer, reported that three newsletters had been published during the preceding year. She thanked everyone who contributed information for the newsletters and Michael Engle for his Web site work. She also asked anyone who could write for the newsletter on a regular basis to let her know.
Vice President/Program Chair
Vice President Lynne King acknowledged the efforts of past and present chapter officers in laying the groundwork for the joint conference. She also acknowledged the work of the Program Committee, especially those responsible for local arrangements: Barbara Petruzelli and Kathleen Gundrum for ENY/ACRL and Lois Cherepon from Metro.
Lynne commented on the changing relationship between ACRL National and the chapters and the need for ENY/ACRL to consider its relationship with both ACRL and NYLA. She encouraged the membership to be active - to sign up for committees, contribute conference ideas, and complete the conference evaluation form.
President
Barbara Durniak reported that the chapter has continued work on some on-going projects. The web site, under the leadership of Michael Engle and Kristin Strohmeyer is providing access to the newsletter, conference information and registration, and links to other libraries and ACRL. The Council has been working on revising the Officers' Handbook. The Council is also distributing a survey, both through conference packets and mailing, to assist the Council in determining the chapter's direction and priorities in the upcoming years. Barbara thanked outgoing Council members for their work and introduced Barbara Via and Cathy Dwyer, co-chairs of the Newkirk Award Committee.
Newkirk Award
Co-chairs, Barbara Via and Cathy Dwyer emphasized that criteria for the ward have been broadened since the first announcement. They emphasized that the award may be used to fund conference attendance. September 1, 1997 is the new application deadline with the award being decided by October 1, 1997. They encouraged members to apply and announced that liaisons would receive copies of the brochure with more specific information. They thanked Committee members Sean Maloney and Pat Adams for their work.
Past President/Nominations Chair
Sharon Britton announced the winners of the chapter election: Barbara Via, Vice President/President-elect/Program Chair; Ann Waterbury, Secretary, and Kristin Strohmeyer, Communications Chair. She congratulated the winners and thanked all those who agreed to be on the ballot. She urged all members to consider running for Council next year.
Sharon announced the winner of the Librarian of the Year Award, Carla List, citing Carla's contributions to the chapter and the profession. Carla List made brief remarks in acceptance and appreciation of the award.
The meeting was adjourned by President Barbara Durniak.
Submitted from Reports by
Rebecca Thompson
Our Fall conference will be held on (note the day of the week!) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9 at Adirondack Community College in Queensbury, NY (just off Exit 19 of the Northway). The theme of the conference is Ethics. We have some wonderful speakers lined up, including keynoter Robert Hauptman, editor of the Journal of Information Ethics. Topics to be covered throughout the day include: Ethics of Selection of Library Materials (Jane Schweinsburg, Schen. County Comm. College), Ethics and Reference Service (Suzy Szasz Palmer, Cornell University), Ethics and Copyright (John Lehner, Arizona State West), An Author's Viewpoint (Dan Carlinsky, freelance author), and Ethics and Vendor Licenses (Heather Miller, Univ. at Albany).
This conference promises to stimulate thinking and discussion on a theme that is of great importance to the academic library profession.
As has become our custom, we will be having an informal gathering the evening before the conference at a local restaurant. The dinner will be pay as you go, and will offer a chance for some conversation and relaxation for conference attendees who wish to stay overnight before the conference. Information on local motels will be provided in the conference brochure.
Conference brochures will be arriving in a few short weeks. We urge you to register early, as ACC's dining room can only accommodate 90 people. Registrants #91 and above will have to purchase lunch in the cafeteria or off campus and will pay an adjusted registration fee.
For more information, please contact Barbara Via, Vice-President/Program Chair (518)442-3689) or, Terry Ronning,Local Arrangements Chair (518) 743-2200, ext540).
The 8th National Conference of ACRL, April 11-14, 1997 was held in Nashville, Tennessee at the Nashville Conference Center , and an impressive site it is!
My colleague, another reference librarian who holds the title "Reference/Internet Librarian", and I began our shared experience not with a bang but a whimper . Our plane did not leave the runway at the scheduled time of departure because of mechanical problems, and we were apprehensive about making the necessary connections in Chicago in order to get to Nashville in time to take in some of the preconference seminars. But this was not to be. However, the bang came later in the evening, in the form of the keynote speaker, Cornel West. A compelling, mesmerizing orator who is a professor of Philosophy of Religion and Afro-American Studies at Harvard and a prolific writer, Dr. West spoke to an audience of near a thousand on the subject of "the eclipse of hope, the unprecedented collapse of meaning and the incredible disregard for human life." Not only the rhetoric but the substantive content of his talk both inspired and provoked with his positive prophesy. He ended on an upbeat, and left us with much to think over and carry home. Saturday began early with a fine old southern breakfast (by invitation only from Chadwyck-Healey) and from there on to the first session. Even the capacious seminar rooms could not seat all the attendees and many stood in the back trying desperately to see and hear. It seems that ACRL did not anticipate so many last-minute registrants. But, on the whole, the programs went well, moderators kept to their time restrictions.
While talking with colleagues from other institutions, we figured out that the main theme of the conference was "partnership and shared responsibilities" between libraries i.e.librarians and the academic computer centers. Heavy emphasis was placed on the librarian's role in creating electronic collections and the shared responsibility of the librarian and the computer center in teaching faculty as well as students how and when to use these collections.
Widely represented were the huge state universities with their enrollment in the tens of thousands, and, at the extreme, the small community colleges in the hinterlands. Vassar, a medium-sized private liberal arts college, found no peers present with whom to compare notes. Except for the Roundtable discussion over lunch, my colleague and I felt out of place. The roundtable we attended was "Library Instruction for the 21st Century", and all the participants were eager to present their own experimental techniques and theories. The lively interaction among librarians from such diverse backgrounds and experience was informative as well as entertaining.
There was little opportunity to do much during the day besides attend the seminars, as they were scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. However, you could take time out to go for lunch in the old section of Nashville which was certainly within walking distance of the Convention Center, and savor the varied menus and the relaxing atmosphere of the restaurants. No fast food here! Evening entertainment was anything but relaxing--- Saturday night's cocktail party on board a riverboat reconstructed to it's 19th century extravagant elegance and, for those fortunate to have have made advance reservations, a ticket to "Grand Old Opry", reached by chartered bus transportation to Opry Land; and then the Sunday night free-for-all (in every sense of the word) at the Wild Horse Saloon where one could watch or participate in country line-dancing. Instructions were called by a charming young southern country western-type, and most all braved the crowd and the music to learn how to move your feet. Great fun. Monday was rather anticlimactic and we spent the morning reviewing our impressions of the conference and comparing notes. We shared a taxi to the airport with a very social librarian from Detroit who enthusiastically suggested that the next ACRL Conference should be held there as she would "love to show off her university's information center. "
The conference itself was well-run, and those who planned the entertainments made the most of local color and nightlife.
Good show!
Mary Lou Jeanneney, Reference/Microtext
Vassar College Library
The committee monitors legislative events which pertain to libraries at both the state and federal levels. We need to become more proactive in the efforts to let our membership know about information that can influence the voting of our state representatives. For example, in the current New York State budget efforts, state aid to libraries in general and also the financing of the Electronic Doorway Library bill is sadly much less than the amount set aside to assist the Buffalo Bills in remaining a viable team within the state.
Talk to your individual representatives about what you do, about the services which we provide to our users via traditional methods and increasingly via rapidly changing electronic avenues. Be a supporter of what we do well, but encourage those with the vote to look at how every citizen is affected by changes in the ways that information is disseminated and used! Write a letter today to your representatives!
If you would be interested in assisting with this effort, please contact Karen Ingeman, Government Relations Chair.
by Joyce Miller
Adirondack Community College's Learning Resources (Library, Media Services, Academic Computing) moved to the new Scoville Learning Center in May.
The new building features a greatly expanded and improved reference area, three student group study rooms, a multimedia viewing room, computerized library instruction classroom, a faculty resource room with professional journals and computers, an open computer lab for up to 100 computers and several computerized classrooms.
ACC is hosting the ENY/ACRL conference on October 9 and will give tours of the new facilities.
In preparation for the new building, the Learning Resources staff visited other campuses, consulted with staff at other Learning Resources Centers and did literature reviews on new library design. Mary Alice Lynch, now director of SUNY/OCLC, was the Director of Learning Resources at ACC during the design phase. She was instrumental in the building's planning. Joy, McCoola and Zilch Architects of Glens Falls worked very closely with the ACC Learning Resources staff to design the building. During the construction phase, the director attended the weekly building meetings with the general contractor and sub-contractors.
Also located in the Scoville Learning Center are a 150-seat Lecture Hall, snack bar, several regular classrooms, faculty offices, conference room, distance learning classrooms and the offices of the College President, Dean of the College and Associate Dean.
In addition to the new building, several other projects are underway this summer on ACC's campus. Renovation work on the Administration building, former Library, Science building and Student Center are scheduled to be completed for the fall semester. The former library building is being converted to allied health science labs and classrooms and the Continuing Education offices.
Rededication ceremonies will be held at ACC on Friday, Sept. 5.
The following Continuing Education courses will be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Upstate NY & Ontario Chapter of the Medical Library Association, to take place at the Desmond Hotel, Albany, NY, October 15 -17, 1997. Please contact Gail Botta at 518/262-5791 (voice) or gbotta@ccgateway.amc.edu (e-mail) for further information.
Developing the Hospital's Information Management Plan.
Taught by Christiane Jones, MLS, Chief Information Officer, VA Medical Center, Biloxi, Miss. Participants will be taught how to prepare themselves for a leadership role in the development of their hospital's multidisciplinary information management plan. In this course, participants will examine the JCAHO standards for the management of information and devise strategies to meet the standards. Emphases will be on developing a hospitalwide information needs assessment and plan to meet JCAHO accreditation standards.
This course has been approved for 8 CE credits by MLA.
To be held 10/15/97, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
Molecular Biology Information Resources.
Taught by Renata McCarthy, MLS, Sr. Technical Information Specialist, National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Md.
Participants will explore molecular biology information resources and their role in providing access to this growing information area. They will learn how their current search skills can be easily applied to several commonly-used molecular biology databases and search systems, and expand their perspective about the relationship between molecular biology and medicine. Participants will discuss levels of service that can be provided by librarians, based on level of expertise and staffing, available resources and the needs of clientele.
This course has been approved for 8 CE credits by MLA.
To be held 10/15/97, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
Power and Influence.
Taught by Elizabeth Poage Baxter, MA, MFA, Baxter, Breckenridge and Warner Consulting, Ypsilanti, Mich.
This course is designed to give the participant an increased understanding of the different forms of power and its expressions. It is also designed to heighten the participants' ability to obtain and use power with grace and success. Specifically, students will learn about the functions of power in the library setting, the principles of use and abuse of power, and strategies for effective expression of power. In addition, participants will analyze particular questions and concerns they may have from their own work experiences.
This course has been approved for 4 CE credits by MLA.
To be held 10/17/97, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm.
Costs:
Full Day Courses: $100.00 MLA Members
$125.00 Non-Members
$ 50.00 Students
Half Day Course: $ 50.00 MLA Members
$ 75.00 Non-Members
$ 25.00 Students
Deadline for Registration: Sept. 15, 1997
Gail Botta
Schaffer Library of Health Sciences
Albany Medical College
Needed: four energetic volunteers willing to share their time and talents by serving on the Executive Council for 1998-1999.
With the exception of the Program Committee Chair, the positions are two-year appointments. The Executive Council generally meets four times/year. Council members also play important roles at the fall and spring conferences.
Program Committee Chair/Vice President/President-Elect: Year One: Oversees the planning process for the fall and spring conferences. Convenes meetings of the program committee as necessary (generally 4 times/year) to develop conference themes, locate host institutions, contact speakers, prepare publicity, and related duties. Prepares conference budget. May represent chapter at the ACRL Chapters Council Meeting at ALA (mid-winter and summer). Year Two: Serves as official spokesperson for the chapter and as chair of the Executive Council. Represents (or designates someone to represent) chapter at the ACRL Chapters Council Meeting at ALA (mid-winter and summer). Year Three: Solicits nominations and conducts elections for chapter officers and serves as Chair of the Librarian of the Year Award Selection Committee. Requirements: prior experience on the program committee desirable; experience in planning a large wedding or small scale invasion acceptable substitutes. Persons with the ability to choose a spring conference date guaranteed to be snow-free will be given preferential consideration. Must be a member of ALA and ACRL during vice-presidency and presidency. Note: Travel costs to ALA and Midwinter are partially funded by the Chapter.
Government Relations Chair: Monitors legislative and other governmental activities of importance to academic libraries; coordinates activities with the legislative and governmental affairs committees of other library organizations; serves as liaison to the ACRL Government Relations Committee. Requirements: knack for remembering what acronyms stand for Ideal candidate knows that the url http://www.ala.org/washoff/ has nothing to do with soap.
Membership Chair: Responsible for soliciting memberships for chapter, maintaining membership database, supplying mailing labels as needed, publishing the annual chapter directory, and interacting with campus liaisons. Knowledge of Filemaker Pro software helpful. Chapter will purchase the program if necessary. Requirements: willingness to change members' e-mail addresses, phone numbers, zip codes, etc. in the database on an almost daily basis; acceptance of an avalanche of work from late Aug. - fall conference, when memberships come pouring in.
Treasurer: Responsible for maintaining chapter checking account, paying chapter expenses, providing receipts for members attending conferences, maintaining the sales tax exempt number and certificate for state and local sales tax. Also serves as a standing member of the Newkirk Award committee. Requirements: ability to keep track of lots of tiny but important scraps of paper that represent invoices and membership dues; willingness to remind program chairs that certain said scraps of paper have still not been submitted even though it's been six months since the conference took place.
If you are interested in serving on the Council, or if you would like to nominate someone, please contact Barbara Durniak, Past President/Nominations Chair, at: Box 20 Vassar College, 124 Raymond Ave.. Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604-0020; 914-437-5767. The deadline for nominations is December 1, 1997. All candidates will be asked to submit a brief Candidate's statement, which will be sent to chapter members, along with the ballots, in February of 1998. Terms of office will commence in March of 1998.
Well, summer is almost over and I'm trying to find my desk! I find that it is getting to the point where summer is no less busy than during semesters! I'll almost be glad to see the students come back!
The deadline for the Winter issue of the ENY/ACRL Newsletter is earlier than usual: December 1, 1997. This is a hard and fast deadline. I will be going on maternity leave early in the new year, and want to have the issue out to you way before that. While I'm on leave, I will be checking e-mail, so keep those cards and letters coming!
Thanks to everyone who contributed information for this and every issue, and we'll see you in January!
Kristin Strohmeyer
315-859-4481
Posted September 10, 1997 MOE
Eastern New York Chapter
Association of College and Research Libraries
URL: http://urislib.library.cornell.edu/fall97.html