I. Attendance and Regrets II. Agenda III. Minutes Appendix A: Executive Board Reports. I. Attendance and Regrets

Transcription

1 Special Libraries Association, Western Canada Chapter (SLA-WCC) Wednesday February 8, :30am PST (9:30am MST, 10:30am CST) Vancouver area board members in attendance at B.C. Department of Justice Others in attendance by teleconference I. Attendance and Regrets II. Agenda III. Minutes Appendix A: Executive Board Reports I. Attendance and Regrets Attendance in Vancouver: President: Richard Matiachuk Past President: Frances Main Secretary: Lindsay Tripp Treasurer: Lingbo Yan Membership Chair: Evelyn Taylor Discussion List Chair: Alex McNeur Vancouver Director: Suzanne McBeath Student Liaison Chair: Lindsay Willson Student Representative: Helen Brown Attendance by Teleconference: President Elect: Dawn Bassett Communications Director: Adrian Mitescu Fund Development Director: Rachel Zhao Vancouver Island Director: Iona Reid Calgary Director: Kathy Drewes Manitoba Director: Philip Wolfart Saskatchewan Director: Luella Newman Regrets: Employment Chair: Tania Alekson Edmonton Director: Lisa-Jane Watson Bulletin Editor: Ann Dreolini Please see Appendix A for a compilation of Board reports submitted for this meeting. 1

2 II. Agenda 1. Call to Order 2. Welcome, Regrets, and Introductions 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of the Minutes, September 14, 2011 (previously circulated) 5. Guest report: Debbie Schachter (Cabinet Chair-Elect, SLA) 6. President s Report (Richard Matiachuk) 7. Treasurers Report s (Lingbo Yan) 8. Communications Director s Report (Adrian Mitescu) 9. Fund Development Director s Report (Rachel Zhao) 10. Student Representative s Report (Helen Brown) 11. Programming Update (Dawn Bassett and Regional Directors) 12. New Business 13. Next Meeting Date 14. Adjournment III. Minutes 1. Call to Order Richard called the meeting to order at 8:31am. 2. Welcome and Regrets Richard passed along regrets from Tania Alekson (Employment Chair), Lisa-Jane Watson (Edmonton Director), and Ann Dreolini (Bulletin Editor). Richard reminded those in attendance that the Chapter recently switched from Premier Conferencing to Skype for teleconferencing. This will lead to significant cost savings for the Chapter. Communications Director, Adrian Mitescu, is trialing Skype in a live SLA WCC meeting for the first time today. Richard asked members to be patient with potential technical glitches. The Chapter will continue to use Premier Conferencing for its Annual General Meetings. 3. Approval of Agenda Suzanne moved to approve the agenda. Frances seconded the motion. The motion was carried. 4. Approval of the Minutes, September 14, 2011 meeting (previously circulated) Evelyn moved to approve the minutes, circulated by Lindsay on September 20, 2011 and November 4, 2011 via for review. Adrian seconded this motion. The motion was carried. 5. Guest Report (Debbie Schachter, SLA, Cabinet Chair-Elect) Item postponed in Debbie s absence. 6. President s Report (Richard Matiachuk) Richard reported on developments with the upcoming Canadian reception at the SLA annual conference. The event will be held at the Berghoff, just a few blocks from the conference venue in Chicago, Illinois. Cedrum SNI will contribute $5000 to the event, and SLA WCC $1000. As the 2

3 primary sponsor, Cedrum SNI has expressed a desire to be actively involved in planning the event. This is a change from past sponsorships, and Richard said it has been interesting working within a more collaborative framework. In exchange for sponsorship, SLA WCC will feature a Cedrum SNI advertisement on the Chapter website for 12 weeks. Cedrum SNI currently operates primarily in Eastern Canada, and is eager for a presence in Western Canada. An announcement about the Canadian reception will need to be posted on the Chapter s website in the near future. Richard has not been able to secure signing authority, in spite of his many inquiries. Patricia Cia and Christina de Castell have been named as co-chairs of the 2014 SLA conference host committee. Richard encouraged those who are interested in volunteering to contact him or Patricia. o Suzanne inquired about volunteers for the Canadian reception. Richard replied that the event is non-ticketed and will likely not require volunteers. There are plans to create an address specifically for reception rsvps. Richard added that he will be in touch closer to the time of the event, in case a need for volunteers arises. 6. Treasurer s Report (Dawn Bassett, outgoing Treasurer) Dawn reported that she has finished with year-end (audit included). The Treasurer s files are currently on their way to Lingbo Yan (incoming Treasurer). The Chapter account balance is at approximately $10, Communication Director s Report (Adrian Mitescu) Following up on Richard s introductory note, Adrian reported that the Chapter recently adopted Skype as a new teleconferencing option. The previous service cost $1200 annually, while Skype costs only $30. Adrian acknowledged that there may be more technical glitches with Skype; however, the Board must manage expectations in light of the significant cost savings. Adrian continues to move material from the old website to the new website. Richard encouraged Adrian to ask for help with this project if needed. o Dawn asked why Google continues to push content from the old website to the top of its search results. Adrian explained that when the links for the old website stop working, content from the new website will supplant information from the old website. However, this will take some time, due to the nature of Google s harvesters. Suzanne asked whether event promotion was in Adrian s purview as Communications Director. Adrian said he is happy to post information to the website and promote events via the Chapter s Twitter account. He also advised ing the discussion list about upcoming events (which Adrian can also assist with, if needed). 8. Fund Development Director s Report (Rachel Zhao) Rachel reported that she contacted Mendeley on February 3, 2012 to see if they would be interested in sponsoring the Chapter or holding a webinar. She is waiting for a response. Richard encouraged Board members to contact Rachel with ideas for fund development. Richard reported that Andornot will provide some support this year. Other than Cedrum SNI s support for the Canadian reception, the Chapter has no other sponsorships for 2012/2013. o Richard noted that, geographically, the Western Canada Chapter is at a disadvantage for sponsorship, since so many vendors operate primarily out of Eastern Canada. 3

4 9. Student Representative s Report (Helen Brown) Helen reported that she and Suzanne McBeath (Vancouver Director) have planned a pub night for February 22, 2012 at the Railway Club (6pm). There are currently 15 SLAIS students registered for the event. Suzanne and Helen plan to send an invite out to librarians in the next few days. SLA@SLAIS, UBC s student chapter, recently held GIS and LexisNexis workshops, and organized both a panel discussion and library tour. SLA@SLAIS also has a DB TextWorks workshop planned. 11. Programming Update (Dawn Bassett and Regional Directors) Regional Directors Meeting. Dawn reported that, due to technical difficulties on the day of the meeting, only three people participated in the Regional Directors discussion. It was an interesting meeting and she plans to set up a second date. She circulated notes from the meeting via , and encouraged members of the Board to check their SLA WCC webmail. Events. Dawn is personally focused on creating things that all members will have access to. It can be challenging to get people out to events due to association fatigue (particularly in smaller communities where everyone appears to belong to everything). Dawn encouraged anyone who is not a Regional Director but who has ideas as to how to build a virtual event that can be shared among the regions to contact her. Her goal is to organize one small virtual event each year. She hopes to start with something simple, such as the Mendeley session. Reimbursement. The Regional Directors discussed reimbursement for funds associated with regional events and reviewed protocol for submitting receipts to Chapter Treasurer Lingbo Yan. Networking with other associations. Jointly hosted events allow SLA WCC to offer something that may be a little bit broader, but that the Chapter could not offer on its own. This is something to explore further in future. Questions: Dawn put forth the following questions to the group: Member contact information. Is there is a way to get comprehensive lists of regional members? (For example, for the 14 SLA WCC members in Manitoba). Are there privacy concerns associated with this? Philip reported that he has searched the SLA Membership Directory for this purpose in past. It allows you to search for members by province. Adrian added that some SLA WCC members may have opted to not include themselves in the Directory. Philip noted that there is a time lag between when members submit their contact information and when it actually makes its way onto the list. Alex explained that institutional members do not show up in the SLA Membership Directory either. He was unsure as to whether a point-of-contact person appears in the database for each institution, and will look into this. Frances pointed to the membership lists. Evelyn s Regional Directors to notify them of new members in their area. Member surveys. Dawn asked if there is a way to survey members about what type of events they would like to see. Is an online survey an option? 4

5 Frances reported an online survey was conducted when Debbie Schachter was President Elect. She will try to find the old Survey Monkey questionnaire to see what was asked. She added that the Chapter also put feedback forms on tables at events for people to fill out; this could be reinstated at larger events. Completed feedback forms may still be in the Chapter archives. We could look back at these to see what was positively received by members at the time. Regional Directors are planning to contact their predecessors to see what events worked well in past, and if they retained any feedback forms. Manitoba Director s Report, Philip Wolfart: There is one new member in Manitoba. Philip plans to connect with him or her in the coming weeks. Philip s workplace, Volunteer Manitoba, is getting an intern from Red River College. This came out of a November meeting at the college, when he was invited to speak with students in the library technician program. The internship opportunity is a perfect example of positive relationship building. He has been playing telephone tag with a CBC reporter who wants to interview him about librarianship. If it comes to fruition, he hopes to also plug SLA WCC. Saskatchewan Director s Report, Luella Neman: Pub crawls have been successful events in past. They are usually held in Regina, but Luella is interested in trying to connect with other places in Saskatchewan. Luella recently accepted a new position, which has been keeping her very busy. Calgary Director s Report, Kathy Drewes: Kathy is planning an event for Thursday, March 22, It will likely be a lunch, since evening and weekend events have historically had low turnouts. The venue is yet to be determined. Kathy likes the idea of using a survey to engage members. With programming, regional differences come into play; directors need to be sensitive to the needs of members in their areas. Vancouver Director s Report, Suzanne McBeath: Suzanne and Helen Brown, Student Representative, have planned a pub night for February 22, There was a delay in announcing the event, since the date had to first be confirmed with the venue. Suzanne will aim to pass the details of the event on to Adrian today. Suzanne has corresponded with Deb Hunt, Incoming SLA President Elect. There have been talks of some SLA members coming to Vancouver for a visit. Suzanne would like to organize a conference call and invite members across all regions to submit questions in advance. She hopes to have more information by the time of the next Regional Director s meeting; the membership will be notified shortly after. 5

6 Vancouver Island Director, Iona Reid: It has been quiet on Vancouver Island in terms of Chapter activities, due in part to small membership. Iona plans to arrange a breakfast meet-and-greet for the end of February or early March. Such events have been quite successful in past. When a venue and date have been confirmed, she will notify members on the Island. Richard noted that connections to other associations led to increased attendance at the November event. These sorts of successes highlight the importance of networking. Richard raised the topic of the Host Committee for the 2014 Conference. The event will be hosted in Vancouver, but members from other regions may want to participate too. There will be a place at the reception desk for the host chapter; it will be staffed by volunteers who will provide attendees with information about the city. For members outside of the GVRD, information packages will need to be distributed, etc. Vancouver Island members will also have opportunities to participate. In addition to attending the conference, Vancouver Island members may wish to work with out-of-town attendees wishing to make a day-trip to Victoria. 12. New Business Potential title change: Fund Development Director (formerly Sponsorship). The current terminology (with its emphasis on funds) does not necessarily convey the message the Chapter wishes to send. Richard proposes changing the title from Fund Development to Partner Relations. The new title will suggest to potential sponsors that we are looking to build partnerships, rather than simply obtain funds. This will hopefully assist Rachel Zhao in her fundraising efforts. o Cedrum SNI has used the word partner in the dialogue surrounding the Canadian reception. A quick survey revealed that Partner Relations is commonly used among associations. o In light of Board support, Richard proposed moving forward with the change formally. He will call for a motion and second via the Board listserv; thereafter, the motion will be put to a vote. Adrian informed the Board that the new conferencing tool can be shared and requires only a Skype account. Up to 25 participants can be included in the call. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Adrian for further details. Lindsay Tripp reported that Bulletin Editor Ann Dreolini is currently accepting submissions for the upcoming edition of Wired West. 13. Next Meeting Date The next meeting will be held on Wednesday April 11, Adjournment Alex motioned to adjourn the meeting, and Suzanne seconded the motion. The motion was carried and the meeting was adjourned at 9:21 am. Recorder: Lindsay Tripp, SLA WCC Secretary 6

7 1. President: Richard Matiachuk 2. President-Elect: Dawn Bassett 3. Past-President: Frances Main 4. Secretary: Lindsay Tripp 5. Communications Director: Adrian Mitescu 6. Membership Chair: Evelyn Taylor 7. Discussion List Chair: Alex McNeur 8. Bulletin Editor: Ann Dreolini 9. Treasurer: Lingbo Yan 10. Fund Development Director: Rachel Zhao 11. Employment Chair: Tania Alekson 12. Vancouver Director: Suzanne MacBeath 13. Vancouver Island Director: Iona Reid 14. Calgary Director: Kathy Drewes 15. Edmonton Director: Lisa-Jane Watson 16. Saskatchewan Director: Luella Newman 17. Manitoba Director: Philip Wolfart 18. Student Liaison: Lindsay Willson 19. Student Representative: Helen Brown Archives Chair: not included. Appendix A Executive Board Reports 1. President: Richard Matiachuk Sent a welcome to the 2012 SLA WCC Board. Spoke to/directly ed some of the new Board members. Submitted the Chapter Officer Form to SLA (a list of new officers etc.). Submitted the Leadership Code of Conduct form to SLA and the Chapter Secretary. Proposed and set Board meeting dates and worked with Evelyn Taylor on an in-person location for the Vancouver Board members. Corresponded with Dawn and Frances about chapter plans and business. Corresponded with Debbie Schachter and Suzanne about the SLA President-Elect visit to the Chapter. Worked with Dawn and Frances on a revised budget. Submitted a revised budget to the Board (along with a proposal for use of the banner ad space on our website for use by sponsors / vendors). Proposed establishing a 2013 SLA Conference Host Committee (moved, seconded and passed). Corresponded with CEDROM SNI regarding the Canadian Reception. Made arrangements with the TD for signing authority changes. Wrote an article for Wired West. Forwarded communication from SLA Leadership to the Board members as appropriate. 7

8 2. President-Elect: Dawn Bassett Completed treasurer's duties for 2011; held audit and sent all year end forms to HQ. Met with Lingbo to go over Treasurer responsibilities. Submitted leadership Code of Conduct form to SLA and the Chapter Secretary. Proposed, set meeting dates and held meeting with regional directors to discuss programming for the year. Notes from this meeting will be circulated next week prior to the meeting on the 8th. Corresponded with Richard and Frances about chapter plans and business. Worked with Richard and Frances on a revised budget. Wrote article for the MLA newsline about my role with the SLA. 3. Past-President: Frances Main Had and phone discussions with Richard and Dawn about Chapter business. Submitted the SLA Leadership Code of Responsibility form. Followed up with Alice Solyma regarding the Outstanding Information Professional award. 4. Secretary: Lindsay Tripp Prepared and circulated draft minutes from the November 23, 2011 Annual General Meetings; made necessary corrections. Completed and submitted signed Leadership Code of Responsibility form. Collected signed Leadership Code of Responsibility (LCoR ) forms from members of the Board; responded to questions regarding LCoR form from incoming members of the Board. Collected rsvp s and board reports for February 8, 2012 Board meeting; informed Richard Matiachuk and Evelyn Taylor of in-person attendees. 5. Communications Director: Adrian Mitescu Continued to move content to the website. Set up the new teleconference tools. Submitted the Leadership Code of Responsibility form. Updated the website with the new members. 6. Membership Chair: Evelyn Taylor Sent the Welcome Letter to new members. Advised Regional Directors of new members in their regions. Advised Bulletin Editor Committee Chair of new members for possible bio's in newsletter. Advised Discussion List Committee Chair of new members. Sent reminders out to lapsed members. As of February 3, the SLA WCC has 209 members. 7. Discussion List Chair: Alex McNeur Fielded list subscription requests. Responded to questions from list members. Contacted members with held accounts and verified addresses that no longer work. The list currently has 415 members. 8

9 8. Bulletin Editor: Ann Dreolini Corresponded with Allan Cho, outgoing Bulletin editor, via regarding Wired West. Sent out a call for Wired West submissions on the SLA WCC listserv. 9. Treasurer: Lingbo Yan Corresponded with outgoing Treasurer Dawn Bassett regarding duties and transfer of documentation. 10. Fund Development Director: Rachel Zhao Had and phone discussions with Richard and Dawn about fund Development. Submitted the SLA Leadership Code of Responsibility form. Sent out an to Chapter members, asking for ideas on fund development; Received some interesting responses: o Asking vendors to contribute to the newsletter (e.g. vendor's corner -product updates and other changes to policy which would be of interest to our membership). Holding a vendor forum. Content would be similar to the vendor's corner in the newsletter but just done in person. o Selling ads on our chapter website o Having vendors sponsoring our events, whether fully or partially o Applying for grants... federal, provincial... maybe even SLA? o Asking membership to help out via donations for a specific event o o Fundraising through hands-on activities e.g. book sales, gala dinner or lunch or brunch A lottery with some great prizes e.g. all-inclusive trip to Mexico, bed & breakfast on Salt Spring Island, season tickets to Whistler, etc. 11. Employment: Tania Alekson Worked with the SLA@SLAIS students on planning a pub night for Passed along the Vancouver Director log-ins and duties to Suzanne. Input job postings on the website. Expressed interest in being a member of the SLA 2014 Host committee. 12. Vancouver Director: Suzanne MacBeath Corresponded with UBC SLA rep regarding joint pub night on February 29, Corresponded with Richard and Debbie regarding visit by SLA executive in late March/early April. Attended conference call with other WCC directors to brainstorm event ideas. 13. Vancouver Island Director: Iona Reid Attended meeting with regional directors. Submitted Leadership Code of Conduct form to SLA and the Chapter Secretary. Starting to plan a breakfast meet and greet with Vancouver Island SLA chapter members. 14. Calgary Director: Kathy Drewes I interviewed candidates and wrote up a piece for Wired West. I'm planning a Spring Fling in March. 9

10 15. Edmonton Director: Lisa-Jane Watson Organized December Christmas drinks and snacks, attended by 4 members and 1 non-member. EBSCO sponsored the snacks. Members seem to like informal pub/restaurant gatherings. Attended Director's meeting. 16. Saskatchewan Director: Luella Newman Nothing to report. 17. Manitoba Director: Philip Wolfart Nothing to report. 18. Student Liaison: Lindsay Willson Checked out Library schools/tech programs websites in BC, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan looking for links to SLA/SLA WCC. Prepared list of contacts at each institution for future communications. Signed SLA Leadership Code of Responsibility form (to be delivered on Wednesday). Prepared short bio for SLA WCC website. 19. Student Representative: Helen Brown Corresponded with Suzanne about the joint SLA and SLA@SLAIS pub night planned for Wednesday February 22, Held two meetings, including an orientation for new students. Held a panel discussion with 4 librarians from the Lower Mainland (52 attendees). Hosted a library crawl of 4 libraries around the UBC campus (12 attendees). Held a LexisNexis workshop (19 attendees). Held a GIS workshop (25 attendees). Continued to work on organizing a DB/TextWorks workshop for March 3,