CHAPTER NEWS
OFFICIAL NEWS

Slate of Nominees
Georgia SLA Board 1997-98

Program Chair/ Chair-elect

Paula A. Vaccariello

Director
Sally Griffin

Secretary
Gina Martin

Rahn Huber & Karalyn Kavanaugh
Nominations Committee

GEORGIA CHAPTER/ SLA
BOARD MEETING
MINUTES
JANUARY 11, 1997

I. Call to Order at 10:20 A.M.: Jeanne LaRocco, President.

II. Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the last meeting were approved with corrections.

III. Treasurer's Report: Irene McMoreland.

Irene McMoreland reported that we have a balance of $5464.00. $1000.00 is reserved for the scholarship. She is preparing for the ad hoc financial planning committee, and asked members to let the committee know of any money matters the committee should be aware of.

IV. Program Chair's Report: Roger Glenn.

Roger distributed a hand-out of remaining programs. February's meeting will be a presentation by a Galileo representative. It will probably be a day meeting with a brown bag lunch.

Holly reported on the March meeting to be held jointly with GHSLA . A packet will be mailed to chapter members soon with registration information. She reported that there will be a room available at the meeting on Thursday for members of the GA/SLA to use. Discussion followed about using it as a "hospitality suite". Roger made a motion that the chapter use the room at the GHSLA meeting for a hospitality suite. The motion was seconded and passed by unanimous vote. The Program Committee and Membership Committee will sponsor it. The hours will be from 5:00-7:30 P.M. on Thursday. The Committee will report to the Board the amount of funds that will be needed for refreshments.

V. Membership Report: Julie Schein.

Julie reported that the chapter now has 216 members. Inmagic DB Textworks has been purchased for membership records. The committee will be meeting at a later date to discuss the handbook.

VI. Committee Reports

Affirmative Action: Debbie Broocker

Debbie is replacing Delicia Hill as co-chair of this committee. After giving her report, a discussion followed regarding the recognition of mentors. It was suggested that this be done at the annual business meeting. The subject will be brought up under "new business" at the next Board meeting.

Corporate Sponsorship: Ward Silver.

Ward gave a recap of the programs we have had, with the sponsorships. It is his understanding that he is to be the liaison with the sponsors. Because of the proactive involvement necessary in generating sponsors involved with the position, he is only able to work as the liaison. He and Roger will work together to determine the best way he can contribute. A list was passed around the table for Board members to name vendors they work with on a regular basis as a starting point for contacting potential sponsors. Holly Buchanan volunteered to help Ward with the Committee.

Government Relations: Barbara Walker.

Barbara was not in attendance and did not send a report.

International Relations/Student Relations: Ismail Abdullahi, Veleda Cofield.

Dr. Abdullahi reported that International Librarian's Day will be April 24. The program will incorporate students and GA/SLA members. Dr. Abdullahi requested that the chapter help him identify who will be in charge of the program and help in planning. Irene McMoreland and Rahn Huber volunteered to work with him.

Pam Urban and the Public Relations Committee is working with the Student Chapter in incorporating a new program of collecting books on Special Librarian's Day to assist a library in need. The library which has been chosen is a public library in the Caribbean at Montserrat. Information about this project will be put into the newsletter and on the web page. Pam reported that she will get a list of needs to distribute. One of the major needs is for a bookmobile. She is going to contact UPS for assistance in shipping.

In reporting on Student Relations, Dr. Abdullahi stated that the Chapter this year is very successful and the program for 1997 has been accepted. The mentor program is going very well, and he sees this as a good way of recruiting SLA members. Other activities which he suggested that would be beneficial are: 1) internships; 2) student assistants in paraprofessional positions; 3) presentations to the Chapter by GA/SLA members.

Valeda reported that the students appreciated the visit on Career Day. She received positive feedback from other students. The students are very interested in visits. One visit is planned, and more are requested. The [SLA] Student Chapter is working with the ALA Student Chapter in collecting books for the Boys and Girls Club of West End to establish a library. It will be a children's library for K - 12. She asked for contributions for this project.

Public Relations: Pam Urban.

The committee is currently working with the Student Chapter for International Special Librarian's Day. Other activities include Youth Motivation Day, Career Day, and Promoting Special Librarians.

Professional Development: Holly Buchanan.

Holly reported that the success of the March program will be assessed in planning future programs. One possible program will be on copyright and electronic publishing issues.

VII. Unfinished Business

1997 Programs: Roger Glenn.

This was discussed under item IV.

Membership Committee Expenses: Julie Schein.

Inmagic DB Textworks was purchased for $216.00.

Ad Hoc Committees: Jeanne LaRocco.

Jeanne updated the Board on the status of the two committees to be formed. The committee on budget planning has not met yet. She will be working with Irene McMoreland on this. The committee for updating the job descriptions for each position has not met. It will be meeting in the near future.

Southeastern Regional Conference: Roger Glenn.

Roger reported that he submitted a budget request to SLA Headquarters for $6,000.00 to take the lead for planning for a conference. The budget request was denied. He will talk to people on his own to investigate possibilities. Discussion followed on the need to find out the level of support there is from Chapter members before moving forward. It was suggested that a survey be taken at the Annual Business Meeting.

Web Page Update: Jeanne LaRocco.

Jeanne reported that the newsletter is not in HTML and PDF format. Rod Bustos has requested a list of 1997 meetings. He also wants to connect the URL addresses of libraries to the web page. Discussion followed about putting the Board minutes on the web page, as well as the directory. Julie will report on how Inmagic can be used to supply directory information at the next board meeting. Rod Bustos is willing to demonstrate the web page and give instructions in HTML to anyone who is interested.

VIII. New Business.

Peach State Update: Lorrie Burroughs.

Lorrie reported that she is leaving the production end of the newsletter. Deanna Hall will be taking over that aspect of the newsletter. Deanna passed out a proposal for the collection of newsletter items. Discussion followed regarding the fact that Lorrie is still actively involved in the collection and content of the newsletter. While an effort is being made to streamline the production, and supported by the Board, the question was asked about Lorrie's involvement and the designation of duties. This matter will be discussed further at the next meeting.

Student Scholarship: Ismail Abdullahi.

Dr. Abdullahi will meet with a committee (Debbie Broocker, Charles Shellabarger, and Rahn Huber) to prepare criteria and deadline for the essay contest. The conference theme will be used for the theme of the essay. The winner will be announced on International Special Librarian's Day. Roger made a motion that any person entering the essay contest be given free admission to the GA/SLA Annual Business Meeting luncheon. The motion was seconded and passed by unanimous vote.

2001 Winter Education Conference: Jeanne LaRocco.

This meeting will be held in Savannah, Georgia. It was suggested the Chapter begin doing member profiles of people in the Savannah area, and begin networking with librarians in the Savannah area.

IX. Other Business.

Recruiting for next year: Roger Glenn.

Roger asked for committee chairs to contact him with names of people for positions.

Suggestions for the Nominating Committee include Rahn Huber, Karalyn Kavanaugh, Kay Mowery, and Marlene Heroux. Sally Griffith or Kathy Tomajko will be contacted to see if they are willing to be the continuing member. A motion was made and seconded that the appointment of a Nominating Committee for the 1997-98 slate of officers be made by the Executive Board via email in compliance with the Chapter Bylaws. The motion passed by unanimous approval.

Next Meeting.

The next meeting will be scheduled in late March or early April.

X. Adjournment.

The meeting adjourned at 1:13 P.M.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jennie Lazarus, Secretary

PROGRAM NEWS: Announcements

Annual Business Meeting

The annual business meeting of the Chapter is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, from 11:30-2:30 pm at the JW Marriott Hotel at Lenox Road. The cost for the meeting will be $20.00/person, which includes a meal. Please plan to attend as we vote on new board members and welcome Roger Glenn as our new President for FY 97/98.

PROGRAM NEWS : Reports

Annual Meeting
of the Georgia Health Sciences Library Association

The Annual Meeting of Georgia Health Sciences Library Association (GHSLA) was held in Augusta, March 12-14, at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel. Approximately 70 GHSLA and SLA Georgia Chapter members pre-registered to take advantage of the conference theme: "Par Excellence: Thriving vs. Surviving."

The Miriam Libbey Address (honoring the former librarian at the Emory Health Sciences Library) was given by Dr. Fred Roper, Dean of the College of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Roper's keynote speech covered knowledge and skills to thrive in the 21st century.

Other featured speakers and their topics included :

Jocelyn Rankin, Director, Medical Library
Mercer University
-regional journal usage study;

Lynn Fortney, Vice President
EBSCO Information Services;

Mary Buttner, Stanford University
- replacing print journals with electronic ones;

Holly Shipp Buchanan, Director of Libraries, Medical College of Georgia
-an update on the statewide GALILEO project.

The concluding presentations focused on reengineering and downsizing and their effects on libraries and librarians. This topic was addressed by Scott Plutchak, Director of the Lister Hill Library at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Pat Findling-Sodomka, Executive Director of the Medical College of Georgia Hospital & Clinics.

Continuing education courses offered inconjunction to the meeting included serials management, home page development, and managed care organizations and the role of the librarian.

The Open House hosted by the Georgia Chapter of the Special Libraries Association, and sponsored by Ovid Technologies, was very well attended.

The Chapter Board would appreciate hearing feedback from Chapter members concerning interest in holding more joint meetings with other regional groups and in holding meetings and offering continuing education opportunities outside the metropolitan Atlanta area.

Holly Shipp Buchanan

International Special Librarians Day

The GA/SLA Chapter held their April program in conjunction with the Clark Atlanta University Student Chapter of SLA on Thursday, April 24 at the Auburn Avenue Research Library. The Student Chapter has built a solid reputation for hosting this event in conjunction with International Special Librarians Day and this year proved their dedication to SLA and International Relations by providing an excellent program that seems to top every prior year, under the guidance of the GA/SLA, Committee Chair for International Relations, and Faculty Advisor to SLA Student Chapter, Dr. Ismail Abdullahi. This year the agenda included an International Folk Song, by Pradeep Das and Family, and Storytelling by Steven G. Fullwood.

It also included wonderful presentations by Irene McMorland on "Travels in Europe: A True Tale of Information Seeking Behavior", and Sr. Fernando Gonzalez, Director of the University of the Americas Library in Mexico City, Mexico on "ALA Library Fellows Program.

Following their talk was an International Cultural Dress show, introduced by Gina Martin, followed by the infamous dinner of international cuisine. The GA/SLA would like to thank all who participated and strongly encourage members who missed this year’s event to plan for next April.

COMMITTEE NEWS

Public Relations Committee

The GA/SLA Chapter has proudly agreed to assist the Anguilla Public Library of Plymouth, Montserrat, West Indies. Pam Urban, Chair of the Public Relations Committee, has worked hard to compile a list of books and magazines that the Library needs to begin their collection again after being devastated by a volcano in 1995. Please contact Pam for a list of needs and to make a donation. The following excerpts and background information have been taken from a letter written by Ms. Beatrice Allen, Librarian to Pam Urban.

"I noticed that you need some answers immediately. We need fiction materials in French and Spanish languages. We have some immigrants who would find them useful also our foreign language teachers and students. We are using a TV monitor which we borrowed from another government department but we own a VCR.....

I will prepare a list of specific subject areas/titles or authors which we need and fax it to you soon. But I can tell you immediately that books on gardening, cookery, building/construction, light fiction in paperbacks, romance, westerns, espionage, and children’s books, e.g. picture books, mystery and adventure stories are needed. (We have a request for mysteries of the world for children, e.g. The Bermuda Triangle)....

We appreciate your interest in library services on Montserrat. In this tough economic crisis, we are heartened with the expression of love and support from our colleagues.

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Excerpts from background of the Montserrat tragedy:

In July, 1995, the volcanic crisis started and heralded a series of grave interruptions in Library services. The first evacuation order in August, 1995 resulted in all local and archival material being put in long-term storage in the "safe zone." The second evacuation order in December, 1995 saw the Public Library joining other government departments and private sector concerns in the fierce search for alternate accommodations in the Northern part of the Island. Then in January, when permission was given for Plymouth to be reoccupied, a decision was taken to move the Public Library into the Teacher’s Resource Centre from the rented quarters where it was housed since 1993, waiting for the construction of the new Library Building. It took almost 3 months for the move to be completed and the Library operated from the new site for just a month before the third and final evacuation order was given in April of 1996. The impact of all of this is reflected in statistics for that period. A total of 22,750 items were loaned in1995, more than 50% less than the circulation figure recorded ten years before. The figure is even more grim for 1996 with a record of only 3016 loans from the relocated library site in the "Safe Zone".

During the summer of 1996, the Public Library made an effort to get materials out
to the public. It was felt that during this period of crisis, recreational reading and skills training would ameliorate the stressful impact of relocation, job loss, income reduction, and the separation of family members which are all directly related to the crisis.....

The letter goes on to state that "less than one third of the Library’s collection of 30,000 can be accommodated.... and that the Library is in dire need of a bookmobile "to facilitate outreach services and to continue basic loan services to the public...."

++++++++++++++++++

While the GA/SLA cannot solely raise funds for a bookmobile, we ask that you consider making a donation in lieu of books so that the people of Montserrat may use this money towards a purchase of a bookmobile. Look for the August issue of the PeachState Update for a full list of books/authors requested. Until then, please direct your inquiries to Pam Urban, Chair Public Relations Committee, GA/SLA, or contact Lorrie Burroughs at 404-221-8094 if you cannot reach Pam.

Pam Urban

MORE NEWS

CAU Student Essay Award

The GA/SLA Chapter and EBSCO were proud to present a gift of $1,000.00 to Steven G. Fullwood for his award-winning essay on "International Professionals at the Crossroads: Change as Opportunity." The award was presented by Dr. Ismail Abdullahi, Roger Glenn, President Elect, and Irene McMorland, Treasurer, with recognition to Karalyn Kavanaugh of EBSCO.

This contest is open every year to a student at CAU to assist in their journey to the annual SLA Conference, this year to be held in Seattle, WA, June 7-12. Mr. Fullwood’s essay for the student scholarship, will be published in its entirety, or excerpts, if space does not allow in the August issue of the PeachState Update. The Georgia Chapter provided $500.00, which was generously matched by EBSCO in order to promote student opportunities to attend the annual conference. We thank EBSCO and congratulate Mr. Fullwood for a job well done.

Chapter Listserv

Welcome to SLA-CGA, the list of the Special Libraries Association Georgia Chapter.

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