SLA Philadelphia Chapter & SLA Central PA Chapter Merger News

We are very pleased to announce that the members of the Philadelphia and Central PA SLA Chapters have voted to merge the two chapters. The new chapter will continue to be called the Philadelphia Chapter.

Ninety-one percent of half the eligible members of the Central PA Chapter voted for the merger. Forty-five per cent of Philadelphia Chapter's members participated in the vote and 87% of those who voted approved the merger.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the vote. We also want to thank the Boards and the Merger task force members from both Chapters who planned and organized the merger discussions and documents.

Our next step will be to write a letter to SLA informing them of the vote and requesting for formal approval of the merger. We believe this will be granted. Nominations for new Chapter officers (President-Elect, Treasurer and Director) are currently being solicited. In accordance with the merger agreement, a member of the existing Central PA Chapter will stand for the Director position.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Rod MacNeil
Philadelphia Chapter President
rod.macneil@jefferson.edu

Beth Transue
Central PA Chapter President
btransue@messiah.edu


Report of the Merger Task Force - August 4, 2008

Charge
The Merger Task Force was created at the direction of the Central PA and the Philadelphia boards at a joint meeting on March 26, 2008. The Task Force was charged to discuss issues raised regarding a possible merger between the two chapters, and provide recommendations to both chapter boards.

Task Force Conference Call
The Task Force met by conference call on May 30, 2008 to discuss issues and recommendations. During the call, the Task Force agreed that presenting a report of recommendations was feasible by the joint meeting in August. The members present on the call were: Nancy Linwood, Jack Morris, Amy Paster, Peggy Ross, Tim Siftar, Karen Silverman, and Beth Transue.

The report was then modified based on feedback from the Chapter Boards, and from chapter members during the joint chapter meeting on August 1, 2008.

Issues and Recommendations
It is the recommendation of the Task Force that members from the Central PA and Philadelphia chapters vote to merge, after taking into consideration the following issues and recommendations. The Task Force believes that this merger will benefit both chapters by increasing membership, networking and vendor sponsorship opportunities for all members.

1. Board Representation

   Members felt that there should be Central PA representation on the merged chapter board.  According to a survey of CP members, this representation should take the form of a Director or special Liaison position.  Currently, there are three Director positions on the Philadelphia board.  Each position serves a term of three years.

   Recommendation: A member living or working in the Central PA area should be elected to serve as Director on the Philadelphia Chapter board for the next two cycles, a total of six years.  It is hoped that by the end of this time, members from the Central PA area will feel integrated into chapter life.  The Director from the Central PA area will serve as a liaison to members in the Central PA area, and would assist the President-Elect/Program Chair with meetings taking place in the Central PA area. This position for a Central PA individual does not in any way prevent any other member from the Central PA area from serving in the Philadelphia chapter.  All members are encouraged to serve on committees that reflect their interests, or to contact the Nominating Committee to serve in elected positions.

2. Programming

   According to the Central PA member survey, members expressed a desire for 1-2 meetings per year in the Central PA area.  Currently, Philadelphia has approximately 6 meetings per year.

   Recommendation: The merged chapter should hold 1 meeting per year in the Central PA area. The Director from the Central PA area will work with the President-Elect/Program Chair to plan this meeting for the next six years.

3. Meeting Times and Locations

   Central PA typically has meetings during the day on weekdays.  Philadelphia chapter typically has meetings during the evening on weekdays.

   Recommendation: The Task Force does not wish to micromanage the work of the President-Elect by specifying meeting times or locations.  Rather, the Task Force recommends that meetings and locations be varied to accommodate different members’ schedules and needs.  The Task Force also recommends that alternate methods, such as local roundtables or online options, be explored.

4. Use of Technology

   Task Force members discussed how technology could assist members in staying connected over long distances.

   Recommendation: Create a Committee on Technology to explore ways that the chapter can incorporate technology into the life of the chapter.  A representative from Central PA should be included on this Committee. Specific technologies might include accessing SLA ClickU or other online offerings, recording meetings digitally and uploading them to the website for members to access, or utilizing web conference technology for meetings.  These technologies would be of benefit for all chapter members.

5. Central PA Chapter Finances

   The Task Force members discussed ways that other merging chapters have merged finances.

   Recommendation: Central PA chapter finances should be merged with Philadelphia finances.  The Central PA funds should be used to purchase equipment or access to remote technology.  The Committee on Technology should explore technological options and provide recommendations to the Board about how these funds should be spent.

6. Merged Chapter Name

   While the issue of a merged chapter name has been raised, the Task Force members felt that this concern was not expressed by members as much as other issues were.  The Philadelphia chapter already covers an area much larger than Philadelphia, and even extends into nearby states.  Additionally, the MLA “Philadelphia Chapter” extends into the Central PA area, so there is already precedent for this naming convention. 

   Recommendation: The name of the merged chapter should remain Philadelphia chapter.

7. Archives

   Recommendation: The Central PA archives will be closed and stored at Penn State University.  Following the merger, chapter records of the new chapter will be stored with other Philadelphia chapter archives at Drexel University.

8. Communication

   There was a request in the Central PA member survey that Central PA retain its separate email discussion list.  Discussion at the Task Force meeting however clarified that traffic on the Philadelphia email discussion list is light and that Central PA members are welcome to post Central PA-specific information to the entire list.  There was also discussion about migrating and archiving information from the existing Central PA website.

   Recommendation: Merge email discussion lists into one list. Communicate with all members to encourage them to join the list for the most up-to-date chapter information.  The Central PA webmaster should archive the Central PA website, and work with the Philadelphia webmaster to migrate information of continuing interest to the Philadelphia website.

9. Governing Documents

   Recommendation: Change the Philadelphia Governing Document to reflect the presence of a Central PA area member as Director on the Board for two terms.