Submitted by Deborah Lauseng, Midwest Chapter Secretary
Taubman Medical Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
dlauseng@umich.edu
The Midwest Chapter Executive Board held their fall meeting on October 7 in Louisville, KY. As the board members were getting settled, the 2006 Program Co-Chairs, Michel Atlas and Laura Davison, extended a warm welcome to Louisville to their colleagues on the Board. President Eileen Stanley expressed how impressed she was with the “Welcome Midwest Chapter/MLA” sign that was at the airport.
Top business items included the bylaws revisions, the draft policies and procedures manual, and planning for upcoming chapter annual conferences.
Bylaws: Melinda Orebaugh reported that all was on schedule for presenting the proposed bylaws at the annual business meeting on Monday, October 9th. MLA had accepted the proposed bylaws with minor edits, and there have been few comments from the memberships. As an incentive for people to attend the bylaws portion of the business meeting, it was agreed to draw the winner of the free MLA membership at the conclusion of the vote.
Policies and Procedures Task Force: Sheryl Stevens, Eileen Stanley, Chris Shaffer, Mary Markland, and Pam Rees are the new Policies & Procedures Task Force members. Sheryl has begun pulling out all the procedures from the current Bylaws as a draft for a new, separate procedure manual. Board members are being asked to contribute any documentation they have covering duties, responsibilities or procedures for their office. New committee chairs will also have a role in helping get this new manual in place. Be watching for more details from the Task Force.
Membership: Bette Sydelko reported that our membership numbers include 21 student memberships, thanks to the Midwest Chapter’s willingness to offer free membership to students. Overall there are 31 new members to the chapter for 2006.
Treasurer’s Report: Marlene Porter shared that the annual conferences are being handled through the chapter checking account this year and the process seems to be working well. The current budget is available on the chapter web site.
Program Committee Reports: Mark your calendars!
The 2007 Annual Conference will be October 12-16. The theme is “2007 License to Learn, License to Lead.” This is a joint conference with the Midcontinental Chapter and will be held in Des Moines, Iowa (Midwest Chapter Program Co-Chairs: Jim Lander and Chris Shaffer).
The 2008 Annual Conference will be October 17-20 at the Detroit Marriott in Troy, Michigan. The theme is “Vital Signs: Keeping You and Your Library Vibrant and Healthy” (Program Co-Chairs: Sandra Martin and Ellen O’Donnell).
Next Executive Board Meeting: March 16th at the Ebling Library, University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Draft minutes of the fall Executive Board meeting are posted on the chapter website.