The NASIG Executive Board typically meets just prior to the start of the ALA Midwinter conference. On January 19th, 2006, we met at the beautiful Central Library of the San Antonio Public Library system,
http://www.sanantonio.gov/library/. The Central Library building is exquisite: the modern exterior is
the color of paprika with splashes of other primary colors, and the inside is light-filled, warm, and inviting.
SAPL generously provided meeting space as well as assistance with local arrangements. The SAPL staff, especially NASIG member Charlotte Balusek, were terrific hosts. We are so fortunate to have an incredibly resourceful network of NASIG members to call on for help with just about anything!
You can read the full
board minutes in this issue of the
Newsletter, but among the highlights for me were discussions about the new Library School Outreach Task Force and Membership Development Committee. Both groups will focus on outreach and on recruiting new members to NASIG. Another good discussion was about our Technology Plan. NASIG’s technology needs have become so sophisticated and demanding (online registration, evaluation, membership renewal, etc.), that it might be time to look at outsourcing some of this work. I will be charging a technology RFP team to develop a Request for Proposals on the various online services we support. It’s a first step toward defining our technical infrastructure and needs now and for the future. It’s also a way to determine if outsourcing makes economical and business sense for us. You will hear a lot more about this project in the coming months.
DENVER CONFERENCE
The Board heard updates from both the Conference and Program Planning committees, and I am very pleased to report that the Denver program promises to be outstanding! PPC has a terrific lineup of programs for us. Check it out at:
http://www.nasig.org/conference/2006/programguide.htm.
Baseball fans will be thrilled to know that Coors Field is within walking distance of the conference hotel, and the Rockies are in town when we are! CPC has reserved a block of tickets for Saturday night; reserve yours when you register for the conference. This year, we’re planning NASIG’s first-ever conference blog, and you will hear more about this when you arrive in Denver. Another noteworthy first: Board member extraordinaire Katy Ginanni is organizing a NASIG open mike! If all goes according to plan, this event will take place at the legendary Tattered Cover Book Store at its historic LoDo location on Saturday afternoon during the conference. (www.tatteredcover.com) So dust off your camp songbook, find a favorite poem to read, or dig out that old recorder. Make artistic history with your NASIG colleagues!
When you visit the NASIG conference site
http://www.nasig.org/conference/2006/, you will see a well designed website with a superb online registration component. Previously, I rarely gave any thought to online services such as this, but my eyes were opened this year in working with NASIG’s amazing, tireless Online Registration Team. I can’t say enough about ORT Chair Buddy Pennington, and his teammates Anna Creech, Cecilia Generoux, Sarah George, and Rose Robischon. Step Schmitt and Fariha Grieme generously contributed their ORT expertise as consultants. With the conference happening earlier than usual this year, ORT had an impossible deadline, and they all put in countless hours of testing, revising, re-testing, and reformatting just to get things right.
UKSG
One of the distinct privileges of serving as NASIG president is the opportunity to attend the United Kingdom Serials Group’s annual conference as our official representative. This year, the conference will take place at the University of Warwick from April 3rd through April 5th. As you know, UKSG (www.uksg.org) provided the inspiration for NASIG, twenty-some years ago, and we have long considered ourselves sister organizations. UKSG President Keith Courtney has been a fixture at NASIG conferences over the years, as a participant, a volunteer, and a friend. As this will be Keith’s last UKSG conference before he retires as President, I am delighted to be attending this year. Several NASIG members are on the UKSG conference program -- Jill Emery, Rick Anderson, Susan Davis, and Cindy Hepfer – so I will be in terrific company. I’ll include a write-up about UKSG in my next column.
In closing, I’d like to mention something else that took place during our time in San Antonio a few weeks ago. Past-President Beverley Geer organized an informal get-together to remember and celebrate the life of one of our charter members, Marla Schwartz, who passed away last August. Many of us were lucky enough to get to know Marla through NASIG, and her beautiful smile and warm spirit are sadly missed. Beverley spearheaded the effort to recognize Marla’s many contributions to NASIG over the years, and as a result, the 2005 conference proceedings will be dedicated to the memory of Marla Schwartz. Thank you, Beverley, for ensuring that NASIG honors one of its own.
