Council
Minutes
September 2, 2000
Adam's Mark Hotel
Denver, Colorado
President Lee
Stout called the meeting to order at 5:38 p.m. Present: Vice President Steve
Hensen and Council members Thomas Battle, Tom Connors, Jackie Dooley, Mark Greene,
Becky Haglund-Tousey, Dennis Harrison, Jane Kenamore, Richard Pearce-Moses,
Wilda Logan Willis, and Executive Director Susan Fox. Treasurer Elizabeth Adkins
was unable to attend due to personal obligations.
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
Stout remarked
on the success of the annual meeting and his anticipation of a great year ahead.
REPORT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
Hensen said he
began making appointments. Kris Kiesling would serve as 2002 Program Committee
Chair and Alden Monroe as 2002 Host Committee Chair. Kathleen Roe had agreed
to serve as Chair of the Appointments Committee. He expected to complete all
appointments sometime in late spring.
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Fox reported
that she received a voice mail message with notification that SAA received FY2001
funding from the National Council on Libraries and Information Science in support
of international travel, but that she did not yet know the amount.
OLD BUSINESS
Proposal to
the National Historical Records and Publications Commission
Pearce-Moses
reported on his meeting with SAA units directly interested in the proposal to
NHPRC requesting support for SAA to develop on-line workshops. The Committee
on Education and Professional Development thought the proposal was excellent.
The Standards Committee wanted to ensure that the proposed workshops taught
standards correctly. He said he also met with NHPRC program officer Mark Conrad,
who voiced his opinion that it was a very strong proposal. NHPRC Executive Director
Anne Newhall said it would be important for the proposal to be as strong as
possible.
Greene moved
and Harrison seconded the motion to submit the proposal to the NHPRC. PASSED
(Willis abstained).
Council Fundraising
Dooley moved
and Battle seconded the motion that Council contribute to SAA as a demonstration
of leadership.
Greene said that
he opposed any explicit requirement or expectation that contributing to the
annual fund be a criteria of Council service. On the one hand many Council members
were already contributing out of pocket funds to support their attendance at
Council meetings; on the other hand, he was concerned that adding the expectation
of additional donations to the requirements of Council service would change
the very nature of Council. He understood that the intent behind the proposal
was good, but he did not agree with it and could not support it.
Hensen said he
was a little uncomfortable with the idea. He understood that in terms of encouraging
gifts from members a united Council would indeed demonstrate leadership. He
was sensitive to the fact that mandating Council contributions would fundamentally
change the face of participation on Council. He said one of the areas he was
most interested in pursuing during his term as president would be fundraising
among foundations. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant office
directly encouraged him, on behalf of SAA, to do so. NEH recognized that SAA
had needs that could not be fulfilled in terms of staffing or other resources.
Personally, he would feel a lot more comfortable if raising funds through a
direct approach to foundations. SAA had not invested in developing an ongoing
relationship with foundations and it was time to start. On the other hand, he
said he would not vote against the motion. Full Council participation in fundraising
was an important symbolic gesture. He understood that it was the spirit, not
the amount that counted most.
Tousey said she
did not feel that telling membership year after year that Council had contributed
year after year would be much of a motivating influence. She would be happy
if all Council members contributed and SAA announced that fact, but to make
it an annual requirement might not be such a good thing.
Stout said the
opportunities and dimensions of SAA fundraising would go in more directions
than simply an annual appeal to members. There would continue to be an annual
appeal, and if Fellows expanded their work on planned giving, as well as an
annual letter appeal from the President -- then Council contributions would
not necessarily have to be an element to it. He would be comfortable having
Council contributions as part of a general message in that he could say that
Council voted to make contributions and let it go at that. He would not suggest
unanimous or 100% participation.
Kenamore said
that 100% Council participation would put SAA in a stronger position when soliciting
Fellow contributions, because the Fellows contributed a good bit of money this
past year. To discontinue full Council contribution could be detrimental to
that effort.
Harrison said
that the fundraising consultant told Council that SAA would need to start with
an internal fundraising effort, 100% commitment, which would then increase the
amount of support received from outside sources.
Pearce-Moses
said he believed it was appropriate for members of Council to make an appropriate
contribution. He was caught off guard initially by the surprise factor, not
knowing that this would be required. He wanted the contribution to be considered
in light of the very real personal and time commitments that Council members
already made to the Society. Advance warning to those considering service on
Council was very important.
A vote was called
on the motion. PASSED. Greene opposed.
NEW BUSINESS
Annual Meeting
Site Cycle
Council agreed
it was important to receive a final report from the Task Force on Annual Meeting
and asked Fox to follow up with Tim Ericson, who served as Task Force Chair,
to receive the report in time for the winter Council meeting.
Incorporating
Diversity into Annual Meetings
Council discussed
the importance of incorporating diversity sessions into every annual meeting,
as program sessions and/or as preconference workshops. Hensen noted that the
2002 meeting in Birmingham would present many unique opportunities to discuss
issues of diversity.
American Library
Association Accreditation Task Force
Greene reported
on a a presentation made to the Committee on Education and Professional Development
(CEPD) by Bob Martin, a member of the American Library Association (ALA) Council
and a member of the ALA Task Force on the Independent Accrediting Body. This
was a self-appointed group with some highly influential members. The task force
evolved out of a continuing discussion in ALA regarding radically reforming
the way ALA accredits programs. The task force had reached a point where it
believed that the best future for accreditation would be to spin accreditation
off from ALA and form an independent accrediting body which would include ALA
and formal representation from a number of allied organizations. Greene said
Martin made it clear that there was no sense at that stage that if such a proposal,
even if fully developed, would be accepted by the ALA Council. Martin had wanted
to know if SAA would be interested in actively participating in the process
as it evolved further. CEPD thought it a good idea, but recognized that such
a major decision would rest with Council. Martin had suggested that SAA designate
a formal liaison to the task force.
Council discussed
which units would best represent SAA. Stout suggested appointing two liaisons,
one from the ALA/SAA Joint Committee and one from CEPD.
Appointments
to Council Archives & Archivists Listserv Subcommittee
Greene outlined
the responsibilities of serving on the Council Archives & Archivists Listserv
Subcommittee, which centered on serving as a policy body adjudicating issues
and disputes for the list administrator, and bringing issues to Council which
might need a more formal SAA decision process. Connors and Dooley agreed to
serve with Greene and Pearce-Moses.
Moving SAA
Archives
Fox reported
that Frank Cooke, SAA Archivist, would retire in a few weeks from his position
with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where the SAA archives reside. Tim
Ericson had volunteered to manage the archives from his repository in the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and had said that he would be happy to serve as SAA Archivist.
Tousey moved
and Greene seconded the motion that the SAA archives be moved from the University
of Wisconsin-Madison to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and that Tim Ericson
be appointed to serve as SAA Archivist.
Greene urged
that SAA and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee develop a donor agreement
before sending SAA records to the repository.
The motion PASSED.
Stout read the
To Do list.
The meeting adjourned
at 7:13 p.m.
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