Reference Round Table  Executive Board Meeting

TLA Annual Assembly, Austin, July 15, 2001

 

Attendance:  Tina Oswald, Chair; DeeDee Rogers, Vice-Chair/Chair Elect; Jeffrey Levy, Sec/Treas; Claudette Hagle, John Hepner, Lynne Hambrick, Jon Luckstead, Linda Draz, Karen B. Nichols, Mary Frances Townsend, Fran Ebbers, Carol Byrne, June Koelker, Mike Miller.

1. Welcome:  Tina Oswald, Chair

2. Officer’s Reports

1. Chair Tina Oswald:

Pre-conference Committee:  no pre-conference was planned for 2002.  However, visitors Linda Draz and Carol Byrne requested that RRT sponsor a pre-conference with the Acquisitions Round Table, the Collection Development Round Table, and the Serials Round Table.  The pre-conference would deal with the usage of electronic resources.  Carol Diedrichs was suggested as a possible speaker to focus on selecting and evaluating electronic resource databases. Carol Diedrichs  (Ohio State University) has conducted research in the area of electronic journal statistics.  Linda and Carol requested that RRT join.  Dee Dee Rogers asked about the costs.  It was stressed that the pre-conference must pay for itself.  Pre-conference registration fees are the chief means of funding for this.  The pre-conference runs on the money we are able to provide. 

Questions:  How long?  A half-day.  Speaker needs?  Airfare, housing, honorarium.  Tina Oswald:  Get someone to spearhead this besides the Vice-Chair/Chair Elect.  Other questions:  How many pre-conferences are in the thinking stage?  If we co-sponsor a program do we get a percentage?

Could we get a vendor to co-sponsor the break?  The cost of water at these conferences is $8.00 a pitcher.

Library of Texas Project (databases):  Melody Kelly (University of North Texas Libraries) would like for RRT to co-sponsor a program.  This is through the TLA Conference Committee.  The program, dealing with the Library of Texas Project, is from 9:00 – 10:00 am, Thursday.   We would get RRT’s name on the program.  The Texas State Library is paying for everything.

Tina Oswald asked:  would we like to set up a Pre-Conference Committee for 2003?  She would like to get the new members of RRT involved in this.  We need to start emailing new people right away.  The pre-conference can be a moneymaker and publicity generator.  (Jack Becker has said that genealogy programs go over very well).

Ribbons for nametags:  RRT has not had ribbons so far.  We could just put “RRT” on a ribbon (no year).  TLA has a person who can prepare these for between 30 and 35 cents apiece.  Marilyn Jackson had this done in Tyler for $100 for 500 ribbons.  Ours would be for the 2002 Conference but there would be no year written on the ribbons.  What color?  We have this in the budget.

b.      Vice-Chair/Chair Elect Dee Dee Rogers:

Program for TLA Conference 2002:  Dee Dee reported that Tina Oswald’s program at the last conference (Collaborating for Information Literate Students) was very successful, as it encompassed librarians from all types of libraries.  Dee Dee is planning a program to be called “The Future of Reference Service.”  She has contacted several people to be panelists.  Linda Draz, from North Richland Hills Public Library, is writing a grant to obtain LSSI software for interactive Internet service to public library patrons.

Kathy Pomara, a librarian with the June Shelton School in Richardson, is another panelist.  A large percentage of students from this school are dyslexic and ADHD (learning disabled) and thus have special needs to be met by the reference librarian.  

Michele Ault, UT-Austin librarian, will be a panelist discussing Distance Education students’ needs for reference librarians.

Another panelist is Margaret Peloquin, Head Librarian of the Riverside Branch of Austin Community College.  This library has an innovative use of laptop computers.

Program setup:  Program will last 1 hour and 50 minutes, including the 30-minute business meeting.  Each panelist will speak 15 minutes.    The introduction will take 10 minutes.  Arrangement of the program is:  1) Award  2) Introduction  3)  Program  4)  Short business meeting.

Supplies/equipment needed:  1 microphone (there is an extra cost for each microphone).  Handouts for 250 people will be needed.  Handouts will need to be posted on the website for people to access after the Conference.  Taping:  TLA has a commercial firm to do the taping.  We need to let TLA know we would like to have the program taped.

Agreed:  The program will be titled, “The Future of Reference Services.”

3. Secretary/Treasurer, Jeffrey Levy’s report:

Approval of Minutes:

Business Meeting, March 29, 2001:  Approved with corrections.

Executive Board Meeting, March 30, 2001:  Approved with corrections.

Treasurer’s report:

The TLA report, “Statement of Revenues and Expenditures” for the RRT Fund from 7/1/2000 through 6/30/2001 gives a beginning fund balance of $7,190.44 and an ending fund balance of $3,096.11.  TLA has also provided an Expanded General Ledger report for the RRT Fund from 7/1/2000 through 6/30/2001 showing debits and credits for fund allotments and expenses.

3. Committee Updates

1. Centennial:  John Hepner:

Web page:

John Hepner reported that the projects are near completion, including the web site.  New pages are being loaded and revised. The RRT historical information is gathered.  John is hoping to have the entire narrative history completed.  There is a good deal of information to post to the web.  These include every RRT newsletter, organization minutes, conference programs sponsored by RRT, all officers and councilors, current bylaws, a narrative history of our bylaws, major projects, annual awards.  Other items for the web site include memorializing important figures in the RRT, including the founder (1963) and early officers still living.  Other names to be memorialized would be the Lois Bebout winners.  John will prepare a memorial panel with photographs.

2. Newsletter:  John Hepner:

Newsletter Survey:

John discussed the survey to cut back on publishing costs.  There were several options listed on the survey.  John discussed the returns.  The overwhelming number would be very happy to get an email copy.  Paper copies would go out only to those without email.  Only seven preferred paper copies though they have email.  John said that TLA could generate lists only for those needing paper copies.   John said he can load both pdf and html versions on the website.  Several other divisions are web-based.  We can use GODORT as a model.  This procedure would save RRT $1,000 per year.  John Hepner summarized by saying that we have a mandate to change to an email version and will go ahead with it.  However, there are a significant number of people, 140 that do not have an email address.

Newsletter guidelines:

John Hepner asked which publishing schedule do we want?  There are two possibilities: Fall/Spring before Conference and Fall/Spring/Summer after Conference.  John asked whether everyone was happy with a fall issue and an early spring issue.  We will have all newsletters out earlier since they will be on the web in pdf or html format.

Newsletter deadlines:

Deadline for fall issue:  September 21, 2001.  This issue will have the Louis Bebout Award nomination request.  Deadline for spring issue:  January 25, 2002.  This issue will publicize our program.  It will also have the subcommittee reports.  Discussion:  let’s add nomination solicitations again in every issue.  Let’s put in notices about activities going on in libraries, including news notes.  Also include contributions—short articles about new services you are offering.  Question:  what to do about ballot nominations?   The Bylaws require that these go out to all members.  Suggestion:  people can copy the pdf version of the ballot nomination and send it in.  John Hepner could send an email notice with the fall newsletter stating that the newsletter has a pdf version of the ballot that people can print out and mail in.

3. Membership and Public Relations:  Claudette Hagle

Booth Coordinator for Conference 2002:

Claudette would like for some to be booth coordinator.  The coordinator gets people to sign up.  17 hours need to be covered.  Questions:  do Library Science students get in for free?  Will they be allowed in for free if they are working the booth?  It was noted that this year is the Centennial year.  The booth will have a banner, logo, and history of the RRT.

Membership brochures, Logos, and Banners:

Logos:  Claudette said that we have 12 ideas using different colors, stars; one set with definitions TLA and RRT.  There would be a full logo on the first page and a shorter logo on succeeding pages.  Once we choose a model, it goes to the publications committee.  Call for vote:  one design was chosen.

Banners:  Claudette said that to do a banner would be costly.  A cost of $300 is anticipated.   Tina Oswald noted that $500 has been budgeted for the banner this year.

Getting people involved:

Claudette will suggest ways for new members to get involved in committees such as the Reference Source Award committee.

4. Nominating Committee:  no report

5. Planning Committee:

Texas Reference Sources:  Lynne Hambrick

Lynne reported that work on a projected 5^th edition is currently in limbo.  She said that Laura Heinz has the entire file so far.  Lynne will work on finding volunteers to express an interest in finding new titles and developing annotations for the sections.

Texas Reference Source Award:  Lynne Hambrick

Lynne said that RRT should push this award.  It is good to have the award at the beginning of the program.  RRT has given the award only four times.  Some of the publishers have gone out of business.  Lynne asked if we could give a plaque, retrospectively, to the two other authors?  Two prior awards were to the Texas State Historical Association and to Gulf Publishing.  A discussion followed, during which it was determined that RRT does not have funds in the budget for extra plaques.  Lynne then asked whether we could make three plaques in 2002 instead of two, since the template already exists.  She suggested that we make RRT stickers for the books.  Lynne also asked for extra copies of the winning books for the booth in 2002.  She pointed out that the cost of the plaques is going up.

4.      Councilor’s Report:  No report

It was suggested that we take a look at txla.org, as they give the reports from each of the round tables.

5.      Executive Board Liaison:  June Koelker (sitting in for Jana Knezek)

Ballot for dues increase

June Koelker reported that the ballot for dues increase was defeated.  Just under 600 people returned ballots out of 7,300.  Thus less than 10 % voted.  It was defeated by under 39 votes.  June pointed out that it has been 20 years since dues were increased.  TLA is concerned about the low turnout.  Also, TLA wishes to learn why it was voted down.  A brief discussion followed June’s report.  It was pointed out that members should know what their dues do for the membership.  During the discussion, June said that a dues increase would help with budget over-runs (for example, convention centers charge $30,000 for the use of the facility, all the way down to $50 per gallon for coffee).  TLA would like for the Conference to pay for itself.  It is a non-dues source of revenue.  .  Lynne Hambrick asked whether TLA is offering a life membership. June said that the Council could bring up the dues issue next February with the ballots.

Executive Board email listserv group:

June Koelker reported that the Executive Board email listserv groups would be open to all to view but only to members to participate.  The publications of the units will be available only to the unit members.

District meetings - speakers

June Koelker said that there is funding in the budget to help Districts with honorariums for speakers.

Respectfully Submitted,
Jeffrey Levy
Secretary-Treasurer
July 27, 2001