Minutes- TLA Reference Round Table

Date & Location: July 11, 1998.  Austin, TX TLA Annual Assembly

Present: Fran Ebbers, Claudette Hagle, Diane Downing, Chris Peterson, Patricia Stinson-
Switzer, Glenda Lehrmann, Gerald Churchill, Jeanne Pyle, Will Stuivenga, and Jack
Becker.

Martha Tarlton called the meeting to order at 1:40 PM and welcomed all in attendance.  
Carol Roberts, a member of the InterLibrary Loan Round Table spoke first.  She 
requested financial aid to help ILL bring Marshall Keys to Annual Conference for a 
conference program next year.  She requested $700.00.

Chris Peterson from the Texas State Library spoke about the Z39.50 project the State 
Library is considering.  The State Library plans giving three workshops concerning the 
Z39.50 project.  The State Library wants funds to help underwrite a preconference they 
plan for 1999.  She thought they would need between $300- 500.

Jack Becker gave the Secretary and Treasurer's reports.  The Secretary's report was 
amended to show that Fran Ebber's is the Councilor instead of Alternate and her term runs 
until 2002.  The Treasure's report was approved as read.

Martha spoke briefly about the proposed RRT budget for FY 1999.  More than likely it 
will create a $900 deficit.  The board approved the proposed budget thinking RRT could 
make up the deficit with a preconference in 2000 and from publication of a new edition 
of Texas Reference Sources.

Martha Holguin, liaison the Executive Board, spoke next.  She stated that the Executive 
Board is doing away with the residency requirement for TLA officers.  The bylaws will 
have to be changed and approved by TLA membership.  The centennial of TLA is 
coming up in 2002 and the Excutive Board wants all units to write a "unit history".  In 
addition, two members from each unit are needed to serve for four years as a liaison 
between their unit and the Excutive Board to help coordinate the Centennial Celebration.

Fran Ebbers reported that TLA Council has taken the following actions:
1.	Tall Texans and the Texas-Mexico Interest Groups are now a Round Tables 
	School Librarians have changed their name to the Texas Association of School 
	Librarians.
2.	Two resolutions were passed honoring Virginia Andrews with Texas Tech University 
	Library and Mimi Fowler with Penguin Books.  They have both served the Library 
	profession and TLA for many years.
3.	Control of Internet user policy will remain at the local level.
4.	Eva Pool was elected Representative-at-large.
5.	The theme of next year's conference will be "Libraries Linking the Centuries."

Committee Reports:
According to Jeanne Pyle the members of the Nominations Committee should be elected. 
Jeanne stated that according to TLA bvlaws members of the Nominations Committee can
no longer be appointed and should be made up of the membership-at-large.

Jack Becker reported that the Louis Bebout Award Committee has organized and they 
will "met" using e-mail.  One nomination is in the works but more will be actively 
sought.  The timetable of the award, in the bylaws, is unclear and will be clarified.

Glenda Lehrmann reported on the activities of the Planning Committee and the Texas
Reference Sources Award.  Glenda reported  that the committee has received 10
nominations of which 6 meet the criteria of the award. The committee wants funding for
a banner, and two plaques.  The banner will go the booth of each year's winner (which 
the winner displays at Annual Conference).  The winning publisher also receives a 
plaque, which the winning publisher can keep. The other plaque will stay at the RRT
booth with each year's winner inscribed on it.  There was also lengthily discussion on 
what to do with review copies of books.

Glena Lehrmann also announced that work would soon begin on updating Texas
Reference Sources (TRS).  Three people are being considered for the general editor and
several people have expressed interest as subject editors.  The planning committee will 
get vita's from the three proposed general editors and make a selection.

Will Stuivenga is looking at alternate ways of publishing the newsletter. One is via e-
mail and the other is as a link from the RRT WebPage. It was agreed upon that the 
newsletter should continue to be published in paper in addition to an electronic format.  A 
suggestion was also made to place a volunteer form on the WebPage.

The Public Relations Committee was represented by Claudett Hagel.  She spoke for the
absent Margaret McCassland.  It was reported that we have between 500 to 700 brochures
remaining from last year.  The PR committee is going to start in February advertising for
volunteers for the booth. They are also working on a logo to place on a banner that will
hang at the booth.

As chair of the program committee Diane Downing spoke next.  The program committee 
wants a practical, wide ranging, program for conference.  The working title is "The Road
goes on Forever."  This is also the name of a song by a Texas songwriter, Robert Earl
Cain. In the end we decided on a four person panel discussion involving an academic, 
public, special, and a school librarian.

RRT voted to support the Z39.50 Preconference with a donation not to exceed $300.  
RRT further stipulated that the support was conditional on the fact that RPT receive a fair 
share of the proceeds if any.  RRT elected Patricia Stinson-Switzer as liaison and John 
Hepner as alternate to the Centennial Celebration Circle.  Pat and John will look in to 
forming a committee to write the history of RRT.
The meeting ended at 3:45.

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