ACRL-Oregon Board Meeting
December 14, 2001
University of Oregon
MINUTES

The following minutes of the ACRL-Oregon Board Meeting are provided for informational purposes only. This is not intended to be a formal report.

Attending: Sara Brownmiller, Janeanne Rockwell-Kincanon, Heather Ward, Charlie Piquet, Carol McCulley, Cheryl Middleton, Bonnie Allen, and Ernest Perez. Cat Finney and Teresa Montgomery joined the meeting by speaker phone.

Budget

Sara Brownmiller reported that the current balance for ACRL-Oregon is $3591.71. She handed out a packet containing the transaction report for 9/1/00-8/31/01. Bonnie Allen confirmed that the balance is low for this time of year. We will need to watch the budget closely as the fiscal year continues.

OLA/WLA Conference

We will host an unofficial social hour at the OLA/WLA Conference in the OLA President's suite. The unofficial nature is due to demands made by the hotel to have official events catered at a much higher cost. Sara estimated that buying food and drink on our own will cost about $150-200.

All OLA programs are in place. Preliminary information is available on the web. Anne Christie is working with a committee on potential poster sessions at the conference. Sara encouraged board members to spread the word that a minimum number of rooms need to be filled at the conference hotel so that OLA will not have to cover the cost of empty rooms.

OLA 2003 will be in Corvallis. The OLA Board is still searching for a 2004 location. Sara hoped they might choose Eugene as the new public library should be open by then.

Menucha

Sara and Kris Kern recently visited Menucha to check out the new, "modern" rooms in Creevey Commons. The 12 Creevey rooms each accommodate 1-3 people (no bunk beds) and offer a private bath. They are available at a higher rate than the traditional halls and can house a total of 12-36 people. Wright and Ballard house 27 and 19 people, respectively, using bottom bunks only for a total of 46. These could expand to upper bunks if necessary.

Room Rates:

  • Creevey single $124.00

  • Creevey double $ 76.25

  • Creevey triple $ 69.50

  • Wright or Ballard (bottom bunks) $ 62.50

Sara needed to have an estimated minimum by Wednesday 12/19 in order to place a $2 per person deposit with Menucha. Attendance in 2000 was 71--there was speculation that the topic was not of broad enough interest to draw a larger crowd. 91 people came in 1998. Charlie emphasized that the topic needs to be compelling and asked whether the board could survey ACRL-Oregon members before making the final decision. Bonnie suggested that the board also conduct a survey to determine an estimated attendance number in August before the final deposit of an additional $23 per person is due. The board might also decide to move up the registration date in order to respond to potential lower numbers.

A question arose as to whether budget cuts in Oregon and Washington would also affect attendance. Fewer might come due to lower funding, however more might come due to the lower cost compared to other conferences. Charlie questioned whether ACRL-Oregon should continue to hold the Menucha conference at all or whether it might be held elsewhere. At this stage, we would either need to hold the meeting at Menucha or not at all due to low ACRL-Oregon funds and the higher expense of other locations.

The issue of "rustic" accommodations was also discussed. In the past some have not attended due to the dorm-like rooms and have stated that they would prefer a hotel setting. Others enjoy the retreat atmosphere. Several board members spoke to the unique nature of the meeting which allows academic librarians to gather and discuss shared issues in a forum not provided by any other conference.

The board decided:

  • to reserve Wright and Ballard with the option of expanding to top bunks figuring that Creevey did not offer luxurious enough accommodations to entice additional attendees. This would also save ACRL-Oregon from the needing to cover potentially empty rooms in Creevey.

  • The price of registration would be separated from the price of the rooms in order to allow attendees to stay off site and commute in. Thus, accommodating those who would like to stay in hotels or B&Bs.

  • Sara will contact Menucha to see if there is an additional charge for facilities use outside of room and board in order to determine an appropriate registration fee.

  • The board will survey ACRL-Oregon (and Washington?) members sometime in February giving them three or four conference topics on which to vote.

Menucha Theme

The packet that Sara passed out contained an article by Kathlin Ray from University of the Pacific entitled "The Postmodern Library in an Age of Assessment." Sara suggested that Ray might be a good speaker. In addition, this might give us a chance to feature regional experts on assessment.

The board discussed the Chronicle of Higher Education article on declining library use. Sara has copies of the article and a transcript of the follow-up chat discussion sponsored by the Chronicle for those interested.

Other potential topics include:

  • Where are libraries going in the future?

  • The library as place--how does it converge with digital libraries?

  • Fundraising and grant writing

  • How does Vision 2010 affect academic libraries?

  • The Social Life of Information and the November 2001 College & Research Libraries article by Bill Crowley "Tacit Knowledge, Tacit Ignorance, and the Future of Academic Librarianship."

  • The C&RL News article "Opportunities for Collaborative Excellence" by Sarah Beasley, Don Frank, and Susan Kroll.

Board members were encouraged to think about topics, ask their colleagues and promote new and different ideas.

Regional Workshops

Based on an informal survey of colleagues conducted by Charlie (also contained in the packet), the board discussed ideas for regional workshops. The question of the intended audience was raised. The main idea was to provide a forum for librarians who, primarily due to geography, are not able to attend conferences and meetings in Portland and the Willamette Valley. Because academic libraries on the coast and in Eastern and Southern Oregon are so spread out, it might be helpful to provide workshops with
broader topics that would appeal to other area librarians. These workshops should draw on the talent of local librarians, too and should not be seen as bringing knowledge to the unenlightened.

The topics can be broken down into five broad subject areas:

  • Electronic Delivery of Information

  • Instruction

  • Assessment

  • Collaboration

  • Management Issues

Workshops might include two presentations of two hours each--possibly late morning and early afternoon. They will offer suggested techniques and will allow librarians to share experiences of "how we done it good." They may charge a small fee to cover travel expenses and refreshments. It is hoped that institutions will host the workshops at no charge.

Heather asked about the Southern Oregon Library Federation and its activities. The board plans to draw on the experience of regional groups and cooperate with them to bring relevant workshops to their areas. Board members will contact community colleges, SOU and EOU to learn what programs
are already in place; opportunities to piggyback; what librarians in various locations would like to learn about; and what they would like to teach about.

Sara will gather names of potential workshop presenters, contact librarians in SW and NE Oregon and outline the general theme areas. She would like ACRL-Oregon to start with one workshop and see how it is received.

 

Reported by Heather Ward