ALA MIDWINTER REPORTS
FROM LIRT COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES

• Computer Applications
• Continuing Education
• Elections/Nominations
• Long-Range Planning
• Organization & Bylaws
• Professional Associations Networking
• Public Relations & Membership
• Research
• Five-Year Financial Planning Task Force

Members present: Marilee Birchfield, Lucia Dunn, Gail Egbers, Mari Ellen Leverence, Elizabeth Lorenzen, and Lorna Lueck.

Summary of Discussion and Action: The Continuing Education Committee (CEC) reviewed and selected outstanding articles for the 1995 Top Twenty Bibliography which will appear in the June issue of LIRT News. The 1994 Top Twenty Bibliography was submitted to ERIC for inclusion in the ERIC document collection. CEC members will assist the Conference Program Committee in preparing the 1996 annual program bibliography. Marilee Birchfield, CEC's representative on the LIRT Internet Task Force, reported briefly on their progress.

Back

Summary and Discussion: The committee planned five activities: preparation of an article for the LIRT News and a press release for other round table newsletters about LIRT members running for ALA Council; a letter to candidates for LIRT office telling them what to expect during the election process and suggesting plans they should make to attend LIRT meetings at the annual conference if elected; new methods to create lists of LIRT committee members to use in preparing officer slates; and preparation of procedures and sample materials for the LIRT Election process for the LIRT handbook and future Elections Committee chairs.

Back

Members present: Burrow, Clarence, Dintrone (chair), Forys, Grimes, Shonrock, Tate.

The committee reviewed the goals reported by committees (many were missing) in Summer 1995 to determine where they fit. Chuck will follow up on others and make a report to Carol Derner.

A LIRT retreat is planned for Friday, February 14, 1997 in Washington, D.C. "Get to the Heart of LIRT" was suggested as a theme) The focus will be looking at the environmental scan done by the Long Range Planning Committee as a basis for discussing the direction of LIRT. Possible outcomes, not necessarily completed at the retreat, might be a strategic plan and changes in the mission and goals statement. The intent of the committee is to keep expenses at a minimum so we will attempt to get the facility free, and the facilitators (Diana Shonrock and Mitch Stepanovich) and the keynote speaker (Tim Grimes) are LIRT members. Chuck was asked to report to Steering that possible expenses would be refreshments, lunch, and copying and mailing of packets. Recommendation as to who to invite: Steering Committee, some past presidents, the Long Range Planning Committee, the Organization and Bylaws Committee and selected (LIRT active) public and school librarians (to get their input and encourage their continued participation in LIRT).

Back

Members present: Charlotte Files, Carol Penka, and Diane Shonrock.

Summary of Discussion and Action: Need to work on handbook which should have been almost finished. Diane and Carol volunteered to review the handbook and check for errors and items to be updated. All committee chairs need to review the handbook for their sections and send the corrections to Diane Shonrock. This was related to Steering Committee on January 22. Diane Shonrock will send all corrections to Billie Peterson by February 15. Committee chairs should send their corrections to Diane by February 1. Discussed procedures: 1) No person needs to serve on more than one committee except Elections Committee. 2) Changing the Steering Committee meeting back to Friday night. 3) Secretary and other members of the Executive Board need to receive all committee agendas and minutes before mid-winter and annual conferences. 4) Carol Derner needs to correspond with IS and request they change their all committee meeting to another day besides the Saturday morning when LIRT meets. IS having the same time slot reduced the attendance to LIRT's All Committee meeting.

Back

Members present: Linda Muroi, Jim Walther and Maggie Zarnosky.

Summary of Discussion and Action: Linda Muroi agreed to serve as chair. Two new projects were discussed: 1) Work with Computer Applications Committee to create a Web site with an electronic version of the directory and links to state/regional organizations. 2) Propose working with Long- Range Planning Committee to assist with 1997 Midwinter Steering Committee retreat. The membership of the committee will be determined between now and ALA annual conference.

Back

Members present: Allisa Beck, Marsha Boosinger, Linda Chopra, Andy Corrigan, Linda Goff, Marie Hayden, Sylvia Nicholas, and Barbara Pilvin.

Summary of Discussion and Action: Discussed and assigned annual conference duties and responsibilities. Recommend location of the LIRT booth at Annual be in the exhibit area, not a separate area, as it was in Chicago. Question for Steering Committee: Do we have the funds to produce a new brochure?

Back

Members Present: Sherry DeDecker, Elaine Nowick, Lenora Berendt.

The Research Committee discussed publicity for its book Evaluating Library Instruction: Sample Questions, Forms, and Strategies for Practical Use, recently published by ALA. Mitch Stepanovich will coordinate publicity activities and will keep the Committee apprised of his actions. As a new project, the Committee will gather examples of how electronic instruction is being handled in libraries. Examples would include instruction prepared for the World Wide Web, gopher, CD-ROM products and hypercard multimedia. The Committee will bring the best instruction examples to ALA in New York, organized into case studies with the intention of producing an article that could serve as a resource for all types of libraries.

Back

Members present: Emily Bergman, Tobeylynn Birch, Barbara Conant, Tim Grimes, and Trish Ridgeway.