Statements of Concern from Candidates for ALCTS Vice President and President-Elect

Judith Niles, Director of Collection Management, University of Louisville

ALA and its divisions are anticipating a revenue shortfall in 2002 and 2003, due in large part to the national economic downturn. As a section representative to the ALCTS Budget and Finance Committee from January 1999 through June 2001, and as chair of the committee for the current year, I bring valuable experience in developing and implementing the division budget. In the past several years, ALCTS has been very prudent in managing its revenues and expenditures, so that there is now a healthy reserve fund that can help us through the financial difficulties we face. At the same time, we must increase revenue-generating activities or we will lose effectiveness in serving the profession.

ALCTS’s revenue comes from three primary sources: membership dues, publications, and continuing education. We need to create new dues categories to reach out to potential members, such as paraprofessional staff and other colleagues who cannot afford a full membership. Continuing education, especially through preconferences, institutes, and online courses, must be encouraged and expedited. More manuscripts for monographs, such as the various guide/guideline series, and for LRTS, are needed.

Such efforts can raise issues of fairness, or of sacrificing quality of products for quantity of revenues. It will be important to receive input from the current membership on any major changes in these endeavors.

I am confident that I have the skills and experience to guide the division in these endeavors, and, if elected, I would be honored to serve the ALCTS membership.

Brian E. C. Schottlaender, University Librarian, University of California, San Diego

For the last few years, I have been closely involved with the development of the ALCTS strategic plan for 2001–2005 and with the development of its corollary Tactical Plan. Prior to that, I had worked on developing the division’s Five-Year Financial Plan for FY95–99. Both of these initiatives, along with other related planning exercises, convince me that ALCTS is moving forward in a concerted manner to embrace what our strategic plan describes as an environment “in which traditional library roles are evolving.” The division’s collective challenge, now, is to maintain our momentum.

I am eager to work with my ALCTS colleagues to promote and consolidate our leadership position within the information community. We have much to offer in the arenas of standards development, best practices, and education. I look forward to our actively pursuing opportunities for collaborative partnerships with other colleagues, inside ALA and outside. Our work with the Library of Congress to partner with several other agencies—including ALISE, DCMI, and PCC—in implementing the recommendations brought forward during the Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control for the New Millennium represents but one response to what I perceive as a rich array of collaborative opportunities.

As exciting as these opportunities for forward movement are, they will be accompanied by challenges as well. It will be incumbent upon us to remain nimble and flexible in responding to the evolving landscape. We shall need to ensure that our membership is healthy: growing, diverse, well educated, and trained. And we shall want to manage our resources carefully as we work toward accomplishing our strategic objectives.

I know I shall enjoy working with all the division’s members and leaders in embracing our opportunities and rising to our challenges.