ALA Web Advisory Committee (WAC)

Minutes

Mid-Winter, January 21, 2002

DRAFT prepared by Stielow, reviewed and slightly revised by Muller

Present:   Fred Stielow (Chair), Brian Greene (ASLCA), Martin Kalfatovic (LITA), Amy Tracy Wells (RUSA), Tracey Firestone (YALSA), Troy Swanson (intern), Alan Bern (ALSC), Sue Martin (ACRL), Pam Berger (AASL), John Duke (ALCTS), Diane Bisom (LAMA), Matt Gullett (intern)

Staff: Karen Muller, Sherry Vanyek, Jack Briody, Shonda Russell, Tim Smith, Donovan Vicha

1. Call to Order & Introductions: 9:30 am

2. Review of Charge:

Actions (Without Objection): The Committee affirmed its wish to assist with the design phase of ALA's Web set development. WAC should be scheduled as a review agent within the project's timeline.

3. Analysis of Web survey data.

4. Update on Web site activity, including the movement to a database-driven site and prospects for personalized access

Actions:

a.       WAC will lend its managerial expertise to help insure a reasonable schedule for the development and production of ALA's Web Site.

b.      ALA Web site should include a "tool kit" of resources, which are made available to ALA units.

c.       ALA Web site should have a search engine directly available on its splash page.

d.      ALA Web site development will be featured in a forum during ALA's annual meeting in June of 2002.

e.       WAC will communicate with, and invite the interests of appropriate ALA units on Web site development.

f.        WAC will explore the creation of an SGML DTD (Standard Generalized Markup Language document type definition) standard for library association Web sites and XML (Extensible Markup Language) applications.

5. Inclusion of a "members only" area on the ALA Web site:

Actions:

a.       Moved by Sue Martin; seconded by Brian Greene that the ALA Web Site Committee recommends to ALA Council that the ALA Web site include a MEMBERS ONLY facility. This inclusion introduces a number of policy issues that ALA should address.

b.      WAC will invite the cooperation of ALA's Membership Committee in a joint committee on service and policy issues relating to this area.

6. Discussion of policy areas: e.g., copyright, privacy, universal access, e-commerce, branding, publications, division relations.

Actions: WAC will host a policy development session at ALA Headquarters during the early stages of the site's development.

7. Adjournment by consent at noon and continued meeting with ALA Membership Committee, where WAC reported out its activities on a "members only" area and related policy maters.   The Membership Committee's minutes will reflect its motion in support of WAC's resolution 5.a above for its report to Council.  Both groups discussed the possibility of funding for the policy development session in 6 above.  [Note: It was later determined that due to fiscal constraints, particularly in travel lines, the meeting was not possible.]