FLRT Annual Membership Meeting





Westin Canal Place Hotel


New Orleans, LA


Saturday, June 26, 1999

  1. Call to order: The meeting was called to order by FLRT President Andrea Gruhl at 8:30 a.m.
  2. Introductions:Those present introduced themselves and told their library affiliations. Thirty-four attendees were present.
  3. Minutes: Minutes of the previous Annual Membership Meeting on June 17, 1998 were presented and approved.
  4. Treasurer's Report: Joan Taylor presented the financial statement which shows an estimated balance of $4,351.36 as of June 23 with a projected estimated balance of $1,439.35 as of August 31.
  5. Membership: Joan Taylor reported that the membership numbers are 302 as of June 1. She announced that FLRT t-shirts are still available for purchase.
  6. Constitution/By-Laws: Fran Perros presented the proposed changes to the

    FLRT Constitution and By-Laws     which were previously published in

    Federal Librarian     . The changes allow for separation of the Secretary and Treasurer positions, changing our procedural guide to Sturgis’

    Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure     (used by ALA), and allowing FLRT members to vote for an ALA Councilor to represent the twelve small round tables. The changes were approved by a unanimous vote.
  7. Merger Status: Jewel Player reported that discussions have been held regarding the merger of FLRT and AFLRT (Armed Forces Libraries Round Table). AFLRT and FLRT each sent out questionnaires to respective members for feedback on merger issues. Most issues have been resolved. A few are still being discussed, such as whether the President should be elected at large or rotate between military and civilian candidates, the makeup of the board, and the name of the new round table. Members were invited to attend a joint meeting with AFLRT following the luncheon to discuss unresolved issues. If all issues are resolved favorably, Jewel anticipates that a member vote on the merger will take place with next year's Spring Ballot.
  8. Personnel Issues Survey: Don Panzera reported on the survey which was taken in the past month. Although there was only a 10% response, there was enough data for statistical validity. Top three topics of interest were: training and career development, performance management, and recruitment/hiring/retention of staff. The complete results were turned over to the FLRT Board for consideration in planning future programs.
  9. Discussion List: Laurie Stackpole reported that there are ninety-seven names on the FLRT Discussion List. A question was raised as to whether members should be automatically subscribed when they join FLRT. Those present were not in favor of adopting such a policy.
  10. Commendation: Jane Sessa recommended that FLRT support an ALA Legislation Committee resolution commending ALA Washington Office Director Carol Henderson which would be brought up at the joint meeting that afternoon.
  11. WebSite: Janet Ormes announced that the FLRT Website is up at
    http://www.ala.org/alaorg/rtables/flrt/. Officers, contact information, meetings, announcements and publications can be accessed there.
  12. Education Congress: Lee Porter represented FLRT at the ALA Congress on Professional Education held in Washington, DC on April 30-May 1, 1999. Lee participated on FLRT's behalf in developing recommendations to improve 21st century library education.
  13. Awards: Patti Fields announced the winners of FLRT Awards for 1999.They are: Shirley Loo for the FLRT Achievement Award, Milton MeGee for the FLRT Distinguished Service Award, and Charlotte Houtchens for the Adelaide del Frate Conference Sponsorship Award. These awards will be given at the luncheon following the FLRT/AFLRT Program.
  14. AFLRT
    Liaison: Barbara J. Fox stated that her experience as AFLRT Liaison has been very rewarding.

  15. Federal Librarian     : Editor Andrea Gruhl announced that color illustrations may be possible in the journal if vendors are willing to pay. Some vendors have indicated strong interest in this enhancement. For reasons of aesthetics and journalistic integrity ads are limited to 25% of the pages of our journal.
  16. President's Report: Andrea Gruhl stated that her year of presiding over FLRT has been a very exciting and rewarding experience. She plans to attend IFLA in Bangkok, Thailand, later this year. The group thanked Andrea for her excellent leadership and the active programs she has arranged this past year.
  17. Incoming President's Address: Stephanie Jones hopes for a smooth transition and merger with AFLRT. She also plans to work for a stronger voice for FLRT in ALA. The membership thanked Stephanie for her hard work in arranging the outstanding breakfast and program this year.
  18. FLICC/FEDLINK Update: Milton MeGee announced that LC still hopes to arrange with Congress for a revolving fund for FEDLINK, but was not able to work it into LC's legislative agenda this year. They will try again next year. LC is planning to celebrate its Bicentennial in April 2000 and is developing a FEDLINK Toolkit for libraries to use for developing their own publicity events. The FLICC/FEDLINK budget has been sent out.
  19. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 a.m.
    Respectfully submitted, Janet Ormes, Secretary
    Note:
    Minutes were approved at the FLRT Board Meeting July 8, 2000.