Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Round Table Annual Membership Meeting

ALA Annual Meeting
Atlanta, GA
Sat., June 15, 2002, 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Atlanta Capitol Plaza

  1. Welcome and Call to Order. The meeting was called to order by President Jewel Player at 8:30 a.m. She welcomed attendees to the second annual membership meeting of FAFLRT.
  2. Minutes of the 2001 Membership Meeting. The minutes of the 2001 annual meeting held in San Francisco were approved as written.
  3. President’s Report. President Player expressed appreciation for all the support she has received during the inaugural year of the merged Round Table. She hopes that we are now one and looks forward to a bright future. Jewel introduced the new board members (refer to back page of newsletter). Jewel reported on the following FAFLRT staff activities and programs:
    • Lucille Rosa has agreed to serve as FAFLRT’s first historian. She will ensure that papers and artifacts become part of the official ALA archive.
    • Public Employees Round Table. Jewel attended the Breakfast of Champions. She commented that the event served to reinforce that valuable service provided by public servants. She urged the membership to consider applying for the award and asked Fran Perros, FAFLRT’s PER representative to again provide instructions on how to apply.
    • ALA Appointments. Stephanie Jones has been appointed to the ALA “Outsourcing” and “Freedom of Information” Task Forces. Jane Sessa has been appointed to the “Restriction to Access to Government Information” Task Force. Jane also represented all the Round Tables in a panel to select the new ALA Executive Director. Jewel will represent the Round Tables on the ALA Program Planning Committee for the 2004 conference in Orlando.
    • Newsletter. Jewel urged the membership to utilize the FAFLRT newsletter as a vehicle for featuring their professional activities.
    • Webmaster. Kudos to James King for his excellent management of the FAFLRT Web site. He is to be commended for his timeliness and creativity. James was the source of the idea to create a Web page with links to member libraries.
    • Listserver. Jewel asked the membership to think about ways to increase the number of members who are on the listserver. Of the approximate 400 members, only 100 are on the listserver.
    • Round Table Liaison. Jewel worked with Mary Ghekas and Bill Gordon to explore ways of ensuring that FAFLRT’s ALA liaison regularly attends conferences. The membership greatly appreciates the superb service which is provided by Pat May and Reginald Scott.
    • ALA Allied Professional Association. Jewel reported that a 501c6 Allied Professional Association (APA) has been established for ALA which will provide a certification program for individuals who have reached an advanced level of competency in an area of specialization in the library field.
    • ALA Health Insurance Program. Jewel reported on the health insurance program pointing out that many contract and part time librarians and library technicians do not get health benefits as part of their employment package.
    • FAFLRT Supporters. Jewel acknowledged the generous support of the following vendors for programs and activities during the annual meeting: Awards Reception: Baker & Taylor; Jane’s Information Group; Landmark Audio Books; and SIRSI Corporation. Membership Breakfast: Gale Group and Landmark Audio Books; Program: ISI. Printing of Membership Brochures: ProQuest Information and Learning.
    • Special thanks were extended to Stephanie Jones for coordinating a delicious breakfast!
  4. Treasurer’s Report. Carol Bursik reported that the Round Table is solvent with an estimated balance of $8,721.63 as of 6/9/02. The estimated balance includes expenses and revenues not yet posted by ALA.
  5. Nominating Committee Report. Fran Perros reported that with 68 votes cast, Margaret Groaner was elected the new Vice President/President Elect and Marie Nelson the new Secretary of FAFLRT. Congratulations!
  6. Results of the Name the Newsletter Contest. A ballot was distributed during the membership meeting. The majority vote was to rename the newsletter “Federal Librarian”. Jane Sessa reminded the membership that news articles are gratefully accepted.
  7. Armed Forces Directors’ Reports. Mike Morrison presented the Army Library Report (the full text of which will appear in the newsletter). Highlights of Mike’s report are that: a new leadership initiative, “Transformation of Installation Management (TIM) is scheduled for implementation October 1; the Army General Library Steering Group convened in February in Arlington, VA where the group rewrote the vision and mission statements and refined the library strategic plan; a successful Army Library Institute was held in April in Oklahoma City; Army baseline standards were assessed for FY 01 with results indicating that much improvement is needed in terms of funding for staffing, collection development, automation, and training; an Army Family Survey reports that libraries are the #1 most used installation MWR program and also the #1 most important quality of life program; paperback book kits shipped to Operation Enduring Freedom have been greatly appreciated by soldiers; and the QuestionPoint Knowledge Base is being explored as way to support the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs in responding to the 13,000 Army-related questions received annually.
  8. FLICC Program Update. Georgette Harris reported on FLICC and FEDLINK activities including: the new revolving fund which has carryover authority and provides for a capital reserve program; the development of an FY 2002-2006 Business Plan; the FEDLINK fee structure will remain unchanged for FY 2003; and various new FEDLINK processes are in the planning stages including a pilot to test a simplified “Direct Express” option in which members can issue their agency PO to certain vendors citing the FEDLINK contract number. In FLICC news, Georgette reminded the membership that applications for the FY 2002 FLICC Awards are due in November. Accomplishments must be specific to the year of the award and the library mission should be linked to the agency mission. The Education Working Group will partner with SLA in sponsoring regional education events. Volunteers are also needed to help revise the “Handbook of Federal Librarianship”. The Personnel Working Group needs more members; conference call participation is an option. FLICC is monitoring two major government outsourcing initiatives–The Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act of 1998 (FAIR) and the Commercial Activities Panel for their impact on federal libraries. FLICC is collecting data from federal librarians.
  9. Gratitude for Assistance. Yolanda Miller expressed thanks to all those who have helped and continue to provide assistance in the aftermath of September 11.
  10. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 a.m.

Respectfully Submitted, Maria G. Pisa, Secretary