Membership Committee Minutes - 2007 Annual
From WESSWeb
Meeting in Washington, DC, June 23, 2007
Attending
Committee members: Paula Mae Carns (University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign); Rowena Griem (Yale University; Chair); Michelle Emanuel (University of Mississippi); Pamela Harris (Swarthmore); Jennifer MacDonald (Saint Louis University); Sheila Smyth (University of California, Irvine); Brian Vetruba (Washington University)
Guest: Laura Dale Bishof (University of Minnesota)
Minutes
1. Introductions
The attendees introduced themselves and signed an attendance sheet. Rowena announced that she would serve as Chair again next year with Paula as Vice Chair; Paula will then become Chair the following year.
2. Membership Statistics Report
Rowena reported that there were 635 WESS members in April 2007, which is an increase of 4.96% from the previous year. Emails continue to be sent to new, dropped and reinstated members on a monthly basis. Responses have shown that many who dropped their membership did so because of a change in job responsibilities.
3. ACRL Membership Advisory Committee
a. ACRL 101 Sessions
ACRL organized two orientation sessions during ALA Annual to provide information on how to get involved in ACRL and what its sections have to offer. At the Saturday session, WESS Committee Member Dennis Lambert will represent WESS; on Sunday Paula and Rowena will do so.
b. ACRL Information Sheets
The new ACRL publications “Got a Minute? Options for Engagement with ACRL” and “The Top 10 Ways to Get Involved With ACRL” were circulated. It was agreed to add links to them from our website for new WESS members once they are posted online.
4. WESS Social Events
a. 2007 Cruise
Ninety six participants will attend this year’s cruise. A list of participants was distributed to Committee members. Pamela and Paula agreed to check people in at a table that will be provided by the cruise line. Passes will be available at the ticket booth. Each participant will be given a white WESS flag. Pamela will bring extra nametags, in case people do not have their conference badge. During the cruise, Emily Stambaugh, Chair of the WESS Fundraising Committee, will thank the sponsors publicly.
b. 2008 Event
The committee discussed alternatives to a cruise for the 2008 Annual Conference in Anaheim. This is necessary because more funding than usual is needed for the WESS program. It would also be inconvenient to shuttle participants to a body of water. It was agreed that a buffet dinner or party in a rented room would be the best alternative. Some suggested that an alternative to the cruise might actually be a welcome change for some WESS members. It was proposed that we try to tie the event in with the conference program, but the topic (digital libraries) may make that idea difficult. This alternative event will need to be approved by the WESS Executive Committee.
c. Midwinter Happy Hour
The possibility of a happy hour at Midwinter was discussed. This came out of the email exchange on WESS-L looking for people to dine together during Annual. A potential positive side effect is that some people may be more comfortable attending other WESS events if they previously met other members in an informal setting. A special effort will be made to invite new members. It was agreed that we would organize an informal happy hour for WESS members for the Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. It will take place from 4:30-6:00 p.m. on Friday night in a conference hotel near to the convention center. The event will need to be approved by the WESS Executive Committee.
5. Mentoring Program
a. The Buddy Program for New Members
Membership Committee members email new WESS members 4-6 weeks after they receive their official welcoming email from the Membership Committee Chair. The second email is designed to be as approachable as possible, and offers help with WESS. The consensus was that most were pleased to receive the message, even when they did not take us up on offers to meet or discuss WESS. The program will continue as is for now.
b. Expansion of Mentoring Program
The Committee decided to expand the mentoring program by pairing new and experienced WESS members to confer on job duties. We will contact respondents to the questionnaire sent out before Midwinter, asking whether they are still interested. Respondents will be matched up based on the questionnaires. The Committee will review this program at the next Midwinter meeting.
c. New members’ Support Website
Paula sent out a link to the website she has been working on for new WESS members: [1]. She has received some comments which have already been incorporated into the website. Additional comments or suggestions should be made by Aug. 1. Once the website has been completed, we will ask Reinhart Sonnenburg to add a link to the WESS website.
6. Additional Topics
There was a lively discussion of possible future topics for WESS discussion groups. Several people were interested in holding sessions related to instruction and selection duties. It was suggested that these topics could possibly be covered in the College and Medium-sized Libraries or Special Topics Discussion Groups. Pamela and Brian expressed an interest on working on this project.
7. Follow up from Executive Committee Meeting, Monday, June 25
The members approved the 2008 cruise alternative and the Midwinter happy hour, but asked that the announcement for the happy hour be sent to the Executive Committee for approval beforehand. It was stressed that the invitation to the happy hour must mention that there will be a cash bar, making clear that WESS will not assume responsibility for the cost of drinks.
Respectfully submitted by Rowena Griem, Chair of the WESS Membership Committee
