ARLIS/NE Fall Meeting
Chesterwood and Hancock Shaker Village
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
September 30, 2005

Call to Order: After a morning tour of Chesterwood, the ARLIS/NE group held a brief meeting during lunch. Kathy Ritter, Chapter President, welcomed members to the meeting.

Treasurer's report: Susanne Javorksi reported on revenue and expenses, as well as the chapter accounts. Revenues totaled $2269.40 (for period of October 2004 membership mailing to Sept. 30). Expenses totaled $3106.63 (January to Sept. 30). The combined total of the checking account ($1556.92) and two CDs (1 year CD $3404.64 and the 2 year CD $4726.49) is $9688.03. Susanne noted that there are more expenses than revenues, but it is not a problem because there is plenty of money in account.

PR/Membership Committee: Anne Reid and Rachel Resnik reported on the October 20 alumni/student networking and careers panel event at Simmons College GSLIS. As part of this event, Anne and Rachel will represent ARLIS/NE as part of a professional organizations fair during the networking session.

Kathy Ritter brought up the issue of revising the by-laws to create a membership/PR position separate from the secretary position. In discussion, those present agreed that a separate PR position, following the NY chapter model, would be beneficial. It would also create a larger governing board. The group voted to bring the issue to vote to the whole membership. Kathy Ritter will send out a formal ballot. The membership/PR position will be up for vote at the next round of elections.

New member Michael Young expressed interest in helping with programming. The group expressed interested in more programming, such as the NY chapter's monthly programs. Kathy encouraged the group to use the ARLIS/NE listserv more for discussion.

ARLIS/NA Funds, Annual Request: Kathy Ritter reported that there were no replies for the request for special projects. Kathy suggested members think of speakers for next year; recommendations may be sent out on the listserv or emailed to officers.

Awards Committee: Debby Aframe will chair with assistance from Susan Milstein. The committee will award the travel, Seibel, and Frietag awards. Two travel awards of $300 will be awarded. The awards are designed for the ARLIS/NA conference. Members are encouraged to apply for the awards, even if they are already partially covered by their institutions.

New Webpage: Christina Jedziniak reported that the new website is almost complete. She updated the coding and the design, which will include the new logo. She plans to have the new website completed in time for the October 20 event. She encouraged members to give her feedback.

ARLIS/NE Timeline/Spring Meeting Site: VRA is still interested in holding a joint VRA and ARLIS/NE spring meeting at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, although a date has not been set. Suggestions for the meeting content should be sent to the listserv or Rachel Beckwith.

ARS Libri in December: The ARS Libri event will be held Friday, December 2. The talk and reception at ARS Libri will begin at 4:00, followed by the South End gallery hop from 5:30 to 8:00. The ARS Libri space will only accommodate standing room for a talk and reception, so other space will have to be found for programming beyond the ARS Libri portion. The possibility of finding a space nearby for a talk by ARLIS/NE members on collection development was mentioned. The suggestion was made to instead provide a forum for other book local dealers or the Boston Artist's Book Group could be invited to showcase what they do. Amanda Bowen recommended keeping the event focused on ARS Libri talk, perhaps inviting other ARS Libri staff to speak, and the gallery hop, since ARLIS/NE has been working to set up the ARS Libri event for two years.

ARLIS/NA Web site (AWS) news and features: Carol Graney is editor of the replacement for ARLIS/NA's Update. It is now called News and Features, so please send your news to Carol. Linda Zieper is still our ARLIS/NE Focus editor so any local news should go to her.

Nominating Committee: Richard McElroy will chair the nominating committee, with assistance from John Teahan. Offices up for election are: vice president, treasurer, and the public relations position. Students can run for offices, though they should be reminded that the schedule flexibility to attend meetings is mandatory. With respect to the new PR position, Kathy Ritter and Rachel Beckwith will look into the timeline for changing the bylaws. Rachel Resnik suggested the current secretary decide which position she is more interested in: the secretary position or the PR position.

Martha Maier inquired about the outcome of previous discussions on joint meetings. RISD is a possibility for fall 2006. Rachel reported that because the ARLIS/NA conference would be in Banff this year, it would be difficult to go to Montreal.

Meeting adjourned at 1:35. The group then went to the Hancock Shaker Village for the self-guided tours.