ALCTS Network News v14n18 (November 21, 1997) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/ann/ann-v14n18 ISSN: 1056-6694 ALCTS NETWORK NEWS An electronic publication of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services Volume 14, Number 18 November 21, 1997 In this issue ALA FORMS OUTSOURCING TASK FORCE STATEMENTS FROM ALCTS CANDIDATES FOR VICE-PRESIDENT PAMOJA TRAINING SIMULATION AT MIDWINTER MEETING OERI OFFERING FELLOWSHIPS ************ ALA FORMS OUTSOURCING TASK FORCE The ALA Executive Board has announced the formation of an Outsourcing Task Force. ALA President Barbara J. Ford has appointed LaDonna T. Kienitz, Community Services Director and City Librarian, City of Newport Beach [CA] to chair the Outsourcing Task Force. The following individuals have been appointed to the Task Force: Alice M. Calabrese, Executive Director, Chicago Library System Mary M. Carr, Asst. Dean/Instr. Lib. Media Services, Spokane (WA) Community College Janet Swan Hill, Associate Director, Norlin Library, Univ. of Colorado Melissa A. Malcolm, John D. Connolly Library, Mount Abraham Union High School (VT) Sylvia C. Mitchell, Branch Manager, Liliha Public Library, Honolulu Raymond Santiago, Asst. Director, Miami-Dade Public Library Karen G. Schneider, Director, EPA Region 2 Library, New York Patricia Glass Schuman, Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. Gary M. Shirk, Chief Information Officer, Yankee Book Peddler Wendy M. Thomas, Public Services Librarian, Radcliffe College Christine E. Thompson, Head, Catalog Dept., Univ. of Alabama Kendall Wiggins, New Hampshire State Librarian Patricia M. Wong, Supervising Librarian, Berkeley Public Library Many ALA members volunteered or were nominated for this task force. The task force appointed brings together a diverse group representing a range of professional experience, as well as ALA experience. It includes the current president of ALCTS, Janet Swan Hill; a past president of ALA, Patricia Glass Schuman; and a past president of PLA, LaDonna Kienitz. Five members of the Task Force are current members of the ALA Council: Alice M. Calabrese, Janet Swan Hill, Melissa Malcolm, Karen G. Schneider, and Patricia M. Wong. Wendy M. Thomas currently chairs the Action Council of the ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table. The following charge and timeline were developed for the OutsourcingTask Force by the ALA Executive Board: "To advise the Association on issues related to outsourcing, subcontracting and privatization of library services; to gather data and examine the literature on these issues and to evaluate the impact on library services and operations; to examine past ALA positions and how these issues relate to the ALA Code of Ethics and other Association policies; to provide an opportunity for general membership discussion at Annual Conference, 1998; and to provide Council with a comprehensive report with recommendations at the 1999 Midwinter Meeting." The Outsourcing Task Force will meet at the 1998 Midwinter Meeting in New Orleans on Saturday, Jan. 10, 9:30am-12:30pm, Marriott/St. Charles Suite and Monday, Jan. 12, 2:00-4:00pm, Marriott Room 4022. All meetings are open. Additional meetings or hearings will be announced as scheduled. ************ STATEMENTS FROM ALCTS CANDIDATES FOR VICE-PRESIDENT These are the statements of the two candidates for vice-president/president-elect of ALCTS. (Order of presentation was by random drawing.) Ballots will be mailed beginning February 27 to those whose membership is current on January 30, 1998. The ballot mailing will be completed by March 23, 1998. DOROTHY MCKOWEN OCLC Network Librarian, Indiana Cooperative Library Services Authority (INCOLSA) As an employee of a multi-type, 700-member library network, I have seen, first-hand, what can be accomplished when libraries work together toward common goals. People and organizations that connect with others are able to achieve striking advancements that would not be possible otherwise, and, in forging these links, the partners achieve a clarity of vision resulting from the necessity of consensus. ALCTS can maximize its impact by networking more fully with other organizations and with individuals. The alliances that are forged should transcend the boundaries of "traditional" librarianship to include all facets of the information establishment, including the computer industry, as partners. A practical application of this networking model is the creation of additional liaison positions on key ALCTS committees that create and maintain information standards, particularly for electronic resources. Similarly, ALCTS representatives could also serve as liaisons on the working committees/task forces of its new partners, thereby allowing ideas to flow in both directions. One of ALCTS' most important alliances, however, is with its own future, in the form of its new and future members. ALCTS officers and leaders can form the nucleus of a mentoring program that not only orients new members to the mission and workings of ALCTS but also gives them a feeling of importance to the Association at the very outset. Mentors would regularly correspond with new members, include them in their regular conference activities, and counsel them on ways to become more involved in ALCTS. In addition, ALCTS committee internships can be maximized to accommodate these new members and give them an immediate opportunity to begin work. ALCTS can neither wait for these links to be accomplished by other organizations nor allow its future leaders to find a more friendly place in which to form personal alliances. ALCTS must act now with boldness and assurance, thereby ensuring its effectiveness in the new millennium. PEGGY JOHNSON Assistant University Librarian, University of Minnesota Libraries I'm excited about the opportunity to serve as president of ALCTS, an organization with an impressive list of contributions to the practitioners and the profession of librarianship. Through committees, programming, and publishing, we have been leaders in the areas of national and international standards, information technology, collaboration and cooperation, preservation, and the interrelated concerns of resources publishing, pricing, and distribution. ALCTS provides opportunities to learn and to share talents and experience. As we move into the next century, ALCTS will continue to be a leader and to provide the membership with tools needed to be successful in a changing environment. Constant change surrounds and defines us. As president, I will seek to ensure change takes us in the direction the ALCTS membership wants and needs. During the last twenty-some years, I've been an active member of ALCTS, serving on and chairing various committees and task forces. I understand the organization--its strengths and weaknesses--and its role and potential. We have much to offer each other. We cannot be isolated from the changes, from others in the profession, and from our environment. The two areas on which I will concentrate if elected president are collaboration within ALCTS and with other divisions and using information technology to enhance ALCTS educational and publishing programs. The convergence of collections and services in the electronic environment compel us to work closely with others through committees, task forces, and programs. Equally important, we must address the possibilities (and solve the problems) electronic technologies offer for quality distance education and publishing. We can exercise the same care that has guided traditional institutes and publications, taking the lead in developing the potential we know exists. ALCTS can help us meet the challenges we face at the turn of the century. I would like the opportunity to take a leadership role and to work with you as ALCTS president in these lively times. ************ PAMOJA TRAINING SIMULATION AT MIDWINTER MEETING "Go Global" at the ALA 1998 Midwinter Meeting by playing Pamoja on Friday, January 9, 1998 8:30am - 12:30pm. Gail Wadsworth and Wendy White, the creators of Pamoja, will facilitate this exciting simulation at the 1998 ALA Midwinter Meeting. Pamoja is a training simulation intended to raise awareness about the equity in international information flows and importance of developing a multitude of information resources. In Pamoja, players divide into teams representing countries, select roles that they will play, and create cultures. They then negotiate to get as much information from and about the other teams as possible. While there is some competition, cooperation is encouraged. Pamoja is the Swahili word for "together"; it expresses both the philosophy and the unique nature of the game. By playing Pamoja, participants can gain an understanding of the global imbalances in information resources, the relative cost of these resources, some of the barriers to the flow of information to, from, and within resource-poor and resource-rich countries, the interdependence of information seekers and information providers at all levels of information infrastructure development, and ways in which different cultures interact to share information, ideas, and knowledge. Participation in this special session is limited and pre-registration is required. Registration form and $30 registration fee must be received by December 19, 1997. Registration fee includes lunch. For more information and to register contact the ALA International Relations Office at intl@ala.org or call 312-280-3201. ************ OERI OFFERING FELLOWSHIPS The United States Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) is conducting a national competition to award one or two fellowships for each of the five OERI institutes to librarians, scholars, researchers, policymakers, statisticians, practitioners, etc., who are engaged in the use, collection, and dissemination of information about education and educational research. These fellowships may be held from 9 to 18 months. Stipends and other costs will be paid by this program. The deadline is January 5, 1998. The program announcement and application materials may be downloaded from the Internet at http://fellowships.nas.edu. ************ ALCTS NETWORK NEWS (ISSN 1056-6694) is published irregularly by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association. Editorial offices: ALCTS, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; Janet Swan Hill, President; Karen Muller, Executive Director. Editor: Karen Whittlesey (kwhittlesey@ala.org); Editorial Assistance: Karen Muller, Shonda Russell. ALCTS NETWORK NEWS is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the division. News items should be sent to the editor at the e-mail address above. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to listproc@ala.org with the only line of text being "subscribe an2 [your name]" (without quotation marks). Back issues of AN2 are available through the listserver. To find out what's available, send the following command to listproc@ala.org: "index an2" (without quotation marks). Send questions about membership in ALCTS to the ALCTS Office, alcts@ala.org. All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or education advancement. For other reprinting or redistribution or translations, address requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. ************ an2 v14_no18