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President's Annual Report 1999-2000

Dear USAIN Members,

 

It has been my pleasure to be your President this past year. Together, we have made progress in a number of areas, and I believe we are well-positioned to continue building our programs and services based on the needs and interests of our membership. Special thanks to all of you who willingly took on extra duties to ensure the smooth operation of the Network. I look forward to working with the new Executive Council and with all of the membership as your past-President. Best wishes to Diana during her tenure as President for 2000-2001.

 

Regards,

 

Barbara Hutchinson

 

 

Highlights of 1999-2000

  1. 1) Thanks to Lillian Mesner's hard work as Chair of the Membership Committee, we now have 125 total members. Of this total, 28 are institutional members and 6 of these are non-academic.
  2. The Rules and Procedures were revised and updated and put up on the USAIN Web site. This included the addition of procedures for an Archivist and for new categories of awards to honor members of the profession. Calls for nominations for these awards will be made in September of this year.
  3. Due to Kay Mowery's excellent guidance, changes in the Bylaws were successfully made, voted on, and approved. They are also available for viewing on the Network's Web site.
  4. The Budget Task Force, under Amy Paster's leadership, developed a budget for the years 2000-2002 which was approved by the Executive Council. Included in the budget are costs associated with our management service contract with Chris Long and Associates. This service will assist us in gaining non-profit status.
  5. A Conference Binder was developed to assist future conference organizers in planning for these events.
  6. Following on that, plans are well underway for the 2001 conference, scheduled for April 20-23 at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. The conference theme is: "Extending Our Reach: Redefining and Promoting Agricultural Information Through Partnerships." Debbie Currie and Amy Paster are the co-chairs.
  7. Tentative plans for conferences in 2003 and 2005 are also in the works. Stay tuned for details.
  8. USAIN assisted the National Agricultural Library in obtaining sponsorship for its grand reopening event. Besides contributing $1,000 towards the cost of the event, USAIN (represented by Amy Paster) also presented a check to NAL for $500 in support of an internship program for the agricultural information community.
  9. A list of USAIN achievements has been compiled and has been put up on the Web site.
  10. Thanks to Carla Casler's untiring efforts, the USAIN Web site has a new address: [usain.org] and much new information on it.
  11. A survey was developed by Anito Ezzo and sent to the membership in the spring to solicit information for planning purposes. Results of this survey will be used to revise the organization's Action Plan and to re-examine the structure and functioning of Interest Groups.
  12. Phase Four of the USAIN/NEH Preservation Project was funded. Kay Walter has accepted the duty of serving as Chair of the USAIN Preservation Committee. Members of the Committee are: Mary Ochs (Cornell) Anita Ezzo (Michigan State), Diana Farmer (ex officio - USAIN), Evelyn Frangakis/Melanie Gardner (ex officio - NAL).
  13. Executive Council meetings were held and USAIN/NAL/AgNIC Updates were given in conjunction with SLA and ALA conferences.
  14. A Memorandum of Agreement was drafted between USAIN and the Agricultural Information Association for Australasia (AGRIAA). This agreement was presented to AGRIAA on behalf of USAIN by Jodee Kawasaki. AGRIAA has verbally committed to the agreement, with some minor changes, and official notification is expected soon.
  15. A similar agreement has been drafted for USAIN and AgNIC. It will be presented to the AgNIC Executive Board in July at ALA.

Thank you to all who served on the Executive Council and in other capacities during the year.

 

Diana Farmer - President-Elect

Amy Paster - Secretary/Treasurer

Rita Fisher - Past-President

 

Outgoing Directors - Anita Ezzo, JoAnn DeVries, Luti Salisbury

Continuing Directors - Rebecca Bernthal, Connie Britton, Tim McKimmie

 

Committee Chairs:

Awards and Honors - Diana Farmer

Bylaws - Kay Mowery

Communications - Carla Casler

Membership - Lillian Mesner

Nomincations/Elections - Kay Mowery

2001 Conference Planning - Debbie Currie and Amy Paster

Legislative and Government Relations - Sarah Kelly

Preservation - Kay Walter

Budget Task Force - Amy Paster, Diana Farmer

 

Interest Group Conveners:

AgNIC - Amy Paster

AGRICOLA - Carla Casler

Changing Information Environment - Valerie Perry and Pat Wilson

Collection Management - Norma Kobzina and JoAnn DeVries

Document Delivery - Kay Mowery and Luti Salisbury

Social Issues - Margaret Merrill

 

Congratulations to the New Executive Council Members:

Diana Farmer, President

Amy Paster, President-Elect

Norma Kobzina, Secretary/Treasurer

Directors: Carla Casler and Mike Haddock