Minutes July 12th, 2007

Present: Zahra M. Baird, Patrick Callahan, Francene Costello, Aurora Cruz, Ann-Marie Cutul, Lois Herzberg, Dulce Juarbe, James Leftwich, Opal B. Lindsay, John Monahan, Cathy Paulsen, Srivalli Rao, and Sara Rodgers

Excused: Tim Baird, Diane Batemarco, Tata Canuelas, Harriet Huang, Jennifer Ransom, Judith Rovenger, Ellen Tannenbaum, and Karen Zielinski

The meeting came to order at 9:50 A.M. Incoming President Lindsay thanked the Board members for their kind words and cards after the recent loss of her father. She also thanked Juarbe for the refreshments.

Motion (Z.M. Baird and Rao) to accept the Summary of the Meeting of the Board of Directors from April 12 and June 7, 2007, passed with two minor corrections.

President’s Report:
·    Lindsay asked Board members to introduce themselves and welcomed the two new board members present: James Leftwich and Patrick Callahan. She also mentioned that Diane Batemarco, who was excused, is the new Co-Chair of the Academic section. Cutul interjected that the Washington Irving Adult Book Committee has a new Chair, Karyn De Luca.  This position was subsequently confirmed with a phone call.

Treasurer’s Report:
·    Rodgers reported that as of June 29, 2007, WLA had $24,901.54 in the Checking account and $9,762.98 in the Investor’s Choice account. Rodgers will transfer $10,000 from the Checking account to the Investor’s Choice account which carries over 5% interest. Bank statements have been e-mailed to Board members.

Membership Report:
·    Rao reported that she has deleted 2005 members who did not renew. She will send out renewal notices again to 2006 members. Anybody who joins now will get membership through 2008. Renewals for 2007 members will go out at end of October or early November.
·    Rao is also working on a privacy policy which will be e-mailed to Board members for feedback. 
The issue of privacy started a general discussion. Several WLA members do not want their e-mail addresses shared. Leftwich mentioned that a listserv would solve the problem, and he volunteered to set it up after the Board voted in favor of doing so.

Web Administration Committee:
·    Z.M. Baird reported on behalf of Tim Baird that the WLA web site has had a lot of traffic. Board members were urged to continue to send Tim information to keep the web site current.

Reference Section:
·    Paulsen is looking for a Co-Chair. Lindsay will contact Tamara Stewart at WCC.

Youth Services Section:
·    Z.M Baird reported that Canuelas and Dressler are working on a program involving a visit from Recorded Books, podcasting and playaways. Another program with mock awards will also be planned as an evening program.
·    Herzberg will contact Ailee Whelan to see if she is interested to join the Youth Services section as there was some question whether Dressler will be able to continue serving on the Committee.

Support Staff Section:
·    Chair position is currently vacant. We are waiting to hear from Judith Rovenger who was going to contact Colleen Carpenter at WLS to see if she would be interested in the position.

Public Relations Committee:
·    The Chair position is also vacant, and Juarbe will ask Cheryl Berent, Youth Services librarian at the Mount Vernon Public Library, whether she is interested in this position.

Legislation Committee:
·    Juarbe is taking over from Tracey Jackson as Chair. Cutul will ask Jackson to contact Juarbe. Jackson will continue in a supporting role. Jackson will also be available to set up web surveys for WLA.

Professional Development Committee:
·    Zielinski was excused. The Board discussed the purpose of the awards as stated in the Bylaws. The consensus was that the awards given need more publicity, particularly the recently established award in memory of Bob Trudell. Monetary value should be established, as well.

WLA sponsored events:
Lindsay proposed to skip the Midwinter Conference and have two workshops by different sections instead, in addition to the Annual Conference. The Board agreed. Topics for workshops and speakers were suggested as follows:
·    Panel discussion with librarians in different age groups to illustrate differences in training, outlook and work skills.
·    Roving Reference – librarians on the move in the stacks with portable phones and computers.
·    Programs geared toward patron concerns, such as caring for aging and sick relatives.
·    Engage speaker Kim Bolan, a library consultant specializing in marketing.
·    Invite well known authors, such as Lee Child or Simon Schama.
·    Youth Services Mock Awards evening event with pizza.
·    Community outreach workshop.

Tentative WLA meetings planned for 2007-2008:
Youth Services Mock Awards Evening event with pizza in January 2008
Community outreach workshop November 2007

Annual Conference:
The 2008 WLA Annual Conference is booked at Yonkers Riverfront for both April 25 and May 9, 2008.
Cruz will investigate alternate meeting sites, particularly at a museum.

Meeting adjourned (Z.M. Baird/Juarbe) at 12:00 noon.

                        Respectfully submitted by Ann-Marie Cutul

Next WLA Board Meeting:
Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Time: 10 A.M.
Place: Chappaqua Public Library