MARS Executive Committee

Minutes

June 29, 1998

Washington Courtyard

Oak Room





Amy Tracy Wells called the meeting was called to order at 9:32am.



Present: Executive Committee Members (current and incoming):  Nancy
Bodner, Andrea Copeland, William McHugh, George Porter, Pat Riesemann,
Marcella Stark, Amy Tracy Wells, Paige Weston, Becki Whitaker. Committee
and Task Force Chairs (cu rrent and incoming): Nancy Buchanan, Elliot
Kanter, Stan Lyle, Julia Rholes, Alan Stewart Mary Strife.



A. Orientation/ Paperwork

1. Committee chair were reminded turn in updated roster to Lise Dyckman by
the end of conference. Copies of minutes and other committee products
should go to, Lise Dyckman, MARS Chair, Linda Friend, MARS Vice-Chair,
your ExComm Liaison and to Chair of the Planning Committee, Nancy Bodner.
Send materials for Update and MARS-L to Jian Liu, during the week of July
6th.



B. Announcements

1. MARS Program: Attendance totaled 420 people.

2. Education Training and Support co-sponsored Program: 271 participants.

3. Public Libraries Open Forum: 85 participants. Sponsored an open forum .
Conference program mislabeled forum as a program.



C. Committee and Task Force Reports. (Committee responses to MARS Notable
Web page project are covered in Section D3.)



1. Local Systems (Stan Lyle). Stan and Paige Weston will query committee
members via email and solicit ideas for committee projects.



2. Planning (Julia Rholes). Pat Riesemann and Bill McHugh met with
committee to discuss archiving electronic documents produced by MARS. This
is emerging issue within ALA with different groups developing policies.



3.  RUSA Standard and Guidelines (Nancy Buchanan). Committee considered
one new guideline. Products and Services is submitting letter withdrawing
an outdated "Guidelines for a Database Search." Committees are reminded
that RUSA handbook covers policies and procedures for guidelines and there
is a formal procedure for withdrawing guidelines. Committee considering
guidelines were reminded that such publications must go through both the
publications committee and the RUSA Standards and Guidelines Committee.
Becki Whitaker recommended committee's consider developing checklists
rather than guidelines as checklists do not need to reviewed by RUSA
Standards and Guidelines.

Doing so proceeds the process of distributing materials to potential
users.



4. Awards (Nancy Bodner). Recommended the a revision of the Handbook
description for this committee. Revision suggestions to be should cover
committee composition e.g. Members -at-Large, previous award recipient,
and a past member of the Executive Committee shall constitute the jury. If
revisions are approved, the Executive Committee would determine the need
for the fifth member and who that might be if deemed necessary. Nancy will
communicate possible revisions to the current Awards Committee for input
and other suggested changes.



5. Education, Training, and Support (Arlie Sims).

Raised issue what is the responsibility co-sponsors when actual program is
not exactly what the co-sponsor had agreed to? Co-sponsorship does not
imply endorsement. MARS wants to continue visiting this issue and will
chose carefully those programs/ discussion forums/ and projects with which
MARS is associated. Handbook is deliberately vague on the issues of
co-sponsorship.



6. User Access to Services (Bill McHugh). Will be working on getting Web
bibliography up-to-date.



7. Public Libraries (Alan Stewart). Planning program for 1999 and has
submitted paperwork. Program topic: consumer health issues in the public
libraries. Glossary on Committee's Webpage has served its usefulness and
will removed. Glossary needs archiving.



8. Birthday Party Task Force (Mary Strife). Paige Weston will work with
Mary to facilitate an online meeting and continued planning for the year
2000. BRASS celebrated 10th anniversary this year and their celebration
can be serve as a model.



9. MARS Outreach Task Force (Naomi Lederer).  60 people turned out for the
"Meet Mars Happy Hour." Will sponsor another happy hour at Midwinter on
Friday night.

Have also matched nine new and prospective Martians with current MARS
mentors. Will evaluate mentor program after midwinter. Discussed new ideas
for involving more people in the section: attend MARS meetings as recorder
and write up meeting for Update and MARS-L, electronic committee
participation, continue to publicize who we are and stress MARS people
orientation.



10: RUSA Planning and Finance Committee (Paige Weston). Current RUSA
endowment equals $46,00. Expect fund to grow $56,000 in the near futures.
Voted to put an additional $30,000 from the Reserve into the Endowment.  
When endowment reaches $100,000 the RUSA board can accept proposals what
to do with the interest.



D. Other Business



1. MARS Web site Coordinator. (Eliot Kanter). Committee went into closed
session and accepted the Web site Coordinator Search Committee's
recommendation. The new MARS Web site coordinator will be announced when
the candidate accepts the position. It was noted that all seven applicants
for the position had the skills to do the job and that all three finalists
for the position were outstanding. It is hoped that all of the finalists
will work on MARS Web Site projects.


2. MARS Notable Reference Websites

a. Committee reports:

* Public Libraries: Two committee members interested in the project.
Recommends project be assigned to a Task force. Advised project might be
advertised as a coming attraction to stir interest in topic.

* Education Training and Support: Recommend an open forum at mid-winter to
see what members would find most useful. Committee members felt that CODES
members might want to participate. ETS volunteered to assist with
organizing the Forum.

* Planning: Concerns were the scope of the project, need for guidelines
and procedures, and for overall definition of the project. One committee
member interested in serving on task force.

* Publications: Held a general discussion including holding an open forum
to determine type of resource be helpful to members.



b. Executive Committee Discussion:  Convergence of interest in MARS
committees. Perhaps organizing an open meeting should be the next step..
Open forums would help establish criteria, conceptualize project, and help
provide rationale for breath and depth of project. Concept was discussed
in the RUSA board meeting. Jo Bell Whitlach has been encouraged to flesh
out the "Reference Album" proposal. Gail Schlacter, incoming editor of
RUSQ interested in publishing "best of th e web" lists.



Minutes transcribed by

Marcella Stark

MARS Secretary

7/26/98

rev. 1/3/99