April 1994
May
CONCURWW SFSSIOWS WORKSHOPS 0
0 Birdie M a c L e ~ a n BaileyMowe Library University of Vermont Burlington , VT 05405 Phone: 802-656-2016 Internet: , USA
POLICY FOR MEETIN
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NASIG E X E C W E B O W M&IITES
NASIG CoMhnlTEE CHARGES.
NASIG C O
NHW NASIG MEMBERS
I ,~
REPORTS OF SERIALS-RELATEU
ANNOUNCEMENT
GE
NASIG REGIONAL COUNCIL COO
REPRESWATNES
NASIG CoMMITlzEVOLUNTEER FORM
R s
3
30
ice in the past three y NASIG Nominatin
has been unable to run a competi
the presidency. Both times a numbe
mg members were nonunated for
several with sufficient experience or "be
" to understand the complex issues
nges we face and to know how the organizatio
In both instances the
, after first considering tho
ere nominated for the presi
o f d i s t s for the ballot, directly appr
of well qualified, active members.
despite all of the best efforts o
Nominating Committee, we again
idential candidate on the 1994 ballot.
rson's April 1992 Pres'
the challenge of finding N
were willing to run for
several reasons why highly qual
decline the nomination: lack of time,
ds to afford travel to board meetings, lac
ss to sm..mn services. lack of confidence. an
lack of information about what the job actual1
. .
We are extremely lucky that this year's candid
Julie Gammon, is a highly-qualified individual
has served NASIG in several capacities, som
With a visible leadership role in the serials an
isitions communities. I have no doubt that
be an outstanding president. Still. 1 am
wncerned - as is Julie, who would have preferred t
. ,
Bave competition on the ballot - - that every year
Nominations Committee seems to face an ardu
task in getting members to run for our presidency
Readers should ask, "What steps is the NASIG Board
taking to address this situation?" Below. I will
review Ann's list of reasons nominees can't see their
way clear to run,and address these reasons in light
of current policy and practice.
LACK OF TIME. This is perhaps the most difficult
of the reasons to address. Most NASIG members (be
they librarians or commercial members) have
experienced cutbacks in their institution's workforce
and are contending with new and expanded
responsibilities. Moreover, every one of us is
stretching and struggling to adapt to an everchanging
information enviroment. We spend enormous
amounts of time and mental effort learning new
technologies that enable us to do our jobs more
effectively and efficiently. Finally, we have families
and friends we actually like to see from time to time!
In point of fact, there are few of us who are able,
even if we are willing, to take on the three-year
responsibility of NASlG Vice h s i d e n t l h s i d e n t
Elect.
The board addressed the time issue at its February
meeting. We talked about what absorbs the
president's time and talked about what kinds of
assismce can be offered. The first thing we
discussed is the not inconsiderable amount of work
which is clerical in nature. For instance, the
president spends a fair amount of time writing letters
and orgauizing a mass of written and/or electronic
communication. More importantly, the president's
time and efforts are expended on management duties
that require intellectual effort and constant,
wideranging communication. The NASlG president is
called upon daily to interpret NASIG policies, to
assist in reviewing or developingprocedures. to react
to new idcas and challenges. and to advise on the
next step in implementing numerous activities. To
accomplish all of this, the president has to be in
contact with other officers and board members, with
committee chairs and committee members, with
liaison organizations and our proceedings publisher,
and with individual NASIG members.
Communication is the big consumer of time, but in
my mind it is also the great joy of the NASlG
presidency since it allows me to work with and to get
to know so many wonderful serialists.
Some strategies the board discussed for lessening the
amount of time the president has to devote to the job:
1) Providing the president (and other NASlG
principals. including committee chairs with
significant organizational workloads) modest
financial support to hire "contract labor" to assist
with filing, typing, photocopying. or similar
activities.
2) Delegating more management responsibility
to and empowering board members to a greater
extent than we have.
3) Shifting significantresponsibility to members
who are not either officers or board members by
delegating responsibility for task l i e program
planning to a committee and having a board
member liaise with the group. rather than
serving as its chair.
4) Sharing more presidential duties with the
vice-president, who will be relieved of
responsibility for program planning.
We believe that these measures will significantly cut
the amount of time the president needs to invest in
the organization on a daily basis. Our officers and
board members are actively seeking ways to assist the
president and make the job more doable.
LACK OF mTNDS F (...truncated)