ALAO friends,
I’m pleased to report that the 2011/2012 academic year has gotten off to a successful start. At the annual retreat of the ALAO Executive Board (held at Deer Creek State Park Lodge and Conference Center) we adopted new Bylaws (which can be viewed at our website), welcomed new and returning board members, thanked those who rotated off, created a task force that will suggest changes to improve communications and workflows, and planned out our strategy for the coming year.
ALAO was a section of the Ohio College Association until 2009. With the restructuring of OCA, ALAO either needed to find a new affiliation or we needed to incorporate as a stand-alone non-profit. We chose the latter and with Rocki Strader’s guidance and Anne K. Abate’s assistance we registered the necessary paperwork with the I.R.S. and Ohio’s Secretary of State and are well on our way to receiving such designation.
The 37th Annual Conference promises to be informative and rewarding. Our keynote speaker, Steven J. Bell, is the Vice-president/President-elect of ACRL. This year’s gathering includes a pre-conference where a panel of Ohio library directors will discuss ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report. This report is “a review of the quantitative and qualitative literature, methodologies and best practices currently in place for demonstrating the value of academic libraries…” source: http://www.acrl.ala.org/value/).
Please join us in Toledo for a great conference. You’ll learn of new products, services and trends from vendors, network with Ohio colleagues, and learn about some of the exciting activities and research taking place in Ohio. While in the “Glass City” you might elect to visit one of the nation’s premier art museums, a fantastic zoo, or one or more of the city’s many impressive restaurants.
Sincerely,
Brian Hickam
ALAO President