Krista McDonald

This is a time of transitions for many of us. We’re watching students graduate at our institutions and transition to the next chapter of their lives. The season is transitioning from spring to summer our attention turns to planning vacations and other warm weather activities. ALAO is also experiencing some noteworthy transitions. Planning for our annual Board Retreat is underway, and our new board will be installed in early July. I hope you’ll all join me in congratulating our newest board members who were elected this spring:

• Eric Resnis (Vice President/President Elect)
• Don Appleby (Treasurer)
• Michelle Brasseur (Public Relations Coordinator)
• Paul Campbell, Heather Crozier, and Beate Gersch (Board Members-at-Large)

ALAO is also affected by a transition at our fiscal agent, SWON Libraries. Melanie Blau-McDonald, Director of SWON for nearly six years, recently stepped down for family reasons. While SWON continues to serve as ALAO’s fiscal agent, this is a loss for our organization. Melanie has been a mentor to many of us and has been a strong advocate for and supporter of ALAO. While we have the utmost confidence in SWON Interim Director Cassondra Vick, and look forward to working with the next director, we will miss Melanie and deeply appreciate everything she did for ALAO over the years.

Finally, the ALAO board is looking into options for transitioning how we manage our web presence. A task force has spent significant time this year investigating various organizational database management tools that we might use in the future. We are also studying various options for routine management of our website regardless of which product we ultimately choose.

Perhaps some of you are ready for a transition in your professional lives. Are you looking for a new opportunity to engage with ALAO? Let us know by filling out our volunteer form. ALAO relies on its members to plan programming, select grant winners, and advocate for academic libraries in Ohio. Let­­­ us know how you would like to participate and lead in the coming year.