With the academic year winding to a close, the ALAO Board should be proud of what we have been able to accomplish this year, even during a pandemic. Here are some highlights and updates since the last newsletter. 

DEI Survey. ALAO’s DEI survey closed at the end of April. A small team of volunteers analyzed the survey and created a short report to share with ALAO members and guide our next steps. We will be giving a presentation about the survey at the OhioLINK Summit in July, and we’ll have more details about our plans after the ALAO Board Retreat on July 16th. For access to the full survey results, please reach out to me.

ALAO Code of Conduct. ALAO has officially completed the process of updating our Code of Conduct and ancillary documents! The Code of Conduct and reporting forms can be found on the ALAO website, and the internal reporting workflow document is in the process of being added to ALAO’s Procedures Manual. Edith Scarletto and I will be presenting about the process of adopting these important documents at the next ACRL Chapters Council meeting in July. 

We Here Scholarships. ALAO will continue to offer We Here scholarships to members, and management for these scholarships will be overseen by the Professional Development Committee. We didn’t have any applicants this year, so please be thinking about what We Here events you might like to attend for our next round of scholarships!

Transition to 2021 ALAO Board. Thank you to all of our ALAO Board members whose terms are ending this July, and congratulations and welcome to all of our newly appointed or elected Board members! Your service is very much appreciated!

ALAO 2021 Board Retreat. The ALAO Board Retreat will occur on July 16th and take place fully online. Besides taking care of succession activities, the retreat will be a chance to set organizational goals for the coming year. I’m excited to pass the gavel to Jess Crossfield McIntosh at the retreat!

Thank you to all of the ALAO Board members for a productive year, and for being such a pleasure to work with! It has been a privilege to lead such an innovative and dedicated group of colleagues.