The North Dakota / Manitoba Chapter of ACRL met Friday, May 28, 1999  in room 343 of the Drake Centre of the University of Manitoba. 

Welcome and announcements 

Chair Judy Rieke called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m.  Introductions were made with the following persons in attendance: Cynthia Shabb - UND; Mary Hegel Drewes - UND; Sally Dockter - UND; Betty Gard - UND; Mary Kroshus - NDSCS; Ann Marie Melvie - Assiniboine College; Frank D’Andraia - UND; Carolynne Presser - U of M; Jim Blanchard - U of M; Karen Hunt - RRC; Mavis Gray - U of M; Ganga Dakshinamurti - U of M;    Dennis Felbel - U of M; Hugh Larimer- U of M; Jan Horner - U of M; Nicole Michaud-Oystryk - U of M; Asako Yoshida - UND; Tom Bremer - NDSU; Susan Miller - U of M; Judy Rieke - UND; and Karen Chobot - NDSCS. 
 

Minutes of previous meeting 

Minutes from the 1998 meeting were distributed.  Betty Gard moved to approve the minutes, seconded by Frank D’Andraia.  The motion was passed. 
 

Treasurer’s Report 

Treasurer Eileen Kopren provided a written report, which was reported by Judy Rieke.  A balance of $1465.52 was reported on May 26, 1998.  The current balance, as of May 13, 1999, is $1990.52.  It was noted that the fee for depositing checks comes from the type of account we have, which only allows a limited number of checks monthly.  The high interest paid makes it important to keep the account, despite the inconvenience of a check fee during renewal month.  Cynthia Shabb moved to accept the report.  Jim Blanchard seconded the motion.  The motion was approved. 
 

Election Results 

Judy Rieke announced the results of the recent election.  Susan Miller is chair, Karen Chobot is secretary, and Eileen Kopren is treasurer.  The next elections will be in November. 
 

Business Arising 

Incorporation: 
Judy Rieke reported that the concept of incorporation of the chapter has been explored.  This is considered essential by ACRL, who does not want to be liable for chapter actions.  One other chapter crosses the Canadian-US border, and they are about in the same position we are.  ACRL would like to have incorporation accomplished the end of the year 2000.  The cost will be around $800 in North Dakota, which includes $300 to file with the IRS, and lawyer’s fees.  Susan Miller is looking into the costs of incorporation in Canada, because it might be cheaper that way.  UND will not do the incorporation with their lawyers because this is not a university related expense, and it is expected that U of M will feel the same way.  Judy plans to look into the NDUS chancellor’s office, to see if that would be an avenue for assistance.  Several other possibilities to explore were suggested or reported.  Judy will verify with ACRL that they don’t care if we incorporate in Canada.  Judy asked the attendees for their direction on the possibility of spending chapter funds for incorporation.  Carolynne Presser moved that the chapter spend up to $800 for the act of incorporation.  Seconded by Mary Drewes.  The motion passed. 

Communications: 
There was a general discussion of the methods and need for the chapter to stay in touch.  Tom Bremer has set up a discussion list.   He has set up a Web Page on server space at NDSU,  and he is starting to develop it.  The address is:  http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/acrl/nd_mb.html 
One possibility to include on the page would be a chapter directory, and links to related sites would also be useful.  The issue of confidentiality was briefly discussed, and it was suggested Tom look into password protection.  Tom asked for volunteers, and Asako Yoshida said she will help. 
 

New Business 

Election Ballot: 
Tom Bremer explained the process for the recent election, which was handled electronically through e-mail.  There were several complaints about privacy, so Tom promised to bring this up at the next meeting.   The constitution says only “mail”and does not specify the postal service.  Some messages to members bounced back and had to be followed up on, but a two-thirds response was received, which is quite good.  Several people indicated that they liked the method, but others were opposed.  The fact that it was not a secret ballot was a concern.  Discussion centered around the following: 

• option of a paper return with an e-mail delivery
• possible password protects for voting from an authenticated list, to prevent double voting
• there is lack of trust for e-mail
• incorporation would require a definite procedure for the voting process
• it could be possible to have separate mailings by country to avoid the delays of the ballots crossing the border
• concern that the possibility of double voting be prevented

Representation at ACRL Chapter Council Meetings at ALA: 
It is important that we participate in Chapter Council at both ACRL and ALA meetings, as a great deal of importance is discussed here.  Judy Rieke will be unable to attend this year, although this is considered an obligation of the Chair.  Judy asked for a volunteer who might be planning to attend ALA for this year, the meetings generally being held on Sunday morning.  There were no volunteers.  Judy will bring up the question again on the discussion list.  Tom Bremer and Cynthia Shabb, who have attended previously, agreed that attendance is very important. 
 

Plans for the next meeting 

Judy Rieke noted that we are eligible for a speaker from ACRL every four years, so we have requested that one be scheduled for the next meeting.  We might have to adjust our theme to whoever the speaker is.  Judy discussed some of the themes that were possible for the speaker.   They included: Teaching, learning and technology; Educational collaborations and partnerships;  and User-centered libraries.   Please think about themes and let Susan Miller know your thoughts, or make comments on the evaluation form.  The membership has expressed a preference for the first two weeks in May, however this does coincide with possible flood times some years.  Any thoughts on future meetings may be sent to chair or chair-elect 

Additional discussion point: 
Judy Rieke indicated that there is an initiative fund available annually from ACRL, ranging from $500 - $2500.  The deadline for application is in the fall.  It cannot be used for routine items, be redistributed, be used to replace meeting registration fees, or for consultant fees.  Judy would like to set up a committee to explore ideas of how we could constructively use this money.  ACRL materials on the fund indicate it should be used to support the strategic plan, strengthen ACRL, be creative and innovative, have connections with the higher education community, develop a model that can be replicated, have tangible results, and/or have a wide impact on the membership.  Discussion brought up the following possibilities: continuing education of some type, assistance with incorporation, bringing in pre-conferences from other organizations such as ALCTS, watching for programs we could purchase, and putting ideas on the ballot. 
 

Additional discussion 

The meeting ended before the scheduled time but it was not possible to begin the next portion since additional people were registered for the sessions but not the business meeting. 

It was pointed out that we do not have stationery or a logo of any kind, but Judy felt it would be worthwhile to wait until incorporation before deciding on these. 

There will be a tour of the libraries, before the keynote speaker begins at 10:45. 

Chair Judy Rieke adjourned the meeting at 10:10. 

Respectfully submitted, 
Karen Chobot, Secretary