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LITA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Summary/Action Minutes
March 31, 2001, Wyndham Hotel, Chicago

Executive Director Search
Sara Randall updated the committee on the search for a new Executive Director. From an original pool of about 25, 15 were interviewed by phone then 3 were interviewed in person by the committee. Mary Ghikas said an official announcement would be made soon about the selected candidate.

LITA Town Meeting Review
Flo Wilson will write a report about actions taken as a result of the LITA Town Meeting at Midwinter. Several suggestions have been implemented including making LITA-L an unmoderated list and posting summary minutes of Board and Executive Committee meetings on the Web site. See Flo's report.

Forum 2001
Sara reported that 3 general session speakers have been secured and many concurrent session slots filled. Two preconferences are planned: one-half day on web accessibility/design and one full day on digital architecture. Committee members are continuing to fill out program details. A reception will be held at nearby Milwaukee Public Library which has recently completed extensive renovation. Sponsors are being sought. Veicon Technology has agreed to make 8-10 terminals available for email and Internet access.

Information from ALA - Mary Ghikas

• ALA Conferences: 2003 Annual will be in Toronto. This will require program planners to work with Canadian counterparts (who will be identified in the future).
• 501(c)3 and 501(c)6 status - A task force has been formed to determine how the status of librarians can be addressed by both types of organizations. ALA is a 501(c)3. There are specific rules regulating the activities of both types of organizations.
• CIPA - Mary updated the committee about the suit and fundraising efforts to come.
• Strategic Marketing Planning and the creation of business plans for ALA's 5 key business areas is underway: membership, publishing, conferences, continuing education, and advocacy. A Membership Business plan for the entire organization will be presented to the ALA Executive Board this spring.
• Electronic communication methods of several types are being tested.
• Accreditation - letters of intent to participate have been received from a number of outside organizations if the creation of an external accreditation body is approved. The issue will go before Council again at Annual.

2002 and 2003 Forums
Jacque Mundell reported that negotiations were complete and the contract signed for the 2002 Forum at the Westin Galleria in Houston. She suggested that the Executive Committee instruct the new Executive Director to do a site search for 2003 during the summer so that the committee could make a final decision at the fall Committee meeting in Chicago. Among suggested cities were: Cleveland and Cincinnati OH; Santa Clara, CA; Hartford, CT; Providence, RI; and Baltimore, MD.

Budget Review - Michael Gorman

• The February (second quarter) budget performance report was reviewed. LITA is doing well so far this fiscal year. The 2000 Forum brought in net revenue of more than $38,000.
• The Committee examined the latest draft of the FY 2002 budget and requested no changes. They asked that the strategic and financial overview be put on the Web.
• CIPA donation - The LITA Board should be prepared to decide on a donation to the CIPA litigation at Annual.
• Establishing an endowment - the rules and regulations were reviewed. The Board can take this up at Annual. If an endowment is to be established, it would be for the 2003 fiscal year budget.

Web CE and LITA
Sara and Flo will work with the existing Regional Institute Committee to form a task force of interested people to concentrate on Web CE program planning. A call will be put out on LITA-L also.

Regional Institute contracts
The Committee studied suggestions from R.I. committee chair Lynne Lysiak and committee member and presenter Kristin Antelman. The suggestions will form the basis of guidelines to be used in contracting with presenters in the future. The Board liaison will be asked to work with Lysiak and Antelman to develop more detailed guidelines in the next 6 months.

Council issues

• Tam Miller will be asked to summarize for the Board discussion list the issues involved in external accreditation. This will be a discussion and decision item for the Saturday Board agenda at Annual.
• Before Annual, more information will be forthcoming about the possible formation of a 501c6 and about outsourcing and privatization.

Web site considerations

• A members-only web site is now technically possible. Flo Wilson will initiate on LITA-L a discussion of what could and should be accessible to members only. The idea is to highlight the benefits of membership and to have tangible electronic benefits on the Web site.
• MyLITA - Sara Randall will ask Martin Kalfatovic and the Web Coordinating Committee for information about the feasibility of personalizing the LITA Web site. The software is available at ALA.

Executive Director's Report

• LITA preconferences being offered at Annual are experiencing good registration. There were inquiries about whether any of them was a potential regional institute or Forum program.
• A membership campaign to reach ALA, non-LITA members was discussed. We now have recent statistics to guide choices about types of work places and types of jobs to help in decision making.
• Publications: The Committee agreed to end the royalty payment on all but the most recent three Guides at the end of the fiscal year. Authors receiving royalties on older books will be paid the final royalties in the fall. The amount of money involved is now so small as to not merit the cost of cutting the check. At each Midwinter Conference, the Publications Committee will be asked to review titles and recommend to the Board those to drop. A new guide on usability studies will be published in time for 2001 Annual Conference. Contributors are being paid a stipend instead of royalties.