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Board & Committee Meetings at the 2016 Midwinter Meeting

Executive Committee Meeting
Friday, January 8, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.,  Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 203
Meeting of the Executive Committee where discussions will consist of current and planned activities of the RUSA Division. This is an open meeting and all registered attendees are welcome. Come meet some of RUSA’s key players; President; Anne Houston, President-Elect/Vice-President; Alesia M. McManus, Past President; Joseph A. Thompson, Secretary; Kathryn J. Oberg, Councilor; Sarah Hammill and RUSA Executive Director; Susan Hornung.

Board of Directors Meeting I and II:

  • Board I – Saturday, January 9, 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 205 B
  • Board II – Monday, January 11, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 153 C

RUSA Board of Director meetings are open and any individual registered for the Midwinter Meeting may sit in on the meetings. The meeting’s topics are set aside for visitors and board members to use as an ‘open forum’ where anyone can share information, ask questions, etc. The agenda and documents are completed prior to the conference. Anyone interested in viewing the agenda for the meeting, as well as the documents that accompany the agenda items, may view or download them from ALA Connect. If you or your constituency develops a document for board consideration, please give it to the RUSA staff at least two hours before a board meeting. RUSA Board of Directors’ Meetings are open and all registered attendees are welcome!

Budget and Finance Meeting
Sunday, January 10, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Westin Boston Waterfront, Faneuil
Meeting to review, recommend and plan goals, objectives, and priorities for the division as they relate to the RUSA’s budgetary matters.

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RUSA Discussion Groups at the 2016 Midwinter Meeting.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

  • ILL Discussion Group (RUSA STARS)
    10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Room 205A

    A thoughtful discussion of the emerging trends of resource sharing and interlibrary loan. Read more here.

  • Management of Electronic Resources & Services Discussion (RUSA ETS)
    1:00 PM – 2:30 PM, Westin Waterfront, Room Bulfinch  Read more here.
  • Optimizing the web for reference: Best practices for usability, accessibility, and responsiveness (RUSA ETS)
    1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Room 258B

    We will feature panelists from institutions which have innovated their approach to web reference (email, chat, FAQs, etc.) and/or conducted usability studies on how their users get answers through their library’s web portal. Read more here.

  • Genealogy and Local History Discussion Group (RUSA HS)
    4:30 PM – 5:30 PM, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Room 205C

    Learn how can we ensure our communities know about our genealogical and historical resources. Read more here.

  • Reference Publishing Advisory Discussion Forum (RUSA CODES)
    4:30 PM – 5:30 PM, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Room 205B

    A thoughtful discussion about the emerging trends in reference publishing by the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) of RUSA. Read more here.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

  • Discussion and All Committees Meeting (RUSA BRASS)
    8:30 AM – 10:00 AM, Westin Waterfront, Room Douglass

    All-Committees meeting and discussion opportunity for those interested in business reference in all types of libraries. Read more here.

  • History Librarians Discussion Group (RUSA HS)
    1:00 PM – 2:30 PM, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Room 205B

    A thoughtful discussion on emerging trends of historical librarianship. Read more here.

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RUSA Selects 2016 Spectrum Scholar for Internship!

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has selected Patricia Valdovinos, a 2016 Spectrum Scholar is seeking her MLIS degree at the University of California, Los Angeles. As an Intern with RUSA, Valdovinos will work for a year and a half with RUSA’s vice-president/president-elect, Alesia M. McManus, Director of the Howard Community College Library, Columbia, MD. Valdovinos will also receive $3,000 to support travel expenses to attend the American Library Association’s (ALA) Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference.

Valdovinos received her Bachelor of Arts in Chicana/o Studies with minors in American Indian Studies and Education Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2014. During her undergraduate education she was a Ronald E. McNair Research Scholar where she researched how performance, such as spoken word, theatre, etc., affected incarcerated Latina/o youth.

“As a Chicana who has been a part of a variety of spaces, I am excited to expand my knowledge and experience with reference and resource sharing within diverse communities, more specifically, communities of color as the 2015 RUSA Spectrum Scholar Intern. This is an incredible opportunity where I will be able to share my perspectives, while also learn from others in the information world.”

RUSA selects one Spectrum Scholar each year to receive the $3,000 travel grant and work with RUSA’s vice-president. The ALA Spectrum Initiative provides $5,000 scholarships to students from the following underrepresented groups: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino and Native American. More information about the Spectrum Initiative is available at www.ala.org/spectrum.

RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. RUSA supports excellence in the delivery of general library services and materials, and the provision of reference advisory, and resource sharing for all ages, in every type of library. Please visit our website at http://www.ala.org/rusa/.