We sincerely thank all who have participated & contributed to the New Division discussions so far. Please bear with us at this time of great flux and change. We are trying to ensure the best future for all three divisions. And LITA folks, please come discuss the LITA future at the LITA Town Hall meeting Monday if you are at #alamw19.”
This week, the Steering Committee, composed of the Presidents, President-Elects, and Executive Directors of the three divisions, concluded that we are not ready to ask our Boards to vote on a new division proposal at this week’s Midwinter Meeting.
We worked hard to create a comprehensive project plan that would speak to members of each division; however, our timeline to hold the member vote this spring turned out to be too ambitious. There are some unresolved issues around the structure of the new division, the transition plan for existing officers, and the name of the new division.
Although we worked as quickly as possible to resolve these issues, it became apparent this week that the timeline was too compressed to reach consensus on everything before Midwinter. We also realized our efforts at broader communication and member input fell short, because we have not been able to resolve some of these key questions.
Each division has different cultures with different levels of member engagement, decision-making, and risk-taking, and we want to respect those differences and be in complete agreement before bringing such an important proposal to our members for a vote. So, while there is still great interest in the project, the Steering Committee is going to take time to talk with our Boards and members, and then revisit the project to determine next steps.
We look forward to providing you with additional information this spring.
Sincerely,
Bohyun Kim
President, Library and Information Technology Association
Kristin Martin
President, Association for Library Collections and Technical Services
Lynn Hoffman
President, Library Leadership and Management Association