FROM THE PRESIDENT
Cathy Gerhart
Fall has finally come to the Pacific Northwest. The trees are beginning to lose their leaves and the air has that crisp, clean, Fall smell to it. It has reminded me that it will not be long before the OLAC meetings at the American Library Association Midwinter meeting in San Diego. At this time I do not yet know where our meetings will be held, but as soon as I do, I will post that information to the OLAC-List. I hope many of you will join us for some midwinter sun and warmth in California.
The Executive Board will be discussing a number of things at its Board meeting but the one that will affect OLAC members the most will be the discussion of a possible raise in our annual membership dues. I hate to be the President that tackles OLAC budget woes but I believe if OLAC is to continue performing its mission, it will be vital that it remains fiscally viable. At this moment it seems to me that OLAC will have a hard time meeting its obligations in the next few years without some additional funds. I believe that it is time to increase the dues somewhat so that OLAC will have the funds it needs to perform the many important activities that OLAC members have come to expect. I hope that if any of you have opinions on this subject that you will contact me before the Board meeting so that I can have a sense of where the membership stands on this issue. Please e-mail or call me at: <gerhart@u.washington.edu> or (206) 685-2827 with thoughts on this issue or any other issue that you may have.
Lastly, I would like to mention that we have not yet been able to fill the position of OLAC Outreach/Advocacy Coordinator. Ian is continuing to do an excellent job in this position, but it is time for a new OLAC member to step up to this task. If you would like to hear more about this position, please feel free to contact Ian or me at any time in the next couple of months. Although not terribly time-consuming, this position is vital to the basic goal of OLAC, which is to promote communication and outreach to catalogers around the world. I hope you will each consider carefully how you have benefited from your OLAC membership and whether it is time to give something back to the organization through your time and talent.
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Last updated: November 24, 2002
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