FROM THE PRESIDENT
Kay G. Johnson
This is my last column as OLAC President. I am amazed how quickly the year has flown. OLAC has accomplished much in the past year, and many people deserve credit for a job well done.
Oddly enough, I had never heard of OLAC until 1995. In recent years, OLAC has reached new heights in visibility. Membership is at a record height with over 700 members. OLAC-List and the OLAC Website, both maintained by Sue Neumeister, have raised awareness of OLAC in the cataloging community. The OLAC Cataloging Policy Committee, chaired by Iris Wolley, have developed collaborative relationships with other cataloging organizations to the point where OLAC is recognized as an expert in various areas of audiovisual cataloging. In the past year, guidelines or tutorials for cataloging DVDs, integrating resources, and maps have been released on the CAPC Website. Notably, Steve Miller’s efforts in chairing the Electronic Integrating Resources Task Force have created a separate job for him as a national trainer in cataloging IRs. John Attig has been instrumental in bringing CC:DA and MARBI issues to OLAC, and vice-versa. John has a gift in understanding and explaining the latest cataloging developments to the rest of us. Ian Fairclough’s efforts on behalf of OLAC Outreach and Advocacy have expanded awareness of OLAC by an increased collaboration with the bibliographic utilities and outreach to catalogers through OLAC members presenting at conferences, holding training sessions, and writing conference reports about OLAC. Speaking of conferences, the OLAC Conference is always a big membership booster. Bobby Bothmann and Betsy Friesen co-chaired the well-received OLAC Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota last September. Sue, Iris, Steve, John, Ian, Bobby and Betsy have worked tirelessly over the past year.
There are so many other people who deserve credit for OLAC’s success. Jain Fletcher has done a tremendous job with the OLAC Newsletter. She and Sue have worked out an efficient process for providing access to the electronic version of the Newsletter. Jan Mayo has kept OLAC’s finances up to date and transformed the process into a smooth one for her successor. Sheila Smyth’s results from chairing the "Future of the OLAC Conference" Task Force will help in planning future conferences. Cathy Gerhart, Bobby Bothmann, Betsy Friesen, and Kevin Furniss rewrote the conference planning guidelines in the OLAC Handbook to make it easier for future conference chairs to plan the conference.
Rebecca Lubas kept the minutes as OLAC Secretary while chairing the CAPC Chapter 3 Task Force. Lowell Ashley simplified the OLAC elections ballot. Kevin Furniss chaired the Nancy B. Olson Award Committee. Both Lowell and Kevin advised the Executive Board as Past Presidents. Verna Urbanski maintained the archives, participated on Q&A panels, and advised the Board. She is the conscience of OLAC and keeper of the historical record.
I would also like to thank all of the CAPC members, Meredith Horan, OLAC Q&A panel moderator and all of the people who have served on the panels, all of the Newsletter column editors, all of the people who helped with the St. Paul Conference and the people who are working on the Montreal Conference, the people involved in creating a new OLAC logo, and anyone who helped promote OLAC in the past year. I am sure there are many others I have missed.
There are a few people who deserve a special mention. Marc Richard, Chair of the 2004 OLAC Conference in Montreal, Quebec. I am looking forward to attending OLAC’s first conference outside of the U.S. and seeing a mix of traditional and cutting-edge AV cataloging techniques. I would also like to thank Kevin Furniss and Jan Mayo, once again. Both of them are leaving the OLAC Executive Board this year after years of hard work and humor. It’s been fun. Most of all, I would like to thank Richard Harwood for introducing me to this wonderful, vital organization called Online Audiovisual Catalogers.
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Last updated: June 5, 2003
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