STATE OF THE ALLIANCE Program Officer s Report February 2005 October 2007

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1 STATE OF THE ALLIANCE Program Officer s Report February 2005 October 2007 Submitted to the Board of Directors October 29, 2007

2 STATE OF THE ALLIANCE Program Officer s Report February 2005 October 2007 Submitted to the Board of Directors October 29, 2007 Beginning in February 2005, the Program Officer was hired to execute the implementation grant funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and provide support to the HBCU Library Alliance Board of Directors. The past two years have been spent meeting those objectives while advancing and raising the visibility of the organization. The following outlines the Program Officer s specific accomplishments and milestones $500,000 Implementation Grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation June 2005, Pilot Institute Evergreen Conference Center, Stone Mountain, GA In four months, the lead instructor, Dr. Karyn Trader-Leigh was hired, the 5-day institute planned, the location secured, and the materials were prepared for eighteen librarians from Alabama State University, Bowie State University, Florida A&M University, Kentucky State University, North Carolina A&T University, The Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Southern University at Baton Rouge, Tennessee State University, and Virginia State University. The training included modules on strategic planning, performance management, change management, environmental scanning, and personality assessment. The institute was executed for this group that would serve as mentors as a dry run to obtain overall feedback for improvement. August 2005, Leadership Institute Evergreen Conference Center, Stone Mountain, GA Based on feedback from the Pilot attendees, the content was revised and the materials retooled to host forty-six librarians from Alabama A&M University, Albany State University, Alcorn University, Allen University, Arkansas Baptist College, Bennett College, Bethune- Cookman College, Claflin University, Fayetteville State University, Fisk University, H. Councill Trenholm State College, Hampton University, Howard University, Lawson State Community College, Lewis College of Business, Oakwood College, Savannah State University, St. Philip s College, Shaw University, South Carolina State University, Texas Southern University, University of the Virgin Islands, West Virginia State University, and Xavier University. This institute offered HBCU librarians an opportunity to participate in training designed specifically to meet their needs and network with their colleagues. Ninety-five percent of the participants gave the institute a high rating.

3 August 2005 February 2007, Site Visits and Mentoring Based on the leadership institute participants project descriptions and the expertise of the mentors, matches were made. The site visits were coordinated for each mentor to assist the directors with the preparation of their final project to be presented in April The Program Officer accompanied mentors on site visits to Albany State University, Alcorn University, Arkansas Baptist College, Bennett College, Lewis College of Business, Texas Southern University, and the University of the Virgin Islands. Summer 2006 Exchange Program In cooperation with the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL), five HBCU librarians participated in a two-week exchange with an assigned ASERL library director to address a strategic area of interest. This program established relationships between the librarians and institutions. April 2006, Leadership Institute Leadership Center, Morehouse College The sixty-four participants from the Pilot and Institute reconvened in Atlanta to showcase the work accomplished by the institute participants: Alabama A&M University, Albany State University, Alcorn University, Allen University, Arkansas Baptist, Bennett College, Bethune- Cookman College, Claflin University, Fayetteville State University, Fisk University, H. Councill Trenholm State College, Hampton University, Howard University, Lawson State Community College, Lewis College of Business, Oakwood College, Savannah State University, St. Philip s College, Shaw University, South Carolina State University, Texas Southern University, University of the Virgin Islands, West Virginia State University, and Xavier University since August and attend a communications workshop $600,000 Leadership Grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation August 2007, Leadership Institute Aberdeen Woods Conference Center, Peachtree City, GA Twenty-two librarians from Hinds Community College, Jackson State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Mississippi Valley State University, Morehouse School of Medicine, North Carolina Central University, Southern University, St. Augustine s College, Tougaloo College, Tuskegee University, and Wiley College participated in the leadership institute. A new module on ethics was added to the program content. Ninety percent of the participants gave the institute a high rating. Mentor Development Pilot Hired facilitator, The Human Resource Department (THRD) to develop and deliver a mentoring training program. The six participating library directors received training and follow-up consultation focusing on results from their 360 skills assessment. These mentors will visit the leadership institute participants and assist with the development of their final project. Board of Directors To maximize efficiencies, Board meetings are now scheduled bi-monthly, including a face to face Board meeting during the SOLINET Annual Meeting (SAMM) and Board retreats are held in alternate years of the membership meeting. A Board Handbook is created and distributed annually. The handbook includes documents established to improve efficiencies including the conflict of interest, Board roles and responsibilities, elections and Board Buddy policies. Page 2 of 6

4 The 2005 Board retreat was hosted to develop the strategic plan. This document was used during the 2006 Membership Meeting to engage the membership in planning for the future of the organization. Infrastructure Established office files for each HBCU institution, all financial and vendor transactions, grant funded programs and Alliance business activities. Utilizing the SOLINET membership database, lists were created to facilitate communication with members and program groups. A Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Manual was created that details internal operations and protocols. Membership Dues In , forty-seven institutions paid dues as founding or sustaining members. In May 2006, to increase membership, the invoicing process was improved by sending an annual membership invoice to all one hundred HBCU libraries instead of sending invoices only to those institutions that requested them. This change directly increased the number of dues paying members to eighty-seven institutions. Meeting The 2 nd membership meeting was held October 29-31, 2006 in Savannah, GA with more than seventy librarians attending and representing more than fifty HBCUs. The membership committee and Program Officer planned, executed, and evaluated the event. Overwhelmingly, members expressed excitement about and appreciation for the gathering. The 3 rd membership meeting is scheduled to be held in Charlotte, NC from October 26-28, The membership meeting committee chair has been appointed and a site visit is scheduled for November 2, Promotion Discussion Lists The discussion lists continue to be used to promote events and activities on HBCU campuses and their libraries hbcu-libadm is used exclusively to survey and communicate areas of interests to HBCU deans and directors; hbcu-lib is used to share updates and information with other HBCU librarians. Printed Two promotional handouts have been created. The first was a tri-fold 11x81/2 timeline that highlighted the organizational progress. The second was a 5x8, 8-page glossy brochure that detailed the four major activities. John Burger, executive director of ASERL and the HBCU Library Alliance Program Officer coauthored an article that was published in the February 2007 issue of American Libraries on the exchange program. In November 2005, a redesigned website was released. The new site includes a press room, photo gallery, a What s Hot section, list of HBCU digital collections, membership information, Page 3 of 6

5 and links to other sites of importance to HBCUs and HBCU libraries. Other Media The Program Officer was a guest on the radio show, Lets Talk Bill Meanes Talk Show in Belleville, IL on May 24, 2007 to discuss HBCUs and the HBCU Library Alliance. Presentations Dr. Karyn Trader-Leigh, lead instructor for the leadership institute, Richard Bradberry, dean of the Bowie State University library and the HBCU Library Alliance Program Officer presented a panel discussion on the leadership program at the 2007 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conference. On May 17, a presentation was made via conference call to the Texas Association on Developing Colleges (TADC) on the digital project and HBCU Library Alliance activities. Site Visits Combining and extending business trips has provided opportunities to build and maintain relationships with members. Some of the HBCU libraries visited include: Albany State University Bennett College Hampton University Lewis College of Business Norfolk State University Texas Southern University St. Paul s College Virginia State University Virginia Union Alcorn University Arkansas Baptist College University of the Virgin Islands Bowie State University Delaware State University Fisk University Meharry Medical College Tuskegee University Finances Banking In partnership with SOLINET and the Atlanta University Center CFO Eric Miller, a fiscal agent agreement was created with fiscal agent, SOLINET. A SunTrust bank account was opened authorizing the Program Officer to have signatory approval and responsibility. Budgeting A fiscal budget with unique general ledger codes was established independent of SOLINET accounts to expend funds from the membership dues receipts. Accounting processes were implemented including review of monthly financial reports and consult with Alliance treasurer. Page 4 of 6

6 Incorporation Working with the Atlanta University Center CFO Eric Miller, forms were prepared and submitted to the IRS for federal 501(c) 3 tax status. In June 2007, the application was approved. Cornell Digital Project Building Collections, Building Services, and Building Sustainability: A Collaborative Model for the HBCU Library Alliance is a project funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in collaboration with The Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center and the Cornell University Library to train librarians on digitization techniques held at the Georgia Archives in Morrow, GA. In 2005, SOLINET/HBCU Library Alliance received $66,830 of a $400,00 grant to train librarians from Alabama State University, Bennett College, Fisk University, Grambling University, Hampton University, The Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Southern University at Baton Rouge, Tuskegee University, Virginia State University and in 2007, SOLINET/HBCU Library Alliance received $66,229 of a $450,000 grant to train librarians from Lincoln University (MO), Miles College, Morehouse College of Medicine, North Carolina Central University, Paine College, South Carolina State University, Southern University at Shreveport, St. Augustine s College, Texas Southern University, University of the District of Columbia. Several advisory meetings have also been hosted and a communications plan is executed and updated regularly to promote the project. Photographic Conservation Summit University of Delaware The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation funded a $1.2 million dollar collaborative project with the University of Delaware, SOLINET, and the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA). This two-year project includes the October 1-2, 2007 summit at the University of Delaware to train ten HBCU institutions on the conservation and preservation of photographs. The project also includes scheduling site visits from conservators and issuing re-grants to the ten libraries to implement their institutional project. Staffing Recognizing the need for sustained administrative support, in February 2007, the budgets from the Leadership Grant and the Cornell Digital Project were realigned to create a full time administrative position with benefits. Professional Development The HBCU Library Alliance is represented on the Appalachian College Association (ACA) Library Council and meets every May and October in Alcoa, TN. Having completed three courses in a six-course program in Nonprofit Management at the University of Chicago, the remaining courses were completed between 2005 and Many lessons learned have been implemented. The HBCU Library Alliance Program Officer was awarded a scholarship to attend the Vanderbilt University, Peabody Professional Institute on Academic Library Leadership in Nashville, TN held July 8-13, Participating in the White House Initiative Conference on HBCUs is a valuable networking and promotional opportunity. In 2006, the Alliance presented a status report to attendees. In 2007, a meeting was arranged with the deputy director of NEH to discuss grant funding. Page 5 of 6

7 Program Officer ; Page 6 of 6

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