AMTF Online Accessibility Subgroup

Our Assignment: 

Research how other professional organizations provide online access to meeting content, including virtual conferences and other models. Consider opportunities for increasing accessibility of content from previous meetings, including audio recordings and presentations.  Review the business models and costs (to SAA and members) of using a vendor to provide services and explore what options could be provided using volunteers.

Expected Outcome: 

Deliver to the task force a report describing the options available for delivering meeting content online, either contemporaneously with the meeting or following it, and for making better use of available materials. The report should include an assessment of costs associated with various options and, if possible, a recommendation for which options should be pursued.

Members:   

Beverly Allen, Rebecca Bizonet (chair), Lisa Carter, Erin Lawrimore, Wade Wyckoff

Current Activities 

• Monthly conference call with subgroup to review work to date plus feedback, determine next priorities.
• Review the final report of the SAA Communications Technology Working Group which outlines recommendations for SAA in enhancing SAA’s use of social media and online communications.  Several of these recommendations pertain to the Annual Meeting and we evaluate and possibly carry some of these recommendations forward. 

Next Steps:   

Environmental scan:  Expand on looking at choices for online access. AMTF may help sort out which ideas should be pursued. (by 12/12?)

Examples to look at: 

• RSNA:  http://www.rsna.org/Annual_Meeting.aspx
• ADA:  http://www.ada.org/session/5352.aspx#ADA365
• TED:  http://www.ted.com/pages/registration
• American Association of Museums:  http://www.aam-us.org/am/

Past Meeting Content Pilot:  load all of the existing Annual Meeting CDs, index and offer up as content. (recommendation by 4/27)

Existing Concurrent Content Pilot:  Harness the blogging, tweeting, posting of presentations already going on.  (recommendation by 4/27)

Completed:

Conference call with Nancy Beaumont:  Set up a conference call with Nancy Beaumont to hear about her report on virtual conferencing vendors. (by 3/30)

Membership survey:  Results of the membership survey should be available in March and will be sent to the AMTF.

Environmental scan:  Looked at choices for moving Annual Meeting content online.  Created a list of possibilities.  Then AMTF to help sort out which ideas should be pursued. (around July 2012)  Document: Virtual_Conferencing_Environmental_Scan.xls 

 Other Completed:

• Review the notes from the meeting that Kathy and Fynette had with Nancy Beaumont to get started on the AMTF’s work.  This document also gives context for the broader group’s work.  Note the sections on Wifi at the meeting and Virtual conference methods already in use which are relevant to our group.  Document: NB_meeting_notes.doc

• Review SAA VP Jackie Dooley’s email on Council actions taken that are relevant to AMTF.  These provide additional context on where we are right now with issues faced by the whole AMTF.  In particular, note the sections on Wi-fi, Tweeting and blogs,  and “Summit” with regionals.  Document:  Jackie Dooley Council Notes2-3-12.doc

• Review the spreadsheet that Rebecca pulled together for us and put on Google docs summarizing our email conversation at the start of our work.  I have pulled that spreadsheet into the Wiggio space and I created a report-type document based on it to share with the larger task force. Document: AMTF_ Online Accessibility of Meeting Content.xls and AMTF OAS 2-3-12.doc
• Review the minutes from the AMTF Meeting held in Chicago on Feb 3.  This document provides context for the broad activities of the Task Force and how our subgroup fits within it.   Document:  AMTFnotes_final.pdf
• Review the notes that I took at the AMTF Meeting held in Chicago on Feb 3.  Document: AMTF_Meeting_Carter_notes_2-3-12.docx