Annual Meeting Task Force Convenes in Chicago

Created by the SAA Council in October 2011, the Annual Meeting Task Force convened in Chicago in early February to report out on early research and organize its work for the coming year.  The Task Force is charged with “analyzing current practices related to the SAA Annual Meeting as well as possible future approaches, and delivering to the Council a report with recommendations as to which current practices should be changed and what new practices should be implemented.”  The group’s final report is due by spring 2013.

The Task Force is co-chaired by Kathy Marquis (Albany County Public Library, Laramie, Wyoming) and Fynnette Eaton (Eaton Consulting) and includes Courtney Chartier (Atlanta University Center), Jennifer Sharp (Connecticut Historical Society), Wade Wyckoff (McMaster University), and the chairs of four subcommittees:  Rachel Vagts (Luther College, Social Responsibility Subcommittee), Lisa Carter (Ohio State University, Access Subcommittee), Lynn Eaton (Duke University, Meeting Model Subcommittee), and Jelain Chubb (Texas State Archives, Meeting Content Subcommittee).  View a full roster of the 25-member Task Force here.

According to the co-chairs, “Prior to our meeting on February 3 and 4, Task Force members had the opportunity to suggest possible questions for the member survey that SAA conducted in January.  We’ll be looking carefully at the results of the survey to help focus the work of the subcommittees.”

They added:  “Much of the work of the Task Force will be researching possibilities for new meeting models, technologies, venues, and other aspects of our annual meeting.  As we do this work, we will be looking for input from the membership, as well as from other groups who have experience with alternative meeting structures.  We will soon start a blog to share our findings and questions – and to hear from members – as we go.  In addition, there will be a forum at the 2012 Annual Meeting that we hope many people will attend to contribute their ideas.”

Watch the SAA home page and In The Loop for information about the Task Force’s blog and Annual Meeting forum.