Mary Rumsey, Dennis Sears, Jonathan Franklin at the FCIL SIS Business Meeting in New Orleans.

From the Mississippi to the Columbia.

Thanks to all SIS members for the fantastic showing in New Orleans. From the Educational Programs to the Working Groups to the Strategic Planning Committee, they are all very important facets of the SIS. Some are more visible than others, but our strength is in our depth of knowledge and the ability to create collections, serve the profession and our patrons, and inspire those who will follow us.

Moving forward, here are a few projects that the SIS is working on that you might not know about.

We are working on making the Schaffer Grant into a long-term sustainable grant. Currently, the investment strategy of AALL does not generate enough annual return to fund the Grant. For the next few years, the Grant will require funding while we build up the endowment. The current plan is for the Schaffer Funding Committee to work on constructing a viable funding model for the next few years so that the long-term health of the Grant is assured. Thanks to Dan Wade for heading up this important group.

Much of our education comes from e-mail lists and the Annual Meeting. AALL as a whole is looking into how to provide educational opportunities outside the Annual Meeting. Barb Garavaglia is heading up the ad hoc committee to look into this area, both how we can train each other and how we might be able to help support the rest of the AALL membership with their interest in FCIL topics.

Finally, the draft Strategic Plan 2008-2011 is looking excellent, and should be finalized by the end of the calendar year. It is a substantive one page plan that will help focus the SIS's efforts in the coming years. Thanks to Molly Brownfield, Victor Essien, Barbara Garavaglia, Carolyn McKelvey, Mary Rumsey, and Dan Wade.

If you have any comments or an interest in volunteering, please let me know.

Have a great autumn!