2009 Conference Planning Minutes for 2008 Annual Conference, Anaheim

From Wess

WESS 2009 Program Committee

Sunday, 29 June 2008
Ca. 8:30 – 10:00 am
Hilton Anaheim, Salinas Room

Minutes

Present:

Gordon Anderson (chair), Laura Dale Bischof, Kate Brooks, Dick Hacken, Deb Raftus, Emily Stambaugh, Anna Sveinbjørnsson; Steve Corrsin was unable to attend

I. Meeting called to order at 9:00 am

II. Review of program proposal application to ACRL; news update

The chair reported on the ACRL application procedure. The working title of our program reads Situating Area-Studies Librarianship in a Globalised World: New Directions, New Collections and can be summarized thus:

Foreign-languages and area-studies coexist in a new world of cultural and ethnic studies, comparative literature, multiculturalism, and global studies. Established disciplines are morphing into inter-disciplines and cross-disciplines. New genres and media - like film, detective fiction, children's literature, and graphic novels – are seriously taught and studied in modern languages departments, cultural studies. Scientific topics like global warming are part of the political-science curriculum. Our panel members will discuss these new canons, help us to think through the transition to the new global-studies curriculum, integrate these new publications into our libraries' research collections.

n.b. Gordon was notified on Monday the 30th that the ACRL Board at its Sunday meeting had approved the WESS 2009 program proposal. ACRL will make budget allocations in September. The program will take place on Monday, 13 June, 10:30–noon, at the ALA Annual Convention in Chicago.

III. Review of proposed budget and funding options

The proposed budget seeks $850 from ACRL's conference-program budget in addition to the generous support provided by Jean Touzot Librairie Internationale. The travel expenses for two speakers were calculated based on current domestic air fares from each coast. If local speakers are engaged, then this item could be significantly less. The Chair will report this to the Chair of the WESS Finance Committee [done on 3 July 08].

IV. Speakers – more suggestions

We initially have been considering speakers from each coast: a film-studies (Nordic studies) professor from the University of Washington and a professor of German at Middlebury College. We also carefully considered a WESS colleague's recommendation of a librarian from France, but in the end the Committee felt that her fields of expertise (i.a., electronic publishing, informational culture, open access) were not closely enough related to the Program's topic. We are, however, grateful for the nomination, and we encourage WESS members to submit recommendations.

In the coming few months we will actively look at possible speakers from colleges and universities in the greater Chicago area and also from additional disciplines. One Committee member suggested a professor of modern languages at Knox College (Galesburg, Ill.), and other Committee members recommended considering professors of other European languages as well as of social-science disciplines. We will also contact WESS colleagues in the Chicago area for recommendations or suggestions.

V. The Program format

We will work toward a panel consisting of two professors and one librarian moderator. Ideally, the moderator would also be a discussant, able to coordinate the two perspectives of academic subject and library collection. In the 90-minute program, each academic speaker will talk for approximately 20 minutes, and the librarian moderator will synthesize the presentations in 10-20 minutes, leaving approximately one half hour for questions, answers, and further discussion with the audience.

We also discussed creating a web presence and a podcast, which we will ponder over the summer and be prepared to discuss at our Midwinter (Denver) meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Gordon Anderson

18 July 2008