The OCLC governance structure changed this year.  My term as FEDLINK’s representative ends in May 2011.  We are transitioning to a new three tiered governance structure for OCLC (Board, Global Council, and Regional Councils).

 

The major changes include:

• OCLC Board of Trustees will continue to exist and be advised by members through a Global Council.
• Member’s Council is now the Global Council with proportional representation from each continent.
• Global delegate are no longer apportioned on the basis of network. (FEDLINK no longer has guaranteed representation.)
• New regional councils have been created subordinate to Global Council including the Americas Regional Council.
• The Americas Regional Council (ARC) will be the primary forum for federal librarians to make their issues known.
• ARC will nominate the candidates to be elected by OCLC members in our region to the Global Council.

 

I urge any interested federal librarian to become involved with the new Americas Regional Council (ARC). This group is forming and welcomes new members. It is crucial that the federal library community continue to have a voice in OCLC operations.

 

Here is a quick update on ARC activities.

 

1.       Scheduled Meetings.

 

a.       ARC’s first public meeting will be held on Friday, January 15, 2010 from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM in Boston in conjunction with ALA Midwinter.  This will be an open meeting.  There will be a continental breakfast served.  The agenda for this meeting will be finalized in the next two weeks.  We will send the agenda to you as soon as it is done.  We will publicize the meeting to the membership through various channels.

 

b.      The Global Council will meet in Dublin, April 19-22, 2010.

 

c.       The ARC’s first official “Annual Meeting” will be held in conjunction with ALA in Washington, D.C. on June 24 – June 30.  Time and details to be announced later.

 

 

2.       Nominations Committee.  Under the leadership of Steve Podgajny, the committee is working diligently to prepare for the spring 2010 elections for open Global Council delegate positions (2010 – 2013) from the ARC and ARC officers (2010 – 2011).

 

3.       Service Group Committee.  Ted Schwitzner has recently been named chair of this committee and its members are in the process of being selected.  The committee is charge to “submit a plan to the ARC Executive Committee Chair by February 26, 2010. The plan will include recommendations for topics to be covered and a proposed schedule for July 2010 – June 2011.”  We will be seeking your further input on this issue.

 

Contacts for the ATC include the chair - Patrick Wilkinson [log in to unmask] and vice-chair Anne Prestamo [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]

 

Also please contact me if you have any questions.

 

Chris

 

Christopher Cole

Associate Director for Technical Services

National Agricultural Library

10301 Baltimore Avenue, Room 204

Beltsville, MD 20705-2351

301 504-7294 voice

301 504-6951 fax

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