eSWUG Mid-Winter Business Meeting Minutes
2/21/09 12:55 pm
CSU, Channel Islands

Attendance: Kristen Lebonte (CSU Channel Islands), Judy King (CSU Channel Islands), Janet I. Pinkley (CSU Channel Islands), William Starr (CSU Channel Islands), Sara Anson (College of the Canyons), Sylvia Black (College of the Canyons), Isao Uesugi (College of the Canyons), Erica Bennett (Fullerton College), Jane Ishibashi (Fullerton College), Masumi Oberlin (Fullerton College), Lauren Garber (Master’s Seminary Library), Oliver Schulz (Master’s Seminary Library), Richard Oberlin (North Orange County Community College District), Carol Sterenberg (Santa Ana College), Alice Ho (Santiago Canyon College), Richard Burnweit (Westmont College), Savannah Kelly (Westmont College), Jana Mullen (Westmont College), Jeannette Page (Westmont College), Claudia Scott (Westmont College), Grace Ye (Pepperdine University), Anne Turhollow (San Diego State University), Margaret Driscoll (CSU Channel Islands), Anna Kroll (Master’s Seminary Library), Mary Logue (Westmont College), Nell Yang (Santa Ana College), Laura Guy (Colorado School of Mines), Marcia Henry (CSU Northridge), Colleen Martin (CSU Northridge), Luiz Mendez (CSU Northridge), Margery Tibbetts (California Digital Library), Tate Nunley (Ex Libris)

Presiding: Margaret Driscoll, Chair
Minutes: Mary Logue, Secretary

Welcome
Introduction of Officers

Old Business

1. Approval of July 30, 2008 minutes by show of hands.
2. Financial Report by Nell Yang, Treasurer. In order to make this event more affordable it was decided to use some of the reserves to subsidize the cost. Roughly 50% of the reserve was used, leaving approximately $1,000 in reserve.

New Business

1. ELUNA May 2009 in Virginia
1. In the absence of eSWUG officers at ELUNA Christina Salazar from the Getty Research Institute will preside over the Annual Meeting.
2. Nominees for chair-elect were solicited.
1. Discussion of the position and its time commitment ensued.
3. Future of Regional Groups
1. Most Regional Groups’ events were smaller this year. Some of the reasons for this were discussed (same fiscal year as ELUNA, economic situation, ELUNA was just in this region, other users are not familiar with Regional Groups).

i. Ours was the highest attended.

2. Discussion on how events should be done.

i. Should we move from annual to biennial workshop? Attendees were asked to mark their evaluation sheet with their preference.
ii. Discussion of what a host site would need to have/be able to do
iii. There is a need for a conference committee, not just the four officers, to plan these events. It would be especially helpful to have users of products other than Voyager as part of the planning.
iv. Virtual meetings would cut down on travel problems, but you lose networking and the human touch.

3. There needs to be more outreach about eSWUG, not just our events. A case should be made for why people should be involved and what they will get out of the Regional Group.

i. Suggestion: make events more end-user focused, more teaching on the front-end of the products, best practice round tables, rather than training events. This is what many Ex Libris product users are familiar with.

4. Wiki
1. eSWUG has a wiki. It includes archives and is open to the whole user base to find information and/or post information. It was asked if some of the training materials from this event may be able to go onto it. Tate Nunley indicated that the Ex Libris training materials could not go out to a public space such as our wiki.
5. Outreach
1. This was the first eSWUG event which had both Voyager and other Ex Libris product users. We are trying to merge two very different cultures into this Regional Group. There needs to be more outreach to those users who aren’t used to Regional Groups.
2. Outreach needs to be focused on the benefits of the group, not on events we are having. We need to explain who we are and what we can do for users in our area. We need to answer the question: “What can we as a Regional Group do to make you a better librarian?”

i. Maybe create a nice pamphlet or brochure that can be sent out.

Meeting adjourned at 1:25 pm
Respectfully submitted by Mary Logue, Secretary