Minutes:
May 6, 2004 - Reno, NV

L&SR Literacy and Social Responsibility
Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association
BUSINESS MEETING
May 6, 2004
Reno Hilton

The meeting was called to order by President, Cynthia McDermott, on May 6, 2004, following the 2004 L&SR presentation at the Annual Convention of the International Reading Association. Members in attendance included: Kaye West (Anderson), Beth Breneman, Eleanor Eskey, Cynthia McDermott, and Denise Stuart. Handouts were circulated.

OLD BUSINESS

Directory. The Board directory was circulated for up-dating, and some members added their cell phone numbers. Beth will update the directory, and email it to all members of the Board.

Website Elaboration & Conent Coordinator.. Kaye reported on next steps in Web site development. Kaye will be modifying the resources area to match focus areas on the revised membership brochure. Kaye will also circulate an e-mail letter to recruit a content coordinator for the Web site. Beth will provide Kaye with a list of participants at the L&SR session (2004).

Use of Funds & Fund Raising. The Board took up the question submitted by treasurer, Dolores Fisette, regarding the treasury: Shall we maintain the account in Ukiah—given that our SIG is not making use of the money? It was suggested that the $250.00 could be used as seed money. Cynthia McDermott suggested that the Board initiate some fund raising activities. Cynthia agreed to take the lead in drafting a piece for the Web site promoting the availability of $50.00 scholarships to the IRA convention. Kaye has ideas for spreading the word and would like someone to write up a blurb regarding fund raising to place on the Web site. Cynthia will brainstorm a list of qualifications for applicants, but will not be available to work on this until after June 1. This project could lead to an article in IRA’s newsletter, Reading Today.


NEW BUSINESS

Program Debriefing. Denise raised the question about handling repeat presenters. A consensus was reached to allow repeat presenters but to encourage them to modify their material/topic in some way to create variety. Eleanor stressed that it is desirable to have new topics and presenters every year. New leaders might arise from those who present more than once at our SIG session.
Program Chairs for 2006 & 2007. Greta Nagel and Marsha Thicksten, both professors at California State University, Long Beach, were unanimously elected to serve as Program Co-Chairs for 2006 and 2007.

Membership Chair. Carole Turner agreed to serve as Membership Chair and was unanimously elected. Duties include spending some time representing the L&SR at the SIG Booth and recruiting new members. Beth will contact Carole and send her membership brochures, up-dated SIG responsibilities list, and suggestions about procedures that have worked in the past.

Social Event for 2005. The Board discussed whether to plan a social event in 2005. Next year’s session will be on Tuesday afternoon in San Antonio. It was agreed to convene a Business Meeting immediately after the session and plan on dinner that night. Eleanor commented that reservations are often critical. The Board agreed that recruiting a SIG member to serve as Social Event coordinator for 2005 would be desirable—perhaps from the 2005 program of presenters. Failing that, Eleanor agreed to serve as Social Event Coordinator for 2005.

Student Board Member.. The motion was unanimously approved that a new category, Student Member, be created to serve on the Board of Directors. Denise agreed to invite Joanna Newton (graduate student) to serve in this capacity.

Board Configuration. Kaye commented that it is a good idea to contact Board members who have always been completely inactive. Beth agreed to take the lead in working on this. Maureen Prenn has asked that her name be withdrawn for the time being because she has made a career shift to administration.

Kaye suggested that the Board might wish to consider a broader geographic representation. One possibility might be to elect nine Board Members at Large. The Board may wish to take up this issue next year.

Electronic Journal.. The Board unanimously agreed to support Rebecca Kaminski in her endeavor to develop an electronic journal for the L & SR SIG. Beth will send Rebecca a package of materials from an IRA Council and SIG Publication session. Beth will e-mail Rebecca and cc Kaye so that Kaye can follow up in further communications with Rebecca regarding software, format, and any other essential technological and editorial considerations. Eleanor and Denise volunteered to assist by serving as peer reviewers for the journal. It was agreed that the most effective means of securing peer reviewers is by inviting targeted professionals and that it might be desirable to recruit peer reviewers with expertise in a variety of areas if Rebecca wishes to do so.

Delegates' Assembly. Beth proposed that the L&SR SIG try to send a representative to the Delegates’ Assembly every year. Once the program is established, Denise will try to recruit a Delegates’ Assembly Representative for 2005. It was agreed that this is a desirable way to involve new members. Denise pointed out that it is also a good idea to involve experienced SIG members in this activity. The specific IRA resolutions on the ballot might also influence considerations about an appropriate representative to send.

The meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Beth Breneman, Secretary

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