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Reference Round Table Executive Board Meeting Minutes

Texas Library Association Annual Conference April 20, 2012 Present: Erin O’Toole, Julie Leuzinger, Mindy Tomlin, Ashlynn Wicke, Jeffrey Levy, John Hepner, Connie Matheny, and Jan Tidwell O’Toole called the meeting to order at 1:10pm

I. Welcome and additions to agenda:

No additions were made.

II. Introductions of attendees:

Everyone introduced themselves. Voting on Assembly Meeting Minutes was done at the

Business Meeting, so moved to next agenda item.

III. Budget report from Secretary/Treasurer:

O’Toole read off the 2011-2012 budget. Costs did not include the Annual Conference. Reference

Round Table cosponsored two SLA panels as well as a Library Support Staff RT program. The final

budget is due after June 30. Hepner noted that there will be a revision to the final bill for the

RRT booth as there were not chairs.

Upcoming budget proposals were discussed. It was suggested that RRT contribute no more than

$1000 for TALL Texans. Discussion opened concerning how much to contribute to the Legislative

Fund as next year is a legislative year. Decided to hold off on final decision until Annual

Assembly.

Discussion came up concerning the RRT stipend to cover Annual Conference attendance costs.

Wicke mentioned that some other divisions and round tables will contribute part of the award

toward membership costs upon conferring. Matheny made a motion to form an ad hoc

committee that will propose a RRT conference stipend program to the executive board. Levy

seconded. Motion passed.

These numbers come from the Expanded General Ledger, 7/1/2011-3/31/2012

Beginning Fund Balance: $6,001.48

+/- Revenue & Expenses -534.56

Ending Fund Balance $5,466.92

IV. Report from Program Committee:

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Leuzinger updated the board on programs RRT was involved in during the conference. Online

Legal Reference for Non-Law Librarians received good verbal feedback and charged $15 for

admission. Leuzinger noted that it would be good to keep a low cost to encourage attendance at

preconferences in the future. Leveraging Your Skills: Rewrite that Resume and Market Yourself

was cosponsored with the Special Libraries Division and had approximately 60 people in

attendance. Librarians on the Move: New Jobs for the Information Professional was also

cosponsored with Special Libraries Division and had approximately 150 in attendance. Library

School Reference Courses: Still Relevant? had approximately 15 people in attendance. This might

be due to the early time slot and the fact that the session was recorded. Customer Service on the

Frontline was co-sponsored with the Library Support Staff Round Table and the Public Libraries

Division and had 40 people in attendance. Rolling Out Reference to New University Students had

34 people in attendance and received positive evaluations. Leuzinger suggested doing additional

similar programs in the future, particularly featuring activities libraries are doing in the field.

V. Report from Planning Committee:

The committee met at Annual Assembly in July after a 3-year hiatus and agreed that one of their

tasks would be drafting operating procedures and strategic planning. The committee

reconvened for two tasks: 1) rewriting bylaws into operating procedures; and, 2) writing a

strategic plan for the RRT. John Hepner created a draft of the Operating Procedures which was

discussed in early 2012. Mentioned that periodic self-assessment takes place every 3 years and

that another assessment is due in 2 years. The Planning Committee met at the TLA Annual

Conference to discuss issues from the second draft, but did not commence work on the strategic

plan because the TLA strategic plan will not be complete until July 2012. The Executive Board

agreed that the Planning Committee should be a standing committee.

VI. Report from Publicity/Membership Committee:

The committee located and purchased replacement copies for four missing Texas Reference

Source Award books. Two autographed copies of Texas: A Historical Atlas were raffled off at the

booth during the conference. Assistant Webmaster, John Hepner, reported that almost all

relevant RRT webpage content from the old website has been restored. There is currently no

Webmaster.

The committee is currently evaluating the use of various communication methods, including the

member listserv. They are currently evaluating how the listserv has been used and their target is

to have something posted every month.

TLA 2014 in San Antonio marks the 50th anniversary of RRT, so the committee is considering

ideas for celebration. Some ideas for consideration include:

Extra decorations for booth (balloons, confetti, streamers, etc.)

A reception in the 5-6:30pm time range

Birthday cake at the reception

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Premium giveaway

Programming related to RRT History

Wicke suggested programming during the reception. Hepner called for additional ideas.

Wicke reported that the committee currently has two virtual members. Also noted a potential

candidate for Webmaster.

VII. Report from Texas Reference Source Award Committee:

The committee selected the Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) and the accompanying

website as the winner of the Texas Reference Source Award. A Guide to Sources of Texas

Criminal Justice Statistics and Profiles of Texas will be considered for next year.

The nomination deadline for next year is September 1st. Nominations may come from anyone in

TLA. Voting begins January 1st. Copies of the evaluation form contain bibliographic information,

publisher information, and contact information. A signed copy of the award winner will be

placed at next year’s booth. Levy noted the need to notify the publisher to make arrangements

for additional copies. Levy will send procedures out once completed.

No meeting is expected at the Annual Assembly.

Levy suggested creating a list of top 10 databases with updated information on the RRT website.

Hepner mentioned that this might be more appropriate for MyTLA, potentially as a Favorite

Resources section.

VIII. Appt. of Webmaster, Assistant Webmaster, and General Editor of the Texas Reference Sources

Online:

There is currently no one serving as Webmaster, though potential candidates were noted by

Wicke and Leuzinger. The Webmaster must be approved at Annual Assembly and cannot begin

work without going through Mary Ann’s training at the Assembly. However, the nomination may

be approved virtually. Interest in whether or not the candidate can attend conferences was

noted.

Tidwell moved to keep Hepner as Assistant Webmaster and General Editor. Matheney

seconded.

IX. New business and adjournment:

Matheny brought up two program proposals for 2013: Interactive Tools and Digital Outreach

that Wows Patrons and How the Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) Provides Information

about Texas Public Schools and their Libraries (see attachments below). Other potential

programs include a business reference preconference and co-sponsoring another program with

the Special Libraries Division.

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Hepner requested a list of all new officers, committees, and respective contact information for

the website as well as a copy of the minutes. He noted that there will be separate tabs for each

committee. Hepner also asked for all information that needs to be changed in the operating

procedures.

Tidwell motioned to adjourn at 2:05pm. Levy seconded.

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Reference Round Table Program Planning Committee Report, TLA 2012

Tuesday, April 17 Preconference

Online Legal Reference for Non-Law Librarians

Participants learn to use free federal, state, and city legal resources, including GPO Access,

Thomas, and Texas Legislature Online. Special emphasis will be placed on bringing your library

patrons to the resource and not providing legal advice. Participants should bring a laptop;

wireless access will be available.

John H. Faria, El Paso Public Library, Lisa A. Goodman & Kris Helge, School of Law, Texas

Wesleyan University

Wednesday, April 18

Leveraging your Skills: Rewrite that Resume and Market Yourself (co-sponsored with the Special

Libraries Division)

Two career-services directors discuss ways job seekers can expand their resumes to appeal to a broader audience of hiring managers in and out of libraries. Find out the practices to use and avoid during interviews. Tara Lagulli, School of Information; and Karen Landolt, Natural Librarians on the Move: New Jobs for the Information Professional (co-sponsored with the

Special Libraries Division)

A panel of librarians offers an open Q&A with attendees. Panelists will share how they moved from libraries into new positions outside libraries. Find out what worked for them. Pauline Ngo Martin, The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza; Beth Wagner, US EPA Region 6 Sunder Ram Library, DSI; and Laura Young, Research, Austin Ventures. Thursday, April 19

Library School Reference Courses: Still Relevant?

A panel including a library school administrator, reference professor, recent graduate, and a library school board member discuss the current state of library school reference education. They will examine the landscape for library use, information exploration, and the changes they see shaping future reference education. A business meeting follows the program.

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Emily Billings, Trinity River Campus, Tarrant County College; Corinne Hill, Dallas Public Library; Ling Hwey Jeng, School of Library and information Studies, Texas Woman’s University; and Loriene Roy, School of Information, University of Texas at Austin. Customer Service on the Frontline (co-sponsored with the Library Support Staff Round Table &

Public Libraries Division)

The frontlines of customer service often rattle the best of us. Customers want what they want and voice their complaints when they don’t get it. This program offers an open dialog on strategies and policies for best handling service issues while still delivering value and excellent customer service. A business meeting follows the program. Sara Tebes, Central Library, Irving Public Library.

Rolling Reference Out to New University Students

Roving reference librarians at Texas Tech University reach out to new students by rolling a cart and laptop around campus and answering directional and reference questions. The speakers will describe the development, successes, and failures of the service and will provide tips for libraries wanting to launch their own roving reference service. Cynthia Henry, Carrye Syma, and Kimberly Vardeman, Information Services, Texas Tech University Library.

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TLA Reference Round Table Planning Committee

Annual Report for 2011-2012

The Planning Committee met on July 26, 2011 at the TLA Annual Assembly. The last previous meeting of

the committee was at the TLA Annual Conference in 2008. The committee was reconvened for two

tasks: Rewriting the bylaws into operating procedures and writing a strategic plan for the RRT.

Attendees at the July 2011 meeting were: Erin O’Toole (RRT Chair), Tom Rohrig, John Hepner (RRT

Publicity Committee Chair), Jan Tidwell (RRT Councilor) and Jeffrey Levy (RRT TRSA Committee Chair).

The committee functioned without a chair during 2011-2012 because Erin O’Toole was not able to find

someone willing to chair the committee. O’Toole served as convener for the committee.

The attendees agreed that drafting the operating procedures was the primary task. They would be

based on the RRT Handbook, which was last revised in 2008. The decision was made to do the drafting

via email. John Hepner volunteered to do the first draft using the Model Operating Procedures template

provided by TLA.

John Hepner emailed a 13-page draft of the Operating Procedures to the RRT officers email list on

August 12, 2011, and asked for responses. Discussion of the draft occurred in early 2012, with the main

participants being John Hepner, Chair-Elect Ashlynn Wicke, Past Chair Jennifer Brown and Erin O’Toole.

O’Toole compiled the participants’ comments in a second draft of the Operating Procedures and

distributed it to the RRT members distribution list and RRT group in myTLA for comments in early April.

The Planning Committee met on April 17, 2012 at the TLA Annual Conference to discuss the issues raised

in the second draft. The attendees were: Erin O’Toole, John Hepner, Connie Matheny (incoming Chair-

Elect), Karen Hendrick, Jan Tidwell, Jeffrey Levy. The participants made the following major

recommendations for the Operating Procedures to the incoming Planning Committee:

The Planning Committee should remain a standing committee.

Committee members, but not chairs, can participate virtually.

The TRSO General Editor should be an automatic member of the TRSA Committee.

The 2011-2012 Planning Committee did not commence work on the strategic plan because the new TLA

strategic plan will not be completed until July 2012. It will be the job of the 2012-13 Planning Committee

to finish the Operating Procedures and present them to the RRT Executive Board and membership for a

vote, and to start drafting the RRT strategic plan.

Respectfully submitted by Erin O’Toole, RRT Chair and Planning Committee Convener

April 18, 2012

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TEXAS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

REFERENCE ROUND TABLE

PUBLICITY/MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT

Summary of activities during the 2011-2012 year:

Met once at 2011 Annual Assembly and once at 2012 Annual Conference (copies of minutes for both meetings are attached).

Revised RRT membership leaflet and produced 100 copies for distribution from the RRT exhibit booth during the 2012 Annual Conference.

Revised the RRT volunteer form and produced 50 copies.

Considered several potential premium giveaways for the RRT exhibit booth. Selected a coin purse and a chip clip as of primary interest. Ordered 250 coin purses (total cost $228.45) for distribution starting with the 2012 Annual Conference.

Staffing reports from the RRT Booth Coordinator were presented at each meeting: the final report for the 2011 conference at the Annual Assembly meeting and the preliminary report for the 2012 conference at Annual Conference meeting.

The Assistant Webmaster reported that almost all relevant RRT webpage content from the old TLA website has been restored and updated for the new website. The TRSA webpage has been restored but still needs updating, which has been postponed until the TRSA Committee completes its revision of procedures.

Kelly Brouillard has resigned as RRT Webmaster and a replacement needs to be found. John Hepner will fill in until a replacement is found and trained.

Evaluated the use of RRT communication resources (MyTLA RRT announcements and discussion forums options and the RRT member distribution list). Improvement in spreading out the timed use of the resources to keep RRT members informed was emphasized (at least one message per month was a target for the year). Good application was observed and a few further improvements related to message content and timing were suggested.

Discussed ways to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of RRT’s founding to occur during the 2014 TLA Annual Conference in San Antonio. Some ideas being considered include:

Helium balloons, confetti, streamers for booth A reception in the 5-6:30 p.m. time range either in conference center,

conference hotel or nearby restaurant Birthday cake at reception Special 50th anniversary premium giveaway Program related to RRT history

--Submitted by John Hepner, Chair, RRT Publicity/Membership Committee, April 2012

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TEXAS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

REFERENCE ROUND TABLE

Publicity/Membership Committee Meeting

Tuesday, 26 July 2011, 8-9:30 a.m.

Hyatt Regency Austin, Big Bend B

Attendance: John C. Hepner, Chair Jeffrey Levy Erin O’Toole Ashlynn Wicke Karen Hendrick Constance Matheny (Matt Butler and Kelly Brouillard absent) The Chair called the meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. John Hepner presented a review of progress made on restoring the RRT website. Minutes documents have been reloaded and linked. We are missing meeting minutes documents from 2009, Annual Assembly 2008, and Annual Assembly and Annual Conference Business Meeting 2006. The TLA Office has been asked to see if any of these are in their files, but they have not yet found any of them. The Bylaws archive has been restored. The History section has been reorganized. RRT Newsletter issues have been reloaded and linked, including the issues published only in HTML format, for which Mary Ann Emerson, TLA Webmaster, created PDF copies from the archived website files. The Texas Reference Source Award winners page has been reconstructed and updated. The Bebout Award winners page has been reconstructed. Several historical documents have been reloaded and linked, but more are to be retrieved from the archived website files. The programs table has been restored. The 2011 programs will be added after Annual Assembly. Some PPTs and pictures still need to be reloaded and linked. Some text remains to be updated and booth information still needs to be restored. Pages still need to be created for each RRT committee for posting minutes of meetings and other committee resources. It is expected that complete restoration and updating of the RRT website will be completed before the 2012 TLA Annual Conference. The final RRT exhibit booth staffing report for 2011 was distributed (see appended copy). John noted that we had one TRSA book stolen from the booth between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. The first author signing in our booth occurred Friday morning, but it was arranged too late to be included in TLA publicity materials and announcements over the exhibit hall PA were banned.

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In a follow-up to discussion at the Annual Conference meeting, John Hepner had examined both the Janway and Positive Promotions websites to see what freebie possibilities we might consider. He distributed pages for items he found under $150. A vote was taken and it was decided to pursue the 6” Keepit Clip and the Key Ring Wallet available from Positive Promotions. John will solicit final costs for each and distribute the information to the committee and the RRT Chair for a final recommendation. Three missing books – Field Guide to Spiders and Scorpions, Field Guide to Common Texas Insects, and Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac – have been replaced for the Texas Reference Source Award books display at a cost of $54.07. John has not yet found a replacement copy for the 1999 edition of the Texas Almanac, but he is still searching. More book supports also need to be acquired. The increasing size of the display has led John Hepner, Booth Coordinator, to propose a new booth configuration using one low table (for the display panel), two tall tables with risers (for the TRSA books), two chairs, and carpeting for the booth. He expects that the RRT banner may be mounted on the back of one of the tall tables. He has asked TLA staff for an estimate of how much the new arrangement would cost, but has not received an answer. TLA units usually receive booth furnishings at half-price. Booth expenses for the 2011 Annual Conference totaled $215.08 (including RRT membership ribbons). The membership brochure we are using needs revision due to the discontinuation of the RRT Newsletter. John distributed a proposed revision. During discussion it was decided to add information about RRT committees and to include using MyTLA for networking. John will make revisions and submit them to the committee members for comment. John proposed that we run only 100 copies initially. During consideration of other membership promotion options, the use of the MyTLA groups system and the members and officers distribution lists to keep in contact with RRT members was discussed. Using both the MyTLA groups system and the members distribution list for RRT messages to our members was generally agreed to be the best approach to ensure that messages got to all our members. Sending at least one message per month was suggested to spread out messaging to keep members informed about what RRT is doing. The committee will consider developing a yearly calendar to schedule routine messages. Some months may require more than one message, but they are to spread out during the month. Some messages to be posted this year include how to use MyTLA groups to post queries and kudos (August), the announcement of the new TRSA winner (September), officer nominee solicitations, a call for TRSA book nominations, a call for Bebout Award nominations, and program announcements. The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 a.m. --Submitted by John C. Hepner, Chair

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RRT BOOTH STAFFING DURING TLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2011

REPORT

A call for volunteers to staff the RRT exhibit booth was posted to the RRT Member Distribution List (reference@txla.org) Friday, 25 February 2011, at 8:26 a.m.:

Greeters needed for RRT Booth RRT will have an exhibit space (booth 2852) at the 2011 TLA Annual Conference April 12-15 in Austin, and we need some volunteers to help staff the booth for various hours during the conference. The exhibits will be open Wednesday (April 13) 10:15 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday (April 14) 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Friday (April 15) 9 a.m.-Noon. Note that 1:00 p.m.-1:50 p.m. Thursday and 8:00 a.m.-9:50 a.m. Friday are RRT program times. Please contribute an hour or two of your time to help us show everyone what RRT is doing for them. This is lots of fun and a great way to meet new and interesting people. Plus you get to promote membership in RRT - the more members we have, the more we can do. To volunteer some time, email John Hepner, Booth Coordinator, at jhepner@mail.twu.edu or heplib@hotmail.com

A second call for booth staffing volunteers was posted to the RRT membership listserv Friday, 1 April 2011, at 8:40 a.m.: Greeters still needed for RRT Booth I still need volunteers to help staff the RRT exhibit booth at the TLA Annual Conference in Austin, so if any of you have been holding back, now is the time to let me know you are ready to participate. Slots are still open Wednesday (April 13) 10:15 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday (April 14) 9 a.m.-10 a.m.; and Friday (April 15) 9 a.m.-Noon. Please contribute an hour or two of your time to help us show everyone what RRT is doing for them. This is lots of fun and a great way to meet new and interesting people. Plus you get to promote membership in RRT - the more members we have, the more we can do. To volunteer some time, email John Hepner, Booth Coordinator, at jhepner@mail.twu.edu or heplib@hotmail.com --John Hepner Booth Coordinator Reference Round Table

An email reminder about the RRT booth staffing was sent to all volunteers Wednesday, 6 April 2011, at 10:33 a.m.:

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RRT Booth staffing reminder 2011 Thank you for volunteering to staff the RRT exhibit booth during the TLA Annual Conference in Austin next week! Here is the staffing schedule to date indicating when you are scheduled to be at the booth: Wednesday, April 13 10:15-11 a.m. Jan Tidwell 11-Noon Jan Tidwell Noon-1 p.m. Ashlynn Wicke 1-2 p.m. 2-3 p.m. 3-4 p.m. Thursday, April 14 9-10 a.m. Lisa Muilenburg 10-11 a.m. Carl Nelson 11-Noon Carl Nelson Noon-1 p.m. Melissa Place 1-2 p.m. Melissa Place 2-3 p.m. Kay Hetherly 3-4 p.m. Kay Hetherly Friday, April 15 9-10 a.m. 10-11 a.m. 11-Noon The RRT Booth Number is 2852. This is on aisle 2800 across from the YART booth and near the Post Office area. I will have a schedule sheet at the booth. Please initial your name on this schedule at the appropriate time to confirm you were there. You do not need to wait for the next person to arrive at the booth before leaving at the end of your time. If you have a program or meeting to get to, please feel free to leave 5-10 minutes before your time is up. In addition to the new display panel and the Texas Reference Source Award books, the RRT booth will have membership brochures, ribbons, and candy. Feel free to distribute brochures when the opportunity arises. Extra supplies will be under one of the tables. Note that the Texas Reference Source Award books at the booth are display copies only and not to be given away.

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Have fun plugging membership in RRT! We greatly appreciate your willingness to help us have a presence at our booth in Austin! --John John C. Hepner Exhibit Coordinator Reference Round Table Seven volunteers were able to be scheduled (Erin O’Toole volunteered during the conference for Wednesday 2-4 p.m.). Two additional volunteers were not scheduled because times were already taken or they had scheduling conflicts. Of the 16 hours of booth time to be covered, volunteers were scheduled for 12 hours. “A Thank You from the Reference Round Table” email message was sent to our RRT booth staffers at 6:18 p.m., Thursday, 5 May 2011:

On behalf of the Reference Round Table (and myself), here’s a Texas-size “Thank you” for staffing our exhibit booth during the TLA Annual Conference in Austin! We really appreciate your willingness to contribute some of your convention time to help us provide a personal presence at our booth. You made a difference! I hope you all had a good experience and lots of fun. --John Hepner RRT Booth Coordinator Between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, one of the Texas Reference Source Award books (Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac) was stolen from the booth. On Friday morning, the author and illustrator of Texas: A Historical Atlas signed copies of the book at the RRT booth. The Texas Reference Source Award books were packed up early to accommodate this event. --Submitted by John Hepner, Booth Coordinator, to the RRT Public Relations/Membership Committee, TLA Annual Assembly, 26 July 2011

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TEXAS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

REFERENCE ROUND TABLE

Publicity/Membership Committee Meeting

Tuesday, 17 April 2012, 2-2:50 p.m.

Attendance: John C. Hepner, Chair Jennifer Shelly Jeffrey Levy Connie Matheny The Chair called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m. TLA lists 381 members of RRT as of 15 April 2012. Website John Hepner presented a review of progress made on restoring the RRT website. Almost all our historical materials have been loaded and updated. The TRSA history needs some updating. We are still missing minutes from 2009, Annual Assembly 2008, and Annual Assembly and Annual Conference Business Meeting 2006. The Committees webpage still needs to be reorganized to provide space for each committee’s annual reports and minutes. After this is done, committees will need to be asked for copies of current and past copies of minutes and annual reports to be posted. Kelly Brouillard has resigned as RRT Webmaster and a replacement will need to be found. John Hepner will fill in until a new webmaster is appointed. The TRSA Committee is revising its nomination form and instructions. These will be posted when they are completed. The volunteer form also will be posted. Mary Ann Emerson, TLA Webmaster, can convert these forms to interactive online formats if we wish to do so. John Hepner cautioned that the interactive online Texas Reference Sources Online suggestion form had to be scrapped a few years ago because it was hacked and he was receiving hundreds of spam messages through the form for several months before it was withdrawn. We will need to check with Mary Ann about whether this may still be a concern with interactive online forms. Instructions for Lois Bebout Reference Service Award nominations have been restored. Exhibit Booth

All TRSA volumes are now on file for exhibit. Replacement copies for three missing volumes (Field Guide to Spiders and Scorpions, Field Guide to Common Texas Insects, and Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac) were acquired at a cost of $54.07. A

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replacement for the Millennium Edition of the Texas Almanac was located and ordered April 9 ($26.98), but did not arrive in time for display this year.. The 2012 exhibit booth was set up Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Booth setup times were changed for this conference because of the conference party in the exhibits area scheduled for Tuesday evening. Our booth setup this year includes:

10x10 booth – est. $50 1 9ft draped table –est. $50 2 8ft risers – est. $70 each 10x10 carpet – est. $80 2 Chairs – est. $25 each

Our basic booth expenses are estimated at $370 for 2012. We have new RRT logo key ring wallets from Positive Promotions (250 for $228.45) to give away at the booth. We also have new leaflets and volunteer forms ($141.87 printing cost for 100 leaflets and 50 volunteer forms) and a supply of candy ($55.10) for the booth. Tabletop easels for the TRSA books were acquired from Displays2Go ($81.87). We have spent a total of approximately $958.34 in booth-related expenses this year. In response to two calls for volunteers, ten volunteers were able to be scheduled to staff the booth this year. Of the 19 hours of booth time to be covered, volunteers were scheduled for 14 hours. Some of the remaining 5 hours will be covered by John Hepner and a few hours will remain unstaffed. A copy of the Booth Staffing Report is attached. A “Thank you” message to staffers will be sent after the Annual Conference. Next year or the year after we will need to replace the display panel to accommodate needed corrections, content, and web address. Use of MyTLA groups and RRT Distribution Lists

At our prior meeting, using both the MyTLA groups system and the member distribution list for RRT messages to our members was generally agreed to be the best approach to ensure that messages got to all our members. Sending at least one message per month was suggested to spread out messaging to keep members informed about what RRT is doing. Ten messages were posted to the RRT group page from August 2011-April 2012 (2 in September, 4 in November, 3 in March, and 1 in April). Three discussion forums were created, but there was no response to any of them. The member distribution list was used 13 times from August 2011- April 2012 (1 in August, 1 in September, 1 in October, 1 in Nov, 3 in February, 5 in March, and 1 in April). Several messages duplicated RRT group postings, but some messages only were posted to the member distribution list: Annual Assembly and Annual Conference minutes, booth staffing calls for volunteers, and a call for committee volunteers. No call for TRSA nominations nor announcing the TRSA award winner were posted. No call for a new webmaster was

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posted. No call for Lois Bebout Award nominations was posted. With a revision in the TRSA Committee procedures and form, it should be possible to post the call for TRSA nominations at least twice this coming year. A call for Bebout Award nominations can be posted in November or December this coming year. A reminder to renew RRT membership should be sent out in November. It might be nice for the incoming Chair to post a general message about plans and expectations for the coming year and encouraging members to get involved at some point after Annual Conference, possibly in May or June. Overall, we seem to be doing better about using our communication resources, but some further improvement is possible. It may be necessary to identify who is responsible for posting particular messages and when they should do it. RRT 50th Anniversary

RRT was founded in 1964 and will celebrate its 50 year anniversary during the 2014 TLA Annual Conference in San Antonio. We are thinking now about how we want to celebrate the anniversary during the conference. Some ideas being considered include:

Helium balloons, confetti, streamers for booth

A reception in the 5-6:30 p.m. time range either in conference center. conference hotel or nearby restaurant

Birthday cake at reception

Special 50th anniversary premium giveaway

Program related to RRT history The meeting was adjourned at 2:55 p.m. --Submitted by John C. Hepner, Chair, RRT Publicity and Membership Committee

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RRT BOOTH STAFFING

DURING TLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2012

REPORT

A call for volunteers to staff the RRT exhibit booth was posted to the RRT Member Distribution List

(reference@txla.org) Friday, 3 February 2012, 7:23 a.m.:

Greeters needed for RRT Booth

RRT will have an exhibit space (booth 1235) at the 2012 TLA Annual Conference April 17-20 in Houston,

and we need some volunteers to help staff the booth for various hours during the conference. The

exhibits will be open Tuesday (April 17) 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Wednesday (April 18) 10:15 a.m.-5 p.m.;

Thursday (April 19) 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Friday (April 20) 9 a.m.-Noon. Note that 8 a.m.-9:50 a.m. and 1:00

p.m.-1:50 p.m. Thursday are RRT program times. Please contribute an hour or two of your time to help

us show everyone what RRT is doing for them. This is lots of fun and a great way to meet new and

interesting people. Plus you get to promote membership in RRT - the more members we have, the more

we can do. To volunteer some time, email John Hepner, Booth Coordinator, at heplib@hotmail.com

A second call for booth staffing volunteers was posted to the RRT membership listserv Friday, 13

March 2012, 11:40 a.m.:

Greeters still needed for RRT Booth

I still need volunteers to help staff the RRT exhibit booth at the TLA Annual Conference in Houston, so if

any of you have been holding back, now is the time to let me know you are ready to participate. Slots

are still open Tuesday (April 17) 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.; Wednesday (April 18) Noon-5 p.m.; Thursday (April

19) 1 p.m.-4 p.m.; and Friday (April 20) 9 a.m.-Noon. Please contribute an hour or two of your time to

help us show everyone what RRT is doing for them. This is lots of fun and a great way to meet new and

interesting people. Plus you get to promote membership in RRT - the more members we have, the more

we can do. To volunteer some time, email John Hepner, Booth Coordinator, at heplib@hotmail.com

--John Hepner Booth Coordinator Reference Round Table An email reminder about the RRT booth staffing was sent to all volunteers Monday, 9 April 2012, 7:24 a.m.: RRT Booth staffing reminder Thank you for volunteering to staff the RRT exhibit booth during the TLA Annual Conference in Houston next week!

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Here is the staffing schedule to date indicating when you are scheduled to be at the booth:

Tuesday, April 17

6:30-7:30 pm 7:30-8:30 pm Wednesday, April 18

10:15-11 am Ryan Cassidy, Erin O’Toole 11-Noon Ryan Cassidy, Erin O’Toole Noon-1 pm Mindy Tomlin 1-2 pm Mindy Tomlin 2-3 pm Hollie Gardner 3-4 pm Hollie Gardner 4-5 pm Carlton Nelson, Hollie Gardner Thursday, April 19

9-10 am Anthony Micchelli 10-11 am Anthony Micchelli 11-Noon Cathe Spencer Noon-1 pm Cathe Spencer 1-2 pm Ronald Stigall 2-3 pm 3-4 pm Friday, April 20

9-10 am 10-11 am 11-Noon I will cover some of the vacant times. We may get additional volunteers during the conference.

The RRT booth number is 1330 (NOTE: this is a change from our initial booth number assignment). I will

have a schedule sheet at the booth. Please initial your name on this schedule at the appropriate time to

confirm you were there. You do not need to wait for the next person to arrive at the booth before

leaving at the end of your time. If you have a program or meeting to get to, please feel free to leave 5-10

minutes before your time is up.

In addition to the display panel and the Texas Reference Source Award books, the RRT booth will have

new membership brochures, volunteer forms, the new RRT coin purse, ribbons, and candy. We will need

to be judicious in distributing the coin purses: we have a limited supply. Feel free to distribute brochures

and volunteer forms when the opportunity arises. Volunteer forms may be filled out and left at the

booth if a member wants to; otherwise they may be mailed to the RRT Chair-elect. Extra supplies will be

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under one of the tables. Note that the Texas Reference Source Award books at the booth are display

copies only and not to be given away.

Talking points for RRT membership are in the brochure. Note that we welcome anyone interested in

reference service: you don’t have to be “reference librarian” to join. Have fun plugging membership in

RRT!

We greatly appreciate your willingness to help us have a presence at our booth in Houston!

--John

John C. Hepner Exhibit Coordinator Reference Round Table Tuesday slots were filled after the reminder notice was sent. Ten volunteers were able to be

scheduled. Of the 19 hours of booth time to be covered, volunteers were scheduled for 14 hours.

“A Thank You from the Reference Round Table” email message will sent to our RRT booth staffers

after the TLA Annual Conference.

--Submitted by John C. Hepner, Booth Coordinator, to the RRT Executive Committee and to the RRT Public Relations/Membership Committee during the TLA Annual Conference, April 2012

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Texas Reference Sources Award Committee’s Annual Report for 2011-2012 for the RRT Executive

Board, Thursday, April 19, at the TLA Annual Convention, Houston

The Committee selected the Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) and website because its scope

and comprehensiveness will greatly assist researchers who correlate the spending by Texas public school

districts and campuses with the academic progress of the students. Additionally, this work furnishes

models for campuses and districts across the state by highlighting the best cost-effective practices. Thus,

FAST constitutes a significant step towards improving Texas education.

One other candidate for the award was considered: A Guide to Sources of Texas Criminal Justice

Statistics (UNT Press, 2011). This will be considered for the award next year, along with Profiles of Texas,

3rd edition (Grey House Publishing, 2011); this updated edition had not been published in time to be

considered.

The announcement went out as follows:

2012 Texas Reference Source Award Won by the FAST Report, published by the Texas Comptroller of

Public Accounts.

Established by the Texas Library Association, Reference Round Table in 1996, the Texas Reference

Source Award recognizes an outstanding reference tool in Texas history, culture or commerce.

"Reference tool" encompasses bibliographies, indexes, encyclopedias and other scholarly resources. The

purpose of the award is to encourage and acknowledge truly superior accomplishments in research and

scholarship. The award may be granted to a distinguished reference tool, regardless of format,

published or accepted for publication within the three years immediately preceding the closing date for

nominations.

Selection is based on scholarship, style and contribution as a Texas reference source. The Reference

Round Table's Texas Reference Source Award Committee reviews all entries and recommends a

recipient to the Executive Board of the Reference Round Table. Jeffrey Levy from the University of

North Texas, Willis Library was head of this award committee. The award is presented at the Reference

Round Table business or program meeting during the following TLA conference.

The 2012 Texas Reference Source Award was won by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Susan

Combs, for the December 2010 report and 2011 updated website entitled FAST: Financial Allocation

Study for Texas. FAST measures how spending in every Texas public school district and campus

translates to student academic progress. Updated data for the second year of FAST ratings was released

in September 2011. The Comptroller’s FAST study also identifies and shares cost-effective practices that

could benefit campuses and districts across the state. For the 2009-2010 school year, Round Rock ISD

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Library Services had three best practices that saved the district $531,000. For more information see the

report and ratings at http://www.fastexas.org/

Committee members: Patricia Reese, Chuck Voellinger, Constance Matheny, Jeffrey Levy, Chair

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Title:

Interactive Tools and Digital Outreach that Wows Patrons

Abstract:

Today, librarians and other information professionals must go beyond the basics of electronic media and

create measurable value for users using new tools and platforms.

Using the Texas Comptroller’s websites as a lens, this program explains how information professionals

can connect users and patrons with digital information that goes beyond information curation and

toward solving real-world problems through interactive, open digital tools and outreach.

The Texas Comptroller is the state’s chief revenue officer, tax collector, and treasurer.

Through the Comptroller websites, Texans can get the latest economic news and analysis, pay taxes,

reclaim forgotten money and property, track state spending and expenditures, find the best performing

public and charter schools, learn ways to pay for their children’s college education, obtain information

about state purchasing and more.

In 2011, Window on State Government served more than 56 million pageviews. The Comptroller serves

nearly 800,000 email subscribers who opt-in on a variety of topics related to the economy, local

government and economic development.

The agency uses electronic maps and data visualization tools to communicate otherwise vast and

complex data and economic trends.

Speaker and his credentials for this session:

Michael Castellon is the social media strategist and coordinator for the Texas Comptroller of Public

Accounts, an agency committed to using social media tools, open data and data visualization to enhance

transparency and open government.

Prior to joining the Texas Comptroller, he served as a marketing communications project manager at

National Instruments and as marketing project manager for the Texas Tech University System Office of

Communication and Marketing. His interests lie at the intersection of marketing communications, user

advocacy and content distribution.

A native of Urbana, Illinois, he holds a master’s degree in Technical Communication and B.A. in English

and Mass Communications from Texas Tech University.

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FAST Program for the Texas Library Association Annual Conference in 2013

Title: How the Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) Provides Information about Texas Public

Schools and their Libraries?

Desired Length of Program: 50 Minutes for Presentation and Questions

Abstract: This legislatively mandated study examines Texas public school district and campus resource

allocation practices that contribute to high academic achievement and cost-effective operations

including those impacting school libraries.

Program Objectives:

Audience will understand the history and methodology used for the FAST Project.

Audience will review how to run reports on the FAST web-based database including finding data

concerning their school districts, campuses, and its libraries.

Audience will understand the reasoning behind the FAST Recommendations.

Audience will review the FAST Smart Practices and how they can help their schools and libraries.

Target Audience: School, Academic, Public and Special Librarians with collections that focus on

educational resources; General public and library lay advocates that are concerned with Texas public

education.

Speaker and his credentials for this session:

Tom Currah, Senior Advisor, Data Analysis, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Backup Speaker if Necessary: Olga Garza, Senior Research Analyst and FAST Project Manager, Texas

Comptroller of Public Accounts

AV and other Special Requirements: We will bring our own laptop. We will need an Internet

connection, data projector, microphone, and screen. The room should accommodate a larger group like

500. We are requesting a program time from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. only please.

Cost: $600 total with $200 for one round trip airline ticket from Austin to Fort Worth plus $400 for the

data projector, microphone, Internet connection, and screen. No honorarium is requested. TLA

Reference Round Table Chair-Elect Constance Matheny or TLA Member Marvin Matheny will handle the

transportation to and from the airport to help reduce costs and help the speaker get to his program on

time.