Governance Update, September 2025

The Board of Directors met on July 29, 2025 via Zoom. In attendance were; Ian Ruthven (President); Maria Bonn (President-Elect); Chris Cunningham, PhD, (Treasurer); Lu An, Timothy Dickey, Bhakti Gala; Lisa Hussey; Aylin Imeri; Luanne Sinnamon, PhD; and Lydia Middleton, MBA, CAE (Executive Director). Attending as a guest was Megan Pfefferle, Associate ED.

1. Strategic Planning Update

Maria Bonn provided an update on the strategic plan, noting that overall membership feedback has been favorable. Members expressed a desire for stronger accountability metrics, potentially through a task force to define success measures. The board supports the current draft, and no member vote is required. While the SLA Board was invited to provide feedback on the merged plan, they have yet to respond, prompting some frustration over their lack of organization.

2. SLA Asset Transfer Agreement

The board approved the asset transfer agreement in principle, pending finalization of schedules and resolution of outstanding liabilities with SLA’s association management company. 

3. Committee Reports

The Board reviewed and discussed reports from:

• Publications Committee
• Professional Development Committee
• Nominations Committee
• Chapter Assembly
• SIG Cabinet
• Research Engagement
• Annual Meeting Program Committee
• Education Committee

4. President’s Report

The new webinar series titled “Passing It On”, designed for mid-career professionals, successfully launched with its first session focused on contract negotiation. The second installment in the series is scheduled for September. New board members have been confirmed, and Ina Fourie, PhD will deliver the President’s Lecture as the keynote speaker for the upcoming virtual meeting. Additionally, recent developments in Thailand and Cambodia have prompted questions regarding the potential impact on ASIS&T’s contract in Thailand, and further clarification is being pursued.

5. Executive Director’s Report 

Lydia reported a $206K surplus driven by strong investment performance, despite a planned operational deficit to support strategic initiatives. Membership renewals improved slightly, with 28% not renewing by July 15. The IDEA Institute will run in late August, featuring 16 AI-focused modules. Annual meeting registration is slightly below last year, but Lydia remains optimistic. The closing session will feature a debate on AI’s role in information science, and future meetings are confirmed for Bangkok (2026) and Vancouver (2027). On the JASIST rebid, only Oxford and Wiley remain, with Springer and Elsevier withdrawing. Lydia is managing annual meeting planning until a new meetings manager is hired; interviews are in progress.

7. Consent Agenda:

The consent agenda was approved. It consisted of:

• Minutes of April 29, 2025, meeting
• Financial Statement 6/25