MAC Messages Number 88:
November/December 2001

2003 Annual Meeting Planning
By Jonathan Lord, Immediate Past-Chair 2000-2001

Even though our 2002 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC is still 11 months in the future, the MAC Executive Board has already started to think about 2003 Annual Meeting. Since both West Virginia and the District of Columbia are collaborating on the 2002 meeting, this either leaves an opening in 2003, or the next North Carolina annual meeting would be moved from 2004 to 2003. The MAC Executive Board has decided to keep the annual meeting rotation as it currently is, and pursue having a joint meeting with other MLA chapters in 2003.

One of the recommendations of the MAC Financial Planning Task Force, with regard to annual meeting financing, was to seek opportunities to hold joint annual meetings with other chapters. Earlier this year, I heard that the Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York/New Jersey MLA chapters were talking about a joint meeting in October 2003. Inquiries were made, and the Executive Boards of the four chapters were all favorable to begin initial planning for a "quad-chapter" meeting.

I attended a planning meeting in Philadelphia on November 9th where there were representatives of 3 other MLA chapters, as well as the Philadelphia chapter of the Special Libraries Association. There was a lot of enthusiasm about bringing together members of the 5 chapters (a "quint-chapter meeting!") for an annual meeting in Philadelphia in October 2003. Many of the details are very preliminary at this point, but the group agreed on assembling a Steering Committee, made up from representatives of the 5 chapters, that will begin the process of site selection. A formal agreement is being drafted for the review and signatures of the Executive Boards of the five chapters.

The MAC Executive Board has asked that I serve as the MAC liaison to the 2003 joint-meeting planning group. I will be updating you from time to time on any new developments and will be asking members to participate in the various planning committees when they are formed.

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