From Your Executive Director – February 2021

Greetings Colleagues,

Since my last column two months ago, ASIS&T staff have been busy working on several new initiatives, many of which are detailed in Brian's column so I won't repeat them here. There are a few additional highlights, though, that I'd like to draw to your attention:

Waived Dues for Developing Country Members
In October the Board approved a waiver of dues for individuals in Tier 2 countries. Current, lapsed, and prospective members in these countries will now receive free membership in ASIS&T for the coming year. The decision to renew these dues-free memberships will be re-evaluated each year based on the annual budget. Please encourage your colleagues from these countries to join ASIS&T to take advantage of our many member benefits.

Distinguished Member Program
We are currently in the process of identifying those members of ASIS&T that qualify for Distinguished Membership. This status is achieved through continuous membership, service, and engagement with ASIS&T. We will be reaching out to those members that meet the membership criteria and inviting them to apply for this recognition in the next couple of weeks.

Awards
Please consider nominating yourself or a colleague for one of ASIS&T's prestigious awards. New this year, we are introducing the Lois Lunin Award which provides a scholarship to attend the ASIS&T Annual Meeting to individuals who have a record of experience and accomplishments, and also demonstrate that they are likely to make future meaningful contributions in leadership and mentoring.

Publications
The Publications Committee has been hard at work on bringing back ARIST and launching our new online magazine, Information Matters.  Elsewhere in this newsletter you'll find a call for applications for the Editor-in-Chief of Information Matters. Please consider applying and sharing with your colleagues. Soon we will be announcing the call for applications for the ARIST Editor-in-Chief as well.

Additionally, the History Committee has succeeded in making past issues of many publications, including ARIST, open access on the Hathi Trust Digital Library.

New Meetings
The Professional Development Committee has been hard at work developing two new meetings: A 24-Hour Global Conference and an Information Summit. Both meetings will require volunteers to staff the Program Committees, so please keep an eye out for a call for volunteers for those roles.

Strategic Plan
We do not plan to let our strategic plan gather dust on the shelf. With only a few exceptions, work is underway on the tactics outlined in the plan. For an up-to-the-minute look at where we are on the Strategic Plan, check the website.

There is much news and opportunity in this issue of Inside ASIS&T. Please take advantage of all it has to offer! As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or the rest of the ASIS&T staff with any questions or comments.

All the Best, Lydia