Viewpoint from the Chair - September 2012

Prior to the first Amigos Board of Directors meeting of each new fiscal year, Amigos' senior management brings in newly elected Directors for a daylong Amigos orientation. We had no new Directors this year, as those Directors whose terms had expired were all re-elected to new terms. However, under the terms of the merger agreement with the Missouri Library Network (MLNC), which called for former MLNC members to have a role in the governance of the merged organization, two former MLNC Directors were in attendance. Liz MacDonald, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, MO, and Steve Potter, Mid-Continent Public Library System, Independence, MO, will attend Amigos Board meetings this year as nonvoting representatives. Liz and Steve as well as individuals from former MLNC member institutions that are now Amigos Members will be eligible for nomination to the Amigos Board next spring.

I thought it might be useful, especially for our newest Amigos Members, to outline what comprises an Amigos orientation. This year we began with an overview of Amigos as an organization, including its mission, goals, current strategic plan, staff and member information, planning and reporting structure. We then turned to the basic duties and responsibilities of serving as an Amigos Director. This was followed by an outline of the support Directors receive from Amigos staff and a rundown of current Board committees and task forces.

The next segment covered programs available to Amigos Members, including Member Discount Services, Trans-Amigos Express courier program, Continuing Education Services, Imaging & Preservation Service, our current open source integrated library system pilot project, and management and fiscal services. From there we moved to discussion of various infrastructure components, including information technology, communications and membership development, auditing services, insurance, and financial services. This segued nicely into a report on Amigos' current financial condition.

By this point we had thrown so much at these folks it was time for a lunch break.

The session following lunch dealt with the relationships Amigos has formed on behalf of our Members. These include vendor partners, numerous library alliances, and governmental organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Liz later offered her assessment of the day, saying, "I thought the Board orientation was fantastic! It was extremely organized, informative, well run, and as a representative for former MLNC library members, it gave me a clear sense of the mission of Amigos and its commitment to the support and advancement of all Amigos member libraries."

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