AISTI 1998 Annual Report

1998
Letter from the Chair of the Directors Group
Library Services Alliance of New Mexico
 

The past year marked significant milestones for the organization. Our first Associate members and a new full member joined, as well these new memberships included not only out-of-state, but also an international member. This reinforced our goal to provide services irrespective of time, national boundaries, and type of organization. Our membership now includes many types of non-profit organizations involved in science and technology teaching, research and industrialization. This diversity lends wonderful opportunities to learn from each other, as was evidenced at the recent two meetings where new members from the Naval Research Laboratory, the campuses of the University of Nevada, Santa Fe Institute, Lovelace Respiratory Research Center, The UNM Health Sciences Center, and NASA libraries attended. Please see a list of members and information about their institutions.

Our diversity is also one of our greatest challenges. How can we meet the needs of smaller member organizations? How can we ensure equal participation by all members, whether academic or research institutions, to participate in all consortial arrangements on a not-for-profit basis? How can we broker deals with for-profit companies without limiting future efforts to bring more control for producers over their intellectual products in future? I am confident that these issues will be resolved in innovative ways that may well become examples to other consortia.

Our members provide information services to some of the US's most important national laboratories and many of our members libraries are recognized leaders in their fields. The Los Alamos National Laboratory Library was recently selected as a "Cutting-edge Library" by Online Magazineand featured in their March, 1999 issue. This high level of expertise among our members bodes well for our continued success.

This year the Alliance Annual Report is not being published as a traditional paper publication.  This innovative new online Annual Report is a first for the Alliance.

Many products were demonstrated to the members this year as can be seen in the annual report. Some of these have great potential for the Alliance and should come to fruition in 1999. In some cases we try to change the marketing models currently used by vendors. A presentation and meeting at UNM of Alliance members with three senior members of CAS resulted in major changes in their marketing philosophy that augers well for a future agreement beneficial to all.

I encourage members to look back at our accomplishments by visiting at the Alliance-at-a-Glance portion of the homepage. Karen Stoll has done her usual stellar job as webmaster for and consultant to the Alliance. The incoming chair inherits a strong and growing alliance with the potential of being a leader in the consortial arena.

Johann van Reenen.
March, 1999