Whether you are a library school student or new library professional, navigating the ALCTS committee-scape can be overwhelming. To illustrate what committee work entails and how you can get involved, Sarah Cruz and Kumiko Reichert of the ALCTS New Members Interest Group (ANMIG for short) talked with committee leaders from each ALCTS section and asked them to tell us first-hand about their roles. Their interview with Miriam Centeno & Patrice-Andre Prud’homme, chairs of the ALCTS Preservation & Reformatting Section (PARS) Program, Planning, & Publications Committee, is the last of six leading up to the 2019 ALA Midwinter Meeting.
Program, Planning & Publications Committee provides a great opportunity to be exposed to a variety of topics, where people could engage in areas of interest such as in preservation education, publication, and program planning regardless of their experience.
Chairs Miriam Centeno & Patrice-Andre Prud’homme, chairs of the PARS Program, Planning, & Publications Committee
Introduce your committee.
The committee is responsible for drafting annual and long-range goals for the section and coordinating the activities of all section committees related to preservation education, publication, and program planning. Everyone is involved in some capacity. The committee provides a great opportunity to be exposed to the different activities of PARS.
How long have you been part of the committee, first as member and then as chair?
Service to the committee runs from July to July of each year. Miriam Centeno served as co-chair for part of 2017–2018 and is also serving as co-chair in 2018–2019. Patrice-Andre Prud’homme served as a member in 2017– 2018 and is now serving as co-chair in 2018–2019.
What are the committee’s current or future projects?
The Program, Planning & Publications Committee (PPP for short) is currently reviewing its charge, investigating news ways to provide a role in coordinating the activities of all section committees in PARS with respect to preservation education, publication, and program planning. Nonetheless, the committee will facilitate a pre-conference program, Strengthening Our Response Network at ALA Annual 2019 in Washington, DC. Other programs and activities are still under review.
Are student members encouraged to serve on this committee? Or is it a better fit for professionals with experience in that department?
Absolutely, PPP provides a great opportunity to be exposed to a variety of topics, where people can engage in areas of interest such as in preservation education, publication, and program planning regardless of their experience. We find as PPP members that we get to learn even more about the activities happening in PARS by performing our role of coordination. We are hoping that with the review of our committee’s charge we will be able to increase efficiencies and find more synergies in the programming that takes place across PARS.
How time intensive is the committee’s work? What is expected of members?
It depends! Calls for proposal can be time sensitive. Program proposals could begin on the tail end of ALA Annual. Collaborative work and good team work have been great assets shared by committee members to engage with one another and build solid programs.
We find that there is a lot of work needed up front because the cycle of new leadership coincides with the submission time for proposals for the next conferences. It gets pretty busy in the fall; then the work can be spaced out in the spring and summer as programs are approved, webinars get planned, and everything happens.
What is the best way for a new member to join your committee?
Submit the ALCTS volunteer form, and indicate your interest in PPP!
Do you see the committee’s duties or mission evolving if ALCTS, LITA, and LLAMA merge?
The merging could offer new opportunities as well as challenges; we look forward to learning more from those discussions. Indeed, part of our committee’s review entails seeing how we better fit into the new reorganization.
