Archive for President’s updates

More sponsored memberships and new application form

I am pleased to announce that the IAMSLIC Executive Board has approved an expansion to the IAMSLIC-sponsored memberships that are available to new IAMSLIC members. For a number of years IAMSLIC has offered a limited number of one-time three-year sponsored memberships free of charge to new members from low and middle income countries. As described on the Join IAMSLIC page, similar one-time one-year sponsored memberships are now also available to new members from high income countries. Up to five sponsored memberships may be awarded in each category each year.

Please help recruit new members by sharing this news with any and all librarians, information specialists and library school students you meet!

In addition, there is a new online IAMSLIC Membership Application Form linked from the Join IAMSLIC page that makes it easier to apply for membership.

Steve Watkins
IAMSLIC President 2016-2017

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41st IAMSLIC Conference 2015- Group photo

Find the Group photo 2015 in our website in the Conferences page  http://www.iamslic.org/activities/conferences. Nice memory of a great 41st IAMSLIC Annual Conference and the 16th EURASLIC Biennial Meeting Blue Growth: Motivating Innovations in Aquatic Information Management, held at FAO in Rome, Italy, September 7-11.

Guillermina Cosulich, Past President 2014-2015

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IOC Communication Strategy for Marine Information Management 2015-2017

It is interesting to read the just published –IOC Communication Strategy for Marine Information Management 2015-2017 http://www.iode.org/mg71

This document outlines a framework for communication activities for 2015-2017 identifying new objectives while building on previous outcomes. It acknowledges the need to broaden the understanding of MIM by the wider IODE Data Management community and identify robust mechanisms, which will improve communication between IODE Officers and GE-MIM and with other relevant agencies in marine information management. Effective communications will allow GE-MIM to disseminate these outcomes in a targeted and efficient manner, thereby promoting marine information management.

Regarding the IODE XXIII Session held at the Provincial Court in Brugge, Belgium March 17-20, the extensive report of the meeting is available in the IODE website http://www.iode.org/giode23

I want to thank Heike LUST from VLIZ-Flanders Marine Institute in Belgium and IAMSLIC member on the Joint IODE-IAMSLIC Group of Experts on Marine Information Management (GEMIM), for her participation  in the XXIII Session on behalf of our Association.

Guillermina Cosulich- IAMSLIC President 2014-2015

 

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Call for Grant proposals – due MAY 15th

Grant Proposals are due MAY 15th, 2015.

Proposals will be accepted from:

  1. members not affiliated with a regional group for projects or travel support (expected amount $400 US)
  2. members seeking travel support from the Guin Fund to attend the annual IAMSLIC conference (expected total amount for all grant recipients $4000 US)

Before submitting your proposal, please review the guidelines, fill in and send the NEW Application Forms at: http://www.iamslic.org/activities/grants

Since we would like to support several participants, we encourage you to apply for partial rather than full support. Regarding other travel grant opportunities, please check regional and international organizations related to our subject areas, and of course, we encourage you to check with your IAMSLIC Regional Groups regarding the availability of travel funds.

Best regards !

Guillermina Cosulich, IAMSLIC President 2014-2015, gcosulich@inidep.edu.ar

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IAMSLIC – PICES: new contact

IAMSLIC remains a partner with PICES (The North Pacific Marine Science Organization) on an as-needed consultory basis. Mr. Robin Brown took over as PICES Executive Secretary effective February of this year and Dr. Alexander Bychkov, became Special Projects Coordinator.

Thank you BRIAN VOSS, from the U.S. NOAA Seattle Library from United States and Cyamus Regional Group, for volunteering as contact replacing Janet Webster, now retired, who did it for many years !

Guillermina Cosulich (IAMSLIC President 2014/2015)

 

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Regarding the ASFA Board Meeting (13-17 Oct., 2014, Beijing) and IAMSLIC

I do not have to explain about the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts Data Base because I think we all know it is the main Information System specialized in marine and aquatic sciences grey literature. The 43rd Annual Meeting of the ASFA Advisory Board was hosted by the National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS) in Beijing from 13 to 17 October, and it was attended by 31 participants, representing 28 ASFA Partners and 3 observers.  Ian Pettman (FBA) chaired the Meeting, the main rapporteur was Helen Wibley (FAO ASFA Secretariat). For your information, I am the Argentine Focal Point Coordinator of the Latin American ASFA Partners.

We have an IAMSLIC-ASFA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and during every Board Meeting since Richard Pepe was at the Secretariat, ASFA has always promoted very enthusiastically the IAMSLIC Z39.50/Union List and the Aquatic Commons Repository and will continue providing 37 IAMSLIC memberships that are currently funded by ASFA.

During the Fourth Day of the Meeting, several presentations were made, 2 of which I would like to mention here: 1) ‘IAMSLIC ILL tutorial for Z39.50/Union List’ (http://www.iamslic.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ResourceSharing2014.pptx) presented by Mr Daryl Superio (SEAFDEC/AQD – ASFA Collaborating Centre), who is now Chair of our Resource Sharing Committee; and 2) ‘Recording data sets in ASFA: where, how and when?’ (http://vimeo.com/109003977) presented by Ms Tasmin Vicary (Freshwater Biological Association (FBA), UK ASFA Collaborating Centre) – hopefully soon to become an IAMSLIC member….

Several ASFA Trust Fund Project Proposals were approved during the Meeting, some of which involved deposition of grey literature material in Aquatic Commons. In particular, the Ugandan Trust Fund Proposal ‘Digitization of Ugandan fisheries, aquaculture and water environmental information, 1950-1990’ presented by Alice Endra (NaFiRRI), comprises 800 records to be prepared and uploaded into AC. In addition, another project proposal put forward by University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) is pending, but it aims to scan some of the grey literature collections on fisheries, aquaculture and ocean sciences, available in the UPV/CFOS Library, that have been damaged by insects, to preserve the material by creation of digital imaging and deposition in AC.

The ASFA Board is investigating implications to the ASFA database of expanding the scope of ASFA to cover groundwater (including climate change water/sewage treatment, public water supply and water as a resource industry and agriculture).

A small group of Afriamslic members attended the Meeting and I met with them to talk about various issues. Those present were: Alice Endra – National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI), Uganda; Arame G. Ndiaye Keita – Direction des Pêches Maritimes, Dakar, Senegal; Ana Maria Alfredo – Instituto Nacional de Hidrografia e Navegação (INAHINA), Maputo, Mozambique; Saida Messaoudi – Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer (INSTM), Salammbô, Tunisia;  James Macharia – Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Mombasa, Kenya; and myself. Soon a short report prepared by Arame Keita, the Regional Coordinator, will be available.

The next ASFA Board Meeting will be hosted by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) at Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada, October 2015.

Guillermina Cosulich, Oct. 29th

Grupo ASFA Beijing 2014

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Presenting the new Executive Board

Congratulations to Steve Watkins and Kristen LaBonte who were elected as President Elect (2016-2017) and Treasurer (2014-2016) respectively. They will join Guillermina Cosulich who is our new President, Kristen Anderson, President Elect (2015-2016) and Elizabeth Connor, Secretary (2013-2015). For their contact information, please see: http://www.iamslic.org/people/executive-board

The membership also voted in favour of amending the Bylaws. Thank you to the Bylaws Committee (Barbara Butler, Amy Butros, Angela Clark-Hughes) for their work in updating the Bylaws to align with our current practices.

It’s been a wonderful conference (thank you Mary-Clare and Guillermina!), and a lovely way to end my term as President. I’d like to thank the Officers, the Regional Group Representatives, the Committees and Task Forces, and the individuals who keep IAMSLIC moving forward.

IAMSLIC accomplished a lot this year! I encourage you to read my President’s Report and the annual reports of the groups and individuals who contribute to our organization. They are available at: http://www.iamslic.org/member-access/members-area/annual-reports

Sally Taylor, now a happy Past President

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Treasury Task Force, Dues Allocation, Bylaws

Dear IAMSLIC members,

I wanted to let you know about the efforts of three IAMSLIC groups who are working to improve some of our internal processes.

The Treasury Task Force examined the financial policies & procedures and made a series of recommendations that have been approved by the Executive Board. The Treasury Task Force Report and Recommendations are available in the members’ area of the website. It is a long document but the key recommendations are summarized on the first page and will be implemented over the coming months.

Special thanks to the task force for untangling the issues and providing a clear path. They are: Dave Baca (Chair), Sandra Abbott-Stout, Barb Butler, Kristen LaBonte, Sally Taylor, Eleanor Uhlinger, Steve Watkins.

Related to the work of the Treasury Task Force, a few of us looked specifically at how membership dues are allocated to the Regional Groups and to the Officers for travel support. To simplify the process and ensure financial stability, the group wrote a new Proposed Funding Allocation Model for Regional Groups and Officers that has been approved by the Executive Board and is also available in the members’ area of the website.

Thank you to Steve Watkins for crunching the numbers and writing the proposal, and to Barb Butler and Kristen LaBonte for their membership expertise and input.

Last but not least, the Bylaws Committee has taken recommendations from the two reports and identified other much needed edits to the bylaws. The Executive Board has approved their report, and the proposed amendments will be put to a membership vote in the next few days, so be ready!

I would like to thank the Bylaws Committee for going over the text with a fine-tooth comb. They are: Barb Butler (Chair), Amy Butros, Angela Clark-Hughes.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

Sally Taylor, IAMSLIC President (2013-2014)

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IAMSLIC 2017 conference location

Aloha IAMSLIC!

The Conference Site Selection Committee was tasked with soliciting and evaluating proposals for the 2017 and 2018 IAMSLIC Annual Conference. The Executive Board has approved their recommendations.

The 43rd IAMSLIC Conference in 2017 will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA which is in the Cyamus region. Thank you to Kristen Anderson at the University of Hawaii at Manoa for hosting.

We are confirming the location for the 44th IAMSLIC Conference in 2018 and hope to announce it soon.

Thank you to the site selection committee for their work.
  • Daria Carle (Chair)
  • Irene Beltrán
  • Richard Awah Nche
  • Chris Nelson
  • Kristen Metzger
  • Popi Panagiotoglou
  • Silaja Thottathil

Sally Taylor
IAMSLIC President 2013-2014

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Greetings!

Here is a brief update on IAMSLIC activities before the holidays (I know the lucky ones have escaped already).

Thank you to everyone who has agreed to serve on an IAMSLIC committee, board or regional group. Your participation is invaluable and much appreciated!

Membership renewal time is here, and Kristen LaBonte and Barbara Butler are busy processing lots of checks, credit cards, and bank transfers. We are still looking for two additional members for the Membership Committee. Please let me know if you are interested.

We have signed a new two-year Memorandum of Agreement with UNESCO/IOC to continue our cooperative efforts in the field of marine information management. Of special note is the creation of the new Joint IODE/IAMSLIC GEMIM (Group of Experts on Marine Information Management); increased technical support for the Aquatic Commons; and additional support for members from developing countries to join IAMSLIC and attend conferences.

We have signed an agreement with ProQuest to index the publications in the Aquatic Commons within ASFA and other relevant ProQuest products. This is an exciting development that will increase of the visibility of the Aquatic Commons.

The Conference Planning Committee led by Program Chair Guillermina Cosulich and Local Host Mary-Clare Ame are already hard at work on the 40th IAMSLIC Annual Conference to be held September 14-18, 2014 in Noumea, New Caledonia. We are looking forward to their announcement in the new year regarding the conference theme and proposed topics.

I wish you all a joyous season filled with peace, love and laughter.
Happy Holidays to all!

Sally Taylor
IAMSLIC President 2013-2014

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