Program Committee Annual Report 2018

submitted by Anne Shelley, Chair

Current Roster

  • Anne Shelley, Chair (2017)
  • Leslie Andersen, Past Chair (2016)
  • Erin Conor, Incoming Chair (2017)
  • Joy Doan (2018)
  • Carolyn Dow (2018)
  • Greg MacAyeal (2016)
  • Michael Rogan (2018)
  • Mark Scharff (2018)

List of Previous Goals and Progress Made

  • This goal was suggested by the 2017 Annual Meeting Program Chair, Kirstin Dougan: “Investigate implementing a program delivery tool like SCHED (https://sched.com/), which would ease the burden on the web coordinator and program chair, as it allows the schedule to be displayed as a website AND as an app, meaning the data only needs to be maintained and updated in one place.”
    • Update: A working group explored tools in early 2018, and chair Katie Buehner has been providing me with direction and support. Right now we are using Booked to create an online draft schedule.
  • From past-chair Leslie Andersen: “This year in Portland, we will for the first time, try a new way of scheduling the meeting. In order to reduce our “footprint” and therefore, the costs associated, all sessions and meetings will take place on Thursday and Friday only, leaving Saturday dedicated to plenary sessions. Only after the annual meeting survey will we know if this model is successful.
    • Goal Area: Organizational Excellence; Objective 1: Develop and sustain the resources to ensure the vitality of the Association, its programs and services.
    • Update: Based on member and vendor feedback, the program committee decided to return to the traditional plenary schedule for the 2019 annual meeting in St. Louis.

List of Future Goals

From 2019 Chair Anne Shelley:

  • While themed conferences are not unheard of for MLA, they are also not the norm. The 2019 conference theme of diversity and inclusion has prompted some exciting proposals from the membership. I would like for the annual meeting survey to gauge attendees’ reactions to the meeting theme and perhaps to the idea of having a theme overall, and for the Board and the program committee to respond as appropriate with future program decisions.
    • Goal Area: Organizational Excellence; Objective 1: Develop and sustain the resources to ensure the vitality of the Association, its programs and services.

From 2020 Chair Erin Conor:

  • Continue to share information with the membership re. the program selection process.
    • Goal Area: Organizational Excellence. Goal statement: MLA’s operations are efficient, effective and transparent.
  • Continue to explore ways to encourage collaboration and information exchange as part of the Call for Proposals.
    • Goal Area: Organizational Excellence. Objective 1: Develop and sustain the resources to ensure the vitality of the Association, its programs and services.
  • Investigate the feasibility and implications of opening the CFP to non-members.
    • Goal Area: Value of the Profession. Objective 1: Increase the visibility of MLA among library and music organizations, individual scholars, musicians and librarians.
    • Goal Area: Advocacy. Objective 5: Promote and encourage the use of music in all disciplines.
    • Goal Area: Membership. Objective 1: Increase outreach efforts to members from underrepresented groups, Objective 2: Increase outreach efforts to organizations that are underrepresented, including those whose holdings reflect many types of music.