MLA Newsletter Editor Annual Report 2019

submitted by Michelle Hahn

Current Roster

  • Michelle Hahn, Editor (2020)
  • John Baga, Member Publications Editor

List of Previous Goals and Progress Made

  1. GOAL: Continue to pursue content by and about the association and its members to improve access to it through the MLA Newsletter, potentially in conjunction with the Web Manager, Web Team, and Publicity & Outreach Officer to disseminate that content in a wider variety of ways, such as the MLA Blog and other social media outlets (Goal Area: Organizational Excellence-Objective 2; Goal Area: Value of the Profession-Objective 2)
    • PROGRESS: Produced regular calls for content, targeting specific officers, chairs, and members at strategic times for timely content; Continuing to improve access in conjunction with the Web Manager and Web Team–expect a re-imagined/redesigned page for the MLA Newsletter on the MLA website in the very near future.
    • A newly designed page for the MLA Newsletter will increase the level of visibility to the Newsletter while maintaining the organization’s ability to ensure continued access, eliminating the need for a paid subscription to Open Journal Systems that does not guarantee that ability and has proven problematic in retaining content requiring the reconstruction of several years’ worth of MLA Newsletter issues
    • Collaborative efforts related to the MLA Blog and social media, as well as with the Publicity & Outreach Officer, didn’t come to fruition
  2. GOAL: Creation of Advocacy Forum
    • That has been passed off to the Advocacy Committee proper, and I expect that will be detailed in the Advocacy Committee’s report

List of Future Goals

  1. Document the process of MLA Newsletter creation in detail, making it available to the next Editor and future potential editors (Goal Area: Organizational Excellence-Objective 1; Goal Area: Organizational Excellence-Objective 2)