Judy Meadows asked me to post the following article, which will appear
in the June 1994 issue of the _AALL Newsletter_, scheduled to be mailed
on June 10, 1994.
Peter Beck, AALL Manager of Publications and Public Relations
===========================================================================
Members Asked to Approve Dues Increase
The AALL Board has unanimously approved presenting a $25
dues increase proposal to the membership at the Seattle Annual
Meeting on Monday, July 11, at the first General Business
Meeting. This represents a 21% increase for individual members,
individual associate members, institutional members, and
institutional associate members. If approved by the members at
the Annual Meeting, dues would be raised from $118 in 1994 to
$143 in 1995. Students and retired members would be asked to pay
a proportionally-increased share.
The Board and I are aware that proposing a dues increase is
a trial by fire. We are convinced that it is important to do so
now. It is an issue that must be addressed while the Association
is strong and responsive to member needs. It is a trial that must
be faced to maintain the Association's momentum, and to avoid
financial uncertainty or even crises that can easily be foreseen.
I will discuss the details of the Association's finances in more
detail with you at the Annual Meeting.
The timing for this proposal is appropriate. The current
programs are vital and members are enthusiastic about them. The
Association's finances are presently stable, but it is clear that
increased programs and more and better services cannot be
maintained without additional resources. AALL's Current Reserve
Fund, which was built from unanticipated revenues from several
Annual Meetings, has now been depleted from over $350,000 in 1992
to less than $100,000 at the present time. This was done
consciously to improve programs and services in response to
member demands. Operating revenues from dues and the Annual
Meeting, the two primary sources, do not cover the on-going costs
of these improved services. Fortunately, AALL has substantial
investment earnings that contribute approximately $25 per member
to support this dynamic program, but it is not enough to
accomplish our ambitious agenda.
Aside from merely a $3 per member increase for inflation which,
by Board policy, cannot be used for new initiatives, there has
not been a dues increase since June of 1989. But the Association
has increased its commitments to priorities of the members. For
example, in recent years AALL has initiated a Washington Affairs
Program and hired a full-time Assistant to the Washington Affairs
Representative, thus significantly expanding our advocacy role
for law librarians. This has assured that our views and concerns
are fully represented with those of other groups in Washington.
The Washington Affairs Representative and Assistant have
testified and spoken out on issues such as fees for access to
federal agency databases, copyright, and the Depository Library
Program. All the members who comment on this effort say, "Keep
it up. This is what I expect from my Association. If AALL
doesn't speak out for the concerns of law librarians, who will?"
AALL also serves as an advocate for librarians with
publishers. The CRIV Sheet appears as a tri-quarterly insert in
the Newsletter and reaches all members. The CRIV is an effective
voice in dealing with publisher concerns. For example, on behalf
of AALL members the CRIV has challenged such practices as cold-
call telemarketing, gratuitous price increases, and unethical
subscription services. The Association has helped librarians to
control their budgets, thereby gaining even more credibility with
their employers.
AALL has also continued to send representatives to the
meetings of other groups whose interests and activities are
viewed by our members as critical to our concerns about the
future. AALL now supports 34 representations, to the Association
of Legal Administrators, the ABA Council on Legal Education, the
American Library Association, and many others.
The increase in membership during the past five years, since
the last dues increase, has required enhanced support from
Headquarters and an improved infrastructure that supports the
time and energy of volunteer members. Two additional positions
were added. One supports the increasing size and frequency of
mailings of materials to members. Another supports increased
public relations programs. Cost containment at Headquarters is
essential and this is being done. Financial resources will be
managed, more effectively than in the past, by the Association's
first full-time professional Controller. Yet strong financial
management and cost containment need to be balanced by the
requirement that services are maintained at a level adequate to
meet member expectations. In recent months, without any increase
in staff, there has been a concerted effort to improve and
enhance the service to members who need help or make inquiries
from staff. As this service improves, there is clearly a need to
improve technology at Headquarters so staff can respond to
members via the Internet and other technologies used by members.
This requires continuing investment in Headquarters. Many members
have praised improvements to the Newsletter. The number of pages
has increased and this year the Editor introduced new features,
such as the Internet inserts, to keep members informed and to
provide practical, useful information that can make a difference
in the work of the members.
Controlling and understanding costs at Headquarters is
critical to the Association's long term viability and health.
This year members of the Financial Long Range Planning Committee
spent many hours developing a plan that will ensure stability and
viability for the Association in the future. Recently staff
provided the leadership with the results of the first indirect
cost study. Those results portray the Annual Meeting and other
revenue generating programs in a new light: they do not generate
the "profits" that had been assumed in the past. When all costs,
including salaries, equipment, and space, are computed it is
clear that most such programs require member dues support. As we
gain better financial control over revenues and expenses, such as
those from the Annual Meeting, we see that there will not be the
unanticipated windfalls of the past.
We are now completing a revision of the Association's
strategic plan. It is an exciting challenge that will guide us
for the next four years. The plan represents a vision for an
exciting future when law librarians will be seen as equal
partners in solving the legal information challenges that face us
today. It is a plan that requires member and volunteer commitment
and support, especially financial support in the future; there is
much in the plan that is already underway and that requires
continuing and increased support, and new initiatives cannot be
addressed unless the resources are provided. A dues increase is
only part of the answer -- although it does provide the basis for
other efforts to raise funds -- but it is a timely and essential
part.
Judy Meadows
State Law Library of Montana
Helena, Montana
AALL Treasurer
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