Message from the Chair

RSS Review
Amy E. Rustic, Editor

Hello RSS Members!

I am very excited to be starting work as the 2011-2012 RSS Chair. RSS has been my home in ALA since 2003, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve.

This year we’ll be making even more changes to help RSS meet the needs of frontline reference staff. Joe Thompson, our fearless past-chair, led an inspiring board meeting earlier this month where many of you shared great ideas how we can move RSS forward. Next, the Organization and Planning Committee, led by Thompson, will work with the RSS Executive Committee to implement the ideas from the meeting and from the recently completed Section Review. Our goal is to continue to develop RSS into a responsive, effective, and fluid section that will meet the needs of frontline reference staff now and prepare us all for the future.

In addition, I’m asking all committee chairs to set goals for the year and update them as the year progresses. I’ve built in more structure and accountability (AKA, deadlines!) to help all of us develop new projects and complete them. I was a bit worried about giving people deadlines and checkpoints, but the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I guess we all do work better when we have deadlines! Even the Executive Committee had to create goals and has to meet deadlines—we’re not exempt from the work.

We have so many exceptional, hardworking, and talented members of our section, and I’m lucky to know a lot of you. I hope to meet many more of you throughout the year. Speaking of exceptional members, I want to be sure to mention three new members of our RSS Honor Roll, who have served the section in three different capacities since its inception: Qiana Johnson, Marjorie Schreiber Lear, and Emilie Smart. Congratulations! Thanks to each of you for your dedication and hard work.

Here’s to a wonderful year! If at any time you have any ideas for our how section can improve, or issues from the frontlines that we should be addressing, please let me know.

Best to you, 


Liane Taylor

ltaylor@txstate.edu
RSS Chair, 2011-2012