August 2012

1. Run Audio Wizard 1.Tools Menu > Audio > Audio Setup Wizard 2. If you do not have a headset: 1.Use headphones/earbuds if at all possible 2.Or call: ENTER NUMBER AND PIN# You can test your mic by clicking on the TALK button at the upper left! You must click TALK to be heard! Your Moderator: Debbie Bezanson

 When I ask you to, please click the TALK button at the top left and say HELLO! After we have tested, click again to de-activate.  If we hear feedback: ◦ Plug in headset or headphones if you can ◦ Run Audio Setup Wizard if you haven’t

Blackboard Collaborate: The Basics 1.Click to talk. PLEASE CLICK AGAIN TO DE-ACTIVATE WHEN FINISHED TALKING. 2.Click to insert emoticon under your name, including approval/disapproval, applause, request to speed up/slow down… (let’s try!) 3.Click to raise hand, if you have a question or have not had a chance to speak. (let’s try!) 4.Click to respond to poll (let’s try!) 5.Tools to interact with the whiteboard (let’s try!) 6.Chat (let’s try!)

Chairs are responsible for keeping committees moving forward. Remember that Executive Committee approval is needed if you are planning a program, discussion forum, publication, special project, etc. Be aware of the deadlines associated with approval for each event. This year we’re especially interested in webinars or other activities which will engage our members virtually. Chairs should review the content in the MARS Handbook relating to their committee. If the Handbook information for your committee needs to be changed, please contact Anne Houston, Chair of Planning for

Chairs run committee meetings at conferences. Be aware that our meetings are listed in the conference program and this can be a great way to recruit new members. Newcomers who are interested in learning more about the committee and potentially requesting a committee appointment may attend the meeting. Prior to the meeting, send a reminder to all committee members indicating the date, time, and location of the meeting. If a particular topic of discussion for the meeting is known prior the meeting, solicit comments from those who will not be able to attend. Their comments can be shared during the meeting. Draft an agenda for the meeting. If you send the agenda to committee members by prior to the meeting, it is still beneficial to bring a few print copies to share during the meeting.

At the start of the meeting, have attendees introduce themselves and sign an attendance sheet. Encourage all committee members to participate during the meeting. Minutes: Determine who will take minutes for the meeting. Make sure that the person taking minutes has a copy of the attendance information to include in the minutes. Minutes from the committee meeting held at the last conference should be approved during the current meeting or via prior to the meeting. All approved minutes should be sent to the MARS webmaster at to be posted to the committee web page. The minutes should also be sent to the MARS Chair, Vice Chair, Chair of the Planning Committee, and the Executive Committee Liaison for the committee.

 Much of the work conducted by committees is done between the face to face meetings. RUSA has a license for Blackboard Collaborate which can also be used to schedule virtual committee meetings. Training will be available through our Professional Development Committee this Fall and through RUSA next Spring. You and your committee members may also have access to other tools such as Go-to-Meeting, BaseCamp, etc. And or course there are free tools such as Skype and Google Docs.  If you find a tool to be particularly worthwhile, please share your experiences with the group as we are always looking at ways to improve our virtual productivity. More details will come later concerning how to request a time-slot for use of BlackBoard Collaborate. Refer to #5 of this document for additional options.

 Encourage all members to participate in committee work between conferences. It can be very helpful if each committee member has a particular role to fill. Send updates to committee members concerning the tasks that need to be done and the progress that has been made to keep the activities on track throughout the year. Sending a brief summary of discussions that occurred during virtual meetings ensures that everyone is informed of the committee’s activities and is very beneficial to committee members who were not able to attend a virtual meeting.   Keep the Executive Committee Liaison to your committee informed of the committee’s plans and of any proposals that need to be presented to the Executive Committee for approval. Seek advice from the Liaison as needed to accomplish the committee’s work. A list of the Executive Committee Liaisons will be coming shortly.

Committee Web Page Committee Web Pages are listed at comm/committees. We’ve switched content management systems recently, so please take a look to catch any errors, missing content, or any broken links. It is one of the roles of the committee to keep your committee web page up- to-date. If the committee also chooses to maintain a separate wiki or blog, a link can be added to the committee web page; however, current information should continue to be added to the committee web page. Send documents for posting to the MARS webmaster at It is not necessary to convert documents to HTML. comm/committees

 Committee web pages should contain:   The Committee Charge/Statement of Purpose – A short statement of what the committee does. See the description in the MARS Handbook for your committee.  ndbook/marshnbk08.pdf ndbook/marshnbk08.pdf   Substantive Content – Links to publications, info about programs, discussion forums, handouts, Power Points presented during programs/discussion forums, etc.   Administrative Information, Including Links to  Agenda of upcoming meeting – Can also be posted in ALA Connect  Minutes of past meetings – Can also be posted in ALA Connect  Current roster (password protected-access limited to ALA members)   If there are errors in the roster – DO NOT SEND corrections to the WEBMASTER. Personal committee member information must be corrected by the member by signing into his/her profile on ALA. If committee members' names are missing, members are listed who are not members, member's status, terms is wrong, etc., contact the MARS Chair, Debbie Bezanson

 MARS-L / MESSAGES from MARS  Committee chairs and members should make sure they are subscribed to MARS-L and RUSA-L. The activity isn’t high and it is a good way to keep up-to-date with RUSA and MARS activities. Chairs should draft summaries of meetings and activities for inclusion in Messages from Mars. The MARS-L/Messages from MARS editor, Catherine Larson or I will send out deadline information during the year. Between issues of “Messages” feel free to send s to the MARS-L and RUSA-L listservs.

 Note  RUSA allocates $50.00 per committee each year to pay for committee expenses. One possible use for these funds is to promote an upcoming event sponsored by the committee.

With your committee, including beyond Some other resources you might want to consider: Shared workspaces (ALA Connect, Google Docs, wikis, etc) Conference calls (Link to information on free conference call software at Other tools for sharing meeting content online (See Force_Recommendations) Force_Recommendations

 With the Executive Committee   MARS Executive Committee Liaisons  A member of the MARS Executive Committee will serve as a liaison to each committee. Chairs should copy the person who has liaison responsibility to their committee on s, and keep that person informed about committee activities. Your committee liaison will be announced after Annual.   Copy ALL of the following when sending out committee minutes:  Chair: Debbie Bezanson  Vice Chair: Sam Stormont  Secretary: Kelley Lawton  Planning Chair: Ann Houston  Executive Committee Liaison for the committee   Attend Executive Committee meetings at Annual and Midwinter  Committee Chairs should attend at least one of the two ExComm meetings at each ALA conference to report on the committee’s activities.

  MARS-L and ALA Connect  Remind committee members to sign up for MARS-L (which is used to distribute information about current committee activities, informal surveys of members, etc.) and also to check out ALA Connect.   MARS-L  To subscribe, unsubscribe, manage subscription options or view MARS-L archive, go to   ALA Connect  ALA Connect has been pre-populated with ALA individual and committee membership information. To sign in, select ALA Connect link on the bottom right of the ALA home page ( and sign in using your ALA login and password. Select "My ALA Groups" from the top menu bar on the left after logging in, and then select your MARS committee from the drop down menu to get to your committee work space. Be sure to go into your settings to set alerts as you would prefer. The default is to receive no alerts.

 Keep Membership Roster Accurate (including dates of appointment).  If members' personal information changes (new job, new address, etc), they must update it themselves by signing into their profile on the ALA website and updating the information.   If members need to be added or dropped from the committee roster, their status changed, (virtual, intern, consultant, etc.) or their dates of appointment are inaccurate, please inform the MARS Chair, Debbie Bezanson

 Identify members for appointment to a second two-year term on the committee  At Midwinter, poll members who are completing their first two-year term on the committee to see if they wish to continue for a second two-year appointment and that information to the Vice-Chair, Sam Stormont You will make life for Sam, who must make committee appointments in the spring, MUCH easier, if you do this.   Should you have a committee member who has contributed nothing to the committee--unless there are extenuating circumstances--and whom you would not recommend for reappointment, you should also privately communicate that information to the Vice-Chair.

 If you are completing your first term as Chair of the Committee, and are unable or do not wish to continue for a second term as Chair, OR if you are completing your second term as Chair of the Committee and are not eligible for reappointment, consult with your continuing committee members to try to identify someone who is willing to take over as Chair and give that information to the Vice Chair, Sam Stormont

 Encourage Virtual Participation  Visitors  If you have visitors to committee meetings, include their contact information on the Committee attendance form and give or the information to the Vice Chair, Sam Stormont immediately after the meeting. Visitors are potential members of MARS and potential committee members, so collecting this information is   Unresponsive Members  If you have a problem with a committee member not responding at all, check with the Chair. There is some boilerplate language in the MARS Handbook starting on page 73 that you can adapt as needed.

 Forms:    Committee Attendance Form  Send to the Vice Chair, Sam Stormont    Committee & Discussion Group Reporting Form  Send a copy to ALL of the following:   Chair: Debbie Bezanson  Vice Chair: Sam Stormont  Secretary: Kelley Ann Lawton  Planning Chair: Ann Houston  Executive Committee Liaison for the committee   Committee Membership Status Form  Send to the Vice Chair, Same Stormont 

Committee Volunteer Form Send to the Vice Chair, Sam Stormont Note: Use the MARS volunteer form only as backup if there is a problem with the online form. The online form is strongly preferred. To get to the online form, choose the "Go to the RUSA Online Volunteer Form" link on the RUSA Volunteer page, cfm. Caution prospective volunteers that they must click through to the very end of the process to get to a drop down menu that will let them select MARS Section level committees. cfm

 Feel free to contact the Executive Committee Liaison for your committee or the MARS Chair if you have questions, concerns, or ideas to share throughout the year.

1. Continue to increase opportunities for virtual participation in the work of the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section. 2. Continue to increase professional development opportunities for members of the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section. 3. Maximize the effectiveness of RUSA by working closely with our parent organization and the other sections within RUSA to coordinate our virtual activities.

4. Revise and update the MARS Handbook to optimize format and information for web presentation. 5. All MARS Committees will contribute to the 2013/2014 MARS Section Review.

 In the context of the Section Goals, the committee charge, and ongoing and past work of the committee, what are your goals for the year ahead?

Thanks everybody!!