Dear RUSA members,
The RUSA Board met on Tuesday, June 13th. In the meeting the Board approved the updates to the following two RUSA Guidelines:
- The Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States with Explanatory Text
- Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers
Both Guidelines went through a public comments process, which RUSA’s Professional Resources Committee (PRC) oversaw. Thank you to STARS for their work updating The Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States with Explanatory Text and thank you to the Task Force that updated the Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers. And a special thanks to the PRC for their work shepherding these Guidelines through the process, which helps ensure that RUSA Guidelines remain relevant. Stay tuned for more information about these revised Guidelines! They will be published to the RUSA Website in the near future.
I’m also happy to announce that the RUSA Virtual Forum will continue. Evaluations from the past two Virtual Forums show that attendees find the content useful and we look forward to its continued success!
I am excited to meet many of you at ALA in Chicago. RUSA has numerous programs and opportunities to think, learn and share about user services. For example, if you’ve been pondering the potential impact of AI on reference and instruction, stop by the ALA Lounge at 2 pm for a 20-minute “huddle” with RUSA’s Jason Coleman and Melissa Del Castillo:
Question: What are the implications of Generative Artificial Intelligence programs like ChatGPT on reference and instruction?
Time: Sunday, June 25th at 2pm in the ALA Connect Lounge
Host: Jason Coleman and Melissa Del Castillo
If you would like to learn more about RUSA, including how to become more active and which sections or interest groups meet your professional goals, I hope you can join us at RUSA‘s Coffee and Conversations on Sunday, June 25, 11 am-12 noon, in the Marriot Marquis, Culture Room. Another opportunity to learn more about RUSA: stop by the ALA Connect Lounge on Saturday, June 24th 3-5pm. If you would like to volunteer to staff the RUSA Desk that day, between 3-5 pm, please email Ninah Moore directly at nmoore@ala.org.
Finally, thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as RUSA President this past year. I have seen ideas like the RUSA Virtual Forum take shape and solidify, the commitment our Division has to providing a forum via RUSQ for research involving reference and user services, and the enthusiasm our membership feels towards our profession. I’ve been extremely fortunate to get to work with our RUSA Staff, Bill Ladewski and Ninah Moore, as well as our incoming RUSA President, Joseph Yue. And a special thanks to both Jenny Presnell and Candice Townsend for filling in as Secretary this past year on the RUSA Board. We would be lost without them!
Cynthia Johnson
RUSA President, 2022-2023