STARS
by
Kerry Keegan, Editor
Letter from the Chair:
Hello, fellow STARS!
It’s hard to believe that Midwinter is already several weeks behind us and I hope you’re enjoying Spring weather, wherever you are. So much has happened since the last quarterly report, and we have so much to look forward to before Annual.
I want to thank all the STARS members who were able to attend and participate in the 2020 Midwinter Meeting. In particular, I want to acknowledge the Outreach and Promotion Committee for their efforts in organizing another fantastic STARS Social. I also want to thank our ILL Discussion Group Chair and Co-Chair for organizing the ILL Discussion Group event and all the
members who participated in the engaging discussion. Many topics were covered and lots of ideas for future Discussion Group events (in-person AND virtual!) emerged. And, while we couldn’t organize the return of an ILL 101 preconference event this year, the Education and Training Committee is working to revive it for Midwinter 2021, which I’m sure will excite everyone.
Mark your calendars for another exciting event: the STARS Vendor Relations Committee will be hosting a panel discussion, “Building on Success – Resource Sharing and Interlibrary Loan Technologies on the Horizon,” at ALA Annual in Chicago, on Sunday, June 28, from 10:30 – 11:30 AM. We know how difficult it is to stay up to date with ever-developing resource sharing technologies, so attend this event and have some light shed on the latest trends.
In the meantime, there are plenty of other opportunities for STARS members to participate and learn. Our awards committees are currently soliciting and reviewing nominees, we have a new STAR Gazer (http://www.ala.org/rusa/rusa-stargazing-meet-adebola-fabiku), the Organization Committee is reviewing the FY 2019 Committee Census conducted by RUSA and the STARS Outreach and Promotion Committee, the Rethinking Resource Sharing Policies Committee is actively working on revisions to the STAR Checklist, and so much more.
ALA ballot distribution is right around the corner and we need your votes! In addition to candidates running for vacated seats on the Executive Committee, the STARS Bylaws will also be on the ballot this year. The Executive Committee has proposed numerous updates (e.g. switching to gender-neutral pronouns, removing duplicated sections, removing requirements for Annual/Midwinter attendance, plus more), which means the vote is all-or-nothing.
It’s through your active participation that we’re able to share and develop skills and knowledge, so thank you – everyone – for your individual and collective efforts.
All the best,
David Ketchum
Chair, RUSA STARS 2019 – 2020
STARS Committee Reports
Research and Assessment Committee
The RUSA STARS Research and Assessment Committee did not hold a meeting at ALA Midwinter but has been preparing for final work on determining whether the community wants standard report definitions. Online surveys and threaded discussions are being advertised on ILL-L and in the Facebook ILLers group. Survey responses and listserv conversations will be reviewed by Committee members and used to form a recommendation that will be presented to the STARS Executive Committee by April 15. A decision about a potential collaboration with the STARS Discussion Group is still outstanding.
Lars Leon, Chair
International ILL Committee
The editor of Information Discovery & Delivery has invited Committee Chair Hilary Thompson and Committee member Kurt Munson to revise their IFLA Interlending & Document supply paper, entitled “International Interlibrary Loan in a Changing Environment: Results from the 2019 RUSA STARS International ILL survey” for publication in the journal. The paper was one of only four to receive such an invitation and the revision is underway. The Committee is also working on an executive summary of the 2019 International ILL Survey.
Hilary Thompson, Chair
Outreach and Promotion Committee
The RUSA STARS Outreach and Promotion Committee is thrilled to announce Adebola Fabiku as our latest STARGazer. Learn more Adebola and her work in resource sharing here: http://www.ala.org/rusa/rusa-stargazing-meet-adebola-fabiku.
Committee members have been busy, planning and hosting the STARS meetup at Midwinter. Thanks to everyone who attended, and we loved seeing so many familiar faces. Work continues on the committee documentation project and the STARS promotional materials project. The Committee Chair met with Atlas Systems’ Stephanie Spires and OCLC’s Keari Green to discuss future funding and planning for ALA Annual’s STARS Social event. It was a positive conversation and a summary memo is pending. Our next call will be held on February 20th.
Mike Paxton, Chair
Vendor Relations Committee
Committee members are excited to begin work on the upcoming “Building on Success: Resource Sharing and ILL Technologies on the Horizon” program that will be presented at ALA Annual in Chicago on Sunday, June 28, from 10:30 – 11:30 AM. Decisions about format and general direction are in progress and an initial list of panelist invitations will be completed soon.
Beth Clausen, Chair
ILL Discussion Group
Members of the ILL Discussion Group met at Midwinter to go over topics for upcoming events. Potential subjects include: Project ReShare, rethinking CONTU reporting, sustainability in ILL, Alma-ILL integration, STARS opportunities, and more. We’ll be announcing an official call for topics and hosting an online forum this Spring to request topic suggestions from the community. Once a topic has been selected, the group will identify and invite a presenter for our ALA Annual program in Chicago.
Beth Posner, Chair
Codes, Guidelines, and Technical Standard Committee
The Committee is seeking guidance from RUSA leadership on a proposed update to the revision period for the “Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States” (http://www.ala.org/rusa/guidelines/interlibrary). Revisions are currently published once every seven years and the new proposal would reduce that period to once every four years. Members are also reviewing the current “Guidelines for Interlibrary Loan Operation Management” (http://www.ala.org/rusa/sites/ala.org.rusa/files/content/sections/stars/publications/stars-guidelines-for-ILL.pdf) to determine if revisions are necessary.
Margaret Ellingson, Chair