NELINET Annual Meeting
May 7, 2004
Ruth Kowal, Chair, Board of Directors

Welcome to the 2004 Annual meeting of NELINET. I am Ruth Kowal, Chair of the Board of Directors. I was prepared to start off this meeting by saying “this has been an interesting year for libraries.” But then I realized that every year has been an “interesting” year. That is what makes librarianship so great- (and such a challenge). We are torn between our traditions and the market forces that are impacting the very core of our known operations. What is the role of the library? How do we add value in a material world? How do we develop agility without sacrificing integrity and quality of product? How does the library fit in a 21st century life?

NELINET, faced with the need to revise its strategic plan, has put those questions, and many more, out for review. The first step in that process was a day and a half of strategic planning in November, with board members identifying the challenges facing their institutions, and ways in which NELINET could step up to the plate for its members.
This new strategic plan, a draft of which is in your registration packet, and which will be discussed during the Executive Director’s presentation, will provide direction for NELINET to continue to explore new services for our members over the next three years. Those directions must be driven by the challenges facing member libraries, and the opportunities that exist for NELINET to aid members in responding to those challenges.

As we developed the strategic plan this year, what stood out most vividly for me at the planning retreat was the singular lack of sense on the part of individual board members as to the direction their institution would be taking in the near future. As an organization serving its members, how does NELINET grapple with the unknowns when the individual institutions are also facing an uncertain future? The programs of even 2 or 3 years ago have lost their importance and relevancy. OCLC, once the prime source of revenue for NELINET and our sister regional networks, is also undergoing much change, and NELINET therefore must constantly respond to changing rules of the game by OCLC. For example, subscription-based and group-based pricing will expand during the coming fiscal year. How does this change the way in which libraries operate, and how does it change the nature of NELINET’s relationship with OCLC? How should the networks continue to add value for our members in a world increasingly dominated by of e-commerce, and in a library world in which there is generally a decline in the amount of materials being cataloged?

Fortunately, the NELINET of today is very different from NELINET of even 5 years ago. We are much less dependent upon OCLC-related revenues to sustain the organization. There has been a substantial expansion of some earlier programs, as well as the introduction of entirely new ones. NELINET electronic resources, consulting services, off-site storage, and expanded educational offerings go far beyond the use of OCLC product. This NELINET is different, yet still very much “value add” for members. This strategic planning effort is critical to each and every NELINET member to insure that NELINET will be an agile and responsive organization that continues to bring together and benefit libraries of all types and sizes, throughout New England.

My thanks to the members of the board and to the NELINET staff for their dedication and commitment to improving the way each and every one of the libraries meets the needs of its customer.

May 10, 2004