Minutes of the Fall Meeting
of the Heartland Chapter of the American Society for Indexing
Oct 4, 2014
via Skype
Business Meeting
Marilyn Augst, Sue Klefstad, Mary Peterson, Carol Reed, Kay Reglein, Cathy Seckman, Devon Thomas
Minutes
The minutes from the April 12 meeting were approved as written. Sue made the motion to approve, and Mary Peterson seconded.
Treasurer's Report
Mary Peterson said the chapter has $3043.48 in its account. Income from the Spring meeting was $125. In addition, the chapter received its allotment from ASI of $273.
Co-President's Report
Carol reported that the program for the Fall meeting had to be canceled due to low interest. The 5 RSVPs would not be enough to cover expenses of the meeting. The officers decided to cancel the meeting and hold the business meeting by Skype.
The scheduled speaker, Larry White, is willing to reschedule and has not charged the chapter for his time. It was decided to send him a $50 gift card in appreciation.
If Larry is rescheduled for Spring the chapter has to decide whether to have the meeting in Richmond or Indianapolis. Richmond has typically been the Spring meeting place, but we would have to cover more expenses for the speaker than if we held the meeting in Indianapolis.
The lack of interest in the Fall meeting and the low turnout at the last meeting (6) brought up the question of whether meeting in Indianapolis is working. There was discussion about the distance for the more eastern members contrasted with the greater attraction of Indianapolis for Chicago/Great Lakes attendees. Marilyn Augst suggested surveying members 1-2 months ahead of the meeting to see which is preferred.
Sue suggested that the nominating committee could approach members about the issue when they contact members about serving. Cathy Seckman agreed to serve on the nominating committee. Sue will email the group to request other volunteers.
Mary suggested following up with newbies when they attend meetings.
Newsletter Report
Laura Ewald has left the chapter area, Carol Reed is now editor of the newsletter. She needs writers, editors, proofers, and idea help. Mary agreed to proof.
Website Report
Carol and Sue will work on transitioning some of the website work to Sue. If you see errors on the site, please tell the editors so that they can fix it.
The Find an Indexer is a year old. Carol suggests members check their info for accuracy each year.
Old Business
Devon Thomas reported that at the ASI National Conference the board extended their thanks to the chapters and SIGs for their support and willingness to loan funds as they transitioned management companies. In the end, the funds were not needed.
New Business
Archives
Marilyn Augst reported that when she went to pick up the archived secretary materials from the past secretary, they were badly water damaged. She and Kay Reglein will sort through and list what was in the archive. It may be possible to recreate important documents from member's personal files. Sue Klefstad has asked ASI what the chapter is required to keep; items include financial and other important documents. ASI recommended an electronic format for archives. Several members agreed an electronic format was useful but they also want a paper backup.
Survey
Nine out of 35 members responded to the program survey. Carol suggested using the nominee committing calls to gather information on the chapter's demographics, i.e., how many part-time vs. full-time indexers are there.
Next Meeting
April 11 was set as a tentative meeting date, with April 18 and May 16 as other possibilities.
Programming
There was discussion about what topics are attractive and desired. Marilyn asked about video conferencing, but there are questions about the expense and technical requirements, as well as concerns about losing face-to-face to contact. Sue suggested coordinating with the Great Lakes Chapter on a program. There would be lots to discuss and do and she suggested there be a discussion about interest, pros and cons, and logistics on the email group.
Carol will set up anther Facebook group interaction in October. Marilyn suggested that the newsletter give a summary of Facebook activity for those members who are not on Facebook.