Greetings Colleagues, I trust you're well. Today I'm celebrating Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman to earn a pilot's license. Because flying schools in the United States would not accept her as a student, she taught herself French, moved to France and earned her license in seven months from France's well-known Caudron Brother's School of Aviation. Coleman specialized in stunt flying and parachuting, earning a living performing aerial tricks. She remains a pioneer of women in the field of aviation. The purpose of this e-mail is to share notes from the June 9th Board conference call. HBCU Financials By May 30, 2014, eighty two members had remitted FY14 dues totaling $79,330.36. As of May 30, 2015, seventy-three members have remitted FY15 dues totaling $70,112.00. The HBCU Library Alliance Sun-Trust Account balance as of May 30 is $112,595.95. Communication will get sent to members regarding end-of-year funds and early FY16 invoicing. Robert Miller, LYRASIS CEO Robert Miller has joined LYRASIS as CEO and will assume Kate's ex-officio position on the Alliance's Board of Directors. 2015 Board Election The Nominating Committee is preparing biographical materials and an election ballot for the following positions: One private - held by Cynthia Henderson, Howard University (DC) One public - vacated by Jerome Offord, Lincoln University (MO) One at-large - held by Monika Rhue, Johnson C. Smith University (NC) New Board terms will begin July 1, 2015 and end June 30, 2018 Expanding Library Support for Faculty Research in HBCU's The project aims to assess and strengthen library services in support of faculty research and involves a partnership with the HBCU Faculty Development Network. A no-cost extension was approved by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through August 2015. The project funds 75% of the Executive Director's salary. Remaining grant funds as of April 30 total $33,752.02. The project was accepted for a poster session at the upcoming June ALA meeting. Seven webinars and one sub-grant report have been presented. Preservation of Photographic Images and Magnetic Media The Mellon Foundation-funded project aims to support preservation of local photographic and magnetic media collections, increase their use in scholarly endeavors and encourage student engagement. Project participants AUC Woodruff (GA), Fisk (TN), Hampton (VA), Johnson C. Smith (NC) and Tuskegee (AL) have each selected two eight-week project interns. This internship identifies HBCU colleagues with a career interest in librarianship, preservation and conservation. Project interns will attend a one-week Summer Institute at the University of Delaware where they will study the basics of photographic and magnetic media preservation, returning to their institutions for the seven remaining weeks of their internships. All participating institutions have begun to order supplies and equipment needed for their demonstration projects which will begin in July. Wayne State University "Increasing Library Diversity" The Alliance is partnering with Wayne State on a 2013 Laura Bush 21st Century Library Program for the project "Increasing Library Diversity." Mentors have been recruited from the Alliance membership. Marvelyn Thomas, AUC Woodruff HR Director, is mentor consultant. Mentors and mentees will gather together at ALA later this month to network and share experiences. CLIR Proposal The CLIR proposal "Un-Boxing Hidden HBCU Collections: Revealing the Historical Legacies of HBCUs" was submitted on April 28th. The project seeks to digitize and improve discoverability and access to the cultural heritage of HBCUs, providing insight into their impacts on local communities, African-American communities and national higher education community. CLIR will provide an application status by July 27, 2015. Mentorship Proposal and Recruitment Guide This is a new project idea that was brainstormed at the March 12th face-to-face Board meeting. IMLS or NEH may have programs to support this project. A mentoring program would be created for new library directors and new librarians that would build upon the success of the leadership program, introducing directors/librarians to the culture of the institution and providing professional development opportunities. A second project idea is a recruitment guide outline. The guide would contain information to assist administration in identifying and recruiting potential directors including search committee composition, academic environment, role of the director, analysis of the vacancy, position qualifications, screening candidates, interview and negotiation. Contact me directly if you have questions or need additional information. Respectfully, Sandra SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.