March 28 - Dana Chandler, Tuskegee University (AL) - Taking Tuskegee to the World



          March 15 - Jean Greene, Hinds Community College (MS) - Developing a Cross-Curricular Humanities Course to      Explore                History

          February 23 - Elizabeth Brumfield, Prairie View A&M University (TX) - The Best Kept Secrets: Showcasing Digital          Collections

Colleagues, The HBCU Library Board of Directors met on Thursday, April 20th. Highlights: 1. Governance Structure Draft bylaws have been forwarded to the membership for consideration. Major changes involve the Board of Directors, membership and committees. The recommended Board structure is seven (7) positions to include one (1) private, one (1) 1890's, one (1) public, two (2) at-large, and two (2) experts. The Board is recommending opening the membership to individuals, and by invitation, to libraries of organizations that are not HBCUs. Opening the membership would broaden the base of the HBCU Library Alliance and create collaborative opportunities. Individual members could include retired HBCU library directors, individuals at non-HBCU institutions and individuals representing organizations that are not affiliated with HBCUs. On May 12th, members in good standing will receive an electronic voting ballot. Voting will open on May 15th and end on May 19th . 2. Membership Dues FY16 membership dues collected by June 2016 totaled $80,412.18. As of April 2017, sixty-nine members have remitted $73,010.00. The Board will reach out to members with unpaid invoices. 3. Digital Library Federation The HBCU Library Alliance is establishing a partnership with the Digital Library Federation (DLF) in support of their October 2017 Un-Conference. I had the pleasure of sharing the work of the HBCU Library Alliance with DLF Executive Director Bethany Nowviskie. DLF is a community of practitioners who advance research, learning, social justice, and the public good through the creative design and wise application of digital library technologies. The Un-Conference theme is digital libraries and digital library pedagogy as common mission, common ground between liberal arts colleges and programs and HBCUs. Follow this link https://www.diglib.org/groups/liberal-arts-colleges/ for more information. 4. Northern University Digital POWRR Drew VandeCreek, Director of Digital Scholarship at Northern Illinois University Libraries, reached out to the HBCU Library Alliance in late 2016 regarding a partnership opportunity in support of their Digital POWRR IMLS proposal. Drew informed us that IMLS will award funding for this project. The proposal addresses cultural heritage institutions and their information professionals' need for improved awareness of and skills relating to the standards, processes and tools used to curate and preserve digital materials. 5. Campaign for the HBCU Library Alliance The Campaign for the HBCU Library Alliance draft fundraising materials were presented to the Board. The Board team developed the case statement document, values statements are being provided by community members. The goal of the fundraising plan is $2.5M. More information is forthcoming. 6. Digital Initiatives Committee The Digital Initiatives Committee met on March 20th and discussed strategies to enhance the value of the Digital Initiative. Additional webinars are being scheduled on subjects related to digitization techniques and metadata standards. 7. TheHistoryMakers The HBCU Library Alliance is establishing a partnership with TheHistoryMakers. Julieanna Richardson, Founder and CEO of TheHistoryMakers recently shared with the HBCU Library Alliance Executive Team her vision of a partnership. TheHistoryMakers is committed to preserving and making accessible the untold personal stories of African Americans. Sandra Phoenix and Monika Rhue serve on TheHistoryMakers Education Advisory Committee. 8. HBCU Faculty Development Network Board I have accepted a Board position on the HBCU Faculty Development Network (HBCU FDN). The organization is committed to promoting effective teaching and learning through a variety of collaborative activities designed to make connections between teaching, research and service. The HBCU FDN served as a project partner for the Expanding Library Support for Faculty Research project. The first Board meeting is May 19, 20 in Houston, Texas. 9. IMLS Review Robin Dale, Associate Deputy Director of IMLS, reached out to the HBCU Library Alliance to review an out-of-cycle proposal. The review was returned to IMLS on March 7th. 10. Continuing Education The following sessions have been presented. Evaluation summaries share the value of continuing education to the HBCU Library Alliance community. April 13 - Jean Greene, Hinds Community College (MS) - Advocacy in Action: Educate, Evaluate, Collaborate March 28 - Dana Chandler, Tuskegee University (AL) - Taking Tuskegee to the World March 15 - Jean Greene, Hinds Community College (MS) - Developing a Cross-Curricular Humanities Course to Explore History February 23 - Elizabeth Brumfield, Prairie View A&M University (TX) - The Best Kept Secrets: Showcasing Digital Collections Contact me directly if you have questions or need additional information. Respectfully, Sandra SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. 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