{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033\deflangfe1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.15.1507;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\qc\f0\fs24 Substitution of a Concise Summary \par In lieu of Full Minutes\par In the BULLETIN\par \pard\par \par Ever since I became Recording Secretary, Bob has been bugging me to initiate an effort to eliminate from the January and July issues of the BULLETIN the detailed minutes of Board meetings. In lieu thereof, he recommends much more concise reporting in the BULLETIN, with a more full account available upon request. He argues that devotion of so much space in the BULLETIN in two issues per year caters to the interests of too few members to justify the added pages and cost. \par \par Bob\rquote s position is not altogether original. I also got it from numerous neophyte secretaries and recording secretaries under my tutorage who questioned the need to publish so widely such elaborate and detailed minutes. \par \par Heretofore I have resisted such urging, arguing for tradition, for providing a service to historians and policy wonks, and for homage to those whose interests lie in the details of the inner workings of the society. \par \par But times are a changing. Paper has become more and more expensive due to global depletion of natural resources. Postage rates have soared. The AIS is looking hard for places to cut costs and improve needed services. \b AND the internet has made convenient the dissemination of information in the form of attachments to e-mail virtually free of added labor and cost.\b0 \par \par Accordingly, the Chair would entertain a motion essentially as follows:\par \par Moved (effective with respect to the 2005 spring meeting), \par \par \pard\li720 That full minutes of the meetings of the AIS Board of Directors no longer be published in the BULLETIN;\par \par In lieu thereof, that a concise standing article be published in the BULLETIN twice a year providing highlights of the spring, fall, and interim actions of the Board of interest and/or importance to \i all\i0 members. The BULLETIN article shall be prepared by the Secretary (or Recording Secretary as the case may be) concurrently with the preparation of the full minutes. The BULLETIN article shall be coordinated, vetted, and approved in the same manner as the full minutes.\par \par That full minutes of individual meetings be automatically and timely provided by the Secretary to all Board members, officers, committee chairs, administrative personnel, RVPs, and presidents of sections and cooperating societies twice a year in the form of attachments to e-mail.\par \par That full minutes be provided by the Secretary to all other persons requesting same of the Secretary at no cost in the form of attachments to e-mail. Those with standing requests for full minutes shall be responsible to keep the Secretary timely advised of address changes. \par \par That back issues of electronic full minutes henceforth be provided by the Librarian in BULLETIN format and size suitable for archiving and/or binding to all persons requesting same of the Librarian at no cost in the form of attachments to e-mail.\par \par That the Secretary, on a case by case basis, shall be allowed to exercise discretion in providing an individually printed copy (no inventory authorized) at full cost to the requesting party when no other alternative for the requestor is feasible. \par \pard\par End of solicited motion.\par \par In anticipation of concerns of voting Board members, Bob has researched several issues that readily come to mind. He advises that nothing in the above is controlled by or counter to the AIS Articles of Incorporation. As to the AIS Bylaws, they merely require that the Secretary keep minutes on file in the corporate office. Article VIII of the AIS Bylaws specifically require that the minutes be available to the AIS membership, \b or\b0 be printed in the AIS BULLETIN. General corporate law allows any director or member to view and copy minutes in the corporate office at reasonable times, or to otherwise obtain copies at the requestor\rquote s expense. \par \par Should there be other legal requirements for publication of minutes in the BULLETIN of which Bob is not aware, he further advises that in his opinion the publication of the more concise article in the BULLETIN would suffice for all legal purposes as proper minutes of the Board. This he believes is so because the hereinabove referred to \ldblquote full minutes\rdblquote far exceed the usual requirements for corporate minutes, although elaborate minutes have been the AIS practice since long before I first became directly involved in the traditional drafting of AIS minutes. \par \par CHAIR\rquote S SOLICITATION OF A MOTION\par \par Time is ripe. Adoption of such a policy, I believe, will allow the BULLETIN to better focus its pages on the real interests of the overwhelming majority of the members, yet continue to serve the legitimate special needs of all others. \par \pard\fi-720\li720\par }