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One of the great pleasures of chairing the Board of CLIR is having
the opportunity to work with the committed and visionary people who
serve on it. CLIR's staff can rely on the Board for guidance in developing
and carrying out the organization's program. The agendas of Board
meetings focus on issues that the staff and members of the Board expect to
become important for institutions and individuals responsible for
managing information and information systems.
The composition of CLIR's Board changes each year through the
normal rotation of members' terms. While this change ensures the
continual renewal of the Board, it also means that we lose the experience
and wisdom of members who have served CLIR for years. In 2001, we
lost more experience than usual because of the evolution of CLIR's Board
as the successor of the Boards of the Council on Library Resources and
the Commission on Preservation and Access. I want to use this opportunity
to recognize those who stepped down this year.
Betty Bengtson left the CLIR Board when she retired from her position
as library director at the University of Washington. We will miss Betty for
her understanding of the research library community and for her
commitment to preservation.
Virginia Betancourt, who joined the CLIR Board while she was director
of the National Library of Venezuela, completed her term. Virginia is
now devoting her energy and talent to the Fundacion Romulo Betancourt.
We are especially grateful for the expert advice she offered on matters
related to CLIR's international work.
Christine Borgman, professor of information studies at the University
of California at Los Angeles, gave the Board knowledge of the
information science research community. She also made an important
contribution through her connection to the National Science Foundation's
digital library initiatives.
Robert Bovenschulte, director of publications at the American
Chemical Society, joined the CLIR Board as a representative from the
publishing community, but he also contributed business acumen, knowledge of
the technological changes in publishing, and plain good sense to the
Board's deliberations.
David B. Gracy II, a faculty member at the University of Texas,
provided strong representation of the archival community. David made
archives and archival issues a part of every CLIR project. In addition, as
secretary of the Board, he introduced us to proper archival procedures.
Marilyn Gell Mason joined the CLIR Board while she was director of
the Cleveland Public Library, and she continued to represent the interests
and concerns of public libraries after she left that position to become
an adviser to OCLC. Marilyn also served as vice chair of the Board.
We are delighted to welcome four new members to the Board.
Francis X. Blouin, director of the Bentley Historical Library at the
University of Michigan, brings the perspective of an archivist to the Board.
Before accepting the invitation to serve on the CLIR Board, he had
already contributed significantly to CLIR's work as a member of its Task Force
on the Role of the Artifact.
Paula Kaufman, university librarian at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, comes to the CLIR Board with broad professional
experience and a history of service on numerous boards, including the
Research Libraries Group, SOLINET, the Society for Scholarly Publishing, and
the Association for Research Libraries, of which she is
president-elect.
Susan Kent, who heads the Los Angeles Public Library, has had a
distinguished career in the world of public libraries. She has been
recognized nationally and internationally for her accomplishments and leadership.
Finally, Celia Ribeiro Zaher, director of the National Library Foundation
of the Ministry of Culture in Brazil, contributes to the Board's
international perspective and gives us particularly valuable views on Latin America.
The diverse professional backgrounds of the CLIR Board members
mirror the expanding range of communities with which CLIR has
become connected. The success of CLIR's work today depends on
cooperation with industry, publishers, and museums, as well as with our
traditional partners in universities and libraries.
As the CLIR Board and staff look to the future and make decisions
about new initiatives and directions, we will welcome new Board members
with diverse experience and knowledge who can assist us with planning
those activities.
Stanley Chodorow
Chairman of the Board
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