Program Committee Annual Report 2022

submitted by Rachel Smiley

Current Roster

  • Rachel Smiley, 2023 Chair, 2020-2024
  • Carlos Peña, 2024 Chair, 2021-2025
  • Peter Shirts, 2022 Chair, 2020-2023
  • Kristina Shanton, 2021 Chair, 2019-2023
  • Sara Outhier 2021-2024
  • Veronica Wells, 2021-2024
  • Lina Sheahan, 2022-2025
  • Ann Shaffer, 2025 Chair, 2022-2026
  • Megan Reichelt, TLA Representative (1-year)
  • Andrew Justice, Convention Manager, ex-officio
  • Scott Stone, Board Liaison, ex-officio
  • Margaret Corby, MOUG Representative, ex-officio (2 years)
  • Brendan Higgins, Education Committee Representative, ex-officio (1-year)
  • Michelle Rivera, Student/Early Career Representative, ex-officio (1-year)
  • Abbey Thompson, Diversity Committee/EIS Representative, ex-officio (1-year)

List of Previous Goals and Progress Made

  1. Put on and evaluate March 2022 Hybrid Meeting.
    • Due to concerns over the COVID pandemic, we were unable to hold a hybrid meeting and instead held a virtual meeting.
    • We were able to evaluate the 2022 virtual meeting with the post-conference survey.
  2. Organize another joint annual meeting with TLA (Theatre Library Association) in St. Louis, Missouri, 2023.
    • We were able to work with TLA to schedule a joint meeting. We formed a program committee made of members from both MLA and TLA, put out a call for papers, reviewed submissions, and drafted a possible program. The meeting is on track to occur in March 2023.
    • Ongoing tasks are in order to “better solicit and incorporate performing arts-related content in the program, especially content outside of academic music libraries.”

List of Future Goals

  1. Put on and evaluate March 2023 Hybrid Meeting
    • Aligns with Objective 1.3: Cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with other organizations; Objective 2.2: Offer mentorship and networking opportunities; Objective 2.6: Promote MLA and advocate for our profession, our members, our users, our institutions and for diversity; Objective 3.2: Offer virtual meetings and workshops led by underrepresented groups in our membership; Objective 3.5: Prioritize accessibility at all MLA events.
    • With the lessons learned from the 2022 Hybrid Task Force and the 2022 virtual program, the program committee will test out the hybrid format.
    • We plan to put out a call for committee and interest group meetings with wider reach than last year and schedule the meetings more tightly together before and after the conference.
    • We plan to put out an additional poster and community choice call in advance of the meeting.
    • We plan to put out a post-conference survey, as well as more informal forms of assessment.