2 inFoRmation tEcHnoLoGY anD LiBRaRiEs | sEptEmBER 2008 Andrew K. PacePresident’s Message andrew K. pace (pacea@oclc.org) is LITA President 2008/2009 and Executive Director, Networked Library Services at OCLC Inc. in Dublin, Ohio. W elcome to my first ITAL column as LITA presi- dent. I’ve had the good fortune to write a number of columns in the past—in Computers in Libraries, Smart Libraries Newsletter, and most recently American Libraries—and it is a role that I have always cherished. There is just enough space to say what you want, but not all the responsibility of backing it up with facts and figures. In the past, I have worried about hav- ing enough to say month after month for an undefined period. Now I am daunted by only having one year to address the LITA membership and communicate goals and accomplishments of my quickly passing tenure. I am simultaneously humbled and extremely excited to start my presidential year with LITA. I have some ambitious agenda items for the division. I said when I was running that I wanted to make LITA the kind of orga- nization that new librarians and IT professionals want to join and that seasoned librarians wanted to be active in. Recruitment to LITA is vital, but there is also work to be done to make that recruitment even easier. I am fortunate in following up the great work of my predecessors, many of whom I have had the pleasure of serving with on the LITA board since 2005. They have set the bar for me and make the coming year as challenging as anything I have done in my career. I also owe a lot to the membership who stepped forward to volunteer for committees, liaison appointments, and other volunteer opportunities. I also think it is important for LITA mem- bers to know just how much the board relies on the faith- ful and diligent services of the LITA staff. At my vice presidential Town Meeting, I talked about marketing and communication in terms of List (who), Method (how), and Message (what and why). Not only was this a good way to do some navel gazing on what it means to be a member of LITA, it laid some groundwork for the year ahead. I think it is an inescapable conclusion that the LITA board needs to take another look at stra- tegic planning (which expires this year). The approach I am going to recommend, however, is not one that tries to connote the collective wisdom of a dozen LITA leaders. Instead, I hope we can define a methodology by which LITA committees, interest groups, and the membership at large are empowered to both do the work of the division and benefit from it. One of the quirky things that some people know about me is that I actually love bureaucracy. I was pleased to read in the LITA bylaws that it is actually my duty as president to “see that the bylaws are observed by the officers and members of the Board of Directors.” I will tell you all that I also interpret this to mean that the president and the board will not act in ways that are not prescribed. The strength of a volunteer organization comes from its volunteers. The best legacy a LITA president can provide is to give committees, interest groups, and the member- ship a free reign to create its future. As for the board, its main objective is to oversee the affairs of the division during the period between meet- ings. Frankly, we’re not so great at this, and it is one of the biggest challenges for any volunteer organization. It is also one of my predecessor’s initiatives that I plan to follow through on with his help as immediate past presi- dent. Participation and involvement—and the ability to follow the work and strategies of the division—should be easier for all of us. So, if I were to put my platform in a nutshell it would be this—recruitment, communication, strategic planning, and volunteer empowerment. I left out fun, because it goes without saying that most of us are part of LITA because it’s a fun division with great members. This is a lot to get done in one year, but because it will be fun, I’m looking forward to it.