BPG Publications Committee Meeting Report – 2000
The Publications Committee, co-chaired by Walter Henry and Kate Maynor, held a well-attended lunchtime discussion in Philadelphia for BPG members. Short presentations by committee members were followed by comments and questions from attendees. Discussion centered on practical and philosophical issues relating to the Annual as explicated in Shannon Zachary's excellent handout, a copy of which was sent to all BPG members in the fall mailing. Members are encouraged to send email feedback on publications issues to the committee at bpg-survey@aic.stanford.edu or write Shannon Zachary at Conservation Services, University of Michigan Library, 837 Greene St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1048. In general, the discussion affirmed the value of the Annual not only as a record of talks presented at the annual meeting (even if only in abstract form) but also as a venue for less formal or preliminary work. The majority of members who attended the lunch supported the production of both print and online versions and also favored the inclusion of non-meeting submissions. Members expressed concern, however, about commercial distribution of print publications that are not peer-reviewed in a traditional manner and later at the business meeting the membership voted not to sell the joint BPG-PMG Scrapbooks publication through a commercial vendor. In response to comments made by Walter Henry, there was agreement that BPG members should be encouraged to submit papers to JAIC. The Publications Committee plans to take a more active role in that regard.
Thanks are due to Shannon Zachary whose debut as Compiler and Managing Editor for the Annual (and for Conservation of Scrapbooks and Albums!) has set high standards that, fortunately, are sure to be maintained under her continued watch. Outgoing BPG chair Nancy Purinton has demonstrated her continued commitment by joining our committee and is currently following through on her promise to deal with the considerable stockpile of back issues of the Annual. Thanks are also due to those BPG members who have volunteered to help with proofreading and scanning for the Annual. The Publications Committee will have its mid-year meeting in January, 2001.