ARLIS/SE Chapter History

ART LIBRARIES SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA SOUTHEAST CHAPTER

• 1979 – 1999: Stephen Allan Patrick, SE Chapter Historian/Archivist.
• 1999 – 2021: Leah Sherman, SE Past-President

Jump to: 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

1974-1975 (ARLIS/GEORGIA)

That first year included two preliminary meetings one in Athens GA in April and one in Atlanta on September 10, 1975. In June that year Ray Abell of the Tampa Public Library requested the formation of an ARLIS/Georgia-Florida Chapter. On December 6, 1975 in Atlanta, Leslie Friedman of the University of Georgia was elected Chair, Ray Abell of the Tampa Public Library was elected Vice-Chair, and Sarah Daniels of the Atlanta College of Art was elected Secretary and served as head of the Project Committee working on architectural records.
1975-1976
The 2nd annual meeting was held in Sarasota FL on December 11, 1976. Ray Abell served as Chair, Mary Ellen “Mel” LoPresti of the Architecture Library at Georgia Tech was elected Vice-Chair, and Leslie Saunders of the Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library was elected Secretary-Treasurer.
1976-1977
The 3rd annual meeting was held in Atlanta on December 8-10, 1977 as ARLIS/Southeast. Earlier that year Ray Abell left his position at Tampa Public Library and Mel LoPresti took over as Chair. That same year Mel also took a new position at the North Carolina State University Design Library. Mel continued to serve as Chair the following year and Leslie Saunders continued as Secretary-Treasurer. Marcia Duncan of UNC-Charlotte was elected Vice-Chair. The meeting consisted of a tour of the Omni Complex and the Fox Theatre. 1977 was also the first year that yours truly attended a Southeast Chapter meeting.
1977-1978
Early in 1978 Leslie Saunders left her position at Tampa Public Library. Mel LoPresti phoned me to see if I (Stephen) was interested in taking over as Secretary-Treasurer for the Chapter; I agreed. At the ARLIS/NA Conference in New York in February Marcia Duncan was elected Eastern Regional Representative. The 4th annual meeting was held in Charlotte NC on November 10-11, 1978. Mel LoPresti presided and Marcia hosted the meeting which included a visit to Charlotte’s newly formed arts center, Spirit Square. Elsie Straight of the Ringling School of Art Library was elected Vice-Chair. To improve the chapter image Stephen designed a chapter logo which was used on all official correspondence.
1978-1979
The 5th annual meeting was hosted by Elsie in Sarasota FL on November 9-10, 1979. That was the year Marcia developed car trouble on the way to the meeting and was stranded near her family’s home in Ocala. The meeting included tours of the Ringling Museum of Art, and the Ringling School of Art. Stephen Patrick of the Greenville County (SC) Library was elected Vice-Chair and Jill Leech of UNC-Charlotte was elected Secretary-Treasurer.

1979-1980

In January 1980 the Southeast Chapter was host to the ARLIS/NA national conference in New Orleans. Marcia Duncan and Darla Rushing did most of the planning and organization for the conference. The 6th annual chapter meeting was hosted by Stephen in Greenville, South Carolina, on November 7-9, 1980. The program consisted of tours of the Greenville Museum of Art and their newly acquired Andrew Wyeth Collection and the Bob Jones University Art Museum. An added treat was a trip to Asheville to visit Biltmore House. 1980 was also memorable for the lengthy business following our first chapter catered dinner at the home of Alice White and Priscilla Adair. The historic home on Pettigrew Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Darla Rushing of Loyola University was elected Vice-Chair.
1980-1981
Our 7th annual meeting was hosted by Darla in New Orleans on November 6-7, 1981. The meeting included our first real program sessions, instead of all tours. As side attractions we toured the New Orleans Museum of Art, the French Quarter, and the Garden District. Our treat consisted of a homemade jambalya dinner at the apartment of Jeanette Dixon Downing’s parents in the Pontalba overlooking historic Jackson Square. Of course, there was a lot of good food at the meeting. Margaret Knoerr of Duke University was elected Vice-Chair and Julie Compton of the Atlanta Public Library was elected Secretary-Treasurer.
1981-1982
Our 8th annual chapter meeting was hosted by Margaret and was held jointly with the ARLIS/DC-Maryland-Virginia Chapter at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill NC from November 5-7, 1982. Caroline Backland, ARLIS/NA Chair, and Janis Ekdahl, Eastern Regional Representative, was in attendance. The meeting included several sessions at the UNC-Chapel Hill Ackland Art Museum, the National Humanities Center in Research Triangle Park and other sites. This was our largest meeting with 36 attendees. Jill Leech Sloop was elected Vice-Chair.
1982-1983
Following the 1982 meeting Julie resigned and Louise Creed of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee was appointed Secretary-Treasurer. Our 9th annual meeting with the theme “Library Support of the Arts” was held in Charlotte on November 4-6, 1983 and was hosted by Jill. The meeting consisted of a panel discussion held at UNCC and other locations. Our special treat was dinner hosted by Marcia Duncan where everyone raved about her special dip, called Duncan’s Delight. Leslie Abrams of the College of Charleston was elected Vice-Chair.
1983-1984
Our 10th annual meeting was hosted by Leslie in Charleston SC (although she had moved to the Architecture Library at Clemson University) on November 2-4, 1984 with the theme “Restoration and Preservation in Charleston, SC: a Living, Historic City in the 20th Century.” Meeting sessions were held at the Frances Marion Hotel, the Gibbs Art Museum, among other sites. Side features included a walking tour of homes in the historic district. Mary Ashe, ARLIS/NA Chair was in attendance. This meeting also contained our first Rizzoli Raffle which has now become an annual event. The membership also approved a southeast publications award. Yvonne Morse of the Ringling School of Art Library in Sarasota was elected Vice-Chair.
1984-1985
While we were saddened by the death of Mary Ellen LoPresti, her death gave birth to the LoPresti Publication Awards for outstanding art publishing in the Southeast. The chair of the 1st LoPresti Awards was Luz Aveleyra of UNC- Charlotte. Our 11th annual meeting was hosted by Yvonne in Sarasota on November 1-3, 1985 under the theme of “Sarasota Potpourri: Artists and Museums.” Meetings were held at the Ringling Museum of Art, and the Ringling School of Art. We were treated with dinner on floating restaurant. Sarasota saw our one commemorative t-shirt. Edward Teague of the University of Florida in Gainesville was elected Vice-Chair and Phyllis Pivorum of Clemson University was elected Secretary-Treasurer.
1985-1986
Our 12th annual meeting was hosted by Ed in St. Augustine, Florida, on October 31 – November 2, 1986. Meetings were held at the 16th century Llambias House with tours of the San Agustin Historic Dictrict, Gonzalez-Alvarez House, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (the fort), Flagler College (former Ponce de Leon Hotel), and the Lightner Museum. Eileen Markson, Eastern Regional Representative, was in attendance. Yvonne Morse was chair of the 2nd LoPresti Awards. Phil Rees of UNC-Chapel Hill was elected Vice-Chair.
1986-1987
Phil hosted the 13th annual meeting in Chapel Hill on October 30 – November 1, 1987. Meetings were held at the UNC-CH Ackland Art Museum. The group toured the new UNC-CH art library facility, North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, and had a reception at home of Margaret Knoerr. A special treat was dinner at the home of Phil and Peg Rees. Terry Fraver of the Atlanta College of Art Library was chair of the 3rd LoPresti Awards. William Clayton of the University of Georgia was elected Vice-Chair.
1987-1988
The 14th annual meeting was hosted by Bill in Atlanta GA on November 4-6, 1988. Meetings were held at the newly completed High Museum of Art by architect Richard Meier, the Atlanta College of Art and Georgia Tech Architectural Library. Jack Miller of the High Museum of Art was chair of the 4th LoPresti Awards. Floyd Zula of Tulane University was elected Vice-President.
1988-1989
Floyd hosted the 15th annual meeting in New Orleans LA from November 3-5, 1989. This meeting also brought forth another milestone. The membership voted to donate $100 to the ARLIS/NA Research Fund, as well as, go international and extend our chapter boundaries to include Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Meeting was held at the the Historic New Orleans Collection (THNOC) with a reception in the Counting Room Courtyard following, and other tours in and around the historic French Quarter. Tours included the New Orleans Museum of Art, Julia Street, the Hermann-Grima House and the Gallier House. Sara Wolf of the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte was chair of the 5th LoPresti Awards. Our own Ed Teague, Eastern Regional Representative, was in attendance. Sara Wolf was elected Vice-President and Emma Zell of the Art Institute of Atlanta was elected Secretary-Treasurer.

1989-1990

Our 16th annual meeting was hosted by Sara in Charlotte from November 2-4, 1990. Many of our meetings were held at the Mint Museum. We also visited the new Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Public Library and the new UNC-Charlotte School of Architecture facility. Ed Teague, Eastern Regional Representative, was in attendance. Stephen Patrick of East Tennessee State University was chair of the 6th LoPresti Awards. Anne Ross of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library was elected Vice-President.
1990-1991
A week following the 1990 meeting Wilma Wierwill, our oldest member, died on November 12th. She and her husband, Hal, had been coming to our meetings when her health permitted since 1983. Anne hosted the 17th annual chapter meeting in Tampa on November 8-9, 1991. Meetings were held at the Tampa Public Library with tours of the Fine Arts Center, the Tampa Museum of Art, Ybor City, as well as other sites in and around Tampa. Lynell Morr of the Ringling Museum of Art Library was chair of the 7th LoPresti Awards. The Ringling School of Art and Design Library was named repository for the winning LoPresti entries. Our own Phil Rees, newly elected Southern Regional Representative, was in attendance. Lee Sorensen of Duke University was elected Vice-President and Marilyn Halkovic of the University of Georgia was elected Secretary-Treasurer.
1991-1992
Lee hosted the 18th annual meeting in Chapel Hill & Durham on November 13-15, 1992 with the theme of “Electronic Art Imaging for Libraries.” Outstanding meetings were held at Duke University with tours to the UNC-CH Ackland Art Museum and Art Library, the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. Ed Teague was chair of the 8th LoPresti Awards. Our own Phil Rees, Southern Regional Representative, was in attendance. Dessert was hosted at the home of Anna Dvorak. Melissa McDonald of the Savannah College of Art and Design was elected Vice-President.
1992-1993
Melissa hosted the 19th annual chapter meeting in Savannah GA on November 12-14, 1993. Meetings were held at the Planter’s Inn Hotel with other sessions at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Double-decker bus tour of historic Savannah. Carl Penny was chair of the 9th LoPresti Awards. 1993 was the 10th year of the chapter raffle. Elizabeth Rich of the Columbia (SC) Museum of Art was elected Vice-President and Stephen Majure of the Savannah College of Art and Design was elected Secretary-Treasurer. Jane McRae of Birmingham volunteered to host the 20th annual meeting in Birmingham.
1993-1994
The 20th annual meeting hosted by Jane McRae in Birmingham on November 11-13, 1994 and was held in part at the historic Tutwiler Hotel with other sessions held at the Birmingham Museum of Art. This was an eventful meeting where the Local Arrangements Chair, Jim Findlay, and Program Chair, Stephen Patrick, for the 1996 ARLIS/NA Conference highlighted their plans and introduced their committees for the Chapter to host the meeting in Miami Beach. We were also honored to have Ed Teague, ARLIS/NA Vice-President/President-Elect, as one of our own members representing us on the Executive Board. Joan Stahl, ARLIS/NA Eastern Regional Representative was also in attendance and spoke on the conference planning. Deborah Barlow of Clemson University was elected Vice-President, and Stephen Patrick of East Tennessee State University was elected Newsletter Editor. Libby Rich was chair of the 10th LoPresti Awards. The group celebrated this milestone event in grand style and with one of the largest numbers in attendance.
1994-1995
The 21st annual chapter meeting was hosted by Deborah Barlow in Clemson on October 19-21, 1995 with most of the meetings being held at the Madren Center on the Clemson University campus. The focus of this event also centered on our hosting the 1996 ARLIS/NA conference in Miami Beach which was rapidly approaching. Conference co-chairs Anne Ross and Stephen Patrick updated the membership about the Conference Planning Advisory Committee meeting held in Miami Beach the previous July. Other events included a presentation by Anne Lally, and tours of the Hanover House, South Carolina Botanical Gardens, the Strom Thurmond Institute and the Gunnin Architectural Library. LeAnne Brown of the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta GA was elected Vice-President and Emma Zell of Jacksonville FL was elected Secretary-Treasurer. The 11th annual LoPresti Awards were announced.
1995-1996
The chapter survived the 24th ARLIS/NA Conference held in Miami Beach on April 25 – May 2, 1996 at the Doral Ocean Beach Hotel. The theme was “ARLIS and the New World / ARLIS Y El Nuevo Mundo”. We pulled out the stops and hosted one of the most memorable events of the organization’s history. The sessions, the tours, the food, and the fun left a lasting memory on the minds of all who attended. However, a toll was taken on the chapter membership and one of the smallest group of members attended the 22nd annual chapter meeting in Augusta GA, hosted by LeAnne Brown on October 17-19, 1996. Members stayed at the historic Partridge Inn. We had a fabulous guided tour of Historic Augusta that began in a heavy fog that lifted somewhere along the way. This was followed by a delightful docent tour of the Morris Museum of Art. The real treat was a lecture by local author and editor, Starkey Flythe, Jr. LeAnne Brown did double duty as host and chapter chair, due to the resignation of Deborah Barlow and her move to the Corcoran School of Art Library in DC. Emma Zell also had to resign as Secretary-Treasurer due to a change in her job. Donna Smith of the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel MS volunteered to serve out Emma’s term as Secretary-Treasurer. Marilyn Healey was chair of the 12th annual LoPresti Awards.
1996-1997
A mid-year meeting was held at the 25th ARLIS/NA Conference in San Antonio with Lee Sorenson, ARLIS/NA South Regional Representative presiding. The chapter was grateful for Stephen Patrick and his hard work in designing the ARLIS/SE website. Ann Lindell was thanked for setting up the ARLISSE-L discussion list. Other minor chapter business was discussed. Carl Penney became the Vice-President of the Chapter and hosted the 23rd annual chapter meeting in New Orleans on October 31 – November 2, 1997. Members stayed at the new Hampton Inn / Garden District on St. Charles Avenue on the streetcar line. A variety of events were planned. Members were invited to attend the opening of the Heriard-Cimini Gallery on Julia Street. Bob Heriard is one of the Southeast Chapter’s long-standing members. Other sessions and tours included the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Old Mint (part of the Louisiana State Museum) and the new research facilities of the Historic New Orleans Collection. A few brave souls ventured to the Destrehan and San Francisco plantations along River Road. Linda McKee of the Ringling Museum of Art was elected Vice-President. Donna Smith continued as Secretary-Treasurer. Carl Penney chaired the 13th annual LoPresti Awards.
1997-1998
A mid-year meeting was scheduled for the 26th ARLIS/NA Conference in Philadelphia with Lee Sorenson and Linda McKee presiding. Once again the chapter members in attendance were able to discuss various chapter issues and get together for some fun. The glorious 24th annual chapter meeting was hosted by Linda McKee in Sarasota FL on October 15-18, 1998 with many members staying at the Radisson Lido Beach Resort. Another full schedule of events occupied the members on their two-day stay in the sun. Sessions and tours included the Ringling School of Art and Design, and Computer Animation Lab. A special tour of the new Selby Library (Sarasota Public Library) was a real treat. All day Saturday was spent at the Ringling Museum of Art with visits to its many venues. Kim Collins of the High Museum of Art was elected Vice-President; Ann Lindell of the University of Florida, Gainesville, took over the duties of Newsletter Editor. The 14th annual LoPresti Awards were presented.
1998-1999
The 1999 mid-year chapter meeting was held at the 27th ARLIS/NA Conference in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia on March 29, 1999 at the Hotel Vancouver. Kim Collins presided over the meeting as a prelude to the 25th annual ARLIS/Southeast Chapter meeting. Pat Lynagh was introduced at the new ARLIS/NA South Regional Representative. A lively discussion on lifetime chapter membership was continued from the Sarasota meeting. Roberto Ferrari was asked by Collins to develop a website for the 25th chapter meeting. A membership drive was initiated to assist in the anniversary initiative. The group then adjourned to a fabulous restaurant several blocks away. During the conference, Kim Collins invited the ARLIS/NA membership to join with the Southeast Chapter in celebrating its 25th Anniversary in Atlanta on November 4-7, 1999. The conference hotel in Atlanta was The Granada Suite Hotel. President Linda McKee presided over the Southeast business meeting and 33 were in attendance. The new ARLIS/NA South Regional Representative, Pat Lynagh, was introduced, as was Roberto Ferrari as our new ARLIS/SE Webmaster. It was announced that ARLIS/SE Chapter Lifetime Membership Awards would be presented to Margaret Knoerr, Phil Rees, and Anna Dvorak at the Saturday evening banquet. Linda McKee also announced that Cary Wilkins agreed to take over as Editor of the newsletter from Ann Lindell and that Rachel Kuhn and Allen Novak would lead the LoPresti Awards Committee. Natalia Lonchyna was elected Vice-President and Donna Smith ran unopposed for Secretary-Treasurer. The conference program was packed with exciting outings such as tours of the High Museum of Art and their art library, a tour of the artists book collection at the Atlanta College of Art Library, a visit to the Institute of Paper Science & Technology, a tour of the Special Collections Department of the Woodruff Library at Emory University, and the ARLIS/SE 25th Anniversary Dinner Celebration at Toulouse in Buckhead. This year Chapter Historian/Archivist Stephen Allen Patrick authored “A TALE OF TWO DECADES: A 25th Anniversary Timeline of Chapter Events from 1974-1999” compiled from chapter files and his personal experience.

1999-2000

The mid-year chapter meeting took place at the 28th ARLIS/NA conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, held during the week of March 16-22, 2000. Natalia Lonchyna presided over the meeting and Moira Steven served as acting Secretary. An update was given on planning efforts for the ARLIS/SE annual meeting set for October, and there was great enthusiasm expressed by the group for the activities arranged thus far. Minor business included discussion of preserving LoPresti award-winning titles as part of our chapter history and expanding newsletter distribution to include past members and library schools. The 26th Southeast chapter conference was held in Raleigh, NC on October 20-21, 2000, and the official hotel was the Velvet Cloak Inn. 30 participants attended the annual business meeting. Kim Collins, Southeast President, presided. Many thanks went to the conference planning committee, led by Vice-President Natalia Lonchyna, and members Ed Teague, Eliza Robertson, Lee Sorensen, Pat Thompson, Paula Hardin, and Rachel Kuhn. Roberto Ferrari was elected Vice-President and Kathleen List as Secretary/Treasurer. Ed Teague volunteered to become the chapter’s Webmaster and Moira Steven agreed to chair the LoPresti Awards Committee. New business included continued conversation on storing the LoPresti book collection and discussion about the future of our newsletter. On the former, Lee Sorensen offered to investigate Duke as a potential home for our archives, and on the latter, attendees agreed to continue newsletter production twice yearly. Patricia Lynagh, ARLIS/NA South Regional Representative, attended as well, describing her experience as both a pleasure and a privilege. Attendees in Raleigh were treated to a series of lectures and tours highlighting cultural sites in the Triangle Area, such as visits to the North Carolina Museum of Art.
2000-2001 
At the 29th ARLIS/NA conference in Los Angeles, CA, took place from March 29-April 4, 2001. The theme was “An LA Odyssey” and a beautiful reception was held at the Getty. 14 attended the Southeast Chapter mid-year meeting, presided over by Chapter President, Natalia Lonchyna. Secretary/Treasurer Kathleen List reported chapter membership as 46, including 31 renewing members, 10 new members, and 5 lifetime members. During new business Kim Collins and Lee Sorensen reported on a draft agreement between ARLIS/SE and Duke University to house our chapter archives. On November 8-11, 2001, the Southeast’s annual meeting was held in sunny Fort Lauderdale/Boca Raton under the conference planning direction of Vice-President Roberto Ferrari. The host site was Florida Atlantic University’s S.E. Wimberly Library. At the business meeting, Natalia Lonchyna presided again, welcoming ARLIS/NA President Ted Goodman and ARLIS/NA South Regional Representative Paula Hardin as our special guests. Moira Steven was elected as Vice-President and Pedro Figueredo was appointed as Webmaster. Lifetime Membership was also awarded to Stephen Patrick of East Tennessee State University, having been a member since 1977 and attending all but one chapter conference during that time. Drawn south for “palm trees, iced tea, and beach weather,” attendees were shown exciting local cultural sites such as the Bienes Center for the Literary Arts at the Broward County Library, the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. There were also lectures, including a demonstration by ARTbibliographies Modern, and a talk on the architect Addison Mizner. On Thursday, November 8, a festive group enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeuvres at the waterfront on the renovated Riverwalk.
2001-2002
ARLIS/NA held its annual conference in St. Louis, MO, on March 20-26, 2002, and it was the first joint meeting between ARLIS/NA and the Visual Resources Association (VRA). There were 17 in attendance at the Southeast mid-year meeting presided over by President Roberto Ferrari. Chapter membership was reported by Secretary/Treasurer Kathleen List as 59, including 6 lifetime members and 4 new members. Lee Eltzroth prepared a descriptive inventory of the chapter archives up to the presidency of Kim Collins. The next chapter event was the 28th Southeast annual conference which took place in Asheville, NC, from November 7-10, 2002. The conference hotel was the Renaissance Asheville. A record number of 45 attendees represented 9 states in the Smokey Mountains, including a group of library science students from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill who had created the first student chapter of ARLIS/NA at their school. At the business meeting, Lee Sorensen announced that the chapter archives would be housed at Duke University. During the election of new officers, Sarah McCleskey was selected as the Vice-President, and Grace Reid was chosen as the new Secretary/Treasurer. New business involved the proposed 2003 joint conference between ARLIS/Southeast and the ARLIS/Texas-Mexico Chapter. Events at this year’s regional conference included visits to the UNC-Asheville Library to hear speakers, a tour of the Biltmore Estate, their archives and the Vanderbilt Library, tours of the historic arts and craft-style Grove Park Inn and the Biltmore Industries arts and crafts workshops and galleries, in addition to a historical walking tour of the city’s “architectural wonders.”
2002-2003
The ARLIS/NA and Southeast Chapter mid-year meeting took place during the week of March 20-26, 2003, in Baltimore, MD. 16 attended our business meeting, and Moira Steven presided. Sarah McCleskey reported on the arrangements for this fall’s joint conference with the ARLIS/Texas-Mexico Chapter, to be held in New Orleans, LA. Roberto Ferrari also brought up the possibility of the Southeast region hosting the ARLIS/NA conference sometime in the next three years; possible locations included Charleston, Atlanta, Sarasota, Jacksonville, and New Orleans. Kim Collins, Stephen Patrick, Moira Steven, and Roberto Ferrari formed a small task force to continue this conversation. ARLIS/Southeast’s 30th anniversary coincided with the joint meeting with the Texas-Mexico chapter over November 13-16, 2003. 17 were in attendance and the Hampton Inn in the Garden District served as the conference headquarters. It was noted at this fall business meeting that there were two important changes in Southeast Chapter leadership: Grace Reid stepped down a Secretary/Treasurer and Sandra Still assumed the position, and Natalia Lonchyna took over as Webmaster from Pedro Figueredo. Rebecca Kranz agreed to serve as the Vice-President. During the remainder of the conference, there were many exciting excursions planned, such as field trips to the Historic New Orleans Collection at the French Quarter Museum and Research Center, visits to the Southeastern Architectural Archive and the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and a viewing of the exhibit “The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt” at the New Orleans Museum of Art. On Friday night, NOLA-area colleagues Carl Penny, Norbert Raacke, and Randy Bowman hosted a lively New Orleans-style dinner at Carl and Randy’s home. The menu included traditional fare such as red beans and rice, sausage, and, as one attendee put it, “the most delicious bread pudding I think I’ve ever had.” Although many departed on Sunday morning, a smaller group remained for a chance at two exceptional tours: a guided tour of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art with their Chief Curator, David Houston, and a trek to see St. Louis Cemetery #1 led by the Save Our Cemeteries organization.
2003-2004 
The Southeast mid-year business meeting happened during the 32nd ARLIS/NA conference in New York, NY on April 15-20, 2004. There were 17 in attendance. President Sarah McCleskey presided over the meeting and Lee Sorensen was elected as our new Vice-President. Laura Schwartz, ARLIS/NA South Regional Representative, attended representing the ARLIS/NA Executive Board. Important business discussed at this meeting included future possibilities for holding joint conferences with other ARLIS chapters, such as Texas-Mexico again or the Mid-Atlantic. A proposal was also made to separate our Secretary/Treasurer position into two roles. On a related note, concern was raised about the recent uptick in leadership turnover within our region, given our small size, and that it was recently announced that the Southeast would host the 2007 ARLIS/NA annual meeting in Atlanta. With an “all hands on deck” attitude, a dialogue on chapter recruitment and retention was sparked. The annual Southeast meeting was in Winston-Salem, NC, from November 11-14, 2004. Attendees enjoyed presentations on collection development from Matt Wiggins and Kim Collins, as well as Dr. Margaret Supplee Smith’s talk on North Carolina women librarians. At the business meeting, Tom Caswell was elected as Vice-President, Ann Lindell was elected as Secretary, and Allen Novak was elected as Treasurer. It was noted that this was the 20th year of the LoPresti Awards. Conference site visits this year included lunch at the Village Tavern in Old Salem (a restoration of the Moravian community called Salem that was founded in 1766), a tour of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA), and a 30th-anniversary dinner.
2004-2005 
Houston, TX, was the host site of the ARLIS/NA conference on April 1-5, 2005. Vice-President Tom Caswell presided over our mid-year business meeting of 12 attendees and introduced Heather Ball as the new ARLIS/NA South Regional Representative. Major discussion continued over updating the Bylaws to include term and responsibility changes for both the Secretary and Treasurer positions as well as renewed interest in increased recruitment and membership involvement leading up to the 2007 ARLIS/NA conference planned for Atlanta. Floyd Zula recently gave a large donation of historical materials to the Southeast Chapter archives at Duke. From November 12-13, 2005, our chapter met in St. Petersburg, Florida for its annual conference. The conference hotel was the Hampton Inn, Downtown St. Petersburg, located on the picturesque Tampa Bay waterfront. President Lee Sorensen presided and 22 were in attendance. Kathleen List was elected unanimously as incoming Vice-President. Instead of a formal program of presentations, a separate meeting was held this year where chairs of the 2007 Atlanta Conference Planning Committee were assigned. Conference attendees enjoyed several site visits to cultural venues this week as well, especially a cocktail reception for the LoPresti Awards overlooking the city and the bay at sunset. Other field trips were had at the Second Saturday Gallery Walk in downtown St. Pete, by rides on the downtown trolley, and on tours of the Dali Museum and the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts and library. At the MFA there was also a demonstration of their long tradition of bookbinding.
2005-2006 
13 ARLIS/Southeast chapter members ventured north to the Canadian Rockies for 34th ARLIS/NA conference in Banff, Alberta, Canada on May 5-9, 2006. The business meeting was presided over by President Tom Caswell, and Heather Ball, ARLIS/NA South Regional Representative, attended in person to give an update from the Executive Board. There was a lively discussion about potential changes to the “national” membership structure and the raising of dues. There was also great discussion over the pros and cons of signing an affiliation agreement with ARLIS/NA, but the Southeast chapter ultimately decided to sign it. As a result, the Bylaws were changed to this effect. There was great excitement brewing at this meeting over the next year’s agenda for ARLIS/NA to meet in Atlanta; this year’s Southeast meeting was planned for Atlanta as well. Membership in our chapter grew 6% this year, including our first-ever member from Puerto Rico. The Southeast annual conference was held Atlanta, GA, on November 9-12, 2004, based out of the Sheraton Midtown Atlanta at Colony Square. At the business meeting there were 27 in attendance. Tom Caswell also presided over this meeting; Yvonne Boyer was elected as Vice-President, Liz Gentry became the Secretary, and Jennifer Friedman was appointed to be the new LoPresti Awards Chair. Activities in Atlanta included visits to Emory University Library, a special presentation of artists books by Vamp & Tramp, seeing the Michael C. Carlos Museum, the “Louvre in Atlanta” exhibition at the High Museum, and a behind-the-scenes tour at the Center for Puppetry Arts Library.
2006-2007 
The much anticipated ARLIS/NA conference in Atlanta, GA, was hosted by the Southeast chapter on April 26-30, 2007. 16 attended the mid-year business meeting presided over by Vice-President Yvonne Boyer in the absence of President Kathleen List. Major congratulations were earned by this year’s Conference Planning Committee! Ann Lindell and Tom Caswell were singled out at our meeting for their tireless work as Programming Co-Chairs, as was the Local Arrangements team of Sandra Still, Kim Collins, and Moira Steven. In taking stock of this work it was noted at the Southeast Chapter is only a few years younger than the ARLIS/NA organization, and as a region, we have much to be very proud of. As such, the main topic of discussion at this year’s spring meeting was the LoPresti Awards, especially its uniqueness (no other such book awards exist at the regional level). Once the excitement over Atlanta had passed, attention turned to the upcoming annual meeting in Nashville, TN, on November 8-10, 2007. President Kathleen List presided over our meeting of 22 participants hosted at Vanderbilt’s Central Library, the conference headquarters. The ARLIS/NA Strategic Plan offered a framework for conversation, including commissioning an exploratory committee to investigate creating a regional conference scholarship for LIS students. Artis Wick was elected as Vice-President and Allen Novak was elected as Treasurer. Nashville attendees were delighted by trips to Vanderbilt’s Special Collections & Archives and the Vanderbilt News archive, an evening reception at the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, and the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art. On Friday evening, November 9th, the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery also sponsored a lovely reception in the Old Gym.
2007-2008
The 36th ARLIS/NA conference took place in Denver, CO from May 1-5, 2008, and 15 Southeast members were in attendance. At the mid-year business meeting, President Yvonne Boyer presided. Participants heard a report from Sarah Carter and Pat Thompson recommending that the “Professional Development Travel Award” be given by ARLIS/SE annually to cover the winner’s expenses at the ARLIS/NA conference. The Southeast annual conference in Sarasota was held from November 5-8, 2008. Attendees were invited to stay at the local Hilton Garden Inn. 22 attended this fall business meeting presided over by Yvonne Boyer, including guests from as far away as Portland and Canada. ARLIS/NA Education Liaison (formerly known as the South Regional Representative) Elizabeth Schaub came to the Ringling Museum to offer her update in person; she was excited to announce that the ARLIS journal Art Documentation would now be a peer-reviewed publication. Also at the meeting, Gail Novak was elected as Vice-President, Alessia Zanin-Yost was elected Secretary, and Pat Thompson was nominated and approved to become a Lifetime Member. Site visits in Sarasota were numerous! They included a private tour of the Ca’ d’Zan with the Ringling Mansion Keeper, a tour of the Ringling Library, a talk and book signing by Florida author Tim Dorsey, a tour of the Ringling College of Art & Design Kimbrough Library, and a tour of the Ringling Museum of Art exhibition “To Live Forever: Egyptian Art from The Brooklyn Museum.”
2008-2009
Indianapolis, IN hosted the ARLIS/NA conference from April 16-21, 2009. On behalf of Southeast President Artis Wick, Kathleen List welcomed chapter members to our mid-year meeting. Gail Novak and Melissa McDonald announced that this year’s Southeast chapter meeting would take place in Savannah, Georgia, at the Savannah College of Art and Design. It was also announced by Liz Gentry that the 2010 Southeast meeting would take place in Cartersville, GA, at the Booth Western Art Museum. More exciting news announced at this meeting included naming Kathy Edwards as our first Professional Development Travel Award winner! The annual Southeast conference took place Savannah from November 12-15, 2009, and Planters Inn was the conference hotel. At the Southeast annual meeting President Artis Wick presided. There was deep discussion over how the current economy affected our field and our membership; ARLIS/NA committed to not raising dues or conference rates during this time. Caley Cannon was elected as Vice-President and Allen Novak was elected as Treasurer. 18 attended a selection of presentations and outings in Savannah, including a tour of the Don Bluth Studio Archives at SCAD and a tour of downtown Savannah, a reception at the Gutstein Gallery, and a tour of historic districts in Savannah outside of downtown.

2009-2010

The 38th ARLIS/NA conference was held in Boston, MA on April 23-26, 2010, at the Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center. Past-President Kathleen List presided over the ARLIS/SE business meeting. Liz Gentry reported on her planning activities for the upcoming Southeast meeting at the Booth Western Art Museum. Heather Koopmans was also announced as this year’s winner of the Professional Development Travel Award. At the annual chapter meeting in Cartersville, GA held on November 10-13, 2010, 20 were in attendance. The Booth Western Art Museum was our conference headquarters. At the business meeting, there was an active discussion over ARLIS/NA’s proposition of updating its strategic plan and asking for input from the regional chapters. It was also noted that the second ARLIS/NA-VRA conference would be held in 2011 in Minneapolis, MN. This year Lee Eltzroth was elected as Vice-President, Allen Novak was elected as Treasurer, and Alessia Zanin-Yost was elected as Secretary. There were many exciting, Western-themed activities and events this year, including a tour of the host Booth Western Art Museum, a performance by Doc Stovall of cowboy music and poetry, tours of the Rose Lawn historic home and the Barstow History Museum, a visit to the Tellus-Northwest Georgia Science Museum, a performance by The Reel West Jim Dunham, and a bus tour of Cartersville’s National Register of Historic Places. One member described the 2010 meeting as “three days of historic tours, informative talks, great art, cowboy music, good food, and friendship.”
2010-2011
At the second ARLIS/NA-VRA joint conference in Minneapolis, MN on March 24-28, 2001, 18 attended the Southeast mid-year business meeting. Chapter President Caley Cannon presided, and major topics of conversation included increased website functionality, planning for the upcoming annual regional meeting at Duke University, and gauging interest in a future joint conference with the Visual Resources Association. A committee of volunteers including Kathy Edwards, Lisa Williams, and Katy Riel opted to lead a chapter Bylaws review for the first time since 2006. At this meeting, Hillary Veeder was announced as this year’s Professional Development Travel Award winner and also as the 2011 Wilson Research Award recipient. Our 37th ARLIS/SE conference was held in Durham, NC, at Duke University from November 10-12. The conference hotel was the Durham Marriott City Center. Our hosts were Lee Sorensen and John Taormina and there were 24 participants in attendance. At the business meeting, there was active discussion around starting a mentoring program at the chapter level as well as revamping the LoPresti Awards process. Conversation continued on the Bylaws review, lead by the previously assembled committee chaired by Alessia Zanin-Yost. The proposed changes were accepted and made effective at the time of the business meeting. Kathy Edwards was elected as Vice-President and Courtenay McLeland was elected as Treasurer. Alessia Zanin-Yost was appointed as the new Webmaster and Cary Wilkins was reappointed to continue work as Newsletter Editor. Heather Koopmans became the Chair of the Professional Development Travel Award Committee. Field trips in Durham included a tour of the Duke Visual Media Center and a visit to the Nasher Museum of Art, a tour and reception at the Lilly Library, and a tour of the Center for Documentary Studies. Attendees staying overnight also had the opportunity to visit the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh or the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill that Sunday.
2011-2012
From March 29-April 2, 2012, the ARLIS/NA conference took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There were 15 in attendance at the ARLIS/Southeast mid-year business meeting. President Lee Eltzroth presided and Sandra Still presented on the progress of the LoPresti Awards for that year. The chapter was reminded that the listserv is an excellent way to stay in touch between our in-person meetings. Margarita Mirabal was announced as the Professional Development Travel Award and New Orleans was proposed as the site of our chapter’s annual meeting in Fall 2013. The upcoming Southeast annual meeting would be held in Athens, GA – the first time we had returned to that city since our first chapter conference in April 1975. At the 2012 ARLIS/SE regional meeting in Athens on November 7-10, 2012, attendees saw two days of sessions, speakers, and site visits all related to the theme “Building (ART-full) Relationships.” The conference hotel was the UGA Pecan Galleria. 20 attended the fall business meeting. This year Sheila Cork was elected as the new Vice-President, Patricia Gimenez was elected as Secretary, and Emily Luken and Carolyn Barrett at UGA volunteered to take over the LoPresti Awards from Kim Collins and Sandra Still. Other new business consisted of continued conversation on establishing an informal mentoring program as well as the possibility of holding future meetings virtually. There was discussion of recruitment such as more outreach to regional LIS students and collaborating with ArLiSNAP to promote mentoring opportunities. Conference site visits in Athens included touring the UGA Visual Arts Complex and the Georgia Museum of Art. Attendees also heard two artist talks from Judy Bales and Chakaia Booker.
2012-2013
Pasadena, CA, was the home of the 2013 ARLIS/NA conference from April 25-29, 2013, and this year there were 17 attendees at the mid-year meeting including both in-person and virtual participants (14 in Pasadena and 3 via GoToMeeting). Past-President Lee Eltzroth presided, leading a discussion on establishing an informal mentoring program in our region, to be modeled after the ARLIS/NA program. Webmaster Stephanie Grimm presented on the recent migration of the ARLIS/SE website to WordPress. Olivia Miller was named this year’s Professional Development Travel Award. The annual meeting of the Southeast chapter was hosted at the New Orleans Museum of Art Library in New Orleans, LA, over November 21-23, 2013, with the theme of “Going Digital: Collections & Collaborations.” President Kathy Edwards presided over the business meeting. ARLIS/NA Chapters Liaison Sarah Sherman’s report included a request for all ARLIS regional chapters to revise their Bylaws to be more standardized with the North American organizational language, including adding “NA” to all chapter names. It was determined that our chapter would now be known as ARLIS/NA Southeast; a committee of Patricia Gimenez and Peter Klubek chaired by Marty Miller volunteered to do the remaining Bylaws review. Otherwise, Sarah Carter was elected Vice-President, and Karlen Kane was elected as Treasurer. Floyd Zula – our first Southeast President – was nominated and approved as a Lifetime Member. In keeping with the annual meeting’s digital collections and collaborations theme, the two-day program was packed with visits to local archival collections and on-site presentations by archivists, librarians, and technical experts actively engaged in organizing and digitizing unique historical documents, photographs, and objects for online access. Attendees visited the Louisiana Historical Society at the Old U.S. Mint, and met with Tulane colleagues from Amistad Research Center, the Louisiana Research Collection, and the Hogan Jazz Archive.
2013-2014
ARLIS/NA held its 42nd conference in Washington, D.C. on May 1-5, 2014. At the Southeast mid-year business meeting, Past-President Kathy Edwards presided for Sheila Cork. With the departure of Sarah Carter from our region, Kasia Leousis from Auburn University stepped in as our new Vice-President. Courtney Baron was selected for this year’s Professional Development Travel Award. Attendees were delighted at another ARLIS/NA conference full of Southeast presenters, moderators, and society leaders. During the business meeting, Lee Eltzroth gave an update on the proposed regional informal mentoring program, and Kasia Leousis, in her new capacity as Vice-President, proposed holding the upcoming Southeast meeting in Birmingham, AL. Also on the topic of conferences, ARLIS/NA Chapters Liaison Sarah Sherman asked our chapter to consider putting forward a proposal as the host region for the 2017 ARLIS/NA conference; this would be the first North American ARLIS conference held in the Southeast since 2007. The ARLIS/SE annual meeting in Birmingham on November 6-7, 2014, marked our chapter’s 40th annual meeting. The historic Tutwiler Hotel in downtown Birmingham served as our conference hotel. President Sheila Cork presided over this business meeting where Marty Miller was elected Vice-President and Lindsey Reynolds was elected as Secretary. At this meeting, it was announced that the next Southeast meeting would happen in Atlanta, GA and that the Southeast region would move to host the 2017 ARLIS/NA conference. New business included Webmaster Stephanie Grimm introducing the chapter to our new Flickr account for photos and Peter Klubek taking on the future Southeast informal mentoring program. Site visits included the Birmingham Museum of Art, architectural and rare books tours at Linn-Henley Research, and a visit to the University of Alabama Birmingham’s Rare Books Collection. 2014 marked the 50^th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and two related tours especially stood out: first, at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute with Outreach Coordinator Samuel Pugh through an interactive exhibit tracing the history of civil rights activism and, second, an inspiring tour led by Barry McNealy of the Civil Rights Movement’s Ground Zero at the Kelly Ingram Park’s freedom walk and sculpture garden.
2014-2015
The 2015 mid-year ARLIS/SE business meeting coincided with the ARLIS/NA annual conference in Fort Worth, TX, on March 19-23, 2015. 16 attended the meeting and President Kasia Leousis presided. Major topics included planning for upcoming annual meeting activities in Atlanta. There was also great excitement that several chapter members are presenting at North American conference this year. ARLIS/NA Executive Director Robert Kopchinski came to the meeting to talk about conference planning for hosting the 2017 North American conference in our region. Sara DeWaay was this year’s Professional Development Travel Award winner. At the Southeast annual meeting in Atlanta, GA, on November 12-13, 2015, 31 were in attendance and the Atlanta Public Library’s Peachtree Branch served as the home base for conference activities. Kasia Leousis presided over meeting and topics included conference planning for ARLIS/NA 2017 in New Orleans, LA. Kim Windham was elected as Vice-President and Katy Parker was elected as Treasurer. Atlanta attendees heard both lightning rounds and longer presentations from SE members and guests, including a special presentation of artists books by Vamp & Tramp. Field trips in Atlanta included a tour of the Carlos Museum at Emory University, a visit to Emory’s recently renovated Rose Library, tours of SCAD Atlanta artists book collection, viewing several exhibitions at the High Museum of Art. A special treat during this annual meeting included a reception hosted by Sandra Still in her home.
2015-2016
The 45th ARLIS/NA conference happened in Seattle, WA, on March 8-12, 2016, and this was the third joint conference with the Visual Resources Association. 24 were in attendance at the Southeast mid-year business meeting presided over by President Marty Miller. New business was dominated by planning for the next year’s ARLIS/NA conference in New Orleans, including gathering volunteers for the conference planning committee; Kim Collins and Kasia Leousis agreed to serve as the Conference Planning Chairs. Other announcements noted that the LoPresti Awards committee would now be based at the University of Florida under Ann Lindell and that Breanne Crumpton was this year’s Professional Development Travel Award winner. The ARLIS/SE annual meeting in Sarasota, FL on November 16-18, 2016, saw 23 in attendance. Early bird arrivals enjoyed a curator’s tour by Shania Buckles of the exhibition “Ferren Adria: The Invention of Food” at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL. Marty Miller presided over the business meeting. She announced that our Chapter had won a special funding request for a mail MakerSpace at our upcoming NOLA conference. Other topics of discussion included chapter archiving practices and the possibility of using digital forms instead of paper. Patricia Gimenez was elected as Vice-President and Leah Sherman was elected as Secretary. Attendees heard presentations and lightning rounds at the Chao Lecture Hall, Center for Asian Art at the Ringling Museum (our conference headquarters). Evening activities included James Turrell Skyspace Installation at the Ringling. Tours on Friday included the Ringling Library, the Ca’ d’Zan mansion, the Ringling Miniature Circus and Archives as well as the Ringling School of Art & Design Library (under construction!), and a driving tour of historic architecture on Lido Key.
2016-2017
The Southeast chapter found itself in the spotlight when the ARLIS/NA conference was hosted in New Orleans, LA from February 5-9, 2017. The week was full of rich programming and site visits across the storied city, artfully planned and facilitated by our dedicated membership. At the mid-year business meeting, 33 were in attendance as Kim Windham presided. She opened the meeting with many thanks to our chapter for putting on an excellent NA conference in our region! New business included the possible addition of an ARLIS/SE digital archive and unanimously voting to amend the Bylaws to add an optional third year onto the Treasurer’s term to ease future transitions and to increase institutional knowledge of Chapter finances. Kathy Edwards volunteered as our new Webmaster, Marty Miller was selected as the new Chair for the LoPresti Awards, and Britt Boler was this year’s Professional Development Travel Award winner. ARLIS/NA news included the debut of the National Digital Stewardship Residency (NDSR) and introducing AEG as our new management company. The 43rd annual conference was hosted in Savannah, GA, on November 15-17, 2017, at the Savannah College of Art and Design. 19 were in attendance. Kim Windham presided over the fall business meeting where there was continued conversation about the future of chapter membership due to proposed bundling with ARLIS/NA. There was also discussion about the current and future structure of our Mentoring Committee, citing more interest from potential mentors than mentees. Finally, there was a call for archival documents of chapter history to add to archive at Duke University, managed by Lee Sorensen. Breanne Crumpton was elected as Vice-President and Katy Parker opted to continue her tenure as Treasurer with an additional year added to her term. The host city for next year’s annual meeting remained undecided but an idea was proposed to hold a joint meeting with Mid-Atlantic Chapter in Richmond. Other Savannah activities included tours of the Jen Library and the SCAD Special Collections, visits to the Jepson Museum, Telfair Museum, and SCAD Museum, and two walking tours of the city: an architectural history and an entertaining ghost tour.
2017-2018
New York City, NY, was the venue for the 2018 ARLIS/NA annual conference from February 25-March 1, 2018. 18 Southeast members and guests were in attendance at our mid-year business meeting, presided over by President Patricia Gimenez. There was much discussion over the upcoming joint annual meeting with the ARLIS/Mid-Atlantic chapter, as well as new ideas shared for raising the profile of the LoPresti Awards. It was observed that the Southeast chapter has an incredibly active membership at the North American level as several of our members are presenting this year and are currently serving on committees or as leaders of divisions and SIGs. Katy Parker was named the Professional Development Travel Award winner this year. For the first time since 2003, our chapter held a joint regional meeting. This time we met with the ARLIS/Mid-Atlantic chapter in Richmond, VA from November 15-17, 2018. The conference hotel was the Linden Row Inn. Patricia Gimenez presided over the Southeast fall business meeting of 15 participants. Agenda items this year included the ARLIS/NA’s formal proposal to standardize membership costs through bundling. Leah Sherman was elected as Vice-President it was determined that Tallahassee would serve as the site of next year’s annual meeting. Erin Rutherford was elected as Secretary. Southeast and Mid-Atlantic attendees alike heard a series of informative posters and presentations this year. Conference meetings were held at the Virginia Commonwealth University James Cabell Library and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and there were excellent tours of both the VCU Libraries, the VCU Institute for Contemporary Art, and the VMFA.
2018-2019
This year the ARLIS/NA conference was held in Salt Lake City, UT on March 26-30, 2019. A mid-year meeting of 18 participants was presided over by President Breanne Crumpton. Major topics of discussion included the Duke Library renovations’ impact on the ARLIS/SE archives as well as the results of the Survey of Art Information Professionals in the Southeast. This survey was distributed in spring 2019 to members and non-members in the Southeast to get a better understanding of how the chapter could serve the needs of the art professionals in our region. The data revealed a desire to be more inclusive with the VRA SE Chapter and that a majority of respondents were interested in fundraising. Many comments also remarked on the intimacy of the chapter and enjoying being able to network, but lack of funding, location, and scheduling conflicts were the main reasons for not being able to attend chapter meetings. The winner of the Professional Development Travel Award for this year was Kristina Bush. The 45th ARLIS/SE meeting took place in Tallahassee, FL on November 6-8, 2019, and was hosted at Robert Manning Strozier, the main library on Florida State University’s campus. 15 were in attendance. Breanne Crumpton presided over the meeting where Lindsey Reynolds was elected as Vice-President and Maggie Murphy was elected as Treasurer. New business included updates on the impending transition to bundled chapter membership with ARLIS/NA. LoPresti Chair Marty Miller and Webmaster Kathy Edwards both announced their stepping down after years of service and a call for volunteers was put out to the membership. The ARLIS/Texas-Mexico chapter reached out about collaborating on translating core chapter documents to Spanish for added inclusiveness of our websites and Vice-President Leah Sherman proposed a chapter-wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative in the coming year. Attendees toured several local cultural sites, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Spring House, the Small Craft Advisory Press (SCAP) artists book workshop, the FSU Special Collections, the FSU Museum of Fine Arts, and The Grove Museum.

2019-2020

Although 2020 started like any other year, the COVID-19 pandemic completely disrupted day-to-day operations and planned events alike by March. Institutions nationwide closed to the public, pivoted services online quickly, and many librarians began to work remotely under lockdown conditions for an unknown amount of time. As such, the 2020 ARLIS/NA conference originally planned for St. Louis, MO (April 20-24) was canceled and rescheduled as an abbreviated virtual conference in July. In response, our chapter also held its first-ever virtual business meeting on April 21, 2020. Presided over via Zoom by President Leah Sherman, there were 23 chapter members in attendance. Major discussion included how to handle this year’s ARLIS/SE annual meeting scheduled for Athens, GA; after surveying the membership the Conference Planning Committee opted to hold our business meeting and presentations virtually, with so much still unknown about the pandemic. Mya Frieze was appointed as the new Webmaster and Patricia Gimenez was appointed as the new LoPresti Chair. Chaundria Campos was announced as this year’s Professional Development Travel Award winner but, due to the pandemic, her award was deferred to the following year. Leah Sherman announced a call for volunteers to join the forthcoming ARLIS/SE DE&I Task Force. Finally, ARLIS/NA Chapters Liaison Stefanie Hilles was able to join remotely to deliver her updates from the ARLIS/NA Executive Board – a rare treat! ARLIS/NA held its first-ever virtual conference on July 29-31, 2020, on thetheme of “Preserve, Enhance, Reimagine.” As announced, the Southeast annual meeting did occur virtually on October 15-16, 2020, as well. 15 members and guests were in attendance. President Leah Sherman presided over the meeting, which was full of new business. Despite the move online, Patricia Gimenez advocated for holding the LoPresti Awards this year and her committee successfully recognized several excellent titles. Ann Holderfield was elected as Vice-President and Karyn Hinkle was elected as Secretary. The membership also voted to establish a DE&I Advisory Board to continue the work of the DE&I Task Force in a long-term way. This year’s meeting included just one session with a mix of presentations and lightning rounds, and the DE&I Task Force held a town hall to present and discuss the report and recommendations they crafted over the summer.
2020-2021
Once again, the ARLIS/NA conference and Southeast mid-year business meeting took place online, although the theme of “Convergence = Créativité + Collaboration” was heavily based on original plans for an in-person event in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The ARLIS/SE meeting occurred on May 3, a week ahead of the annual conference on May 11-13. 23 were in attendance. Presided over by President Lindsey Reynolds, there was a report on and a vote to accept the recent Bylaws Review lead by Past-Presidents: Leah Sherman (Chair), Marty Miller, and Patricia Gimenez. Proposed changes included formally adding the DE&I Advisory Board as a standing committee and changing the charge of the newly renamed “Professional Development Award” to be more inclusive in its application toward any ARLIS-sponsored event or training, not just the annual conference. Vice-President Ann Holderfield gave an update on the upcoming virtual conference from Beaufort: opting to host a second annual meeting online over concerns for the health and safety of our membership, exciting planning was underway to give us a feel for Beaufort art and culture, even from afar. The virtual ARLIS/SE annual meeting was held on October 14 and 15 via Teams and there were 17 in attendance at the business meeting. President Lindsey Reynolds presided; Kristina Keogh was elected as Vice-President, Lee Sorensen was elected as Treasurer, and Virginia Seymour was appointed as the new LoPresti Chair. New business included a report on updating our chapter history, written by Past-President Leah Sherman, and adding to the first 25 years by Stephen Allen Patrick. Virtual field trips in Beaufort included a National Park Service Ranger tour of the Reconstruction Era Museum and asynchronous virtual tours of many Beaufort sites including the Sea Islands Gallery and the University of South Carolina Beaufort libraries and special collections. This year’s meeting saw an engaging keynote address by artist and librarian Sauda Mitchell.
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