Updates from the Chair – November 2023

2024 Conference, 2025 Conference, Chair's Corner

There was a lot of SIGUCCS Activity going on this past week.

I  attended the first in-person annual SGB (SIG Governing Board) meeting since before the pandemic, and the SIGUCCS Executive Committee met for two whole days to discuss various topics related to the SIG.

Some updates from the SGB include an overview of the state of ACM Special Interest Groups provided by the president of ACM, as well as information from ACM about Open ACM (their new publishing program), ACM Financials and SIG Overhead, and the services provided by ACM to the SIGS.

From the ACM president’s presentation, it was interesting to see that some of the issues that we see in our SIG are also common in other special interest groups, including declining membership and lack of volunteers. The president of ACM also talked about looking for ways to reach younger professionals and diverse populations, and how to use different modalities to perform different conference functions (presentation, publication, and interaction were the terms he used to describe the benefits of conferences).

The second most interesting thing to come from the SGB meeting was the information about Open ACM – their new publishing program. In 2020 they announced that all content would be open access starting in 2026. Since then, they have been working to create a program (Open ACM, see https://libraries.acm.org/subscriptions-access/acmopen) that will go into effect January 1, 2026. This program could impact the future of publishing papers as part of the SIGUCCS conference, so you should be aware of this program.

Turning to SIGUCCS business, the board was able to view the location for the 2024 conference and discuss logistics for our meeting in April.  We are excited to be returning to Chicago at the other end of the Magnificent Mile. Within walking distance of the Westin where we spent the 2023 conference, the Embassy Suites location opens up a new set of opportunities for exploring dining and attractions at the end of the day. The hotel also offers breakfast every day and a reception every evening. The meeting spaces are perfect for our small conference and presentation information will soon be available for review. We think you will be excited to attend!

We also began to review sites for the 2025 conference. No news yet. But we have some prospects.

Another topic of discussion was the Affinity Groups that were begun after the last conference and their viability. While attendance at these is not large, and it is sometimes difficult to decide on topics, we feel that these are a valuable opportunity to reconnect and stay engaged between conferences. We plan to continue these meetings but we need your help.

ACTION ITEMS:

If YOU have ideas for a short presentation (10-15 minutes) that can be part of the Affinity Groups sessions, where you provide your expertise, followed by a discussion and conversation with your colleagues, please reach out to Miranda to schedule something! We’d love to showcase your expertise in this safe environment.

If YOU have ideas for a topic you would like to attend, please reach out to Miranda with that topic idea. We want to make these sessions something that is helpful and useful to you.

Lisa Brown (she/her)
ACM SIGUCCS Chair
http://siguccs.org

SIGUCCS Board Update – October 2022

Chair's Corner, SIGUCCS Board

Thank you for your support!

In late summer, the executive committee asked the ACM SGB (SIG Governing Board) and the SIGUCCS Community to allow the current board to extend their positions for another term of three years. This passed approvals and the executive committee is happy to continue our journey through June 2026. This will allow this group of individuals to host the 2023 conference, begin planning a 2024 conference, and work through the SIG Viability review that will happen in December 2023 without an interruption or disruption to the team. It will also allow us to begin to put into place some plans now for expanding appointed positions on the board to assist with all of these future plans.

SIGUCCS Executive Committee • Chicago • 2022

In looking at a 2024 conference, the board is beginning to solicit proposals for a location for another in-person conference in the spring of 2024 and hopes to have the location and dates available at our 2023 conference.

And speaking of appointed positions, the 2023 awards cycle will be the last term for Kathy Fletcher and her management of the Communication Awards.  Becky Johnson has agreed to take on this role for the next award cycle. Becky has been an active Communication Award nominee and winner so she is perfect for taking over. We also want to thank Kathy for six years of service in this position. She has done an excellent job!

Lisa Brown
Chair, SIGUCCS Executive Committee

SIGUCCS Board Update – July 2022

2023 Conference, SIGUCCS Board

As many of you are aware, SIGUCCS is hosting the 2023 conference in Chicago as an in-person event from March 26-29, 2023. In order to facilitate the shortened planning timeline, the Executive Committee took on the roles of the core committee. I am proud to announce the following roles:

  • Conference Chair: Laurie Fox
  • Program Co-Chairs: Miranda Carney-Morris and Shawn Plummer
  • Treasurer: Parrish Nnambi
Continue reading SIGUCCS Board Update – July 2022 →

January 2022 – Updates from the Chair

2022 Conference, Chair's Corner, Conference

Happy New Year to all! The tenure of this executive committee is about halfway over and yet it feels like we have just begun. All of our energies have been focused on finding ways to keep the community engaged during a pandemic. And it has not been easy.

SIGUCCS 2022 Conference logo

It was with great sadness that we decided to move the 2022 conference in San Diego to a virtual event. With the pandemic continuing, and travel budgets at institutions in a state of flux, we decided that while some might be able to attend in person, that it would be better for the overall health of the community to be inclusive and do another virtual event. Additionally, we wanted to be respectful of the conference planning committee and make sure that they had enough time to plan a well-run virtual conference. We are taking what we learned from the 2021 conference and doing that work now! Watch for announcements in the coming weeks on schedule, sessions, and other activities.

Continue reading January 2022 – Updates from the Chair →

August 2021 – Updates from the Chair

Chair's Corner, SIGUCCS Board

Update from the Board – August 2021

ACM Senior Member Award

It is with great pleasure that we announce that Laurie Fox, past chair of SIGUCCS, was honored as an ACM Senior Member this past month. This award recognizes Laurie’s dedication to both SIGUCCS and ACM over the years. For those not aware, in addition to serving on the SIGUCCS executive committee, Laurie has been on the SIG Governing Board of ACM and holds the position of New SIG Advisor.

Continue reading August 2021 – Updates from the Chair →

Laurie Fox Recognized as ACM Senior Member

SIGUCCS Commuity, SIGUCCS People

Laurie Fox was recently recognized by ACM as an ACM Senior Member. The Senior Members Grade recognizes those ACM members with at least 10 years of professional experience and at least 5 years of Professional Membership in the last 10 years, who have demonstrated performance through technical leadership, and technical or professional contributions.

Laurie is a frequent presenter at SIGUCCS Conferences, Past Chair of the SIGUCCS Executive Committee (EC), and New SIG Advisor on the ACM SIG Governing Board. She is currently serving as Past Chair on the EC, Chair of the Marketing Committee, and liaison to the Awards Committee.

Kathy Fletcher and Tom Gerace are also ACM Senior Members. We are proud of their contributions!

Stay Up-to-Date on SIGUCCS News

SIGUCCS Commuity

The SIGUCCS Marketing and Conference Planning Committees work closely together to plan communications to our community through email and social media channels. The marketing committee also helps other volunteers with publicity and communication.

We have planned theme days:

  • Wednesday: Conference Updates (all channels)
  • Wednesday: Weekly Challenge Question (Slack)
  • Thursday: Throw Back Thursday pictures (Facebook Community group)
  • Monthly on Fridays: Board Updates (Newsletter) and Monthly Recaps (email)

Here are all of the SIGUCCS Communication channels:

If there is content you’d like to see from SIGUCCS, or you have something you would like to contribute, I’d be happy to talk. Contact me at fox@geneseo.edu

SIGUCCS 2021 Conference Takeaway – Accessing Resources

2021 Conference, Takeaway

The conference session on March 14 featured two presentations:

  • Check This Out: Loaning Laptops and Other Technology with Ashley Koebel from University of Michigan
  • Revamping a Neglected Technology Space for Success: A Team-Based Approach to Developing Training, Documentation, and Communication for a Virtual Reality Space with Doralyn Rossmann from Montana State University
Continue reading SIGUCCS 2021 Conference Takeaway – Accessing Resources →