Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Little did I suspect last October in San Antonio, that I would be the one writing you by the following spring. I had hope there would be time to figure out what was expected of me as a VP, President Elect. I’m not complaining. But I am sorry that I missed the opportunity to work with Sam Duncan on behalf of ARLIS/Texas-Mexico Chapter. Sam is still with us, in spirit for certain, and just minutes away from me in Austin. However, due to the demands of his new position, he had to resign as our incoming President. As webmaster, he gave our newsletter a stylish new look, and for this too, he will be esteemed and missed.

Oh well, on to the good news.

Our elected executive committee is now comprised of me (your new President), and thankfully, Catherine Essinger remains Chapter Secretary, and Craig Bunch remains our Chapter Treasurer. I was faced with two choices, either send out a call to you all, asking for volunteers to run in an election to fill the President position, or take it on early (and for two years) and appoint a single term VP. I hope I made the choice all of you would have preferred, and asked Mark Pompelia, our former President (2004-2005) and bearer of the bad news about Sam, to serve as our VP, just for the year (and to help me out). To continue taking the bad news about Sam out on him, I accepted Mark’s offer to serve as our Web master. Elizabeth Schaub, last year’s President (2006), and this year’s incoming ARLIS/NA South Regional Representative, graciously offered to help with advice and guidance for however long we need her. I am incredibly grateful to them all, and to all of you for the help and support offered thus far, and which I am confident will be offered in the future.

We will continue to plan for this year’s chapter meeting in Dallas/Ft. Worth, and to try and make it all you hoped it would be.

I hope all of you are out there cheering, or at least grateful it doesn’t have to be you this time. I understand. Please do not hesitate to contact me to let me know what you think, what you want, and what you believe will best serve the ARLIS/Texas-Mexico Chapter in the next two years.

Sincerely,

Gloria Selene Hinojosa
President, Art Libraries Society of North America, Texas-Mexico Chapter