Melanie Griffin

RBMS Chair’s Note

Serving as the chair of RBMS is one of the most profoundly rewarding professional experiences of my career. I always value the community I find in the section and the many opportunities RBMS offers me to learn, and serving as chair has multiplied both exponentially. As chair, I meet section members and learn of projects that I probably would not have encountered otherwise. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from the RBMS membership.

In her 2023–2024 chair’s note,1 Sarah Horowitz noted RBMS has experienced a period of transition and change since 2020 that requires the section to assess its work, structures, and programming to ensure that it meets member needs and that the goals of the section remain sustainable. As a result, RBMS continues its work to explore areas that can be re-imagined. In this note, I offer brief updates on some of this year’s work to assess and respond to RBMS needs.

• Following discussion and vote at the winter Executive Committee meeting, beginning July 1, 2025, RBMS will sunset the Workshops and Seminars Committees as separate committees and subsume their work into the RBMS Conference Program Planning Committee. This change recognizes the vital roles played by both committees at the RBMS Annual Conference and makes official the informal practices the three committees have developed over recent years.
• The conveners of active RBMS discussion groups, with the support of their Member-at-Large representative from the Executive Committee, have been charged with assessing the current structure of discussion groups. They will present a proposal for the future structure of discussion groups at the summer 2025 Executive Committee meeting.
• A Task Force for Guidelines and Standards has been charged with completing expedited reviews of all ACRL-endorsed guidelines and standards authored by RBMS that are due for revision on or before December 31, 2025. This task force will also make recommendations on sustainable solutions for ensuring that all RBMS guidelines and standards receive regular review.

In addition to these transitions in RBMS, uncertainty looms large in the United States for libraries and education (and more). During times of uncertainty and profound change, I find comfort and meaning in participating in community-led efforts to create the future(s) in which I want to live. While we aren’t perfect and much work remains, I feel that RBMS is working to foster collective approaches to creating a more collaborative, inclusive, and accessible future for cultural heritage work, and I am proud to be a small part of its collective action. I hope to see many of you soon, either in a zoom room for RBMS-related business or at the 2025 RBMS conference. If our paths do not cross virtually or in person this summer, please know that the RBMS Executive Committee is always happy to hear from you. Reach out anytime with questions or concerns to exec@rbms.info.

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