The document summarizes the minutes from the ALISS (Association of Librarians and Information Professionals in the Social Sciences) AGM held on June 11, 2014. It provides details on the committee members who were re-elected, ALISS finances which showed income covering costs, and a review of activities over the past year including conferences, visits, membership numbers, and the ALISS Quarterly journal. Upcoming activities are also outlined including professional visits, the July 2014 conference in Cardiff, and priorities around membership and the journal.

1. ALISS AGM 11th
June 2014
Senate House
Attending
Jane Alderson-Rice (University of Kent); Victoria Bird (SOAS Library); Beth
Clark (SOAS) Laura Cowdrey (National Archives); Heather Dawson (LSE
Library); Gill Downham (University of Surrey); Fiona Durham (Open
University); Deborah Furness (UCL); Seven Gray (Open University); Shauna
Harris (CAFCASS); Lisa Hawksworth (University of Liverpool); Ruth Houghton
(Middlesex University); Charles Inskip (UCL); Margaret Kitching London South
Bank University); Alison Knight (ProQuest); Wendy Lynwood( Birkbeck
College); Helen Mackin (Barnardos); Emma Milnes (Zoological Society
London); Maria O’Hara (KCL); Sally Patalong (Coventry University); Helen
Porter (SOAS); Sarah Puzey (Cardiff University); Ruth Russell (UCL); Mary
Seeley (SOAS); Vimal Shah (KCL); Mirriam Tarron (University of Surrey);
Joanna Tate (LSE); Evi Tramantza (University of Surrey), Joanna Wood
(CAFCASS)
Committee membership
The following were re-elected as officers by the AGM
Sally Patalong - Coventry University, Chair
Heather Dawson – LSE Library (Secretary)
Joanna Tate, LSE Library. Treasurer
Jennie Grimshaw
Lisa Hawksworth, University of Liverpool
Helen Mackin - Barnardos
Norma Menabney Queens University Belfast
Angela Joyce, University of Bristol
Victoria Bird, SOAS library
Jenny Collieson (SCIE) stood down from the committee
ALISS Finance
A thorough report and statement of accounts for the year up to 2014
was presented by Jo Tate This has been verified by the independent
financial examiner John Helm ACA and was approved by the AGM
Income
Corporate and personal membership fees and sales of ALISS Quarterly extra
copies totalled £3,898 and so covered the cost of producing the journal
(£2,470) money was saved by reducing the print run. The 2013 summer
conference made surplus of £1,023 a decrease from £1,460 in 2013. This was
due to the fact that the conference was held in London where room hire is
more expensive.
Expenditure
Expenditure on the AGM in 2013 totalled £851 comprising £75 in prizes for

2. best articles in ALISS Quarterly, £776 for catering and room hire. Expenditure
on the summer conference consisted of £1,095 for catering and room hire and
£167 travel expenses. Expenditure for the Christmas event consisted of £174
for catering and room hire. Office costs, including accounting and website
fees totalled £427
Review of Activities.
Heather Dawson Presented a review of events
Conferences
The main event in 2013/14 was the annual summer conference held in
London in August 2013. This focussed on Supporting evolving research
needs. There were six speakers:
• The Systematic Review – is the social sciences librarian involved. If
not, why not? – Alan Gomersall. Senior Visiting Research Fellow,
Centre for Evidence & Policy, King’s College London.
• What did I do wrong?”A project to support independent learning
practices to avoid plagiarism Helen Hathaway, Liaison Team Manager
Science and Information Skills Coordinator, University of Reading
Library
• Supporting the Research data management process- a guide for
Librarians - John Southall, LSE Data Librarian.
• Identifiers for Researchers and Data: Increasing Attribution and
Discovery - John Kaye, Lead Curator Digital Social Science, British
Library
• Sharing information literacy teaching materials openly: Experiences of
the CoPILOT project – Nancy Graham Subject Advisor (Medicine),
Library Services, Academic Services, University of Birmingham and Dr
Jane Secker, Copyright and Digital Literacy Advisor, Centre for
Learning Technology, Information Management and Technology,
London School of Economics and Political Science
• Supporting research by becoming a researcher - Miggie Pickton,
Research Support Librarian, Northampton University
A Xmas half day event was held in London on 9th December 2013. The
theme was Collaborate, engage and invigorate- Working with our user
communities to develop library services. It included presentations from Maria
Lampert, Information Expert – Business and Intellectual Property, British
Library- British Library engagement with its user communities; Cathy Walsh,
Director of Library and Learning Services, University of East London -
Information skills and the student voice: working together to promote
information literacy at UEL; Norma Menabney, Subject Librarian , Arts,
Humanities and Social Sciences, The Queen’s University, Belfast - Prepped
for University: introducing academic literacy skills to secondary school

3. students. Lisa Hawksworth, Faculty Librarian, University of Liverpool - Skills
for Success: Library involvement in the Liverpool Scholars Programme
Visits.
ALISS also has a very active programme of professional visits to libraries
open to members free of charge and to non-members at £5. Visits in 2013/14
included Royal Asiatic Society Library, Greenwich Maritime Museum
Archives; William Morris Gallery Archives, Transport Museum Library, Royal
College of Nursing Library, Science Museum Library, Geological Society
Library, Freemasons Library, City of London School Library, Kings College
London Special Collections, Salvation Army Heritage Centre, Wellcome
Library.
Membership.
2014 2013
Membership
corporate 95 101
individual 27 33
student 0 1
total 122 135
Attendance
agm 31 32
Summer conference 35 35
Christmas event 28 27
total 94 94
Journal
ALISS continues to publish the journal ALISS Quarterly
which offers short topical articles on recent professional developments.
ALISS Quarterly is available in print (free to members) and online. The current
online issues are password protected and available to members only. An
archive from January 2009 to April 2013 is freely available. Special Issues for
2013 included: Evolving Roles, Supporting Evolving Research Needs,
Working with User Communities to Develop Library Services, Supporting Staff
and Staff Development.
This year we nominated for our best articles prize
Plagiarism avoidance for new students’ Anne Costigan and Sarah George,
October 2012 vol. 8 no.1-6.
Describes development of the plagiarism avoidance for new student’s course
at the University of Bradford. It aimed to smooth the transition into higher
education by introducing students to ideas of citing and referencing in a non-
threatening way.

4. 'Using social media to promote archive use - Laura Cowdrey, National
Archives July 2013
Describes range of methods used by the National Archives to attract users.
Based on a presentation given at an earlier ALISS AGM.
Website
Developed by Vicky Bird provides information on events and activities.
http://www.alissnet.org.uk. Twitter updates sent out regularly. A freescoop.it
higher education news service created and monthly new letters sent out.
Forthcoming Activities/ priorities
Forthcoming Activities.
Visits RIBA Library, Rhodes House, Zoological Society London
Conference July Cardiff focussing on innovation in staff development.
During 2014/15 the committee will be reviewing membership to try to contact
and produce more appealing events for non HE members and also to try to
attract more new individual and/or corporate members from this sector.
We will also be examining the possibility of transferring the journal to an
online only version to decrease costs, promote wider access and enable
better display of images.
Heather Dawson.
ALISS Secretary
h.dawson@lse.ac.uk