Last Revised: December 12, 2005
This draft handbook is a compilation of past practice with some recommendations for more efficient conduct of the meetings and work of the Africana Librarians Council (ALC). All information contained is derived from a combination of entries on the ALC web site (http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/), minutes of ALC meetings, personal recollection on the part of the drafter (Gretchen Walsh) and/or conversations with members. The purposes and aims of the ALC are laid out in the Bylaws (revision of April 25, 2003: http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/7bylaws.html ), along with the rules governing conduct of official business. This handbook is intended to address some of the details of adherence with those rules, as well as to serve as a guide to officers and members.
Elections are held each year at the fall meeting. Newly elected officers begin their terms immediately following the ALC Business Meeting at which they were elected. Terms of officers leaving office conclude at the same time.
The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect is elected annually. This begins a three-year commitment of service on the ALC Executive Committee: one year as Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect; one year as Chair, one year as Past Chair (ex-officio). When the ex-officio term as Past Chair ends in an odd year, that person serves as a member of the Conover-Porter Award Committee.
The Secretary is elected in even-numbered years, and serves for two years.
Members-at-Large serve for two years. Two members-at large are elected in odd-numbered years, one in even-numbered years.
The nominating committee is selected by the ALC Chair, and usually consists of two of the members-at-large. The nominating committee puts out a call for nominations on the ALC list. Self-nomination is allowed. The committee checks with all persons suggested to be sure that he/she is willing to stand for election, and should offer these candidates the opportunity to submit optional, very brief biographical statements. A slate of two candidates for each office is preferred, although single slates have been presented. When the slate is assembled, preferably at least two weeks prior to the meeting and election, the slate should be posted to the ALC list. Candidates should be identified by their position and/or institution, along with the optional biographical statement.
Nominees should be aware of the duties of the office and be able to commit to performance of those duties and attendance at all meetings. There are no term limits, although traditionally officers have rotated through the membership.
The nominating committee announces the slate on the ALC list in advance of the fall meeting, and brings ballots to the meeting. Time for the election is allotted in the agenda of the business meeting, with a break in the proceedings to allow the committee to count ballots without missing discussions. Only ALC members can vote or run for office. (Membership in ALC is open to any member of ASA who has an interest in Africana library matters.)
Besides the specific duties noted below for each office, members of the ALC Executive Committee (comprised of the Chair, Vice-Chair, Past Chair, Secretary, Committee Chairs and ex-officio members) meets prior to the business meeting in both spring and fall to finalize the agenda, meets after the business meeting in both spring and fall to sum up the action items decided upon in the meeting, and communicates via email during the year to prepare for the meetings, to follow up on actions, or to discuss matters prior to bringing them to the entire group.
Chair of ALC
• Prepares for and presides at the business meetings of the ALC
• Calls for agenda items 4-6 weeks prior to each meeting
• Assembles agenda; determines time allotment for each item.
• Ensures that all needed documentation is distributed to the membership in advance of the meeting
• Prepares for agenda items requiring a vote in accordance with the Bylaws.
• Prepares a written report of ALC activities for the ASA Board, and normally presents an oral report at the ASA Business Meeting.
• Represents the ALC and its concerns at meetings of the ASA Board. These presentations may be at the invitation of the Board or requested by the ALC Chair.
• Represents the ALC as needed to other organizations and groups.
• Generates letters of the ALC, as directed by the membership.
• Follows up on all action items in minutes
• Asks for reports on follow up of matters discussed
• Delegates these duties to the vice chair, other members of the ALC executive committee, or other members of ALC as needed and appropriate.
• Turns over records of the committee to the incoming Chair at the earliest convenient time subsequent to the fall meeting, but certainly no later than two weeks following the meeting.
• Retains a schedule regarding the placement of ALC records at Northwestern, with a deposit every [5?? 10] years of relevant documents.
• Serves on the Executive Committee of CAMP
• Becomes Past Chair (and ex-officio member of ALC Exec) at end of Business meeting and ALC election in the fall.
• When the term of office is an odd year, the Chair is named to the Conover Porter Award Committee. The work of the committee is done in the even year. (see Conover-Porter procedures)
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
• Assists the Chair, and stands in for the Chair as needed
• Prepares the schedule of meetings at the Fall and Spring meetings in consultation with the membership. In the case of the Spring meeting, consults with the host concerning the schedule of meetings.
• Communicates the schedule of the Fall meeting to the ASA Secretariat, and follows through to ensure that ALC needs are adequately met.
• Following the ALC Business meeting at the fall meeting following election as Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, becomes Chair of ALC.
Past Chair
Secretary
• Takes notes on reports and discussions at the Business Meetings and Executive Committee meetings of the ALC.
• Receives written reports from those who presented them at the meeting, and follows up to ensure receipt.
• Checks accuracy of notes, spelling of names, etc., with attendees of the meetings.
• Transcribes minutes according to the ALC style sheet.
• Posts draft minutes to ALC lists for comment as soon as possible after the meeting.
• Posts final draft of the minutes to the ALC prior to the next meeting for approval at that meeting.
• Prepares abbreviated minutes for publication in ALN
• Posts names of newly elected officers on the ALC Web Site as soon as possible after election.
• Maintains the ALC directory
Members at Large
• Attend ALC Executive Committee Meetings, participate in discussions of agendas, action items brought up in meetings, etc.
• Perform duties as assigned by the Chair.
• Serve as the nominating committee for ALC elections.
Chairs of Committees
• Cooperate with the Vice-Chair of ALC in scheduling committee meetings during the spring and fall sets of meetings
• Call for agenda items and prepare agendas
• Conduct the meetings
• Follow through on action items, including delegating tasks to members as needed.
• The chair of the Bibliography Committee is responsible for requesting and collecting nominations for the Conover-Porter Award.
Ex-Officio Members
• Report to the Executive Committee and the whole ALC on the activities of their groups
• Present issues for discussion and action at the appropriate meetings
• Follow through on action items decided at ALC meetings
Ex-Officio Members include:
Chair of CAMP
Library of Congress Representative
Editor, Africana Libraries newsletter
ASA Publications Committee Liaison
ALC Webmaster
Others as needed
Purpose of Committees
Cataloging Committee ( http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/catcte.html )
The Cataloging Committee is open to all members of the ALC, visitors and guests. The activities of the Committee include discussion of issues relevant to cataloging, classification and related work in making materials in library collections accessible to researchers, along with action as needed on specific concerns and projects. The Committee is also a clearinghouse for reports of cataloging-related groups of other organizations. One ongoing project of the Cataloging Committee is the Africana Subject Funnel Project ( http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/catf.html ). For more detailed descriptions of discussions and activities, see the minutes ( http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/catcte.html )
Bibliography Committee ( http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/bibcte.html )
The Bibliography Committee is open to all members of the ALC, visitors and guests. The activities of the Committee include discussion of issues relating to access to the intellectual content of library materials through reference works, bibliographies, indexes, etc., reference and bibliographic instruction. Matters pertaining to collection development and the broad themes of Africana librarianship can also find a forum in this group. For more details on the activities and discussions of the Bibliography Committee, consult the minutes and reports at http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/bibcte.html .
Book Donations Committee ( http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/bkdncte.html )
The Book Donations Committee has a core membership of active participants, but its meetings are open to all members of ALC, visitors and guests. The main activity of the Book Donations Committee is the administration of the ASA Book Donation award program ( http://www.albany.edu/~dlafonde/Global/bkdonationcall.htm ). This includes consultation with the ASA Executive Director to ensure the continuation of the program, issuing the call for proposals, evaluating the proposals submitted, recommending awardees to the ASA Executive Board, and following through to assure that the process is complete each year. (See Procedures: http://www.albany.edu/~dlafonde/Global/bkdonprocedure03.htm ) The Committee also maintains a Directory of Book Donation Programs ( http://www.albany.edu/~dlafonde/Global/bookdonation.htm ), and discusses the major issues in supply of library materials to African libraries.
African Book Publishing Record Bibliography of Africana Reference Works (ABPR)
The ABPR group compiles an annual list of Africana reference works for publication in the African Book Publishing Record . This group meets during ALC meetings, but does most of its work throughout the year. The group consists of active participants, and is open to all ALC members. Chair: Jill Coelho (2005
Title VI/Cooperative Projects
The grants awarded by HEA Title VI for National Resource Centers for African languages and study include funds to be pooled for cooperative projects. Representatives of those libraries meet during the ALC meetings to discuss and plan those projects. Since cooperation among Africana libraries needs to include more than the small number of Title VI libraries, the meetings are open to all members of ALC, visitors, and guests, and projects are usually broader in participation. Chair: Marion Frank-Wilson (2005)
Conover/Porter Award committee:
The Conover/Porter Award for excellence in Africana bibliography or reference works is awarded by the African Studies Association every two years, in even-numbered years. A full description is located at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/conport2.html , and the procedures and timetable are detailed at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/bibcppro.html . The committee consists of the current chair and two immediate past chairs of the ALC, as of July 1 of the "odd year" preceding the award year. The Chair is the immediate past chair.
Example:
The Conover-Porter award will be presented at the ASA annual meeting in the Fall of 2006.
In July 2005:
The Award committee meets prior to the Spring ALC meeting to review nominations and select the award recipient(s) and group of finalists. This choice is reviewed by the ALC executive committee during the spring meeting.
The Chair of the Award committee notifies the ASA Secretariat of the winning title(s) and requests that names of finalists be included in the meeting program. Notification should comply with deadlines for inclusion in the meeting program, which are usually posted on the ASA web site. Full contact information should be included. If the winner resides outside of North America, the Award Committee chair also requests travel and lodging for the winner by submitting an application for an International Visitor award.
(NOTE: because of limited ASA funds, this request should be made by the ASA deadline for international visitor awards, currently March 15. If the nominees include likely candidates that might require travel support, the review of nominations should be conducted early enough to meet this deadline.)
The Award Committee Chair writes the press releases for the winner and finalists, and provides these to the Chair of the Bibliography Committee for distribution after the award. The press releases should be prepared ahead of time so that they can be sent out as soon as possible after the award presentation.
The ALC chair and/or the Award Committee Chair presents the award at the ceremony during the Fall meeting.
Scheduling meetings for ALC and its constituent committees has always been a difficult task, involving necessary compromise between the time needs of the various committees and the events scheduled by ASA during the fall meeting, or the host institution during the spring meeting, as well as room availability and stamina of the membership.
Time needs in general:
| ALC Business Meeting: | 2 hours or more |
| Bibliography Committee: | 1.5 - 2 hours |
| Cataloging Committee: | 1 - 2 hours |
| Book Donations: | 1 - 1.5 hours |
| Title VI/Cooperation | 1 - 1.5 hours |
| ABPR | 1 hour (can often meet on a more ad hoc basis than other groups) |
| ALC Exec: | ½ hour before and at least ½ hour after Business Meeting |
If a room is available, and membership does not overlap, two committees can meet simultaneously.
| CAMP: | 2 hours or more |
| CAMP Exec: | ½ hour before and at least ½ hour after CAMP meeting |
Additional time slots for the fall meeting:
Vendors' Round Table: 1 hour, preferably early morning on the Thursday .The Vendors' Roundtable was established to provide an opportunity for more effective communication between librarians and publishers, booksellers and other vendors. The format for the meeting is determined by ALC members and may be an unstructured sharing of information, or have invited speakers focusing on specific topics.Roundtable on Issues in Africana Librarianship (at discretion of ALC): 2-3 hours, unless scheduled as a regular ASA panel and therefore outside the scheduling purview of ALC.
At each fall meeting, the ALC membership should decide:
- If there is a topic of interest that lends itself to a panel
- If members are available to develop the panel
- Whether the panel should be internal - that is, a topic of interest mainly to librarians, or part of the ASA panel program - that is, a topic of broader interest.
NOTE: In 2004 and 2005 ALC organized two programs that were initially considered of interest mainly to librarians, and were scheduled within the meeting times allotted to ALC/CAMP meetings. As the programs developed, they flowered into events of far wider interest, and might have been better showcased in the ASA program. Each arrangement has advantages and disadvantages. The main factors are:
Internal Program ASA Panel Scheduled during the ALC Meeting slot. ALC has complete control over time. information must be supplied to ASA by the deadline (usually March 15). As an ASA sponsored organization, no approval needed. Date and time preference can be included in the request, but is not assured. No announcement in the ASA program - either panels or events. ALC must handle publicity themselves Panel will be included in the ASA program (Names must be supplied to ASA to meet their publication deadlines) Invited speakers should register for ASA if they plan to attend any other events Invited speakers MUST register for ASA in order to be included.
ALC can apply for international visitor funds for speakers, IF they can meet the deadline for requests
Additional time slots for the spring meeting:
Meals, social events and special programs arranged by the host institution. ALC exec should work with host to be sure that regular meetings have enough time allotted.
Every two years time must be allotted for a meeting of the Conover/Porter award committee to meet, at their discretion.
Traditional (more or less) timing for fall meeting:
ASA annual meeting officially begins mid-day on Thursday. ALC has been successful in setting a meeting schedule beginning early on Thursday and running through Friday. (e.g., 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. each day). ASA will not allow meetings to be scheduled in conflict with major plenary sessions and events of ASA.
Room reservations for the fall meeting must be submitted to ASA by March 15. (See handbook: http://www.africanstudies.org/asa_organizations.htm#HANDBOOK ) The detailed schedule of ALC and CAMP meetings has not been consistently included in the ASA program, but should be. ALC schedule should be set well in advance, in consultation with chairs of all groups and opportunity for membership input. The final version (with room locations if possible) should be posted to the list and on the ALC web site as early as possible before the meeting date. Room assignments are not usually available prior to appearance in the printed schedule, available at the conference. Meeting locations are also posted in the conference hotel.
Traditional timing for the spring meeting:
Meetings begin midday on Thursday, run all day Friday, and Saturday morning. Social event or field trip may be scheduled for Saturday. Date of the spring meeting is set by the host, in consultation with the Executive Committee and the membership.
Responsibilities of spring meeting host
Hospitality can vary widely among host institutions. The basic responsibilities include:
• Provision of meeting room(s)
• Information about lodging (reserve block of rooms and get special rate if possible)
• Local information (schedule, transportation, dining, maps, etc.) on web site or via the ALC list
Optional amenities might include:
• Coffee breaks with refreshments
• Meals
• Social events
• Tours
• Special Programs
• etc.
Special programs and tours, while always worthwhile, should not cut into meeting time. Meals and other amenities, while always appreciated, are not mandatory, and vary greatly. Lack of magnanimous institutional support should not deter any member from hosting a spring meeting.
The agendas of each meeting (ALC Business, all committees and groups, CAMP, and the executive boards of ALC and CAMP) are developed by the chair with input from the membership, and can include follow-up of past discussions, new business, and assorted organizational items. Agendas must be constructed so that the items listed can reasonably be attended to within the scheduled time. Many chairs have found that assigning a time limit to each item helps in managing the time.
Organizational Items:
Introductions. Traditionally ALC meetings have begun with each member announcing his/her name and institution. Since most members attend most meetings, this might not be necessary at every committee meeting. A sign-up sheet is passed around the group to record each attendee, and should be returned to the secretary or note-taker when everyone has had a chance to sign in.
Welcoming of visitors. While not done all the time, special introductions of visitors (and possibly some time allocated for visitors to speak more about themselves and their institutions or organizations) can be useful as well as gracious.
Approval of minutes. Minutes of all meetings should be distributed via the list with a request for corrections prior to the next meeting. Verbal corrections of minutes during the meeting should be avoided by submitting corrections to the appropriate secretary or chair with enough time for the corrected minutes to be distributed to the membership in advance of the meeting.
Logistical announcements These might include changes to the meeting schedule; information on transportation; locations of event venues, etc. These announcements should be made early in the meeting.
Special news of members, votes of thanks, etc. The chair should be informed in advance of announcements concerning members, present or absent, so that time can be incorporated into the agenda. These announcements may include regrets from absent members, congratulations on honors, announcements of retirement or change of position, remembrances of colleagues who have passed away. Votes of thanks for hosts and their institutions, and for chairs for well-conducted meetings may be offered spontaneously at the end of meetings, or scheduled in the agenda.
Special recognition In a group such as ALC, where many members have known each other for a long time, individuals may wish to mark significant events of colleagues, such as retirement, or to pay tribute to the memory of those who have passed. ALC as an organization will not undertake such arrangements, but individuals are welcome to do so in the context of fall or spring meetings. Care should be taken to avoid conflict with regular ALC and CAMP meetings. The Chair of ALC, or a designate, should write a notice for ASA News and appropriate electronic lists.
Agenda Items Calling for Votes by the Membership From time to time members may bring to the ALC Business Meeting matters that require a formal vote by the membership. These may include resolutions, letters on behalf of the organization, or specific actions. Any such matter requires documentation distributed to the membership in advance of the meeting. Such distribution is generally the responsibility of the member requesting the inclusion of discussion and vote in the meeting agenda. Matters brought forward for a vote without prior distribution of documentation will usually be tabled until the next meeting.
Discussion of agenda topics that lead to a decision for action may call for a sense of the meeting rather than a formal vote, so that action can move forward on urgent matters.
Documentation and Handouts
Ideally the meeting room will contain a suitable location for documentation and other handouts to be displayed. These should include: Copies of the schedule of meetings, agenda for the meeting at hand, documentation for any agenda items. Members and visitors are also welcome to place other informational materials on the distribution table. These might include: notices, flyers, brochures, sample issues, etc.Materials should be available for pick-up prior to the meeting, and members should be encouraged to do so while the group is assembling. Presentation of items for distribution during a meeting (with the exception of the ballots) can result in a distracting delay in the proceedings, as can even the most discreet trip up to the table to pick up materials not taken earlier.
The Africana Libraries Newsletter ( http://www.indiana.edu/~libsalc/african/aln/alnindex.html ) is an ALC associated publication supporting the work of the Africana Librarians Council (ALC) of the African Studies Association. It carries reports on meetings of ALC, CAMP (Cooperative Africana Microform Project) and other relevant groups plus other items of interest to Africana librarians and those concerned about information resources about or in Africa.
It was inaugurated by James Armstrong, then head of the African Studies Library at Boston University, in 1975. Editorship passed to Gretchen Walsh when she succeeded Jim Armstrong at BU in 1977. In 1983, the editorship rotated to Yvette Scheven at the University of Illinois, then to Nancy Schmidt at Indiana University, then to Joe Lauer at Michigan State University, and has been edited by Marion Frank Wilson at Indiana University since 1999. Recently Bassey Irele of Harvard University has joined on as co-editor. ALN has been transformed in several stages from the original mimeographed newsletter to a web-based document.
The editorship rotates on an irregular basis, with the editor's institution undertaking the expense of publication and distribution. Aside from the expectation that ALN will carry the reports of meetings of ALC and CAMP, the editor decides on the content of each issue.
ALC maintains a directory of members and associates. ( http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/alcdir.html ) The directory is maintained by the secretary of ALC, and is hosted on the ALC web site ( http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/ )
Members are responsible for providing the secretary with updated information on changes of name, address, telephone numbers, and email addresses. If any member does not want to be included in the directory, they should contact the secretary with a request to be excluded. As a web document, the directory is open to use by any person or organization that connects to it. Use of ALC directory information by commercial interests, particularly those unrelated to African studies, is strongly discouraged.
The secretary will submit changes to the directory to the ALC webmaster on a regular basis. Members are encouraged to post changes in directory information to the ALC list as well as submitting it to the secretary for inclusion in the directory.
The ALC list is a is a discussion list to facilitate the work of the Africana Librarians Council (African Studies Association, U.S.A.), hosted by Stanford University and run by Karen Fung. Based on discussions at the ALC Business Meeting, Bloomington, Indiana,2001 ( http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/alcmin101.html), the following guidelines were established regarding membership on the ALC e-mail list.
• Any African Studies Association (U.S.) member can join the list.
• Any librarian working outside the U.S. can join the list.
• African vendors can also join the list. Non-African vendors must be ASA members to join. Vendors may send notices of book list availability but are asked not to post book lists to the ALC list.
[ALC list subscribe, unsubscribe, and who procedures suppressed temporarily]
The ALC Web site is a compilation of information about the Africana Librarians Council, including by-laws, the directory, information on committees, minutes of past meetings, the operational handbook, publications of the ALC, and other items of interest as determined by the membership.
The ALC Web site ( http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/afs/alc/ ) is currently maintained by Joanne Zellers of the Library of Congress. As webmaster, Joanne formats and posts to the site items for the established sections sent in digital form. It is not her responsibility to create documents or to transcribe print documents.
For items related to:
Fall Meeting: End of October/Mid-November
Please try to send documents to the webmaster by August 15, no later than September 1.
Goal of webmaster: to accomplish all updates no later than October 1.
Spring Meeting: End of April/Beginning of May
Please try to send documents to the webmaster by February 15, no later than March. 1.
Goal of webmaster: to accomplish all updates no later than April 1.
Exception: A revised Executive Board list reflecting the results of the election at the business meeting should be sent to the webmaster no later than one month (December 15) after the meeting by the incoming chairperson or his/her designee.
Goal of webmaster: To post Executive Board as soon as received.
Heading for the minutes: [Committee Name] Minutes/date-time/location
_________, Chair ______________, Secretary
List of participants: A sign-up sheet is distributed at the beginning of the meeting. The secretary arranges the names in alphabetical order by last name, including the institution name, as the first section of the minutes.
Use of names in minutes: For those listed as participants, last name only is used for all subsequent references, with identifying initials if any surnames are identical. First reference to person not at the meeting should be the full name, with following references surname only. Titles (Mr., Ms., Dr., etc.) are not generally used, although some exceptions may be made for distinguished visitors or references to persons whose title should be used.
Order of Reportage: Events of the meeting should be reported in the actual order they transpired, even if the original agenda indicated a different order. The agenda need not be reproduced in the minutes. Each report or discussion should be given a heading, either the one used in the agenda, or one deemed to be more descriptive.Scope of Reportage: Summaries of the discussions and reports should be brief, but also contain sufficient information to make the minutes useful. In cases of discussion of controversial topics, a summary of the points on each side is preferable to details of who said what. If consensus is reached, a neutral "After a lively discussion, the group agreed to.." may suffice.
Written reports form committees, task forces, etc. can be appended to or linked from the minutes, with a note to that effect in the body of the minutes. The body of the minutes should include any action items from the oral reports, along with a summary of discussion and decisions made.
Fact Checking: The secretary will contact members making reports or contributing to discussions concerning the accuracy of relevant sections of the draft minutes.
General style: The membership of ALC recognizes and appreciates that its secretaries take on a considerable work load when they assume the post, and does not add to that burden by imposing a particular style. Brevity and clarity are the only requirements. Care should be taken that all acronyms are spelled out at the first usage, or a key may be provided.
Review and revision: The secretary should send minutes to the Chair within one month of the meeting, as well as contacting members as noted above. After any revisions by the chair, the secretary should post the draft minutes to the ALC list, calling for corrections. Prior to the next meeting, the secretary posts the revised minutes to the ALC list so that the membership can be prepared to approve them at the meeting.
After approval, the secretary sends the minutes in a Word document or other acceptable format to the ALC Webmaster.
Secretaries for meetings of committees and other groups should follow the guidelines for format. The chairs of committees may adjust guidelines for review, revision, and distribution.
January
(In even-numbered years) January 1: Deadline for nominations for the Conover-Porter Award (sent to the Chair of the Bibliography Committee.
During January the Chair of the Bibliography Committee provides the Conover-Porter Award committee with the list of nominations, supporting documentation, and any copies of works supplied by nominators or publishers. The chair also resolves any conflict of interest issues within the committee (i.e., if one of the members is the author of a nominated work.)
February
Conover-Porter Award committee reviews nominations, decides on internal procedures and speeds up the process if a potential awardee would need travel support from ASA to attend the award ceremony.
March
March 15:
Begin forming agendas for spring meeting
April-May
Traditional time for spring meeting.
June
June 1: Book Donation Awards proposals due at ASA. BDC begins review.
September
September 1: Book Donation Awards recommendations to ASA
September 30: Deadline for ASA preregistration
Begin preparation of agendas for fall meeting
October
October 15: ALC report to ASA due. Request time at ASA business meeting for ALC report.