Call to Order/Introductions
Adoption of Agenda:
- Ron reviewed the Agenda.
- Motion: Paul moved and Doug seconded adoption of the Agenda. Motion passed.
Approval of June 6 Minutes:
Motion: Paul moved and Doug seconded adoption of the June 6, 2017 Minutes. Motion passed.
Open Forum:
There were no comments from guests.
Update on ACB Link
This was to be presented by Jeff Bishop from the ACB Board of Directors, but Jeff was unable to attend at the last minute and sent some notes which were discussed. ACB Link has been downloaded more than five thousand times for iOS. The Android version is now under development. Anyone who would like to beta test the Android version should contact Jeff: [email protected].
Overview of BOP Activities During ACB Conference and Convention
- BOP awards, Sunday’s General Session: Ned E Freeman Excellence in Writing, presented by Susan; Vernon Henley Media Award, presented by Deb; Deb will encourage nominees for next year’s Liggett Free Press Award, and will mention the other BOP activities.
- ACB Candidate’s Forum – Tuesday night, Paul and Susan.
- ACB BOP Editor’s Workshop – Wednesday, Doug.
BOP Chairman’s Report: Ron Brooks
Ron began by thanking the BOP members for their work and accomplishments during the year. He also thanked Sharon for her hard work and dedication as Editor, and acknowledged the work of those staff and liaisons who were unable to attend this meeting. Ron particularly benefited from the opportunity to meet regularly with Eric and Sharon which gave him a better perspective of the work done by staff and the issues they encounter.
Accomplishments
- Conducted procurements for ACB Braille Forum producers for braille, large print and audio files; we do this every two or three years. Will need to develop a more structured procurement process.
- Development of tool to track KPI’s pertaining to how many people have been reached by ACB Braille Forum, online, phone, podcast, ACB Radio and other outreach efforts; KPI is still being refined, and we have more work to do, but it’s a good start. KPI data helps the grant development team as justification.
- Large print reader preference survey (discussed later in the agenda)
- Provided significant input to the website redevelopment process which is ongoing. There were over 6000 pages on the initial web site.
- Provided some input to the development of ACB Link
- Conducted all our normal activities: Monthly meetings, all but one month; Selected winners for Ned E. Freeman, Vernon Henley and Liggett Free Press Awards; Candidates page and forum; Developed program for Editors workshop
- Provided ongoing guidance to Editor and others generating content for the organization
Plans for the coming year
- Refine and issue KPI statistics more regularly
- Complete large print reader preference survey and evaluate current large print production standards in light of findings
- Review and refine editorial guidelines as appropriate
- Continue to support website redesign and ACB Link development
- Implement cartridge production for the ACB Braille Forum, assuming cartridges become available
- Deb will be the BOP liaison to the ACB Board for the coming year.
Doug said that Ron received kudos at the Board meeting. He also noted that finances were good which might mean possible increases in hard copy issues of the Braille Forum. Ron said we will need to determine cost of production and then determine what increases we could propose, if any.
Editor’s report Convention 2017: Sharon Lovering
- I signed up 14 new people for the online database; 4 affiliates requested Word, 2 wanted Excel, 4 wanted large print, and 61 used the AMMS system. Some affiliates used the AMMS system but wanted a Word or Excel list for comparison.
- I continue to work with the public relations and credentials committees, as well as the board of publications and the awards committee, and the marketing and communications strategic plan group. The BOP awards had 54 candidates for the Freeman, one for the Henley, and none for the Liggett. The votes on the Freeman were tied so tight that the BOP developed a scale to break the tie.
- I have also been working with the history committee. I completed my work on the audio inventory, and am now working on the photo/video inventory. There’s a lot of work to be done on this one, and it’s more of a challenge than the audio inventory. Most of the audio material had labels identifying the contents. A lot of the photos don’t, though a couple years do have lists of who’s who in the photos. It has been a fascinating job so far. I will continue my work on it for as long as it takes to finish.
- As of this writing, I am working on the August E-Forum.
Statistics
Numbers below are in the following order: 2017 numbers, followed by the 2016 numbers and percentage of increase or decrease in parentheses.
The July issue will have gone out to:
- 2,668 large print readers (3,130, down 14.76 percent)
- 695 braille readers (755, down 7.95 percent)
- 950 cassette readers (1,140, down 16.67 percent)
- 134 CD readers (163, down 17.79 percent)
- and 5,285 e-mail readers (3,163, up 67.09 percent)
- Grand total: 9,732 (8,351, up 16.54 percent)
- * as of June 13, 2017
- Since January, I have received: 9 pieces for Affiliate and Committee News, 57 pieces for Here and There, 10 pieces for High Tech Swap Shop, 0 pieces for Passing’s, 0 memorial articles, 1 letter to the editor, and
- 48 separate articles. * as of June 13, 2017
- In May, I received:
- 53 large print issues of the Forum, 7 braille issues, 37 cassettes, 5 CDs, and
- 142 convention brochures.
- In June, I have received: 3 large print issues, 4 cassettes, 4 “unsubscribe me from the list” notices, and 97 convention brochures. * as of June 14, 2017
- So far this year, we have lost 50 members and friends.
Deadlines for the Rest of the Year
- September: July 24, 2017
- October (electronic): August 23, 2017
- November: September 25, 2017
- December (electronic): October 23, 2017
Other Reports
Social Networking Statistics: sent by Katie Frederick
Facebook: 3,027 likes
- Frontier Airlines Refused Blind Man and Granddaughter on Plane: 10,715 people reached; 68 angry, like and sad reactions; 126 shares
- ACB & ADP announce Amazon Video with Audio Description: 8,410 people reached; 84 like, love and wow reactions; 123 shares
- AAA Refused to pick up blind woman stranded with service dog: 5,481 people reached; 56 like, angry and sad reactions; 82 shares
- Electric-car noise rules to be cancelled under Trump? 5,506 people reached; 42 angry, like and sad reactions; 46 shares
Twitter: 1,937 followers
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Philips Televisions and Video Players Now Offer Enhanced Accessibility: 1,169 impressions; 57 engagements
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PDF and BRF versions are available for download at acb.org: 1,073 impressions; 18 engagements
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Zello public group for ACB Convention: 876 impressions; 13 engagements
Large Print Reader Preference Survey: Ron Brooks and Deb Cook Lewis
- Ron began by thanking BOP members Doug Powell and Paul Edwards and CCLVI members Leslie Spoone, donna pomerantz, and Zelda Gebhard for their dedication, hard work and commitment to the task group. He also thanked Deb Cook Lewis for chairing the group.
- The ACB Board of Publications and the CCLVI developed this survey to learn more about the reading preferences of people who read large print. The purpose of this survey is to help ACB develop consistent guidelines for producing large print that is accessible and as easy to read for as many large print readers as possible.
- The survey is being distributed at the convention. Doug and Donna will be making announcements throughout the week. The survey closes at noon on Wednesday. Ron will discuss with Eric how best to get the results tabulated.
Other Business and Announcements
There was discussion of the probability that one or two ACB Board position may become available as a result of officer elections. If this occurs, Doug plans to run for the Board which will create a vacancy on the BOP.
Next Meeting:
The next scheduled meeting is August 1, 2017 at 9:00 PM Eastern.
Adjourn
Deb moved and Doug seconded adjournment. the meeting adjourned at 11:50 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Deb Lewis, Secretary