The Joint Editorial Committee met January 23 at the Soaring to New Heights Conference in Chicago. One of the hot topics discussed was the status of the 2008 Membership Directory and the need for a consistent schedule.
The committee was informed that a new issue would be on members’ shelves in February…maybe March at the latest. The Membership Directory, affectionately known as the “Yellow Pages of parks and recreation” is quite a comprehensive publication that has proven very time consuming - both in terms of gaining correct information from member agencies as well as in producing it.
We are very excited about the upcoming delivery of the Membership Directory but IPRA members can always access an up-to-date listing of members - searchable by company, city, first name or last name. Simply login to the Members Only portion of the IPRA site and get connected.
Editor of the Illinois Parks & Recreation magazine and the Membership Directory, Rodd Whelpley of the IAPD, acknowledged the hard work and dedication of committee co-chairs Laura Barron of the Oakbrook Terrace Park District and Ann Austin of the Rock Island Parks and Recreation Board. Thank you both for everything you’ve done to better the joint publications of the IPRA and the IAPD.
I think it would be great to have a directory for the membership with a small thumbnail picture of each progessional……Just a thought.
Hi Sandy, you’ll be happy to know that with the new IPRA web site launching later this year you and every other member will have the ability to upload pictures of yourself in our searchable online membership database! If you’ve ever used Facebook or LinkedIN it’s roughly based off those sites. You can also create and join groups to further your networking and resource sharing!
If IPRAis going paperless, why are we spending time and money for a printed copy of the directory when this is available on-line? Just wondering…..
Hi Rick, we are not going completely paperless.
We have made efforts to reduce our paper consumption by eliminating the bulk mailings with numerous random flyers. Rather, we are using these blogs to more quickly and efficiently get news to the membership. They also serve as an e-newsletter too if you subscribe to receive the blog posts.
However, the Membership Directory is a joint publication between the IPRA and the IAPD. As many on the committee will agree with, the paper version of the directory is outdated by the time it gets delivered. People switch jobs, change phone numbers or titles, etc. all during the production process.
But, there is value to the printed copy. Many members reference it quite often. Many also go online to search for people. It’s a personal choice on which version you use.
Some day the Membership Directory as we know it may be completely online. But for now, you have options. The new IPRA website coming later this year will have an even better and more user-friendly way to search members online. We can’t wait for that.
What does everyone else think about the paper versus online version of the Membership Directory?