One of the visuals MLA Executive Director, Kevin Baliozian, used during his report on Tuesday morning highlighted the various units and entities within the current structure of MLA, and at the center was a blue circle entitled "21 MLA Sections." Although there may be some who belong to or follow all of the sections by stint of their MLA duties, most of us belong to one or a few sections, drawn by job duties and interests. Some section officers scheduled morning business meetings, others selected to meet in the afternoon, and some sections even got special permission to hold their business meetings electronically prior to arrival in Atlanta.
Attending a few sections' business meetings provided updates on section business, and, depending on the agendas, some sections honored their travel or other section prize award winners, honored new and past officers, recruited committee volunteers, approved minutes, heard treasurers' reports, discussed conference programming and section projects. Some even gathered the business meeting attendees for photographs. Often heard also were tidbits from other sections' activities, as gleaned from officers who heard reports at the Saturday Section Council meeting (and some truly seem to be doing innovative projects and activities.)
A major agenda item of section business meetings this year, without a doubt, focused on future possible scenarios for subject and function communities in MLA. Members of the Communities Strategic Task Force attended this year's section business meetings. This was their opportunity to hear feedback and questions from section members. Because of pending changes in MLA community structure, it could be said that MLA section business meetings in Atlanta were not really "business as usual." Now we all await the next phase of this process...