…with apologies to all Michael Caine and Burt Bacharach fans out there.

Update Feb. 10, 2009: Those who prefer to email their comments may do so by sending an email to riemablog@gmail.com. Please type “RIEMA Mission” in the subject line. I will then compile any emailed comments and add them to the discussion thread. Please email or post your comments by Feb. 17, 2009. Thank you!

The RIEMA Board has undertaken a big project — one for which we need the input and assistance of all of our members.

Over the next several months, the RIEMA Constitution / By-Laws Task Force will be examining all facets of the organization’s guiding documents. We will start with the current Mission statement; after all, our mission drives our goals, and our goals determine what we do, how we serve our students and colleagues, and where we are headed.

Here is the current RIEMA Mission (available at http://www.riema.info/mission.php):

The mission of the Rhode Island Educational Media Association is to provide leadership and support for school library media professionals and support staff in the development, promotion, improvement, and evaluation of school library media, computer, and instructional technology programs in ALL Rhode Island schools.

How can you help with this process? Between now and February 17, please reflect upon the current Mission (above) and tell us, using the comment feature of the blog, what you think. What would you add to, remove from, or leave in the Mission? There are many crucial aspects of current (and future) school library and educational media services. Which ones should have the most influence on shaping RIEMA’s Mission?

Of course, any proposed changes to the Mission or to any other guiding documents will be presented to the full membership for a vote at some point in the not-too-distant future.

If you have never commented on the blog before, now is a great time to start. We very much want as much input from RIEMA members as we can get — and it is helpful to have it all in one place for easy reference.

For more information, feel free to click on the “How to Comment” link at the top of the page, or send questions to riemablog@gmail.com and we will answer them as soon as we can.

Thanks for reading and commenting, and in the meantime, get out there and circulate.