[Excerpts from] Minutes of business meeting of Homosexual Information Center, Inc.
January 24, 1995, Los Angeles CA at 1411 Calumet Ave. 7:00 PM
Those apresent: Dale Jennings, Tony Reyes, Charles Lucas, Billy Glover, Paul Harris, Don Slater, Jim Schneider. Absent: Melvin Cain, Peter <Plumer?>The meeting was called to order at 7:20 PM. Don Slater gave a short financial report: [...]
Next was a discussion on future work of the corporation. Partly the discussion concerning the newly formed archives/library housed at USC and formed by the combination of the libraries/archives of ONE, Inc and the International Gay and Lesbian Archives — the 1/3 of the old original library from Dorr Legg’s group and 1/3 from Jim Kepner’s group. Our 1/3 (Slater’s group) was invited to join in this new library and we discussed the idea of what response to make. John O’Brien, new president of the partnership, invited us to visit and discuss the work and our joining it. Questions considered were: how is the integrity of the collection to be preserved, as HIC’s, as the 3 individual libraries, and USC’s control, etc. Charles said we should ask what the advantages to HIC are, what the advantages to the newly formed library are (to have our collection). What are their bona fides? Dale indicated a lack of trust of some of the people in the other groups, so that
2. HIC/minutes/1-23-95
even if we thought their answers valid, could we trust them to stick with them [and to] honor their guarantees. Would we want to be on the board, how would power be divided and control be equalized? What control would USC have? The newly provided quarters, etc are only a 5 year lease and what happens after that? Jim pointed out that in the new “computer” age, we might not need to be part of such a consortium since we will place our material on computers and may make it available for a donation at some future date on computer services/and e-mail, etc. Will USC provide such a computer for the new library?
Dale has sent out many requests for funding with no response. But can we get funding in the future to preserve our material? Our “views” may be a partial reason we have not found people willing to donate to us. We seek only equal rights, not special interests or to promote a special view, lifestyle, etc.
If Internet / e-mail is the future of the “information” industry what is the future of our work and the work of other's? Dale says we should renew our “activist” role, such as trying to get AIDS support from the media and govemmet, but Billy pointed out that the very groups devoted to that issue are dead, and have done all the picketing and news media work that anyone could do and the groups funded by Ryan White funding have had constant legal and fiscal trou[b]les, often having trouble with people who switched from one group (in trouble) to another, causing more trouble where they went. And HIC is NOT an AIDS group; we do not focus on one area but a general information source. But to the extent that we do have, based on our over 40 years of work, a “point of view,” do we want this view lost in a new group?
A motion was made to write a letter of response (Charles Lucas) and seconded (Paul Harris) to get the new group to put their proposals in writing. Motion passed with Dale to write a draft soon and have the letter sent in February
3. HIC/minutes/1-24-95
Also moved was to get Jim [Schneider] and perhaps Dale (Jennings) to go visit the new location on USC’s campus to see what it looked like and what the people there had in mind, and report back to the next meeting. Again, keeping in mind, as Jim said, that we might not need to join with others to put out information, once we get computerized. Dale objected to this.
[...]
Annual meeting will be in July ... Charles Lucas moved adjournment, Jim Schneider seconded, passed, at 9PM.
<Respectfully submitted,
Billy Glover>
