6. I.S.N. as a Professional Business Organization

After completing his term as Chairman of the Nominating Committee in 1979, Victor Whittaker offered to organise the Membership Directory on a computerized basis. As noted above (Section 4) the precise membership was uncertain, so a considerable amount of correspondence was required to organise it satisfactorily. During his period as Secretary, he expended much energy in putting the Society's operations onto a sound professional, business footing, with rigorous attention to maintaining the membership list and to the publication of attractively-produced I.S.N. News and the membership Directory. It was not an easy task as three different membership files still existed : Victor's directory, Raven's Journal subscription file and Alan Boulton's file on acknowledgment of membership dues. Part of the problem arose from the fact that not all individual members subscribed to the Journal and it took considerable efforts by Alan Boulton and Bernie Agranoff to complete the final list. These files were finally organized into a master computer file by Bernie who then as Treasurer undertook responsibility for collection of both the membership dues and journal suscriptions, and initiated payment by credit card. For members fortunate in having credit cards this greatly facilitated payment in non-U.S. currencies and reduced the cost to the Society of currency conversions. The membership list is currently maintained by the Treasurer as he now receives the membership dues directly. At about this time the Solicitors observed that we were violating the Articles of Association by only having Business Meetings every two years, rather than annually as required. The Council then met more frequently at regular intervals, which though awkward since the full I.S.N. meetings were bienniel, had the benefit of speeding up the approval of new members. Victor's experience led him to suggest formalisation of our business procedures with the establishment of a Business Office with a permanent Secretariat to help the Society to co-ordinate its various activities, which might also include journal business. [His detailed proposals can be read in an open letter to the members circulated with I.S.N. News in October 1986, preserved in the Archives]. However the Council did not feel that a Business Office was an appropriate or necessary development at that stage. There was admittedly some friction between the Officers at the time, as there were quite different, and sometimes apparently irreconcilable, views on the best way forward for the Society. In such circumstances the usual decision is not to change or interfere with a successful system, and await events. The Council took this decision and so far the Society proceeds in a healthy fashion. It may be that in the future the question of a Business Office will be reviewed again. The efficiency of the Society's operations has been greatly enhanced by the installation of FAX facilities to enable Officers, Council members and Auditors to communicate freely and rapidly throughout its international operations. It has also enhanced communications between Publisher, journal editors and Council. All these developments, with the (sometimes painful) restructuring of the Society's mode of operation, resulted in its organisation improving so much that it has become one of the most openly democratic of international scientific societies.

Go to the next chapter 7. Further ISN Initiatives

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