• This is the third issue of the Newsletter designed to keep members informed of progress towards unification. The content of this and previous issues is available on the website of each organisation.
  [www.la-hq.org.uk] [www.iis.org.uk]
   
  
• This issue covers the meetings of the Implementation Working Group (IWG) held in April, June and July and picks up a number of the matters which were mentioned in previous issues of the Newsletter.
   
  
• SIGs and OiLs
  In the interests of unification the IWG has agreed that all existing IIS Special Interest Groups (SIGs) will be able to convert to Organisations in Liaison (OiLs) of the new association if they so wish.
   
  
• CHARTER AND BYELAWS
  The legal advisers have produced a draft Charter and Byelaws for consideration by the IWG. A Constitutional Working Party will now be established to examine these in detail, along with any Regulations made in Council, in order to ensure comprehensiveness and consistency.
   
  
• THE IRISH QUESTION
  The legal advice is that there is no reason why full rights of membership should not be extended to members living or working in the Isle of Man, Channel Islands and Irish Republic. The draft Byelaws have been drawn up on this basis.
   
  
• JOURNALS
  Negotiations are continuing with Bowker-Saur on giving members access to a scholarly journal as part of their subscription package. Current thinking is that all members may be offered free electronic access to either Journal of Information Science or Journal of Librarianship and Information Science with the print versions available at a discounted rate.
   
  
• VISION
  The Working Group established to refine a vision for the new body (detailed in the second issue of the Newsletter) is now working electronically to share scenarios based on the year 2010; and will report back to the IWG by the end of August.
   
  
• CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
  The Library Association's new Corporate Plan (recently circulated to LA members in draft and soon to be circulated in its final form) will include the intention to introduce a scheme of periodic revalidation for Chartered members. The IWG has agreed that this intention should be built in to the Byelaws and Regulations for the new association.
   
  
• PEOPLE
  Bob McKee has agreed to speak at the IIS Open Day on Wednesday 6th September in a session to be chaired by Brian Clifford on "Taking the Information Profession into the New Millennium".
  
  Elspeth Hyams has been appointed Editor of the Library Association Record with a brief to develop the journal to meet the needs of the new association.
  
  Steps are being taken to recruit a replacement for Elspeth as Director of the Institute, and her replacement on the IWG will be Liz Maclachlan, presently Vice Chair of IIS Council.

As the dialogue on unification develops, individual members may wish to put their views. Each meeting of the IWG has a standing item when comments from members are considered. In addition a discussion list has been set up on the Internet at

http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/lis-unify/
or
http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/lis-unify/join.html

If you have any comments please use the discussion list or send them to: