SIBA is on schedule to transition to a new member database and redesigned website before the end of the year. Here is an update from the staff on what they are doing and what SIBA's transition means to them.

Linda-Marie Barrett
Executive Director

SIBA's transition to NOVI, our new association management system, is like moving to a new home. Or, actually, building a new home, because on the other side of this we'll have completely redesigned our website. The transition involves a very thoughtful process of discernment and attention to detail, with considerations around accuracy of data, accessibility, aesthetics, and discoverability of information. It's all very exciting, and also very brainy! Each of us on the SIBA team have different parts to play in the transition, and my latest projects involve a website branding review and all things QuickBooks. QuickBooks syncs with NOVI and I've been working in QuickBooks to clean up data, match it with our current association management system data, and get ready for the sync! As I've been doing this matching, I'm seeing members-stores, publisher reps, authors-who have been part of the SIBA community for decades, or are new to us, or no longer with us; it's been a fascinating review that makes me feel an even greater respect for and dedication to the community we've built over 50 years.

Candice Huber
Membership & Social Media Coordinator

What I'm working on: In short, refining, updating, and enhancing the bookstore member database. In long, a big part of our system transition is ensuring the membership database holds accurate data and that we're collecting all the data we need to best serve our members. This means going line by line through every member bookstore to ensure records are accurate and reviewing and creating all the fields of data we both currently collect and want to collect going forward. As Membership Coordinator, the project of reviewing every bookstore member record has been interesting and informative. I've really enjoyed learning so much about all of our member stores, and I feel like I'll be able to serve everyone better because of it. I'm really excited about the new system, because it will be much more user friendly, and our members will have an easier time navigating both their own profiles and information with SIBA and our website!

Nicki Leone
Communications/SysAdmin

I've been with SIBA for a long time now and have seen the organization through many website and database updates and upgrades. It's always an equally fun and fraught process, but our current transition feels especially significant because SIBA has changed and grown so significantly since 2020; with new leadership, a new expanded membership, and newly updated bylaws. My main job for this transition is oversight and managing the transfer of website content and the member database. I look at a lot of spreadsheet data! And a lot of website and email templates! But it is great because I feel like we're creating a place for SIBA's members that reflects who they are and what their priorities are. My most recent project has been to move SIBA's emailing system to the Constant Contact platform, where it will be easier for members to manage the kinds of email they want to receive from SIBA.

SP Rankin
Website Administrator

What I'm Working On: Preparing website content for the launch of the new SIBA website. Our goals are to make the information that's most important to current and potential SIBA members easy to find and easy to use. We're also focusing on site accessibility, from everything to legibility to ensuring all images have alt text. As we move SIBA's email communications to a new platform, we've redesigned and refreshed our templates, again with a focus on accessibility, consistency, and prioritizing smooth delivery on mobile devices.