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BUSINESS REPORT

Atla Association Update
Brenda Bailey-Hainer, Executive Director

ABSTR ACT The Atla Association Update provides highlights of Atla’s 
accomplishments for the year, an overview of finances for fiscal year 
2019, and a brief preview of the projected budget for fiscal year 2020.

The past year has been an exciting one for Atla members and staff. 
Improved research tools, new open access publications, implemention 
of new membership categories, a new international learning 
opportunity, and the release of a stunning new website is just a 
sampling of Atla’s many accomplishments. Highlights from the year are 
included in this update and additional information can be found in the 
committee and task force reports included in the 2019 Atla Yearbook.

Several new milestones were achieved regarding the enhancement 
of Atla research tools. Over 1,000 titles are currently indexed in 
Atla Religion Database. The integration of Atla Catholic Periodicals 
and Literature Index into Atla Religion Database was successfully 
completed, and Atlas PLUS now includes 56 full text titles that support 
Catholic research and study. The emphasis in licensing new titles over 
the last several years has been to further diversify full text content, 
which now includes publications in more than 20 languages from 35 
countries. In addition to expanding the breadth of content, the depth 
was increased, with a specific effort made to increase the coverage of 
many titles back to volume 1, issue 1.  This includes 71% of Atlas PLUS 



14  ATL A 2019 PROCEEDINGS

titles and 69% of Atlas titles.
The most significant milestone reached is that more than 500 

full-text titles are now included in Atla’s research tools. In 2001, Atlas 
began with a core group of 50 journals. In 2013, Atla celebrated the 
250th title milestone at the annual conference in Charlotte, NC. Just 6 
years later, that number has now doubled!

The previous year was a busy one in terms of association activities. 
Atla’s progress toward achieving its mission and organizational ends is 
made possible through the collaborative efforts of the many members 
who volunteer their time and the staff who coordinate their efforts.

The number of committees, councils and other volunteer groups 
keeps expanding. A list of all the current groups is included below. 
Many thanks to all of you!

• Atla Annual Conference Committee
• Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Endowment Committee
• Atla Digital Library Advisory Council
• International Theological Librarianship Education Task Force
• Professional Development Committee
• Scholarly Communication Committee
• Atla Open Press Coordinating Council
• Editorial Boards

• Monographs
• Proceedings
• Theological Librarianship
• Theology Cataloging Bulletin

• PCC (NACO/SACO/CONSER) Funnels

Several special professional development opportunities were 
offered last year. Atla sponsored the ACRL Scholarly Communications 
Roadshow specifically for Atla members and offered travel grants to 
make attendance at this event affordable. This one-day seminar led by 
expert faculty provided attendees with the knowledge and skills needed 
to help transform the scholarly communication system. The Atla board 
and other members attended this event held in February 2019 in Chicago.

The International Theological Librarianship Education Task Force, 
which includes volunteers from around the globe, created the first 



Business Meeting  15

International Theological Leadership Institute. The Institute was held 
in Vancouver concurrent with the annual conference and included 3 
participants from Fiji, the Philippines, and Ukraine. It utilized Atla 
members as faculty for two days of training, incorporated participant 
attendance at the conference and selected preconferences, and ended 
with visits to local theological and specialized libraries.

The Atla Open Press Monographs Editorial Board never rests! They 
oversaw the publication of two new open access (OA) books: Teaching 
Religion in a Changing Public University by Dr. Sandie Gravett, 
and A Broadening Conversation: Classic Readings in Theological 
Librarianship, edited by Melody Layton McMahon and David R. Stewart, 
with a new introduction written by Dr. Carisse Mickey Berryhill.

The Atla Digital Library has gained momentum and continued 
to expand. Eighteen institutions have agreed to have their metadata 
harvested for inclusion. Atla is also serving as a technology partner for a 
Council for Library and Information Resources (CLIR) grant, Digitizing 
the Records of Philadelphia’s Historic Congregations: Providing 
Documentation for the Political, Social and Cultural Developments in 
Philadelphia, led by Christ Church Preservation Trust.

Following a survey of users, Research in Ministry (RIM) received 
a major refresh from staff and was converted to a new platform that 
supports a more user-friendly display and search capabilities, and 
allows authors or librarians to upload information directly.

In 2018, the Atla membership voted in changes to the membership 
categories. Membership categories increased from five to six, and staff 
spent time helping Lifetime members transition to the new categories 
of Retired and Emeritus.

Trends in membership is an area that the board and staff are 
constantly monitoring. The numerous closures and mergers 
of seminaries over the last decade have had an impact on Atla’s 
membership numbers. Whenever a school closes or two schools 
merge, Atla loses not just an institutional member but often several 
individual members as well when positions are eliminated. In 2016, 
members voted in a new set of bylaws, which included major changes 
to the Institutional Member eligibility requirements that made Atla 
a more inclusive organization. The impact of these changes can be 
seen in the chart below. While the Individual Member numbers have 
declined, the number of Institutional Members has steadily increased.  



16  ATL A 2019 PROCEEDINGS

International membership of both organizations and people has 
been growing as well. Organizational members from outside the US 
increased from just over 4% in 2015 to over 12% in 2019. Personal 
members from outside the US increased from 8% to around 13% 
during that same period. This year’s annual conference also showed 
an increase in attendees from outside the US, a result of both the 
creation of the Leadership Institute mentioned above and the 
conference location in Canada.  

A status report on the financial picture is always an important part 
of the Association Update each year. Atla is in a strong position now, 
but care is always taken to ensure future financial sustainability. The 
Endowment Fund was created for this purpose and it has continued 
to grow. As of August 31, 2018 (the end of the last full fiscal year), the 
Endowment Fund had a balance of $680,497, which is an increase of 
$120,071 over the previous year.

Overall, Atla had a solid year financially in fiscal year 2018. The 
budget was set at $7,829,089, with a portion of revenue expected to be 
drawn from an internal research and development fund. Some major 
projects were delayed until the current fiscal year, so money allocated 
from this fund for 2018 ($717,016) was not needed or used, and it was 
rolled into the 2019 budget instead. Real revenue for 2018 came in at 
$7,261,205. Actual expenses stayed well within budget at $7,252,977.   

The 2019 budget is set at $7,966,779. Three quarters of the way 
through the fiscal year, Atla is on track with both revenue and expense.

It is instructive to see a high-level overview of where Atla’s revenue 
came from in 2018 to set the context for the draft 2020 budget. By 
far, most of Atla’s funds are generated through revenue derived from 
royalties as the result of library subscriptions to Atla research tools 



Business Meeting  17

(92%). Additional sources of revenue include dues and member 
programs such as the conference (3%), and other miscellaneous 
income such as income from investments (4%).

Atla uses the revenue it receives to support the work needed to 
achieve its mission and organizational ends. In 2018, some money was 
used for ongoing maintenance and expansion of the research tools 
(63%) and to provide administrative services to support the organization 
(13%). Four percent (4%) went to support the board and its committees, 
and 20% was used to support member programs and services.

In 2020, Atla has a number of major initiatives planned. These 
include the creation of a new strategic plan for the next 3–5 years, 
assessment of physical space in anticipation of our lease expiration 
in 2021, continued expansion of the Atla Digital Library and Atla Open 
Press publications, and continued expansion of Atla research tools.

The revenue and expense for the draft 2020 budget are both 
projected to be roughly $8.2 million (see chart below). Atla is careful 
not to overestimate revenue, so the budget is not finalized until August, 
closer to the start of the fiscal year. Our primary source of revenue 
continues to be royalties from the research tools we create, with other 
revenue coming from member dues, the Atla Annual conference, other 
Member Programs services, and interest from investments. The line 
for R&D—research and development—is not new income but is from a 
fund that is maintained of any excess revenues from past years. That 
money is earmarked for projects that help assess the potential of new 
products and services and to conduct market research.

DRAFT 2020 BUDGET

Revenue:      $ 8,271,356
• Products     $ 7,121,328
• Member Dues    $     147,500
• Atla Annual    $        84,500
• Other Member Programs Services $        41,450
• Interest/Miscellaneous   $     101,578
• R&D Fund    $     775,000

The chart below shows projected expenses. The largest business 
expense comes from the salaries and benefits of roughly 43 staff. 
Significant funds also are spent on product related expenses, such as 



18  ATL A 2019 PROCEEDINGS

support for the production platform. Atla’s current lease has a built-in 
increase each year and includes state taxes and other fees. The cost 
for the office space is now projected to be $662,144 next year. Staff 
travel includes visits to member libraries, exhibiting at conferences, 
and attending conferences related to the industry. A significant 
amount is spent on programs and activities for members—committee 
support, the Atla Open Press, webinars, and other various programs. 
Information technology is a significant expense; much of it is being 
moved into the cloud and telecommunications expenses continue as 
well. Other expenses include governance, which is counted as board 
expense, and our annual conference. Some marketing activities, staff 
development, and other contractor services for our audit, banking, 
and legal needs account for the remainder.

DRAFT FY20 BUDGET

Expense:       $8,271,356
• Salaries & Benefits   $4,187,533
• Product Business Expense  $1,448,087
• Rent, Leasehold Improvements, Electricity $    662,144
• Staff Travel    $    415,971
• Programs for Members   $    360,108
• Office and General Expenses  $    271,969
• Information Technology   $    242,083
• Depreciation    $    197,846
• Telecommunications   $    112,400
• Board Expense    $      85,448
• Conference    $      85,000
• Marketing    $      81,990
• Staff Professional Development  $      46,777
• Audit, Banking, Legal   $      74,000

As always, Atla’s accomplishments are the result of the collective 
efforts of many people. Without volunteer contributions on 
committees, interest groups, and task forces, along with the work 
of staff, Atla would not be able to accomplish its goal of promoting 
worldwide, scholarly communication in religion and theology by 
advancing the work of library and related information providers.

This has been a high-level overview of Atla’s activities and 



Business Meeting  19

accomplishments during the past year that were focused externally 
on serving members and customers. But there were several major 
projects not mentioned yet that upgraded Atla’s infrastructure and laid 
the groundwork for future growth and improvements in serving Atla’s 
membership. Over the past two years, Gillian Harrison Cain, Atla’s 
Director of Member Programs, was the lead coordinator on several 
major projects related to Atla’s infrastructure.  She and her team, 
along with many others from across Atla’s Departments— Information 
Systems, Business Development, Financial Services, and Production—
took on multiple projects that were critical to Atla’s future success 
in better serving our members and business partners. All of these 
projects came to fruition during the past year and have been successful. 

In the Summer of 2018, Atla launched a new Association 
Membership System (AMS) which includes a new member web portal. 
After issuing an RFP and reviewing the proposals, Atla selected to 
license and implement Nimble AMS™ from Community Brands®. 
Nimble AMS is built on SalesForce® and customized specifically for 
use by associations and nonprofits.

As Atla staff embarked on the search for a new AMS, our project 
goals focused on internal efficiency and increased capacity. Staff 
wanted to consolidate activities on the membership side of the 
organization to a single system from the multiple spreadsheets, 
systems, and memories that were actively in use. On the product side 
of the organization, staff sought to streamline publisher and partner 
communications and processes. Atla staff wanted a system that would 
more easily represent, manage, and track the intricate affiliations 
between people, libraries, institutions, consortia, publications, 
publishers, and others. Tighter integration with financial systems, 
better data tracking and reporting, and cloud-based solutions were 
also among the goals. The most visible component of the AMS to 
members and others other than Atla staff is the new web portal, which 
needed to utilize current authentication technologies and practices, 
appear more modern, and be more user friendly.

The new member web portal (https://my.atla.com) was designed 
to use current authentication standards including the self-service 
capability for members to reset their passwords. In this new portal, 
prospective members are able to submit membership applications 
and existing members are able to renew and manage both their 
individual and institutional memberships (if they are the member 

https://my.atla.com


20  ATL A 2019 PROCEEDINGS

representative) from a single login.
The portal has been designed to be one stop for everything related 

to Atla members. In addition to managing their membership and 
contact information, members can view activities such as event 
registrations, access members-only content (which was previously 
the Community tab in the website), see information about upcoming 
events and register, submit proposals for Atla Annual conference 
programs, apply for travel grants and the member loyalty program, 
and access member directories.

Both members and non-members are also easily able to make an 
Atla Endowment Fund gift or donate to the Scholarships and Grants 
Annual fund through the web portal. Gifts and donations may be 
anonymous or associated with an identified individual and made 
during the membership renewal process as well as throughout the year.

In the Spring of 2019, Atla launched a new website utilizing a new 
Content Management System (CMS). Again, after an RFP process, 
Atla selected to work with the organization Forum One, who also was 
working with the Board of Directors on branding, to implement the new 
brand in a new website utilizing the WordPress platform as the CMS.

The new website was designed to look modern and approachable 
and be intuitive to use. Increased use of white space and more visual 
elements, including photography and graphics, are key in the design. 
Photographs are of and by members, stock photography is deliberately 
not used, in order to support the strong sense of community and 
connection reflected in Atla’s core values.

Single sign-on (SSO) authentication allows members to have a 
single username and password to access both the website and the 
web portal. Various navigational elements such as “Related Notes” 
and menus allow website users to easily move between areas of the 
site to find the information they seek.

In FY20, Atla plans to launch a new member community solution 
that integrates closely with both the new AMS and website and allows for 
greater member engagement and connection. The new web community 
will be designed to allow for members to engage in conversations and 
connect with colleagues. Functionality for Interest, Denominational, and 
Regional groups to communicate, collaborate, and share information 
with each other will be included. The new community will also serve as 
a place for members to access resources such as best practices, sample 
documents, professional development materials, and more.


