Hello everyone,

We hope that this email finds you all well. We'd like to update you on two items of business that were raised in our November 2024 annual meeting:

New Name — Mid-Atlantic Regional User Group (MARUG)

Based on the vote conducted in 2024, our user group is now known as the Mid-Atlantic Regional User Group (MARUG). We want to thank everyone who participated in the vote and for the folks who have expressed interest in renaming our regional user group over the years. Outcome of the vote for those interested:

MARUG Volunteers Meeting

We want to thank the following folks for signing up to volunteer and for making it to our first MARUG volunteers meeting:

Amber Jones (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Benjamin Bradley (University of Maryland)
Brian McDonald (George Washington University)
Chris Shaver (Virginia Tech)
Emily Nilson (George Mason University)
John Kimbrough (Georgetown University)
Kim Edwards (George Mason University)
MD Galvin (USMAI)
Tracie Frederick (National Institutes of Health)

Summary of first MARUG volunteer meeting

At the first MARUG (formerly DCRUG) volunteer meeting on Feb. 28th, 2025, the following topics were discussed:

Purpose of MARUG.
In-person vs. virtual meetings: The pros and cons of both meeting modalities were discussed, with attendees coming to the conclusion that while in-person meetups at large conferences should be encouraged, it is more convenient, flexible and far-reaching to conduct meetings virtually. There was interest in developing a more detailed agenda for the MARUG breakout session at ELUNA.
MARUG governance documents: Shane brought up the lack of MARUG governing documents. Many other RUGs have such documents. A team was formed to work on creating governing documents. They will meet virtually to work on this project. Once the documents are approved, they could be posted on the MARUG ELUNA site. The group would like to increase MARUG’s web presence.
How to better utilize MARUG? The group discussed how to create more engagement on the listserv. A number of ideas were shared, including having a monthly topic or Fun Fact Friday (regarding Alma, Primo, etc.). Everyone was willing to help with the posts. Another exciting idea is the creation of the first MARUG interest group, on analytics. The Analytics Interest Group will be led by Kim Edwards and Emily Nilson from George Mason University. They will be announcing the first virtual meeting soon!

Action items:

Create MARUG governance documents.
Plan ELUNA breakout session agenda.
Post to MARUG listserv.

If you have any questions/ideas/concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Shane Hickey (shickey@american.edu, American University), MARUG Co-chair

Mary Beth Holm (holmm@vcu.edu, Virginia Commonwealth University), MARUG Co-chair