EBSS Committees and Groups

e.b.s.s. logo

Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall have the responsibility to act for the Section and make decisions on matters that require immediate action before the next scheduled meeting, and to supervise the administration of established policies, programs, and operations. The Executive Committee shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Conference Program Planning Committee to ensure that procedures for the approval of Annual Conference programs as stipulated in the ACRL Guide to Policies and Procedures are met before submission of the program for approval by the ACRL Board.

Advisory Council
To provide a forum for reporting, discussing, and coordinating the work of the Section's standing and special committees.

Awards
To develop, plan and implement EBSS awards.

Communication Studies
To provide a base of operations for the Mass Communication community of librarians who serve the communications/mass communications fields (including the areas of communications, media studies, advertising, speech communications, broadcasting, journalism and public relations). Goals for the Committee include identifying best practices and resources useful to those in the community as well as addressing current issues that are salient to the advancement of the field. Activities of the committee will include: evaluation and discussion of resources and services, development of activities and programs to improve skills among librarians, and the coordination of liaison activities with other professional organizations as appropriate.

Conference Program Planning
To plan and stage programs of interest and benefit to members of the Section at the ALA Annual Conference. Traditionally the EBSS Program Planning Committee has been chaired by the EBSS Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect. On other occasions the EBSS Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect has delegated program planning to the chair of one of the standing or ad hoc committees. Program planning involves following a quite rigid schedule of deadlines and communications with ALA and ACRL. Specific instructions are always sent to the person designated as responsible for the program. Samples of these are available. The Committee is usually composed of three EBSS members.

Curriculum Materials
To examine areas of concern in curriculum materials administration; to explore the possibilities for improving curriculum materials administration (including selection, acquisition, classification, reference and retrieval, automation aspects, circulation, personnel, facilities, national and regional needs, cooperation, and continuing education); and to recommend to the EBSS Executive Committee alternative actions for making such improvements.

Education
To provide a base of operations for librarians who serve the Education field. Goals for the Committee include identifying best practices and resources useful to those in the community as well as addressing current issues that are salient to the advancement of the field. Activities of the committee will include: evaluation and discussion of resources and services, development of activities and programs to improve skills among librarians, and the coordination of liaison activities with other professional organizations as appropriate.

Education Research Libraries Discussion Group
To provide a forum for discussion of issues pertaining to research libraries serving the Education discipline.

Electronic Resources in Communication Studies
To investigate relevant electronic resources for communication studies; assess and evaluate relevant electronic resources for usability and function; encourage the development of better electronic resources within communication studies through careful vendor feedback; to inform and educate librarians about relevant electronic resources, their use, and implementation as a library resource; and to update and enhance the Library Resources for Communication Studies web site on a regular basis.

Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
To identify, advocate for, and implement actions related to issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in education and behavioral sciences librarianship and EBSS.

Instruction for Educators
To provide a forum for librarians interested in bibliographic instruction in education; to identify the issues and problems encountered by librarians serving schools, colleges and departments of education in colleges and universities; to develop approaches and solutions to those problems and to recommend appropriate actions to the EBSS Executive Committee; to make distinctive contributions as education library specialists to the field of bibliographic instruction.

Membership and Orientation
To propose strategies for recruitment, retention and orientation of members to EBSS and to their leadership roles in the section. To promote active interest in and support for the Section and to enhance members' effectiveness.

Nominating
To prepare a slate of candidates for officers of the Section by recruiting nominees who reflect the diversity and professional environments of the Section membership. Nominating Committee chairs and members are appointed in advance of the elections for which they will draw up the slate of nominees. Traditionally the immediate Past Chair of EBSS has served as the chair of that year's Nominating Committee. ACRL Procedures for Nominating Committees have been followed for several years.

Online Learning Research
To provide a forum for librarians working with faculty to integrate library resources into courses; to discuss current and future trends and considerations in online learning; to sponsor programs or discussions that highlight effective library/faculty practices in online learning; to conduct projects that explore the intersection of librarian and faculty development of online learning programs in the areas of education and behavioral sciences.

Psychology
To provide a forum for librarians working with psychology and closely related disciplines. The committee promotes discussion and networking while providing leadership on issues important to psychology librarianship.

Publications and Communications
To investigate the avenues of publishing open to the Section; to assume primary responsibility for the EBSS Newsletter; to clarify to the Section the procedures required by ACRL and ALA for publishing; to review all EBSS publications and to provide written procedural guidance during initial planning stages and prior to any submission for funding or publication; to assist the Section and its committees in finding appropriate areas for publishing projects as approved by the EBSS Executive Committee.

Reference Sources and Services
To produce publications, encourage Section sponsorship of programs, and conduct projects to improve academic library reference services in education and the behavioral sciences; to encourage communication among and the professional development of, reference librarians working in these areas; to serve as resource persons and advocates to publishers and vendors producing reference materials in these disciplines, including those accessed via computer and other new technologies; to provide liaison with other ALA groups as appropriate.

Research
Investigate and propose ways the section can provide a forum for behavior science librarians to share ideas about new directions in behavior science librarianship, research in progress and current topics of interest.

Scholarly Communication
To advance ACRL's scholarly communication agenda to disciplines represented in EBSS; to work in partnership with ACRL, other library organizations, and other higher education organizations to develop or support their scholarly communication agendas; to assess the state of discipline-specific needs and to formulate an agenda specific to disciplines represented in EBSS; to develop programming and tools to educate and support EBSS members and other librarians working with faculty on related institutional initiatives.

Social Work 
To provide a forum for librarians who serve social work/social welfare fields in academic settings; to sponsor discussions and programs; to produce publications to meet the needs of this clientele; and to undertake liaison activities with other professional organizations as appropriate.

NON-ACTIVE COMMITTEES AND GROUPS