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Chapter 3: ACRL Committees

3.1 ACRL committee structure

3.1.1 Types of committees
3.1.2 Standing committees

3.1.2.1 - Coordinating committees

3.1.3 Size of committees
3.1.4 Advisory committees and task forces
3.1.5 Section committees

3.2 Establishment of new divisional committees
3.3 Requirements for nomination or appointment to division office, boards, and committees
3.4 Current standing committees

3.4.1 Current coordinating committees

3.5 Committee appointments

3.5.1 Committee chairs

3.5.1.2 - Coordinating committee chairs

3.5.2 Appointment of committee members

3.6 Representatives to other organizations

3.6.1 Council of liaisons

3.7 Contracts
3.8 Expenditures and budget
3.9 Committee rosters
3.10 Agendas and minutes

3.10.1 Coordinating committee meetings

3.11 Communicating with the ACRL Board of Directors

3.1 ACRL committee structure

3.1.1 Types of committees

There are two types of divisional committees in ACRL: standing committees—both content, those dealing with issues of the profession, and process, those dealing with the business of the association—and special committees that are task forces or advisory. ACRL sections also have committees; the ACRL Chapters Council appoints process committees.

The committee year begins at the close of the Annual Conference and continues through the close of the next Annual Conference.

Except in the case of newly authorized committees, all committee members are appointed in the spring by the ACRL vice-president. It is also the responsibility of the vice-president to appoint committee chairs.

3.1.2 Standing committees

Members of ACRL standing committees are usually appointed for two-year terms. Members may succeed themselves for one additional two-year term, but consecutive service may not exceed four years. Reappointment to a committee shall be based on the activities and contributions of the committee member. Terms of service on a committee should be staggered to ensure continuity of membership. Appointment will be made for more or less than the usual two-year terms if required to establish such continuity.

3.1.2.1  Coordinating committees

To coordinate the work of units throughout the organization, reduce duplicative efforts, and allow the organization to conduct work more quickly and effectively, a number of standing committees that have similar or related missions have been linked under the umbrella of a coordinating committee. Coordinating committees have organization-wide responsibilities to coordinate a broadly defined range of efforts in a given area, such as advocacy or publications, throughout ACRL and organize the efforts into a coherent and effectively implemented set of programs and initiatives that more closely align to the strategic plan.

Source: ACRL Board, June 2005

3.1.3 Size of committees

An ACRL committee, task force, or editorial board must have no fewer than five (5) appointed members, including the chair, and that the terms should be staggered. Source: ACRL Board, Spring 2005

3.1.4 Advisory committees and task forces

An advisory committee or a task force may be established by the Board of Directors for a special project or activity. The life of any such advisory committee or task force is limited to a maximum of two years. Unless extended by the ACRL Board or Executive Committee, the committee so established will cease to exist at the end of its second year. Members are appointed for a term of one or two years and are appointed by the ACRL vice-president, who also designates one member to serve as chair of the committee or task force. The Institute for Information Literacy and the Information Literacy Competency Standards Task Force continue for the life of the information literacy programs without being reapproved by the Board. Source: ACRL Board of Directors, June 1999

3.1.5 Section committees

Sections have the right to appoint committees to carry on the business of the section, to implement programs, or to perform specific functions. Each section's bylaws describe how standing and special committees are appointed.

3.2 Establishment of new divisional committees

When the ACRL Board finds it necessary to establish a new committee, a committee charge is stated and the composition defined. Upon approval by the Board of Directors, the ACRL Vice-President will then appoint a committee chair and, in consultation with the chair, the committee members. A meeting of the new committee should be scheduled to take place at the next ALA Annual Conference or Midwinter Meeting.

3.3 Requirements for nomination or appointment to division office, boards, and committees

A nominee or appointee to the ACRL Board, office, or committee must:

• be a personal member of ALA;
• be a member of ACRL;
• be willing and able to participate in the activities of the committee, support its mission or concern, and carry out assignments in a timely manner;
• anticipate attendance at ALA Annual Conferences and Midwinter Meetings and at all committee meetings during term of office (see ALA Policy 4.5 below).

ALA Policy 4.4. Member Service Policy
No person shall concurrently serve in more than three separate positions. Governing board, committee, liaison, subcommittee, and other responsibilities which require service in another position (e.g., service on a committee which entails assembly representation) are not in conflict with this policy. The executive director shall notify members when they exceed this limitation.

ALA Policy 4.5. Requirements for Committee Service
With the exception of virtual members, members of all ALA and unit committees are expected to attend all meetings. Failure to attend two consecutive meetings or groups of meetings (defined as all meetings of a committee that take place at one Midwinter Meeting or Annual Conference) without an explanation acceptable to the committee chair constitutes grounds for removal upon request by the chair and approval of the appropriate appointing official or governing board.

3.4 Current standing committees

Standing divisional committees are established according to article XVIII, Sec. 2 of the ACRL Bylaws. Sections establish standing committees according to their bylaws.

The ALA Handbook of Organization, published each year and distributed to all ALA members, lists all committee membership and identifies the functions and responsibilities of the various ALA units. When establishing a committee, care should be taken not to usurp the jurisdiction held by another ALA division. The current ACRL standing committees are as follows:

• AASL/ACRL Interdivisional Committee On Information Literacy
• Academic/Research Librarian of the Year Award
• ACRL/Harvard Leadership Advisory
• Appointments
• Atkinson Memorial Award (interdivisional)
• Budget and Finance
• Bylaws
• Colleagues
• Conference Program Planning
• Copyright
• Council of Liaisons
• Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
• Effective Practices
• Ethics
• Excellence in Academic Libraries Award (Selection)
• Excellence in Academic Libraries Award (Nominations)
• Government Relations
• Information Literacy Advisory Committee
• Institute For Information Literacy Executive
• Intellectual Freedom
• International Relations
• (Samuel) Lazerow Fellowship
• Leadership Recruitment And Nomination
• Marketing Academic And Research Librarians
• Membership
• National Conference Executive
• President's Program
• Racial and Ethnic Diversity
• Research
• Scholarly Communication
• Standards and Accreditation
• Statistics
• Status of Academic Librarians

3.4.1 Current coordinating committees

Coordinating committees act as an umbrella linking a number of standing committees that have similar or related missions. Current coordinating committees include:

• Advocacy
• Professional Development
• Publications

3.5 Committee appointments

3.5.1 Committee chairs

Chairs may be appointed for a one- or two-year term from the end of one Annual Conference to the end of the next. Committee chairs who have served a one-year term may be reappointed. The vice-president consults with the current committee chair in appointing a successor. Since it is important that the chair be knowledgeable about the responsibilities and concerns of the committee, it is suggested that the committee chair be selected from the existing committee membership.

3.5.1.2 Coordinating committee chairs and members

The following criteria should be considered when appointing coordinating committee chairs and members:

1. Substantial experience in the Coordinating Committee’s topic area (e.g., professional development or advocacy), not necessarily limited to such experience within ACRL
2. ACRL experience within more than one venue, e.g., section, national conference, president’s program
3. The Coordinating Committee chair should be currently active within ACRL at a significant level
4. The Coordinating Committee chair will have the organizational coordination and communication skills necessary to keep the work of the Coordinating Committee and its component committees aligned with ACRL’s overall direction as determined by the Board
5. Coordinating Committee chairs should be willing to attend ACRL Board of Directors meetings as invited.

Source: ACRL Board, June 2005

3.5.2 Appointment of committee members

The vice-president should consult with the committee chair on committee appointments. The wishes of the committee chair should be carried out unless there is some overriding reason not to do so.

Committee terms begin immediately following the Annual Conference. Anticipated vacancies should be filled before, at, or immediately after the preceding Midwinter Meeting, during which contact with prospective members will have been made.

ACRL members are encouraged to volunteer to serve on committees. Interested individuals complete a Committee Volunteer form and send it to the ACRL Office or to the Appointments Committee chair, as indicated on the form. All completed forms received in the ACRL office will be forwarded to the chair of the Appointments Committee.

3.6 Representatives to other organizations

Generally, appointment of representatives, reciprocal or otherwise, to other divisions within ALA follow the process for appointment of ACRL committee members and are made by the vice-president/president-elect. Initial appointment shall be for a term of two years unless approved otherwise by the ACRL Board. Reappointment is permitted, but consecutive service may not exceed four years. The appointment of representatives to key higher education organizations shall follow the procedure outlined for the ACRL Council of Liaisons.

Sections may identify organizations in their areas of interest and appoint a member to represent the section with the organization

3.6.1 Council of Liaisons

A major thrust of ACRL's Strategic Plan is to collaborate with other professional organizations and associations of higher education in order to promote mutual interests. The ACRL Board identified nine organizations and established the "Council of Liaisons" to work with them. An ACRL member is appointed representative to each liaison organization. Representatives are recommended by the Council Chair and appointed by the vice-president to a five-year nonrenewable term. Liaisons are expected to stimulate activities with the organizations and must submit a report to the Board annually.

ACRL sections are encouraged to identify discipline-based organizations in their areas of interest and pursue partnerships. The ACRL executive director must be informed of each partnership that is formed and annual reports summarizing activities made and distributed to the ACRL Board.

ALA is the only body that can officially appoint representatives to other organizations. Through the Council of Liaisons, ACRL establishes informal relationships with other organizations per ALA Policy 9.4.2.

ALA Policy 9.4.2 Informal Relationships
Members of ALA or one of its units may be appointed to provide service, information, or to network with organizations outside the association for the purpose of accomplishing mutual goals. Such representatives have no formal role in the governing structure of the other unit or organization and the appointment of such representatives does not, in and of itself, constitute a “formal relationship” or an “affiliation” as defined in [ALA Policies] 9.1–9.3.

3.7 Contracts

ALA is the legal and financial entity with respect to financial and contractual obligations incurred by ACRL as a division of ALA. The ACRL executive director is accountable to ALA for compliance with financial and other policies and guidelines. All contracts must be approved by the ACRL executive director and signed by an ALA associate executive director.

3.8 Expenditures and budget

ACRL committees may submit reimbursement requests up to $150. This amount is expected to cover costs for such things as telephone, postage, faxing, photocopying, etc. Requests for reimbursement must be forwarded to the ACRL office (see Reimbursement Request form) with original receipts by August 15.

When a committee wants to undertake a project that will require financial support beyond $150, the committee chair should discuss the project with the ACRL executive director or ACRL president. The ACRL Board of Directors will consider requests to fund special projects. Also, projects may be funded through outside sources (see Tip Sheet #10 on Fundraising in ACRL).

3.9 Committee rosters

The ACRL office maintains and publishes the official list of all division and section committees. The ACRL office should be notified of all changes in committee membership so the database and rosters can be kept current. The ACRL office prepares the ALA Handbook of Organization entries. ACRL's copy deadline for the handbook typically has been mid-July, which requires that all completed committee acceptance forms be in the ACRL office by July 1. Appointments to committees are recorded in the ALA membership database. Dynamic rosters for the committees are available in the members-only section of the ACRL Web site and reflect changes as soon as they are made to the database. The rosters are published in a members-only section of the Web to ensure the privacy of individuals.

3.10 Meeting agendas and minutes

Chairs should keep the Board informed about the work of the committee through written or oral reports. Chairs should also send the agenda and attachments to committee members in advance of the meetings. For Annual Conference, agendas and attachments should also be sent to incoming members of the committee.

Committee chairs may use the Meeting Highlights form to report actions and recommendations from the meeting. Use of the form is not mandatory but sending in the minutes is. The minutes are an important record of your activities. Staff use the minutes to answer inquiries about your committee's actions. The ACRL office maintains an official file on each committee (including section committees) and retains a five-year back file in Chicago. After five years, the files are transferred to the ALA Archives at the University of Illinois at Urbana.

3.10.1 Coordinating committee meeting agendas

Coordinating committee meetings follow this pattern:

1. an initial coordinating committee meeting as a whole
2. meetings of each of the related and included committees (in the same room at the same time)
3. a second coordinating committee meeting as a whole within that same timeslot
4. because coordinating committee chairs may need to meet with the Board, the timeslots should not be scheduled at the same time as the Board meetings

Source: ACRL Board, June 2005

3.11 Communicating with the ACRL Board of Directors

For ACRL to implement its Strategic Plan, it is important for the ACRL Board to receive periodic reports from its standing committees identifying their activities and how those activities support the Strategic Plan. In preparing these reports, committees should identify problems or frustrations associated with accomplishing the goals of the plan. This report to the Board should include specific recommendations about the future of the committee and its work. The report is due to the ACRL office on May 1. This report informs the ACRL President's Report to ALA Council, which is typically due May 20th.

Members are also encouraged to request time on the Board meeting agenda to present reports or requests for action. Requests to be on the Board agenda should be submitted to the ACRL office as far in advance of the meeting as possible.

All reports or requests for action should be word processed and submitted to the ACRL office three to four weeks before the Board meeting. Units who wish to finalize reports for the Board during the ALA Annual Conference oor Midwinter Meeting should submit their draft report three weeks in advance. The final report may be submitted at Annual Conference as long as changes made to the draft are clearly identified. Units who wish to appear before the Board should notify the President and Executive Director three weeks before the Board meeting.

If a request to appear before the Board needs to be made at Midwinter Meeting or Annual Conference, it should be submitted to the ACRL president or executive director eighteen hours before the session in order to be included on the agenda.

Action items should be submitted on the Board of Directors Action form.

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