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GODORT Policies and Procedures Manual - Chapter 9, Task Forces

Chapter 9 - GODORT Policies and Procedures Manual
Task Forces
I. Membership

In accordance with Article IX, Section 1 of the GODORT Bylaws, task force membership is not limited. Any GODORT member is a member of a task force in which s/he has an interest. All GODORT members attending a task force meeting may vote.

II. Responsibilities of Coordinator-Elect in Appointments

The Coordinator-Elect of each Task Force is responsible for working with the GODORT Assistant Chair in making appointments for GODORT Committees (Chair-Elect, Section V), and any liaisons (Chair-Elect, Section IV). The GODORT Assistant Chair presents the completed slate to the Second Steering Committee of the Annual Conference immediately before assuming the role of Chair.


III Federal Documents Task Force

III A. Purpose
The purpose of the Federal Documents Task Force (FDTF) is to further the mission of the Government Documents Round Table relating to U.S. government information, to provide a forum for discussion of problems and concerns, and to establish and maintain open links of communication between documents librarians and others involved in the life cycle of government information.

III B. Primary Activities

  • Initiate, design and support programs that will increase the availability and use of Federal publications and government information;

  • Improve the bibliographic control of Federal publications and technical reports in all formats;

  • Improve the management of documents collections;

  • Improve the education and training of documents librarians; and

  • Increase communication between documents librarians and other librarians

III C. Organization

  1. Officers of the Task Force
    Shall be elected annually, in accordance with Article IV, Section 3 of the GODORT Bylaws: Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator/Coordinator-Elect, and Secretary.
  2. Internal Liaisons
    The incoming chair appoints liaisons between the Task Force and various GODORT Committees according to the schedule in the appointment chart in Chapter 3 of the PPM. The liaisons shall be both voting members of their committee and members of the task force steering committee, and shall attend both meetings and relay information between the task force and the committee.
  3. Work Groups, Committees, and/or Study Groups
    Shall be established as the need arises and shall be dissolved by the Task Force when their purpose has been accomplished, or when there is no further membership interest. The Coordinator shall appoint the Chairs of the Work Groups and of the Ad Hoc or Study Committees reporting directly to the Task Force. The Chairs(s) of the Work Groups shall appoint any additional officers as necessary. Said groups will make written or oral reports at each Conference if meetings are scheduled.

The Task Force Steering Committee shall consist of the elected officers of the Task Force, the FDTF appointments to GODORT Committees, the FDTF Web Manager (ex-officio, non-voting), and the chairs of the Task Force Work Groups and Committees who hold scheduled meetings at each Conference.

III D. Meetings:
Membership meetings shall be held at Midwinter and Annual ALA Conferences. A GODORT program sponsored by the Task Force may be held at the Annual ALA Conference when approved by the GODORT Steering Committee. The Steering Committee and Work Groups shall meet at Midwinter and Annual Conferences.

III E. Activities, Programs, and Projects:

a. The Federal Documents Task Force on Permanent Public Access to Government Information
has been formed to explore issues involved in restriction of government information. This group is charged to:

  1. Review the GODORT Principles on Government Information to determine whether these need to be updated in light of recent government restrictions on access to information.
  2. Compile a list of the major issues involved in restriction of government information, including, but not limited to:
    • archiving
    • security issues
    • removal of information due to agency decision, executive review, judicial order
    • short term vs. permanent removal
    • retrospective removal
  3. Recommend further actions that GODORT could consider to protect the rights of citizens to public information.
  4. Provide an update to the Federal Documents Task Force membership at the annual meeting, June 2002, and an interim report by the midwinter meeting, January 2003.
  5. Provide a final report to be shared with the Federal Documents Task Force for review at the ALA annual meeting in June 2003. The FDTF Chair will give the final report to GODORT Steering at the end of the annual meeting.
  6. Develop a whitepaper within two months after the ALA annual meeting in June 2003 to be shared with GODORT membership and posted on the GODORT web site.
b. Agency Liaison Program
The purpose of the Agency Liaison Program is to establish and maintain active relationships with federal agency information producers to:
  1. Identify information resources the agency produces to assure that these resources will be identified for public access;
  2. Communicate concerns and interest of the library community regarding agency responsibilities for public access through the Federal Depository Library Program.
The FDTF Agency Liaison web site shall be used to communicate individual liaisons' reports, a listing of the agencies and their liaisons, and other pertinent information.

c. FDTF Web Page

The FDTF Web page follows the guidelines of the Ad Hoc Committee on the GODORT Web Presence:

  1. The organization of the page must allow individuals not familiar with the organization to locate information of interest.
  2. The page must include a description of what GODORT is and its relationship to ALA.
Required information includes: Task Force Mission, Steering Committee Membership, Meeting Agendas for upcoming Conferences, and Minutes of FDTF meetings.

d. FDTF Frequently Used Sites - http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/ce ntral/staff/fdtf.htm Currently hosted by Vanderbilt University with an Advisory Group chaired by the Host Institution and contributors from the Task Force membership.

revised 4/2002

IV International Documents Task Force

IV A. Purpose:
The International Documents Task Force (IDTF) exists in order to further the mission of the Government Documents Round Table by focusing attention on problems and concerns related to international and foreign national government information. The IDTF provides a forum for the discussion of ideas, problems, and news in the field; serves as a force for initiating and supporting programs to increase the accessibility and use of this information; and works to improve bibliographic control and collection development for these information resources.

IV B. Goals/Primary Activities:
The primary goals of the IDTF are to improve access to international and foreign national information resources; to improve bibliographic control for these resources; and to provide an arena for the exchange of information about new publications, projects, electronic products, Internet sites, and government initiatives in information dissemination. The IDTF shall also work to increase the use of these information resources and to improve their management through education and training, including participation in GODORT pre-conferences and programs.

IV C. Organization:

  1. Officers
    In accordance with the GODORT Bylaws, Article IX, elected officers of the IDTF shall be:
    • The Coordinator
    • The Assistant Coordinator/Coordinator-Elect
    • The Secretary
    These officers shall be elected annually in accordance with the GODORT Bylaws, Article IV, Section 3.

  2. Internal Liaisons
    The incoming chair appoints liaisons between the task force and various GODORT committees according to the following schedule:
    • Cataloging Committee (even years)
    • Education Committee (even years)
    • Government Information Technology Committee (even years)
    • Legislation (odd years)
    • Program Committee (even years)
    • Publications Committee (odd years)
    • Rare & Endangered Government Publications Committee (odd years)
    The liaisons shall be both voting members of their committee and members of the task force steering committee, and shall attend both meetings and relay information between the task force and the committee.

  3. Working Groups and Committees

    The IDTF may establish working groups and committees to further its work. These groups shall appoint their own chairpersons and will make written or oral reports to the Task Force annually. The Task Force may dissolve such a group due to insufficient interest among IDTF members or upon the completion of its charge.

IV D. External Liaisons
Liaisons to other organizations or bodies are appointed by the Coordinator. The current liaisons include the following:

  • Liaison to the Association of College and Research Libraries' Western European Specialists Section
  • Liaison to the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
  • Liaison to the International Relations Committee
  • Liaison to the International Relations Round Table

Liaisons are generally appointed for a two-year period. Those missing two consecutive ALA meetings may be replaced.

5 February 1976, as amended 27 June 1978 and 23 January 1982, revised January 1983, June 1993, July 1999, July 2001.

IV E. IFLA Representative
By May 1 of every even year, GODORT must nominate an individual for a four-year term on the Standing Committee of the IFLA Government Information and Official Publications Section (GIOPS). Each individual serves a four-year term; terms are overlapping. The process is as follows:

  1. From January 2 to March 15, the IDTF Coordinator shall solicit applications for the position. Each applicant must provide the IDTF Coordinator with a résumé or curriculum vitae accompanied by a letter, and the IDTF Coordinator shall forward these to the GODORT Chair. The letter must specify the candidate's qualifications, state that s/he has a working knowledge of English (or another official IFLA language), and acknowledge that s/he must attend IFLA's annual conferences without financial support of any kind from ALA or GODORT. Applicants are asked to submit all documents as electronic attachments.

  2. The GODORT Chair shall distribute the documents provided by applicants to the Steering Committee and shall call for a vote by April 15. The GODORT Chair shall notify the winner that s/he is GODORT's nominee and shall request a letter of acceptance. Upon receiving the letter of acceptance, the Chair shall contact each unsuccessful candidate as well.

  3. The GODORT Chair shall contact the ALA International Relations Office (IRO) in order to identify the staff member to whom documents regarding potential IFLA nominations must be sent and shall write a letter to this individual identifying the GODORT nominee and providing the nominee's complete contact information. The letter shall also request that IRO provide both the GODORT Chair and the GODORT nominee with instructions regarding the documents required in order to continue the process and the date by which IRO must receive them. The candidate shall submit these documents to the appropriate IRO contact and notify the GODORT Chair that s/he has done so.

  4. At this point, the process becomes an ALA responsibility. The International Relations Committee (IRC) shall review the documents provided and, if it sees fit, forward them to the ALA Executive Board for its consideration in the fall. IFLA shall notify the nominee of its decision regarding his/her candidacy in the spring of the following year.

V State and Local Documents Task Force

V A. Purpose
The State and Local Documents Task Force (SLDTF) of the Government Documents Round Table provides a forum for librarians and others working with, or interested in, state and local government information. The Task Force focuses attention on the problems and concerns of documents librarian and others, offering an opportunity for discussion and exchange of ideas and news in the field of state, regional, and local information. The Task Force provides a means for initiation and supporting bibliographic control, guidelines and special programs and for increasing the availability, management and use of state and local information.

V B. Goals
The goals of the Task Force shall support and enhance the overall mission and goals of the organization.

  • To promote and speak for the interests of documents librarianship relating to state, regional, and local information.

  • To enhance awareness of the role of documents librarians among library and non-library professionals and organizations and to develop effective working relationships with them.

  • To monitor and speak out on government and private sector activities likely to affect state, regional, and local documents librarians.

  • To promote the electronic and print communication between state and local document librarians.

  • To enhance the capability of librarians and state/local depositories to serve the needs of their users.

  • To adopt and support standards and guidelines needed by documents librarians, including bibliographic control.

  • To identify, explore, foster communication, and act on problems and issues facing librarians and state/local depositories, including interstate and intergovernmental agencies.

  • To promote research and publications relevant to state and local documents librarianship.

  • To identify research topics and to encourage improvement in research.

  • To advance the professional knowledge of state/local documents librarians through an effective publishing and public awareness program.

  • To contribute to the total professional development of state and local documents librarians.

  • To sponsor and encourage opportunities for state and local documents librarians to update existing competencies, learn requisite new skills, and gain awareness of the state of the art, based on member needs assessment.

  • To encourage and promote active membership participation in all task force activities.

V C. Organization

  1. Elected Officers
    The elected officers of the Task Force shall be the Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator/Coordinator- Elect, and the Secretary.
  2. Steering Committee
    The Steering Committee of the Task Force shall consist of the Task Force's elected officers, immediate Past Coordinator, Chairs of Task Force Special Committees, Work Groups and Interest Groups, and liaisons between the task force and the various GODORT committees. Task Force appointments to GODORT Committees and project coordinators shall serve as ex-officio members.

  3. Internal Liaisons
    The incoming chair appoints liaisons between the task force and various GODORT Committees, according to the following schedule (schedule is already in the section). These liaisons shall be voting members of their committee and members of the task force steering committee, and shall attend both meetings and relay information between the task force and the committee.
    • Cataloging Committee (odd years)
    • Education Committee (odd years)
    • Government Information Technology Committee (GITCO) (odd years)
    • Legislation Committee (even years)
    • Program Committee (even years)
    • Publications Committee (even years)
    • Rare And Endangered Government Publications Committee (REGP) (even years)

V C 1. Special Committees
Special Committees are established as needed; members are appointed by the Task Force Coordinator. Current Special Committees include:

V C 1 a. Committee of Eight
The Committee consists of a Chair and eight members designed as the contact for a specific region of the country. The function of this Committee is to maintain a network of contacts with the documents authorities in each state in order to assist with state and local research projects and to address state documents issues.

V C 1 b. Notable State & Local Documents Panel
The Panel consists of a selector and two judges. The function of the panel is to judge nominations submitted for the state and local portion of the "Notable Documents Lists" which appears annually in the May 15th issue of Library Journal.

V C 1 c. SLDTF Web Committee
The committee shall be composed of two to three SLDTF members who assist the SLDTF Web master. This committee will draft the responsibilities of the Web master, define the content of the Web site (resources, links, unit description, etc.) and assist the Web master with design and maintenance issues as necessary.

V C 2. Work Groups
 Work Groups/Interest Groups shall be established on an ad hoc basis by the Task Force to further the work of the Task Force, and shall be dissolved when their purpose has been accomplished or when a lack of interest is demonstrated by the membership. Work Group Chairs are appointed by the Task Force Coordinator.
V C 2 a. Bibliography Interest Group
The function of this group is to compile and edit the State and Local Documents Bibliography which is printed in DttP.

V C 2 b. Documents on Documents Collection
This project is to collect materials on the administration of state depository programs, maintain the currency of the collection, distribute the collection, prepare materials for ERIC, and publicize the collection.

V C 3. Project Coordinators
Project coordinators are appointed by the task force coordinator. Project coordinators include:

V C 3 a. State and Local Documents Column in DttP
The editor of this column shall solicit columns from SLDTF members about state & local government information sources and/or review Web sources of state and local information.

Revised June 1999, July 2001, April 2002

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