ORGANIZATION MANUAL
Revised 1/08/01
Appendices revised 6/25/2002
Contents
I. Introduction
II. Officers and Charges
of the Executive Board
A. Charges
to Standing Committees
B. Charges to Task Forces,
Discussion Groups
III. Representatives and
Liaisons
IV. Calendars for
Officers, Committees, and Task Forces
V. Finances
VI. Appendices
A. Constitution and Bylaws
B. Format of Minutes
C. Past MAGERT Honors Award
Recipients
D. Past Officers
E. Programs from past Annual
Conferences
I. Introduction
The American Library Association
(ALA), Map and Geography Round Table (MAGERT) was established in 1980
and has become the major professional association for map librarianship.
The MAGERT archives are located at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
This Organization Manual introduces you to the structure of the Round
Table and how it currently functions.
Congratulations on being
elected or appointed to a leadership position in MAGERT. Whether this
is your first of your tenth position in MAGERT, we hope you will take
a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the information in the manual.
This guide is intended to serve as your general introduction to the
organization, procedures and policies of MAGERT. We hope that this information
will help you function effectively in MAGERT.
In addition to reviewing
the information in this guide, you will want to consult the ALA Handbook
of Organization. Please contact the Round Table Liaison if you have
any questions.
The names of current officers
and committee chairs are contained in the MAGERT Roster.
II. Officers & Charges of
the Executive Board
A. Executive Board
1. Purpose. To assist
the Chair in the general supervision of the affairs of the Round Table
by acting as an advisory group at annual and midwinter meetings; and
between meetings via telephone or electronic mail.
2. Membership. The
Board consists of the five elected MAGERT officers: Chair, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect,
Past Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer; the standing committee Chairs,
and the task force Coordinators. Non-voting representatives from other
map librarianship organizations, national mapping facilities and the
ALA Staff Liaison are members ex-officio.
3. Duties of Officers
a. Chairperson
1. The Chair shall have the
customary duties of chairperson of the board and shall keep the Board
advised of new developments in the Round Table’s relationship
with ALA Headquarters and other map librarianship organizations and
report his/her activities. The primary task of the Chair is to review
charges and make committee, task force, representative, and liaison
appointments.
2. Using the basic forms,
the Chair plans a calendar of deadlines for the MAGERT Secretary, Treasurer,
committee chairs, and task force coordinators.
3. In a nationwide and voluntary
organization such as MAGERT, it is essential for the Chair to communicate
frequently with the member of his/her administration. Even though responsibility
is delegated to the officers and committee chairs, experience has shown
that coordination is necessary in order to meet deadlines and to maintain
efficient operation of Round Table business.
4. The Chair is responsible
for calling and conducting the Executive Board, Membership and Business
meetings.
5. The Chair consults with
the Chair of Godort’s Federal Documents Task Force (FDTF) concerning
presentations of map issues at the FDTF Update.
6. In addition to regular
meetings, MAGERT usually presents at least two programs at the annual
conference. The chair is responsible for arranging the topics and speakers.
b. Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
1. The primary task of the
Vice-Chair is to begin planning programs for the ALA annual conference
two years hence. The Vice-Chair should attend all meetings of the ALA
Program Committee, which meets at both the annual and midwinter conferences,
and be prepared to report ideas and plans. The first Program Committee
meeting will be at the midwinter of the Vice-Chair’s term, the
second at the annual conference where the Vice- Chair becomes Chair,
and the third at the Midwinter following. The deadline for submitting
time slot requests for programs is October 1. ALA usually sends meeting
forms to officers.
2. The Vice-Chair appoints
a Local Arrangements Committee to plan specific details of meetings
for midwinter and annual sites. Arrangements usually involve social
events, local tours, and a hotel.
3. Prior to the annual conference
where s/he becomes Chair, the Vice-Chair determines which committee
and task force members, representative and liaison vacancies need to
be filled and plans to recruit replacements at the conference.
4 Be aware of opportunities
for special funding requests and deadlines to meet
5. The Vice-Chair attends
the ALA Round Table Orientation meetings
c. Past-Chair
1. The Past-Chair is responsible
for several committees and ongoing duties including:
* Scheduling for upcoming
ALA Conferences
*Chair of Nominations Committee
*Chair of Honors/Awards Committee
*Updating the MAGERT Organization
Manual
2. With the other members
of the Executive Board plans and reviews programs and activities of
the Round Table and in the absence of the Chair or Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
conducts meetings.
3. The Past-Chair is responsible
for scheduling all meetings of the Round Table at both midwinter and
annual conferences and for arranging for audio-visual needs and any
other special requirements. The Past-Chair consults with the Past Chair
of Godort to avoid conflicts in the meeting schedules.
d. Secretary
2 year term
1. The Secretary shall keep
minutes of all Board meetings and report all actions of the Board at
annual and midwinter meetings to the membership via publication of minutes
in base line. The Secretary and Chair may also decide to distribute
the minutes, or excerpts, via Maps-L. The Secretary shall receive tapes
of the meetings recorded by the Audio-Visual Coordinator for aid in
compiling the minutes. The Secretary shall forward the tapes and a copy
of the minutes to the archives.
2. Immediately following
the annual meeting, the Secretary compiles a list of officers, chairs,
liaisons and representatives names, addresses, telephone numbers and
electronic mail addresses and distributes via baseline and Maps-L.
The Secreatary delivers one copy to the Past-Chair for inclusion in
the Manual. The Secretary continues to maintain and update the roster
through the year.
e. Treasurer
2 year term
1. The Treasurer receives
and reviews budget reports from ALA Headquarters; reports problems to
the Chair; submits the written "Treasurer’s Report on MAGERT’s
Finances" at the annual and midwinter meetings; works with the Chair
and other officers on the preparation of an annual budget.
2. The Secretary attends
the Round Table Orientation Meetings and is MAGERT’s representative
to COPES, Planning and Budget Program.
B. Charges To Standing Committees
· Committee Chairs
are appointed for renewable one year terms.
· Committee members
must be dues paying MAGERT members.
· Failure to attend
two consecutive ALA Annual Meetings is grounds for removal from office,
at the discretion of the Executive Board.
· Chairs unable to
attend the midwinter or annual meetings will appoint a representative
to hold committee meetings and report to the Executive Board. The Chair
of MAGERT should be notified, in advance, of such arrangements.
· Chairs and liaisons
will send copies of all official correspondence to the MAGERT Chair.
1. Cataloging and Classification
a. Purpose. To provide
a forum within MAGERT for the discussion of issues concerning descriptive
and subject cataloging, including classification and the content designation
of cartographic materials
b Membership. The
Chair and as many members as necessary to complete the work of the committee.
The Chair or his/her designee shall represent MAGERT at the Anglo-American
Cataloging Committee for Cartographic Materials (AACCCM), the Association
of Library Collections and Technical Services, Cataloging and Classification
Section, Cataloging Committee, Description and Access (ALCTS/CCS/CC:DA),
and the Machine-Readable Bibliographic Information (MARBI) group. The
Chair is also a resource person for OCLC and the Research Libraries
Group.
c. Duties. The Coordinator
discusses and makes recommendations on proposed actions by the ALA ALCTS/CCS/CC:DA,
especially those actions which directly relate to the committee’s
purpose. The committee shall also be concerned with proposals by organizations
, such as the AACCCM, the Library of Congress and the Government Printing
Office (GPO). The committee should maintain close liaison with MAGERT’s
Geotech Committee which may consider similar issues. Finally, the committee
should assist the MAGERT Chair in organizing any conference programs
dealing with cataloging and classification of cartographic materials.
It should bring to the MAGERT Executive Board and the annual membership
meeting reports of the committee’s general activities and any
recommendations to be endorsed by MAGERT.
2. Constitution and Bylaws
a. Purpose. To maintain
the Round Table’s Constitution and Bylaws.
b. Membership. The
committee consists of a Chair and one to three members, depending upon
the amount of revision anticipated. The committee and MAGERT Chair determine
when changes are necessary.
c. Duties. Committee
Chair receives suggestions and proposed revisions of the Constitution
and Bylaws from the MAGERT chair, Executive Board or membership. The
committee Chair submits recommendations to the Executive Board at the
midwinter meeting for review, and possible revision and acceptance.
The committee Chair then submits the proposed revisions to the base
line editor for publication and review by the membership prior to the
annual meeting. The revisions are voted on at the annual meeting in
accordance with Article IX of the Constitution.
3. Education
a. Purpose. To provide
for continuing education in geospatial librarianship through organizing
sessions at ALA conferences, through publications, and via the World
Wide Web. The Committee may also undertake projects to study and encourage
education in geospatial librarianship at library schools and in other
venues.
b. Membership. Committee
consists of a Chair and three members and one non-voting representative
from each of the following: ALA Standing Committee on Library Education,
American Association of Library Schools, and the Working Group on Training
for Map Librarianship of the Geography and Map Libraries Section of
the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA).
c. Duties. Chair is
the MAGERT representative to the ALA Library Education Assembly. Also
maintains contact with the three groups mentioned above by means of
progress and activity reports; should survey the present status of education
for map librarianship in the US and Canada and confer with the MAGERT
Executive Board to decide on a topic for the continuing education program
for the annual conference.
4. Honors
a. Purpose. To determine
recipients for MAGERT awards and scholarships and to present awards
to recipients at the ALA annual conference. The recipient need not be
a member of MAGERT.
b. Membership. Chair,
the MAGERT past-chair, and two members , one is the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect.
c. Duties. The committee
is responsible for determining recipients of the awards in accordance
with the time table of each. The Chair is responsible for contracting
with a calligrapher or computer graphic artist to prepare the awards.
Awards are usually given at the last business or membership meeting
of the annual conference, or at the MAGERT reception.
5. Membership
a. Purpose. To increase
the membership of MAGERT by appropriate methods.
b. Membership. Chair
and two members. One of these members is the MAGERT Exhibits Coordinator
who is responsible for setting up and scheduling the MAGERT exhibit.
The other member is responsible for sending mailings to new and dropped
members. The Chair also serves as MAGERT representative to the ALA Membership
Committee.
c. Duties. Responsible
for contacting new members of MAGERT (names are supplied by the base
line subscription manager) via form letter welcoming them to MAGERT
and inquiring about committee interests. Also contacts dropped members
via form letter for their reasons for dropping membership and offering
to resolve any discontent and encouraging them to return as members.
Responsible for coordinating work of the Exhibits Coordinator and the
MAGERT exhibit and to make sure arrangements for the MAGERT booth at
the Annual Conference are completed. Responsible for supplies, such
as MAGERT ribbons.
6. Nominations
a. Purpose. To assure
continuity in leadership in MAGERT by seeking and identifying candidates
to run for elected offices.
b. Membership. Chair
is the MAGERT Past-Chair and two members.
c. Duties. Identify
members to be candidates, prepare the ballot, coordinate with the Executive
Board and ALA Offices, report results of election and handle preparing
of all changes in bylaws and constitution that require revision by voting.
Place call for officers via base line and Maps-L. Obtain approval
of nominees. Provide slate of new officer candidates to the Executive
Board for review during the midwinter meeting. Submits the approved
slate to ALA Headquarters for inclusion in the ALA-wide elections. Chair
is responsible for filing proper forms within ALA deadlines.
7. Publications
a. Purpose. To oversee,
compile, edit, and produce all MAGERT publications, including base
line, Meridian, Occasional Paper Series, Circular
Series, Open File Series, and the MAGERT Information Brochure.
Compilation and editing of the Guide to US Map Resources is overseen
by this committee although the volume is published by ALA. The committee
serves as intermediary with ALA Publications.
b. Membership. Chair,
the base line staff and Meridian staff, and as many members
as necessary to accomplish the work of the committee.
c. Duties.The committee
oversees the timely publication of base line and Meridian
and works to accomplish a continual flow of other publications appropriate
for the other series named above. The committee is responsible for planning
and implementing marketing and advertising of all its current publications.
The MAGERT membership brochure will be kept current with membership
information, and lists of publications. Copies will be provided to the
Membership Committee and the Exhibits Coordinator and to the ALA headquarters
for distribution as needed.
8. Geographic Technologies (GeoTech)
a. Purpose. To provide
a forum within MAGERT for the discussion of issues concerning geographic
information technologies including: geographic information systems,
electronic mapping, electronic geographic and cartographic products
, digital geo-spatial data and metadata issues.
b. Membership. Coordinator
and as many members as the Coordinator and the MAGERT Chair deem necessary.
At least one committee member should be a participant in the Association
of Research Libraries GIS Literacy Project.
c. Duties. The committee
monitors and holds discussion forums on issues related to geographic
information technologies. Working with the Education committee, GeoTech
proposes workshops and conferences to educate librarians in new technologies.
The committee liaisons with the Cartographic Users Task Force to aid
in the monitoring of government produced data. The committee will find
it both necessary and advantageous to communicate with the cataloging
committee concerning metadata topics.
C. Charges to Task Forces and Discussion Groups
1. Federal Spatial Information Discussion Group
a. Purpose. To provide
a forum within ALA for the discussion of issues concerning the availability
and quality of cartographic materials produced by the federal agencies
and to increase cooperation and communication between librarians and
these agencies.
b. Membership. Coordinator,
MAGERT’s senior representative to the Cartographic Users Advisory
Council. (CUAC consists of two representatives from each of the following
organizations, ALA/MAGERT, Special Libraries Association Map and Geography
Section, Geoscience Information Society, North American Cartographic
Information Society, the Western Association of Map Libraries.) The
junior CUAC representative and as many members as the coordinator deems
necessary complete the membership.
c. Duties. Assists
the MAGERT chair in organizing a government mapping update program for
the Annual conference. Compiles concerns and issues to be raised at
the CUAC annual meeting.
2. Research Libraries Collection Management Group (RLCMG)
a. Purpose. To provide
a forum for discussion of and action on issues concerning spatial data
acquisition and in particular to work on cooperative acquisitions and
cooperative collection development.
b. Membership. Coordinator
and as many members as needed.
c. Duties. Discusses
issues, new developments, and problems in the selection and acquisition
of spatial data. Seeks to find and implement methods of cooperative
acquisitions and cooperative development.
3. Joint Task Force on GIS
Map and Geography Round Table,
Government Documents Round Table, Library and Information Technology
Association.
a. Purpose. To increase
communication and coordination between the three ALA units most involved
with geographic information systems technology and data.
b. Membership. Two
appointees from each unit. At least one MAGERT appointee will also be
a member of the GeoTech Committee. The chair will be selected by the
task force members.
c. Duties. Require
further definition
4. Small Map Collections Discussion Group
a. Purpose. To provide a
forum for the exchange of ideas and information among librarians working
at institutions with small map collections. Works with other committees
to develop ideas for publications and programs.
b. Membership. Coordinator
and unlimited number of discussants.
c. Duties. Provide a discussion
venue, and suggest and/or develop program and publication opportunities.
III. Representatives and Liaisons
Revised 7/13/00
1. Constitutional Representatives
a. US Library of Congress,
Geography and Map Division(LCG&M)
b. Special Libraries
Association. Geography and Map Division
c. US Geological Survey
(USGS)
d. US Government Printing
Office (GPO)
e. Western Association
of Map Libraries (WAML)
2. Other Representatives
a. Anglo-American Cataloging
Committee for Cartographic Materials (AACCCM)
b. Cartographic Users
Advisory Council (CUAC)
6. Depository Library
Council (DLC)
7. International Federation
of Library Associations (IFLA)
3. Liaisons
a. American Library Association
i. Association of College and Research Libraries,
Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS)
ii. Government Documents Roundtable (GODORT)
iii. Association of Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS),
Cataloging and Classification Section (CCS), Description and Access
(DA)
iv. Library Education Assembly
v. Library Information Technology Association (LITA)
vi. Freedom to Read Foundation
vii. Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)
viii. New Members Roundtable
b. Machine Readable Bibliographic
Information (MARBI)
c. Congress of Cartographic
Information Specialist Associations (CCISA)
d. North East Map Organization
(NEMO)
e. Geoscience Information
Society (GIS)
f. Committee on Southern
Map Libraries (COSML)
g. Association of Research
Libraries (ARL) Geographic Information Systems Literacy Project.
h. National Imagery
and Mapping Agency (NIMA)
i. North American Cartographic Information
Society (NACIS)
IV. Calendars
A. Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
June -- Begin program planning for the annual
conference in two years.
Midwinter --Solicit ideas and volunteers
for the program.
June --Prior to annual conference, the Vice-Chair
determines committee, liaison and representative vacancies. Plan
to recruit at the conference.
Annual --The Vice-Chair gives a progress
report on program plans to the MAGERT Executive Board and to the
ALA Program Committee. He/She also contacts potential program speakers,
co-sponsors and CAO.
B. Chair
July --The new Chair confirms committee,
task force, liaison and representative appointments. This list is
due to the ALA Staff Liaison one week after the annual conference.
Any changes in MAGERT dues or base line subscription rates are due
to the ALA Administrative Services office as soon as possible after
the annual conference. The Chair also plans to have a "call for
papers" submitted to the various periodicals, if needed.
-- The new Chair sends assignments and requests
for meetings for the task force and committee coordinators.
August--The Chair compiles a Midwinter schedule
from the committee and task force meeting requests and submits to
CAO.
September-- The Chair submits requests for
special allocations to assist in supporting MAGERT programs to the
ALA Executive Office, and submits Midwinter schedule changes and
additions to CAO.
-- The Chair receives revised minutes of
conference meetings from other Executive Board members, revises
and sends to the secretary.
-- Send MAGERT nominations for ALA Council
to the ALA Nominating Committee.
--Deadline for submitting requests for time
slots for program meetings at the annual conference.
October-- Annual conference program information
due to the ALA Staff Liaison.
November--Chair sends requests for progress
reports to committee chairs and task force coordinators, as well
as for meetings at the conference.
November--Copy deadlines for Midwinter meeting
Official Program. · Chair submits the final MAGERT schedule.
November Deadline for submitting contributed
paper proposals to the Chair and for getting committee and task
force progress reports to the Chair.
November--Deadline for annual conference
meeting requests.
November--Chair submits a "From the Chair"
report and conference information to base line.
December · Deadline for requesting
changes or additions to the annual conference preliminary schedule.
December--Chair prepares meeting agendas
and plans for midwinter.
Midwinter--Chair reports on progress for
the annual conference programs and any other projects. He/She conducts
Executive Board and other meetings.
February--Copy deadline for conference preliminary
program information booklet. Send biographical information form
to the speakers.
March--Program copy for annual conference
"Official Program" due.
-- Receive Midwinter meeting minutes from
Executive Board members, add revisions and forward to the secretary.
April--Receive biographical information from
the speakers.
--Send progress report request to committees
and task forces.
--Request audio-visual equipment for annual
meeting.
-- Receive written updates from committee
chairs and task force coordinators.
June--Chair reminds committee chairs, task
force coordinators, representatives and liaisons that reports are
needed for the annual business/membership meetings at the annual
conference.
Annual--Chair runs business/membership and
Executive Board meetings, gives "state of the Round Table" report,
and then takes a long overdue vacation.
C. Secretary
Annual--New Secretary meets the ALA Staff
Liaison and the current Secretary. Prepare for transfer of responsibility.
July-Dec.-- The Secretary prepares an attendance
sheet for each meeting and takes minutes following Robert’s
Rules of Order, Section 47, "Minutes and Reports of Officers." (pp.
389-394). See Appendix for detailed instructions.
February--The Secretary sends copies of the
minutes to be published to the Executive Board for their review.
March--The Secretary receives revised Midwinter
meeting minutes from the Chair, revises and submits to the base
line editor.
Annual--The Secretary prepares an attendance
sheet for each meeting, and takes the minutes.
August--The Secretary sends copies of the
annual conference meeting minutes to the Executive Board for review.
-- The Secretary compiles the new roster
and submits to the chair for review. The roster is then submitted
to the ALA Liaison to update entries in the ALA Handbook of Organization.
September--The Secretary receives revised
conference meeting minutes from the Chair, revises and submits to
base line.
D. Treasurer -- See Section
VII, Finances
E. Committee Chairs and Task Force
Coordinators
July--New Chairs and coordinators find volunteers
to fill empty positions on their committees and task forces and report
these to the MAGERT chair.
-- Chairs and coordinators decide if a committee
or task force meeting is needed at the upcoming Midwinter meeting.
August--Committee and task force Midwinter
meeting requests due to the MAGERT chair.
November--Chairs and coordinators receive
MAGERT chair’s request for progress reports and for meetings
at the upcoming annual conference.
--Progress reports and conference meeting
requests due to MAGERT chair.
December--Chairs and coordinators have agenda
ready for Midwinter committee meetings as well as reports for the
Executive Board.
Midwinter--Chairs and coordinators run committee
and task force meetings, and give reports at the Executive Board
meetings.
April --Chairs and coordinators receive requests
for updates from the MAGERT Chair.
--Written updates due to the Chair
June--Chairs and coordinators prepare Executive
Board reports and meeting agenda for the upcoming conference, as
well as to prepare to replace vacancies on their committees and
task forces.
Annual--Chairs and coordinators run committee
and task force meetings, deliver conference reports to the Executive
Board and replace vacancies.
V. Finances
A. Revenue generated from membership dues,
sale of publications, profits from workshops, and voluntary contributions
is deposited into ALA’s bank account under the Round Table’s
name and is maintained by ALA Headquarters Fiscal Services Department.
B. Financial transactions involving MAGERT
funds shall be channeled through the ALA Staff Liaison following these
procedures:
1. Deposits: any MAGERT officer, committee
chair, or task force coordinator who receives money to be deposited
into MAGERT’s account shall either: a. send a check
or money order to the Staff Liaison with instructions for processing
and shall forward a copy to the MAGERT Treasurer or b. submit
the check to the Treasurer with instructions concerning where the
money is to be posted.
2. Withdrawals: any MAGERT officer, committee
chair or task force coordinator with an Executive Board approved
expenditure will arrange payment by: a. sending the bill
to the Staff Liaison or the Treasurer who will forward it to Fiscal
Services, where it will be entered into the account records and
paid with a check to the payee or b. requesting an Executive
Board approved cash advance from the Staff Liaison or Treasurer
who will instruct Fiscal Services to withdraw the amount from MAGERT’s
account and issue a check to the payee. Executive Board members
who conduct any monetary transaction directly with the Staff Liaison
will copy the Treasurer on all documents and correspondence.
3. All Financial transactions sent to the
Staff Liaison must include:
a. Itemized account of purpose for deposit
or withdrawal
b. Name and address of the person to be paid,
if applicable
c. Clear indication of which MAGERT activity
is to be credited or billed.
C. A telephone credit card number is available
for use by the Executive Board and others designated by the Chair. The
number changes at the beginning of each ALA fiscal year (September 1)
and can be obtained from the Staff Liaison.
D. A monthly Departmental Budget Report is
sent to the Treasurer by Fiscal Services which includes a detailed breakdown
of revenue and expenses for the current month and year to date.
E. Expenditures of more than $50.00 must
be approved by the MAGERT Chair. Expenditures more than $100 must be
approved by the MAGERT Executive Board.
F. Budget and Finance
MAGERT must prepare a budget with justification
and submit that request to the Executive Board. Submitting the budget
is one of the first tasks of the new Chair each year. The budget schedule:
September 1 through August 31 ----ALA Fiscal
Year
September--Requests for special allocations
for programs planned for the next ALA Annual Conference must be
submitted to the ALA Deputy Executive Director by September 15.
September - October--Instructions for submitting
requests for the next fiscal year are distributed.
December 1--All budget requests from committees
and task forces are due.
Midwinter--Treasurer prepares a draft budget
for Executive Board review. The Executive Board reviews the proposed
budget in consideration of budget requests from committees and task
forces. The Treasurer prepares the budget based on the review. The
Treasurer submits the budget to the ALA Liaison shortly after midwinter.
Annual Conference--Budget for next fiscal
year is reviewed
August 1--base line publishes MAGERT
budget for the fiscal year beginning September 1.
August 15--Soft deadline for submitting requests
for reimbursement of expenses incurred in the past fiscal year.
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