Chapter 8: Meetings and Programs at ALA
8.1 Scheduling meetings at ALA Midwinter Meetings and Annual Conferences
8.2 Planning programs for ALA's Annual Conference
8.2.1 General information
8.2.2 Conference program planning committee
8.2.3 Program planning procedures and approval process
8.2.4 How to prepare your program proposals
8.2.5 Funding
8.2.6 Budget
8.2.7 Audiovisual equipment
8.2.8 Publicity for conference programs
8.2.9 Guest registration
8.2.10 Important dates
8.2.11 No Conflict Meeting Times
8.3 Approval of cosponsorship proposals
8.4 Scheduling meetings at times other than ALA Conferences
8.5 Literature distribution
8.6 Planning an ACRL event or reception
8.1 Scheduling meetings at ALA Midwinter Meetings and Annual Conferences
Regular meetings of ACRL sections and committees are held twice each year, during the Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference of the American Library Association. (See Section 8.4 for policy on holding meetings at times other than ALA conferences.) Here are the steps in the process:
- ACRL staff liaisons e-mail information about scheduling meetings to chairs of ACRL coordinating committees, editorial boards, committees, discussion groups, and task forces as well as to the chairs of ACRL sections.
- These ACRL chairs (identified above) complete the online Meeting Request forms according to the instructions provided by the deadline specified. Note: Chairs of ACRL sections schedule all of the committee, discussion group, and task force meetings for their respective sections. However, all programs are scheduled by ACRL staff.
- ACRL staff reviews the online meeting requests for possible conflicts, confers with chairs as needed, and then approves the meeting requests.
- ALA's Conference Services staff distribute a printed list of all meetings scheduled in alphabetical order by ALA unit to those scheduling ACRL meetings.
- About four to six weeks prior to the conference, Conference Services publishes a meeting schedule with locations.
- When chairs receive this schedule, they should then notify their committee/section members of the date, time, and location of the meeting. At the same time, it is also useful to send out an agenda for the meeting.
- If problems arise with regard to the meeting arrangements you made with Conference Services, contact the ACRL staff liaison to your unit. ACRL staff will work with you and Conference Services to ensure that you have a successful meeting.
8.2 Planning programs for ALA's Annual Conference
8.2.1 General information
The core purpose of the Association of College and Research Libraries is to lead academic and research librarians and libraries in advancing learning and scholarship. This purpose is accomplished through professional development activities, publications, advisory services, collaborations, and conferences.
As a primary means of addressing issues of concern and to increase the knowledge of academic librarians, ACRL encourages units of the division to develop high-quality programs to present at the ALA Annual Conferences. Individuals are also encouraged to submit program proposals. To assist units in planning quality programs, ACRL has developed procedures and timelines that must be followed. In addition, criteria that must be met for each program proposal are outlined.
8.2.2 Conference program planning committee
ACRL has a standing committee on conference programming chaired by the Professional Development coordinating Committee (PDCC) and composed of a representative from each committee that is planning a program for an ALA Annual Conference. The ACRL Conference Program Planning Committee is responsible for reviewing all conference program proposals. The committee meets three times: during two Midwinter Meetings and one Annual Conference. The PDCC provides guidance on all aspects of conference program planning at each meeting (budget, publicity, evaluation, etc.).
The PDCC has responsibility for reviewing conference program proposals to ensure support of the division's strategic directions and priorities, adherence to established procedures and budgets, broad coverage, and limited duplication.
At the Annual Conference one year prior to the presentation of the program, the PDCC reviews the program proposals and approves qualified proposals.
Only programs approved by the PDCC may be scheduled.
8.2.3 Program planning procedures and approval process
ACRL sections and committees must justify the need in a program proposal submitted to the ACRL office 14 months prior to the Annual Conference at which the program is to be presented and are not automatically given program space at Annual Conferences. Conference program planners must also submit an ALA Conference program proposal by May 1. This form will be sent to the ACRL representative to the ALA Conference Program Coordinating Team in advance of the Annual Conference. Your ACRL staff liaison will distribute the ALA form via e-mail as soon as it is released. Program proposals will be compiled and prepared for the PDCC's review. All programs must be approved, whether asking for funds or not, by the PDCC in order to be scheduled during the conference.
At the Annual Conference one year prior to the presentation of the program, the Conference Program Planning Committee meets to discuss proposals, funding, and the recommendation to the PDCC. Following the PDCC meeting, program planners are informed of the PDCC's action. In the fall, they will be notified of the PDCCs decision regarding funding for programs.
After program planners received their approved budgets from the PDCC, they should complete the planning process by contacting speakers to:
- confirm speakers' and other presenters' participation;
- clarify audiovisual and computer needs;
- clarify speakers' topics and length of presentation;
- determine program format;
- determine speaker needs for handouts, special handling, etc.;
- submit complete speaker information form; and
- send to the ACRL staff who will prepare and send a formal letter of agreement to all speakers.
8.2.4 How to prepare your program proposals
In developing a proposal for an Annual Conference program, the following criteria should be addressed:
- Scope: Is the program in accord with ACRL's areas of concern? Does it support ACRL's strategic plan?
- Purpose & Format: What is the objective of conducting this program (to transmit ideas; to provide training; to stimulate thought and discussion; to lead to action)? If a program is justified, what is the best format? (Speaker? Panel? Discussion Group?)
- Location: Does the geographic location suggest the selection of the topic to take advantage of local resources and facilities? (For example, the availability of cultural institutions and resources in Washington, D.C.)
- Cosponsorships: Determine if there is another group in ACRL or ALA that is interested in your topic. If so, consider cosponsorship to minimize duplication and conflicts with other programs and to bring the subject to the attention of a broader audience which it would benefit.
- Logistical Arrangements: What is the expected size of the audience? Are there special room arrangements required other than theater seating? Will this presentation require audiovisual equipment? If so, they need to be specified.
- Responsibility: State what unit is responsible for the program and identify the contact person.
- Costs: Clearly identify the costs for the program and potential sources of funding (you may consult with ACRL staff).
- Length and time of program: Consider how long the program should run and if special conditions are required that would dictate where it should be held. Note all no-conflict times for ALA and ACRL programs.
8.2.5 Funding
The ACRL Board of Directors provides $20,000 from its budget to support Annual Conference programs (excluding cost of audiovisual equipment). The ACRL PDCC determines how these funds are allocated among the program proposals. How well your program proposal meets the criteria outlined above will be one of the determining factors in whether it is funded or not.
Section Basic Services Funding
Section program planners may also request supplemental funding from the section executive committee. Requests for Basic Services Funds should be sent to the section chair in September or October. Section executive committees may choose to allocate part or all of their Basic Services budget for programs expenses.
Source: ACRL Executive Committee, October 2004
Outside funding
Sometimes there may be a need to seek funding beyond that which is allocated through ACRL to support programs. The ACRL Colleagues Program, created by the Board in 1992, generates nondues revenue to allow ACRL to expand programs and services to members and potential donors, and to do more in the area of promoting the profession. The Board believes that it is important to coordinate all requests to potential donors and other outside funders through a centralized program. ACRL members may not make any formal requests on behalf of the division to potential donors for contributions without first clearing the request with the ACRL executive director. (For detailed procedures on soliciting funds to support your program, read ACRL Tip Sheet #10 on Fundraising.)
8.2.6 Budget
Estimates should be made for the following items in the program budget: handouts, speakers' expenses and honoraria, and any special equipment a nonlibrarian speaker might require. Costs to be considered for handouts may include such things as: photocopying, mailing to conference site, etc.
Speaker Costs
ALA does not pay expenses or honoraria to librarians living in North America or ALA members who participate in Annual Conference programs. International speakers, as well as nonmember, nonlibrarian speakers, are eligible for complimentary conference registrations.
Honoraria and Expenses
Librarians. Librarian speakers are not eligible to receive honoraria and reimbursement for travel expenses. A librarian is anyone who holds an MLS or equivalent degree, or who works in the field of library and information science, including faculty in schools of library and information science. Librarian speakers can be reimbursed for copying expenses in connection with program handouts.
Nonlibrarians. Any nonlibrarian speakers may receive honoraria, reimbursement for travel and duplication of handout expenses, a one-day waiver of the registration fee for the day he/she is speaking.
Speakers honoraria for presentations at an ACRL unit's Annual Conference program are established at a maximum of $1,000 and must be agreed upon in advance by the ACRL vice-president in consultation with the ACRL executive director before discussing it with speakers. Source: ACRL Board, June 2004.
Speaker expenses include the following:
- Hotel, single room in a conference hotel for a maximum two nights; no incidentals
- Per diem, maximum $50 (the ALA rate)
- Airfare, coach or lowest discounted rate
- Travel by car: mileage reimbursement at prevailing ALA rate. Total mileage costs not to exceed the lowest airfare from the same destination
- Vicinity travel: travel to and from airports, including parking fees.
Conference program planners should inform speakers who require housing at an ALA conference that:
- ALA pays for the room and tax only. Incidentals (movies, telephone, etc.) must be paid by the speaker.
- Room service or minibar service will be deducted from the per diem.
Estimating Costs: While the actual costs for various services and resources for a conference program will vary from city to city depending on the type of program and type of speakers chosen, there are some industry standards that can be used to recommend a fairly accurate program budget. In planning your program budget, use the following estimated costs:
- Transportation—roundtrip airfare $450. ALA reimburses at coach fare only. Travel by automobile is reimbursed at 55¢ per mile, but can not exceed the cost of coach airfare. If special fares are used, reimbursement is the actual cost incurred. Transportation to and from airports is reimbursed. All airfare, train, cab, and local transportation expenses must be accompanied by an original receipt to be considered for reimbursement. Fees for parking at the airport during the time in attendance at the conference may also be reimbursed. An original receipt is required.
- Hotels—$200 per day.
- Per diem (meals)—$50 per day.
- Photocopying for handouts—$0.07 per page.
Funding for programs can only be used for the approved designated expenses. (For a more detailed analysis, see Tipsheet #10 on Fundraising and Tipsheet #10a on Fiscal Funding Guidelines for ACRL Conference Programs.)
8.2.7 Audiovisual equipment
The ALA Conference Services budget covers costs for basic audiovisual equipment such as: overhead projectors, recorders, VCRs, monitors, slide projectors, microphones, etc., for requests submitted by March 1. If your program requires more sophisticated equipment, contact the ACRL office before March 1.
8.2.8 Publicity for conference programs
ALA and ACRL provide a number of opportunities to help you reach your targeted audience of ACRL members and academic librarians. You will want to be sure to use the following opportunities to promote your program. Note: Speakers can only be identified in pre-program publicity if a signed speaker agreement is on file at the ACRL office:
- ALA Conference Preliminary Program.
- March issue of American Libraries
- Conference Meetings and Programs insert in College & Research Libraries News.
- ALA Cognotes, the daily conference newspaper.
- Discussion lists and the Web
Additional sources are:
- Publicize the program locally in chapter mailings.
- Sections can use their newsletters and Web pages to promote their event.
(See Tipsheet #13 for more information.)
8.2.9 Guest registration
Guest registration privileges are provided to conference program speakers who are not librarians. Send names and addresses of all guests to the ACRL office by May 1.
8.2.10 Important dates
May 1—Deadline for Annual Conference program proposals to be submitted to ACRL staff.
October—Deadline for Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference meeting request forms.
Mid-October—Deadline for Midwinter Meeting AV requests.
Early January—Deadline for Annual Conference preliminary program descriptions.
Mid-February—Deadline for Annual Conference AV requests.
Late March—Deadline for Annual Conference final program descriptions.
8.2.11 No-Conflict Meeting Times
When scheduling meetings of a committee or section, the chair should note the all-conference no-conflict times listed in the instructions from the ACRL office. At the Annual and Midwinter conferences, section executive committee or divisional standing committee meetings should not be scheduled during the ACRL Board of Directors meetings if the committee/section has an action item before the Board or wishes to have the ACRL Board liaison attend their meetings. At Midwinter, those meetings are usually scheduled for Sunday and Tuesday afternoons. At Annual, those meetings are usually scheduled for Saturday and Tuesday afternoons.
8.3 Approval of cosponsorship proposals
ACRL encourages its units to cosponsor programs with other ACRL or ALA units and outside organizations. ACRL recognizes two types of cosponsorships: (1) cosponsorship in name only (a written request should be sent to the ACRL executive director as early as possible, but at least one year prior to the Annual Conference at which the program is being presented); and (2) cosponsorship with shared planning and financial responsibilities (should be treated as a regular conference program with written proposal responding to criteria and guidelines).
"In name only" is defined as meaning that no ACRL resources, including staff time or space in ACRL publications, would be requested. It simply means that the ACRL name will be used in conjunction with the hosting unit's promotions. Source: ACRL Board, February 1994.
All cosponsorships that commit ACRL resources require PDCC approval. These activities must be reviewed and approved by the PDCC. An exception to this would be made to sections cosponsoring programs in name only.
Cosponsorships with shared planning and financial support should be submitted before the PDCC with a detailed accounting of the program budget including vendor donations as well as a summary/outline of assignments and the person or persons that will be sharing the planning duties.
8.4 Scheduling Meetings at Times Other Than ALA Conferences
Meetings of the Association of College and Research Libraries are routinely held in conjunction with the ALA Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting. When a special need arises and a group (excluding ACRL affiliated chapters) wishes to meet synchronously (via telephone conference calls, Internet chats, or face-to-face meetings) outside these times, the following actions must be taken:
- An announcement must be posted to the ALA web site page "Business Meetings Held Outside of Midwinter and/or Annual Conferences" a minimum of 10 days prior to the meeting at http://www.ala.org/meetings/form.cfm. The meeting announcement must include the date, time, name of the convener, name of group/unit/section, a description of the meeting, phone, fax, and email address of the convener, meeting format, URL for meeting agenda. The 10-day notice is waived for an emergency, but not the reporting requirement, which must also explain the nature of the emergency that caused the advance notice to be waived.
- The results of the meeting must be made public within 30 days of the meeting and a meeting report posted on the online form for registering a meeting.
- ACRL committee chairs and section secretaries must send minutes for virtual meetings held outside of the Midwinter Meeting or Annual Conference to ACRL no fewer than 30 days after the conclusion of the meeting (even though they may not be approved by the membership until the next face-to-face meeting).
- ACRL committee chairs or section secretaries should follow the same procedures for distributing minutes to the membership as they do for minutes of face-to-face meetings.
This procedure is in accordance with provisions of the ALA Open Meeting Policy (7.4.4) and the related interpretive statement.Source: ACRL Board, Annual Conference 2005
8.5 Literature distribution
ALA provides ACRL with three bins at the Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference for literature to be distributed. These bins are reserved for information concerning division awards, National Conference materials, and the President's Program publicity.
ACRL maintains two locations where units may distribute their noncommercial literature: 1) the ACRL office area in the Convention Center and 2) the ACRL booth in the exhibit hall of the Convention Center. All materials must be approved in advance by ACRL staff or individuals so designated by staff.
Regarding the distribution of materials throughout the conference or meeting week, units may distribute their literature throughout the ACRL meetings and meetings of other ACRL units. ALA units must be contacted prior to the Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference to obtain permission for distribution.
Units may use other promotional techniques such as press releases, section newsletters, chapter mailings, web pages, listservs, and College & Research Libraries News, etc., to obtain publicity. (See section 8.2.8 Publicity for conference programs.) Contact your section or committee liaison for further assistance.
8.6 Planning an ACRL event or reception
To begin formal planning for an ACRL event or reception, the chair of the unit initiates discussion with the ACRL Program Coordinator who will assist in the planning. ACRL staff are responsible for all contractual arrangements. All official arrangements must be confirmed in writing and contracts must be submitted to the ACRL executive director, who will coordinate the preparation of contracts and will ensure that the proper signatures are obtained.
Under ALA and ACRL guidelines, a unit may not approach outside sources for funding without clearance from the ACRL executive director. (See Tipsheet #10 on Fundraising.) Prior to fundraising, a unit must send to the ACRL office a statement of purpose, a budget, a list of sources to be contacted, and when fund solicitation will begin. After review, the unit will receive written notification on how to proceed with fundraising. When a donor commits funds for an event or reception, request that a check payable to ACRL and accompanied by letter outlining the details of the contribution be sent to ACRL prior to the date of the event or reception.
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