Discussion List Policies and Procedures

At the YALSA Board of Directors meetings at the American Library Association’s 2004 Annual Meeting, the following policy and guidelines for participation were adopted in connection with the establishment and maintenance of all YALSA electronic discussion lists.  Please read thoroughly and address any questions to the YALSA Board through the YALSA Office at yalsa@ala.org or by calling 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4390.  These guidelines will be posted to all discussion lists and will appear in Young Adult Library Services, the YALSA journal and official record of association business.  (Revised June 2005)

Posting Policy

• All messages should relate to the general topic of the particular list.
• Only subscribers to a list may post on the list.
• Solicitations (for contributors, authors, content, etc.) and advertisements for non-YALSA publications/products and other commercial purposes are not permitted.However, a simple statement that offers more information on a service or product is tolerated if it accompanies a substantive message about a subject directly related to the discussion.
• Announcements of conferences, workshops, new publications, and position openings appropriate to the topic of the list are allowed.
• Virus warnings (not bug reports) are strongly discouraged, and ONLY official CERT or CIAC advisories are acceptable. In addition, before forwarding any virus information you may wish to check Internet Hoaxes and Virus Hoaxes for hoax information and how to spot hoaxes.
• Attachments may be included in an email however they should not be larger than 40KB.
• Posting of defamatory and/or offensive material is strictly prohibited, including but not limited to hate-speech, name-calling and personal insults.
• Any messages posted about YALSA committee business must be sent by the appropriate committee chair.  List members must not send postings that suggest the message is being sent with the approval or under the auspices of a particular YALSA Committee.
• All postings must be free of copyright restrictions that limit distribution. For example, posting a significant amount of a copyrighted work verbatim requires the permission of the copyright holder. To verify that such permission was obtained, all postings of this nature must include a statement that this is the case.
• The YALSA Executive Committee has the right to remove members of the list who fail to participate as required by the policies stated in this document.
• YALSA retains the right to use posted materials in other formats.
• YALSA disclaims all warranties, guarantees, and liability for damages.

Guidelines for Participation

The following guidelines are offered as advice on how to best participate in this discussion list in a manner that will both contribute to the experience of all readers and also reflect well on you.

• Say something substantial. Simply saying "I agree" (in so many words) or "I disagree" (in so many words) does not meet this guideline. Specific technical questions are, however, quite appropriate, as are brief answers to such questions.
• Say something new. Mere redundancy will not convince an opponent of their error. Explaining the same argument differently in an attempt to make them see the light has not been proven to be an effective strategy.
• Be careful with the "Reply" command. If you mean to reply only to the poster, address a new message to the individual's email address, do not reply directly to the discussion list message.
• Take "conversations" off the list. When list interaction becomes two-sided (two individuals trading comments or arguments) it is a sign that you should take the discussion off the list and correspond with that person directly. If the discussion was of interest to the general membership you will see others posting on the topic as well.
• Agree to disagree. The likelihood of convincing someone to change a strongly held opinion is nil. State your case, but give up on the idea of converting the heathen.
• Be civil. Treat others the way you wish to be treated.
• Respect the rights of others. An electronic discussion is a commons. Your right to post ends at the right of others to not be insulted, badgered, or to have their time needlessly wasted.