NMRT: New committee chairs FAQ  
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NEW COMMITTEE CHAIR FAQ

WHY I SHOULD GET INVOLVED
When is professional association involvement too much? What expectations are there?
Why should I be a committee chair?
How much time will this take out of my life?
What other time commitment issues should I know?

GETTING STARTED
How do I take over a committee?
The previous chair is not responsive? Where do I turn to now?
Can I get it all done in a year?
What is the support structure?
What if the job I've bitten off more than I can chew?

HOW THE COMMITTEE FITS IN TO NMRT
Where can I get a general overview of NMRT activities and operations of all committees?
How does NMRT fit in with the rest of ALA?
Where does my committee fit into the structure of NMRT?
What is the "chain of command"?
Does your supervising board member have an agenda that s/he wants followed?
Is there a standard routine for accomplishing business or is the chair free to improvise?
Where does my committee fit into the Round Table?What is the overall NMRT structure -- what does "supervising board member," mean, who and why do I need to cc so many people, etc?

ORGANIZING AND MANAGING THE COMMITTEE
What exactly are my duties/responsibilities?
What preparation do I have?
What if I inherit a difficult situation from the previous chair?
Who are my committee members?
What about my committee as an organism?
What if my committee lets me down?

LEADERSHIP STYLES
What things should I know about being a Good Committee Chair?

WRAPPING THINGS UP
What are the dates for reports each year?
What paperwork is expected of the Chair?
How do I recommend a change to a committee (proposal process or other venue) if I have a great idea to make these easier for everyone?

WHY I SHOULD GET INVOLVED

Why should I be a committee chair?
  1. Seeing the names of NMRT committee alumnae who have had stellar careers including greater ALA involvement shows the potential a chair position can lead to. Service can also be a stepping-stone to tenure at academic institutions.
  2. NMRT is a wonderful (and easy) way to get involved with ALA and other professional endeavors.
  3. NMRTers know how to have fun as well as work hard!
  4. NMRT molds the leaders of the other divisions and round tables of ALA for the future.
  5. Your experiences could be valuable to the committee.
  6. NMRT ROCKS!

When is professional association involvement too much? What expectations are there?
It is not unknown for people to join purely to pad their resumes and because it's expected of them at their institutions. These volunteers frequently number among the most reluctant. NMRT and ALA need to be more upfront about what the expectations and deliverables are because there ARE expectations and there are deliverables. At the same time, there should be balance between what is expected and what is taken on so that no one person is overwhelmed.

How much time will this take out of my life?
Before taking on a chair position, take on a year at least as a committee member. That will give you a better idea of what the time commitment is. Use that year to ask the sitting chair about the time involved. It does take time to get things done.

What other time commitment issues should I know?
Find out how heavy the workload is and what times of the year will be the busiest. Determine whether you can accomplish the committee work by e-mail or whether you will have to be at MidWinter and Annual.

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GETTING STARTED

How do I take over a committee?
Contact the previous chair to learn the committee responsibilities, to transfer the authority and the committee papers, and to learn the committee details, history, and timeline.

The previous chair is not responsive? Where do I turn to now?
Read the handbook entry for the committee and anything else available. Skim any documentation and list serves for any useful information.

Can I get it all done in a year?
A year may not be enough time to learn the ropes and then get acting. It should not consume your professional life - any messes took more than a year to create, in all likelihood, so don't try to solve them in only one year.

What is the support structure?
There is an NMRT liaison whom chairs can work with to get bigger questions answered. This liaison can save the chairs hours of agonizing over whom to otherwise ask questions of.

What if the job I've bitten off more than I can chew?
Ask for help from the organization - support staff, the executive, and your committee. If the burden is great, accomplish what you are able, but make it clear to NMRT leaders that the position will need more support in the future.

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HOW THE COMMITTEE FITS IN TO NMRT

Where can I get a general overview of NMRT activities and operations of all committees?
Please review the NMRT handbook for the answer to this question

How does NMRT fit in with the rest of ALA?
Please review the NMRT handbook for the answer to this question
Where does my committee fit into the structure of NMRT?
Please review the NMRT handbook for the answer to this question

What is the chain-of-command?
The chain-of-command is quite simple. Committees report to a member of the NMRT Executive. The NMRT President oversees the Executive.

Does your supervising board member have an agenda that s/he wants followed?
Possibly. It’s more likely that the board member will provide guidance so that the committee’s work will meet both the committee’s charge and the NMRT President’s theme for the year. The supervising board member provides guidance, support, and advice to the committee.

Is there a standard routine for accomplishing business or is the chair free to improvise?
The chair is fairly free to improvise, though the chair should be keeping all members aware of developments as well as keeping the supervising board member informed of discussion and activity within the committee.


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ORGANIZING AND MANAGING THE COMMITTEE

What exactly are my duties/responsibilities?
Please review the NMRT handbook for the answer to this question. The committee charge is listed there. With the charge as a guide, you are responsible for setting projects for the year, communicating with committee members, delegating work to them, reporting between them and the supervising board member, completing projects for the year, and writing reports during and at the end of the year.

Do I have control over committee membership?
Once you get your list of committee members, you should know that some of them will communicate well with you throughout the year and others hardly at all. The executive will probably ask you if there are any committee members who should be dropped due to lack of communication. Feel free to tell the person appointing committee members that you have enough members - a larger group is not always a blessing.

What preparation do I have?
Your prior experiences, including work experience and experience serving on other committees, really does help
What if I inherit a difficult situation from the previous chair?
Know that it is difficult to make people accountable for past actions on committees -they have moved on and have other, new things to take care of.
Who are my committee members?
You will need your committee member details, but you'll want to get to know them as people beyond that, not simply as e-mail contacts.
What about my committee as an organism?
Find out the general state of affairs with your committee. Find out what things need to be done.
What if my committee lets me down?
Fair or not, you will be ultimately responsible for the committee's finished product(s). If for some reason the committee's members cannot contribute to the committee workload, the work will fall on your shoulders. All the more reason to cultivate good committee members.

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LEADERSHIP STYLES

What things should I know about being a Good Committee Chair?
Everyone has different leadership and management styles - review the NMRT document on leadership here.

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WRAPPING THINGS UP

What are the report dates for each year?
There are a few reporting dates and submissions during the year, and reporting dates will vary depending whether the committee runs from Annual to Annual or Midwinter to Midwinter. Most committees will be required to submit a plan for the year and an annual report as well as a budget. Additionally, supervising board members will ask for informal progress reports during the year.

What paperwork is expected of the Chair?
Don't be surprised by requests for such things as progress reports. Take noted, and be prepared. Being chair is not always an exalted position. There is much paperwork to be done, so stay on top of it by doing it regularly.

How do I recommend a change to a committee (proposal process or other venue) if I have a great idea to make these easier for everyone?
Know that to make changes, like adding a program, requires advance work so it may not happen the year you are in office.

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