Policy on Vendor Participation in PLA-sponsored Programs

Speakers/Panelists

PLA unit program planners may ask vendors to serve as speakers and/or panelists for PLA-sponsored programs under the following conditions:

  1. The vendors have information to give to the program participants that is not readily available from a nonvendor.
  2. The vendors are aware that they can discuss their products generally, but are not to use the program as an opportunity for sales talk.
  3. The program planner is fair and impartial when selecting vendor participants, and makes a reasonable effort to involve representatives from a variety of companies.

Display/Exhibits

Some PLA program planners wish to arrange for special product displays or exhibits as a part of their Annual Conference programs. Such displays or exhibits can be requested under the following conditions:

  1. The program planner submits a written request to have a display/exhibit along with the program proposal form to the appropriate committee (Annual Conference: Conference Program Coordinating Committee; National Conference: Program Committee; Spring Symposium: PLA Office). The request should include:
    1. The reason for the exhibit/display.
    2. A list of vendors to be invited to participate in the exhibit or display. This list should include all appropriate vendors for the most recent ALA exhibitors lists and the most recent PLA exhibitors lists, as well as any other vendors identified by the program planners.
  2. The program planner cannot invite vendors to participate in the display/exhibit until formal approval has been given by the appropriate committee and the PLA Board of Directors.
  3. When permission has been received, the program planner will be responsible for making all arrangements with the participating vendors. However, copies of all correspondence between the program planner and vendors must be approved by PLA staff before being sent to the vendors.

Sponsors

PLA has a limited amount of money available for programming. Occasionally a program planner decides to go outside of PLA to arrange for vendor sponsorship for a program. The following procedures apply:

  1. The program planner submits a written plan for raising the needed money along with the proposal form to the appropriate committee (Annual Conference: Conference Program Coordinating Committee; National Conference: Program Committee; Spring Symposium: PLA Office). The request should include:
    1. An itemized budget.
    2. The proposed vendor(s) from whom the money will be requested and the reason those vendors were selected.
  2. The program planner cannot invite vendors to donate money for the program until formal approval has been given by the appropriate committee and the PLA Board of Directors.
  3. When permission has been received, PLA staff will work with the program planner to determine who will be responsible for making all arrangements with the participating vendors. All such requests will be referred to the PLA Partners Committee for review.

Vendor-initiated programs

  1. Vendors who wish to initiate planning a program in conjunction with PLA, or a unit of PLA, should be members of ALA and PLA. To initiate planning, vendors should contact the PLA office. Such programming should conform to the policies detailed above.

Definition

  1. A vendor, under this policy, is any person or company selling goods or services to libraries.

Adopted by the PLA Board of Directors, June, 1991.