ALA & Council Committee Chair Monthly Checklist

This checklist includes information relating to ALA & Council Committee Chair deadlines, roles and responsibilities and additional suggestions designed to assist with planning, organizing and running effective Committee meetings.

General Facts and Recommendations:

ALA & Council Committee Chair terms begin July 1 and conclude June 30^thof the following year. Appointed terms are for 1 year.
ALA & Council Committees are strongly encouraged to meet intermittently throughout the year to maintain momentum and ensure progress toward Committee goals. These meetings may be in person or virtual. ALA Staff Liaisons can assist with scheduling and hosting virtual meetings.
Communication is essential to fostering engagement, accomplishing Committee goals and fulfilling the Committee’s charge! Communicate early and often with committee members, not just around the ALA conferences.
ALA & Council Committee Chairs are integral components of the ALA Intern experience. Help grow future leaders within the Association by structuring a meaningful experience for your Committee Intern.

ALA & Council Committee Chair Responsibilities and Deadlines:

July: (beginning of your term as Chair)

Review the Committee Information Update Report and the meeting minutes for your respective Committee which are available via ALA Connect. The previous Chair is responsible for posting the Committee Information Update Report within one month following the Annual Conference.

Introduce yourself to the Committee‘s Staff Liaison. Arrange a telephone meeting to learn more about the Committee, historical challenges, current priorities and upcoming deadlines.
Contact the previous Chair for advice and information regarding projects in progress or questions that you may have. Contact your Staff Liaison to facilitate this connection.
Review the Committee Roster, available from your Staff Liaison to get a sense of member composition. Contact the Staff Liaison with any questions regarding Committee membership.
Introduce yourself to the members of your Committee by sending a welcome message via ALA Connect once the Committee Roster has been finalized.
- Review the Committee Charge and link to your Committee’s webpage if applicable.
- Include a copy of the Committee roster and ask for verification of member contact information. If inaccuracies are noted, members should be encouraged to log on to the ALA website and update their member contact information.
- Communicate expectations for performance and attendance.
  - Member attendance and active participation in the work of the committee is essential to the completion of the Committee charge.
  - Attendance is also important to ensure that the Committee has an official “quorum” to conduct its business.
  - Members have an opportunity for up to “two” excused absences for face to face meetings during their term.
- Provide the dates of the in-person meetings scheduled for ALA Midwinter and ALA Annual to ensure plenty of advance notice for members to include travel plans in annual budgets.
- If planning to meet virtually throughout the year, include a link to a scheduling tool to identify a mutually agreeable date/time that might align with member’s schedules. Doodle (https://doodle.com) works well.
- Finally, but most importantly, thank the members of your Committee for their service on behalf of the Association!
Send a direct message introducing yourself to the ALA & Council Committee Intern(s) serving on your Committee.
- Share information regarding the role Interns have historically played on the Committee and offer guidelines for their participation in the coming year.
  - The Staff Liaison for your Committee is a good source for historical information regarding the role of the Intern on your Committee.
  - The ability of the Intern to vote and contribute to a member quorum varies between Committees.
- Offer your support and encourage their active participation as they engage in the Intern experience to build leadership skills and learn more about the Association.
- Share virtual resources developed for Interns by the TOLD Committee: ALA and Council Committee Intern Program (http://www.ala.org/groups/Committee-resources/ala-and-council-Committee-Intern-program).
Prepare for your first Committee Meeting by reviewing Podcast #1: “Building the Foundation for Effective Meetings” and Tip Sheet #1 authored by ALA Parliamentarian, Eli Mina.

August:

Confirm your Committee’s meeting schedule for the year. Send out a meeting agenda two weeks in advance of the next regularly scheduled meeting.
Touch base with members actively working on Committee deliverables to mitigate obstacles and ensure they have the information needed to complete their assigned tasks.
Encourage Committee Intern(s) to register for the Intern Orientation Virtual Meeting scheduled for early-September and hosted by ALA’s TOLD Committee.

September:

Send committee members information about registration for Midwinter and Annual Conferences when it becomes available.”
Communicate with your Staff Liaison to schedule the Midwinter and Annual meetings via the ALA online meeting request system by the end of September/early October.
- Determine if you need to represent your group at other ALA meeting(s) before scheduling your Committee meetings.
- ALA & Council Committee Chairs also attend the Planning & Budget Assembly meeting sponsored by BARC held on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 – 2:30 pm during Midwinter and Annual.

Check in with the Intern(s) following the Virtual Orientation meeting to answer questions they may have.
- Consider assigning a seasoned Committee Member as a mentor to the Committee Intern(s) and include them on this call.
- Identify meaningful fall projects and experiences.

October:

If the Committee does not meet frequently in-between conferences, try to schedule at least one mid-conference check-in to assess progress, mitigate obstacles and plan for the Midwinter Meeting.
If hosting an in-person meeting at Midwinter, remind committee members that they are expected to attend all meetings of the Committee. Share the assigned meeting location as soon as available and encourage members to complete early registration.

Send requests for A/V equipment and other material (flips charts) by October 15th for the ALA Midwinter to your Staff Liaison who will submit on your behalf.
Encourage your Committee Intern(s) to attend the Midwinter meeting and try to schedule a brief moment to build a professional connection with your Intern(s).

November:

Check in with the Committee Intern(s) and mentors to ensure Committee engagement.
- Ask seasoned Committee members if they might be willing to arrange shadowing opportunities for your Intern or offer to share coffee during the Midwinter Meeting to increase networking opportunities with ALA Intern(s).

December:

Prepare for the Midwinter Meeting by reviewing the “One month before conference” guidelines from Making Meetings Work (http://www.ala.org/groups/mleader/meeting).

January:

Post your Midwinter agenda in ALA Connect.
Send a meeting reminder to your Committee members.
Review the Tips and Podcasts for Making Meetings Work to ensure a successful conference meeting.
Coordinate preparing and packing meeting documentation with your Committee’s Staff Liaison. Consider packing a small office kit to bring to the meeting containing (sharpies, paperclips, pens, paper, etc to support the meeting).

February:

Submit your Committee Information Update Report within one month of the Midwinter Meeting and copy your Staff Liaison.
Check in with the Intern(s) to gather feedback on their Midwinter experience and identify meaningful spring projects and experiences.
Send requests for A/V equipment and other material (flips charts) by March 1 for Annual to your Staff Liaison who will submit on your behalf.
Ensure the Midwinter Meeting minutes are posted to the Committee’s ALA Connect space.

March:

If the Committee does not meet frequently in-between conferences, schedule at least one mid-conference check-in to assess progress, mitigate obstacles and plan for the Annual Conference.
If hosting an in-person meeting at the Annual Conference remind committee members that they are expected to attend all meetings of the Committee. Share the assigned meeting location as soon as available and encourage members to complete early registration.

Encourage your Committee Intern(s) to attend the Midwinter meeting and try to schedule a brief moment to reinforce the professional connection with your Intern(s).

April:

Touch base with members actively working on Committee deliverables to mitigate obstacles and ensure they have the information needed to complete their assigned tasks.

May:

Prepare for the Annual Meeting by reviewing the “One month before conference” guidelines from Making Meetings Work.
Check in with the Committee Intern(s) and mentors to ensure Committee engagement.
- Ask seasoned Committee members if they might be willing to arrange shadowing opportunities for your Intern(s) or offer to share coffee during the Annual Conference to increase networking opportunities for the ALA Intern(s).

June:

Post your Annual Conference agenda in ALA Connect.
Send a meeting reminder to your Committee members.
Encourage your Committee Intern(s) to attend the Annual Conference and try to schedule a brief moment to reinforce the connection with your Intern(s) and the work of your Committee.
Review the Tips and Podcasts for Making Meetings Work to ensure a successful conference meeting.
Coordinate preparing and packing meeting documentation with your Committee’s Staff Liaison. Consider packing a small office kit to bring to the meeting containing (sharpies, paperclips, pens, paper, etc to support the meeting).
This is also a great time to share your wisdom with the incoming Chair of your Committee.
- Take a moment to share best practices and make plans to transition responsibilities prior to the end of your term.
- Your Staff Liaison should be able to assist you with making the connection to the succeeding Committee Chair.
Immediately following the Annual Conference, prepare the Committee Information Update Report for submission to the COO Staff Liaison with a copy to your Committee’s Staff Liaison within one month of the Annual Conference.
- In addition, ensure the Annual Conference Meeting Minutes are promptly posted to the Committee’s ALA Connect space, ideally within two weeks.