Orientation for Board Members

Serving on the LITA Board of Directors requires familiarity with: past activities and work; the LITA Bylaws and Manual; and other particular duties.

Past Activities & Work

Annual Reports, agendas and minutes from both Board of Directors and Executive Committee meetings are posted on ALA Connect. These documents will provide an overview of previous LITA activities, the work of the Board and Executive Committee. Only the last six years of the following documents are maintained online. Contact the LITA Office for older documents.

Bylaws & Manual

The LITA Bylaws and LITA Manual contain specific Board responsibilities and information about issues that often arise.  Board members should be familiar with all of the Bylaws and Manual, particularly the following sections:

Other Responsibilities

Board members are expected to attend all Board meetings. Meetings take place at ALA Annual Conferences and Midwinter Meetings on Saturday mornings and Monday afternoons. Specific meeting times and locations will always be published in the ALA event schedule. The Board usually has an informal dinner on the Friday night of Annual Conferences and Midwinter Meetings. Attendance is optional. Members are notified in advance about the time and location of the dinner. The LITA office and/or the Executive Committee may notify the Board about specific events or meetings members should attend during Annual Conferences and Midwinter Meetings.

Liaison Responsibilities

Board members will act as a liaison to at least one LITA Committee. As a liaison, you should:

  • Attend committee meetings whenever possible.
  • Exchange information with the committee chair when you cannot attend.
  • Participate in any committee deliberations via email.
  • Provide the committee with any helpful background information from the Board that will guide them in their activities.
  • Provide the Board with any helpful background information from the committee as appropriate to the issues.
  • Relay requests from one body to the other as specified by the committee chair and/or LITA President.
  • Provide other advice or assistance as needed.

The following links provide useful information about LITA committees: