Conflict of Interest Policy

When any such interest become relevant to any subject requiring action by the Board of Directors or any of its committees, the board member having a conflict shall call it to the attention of the Board or committee, and the Board member shall not vote on the subject in which the member has a conflict of interest, shall not use personal influence, and in those cases where the quorum of the meeting is called for the purpose of voting on the subject has not been established, the Board member shall not be counted.

If excluded from voting because of a conflict of interest, a Board member will be required to briefly state the nature of the conflict, and may be requested to answer pertinent questions of other board members when that Board member’s knowledge of the subject will assist the Board or any of its committees. The Board may request that a Board member thus excluded from voting on a subject leave the meeting temporarily while the subject is debated and voted upon. The minutes of the meeting shall reflect that a disclosure was made, that the Board member who stated a conflict of interest did abstain from voting, and, in those cases where the quorum was not already established, that the Board member was not counted in determining the quorum.

In addition, if any Board member, who by reason of his or her institutional affiliation or any other pertinent matter, anticipates that in the future certain issues to be placed before the board may place him or her in a position of conflict of interest, the Board member shall disclose such conflict in writing to the Board and make it a matter of record.

PLA Policy Adopted by the PLA Board of Directors, ALA Midwinter. Jan.1991.