Chapter 2: Sections

Back to Guide to Policies & Procedures
 

Introduction to RUSA's Sections 

RUSA has six sections.  A section is a formal membership unit within RUSA that focuses on an area of specific concern and bring together those sharing common interests. Each section has its own executive committee and can establish rules of governance in keeping with the larger policies, guidelines, and bylaws of RUSA. Sections provide education, advise RUSA regarding service guidelines, promote awareness, and provide community.  RUSA staff (as their capacity allows) support section leaders and activities with services such as marketing and promotion. 

Roles and Responsibilities

SECTION CHAIR - Section Leadership

  • Serves as a member of the RUSA Leadership Council.
  • Responds to inquiries from members and non-members regarding section activities.
  • Chairs meetings of the section executive committee.
  • Sends minutes of executive committee meetings to RUSA President and RUSA Executive Director.
  • Attends meetings of the section’s committees when possible.
  • Fills vacancies on section committees.
  • Oversees the section's program at the Annual Conference.
  • Chairs the annual business meeting of the section.

Division / Section Alignment. The section chair guides the section in:

  • Supporting the RUSA Strategic Plan.
  • Following the RUSA budget process.
  • Following the RUSA agenda process.

Communication

  • Submits a written report to the section executive committee and RUSA Board on the activities of the committee within 2 weeks of the annual conference. This can take the form of Meeting Highlights.
  • Submits reports to the RUSA Board of Directors on section activities.
  • Regularly updates section members about the work of the section.
  • As appropriate, gathers materials from conference programming and gives them to the webmaster for posting on the RUSA/Section conference pages.
  • As appropriate, posts materials from conference programming to the Conference Scheduler.
  • Contributes to RUSA communications to members.

Review and Evaluation

  • Leads the section in efforts to evaluate its work and structure.

Succession Planning

  • Leads the effort for making a smooth transition to leadership under new section officers and committee chairs.
  • Sends any material of an archival nature to the RUSA office upon completion of service as chair.

SECTION VICE CHAIR - Section Leadership

  • Serves as an officer of the section and assists in advancing the goals and objectives of the section and RUSA.
  • As a member of the Executive Committee, attends meetings of the committee.
  • Submits section's budget request (if needed) for the vice-chair's year as chair.
  • Performs duties of the chair in the chair's absence.
  • Performs other duties as the executive committee of the section may assign.

Nominations and Appointments

  • Appoints a Nominating Committee that is responsible for producing a slate of candidates for section office. The section vice-chair may not be a member of the nominating committee (see ALA Bylaws, Article III, Section 1a).
  • Makes appointments to all other section committees for terms beginning when the vice-chair's term as chair begins.
  • Makes appointments to pre-conference planning committees, if appropriate to the practices of the section.
  • Appoints section representatives to designated RUSA-level committees.
  • Appoints a conference program planning committee (if appropriate to practices of section) to plan the section's program at the Annual Conference.

COMMITTEES

Section committees

  • Each section may establish and govern standing and ad hoc committees necessary to conduct the work of the section.
  • The RUSA office maintains a file of the official descriptive statements for each committee of the division and of each section.
  • All committee charges should be publicly posted on the committee’s website.

Section committee appointments

  • Each section establishes practices for section committee appointments in keeping with the larger policies, guidelines, and bylaws of RUSA and ALA.

APPOINTMENTS

Board Representative

  • Each section has a voting representative on the RUSA Board. Each section may establish procedures for appointing the board representative. The section chair or vice-chair may serve as this representative.

Appointments to RUSA-level committees:

  • Sections are represented on RUSA-level functional committees.  This includes: Awards Coordinating, Budget and Finance Committee, Conference Program Coordinating, Nominating, Member Engagement, Professional Development, Professional Resources, and Volunteer Development.
  • Section vice-chairs appoint these representatives.  Section representatives serve the same term of office as any other appointed member of the committee, unless section policy varies. Section representatives are full members of the committee.
  • When possible, RUSA committee members who serve as section representatives will also serve on the related section committee.
  • In addition to having the customary responsibilities of a committee member, section representatives are expected to represent the concerns of a section and report back to the section's executive committee about the activity of the RUSA functional committee on which they serve.

 

Section discussion groups

  • A discussion group is an informal group that allows discussion of topics of common interest.
  • Each section may establish discussion groups.
  • Results of discussions may be prepared by the group for distribution to the relevant parent body.
  • A leader may be chosen by the group to coordinate discussion. Source: ALA Policy Manual 6.10.
  • It is a RUSA policy that discussion groups cannot sponsor programs.

Section Evaluation

  • Members of a section's leadership group monitor activities within the section, looking for structural or other problems needing attention.

(RUSA Office is in charge of updating this page) Rev. 08/2018. Updates and corrections by guide editor 05/15/2025.