Operations Manual

Updated: February 2008

Minnesota Library Association

Academic and Research Libraries Division (ARLD) - Executive Board

 

Table of Contents

 

SECTION

PAGE

Archives – coming soon!

 

 

 

Board meetings                                    

2

 

 

Board members

2

 

 

            Elected members

2

                        Chair

 

                        Chair-elect/program chair

 

                        Past Chair

 

                        Secretary

 

                        Members at large

 

                        Member communications

 

 

 

            Volunteer members

2

                        General info

 

                        Web coordinator

 

                        Legislative liaison

 

                        Other positions

 

 

 

Communication with members

3

 

 

Elections

3

                       

 

Events

4

            MLA Annual Meeting                                         

 

            ARLD Day

 

            Moderator Tasks

 

            Other ARLD-sponsored events

5

 

 

Finances

6

 

 

Legislative activities

6

 

 

Minnesota Librarian of the Year Award

6

            Description, Nomination, Eligibility criteria

 

            Nomination Form – Appendix A

11

            Timeline & Procedures – Appendix B

12

 

 

MLA staff support for ARLD

7

 

 

Relationship with ACRL

7

           

 

Volunteer Opportunities

7

 

 

Calendar

8

Appendix A – MN Librarian of the Year Nomination Form

11

Appendix B – MN Librarian of the Year Timeline & Procedures

12

 


Board Meetings

 

The ARLD Board generally meets monthly, except in the summer, when there are usually 1-2 meetings, as needed. Times are determined by the schedules of the Board members. The MLA office is traditionally the site, and there are various conference rooms available in the building. ITV and conference calls are possible, so that members do not always have to travel to the Twin Cities.

 

 

Board Members

Elected members

 

All 7 elected members work on programs and other groups as needed.

 

Elected members serve two-year terms, with the exception of the Chair-elect. The Chair-elect serves a three year term (first as Chair-elect, then Chair, then Past chair)

 

Chair-elect – Main MLA annual meeting program planner for ARLD, and a member of the MLA annual meeting program planning group.

 

Chair –

 

 

Past Chair – Chairs the ARLD Day planning workgroup

 

Secretary

 

Member Communications

 

Members at large – volunteer for projects, as needed.

 

Volunteer members

 

Appointments are generally for 2 years, ending in December, although it may depend on the nature of the job or project.

 

Web person – Maintain the Web site, work with Member Communications person and MLA office, solicit feedback as needed.

 

Legislative liaison – Gather pertinent info on legislative matters from various sources and communicate to ARLD members. Serve on the MLA Legislative Committee.

 

Other appointed members may include:

 

 

 

Communication

 

The Member Communication person is mainly in charge of keeping the membership informed via the listserv and other avenues, but all Board members, especially the Chair, Chair-elect, and Legislative Liaison, are encouraged to be involved in these activities.

 

The ARLD listserv is maintained out of the MLA office, and is used to get the word out about items such as:

 

            ARLD activities

            Legislative info

            News about local training

            Job openings

            MLA activities

            News from ACRL

           

Other listservs that may be utilized include:

 

            MLA

            WAAL (WI Assn of Academic Librarians)

            MINITEX

            CLIC

            Other organizations, such as SLA, ASIST, HSLM, student lists

 

The ARLD Brochure is periodically updated and sent via MINITEX to all academic libraries in the state. It contains info on activities, Board positions, and applications for membership.

 

The ARLD Web page is maintained by a volunteer who is appointed and serves on the Board. Like the listserv, it is maintained out of the MLA office, and includes background info as well as updates and registration info for upcoming events.

 

 

Elections

 

Each fall ARLD holds elections for three offices – chair-elect, one member at large, and either secretary or member communications, whichever has a term about to expire.

 

Each elected person serves for two years, with the exception of the Chair-elect, who serves three.

 

When vacancies come up during the year among the elected officials, there is little documentation in the bylaws about how exactly to handle it. Recently, the Board has done its best to fill vacancies by either having the Chair send out a call and appoint an interested member, or adding a short-term position on the next ballot. An example would be electing a member-at-large for 1 year to fill out the term of someone who has moved.

 

A Nominations committee of two people is pulled together in October, and it is often made up of Board members. The outgoing member at large and the past chair are likely recruits.

 

In recruiting candidates, it is ideal to have a mix based on geography and type of institution.

 

The MLA office sends out ballots and receives the completed ones.

 

Jul/Aug – Name a Nominations Committee

Sept – Recruit, announce vacancies at MLA

Oct – Nominations committee finalizes ballot

Nov – Hold election, with results tabulated by Nov 30

Dec – New Board members are invited to the December Board meeting

 

 

 

Events

Goals:

·         Encourage member involvement:

·         Suggesting topics, proposing talks and posters, presenting

·         Plan programs that draw members and non-members to the meeting

·         Provide programs of interest to academic and non-academic librarians

 

 

MLA Annual Meeting

 

The Chair-elect serves as the main ARLD program planner for this event, and is a member of the MLA program planning group, which meets several times in the winter and spring.

 

Timeline:

 

Nov/Dec            Review previous ideas, plan how to get input from members

Jan                   First meeting of the MLA program planning group

                        Identify areas of interest to suggest to members

                        First call for program ideas/proposals

Feb                   Second call for program ideas/proposals

                        Deadline for proposals (including preferred day/time for ARLD business meeting)

Mar                   Rank proposals and decide which to send forward

                        Recruit or plan additional programs, if needed

                        Proposals due to MLA

April                 MLA committee selects programs

                        Notify submitters

                        Arrange to co-sponsor programs, when appropriate

May                  Listserv message about dates and ARLD-sponsored programs

                        Request equipment needs from presenters

June                 Final program info due to MLA

Jul/Aug Set session moderators (usually Board members)

                        Publicize program to ARLD members

                        Plan the business meeting

                        Correspond with speakers

                        Prepare evaluation forms

Sept                  Send e-mail reminder just before early registration deadline

                        MLA ANNUAL MEETING (sometimes in early October)

                        Send thank you to each presenter (usually done by moderator)

Oct                   Summarize evaluations (moderators often do their sessions)

                        Debrief

                        Prepare list of future ideas

 

 

Moderator Tasks:

 

o        Correspond with speaker before the meeting, obtain and prepare bio/intro

o        Arrive early to ensure room is properly set up and greet speaker(s)

o        Make sure technical connections are working and find assistance if necessary

o        Introduce speaker(s)

o        Keep the speakers to the time limits

o        Moderate the question and answer session at the end of the presentation

o        Hand out and collect evaluations

o        Tabulate evaluations

o        Write Thank You note to speakers

           

 

ARLD Day

 

Past Chair usually serves as the chair of this event.

 

Sometimes students are offered reduced or free admission for volunteering to work at registration, serve as tech support, or other volunteer tasks. Often music is included as part of the program, during registration or an early break.

 

Timeline:

 

Jul/Aug Arrange venue

Oct                   Review previous ideas, pick a theme

Nov/Dec            First call for program ideas/participants/posters

                        Contact outside speakers, if any

Jan                   Second call for program ideas/participants/posters

                        Set Board subcommittees – posters, food, entertainment, etc.

Feb                   Deadline for posters

                        Publicize program

Mar                   Registration begins

                        Prepare evaluation forms

                        Ask presenters about equipment needs

April                 Registration closes – about 10 days beforehand

                        ARLD Day – often the final Friday in April                

May                  Send thank you note to each presenter

                        Summarize evaluations

                        Debrief

                        Prepare list of future ideas

 

 

Other ARLD-sponsored events

 

ARLD Dialogues are informal lunchtime gatherings around the state that focus on issues of interest to librarians interested in instruction.

 

The agenda usually includes introductions, a short talk on an instruction-related topic, and discussion about that topic or any others that interest the group. They usually happen over lunch, with MLA subsidizing part of the lunch.

 

Any ARLD member may host a dialogue. Details to work out include finding a room, figuring out the parking situation, and deciding how to order box lunches. ARLD will pay for the lunches.

 

Sponsors can work with a Board member to find a speaker, announce the session, and take RSVPs, or take care of those details by themselves. The MLA office can write checks for the lunches, take registration, and take care of other details as needed.

 

A group size of 16 or less seems to work out well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finances

 

ARLD has no budget responsibilities of its own. Each year in the late summer or fall, the Chair submits a proposed budget to the MLA office, noting possible costs for the MLA annual meeting, ARLD Day, and any other events, such as the ARLD Dialogues.

 

Events are expected to either break even, or bring in money, which goes to MLA. At any event, the cost should be less for MLA members than for others, although no set amount is specified.

 

There may be a small amount of money that comes to ARLD from ACRL, based on our number of members, and it must be used for very specific purposes. The ACRL office will send notices about this, as well as any special opportunities.

 

 

Legislative activities

 

 

ARLD members can participate in MLA/MEMO legislative events in several ways. MLA/MEMO Legislative Day happens in February or March depending on the start of the legislative session. Legislative Day offers librarians a chance to meet with state representatives and state senators to talk about library issues. The MLA/MEMO Legislative Forum occurs in June or July. The Forum begins the process of creating the MLA/MEMO Legislative Platform for the following legislative session. This platform is presented to the membership at the MLA Annual Conference.

 

 

Minnesota Academic Librarian of the Year Award

 

The Minnesota Academic Librarian of the Year Award was established in 2006 by the Academic & Research Libraries Division (ARLD) of the Minnesota Library Association (MLA).  ARLD is the Minnesota chapter of the national Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association. 

 

Award

This award recognizes an academic librarian who has made an outstanding contribution to academic libraries or librarianship in Minnesota.

 

Recognition of Award

The recipient of the Minnesota Academic Librarian of the Year Award is recognized at the Awards Banquet at the MLA Annual Conference and is presented with a plaque.

 

Criteria

Nominees should have notable and demonstrated achievements in one or more of the following areas:

·          Service to Minnesota libraries

·          Significant and influential academic library service

·          Leadership in the planning or implementation of a model academic library program or project

·          Contributions to academic librarianship through research and publication

 

Eligibility

Nominees must be a member of ARLD[1] and a member of MLA for the latest two years. 

 

Selection Process

The MLA/ARLD Awards committee receives and evaluates nominations from the ARLD membership. Individuals submitting nominations must submit the following:

 

Notification

The award recipient will be notified prior to the MLA Annual Conference. The recipient will be announced and awarded a plaque at the MLA Awards Banquet at the MLA Annual Conference held each fall. Announcements will also be sent to the ALA Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Chapter Topics Newsletter and to the MLA Newsletter, and will be posted on the ARLD Web site at http://www.mnlibraryassociation.org/ARLD%202005.htm .

 

 

 

MLA staff support for ARLD

 

The staff in the MLA office support the activities of ARLD in a variety of ways:

 

 

 

Relationship with ACRL

 

ARLD serves as the Minnesota Chapter of ACRL, and ACRL members residing in Minnesota are automatically members of ARLD, whether they belong to MLA or not.

 

ACRL does not seem to communicate this to their members, so it falls to ARLD.

 

ARLD’s responsibilities to ACRL include sending someone to ACRL Chapter Council meetings at ALA Annual and Midwinter, monitoring the Chapter Council listserv, and contributing news to Chapter Topics, the Chapter Council e-newsletter.

 

The ARLD Chair submits an annual report to the ACRL office in August. ACRL will send the chapter $1 for each member, and $10 for each new member, if the chapter has incurred expenses that fall into the categories specified by ACRL.

 

 

 

Volunteer Opportunities

 

·         Special projects, such as the ARLD Recruiting brochure

·         Vendor Relations Coordinator

·         Library student and Library school liaison

·         MLA committee liaison, including Awards, Membership, Legislative, Intellectual Freedom,       Newsletter, and Nominations

·         Chairing special ARLD events, e.g. @ Your Library training

·         Events assistance including registration, assisting speakers, signage

 

CALENDAR

January

                       

ARLD Day

 

MLA meeting

 

ALA Midwinter

 

February

                       

ARLD Day

 

MLA meeting –

 

MLA/MEMO Legislative Day (May be March - depends on when the session starts)

 

March

 

ARLD Day

 

MLA meeting

 

April

 

ARLD Day