50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611
To:
PLA Candidates Standing for Election on the 2015 Ballot
From:
Barb Macikas
Re:
Candidate Fact Sheet
Thank you for agreeing to stand for election for the PLA Board of Directors. The work of the Association
is guided by a combination of the president, board, committees, and staff all working together to
implement the PLA strategic plan. This memo provides information about the role and responsibilities of
the office of the PLA president.
The Board of Director position is a three-year term of service. The three-year term begins after the 2015
ALA Annual Conference. There are no official responsibilities at the 2015 Annual Conference.
During the three-year term, attendance is required at the following meetings. (Please note that though
I do not anticipate changes, the schedule is subject to change).
At ALA conferences:

PLA Board Meetings: There is typically one board meeting at Midwinter and one at Annual; both
on Saturday afternoon beginning at 1:30 pm and ending at approximately 4:30 pm. The Board
uses a consent agenda and is actively engaged in knowledge-based decision making as a
fundamental organizational protocol. The Board meetings are scheduled so that they do not
conflict with the ALA Council meetings.
Other meetings:

Fall PLA Board of Directors Meeting: Generally scheduled to coincide with the ALA executive
board meeting in Chicago in late October (date TBD), the PLA board meets on Friday morning; in
the afternoon all of the divisions’ Executive Committees meet with the ALA Executive Board.
Assuming the agenda requires it, the PLA board meeting resumes on Saturday morning and
finishes by noon.

Spring PLA Board of Directors Meeting: This meeting is usually held the day ahead of the ALA
Legislative Day in Washington DC in early May. Once again, the board uses a consent agenda
and is actively engaged in knowledge-based decision making as a fundamental organizational
protocol. It is very important that board members read the board documents prior to the board
meetings so that the board can spend their time together as productively as possible.
Not required to attend but important:
At ALA Conference:

PLA President’s Program and Awards Ceremony at ALA Annual Conference: The President’s
Program is scheduled for Sunday at 1 pm. The time is predicated by the time-slots ALA makes
available for scheduling meetings. The PLA president presides at this event and the Board is
encouraged to attend.

All-Committee Meeting: PLA encourages all committees and working groups to meet during the
all-committee meeting time, Saturday morning at Annual and Midwinter. Typically, board
members will serve on one or more of these committees as a member or as liaison.
At PLA Conference:

PLA 2016 Conference, Denver. The PLA president presides during this conference and will share
conference responsibilities with the PLA president-elect. The specifics will be determined closer
to the conference in consultation with the president, president-elect and staff. There are no
business meetings held at PLA conferences per ALA policy.
NOTE: PLA pays for housing and travel expenses for attendance at the fall/spring meetings. PLA does
not pay travel expenses for attendance at ALA Annual Conference, ALA Midwinter Meeting or PLA
Conference.
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Other responsibilities:
 The PLA president is responsible for writing six columns that will appear in Public Libraries, the
journal of the Public Library Association. The editor of the journal will contact the president with
information about column length, style, and deadlines.

The president makes the appointments to most PLA committees and appoints liaisons to a
selected group of ALA committees. Additionally, the president-elect is responsible for making
appointments to a few committees. PLA staff will notify each regarding appointments soon
after the announcement of the election results.

The PLA president routinely receives many calls from the press. Most calls are routed to the
president through the ALA Public Information Office. PIO and PLA will provide the president
with talking points and background information as needed; the PLA president-elect will receive
media training during the president-elect orientation in the fall 2013.

The PLA president typically introduces the PLA webinars, usually held once a month. PLA staff
will script the introductions and will provide an orientation to the webinar platform.

ALA policy prohibits service on more than three committees. If elected, you may have to limit
your other association activities during your three-year term of service, as PLA board meetings
take precedence over other association activities.
Information and resources:
The PLA web site is an excellent source of information about PLA. You will note there that PLA
maintains Facebook and Twitter sites. In addition, PLA members and staff are on the ALA
member network, ALA Connect, see: http://connect.ala.org/pla
If you would like to review board meeting agendas or documents for the past few years’
meetings, please see: http://connect.ala.org/node/64035
A handy calendar of ALA planned dates can be found on the ALA web site here.
Future ALA conferences dates and locations may be found here.
PLA is a strong and vibrant organization as a result of the wonderful member leaders who contribute
their time and talents to the organization. Thank you for your support of PLA and for agreeing to stand
for this vital leadership position. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at
bmacikas@ala.org or 800-545-2433 x5028.
Attachments
-- PLA Guidelines for Candidates for Office
--2015 PLA Slate of Candidates
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