RUSA Orientation for Division Committee Chairs 2015-2016 REFERENCE AND USER SERVICES ASSOCIATION, A DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, CHICAGO IL. WWW.ALA.ORG/RUSA Table of Contents RUSA Orientation for Division Committee Chairs Calendar Committee Meetings Committee Meeting Minutes Template Committee Membership: Terms and Expectations Committee Report Template Committee Reports Director-at-Large Committee Liaisons Meeting Minutes Responsibilities of Chairs Virtual Meetings Who to Go to If Your Questions are Not Answered Above 2 RUSA Orientation for Division Committee Chairs 2015-2016 Your Responsibilities as a Chair Submit committee news and activities twice a year, or SEND CONTENT more, to the RUSA Update editor Carol Schuetz, FOR Carol_Carson@baylor.edu, by the requested deadlines. If RUSA UPDATE possible, try to organize content by type: REGULARLY! Note from Chair Announcements Committee Report Read and become familiar with the RUSA strategic plan. Communicate regularly with your committee members throughout the year and encourage participation. Post updates as required to your committee’s Connect workspace regarding committee activities (goals, summary of current activities, minutes, etc.). Communicate regularly with your RUSA board liaison. RUSA board liaisons to RUSA standing committees may be found here: http://www.ala.org/rusa/contact/rosters (scroll down to RUSA Board Liaisons to RUSA Standing Committees). Review your committee roster and report any changes needed to the RUSA office. The rosters turn over in early July to the new committee members, so you may not see yourself listed until then. Attend the major RUSA signature events whenever possible to represent and inform visitors about the work of RUSA and the sections and encourage new membership. Communicate regularly with your committee throughout the year and encourage participation. Establish the committee goals for the forthcoming year *Signature RUSA Events* Lead and monitor your committee’s work towards Book & Media Awards accomplishing annual goal(s) reception at Midwinter Chair all meetings. Awards Ceremony at Annual Be aware of RUSA and ALA policies. Committee chairs RUSA Social at Midwinter should examine the RUSA Guide to Policies and Procedures RUSA 101 at Annual available online in the “Our Association” portion of the RUSA President’s Program RUSA web site. If you have questions, consult with the at Annual RUSA Executive Committee and/or RUSA Executive Carnegie Medals Ceremony Director. You may also find the ALA Policy Manual helpful. at Annual Be conscientious about maintaining a record of your Literary Tastes Author committee’s activities in Connect for current, future, and Event at Annual potential members as well as for the committee’s history! Prepare items for the board agenda when appropriate. 3 Action items are due by noon the day before the board meeting. The action item form is sent to committee chairs before each board meeting, but is also posted to the Connect group for Committee Chairs here: http://connect.ala.org/node/211727. You will be added to this group in early July. Work with your committee to schedule committee meetings held during the year. Make recommendations for committee appointments to the RUSA Vice-President/PresidentElect. Send a committee report twice a year to the RUSA executive director for each board meeting, and post all reports to the Connect workspace for section and committee reports here: http://connect.ala.org/node/207988. Committee Meetings *PLEASE NOTE: Terms for selected RUSA award committees are different from other committees, with a start date of February 1 through January 31.* Scheduling Conference Meetings: In 2016, the RUSA office will be scheduling all committee meetings. More information about this will be sent after the 2015 annual conference. USE YOUR ALA CONNECT GROUP AS YOUR VIRTUAL WORKSPACE! You must have at least 2 committee meetings. You are encouraged to schedule additional meetings with your committee members as needed. Adobe Connect, RUSA’s virtual meeting software, or RUSA’s free teleconference service may be used for virtual meetings; all committee chairs should get training before using Adobe Connect software if they intend to hold virtual meetings. No training is required for teleconferences. Best Practices Midwinter Meeting: At least one meeting should be held before or during the ALA Midwinter Conference. This meeting can be held virtually or in-person at the Midwinter Conference. If your meeting will be virtual, post public meeting announcements on RUSA-L and in Connect. Annual Meeting: The other meeting should be held between the ALA Midwinter and Annual Conferences or during the ALA Annual Conference. This meeting may also be held virtually or in-person at the Annual Conference. If your meeting will be virtual, post public meeting announcements on RUSA-L and in Connect. Finding a Time: Use Doodle (http://www.doodle.com) to find a time when at least 1/2 of your committee can meet. Open Meetings: Due to ALA's open meeting policy, any meetings held outside the in-person Midwinter Meeting or Send out agendas at least a week in advance for any meeting & include meeting format as well as information to access the technology. Set Firm Deadlines: When asking for availability or working on projects, give firm deadlines. People have an easier time responding & completing work if there are firm deadlines. Remind, remind, remind: Send multiple reminders to your committee members regarding meetings AND deadlines. Start and finish your meetings on time. Welcome different opinions to support robust decision-making and to prevent group-think. Challenge ideas, not individuals. Be polite, and treat all with respect. 4 Annual Conference meeting must be announced and posted along with all of the details for attending to RUSA-L, any other appropriate online discussion list, and in ALA Connect (marked as public), at least 2 weeks before the scheduled meeting. Only executive sessions may be closed (see ALA’s open meeting policy 7.4.4: http://www.ala.org/aboutala/governance/policymanual/updatedpolicymanual/section1/7confe rences#A.7.4.4). Virtual Meetings RUSA makes virtual meeting software (Adobe Connect) and free conference call numbers available for virtual meetings and teleconferences respectively. For complete information about holding virtual meetings, go here: http://tinyurl.com/notypoc. REQUEST A VIRTUAL MEETING ROOM HERE: http://tinyurl.com/n92aonf Adobe Connect: You may choose to use the virtual meeting software, Adobe Connect, offered by RUSA. If you would like to hold an Adobe Connect meeting, schedule your meeting by following the instructions on how to “Reserve an Adobe Connect Room” here: http://tinyurl.com/n92aonf. Adobe Connect Training: All chairs must get training on Adobe Connect in order to hold a virtual meeting. For more information on setting up an Adobe Connect training session, go here: http://tinyurl.com/m5a5zdy. Teleconference Calls: You may use the free conference call service offered by RUSA for your meeting if you prefer. For more information on holding a teleconference meeting using RUSA’s teleconference service, go here: http://tinyurl.com/mhz9npo. No training is necessary to use this service. REQUEST A TELECONFERENCE NUMBER HERE: http://tinyurl.com/mhz9npo Meeting Minutes: Why? How? Why: Committee minutes are for current and future members of the committee. They help record action items and discussion points. They are essential for keeping track of progress and enabling continuity in the committee. Establishing a minutes template is highly recommended. A template will standardize minutes content, aid in retrieving information and help reduce error. A basic template usually includes: Meeting Name Date & Time of Meeting Committee Members Present/Absent ALL MEETINGS MUST HAVE MINUTES whether the meeting is held in‐person or virtually: Minutes should be posted in the Committee’s Connect workspace as a public document as soon as possible after the meeting. 5 Venue The body of the committee meeting minutes records what has been transpired during the meeting: Issues Discussion Action By (Source: Committee Meeting Minutes Template. http://www.sampletemplate.net/committeemeeting-minutes-template.html). A sample minutes template is located at the end of this document. Please feel free to use it or revise it for your meetings. Additional sample templates may be found by searching online. RECORD IT! SHARE IT! How: Post minutes to the committee’s ALA Connect workspace within two weeks of the meeting under the category Minutes (you may have to create this category for your workspace). Set the minutes to “public” access. Committee Reports: Why? How? Why: Members of the RUSA Board and Organization & Planning committee need to continuously report on, and assess the work of the sections and committees. The report of current activities enables them to get a quick snapshot of the committee’s work and ensure that work is progressing. MINUTES vs. REPORTS Minutes contain details of a meeting, including discussion points, questions, and action items. The Report is a 1-2 page summary/ How: Reports should be submitted at least twice a year: overview of activities and plans one for each conference. The report should be a one- or covering the last several months. two-page summary and succinctly summarize the work and plans of the committee or section over the past several months. It also should connect the committee activities and goals to the RUSA strategic plan whenever possible. The report should be posted as “public” in the committee’s ALA Connect workspace and also posted to the Connect Section and Committee Reports group here: connect.ala.org/node/207988. Reports for conferences should be posted within two weeks before or after the January and June conference meetings. In addition, please send a copy to the RUSA POST COMMITTEE REPORTS executive director when the report is posted so that it HERE: may be posted to the Connect Board group. connect.ala.org/node/207988 A sample report template is located at the end of this document. Please feel free to use it or revise it for your reports. Additional sample templates may be found by and send a copy to the executive director 6 searching online. Committee Membership: Terms and Expectations Expectations: We expect that all members will be active, participating members on committees. Committee work includes participating in email conversations, completing any work assigned or volunteered, and making a genuine effort to attend meetings. Although conference attendance is not required, we do expect committee members to COMMUNICATE REGULARLY participate in any virtual meetings. Everyone on your committee is a full member. There is no distinction made WITH YOUR MEMBERS! between virtual and in‐person (conference attendee) Write to welcome all members membership. Ask all members to introduce Appointments and Reappointments: Appointments are made in the spring, with terms beginning July 1. The RUSA president-elect will contact you in the spring to ask about reappointments. Selected award committees have terms beginning February 1 through January 31. Appointments should be completed by June 1, whenever possible. Occasionally, it may be difficult to find volunteers for some committees. In those cases, members may be appointed after the June 1 deadline. themselves virtually in the committee’s Connect group Prepare an introduction to the committee’s work Share any committee policies and procedures or manuals with the members Encourage all new committee members to attend Annual conference before their term Reappointments are not automatic. Active committee starts members may be reappointed. Let the RUSA presidentelect know if you believe a committee member should be removed from the committee due to non-performance of committee responsibilities. Terms: Committee terms begin officially on July 1 (at the conclusion of the ALA Annual Conference) and end on June 30, with the exception of selected awards committees who conduct their work from February 1 to January 31. Members can have consecutive terms on a committee (for a total of 4 years, with the exception of awards committees). New Members: You will be informed of new committee members whose terms begin July 1 by the President-Elect whenever possible. The committee rosters turn over around July 2, unless otherwise notified. The new rosters will reflect the newly appointed committee members here: http://www.ala.org/rusa/contact/rosters. You must login using your ALA login to see the full contact information for each committee member. Encourage newly appointed committee members to attend your meeting at the Annual Conference, even though their term hasn’t officially begun. Include them in your committee’s communication and make them feel welcome! 7 Website Committee Rosters: Section and Division Committee rosters refresh on July 2, unless otherwise notified. You will be asked to review your roster(s) for any discrepancies and report them to the RUSA web manager, Andrea Hill, ahill@ala.org for correction in July/August. Visitors: A visitor is often a potential new member of your committee! Tell your visitor about the committee’s activities and ask them about their interests. If they would like to become a member of your committee, make sure to record their email address and have them get in touch with the RUSA president-elect. HOWEVER, let them know there may be a waiting list to be on selected RUSA committees. Committee Liaisons from RUSA Board Selected RUSA standing committees have a liaison from the RUSA Board who is available to answer any questions throughout the year and will also maintain awareness of your committee’s goals and activities. Committee Committee Chair RUSA Board Liaison Access to Information Janet O'Keefe jokeefe@fpl.info Jennifer Boettcher boettcher@georgetown.edu Awards Coordinating Edward Kownslar edward.kownslar@tamucc.edu Margaret W. Ellingson libmgw@emory.edu Conference Program Coordinating Don Boozer librarian.don@gmail.com Danise Hoover dhoover@hunter.cuny.edu Membership Ann Brown agbrown@email.gwu.edu Mary Mintz mmintz@american.edu Organization and Planning Anne Houston annehouston2@gmail.com Joseph Thompson thompson@hcplonline.org Professional Development Elizabeth Kline klinee@email.arizona.edu Stephanie Atkins Sharpe satkins@wustl.edu Publications & Communications Elizabeth German egerman@library.tamu.edu Louise Feldmann louise.feldmann@colostate.edu Standards and Guidelines Bryna Coonin cooninb@ecu.edu Ed Garcia edprism@gmail.com 8 2015-2016 Chair Calendar (FY2016) [Dates in red may slightly change for 2015-2016 year] 2015: Jul through Sept: Attend the RUSA Committee Chair virtual orientation. Jul through Sept: Review your committee roster on the website and report anything that needs to be corrected to the RUSA Web Manager, Andrea Hill, ahill@ala.org by September 30. Jul through Dec: Post minutes to the appropriate Connect workspace as soon as possible after each committee meeting. Make sure you post them as public documents. Aug/Sept: Set up a doodle to plan dates and times for virtual committee meetings before Midwinter Conference where at least half of the members can attend. Aug/Sept: If planning virtual meetings using Adobe Connect, schedule your training session here: http://tinyurl.com/m5a5zdy. Aug through Dec: If planning virtual meetings for the coming year using Adobe Connect, reserve your upcoming virtual meeting rooms by following the instructions here: http://tinyurl.com/n92aonf. Aug through Dec. If planning simple teleconferences for the coming year, reserve a teleconference line by following the instructions here: http://tinyurl.com/mhz9npo. Aug through Dec: Nov 16: Nov/Dec: If holding virtual meetings, post meeting announcement on RUSA-L and public post in Connect RUSA Update Winter 2015/2016 (Pre-Annual) content DUE by EOB to editor, Carol Schuetz, Carol_Carson@baylor.edu Set up doodle to plan dates and times for virtual committee meetings between Midwinter Conference and Annual Conference where at least half of the members can attend. 9 Nov/Dec: If planning to meet at Annual Conference, schedule meetings when instructions are received from ALA Conference Services. 2016: Jan 1 through Feb. 15: Committee reports due to the RUSA Office within two weeks before or after each board meeting. Reports will be posted publicly to the RUSA board Connect workspace by the RUSA executive director. Also: post all reports to the RUSA Connect Committee and Section Reports group here: http://connect.ala.org/node/207988. Jan through June: Post minutes to the appropriate Connect workspace as soon as possible after each committee meeting. Make sure you post them as public documents. Jan through June: If planning virtual meetings for the coming months using Adobe Connect, reserve a virtual meeting room by following the instructions here: www.ala.org/rusa/virtualmeetings/adobeconnect#room. Jan through June: If planning simple teleconferences for the coming year, reserve a teleconference line by following the instructions here: www.ala.org/rusa/virtualmeetings/adobeconnect#tollfree. Jan through July: If holding virtual meetings, post meeting announcement on RUSA-L and public post in Connect May 1 RUSA Update Spring 15 (Pre-Annual) content DUE by EOB to editor, Carol Schuetz, Carol_Carson@baylor.edu Jun 1 through Jul 15: Committee reports due to the RUSA Office within two weeks before or after each board meeting. Reports will be posted publicly to the RUSA board Connect workspace. Also: post all reports to the RUSA Connect Committee and Section Reports group here: http://connect.ala.org/node/207988. 10 COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TEMPLATE NAME OF COMMITTEE MEETING Date: Note Taker: Attendees: Actions taken since last meeting Agenda Topic 1 Discussion Conclusions Action Items Person Responsible Deadline Agenda Topic 2 Discussion 11 Conclusions Action Items Person Responsible Deadline Person Responsible Deadline Person Responsible Deadline Agenda Topic 3 Discussion Conclusions Action Items Agenda Topic 4 Discussion Conclusions Action Items Agenda Topic 5 12 Discussion Conclusions Action Items Person Responsible Deadline 13 RUSA [NAME OF COMMITTEE] REPORT Please submit committee reports twice a year; they are due within 2 weeks before or after each Midwinter and Annual conference. Committee reports differ from minutes: minutes contain details of a meeting, including discussion points, questions, and action items; a report is a 1-2 page summary/overview of activities and plans covering the last several months. Post all reports to: http://connect.ala.org/node/207988 and label accordingly. In addition, please send a copy to shornung@ala.org for distribution to RUSA Board DATE: COMMITTEE NAME: NAME OF COMMITTEE CHAIR/CO-CHAIRS: COMMITTEE MEMBERS: ACTION ITEMS IN PROGRESS / PENDING: ACCOMPLISHMENTS / ACTION ITEMS COMPLETED AND WHICH RUSA STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS/OBJECTIVES THEY SUPPORT: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE: . OTHER COMMENTS: SUBMITTED BY: 14 Who to Go to If Your Questions Are Not Answered Above Being a committee or section chair is a rewarding volunteer job and we thank you for the generous donation of your time and energy. We will strive to answer all your questions as soon as possible to assist you in carrying out your responsibilities. If some of your questions are not covered above, or at the virtual orientation, please feel free to contact any one of the following people: RUSA Executive Director, Susan Hornung, shornung@ala.org RUSA President, Anne Houston, annehouston2@gmail.com RUSA Past President, Joe Thompson, thompson@hcplonline.org RUSA Secretary, Kate Oberg, kathryn.oberg@gmail.com RUSA Councilor, Sarah Hammill, hammills@fiu.edu This document is also posted in the ALA Connect workspace (http://connect.ala.org/node/226047) for RUSA committee chairs; all updates will be posted to this group. Rev. June 17, 2015, SH 15