UMBC LIBRARY GOVERNANCE PROPOSAL
Preamble: The following governance structure is intended to provide a means for broad
staff participation in Library-wide communication and decision making together with an
efficient, relatively small group charged with leadership and planning responsibilities, in
accord with consultant recommendations and the majority view of the Library Council.
LIBRARY ASSEMBLY:
Membership: All Library & Gallery staff, i.e. Library persons employed on a regular or
contingent basis.
Functions: Discussion and advising on policies, services, programs, and strategic
planning; sharing information with staff; advancement of staff knowledge base and
skills; development of mentoring and professional growth opportunities.
Officers: The Assembly shall elect a Chair, a Vice Chair, and a Secretary. The Chair is
responsible for chairing the meetings of the Assembly, organizing and overseeing the
business of the Assembly, and representing the Assembly in the Library Executive
Council, as needed. The Vice Chair assists the Chair in carrying out these responsibilities
and represents the Chair in the absence of the Chair. The Secretary is responsible for the
minutes of the Assembly’s meetings and other records of the Assembly. The Chair, Vice
Chair, and Secretary of the Assembly meet as needed with the Director of the Library, on
their initiative, to address issues of interest to the Assembly and to advise the Director.
Meetings: Quorum is 25% of the eligible staff. The Assembly shall meet monthly and
shall determine its own rules and procedures (e.g. election of officers, terms of officers,
etc.). In the absence of explicit meeting rules adopted by the Assembly, the latest edition
of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern meetings. Minutes will be distributed to all staff.
The first meeting will be convened, by the Director, as a Library Staff meeting at which a
committee will be formed to establish the Assembly, draft rules of procedure and
organize the election of officers.
LIBRARY EXECUTIVE COUNCIL:
Membership shall be the following 10 people, though other members of the staff are
invited to report to the LEC on specific issues, as appropriate:
Director
Associate Directors
Acquisitions Librarian
Senior Catalog Librarian
Chief Curator
Circulation Systems Librarian
Collection Management Librarian
Head of Reference
Serials Librarian
Function: To establish overall direction of the Library & Gallery, including budget,
policy, strategic planning and operations. Decisions will be by consensus, and where
consensus does not occur the LEC shall be advisory to the Director.
Meetings: As needed and at least once per month.
TEST PERIOD:
These arrangements will be tested for one year and then evaluated after that time. There
will be an interim assessment at the end of the Spring 2002 semester.
Comments:
1. Comparison with UMCP’s “A Plan of Governance for the University of Maryland
Libraries”: See: http://www.lib.umd.edu/PUB/planofgovernance.html.
Because of differences in size and tradition between UMBC and UMCP, this plan differs
from UMCP’s plan of governance in several ways. First, the Assembly at UMCP is for
Library Faculty with limited representation of other staff, while the proposal for UMBC
includes all regular and contingent staff, which is a less common governance
arrangement in medium and large libraries but justifiable here in terms of our size and
staff interest in governance. Second, the Assembly is a more self-determining body in
the proposal for UMBC than it is at UMCP, with respect to committees and rules. Third,
this proposal has the Assembly’s three officers advise the Director instead of creating
another body, the “Advisory Council,” to do that. The proposed Library Executive
Council is larger than UMCP’s, however, in response to a number of comments from
UMBC librarians; this body would still be considerably smaller than the current LC.
2. The Assembly would replace the current Library-wide staff meetings, and be modeled
somewhat after the UMBC Faculty Senate. On that model, the Assembly could (but
would not be required to) invite the Director of the Library to summarize Library
developments since the last such meeting and issues in progress or anticipated; the
Director could answer questions and leave the meeting prior to its conducting any further
business it may have.
3. The LEC would have the primary responsibility for leadership of the Library. The
Assembly, its Chair’s informal liaison to the LEC and its officers’ consultations with the
Director, would assure that there is sufficient involvement on the part of staff generally.
lw/planning/governance proposal rev2
libdocs/plans/consultant report/governance proposal rev2
10/22/01 draft, rev 10/23/01, 11/19/01 LW