IV. STANDING COMMITTEES

General Guidelines

I. Formation & Dissolution

1. Standing Committees shall be authorized by the Association or by the Executive Board.
2. A Standing Committee may be discontinued by the action of the Association or by the Executive Board.
3. Standing Committees shall include the following:

1. Annual Conference
2. Awards
3. Budget/Finance
4. Bylaws/Handbook
5. Conference Site Selection
6. Continuing Education
7. Intellectual Freedom
8. Legislative
9. Long-Range Planning
10. Membership
11. Nominating
12. Personnel
13. Publications

4. The guidelines for the various Standing Committees shall not be in opposition to the Association Bylaws. Changes in guidelines shall be presented to the Bylaws/Handbook Committee for review and the Executive Board for approval.

II. Membership & Responsibilities

1. Membership
   1. Chairs of all Standing Committees are appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Board with the exception of Annual Conference, Budget/Finance, Bylaws/Handbook, and Long-Range Planning.
   2. The Chair of each Standing Committee attends the Executive Board meetings, but is not a voting member.
   3. Requirements and composition of membership of Standing Committees are described in the individual guidelines for each committee in this Handbook. Only personal members of the Association may serve as committee members.

B. Standing Committee Chairs Responsibilities

1. Report at Executive Board meetings on their activities.
2. Copies of all correspondence and minutes must be sent to the Executive Office for the official archives.
3. Standing Committees should consider sponsoring a program at the Annual Conference. Arrangements must be coordinated with the Conference Coordinator.
4. Each Standing Committee shall meet throughout the year to conduct Association business.
5. Each Standing Committee shall send to the Executive Office any notices and information suitable for dissemination to the membership
6. Annual Report

1. The Chair of each Standing Committee shall prepare a verbal report to be presented to the Association at the Annual Conference.
2. The Chair of each Standing Committee shall submit a written annual report to the Executive Office immediately after the Annual Conference for dissemination to the membership.

7. Financial Support

1. A Standing Committee is eligible to request financial support from the Association upon the presentation of a budget request.
2. The budget requests should be presented to the Executive Director no later than November 1 and should be based on the program of activities planned by the Standing Committee for the ensuing year.
3. Standing Committee Chairs shall be responsible for keeping expenditures within allotments made by the Executive Board.
4. Funds for the Annual Conference programs are requested separately. Requests are made in writing to the MLA Executive Office.
5. Workshops held during the year must be self-supporting through registration fees or outside funding sources. A higher registration fee is to be charged for attendees who are not MLA members, unless a reciprocal agreement is in force, or it is a co-sponsored event.

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STANDING COMMITTEES

1. ANNUAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

2. Membership

The Annual Conference Committee is composed of the following:

1. The Conference Coordinator of MLA shall serve as chair.
2. The Local Arrangements Chair is appointed by the by the Conference Coordinator with the approval of the Executive Board.
3. An individual representing the exhibitors group shall be selected from and by the exhibitors group.
4. The Executive Director (ex officio).
5. A representative of any Division, SIGs or Committee.
6. Additional members may be appointed by the Conference Coordinator.

3. Duties
   1. The Annual Conference Committee is responsible for the planning and execution of the annual conference.
   2. Specific duties of committee members are outlined in Section VIII.
   3. Specific duties of committee members shall be outlined in an annual conference handbook.

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B. AWARDS COMMITTEE

A. Membership

The Awards Committee shall consist of three members, each of whom shall serve athree-year term. A member will be appointed annually by the President with the approval of the Executive Board and shall serve as chair in their third year.

B. Duties

1. The Awards Committee annually solicits nominees for MLA Awards. Deadline for receipt of nominees is June 1st.

2. The MLA Awards are:

1. Meritorious Achievement Award
2. MLA Literary Award
3. Outstanding New Librarian's Award
4. Public Relations Achievement Award
5. MLNC/MLA (Bohley) Award
6. Ronald G. Bohley Scholarship Award Fund

3. Criteria for these awards are found in the Policy & Procedure Manual at the end of the Handbook.

4. The Committee considers the nominations and forwards their recommendations to the MLA President for Executive Board approval.

5. The Committee need not recommend a recipient if, in their opinion, no one has been nominated who qualifies under the established criteria.

6. The Awards will be presented at the Awards Banquet at the MLA Conference by the Awards Committee chair or an appointed representative.

C. BUDGET/FINANCE COMMITTEE

A. Membership

1. The Budget and Finance Committee shall consist of six members appointed by the President. The Treasurer shall serve as chair of the Budget and Finance committee.
2. Members will serve three-year terms.
3. The MLA President and the Executive Director shall serve as non-voting ex-officio members of the Budget and Finance Committee. The MLA President may vote only in case of a tie.

B. Duties

1. Meets prior to the November Orientation Executive Board Meeting with the incoming and outgoing committee members to prepare the budget for the coming year.
2. Sends Executive Board members a copy of the proposed budget at least one week prior to the November Orientation Executive Board Meeting where it will be approved.
3. Advises the Executive Board on all Association matters with significant fiscal impact.
4. Develops and maintains a fiscal policy manual for the Association.
5. Prepares a report of the financial condition of the Association for the annual membership meeting.
6. Monitors the Executive Director in the maintenance of a proper set of financial records.
7. Recommends long-range plans to ensure the fiscal strength of the Association.
8. Reviews, at least every three years, all regular income sources of the Association(i.e. membership dues, conference registration, vendor rates at conference) to determine if they need to be adjusted.
9. Advises the Executive Board on investment of Association funds.
10. Advises the Executive Board on capital purchases.
11. Submits annual professional audit to the Executive Board.

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D. BYLAWS/HANDBOOK COMMITTEE

A. Membership

This Committee shall consist of three members, each of whom shall serve a three-year term. A new member will be appointed annually by the President and shall serve as chair in their third year.

B. Duties

1. Reviews the activities of the Association and its units for the purpose of determining if such activities are in conflict with the Bylaws of the Association.
2. Receives and reviews suggestions from members for proposed changes to the Bylaws and recommends, when necessary, changes in the Bylaws to the Executive Board and to the membership at the annual meeting.
3. In January of each year, reviews proposed changes in the Handbook to be sure they conform to the MLA Bylaws.
4. Sends any proposed Bylaws changes to the Executive Board for consideration at least five months prior to the Annual Business Meeting. This time period is necessary to get Executive Board approval and publicize the proposed changes prior to voting on them at the Annual Business Meeting.

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CONFERENCE SITE SELECTION COMMITTEE*

1. Membership
   1. The Conference Site Selection Committee shall consist of the following members:  President-Elect, Conference Coordinator, Past-Conference Coordinator, ALA Councilor, both Members-at-Large and the Executive Director.
   2. The Past-Conference Coordinator will serve as chair.
   3. Interested MLA members are encouraged to attend committee meetings and/or provide input.
2. Duties
   1. Determines the location of the conference two years in advance.
   2. Identifies, visits and evaluates possible facilities for the conference.
   3. Selects conference dates based on the availability of facilities, significant religious holidays, and ALA’s calendar.
   4. Presents tentative facilities and dates for the conference to the Executive Board for approval.
   5. Requests technical assessment of the proposed facility by MOREnet

F. CONTINUING EDUCATION COMMITTEE

1. Membership

1. The Continuing Education Committee shall consist of a minimum of five members. These members should include representatives from continuing education providers and users groups, all geographical regions of the state, professional and support staff, and all types of libraries.
2. The President shall appoint members for three year staggered terms. A chair will be appointed by the President from members of the Committee who have served at least one year on the committee.
3. Ex-officio members of this group shall include: Regional Trainers Group representatives (i.e. MOREnet, MLNC, KCMLIN, MOBIUS); State Library Continuing Education Coordinator; School of Information Science & Learning Technologies (SISLT); MASL representative; Professionalism, Education, Employment, and Recruitment (PEER); Children’s Services Round Table (CSRT) and Young Adult (YA) SIG representatives.
4. At least one meeting annually of this committee will include all ex-officio members to review continuing education activities around the state. Ex-officio members are encouraged, but not required, to attend other meetings of the CE committee.
5. Ex-officio members will assist and advise the committee on continuing education activities as needed.

1. Duties

1. The chair of the committee liaises with the PEER SIG to cooperatively plan activities. They are also an ex-officio member of the Regional Trainers Group.
2. Coordinates support for continuing education programs around the state.
3. Creates and maintains:
   1. Lists of courses being offered and the providers of these courses
   2. Point of contact and expert lists for the use of members interested in specific areas of librarianship
4. Provides regular communication to the MLA membership of Continuing Education activities.
5. Provides material to the MLA office for the CE section of the MLA webpage.
6. Prepares a quarterly report of Continuing Education activities and provides it to the Executive Office for publication.

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G. INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM COMMITTEE

A. Membership

1. The Intellectual Freedom Committee shall consist of at least seven but no more than ten members representing all types of libraries (i.e. college/research, public, school, special).
2. Members shall serve three-year, staggered terms.
3. The Chair shall be appointed by the President from members who have served at least one year on the committee.

B. Duties

1. Monitors legislation and other efforts that affect first amendment rights to libraries, librarians, and their clientele.
2. Encourages libraries to protect those rights by:
   1. Adopting the Freedom to Read Statement, the Library Bill of Rights, and other statements adopted by the American Library Association and endorsed by the Missouri Library Association.
   2. Adopting selection and collection development policies that protect against challenges.
   3. Providing training opportunities, in conjunction with the Continuing Education Committee, with regard to intellectual freedom issues.

C. Policies

See: Statement on Intellectual Freedom in MLA’s Policies and Procedure Manual.

8. LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

   1. Membership
      1. The Legislative Committee shall be composed of at least ten members but not more than fifteen, with representation from all types of libraries (i.e., college/research, public, school, special) and the Trustees/Friends group.
      2. Members shall be appointed by the President for three-year staggered terms.
      3. The chair shall be appointed by the President from members who have served at least one year on the Committee. The chair shall serve for a two-year term.
      4. One member of the Committee shall be designated as the Federal Legislation Coordinator to monitor library legislation at the federal level.
      5. The MLA Executive Director and Legislative Advocate shall serve as ex-officio non-voting members.
      6. The State Librarian or designated representative of the State Library shall be invited to attend meetings of the Legislative Committee.

      B. Duties

      1. Maintains a network of librarians (college/research, public, special, school) and trustee/citizens throughout the state to serve as contacts and to aid in disseminating information and gathering support for MLA's legislative efforts.
      2. Reviews and reports to the President on bills in the Missouri General Assembly affecting libraries in the state and acts upon the instruction of the Executive Board.
      3. Submits a legislative program for each year for approval by the Executive Board and for approval by the membership at the annual meeting.
      4. Develops a legislative position statement for MLA after consultation with the President and a majority of the officers (except in extreme circumstances), relating to legislative items which are not part of the legislative package but are of interest or concern to Missouri libraries.

      C. Policies

      See: Policies and Procedure Manual for MLA’s Policies on Legislative Matters.

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      I. LONG RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE

1. Membership
   1. The Long Range Planning Committee shall consist of at least ten but no more than fifteen members, representing different types of libraries, library agencies,(e.g., the State Library, MU, SISLT), and constituencies (e.g. trustees, and friends.) An attempt should be made to achieve geographic distribution when selecting members for the committee.
   2. The President shall appoint members for three-year staggered terms.
2. Chair
   1. The Past-President shall serve as chair of the committee.
   2. The chair will call and conduct meetings, appoint members, and prepare the annual committee report to the Association.
3. Duties
   1. Determines goals for the Missouri Library Association.
   2. Determines achievable objectives to fulfill those goals.
   3. Assesses the role of Missouri Library Association and its subgroups toward achieving those goals and objectives.
   4. Annually reviews and updates a strategic plan reflecting these goals and objectives.
   5. Keeps the membership of the Missouri Library Association apprised of their efforts by reporting to the Executive Board and at the Annual Business Meeting.

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J. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

1. Membership
   1. The Membership Committee shall consist of fourteen members representing seven regions of the state representing all types of libraries (i.e. college/research, public, school, special).
   2. Members shall be appointed by the President for two-year staggered terms. A chair shall be appointed by the President from members who have served one year on the committee.
2. Duties
   1. Maintains membership of librarians and other persons interested in MLA.
   2. Recruits new Association members, both institutional and individual.
   3. Assists in obtaining renewals of lapsed memberships.
   4. Works with Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and the Executive Director to coordinate membership activities.
   5. Provides orientation for new MLA members together with the New Members SIG.
   6. Provides information to the Executive Director concerning professional activities of MLA members for publication in MoInfo.

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K. NOMINATING COMMITTEE

A. Membership

1. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of a chair and three members appointed by the President to serve a one-year term.
2. Members of the committee should represent different types of libraries (college/research, public, special, school) and the Trustees/Friends group.

B. Duties

1. Annually, presents a slate of one or more nominations for President-Elect, Conference-Coordinator, Secretary, and one Member-at-Large representative to the Executive Board.
2. Every two years, presents a slate of one or more nominations for Treasurer.
3. Every three years, presents one or more nominations for an American Library Association Councilor beginning in 2001. Nominates candidates for the ALA Councilor in accordance with ALA guidelines.
4. All nominees must be members of MLA. There should also be representatives from different types of libraries and diverse geographical areas on the slate of nominees.
5. The nominations shall be reported to the membership prior to July 1 of each year. The names of the nominees and their statements of professional concerns shall be posted on the MLA web page no later than July 1 of each year.
6. Additional candidates may be added to the slate of nominees by self-nomination or nomination by any current MLA member. A nomination by an MLA member (or self-nomination) must include a statement by the nominee agreeing to be a candidate. The names of additional candidates must be submitted to the Executive Board prior to July 1 of each year.
7. Candidates for all elected positions on the Executive Board shall present a statement of professional concerns to the Executive Director prior to July 15 of each year for dissemination to the voting membership.
8. The Ececutive Director shall prepare and distribute the ballots to all Individual Members. These members shall receive ballots and statements of concerns of candidates at least twenty-one days prior to the Annual Business Meeting. All ballots must be received by the MLA Office prior to the designated deadline. Counting of the ballots shall take place prior to the Annual Business Meeting. Announcement of new officers shall take place at the Annual Business Meeting, normally held during the Annual Conference.  In the event of a tie vote, those eligible voters present at the Annual Business Meeting shall vote to determine the outcome.
9. Names of the new officers shall be reported; the numbers of votes for each candidate will not be reported. The ballots are sealed following counting and kept one year.

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L. PERSONNEL COMMITTEE

A. Membership

1. The personnel committee shall consist of five members. It is preferred that the appointed members have experience in the area of human resources. An effort should be made to have representatives from different areas of the state and different types of libraries on the committee.
2. The President and Treasurer will serve as two of the five members. Other members shall be appointed by the President for three year staggered terms. A chair will be appointed by the President from members of the committee who have served at least one year on the committee.
3. The Executive Director shall serve as an advisor to the committee as needed.

B. Duties

1. Annually reviews the job description for the Executive Director position.
2. Annually reviews the Executive Office personnel matters and makes recommendations for appropriate actions to the Executive Board. The matters to review may include but are not limited to:

a.Salaries
b.Benefits

1.Health Insurance
2.[401K Plan] Retirement Plan
3.Vacation and Sick Leave
4.Holidays
5.Comp Time

c. Performance Appraisal[s] Procedures
d. Reimbursement for expenses
e. Grievance Policy
f. Worker's Comp
g. Staff - In consultation with the Executive Director

3. Any actions recommended by the committee are presented to the Executive Committee for review prior to consideration by the full Executive Board.

4. It is the responsibility of the Executive Committee to perform the annual performance evaluation for the Executive Director. The sole responsibility of the Personnel Committee is to evaluate the job descriptions, salary and benefits for the positions in the office and provide recommendations to the Executive Board.

M. Publications Committee

1. Membership
   1. The Publications Committee shall consist of four members Representing different types of libraries (i.e. academic/research, public, school, special).
   2. Members shall be appointed by the President for two-year, Staggered terms. The chair shall be appointed by the President from members who have served one year on the committee.
2. Duties
   1. Reviews and coordinates all Association publications to provide continuity and balance.
   2. Develops and recommends to the Executive Board policies and Guidelines for Association publications.
   3. Provides advice and recommendations regarding publications to Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and committees.
   4. Identifies publication needs of the Association and makes recommendations to the Executive Board as appropriate.
3. Policies

See: Policies and Procedure Manual for the MLA Publications Policy.

(Section IV-Standing Committees-Revised 11/00)