Missouri Library Association - Communities of Interest

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COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST

What are Communities of Interest?

Communities of Interest (CIs) are groups of Missouri Library Association (MLA) members who choose to organize around a type of library, type of activity, a special interest or geographic area in order to further the mission of the MLA. These groups are subject to MLA rules. CIs are a benefit of membership and all voting MLA members may join and participate in as many CIs as they choose.

All internal workings of the CI are at the discretion of the members. They decide how to select chair(s), govern themselves, etc. The only ongoing requirement of an MLA Community of Interest is to submit an annual report and a current contact person.

A group must have at least fifteen (15) members to form a CI. Bylaws are optional at the discretion of the group (a template is provided as one possible set of bylaws).

The contact persons from each CI will form the Community of Interest Council whose purpose is to keep the lines of communication open between the groups and with the Executive Board. The Communities of Interest Council Chairperson shall act as the contact between the groups and the Board, and shall receive all CI paperwork – petitions for formation, annual reports and requests for funding. For further details on the workings of Communities of Interest and/or the Community of Interest Council, see Sections 4 and 5, respectively, of the MLA Handbook.