USMAI Consortium of Libraries Organization and Procedures Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Vision, Mission, Core Values
Governance Structure
Responsibilities of Members
Responsibilities of Campus Contacts
Procedures for Task Groups
Communication Tools
Model for Campus Organization Plan

INTRODUCTION:

On April 15, 2004, the LIMS Council approved revised Bylaws, establishing the University of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions Consortium of Libraries. The new Bylaws stipulate that the business and affairs of the Consortium will be managed by the Council of Library Directors and provide for an Executive Council consisting of seven members. The Vision Statement was also approved at the same LIMS Council meeting.

VISION:

To be the leader of library resource sharing in public higher education in the state of Maryland.

MISSION:

To support effective access to library resources by providing and promoting a range of resource sharing services which support the objectives of the individual libraries of the member institutions.

CORE VALUES:

1. Systems to accomplish effective communication to, from, and among the libraries about activities relating to the Consortium must be present.
2. Equitable mechanisms must exist that allow individual libraries to report problems, to have problems resolved, and to present and receive responses to development requests that relate to the library system and to other consortial activities.
3. A collaborative structure must be flexible and adaptable to changing conditions and challenges.
4. More communication should be taking place within libraries to avoid conflicting messages about individual library priorities and to clarify the channels of information.
5. Interrelationships among library functions are of increasing importance and the composition of working groups should reflect, to the extent possible, different functional areas of the libraries to ensure that all relevant perspectives are taken into account.
6. The Consortium is made up of libraries of various types and sizes. Decision-making processes must be designed to reflect this fact and to recognize uniqueness among the participants as well as to identify commonality of interests.

Executive Council (LIMS Exec)

The Bylaws establish an Executive Council of which membership includes the current CLD Chair; the current CLD Vice Chair/Chair Elect; the Dean of Libraries of the University of Maryland College Park, and three library directors selected by general election. The Director of ITD will serve as Ex Officio Member. The purpose of the Executive Council is to handle administrative matters within the strategic and policy framework set by the Council; to participate in searches for the Director of ITD; and to provide input to the Dean of Libraries of the University of Maryland for annual review purposes.

Council of Library Directors (CLD)

Under the Bylaws, the Council of Library Directors manages the business and affairs of the Consortium. Council members include the current director of each member of the Consortium plus the following Ex Officio Members: a representative of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the University System of Maryland and the Director of ITD. Council members have the responsibility of representing their campus’ and library’s perspectives. Members serve as the primary representative of the campus to the Consortium and are responsible for communicating policy and technical decisions to their library staff and campuses.

It is critical to the functioning of the Consortium that members:

• create a local communications structure for informing all units affected by consortial activities and for providing considered and timely feedback to the consortium (see Appendix 1: Model for a Campus Organization Plan.)
• make timely resource decisions so as not to disadvantage others (e.g., database/e-journal subscriptions)
• develop and maintain a local mechanism for gathering faculty and student feedback and input into consortial activities
• follow standards set by the consortium that affect other members such as cataloging standards; and
• meet financial obligations to the consortium in a timely fashion

to facilitate this, each library director of the sixteen consortium libraries should appoint a Campus Contact and an alternate.

• coordinate USMAI activities on each campus
• with the library director, establish an appropriate campus structure for sharing information about and acting on recommendations and official requests for input or information from ITD, CLD, and other
consortial groups
• serve as the main communicator to ITD from the campus
• after appropriate consultation, respond on behalf of the library to requests for library positions on recommendations from task groups, ITD, and others
• maintain a list of issues and development requests that affect the particular library
• communicate information about library priorities as appropriate
• join and monitor COIs to identify issues that may be of importance to the particular library.

When issues arise that require the formation of groups to address particular issues and make recommendations for consortial action, a mechanism exists to establish such groups. Duration of groups will vary depending on the nature of the issue. The mechanism allows for rapid formation of groups in instances in which time sensitive issues are involved, in addition to a normal pattern that might involve creation of groups for a determined period such as a calendar or fiscal year.

In both instances, group composition should:

• include individuals from differing types and sizes of libraries to the extent possible;
• include individuals from different areas of the libraries and campuses, including directors and faculty members, to the extent it is appropriate and feasible to do so; and
• include individuals who have a commitment to the goals of the consortium in addition to interest and expertise in the particular topic.

The Chair of the CLD should be responsible for reviewing task group membership over time to ensure that the overall composition goals are met. While it is intended that short-term task groups can be formed rapidly as needed, the Chair of the CLD should be notified of any proposals for creating such groups to avoid possible overlap of group responsibilities.

Procedures for Forming a Task Group:

• Task groups may be formed by the CLD, by ITD, and by other consortial groups if the CLD specifies such authority.
• Charges for task groups should be as specific as possible and, at a minimum, include information about purpose (whether the group is to study, make proposals, and/or implement solutions); expected timelines, and term of the group. Ideally, charges will be circulated on appropriate COIs for questions and comments prior to the formation of groups.
• All groups for which the anticipated duration is longer than six months must be approved by the CLD.
• Unless an exception is made by the CLD, the anticipated size of all task groups is envisioned to be 5-6 members in addition to one or more representatives from ITD as appropriate.

Application Process for Membership to Task Groups Expected to Last Six Months or Longer:

Once the formation of a task group has been approved, an email notice with the name of the group and its charge will be sent to all COI members with procedures for application.

Staff members may apply by sending a completed application form to their library director. The application must include a brief statement of interest in which the individual discusses his or her reasons for applying to serve on the group(s) and describes the expected contribution. Only library directors may submit applications from their staff.

Process for Formation of Task Groups and Subgroups Expected to Last Less Than Six Months:

If the duration of the group will be shorter than six months, the guiding principles for formation of group membership described above should be applied to the extent possible. Requests to serve will be copied to the library director and may be declined by the person or vetoed by the director if necessary.

TASK GROUP RESPONSIBILITIES

Task Group Responsibilities and Operating Procedures:

All applicants will be notified with the results of the selection process. Those who have been selected as members of the newly formed Task Group will be given detailed procedures for establishing their initial meeting, including the process for selecting a chair.

Task groups will have Web pages set up on the USMAI site; have a reflector for the purpose of internal communication and for receipt of comments from others; and take minutes at each meeting which should be distributed via the Web page in a timely fashion.

Meeting times and agendas should be publicized at least a week in advance. Draft minutes should be distributed no later than one week after a meeting. Agendas and minutes should be sent to appropriate COIs. Meetings should be open if others wish to attend.

When requesting input or feedback from campuses regarding an issue, or reporting draft recommendations, the task group should notify both the relevant COI(s) and the Campus Contacts. Such requests should clearly state what it is they are seeking, when, and how the members of the COI(s) and the Campus Contacts need to respond. In instances for which an official response by campus on an issue is desired, such requests should be directed to the Campus Contacts with a copy to the relevant COI(s).

Requests for changes to initial charges should be sent to the Executive Council. Requests to continue a group past its sunset date should be made to the CLD chair three months before the sunset date.

Requests for travel funds should be presented to the CLD chair in advance of the event.

Requests to fill vacancies on task groups should be sent to the CLD chair

USMAI Consortium of Libraries Web Site: (http://usmai.umd.edu/)

Communities of Interests (COI):

Communities of Interests are list serves that provide forums for the sharing of ideas and for problem-solving. They also serve as an additional mechanism for task groups to gain feedback on particular issues or proposals. COIs can be created in functional areas such as circulation; they can be in areas of USMAI activity such as digital libraries; they can relate to functions such as associate university librarians or serials; or they can be in topical areas such as music or chemistry. These are just examples; there are many possibilities. Participation in one or more than one is voluntary and open to all USMAI staff. Requests for creation of a COI should be forwarded to the Executive Council.

Committee and Task Group Agendas, Minutes and Reports:

All consortial groups must follow a communications protocol specifying that meeting times and agendas must be announced in advance and minutes should be posted within a week after a meeting. A common practice of all task groups should be to obtain input from the Campus Contacts and other interested parties prior to the formation of recommendations.

1. The Director/Dean uses an established (or establishes a) university advisory group to provide input and feedback on consortium issues as experienced locally.



2. The Campus Contact and the Director/Dean establish a local USMAI involvement team that is responsible for:
• coordinating consortium activities locally
• communicating local issues to the consortium and consortium issues to the local site
• responding to requests from the consortium and communicating them locally and consortially
• testing and reporting results as requested in a timely fashion
• ensuring that the local site is informed of all consortium activities, decisions, plans, etc.; and
• serving on or suggesting individuals for task groups.



3. The local USMAI involvement team should meet routinely.
   Suggested Members:
• Campus Contact and alternate
• OPAC/Research Port person (interface design, display of information, etc.)
• Cataloging/Database Maintenance person
• Acquisitions/Serials person
• Circulation/Reserves/ILL person
• Database Licensing person

Under the plan, a Campus Contact will be appointed for each participating library. Campuses can adopt the Model described above or design their own local plans of organization as appropriate.

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