RSS Chair Orientation, 2015-2016
Your Responsibilities as a Committee Chair
● Time commitments. A chair should commit 2-4 hours per month to RSS work. This includes responding to emails, attending meetings and communicating with your committee members.
● It is your responsibility to keep your committee’s webpage and ALA Connect page up-to-date. Post updates as required to Connect regarding committee activities (goals, summary of current activities, minutes, etc.). Be conscientious about maintaining a record of your committee’s activities in Connect for current, future, and potential members as well as for the section’s history.
● Lead and guide your committee’s work towards accomplishing annual goal(s). Chair all meetings. Communicate regularly with your committee throughout the year.
● Schedule in-person and virtual meetings. Remember that RSS does not require attendance or in-person meetings at Midwinter. Respond to the RSS Scheduler to schedule committee meetings and/or discussion forums at the conference.
● Serve as a member of the RSS Board and attend RSS Board meetings.
● Attend the Open House/All-Committee Meeting at the Annual Conference in order to inform visitors about the work of the committee and encourage new membership.
● Submit material four times a year for RSS Review.
● Make recommendations for committee appointments to the RSS Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect after Midwinter.
● Be aware of RUSA and ALA policies. Committee chairs should examine the RUSA Guide to Policies and Procedures available online in the “Our Association” portion of the RUSA website. As a section of RUSA, RSS must comply with all divisional policies, and chairs should familiarize themselves with the Guide. If you have questions, consult with the RSS Executive Committee and/or RUSA Executive Director. You may also find the ALA Policy Manual helpful.
2015-2016 Chair Calendar
July 24, 2015: RSS Review Deadline
Sept 14: Committee Goals, Minutes, and Summary of Current Activities due
Sept/Oct: Schedule Virtual Midwinter Committee Meeting/In-Person Discussion Forum/In-Person Midwinter Meeting
Oct 30: Committee goals update 1. Add to what has been accomplished to the original Goals in Connect to continue the thread
Nov 6: RSS Review Deadline
Jan 2016: Post Virtual Midwinter meeting announcement on RSS-L, RUSA-L and public post in Connect
January: Hold Midwinter virtual meeting or meet at ALA Midwinter 2016 in Boston
Jan/Feb: Schedule Virtual Annual Committee Meeting/In-Person Discussion Forum/In-Person
Annual Meeting
February: Proposals for Annual 2017 Conference Programs due (Date not yet determined)
Feb 12: RSS Review Deadline
Feb 16: Summary of Current Activities and Minutes due
March: Respond to RSS Vice-Chair’s request for committee chair recommendation
April 11: Committee goals update 2. Add to what has been accomplished to the original Goals in Connect to continue the thread
May: If holding virtual Annual meeting: Post Annual meeting announcement on RSS-L,
RUSA-L and public post in Connect
May 9: RSS Review Deadline
June: Hold Annual virtual meeting or meet at ALA Annual 2016 in Orlando.
June 23-28 Attend ALA Annual 2016 in Orlando. Saturday, June 25, attend the Open House/All Committee Meeting and RSS Board Meeting I
July: Virtual RSS Board Meeting II—Date to be determined
July 29: Committee Goals update 3, Minutes from ALA, and Summary of Current Activities due
Committee Meetings
You must have at least 2 committee meetings (January and June). You are encouraged to schedule additional meetings with your committee members as needed.
If less than half of the committee will be attending Annual: You must alert the RSS chair by Feb 1 so that the committee will not be included in the program schedule and you must hold a virtual meeting in June.
Virtual Meetings: Use Doodle (http://www.doodle.com) to find a time when at least 1/2 of your committee can meet.
RUSA now has Adobe Connect for meetings or a Toll-Free Conference Line. Schedule meetings via RUSA’s website here: http://www.ala.org/rusa/virtualmeetings/adobeconnect
Due to ALA's open meeting policy, any meetings held outside the in-person Midwinter Meeting or Annual Conference meeting must be announced and posted along with all of the details for attending to RUSA-L, RSS-L, and in ALA Connect (marked as public), at least 2 weeks before the scheduled meeting.
Meeting Minutes
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 section. Every meeting should have minutes posted in Connect. They should include the discussion points, questions, and action items.
Post the minutes to the committee’s ALA Connect space within two weeks of the meeting under the category Minutes. Set the minutes to “public” access.
Summary of Current Activities
Members of the RSS Executive Committee needs to continuously report on, market, and assess the work of the section. The Summary of Current Activities enables them to get a quick snapshot of the committee’s work and ensure that work is progressing.
The Summary should be 3-5 sentences long and succinctly summarize the work and plans of the committee over the past several months. It should be posted as “public” in the committee’s ALA Connect space under the category Summary of Current Activities. One summary should be posted after the January meeting and the other after the June meeting. See calendar for exact dates.
What’s the Difference between Minutes and Summary of Activities? Minutes contain the details of each meeting, including discussion points, questions, and action items. The Summary is a 3-5 sentence summary of activities and plans covering the last several months.
Goals
Your committee must be working on something – a program, a discussion, an online learning opportunity, or a resource of some kind. Your committee must have at least ONE goal related to a project and be working towards accomplishing it throughout the year. No more than 3 goals are needed. One is sufficient!
Your goal(s) are due after Annual (see calendar). They should be posted in Connect, as “public”, under the category Goals. You are expected to report on your committee’s progress throughout the year via Connect (see calendar) and in RSS Board meetings. The RSS Executive Committee may request that your committee work on a special project related to its charge.
Chair Terms and Appointments
Chair terms are for 1 year with the possibility of another 1-year reappointment. Reappointments are not automatic. Active chairs who have met their responsibilities will be reappointed.
If you are rotating off the committee, please recommend a new committee chair by March to the RSS Vice-Chair.
Committee Membership: Terms and Expectations
Expectations: We expect that all members will be active, participating members. Committee work includes participating in email conversations, completing any work assigned or volunteered, and making genuine effort to attend meetings. Although we do not require conference attendance, we do expect committee members to participate in any virtual meetings. Everyone on your committee is a full member. There is no distinction made between virtual and in‐person (conference attendee) membership. Expect 1-3 hours per month for committee work.
Appointments and Reappointments: Appointments are made in the spring and begin on July 1. The Vice-Chair will contact you in the spring to confirm your roster and ask about reappointments. Reappointments are not automatic. Let the Vice-Chair 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. Terms are 2 years (ex., July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2017). Members can have 2 consecutive 2-year terms on a committee (for a total of 4 years).
New Members: You will be informed of new committee members whose terms begin July 1. Encourage them 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.
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 RSS Vice-Chair. HOWEVER, let them know there is a waiting list to be on RSS committees.
Programs, Pre-Conferences, Discussions, Virtual Opportunities, OH MY!
To be truthful, it is not easy to get a program set for ALA. You need to be working at least 18 months in advance. The best policy is to be informed. Either by reading the following or by asking for help from the Executive Committee. For more information, see the RSS Handbook and Chapter 5 of RUSA Guidelines to Policies and Procedures. The RSS Executive committee must approve all proposals for pre-conferences or programs at Annual Conferences, including co-sponsorships “in name only”.
Programs
Proposals for programs at Annual 2017 are due in February 2016 (Date yet to be determined). Fill out the RSS Annual Conference Program Proposal form available via the Connect RSS Board page and email it to RSS Chair, Crystal Lentz (). Committees should determine topics, potential speakers, co‐sponsors, etc., before preparing proposal. It is understood that changes may be required thereafter.
RUSA’s six sections are competing for 10 program slots. As a result, we are also encouraging RSS committees to consider alternatives to face-to-face programs. Alternatives include discussion forums (not considered programs by ALA) and webinars. The RSS Executive Committee will review all proposals by May 1, 2016. After the RSS Executive Committee approves a program to be sent forward, it goes to the RUSA Conference Program Coordinating Committee for final vetting and approval. At this point, a proposal can be turned down or require modifications.
Annual Pre-conferences and Midwinter Institutes
A pre-conference for Annual 2017 needs to be approved by Midwinter 2016 by the RSS Executive Committee and RUSA. An institute for Midwinter 2017 needs to be approved by the RSS Executive Committee and RUSA by Annual 2016. At Midwinter 2016, deep dives will be offered for the first time. Details are still being worked out, but it appears as though deep dives will be ½ day interactive workshop-style sessions for groups of up to 25 that will be eligible for CEU credits. The cost per attendee may be $75. Six broad topic areas have been established based on member feedback and proposals will need to fit within one of them. Information about how to submit a proposal for Midwinter should be available soon. While preparing a proposal for a preconference, institute, or deep dive, please carefully consider if the event will attract enough attendees. In the past we have had to cancel a preconference due to low registration. Would a discussion or program suffice? Could it be offered virtually?
Discussions
Your committee can designate a committee meeting time as a “Discussion Forum”. These are informal sessions that may include discussion moderators, short presentations, breakout tables, etc. Although RSS sponsors several official RSS Discussion Forums at Annual and Midwinter, your committee is also welcome to coordinate a discussion. It may appear as a “meeting” in the scheduler, but it can be titled and promoted as a discussion.
Committee Publication Proposals
The RSS Executive Committee approves all publications, except those intended for the
web. If your committee is considering creating a publication, inform the RSS Chair and the RSS representative to the RUSA Publications Committee.
Committee Budget and Reimbursements
$1500 has been allotted to the RSS Section by RUSA. The Executive Committee will come up with a plan on how proposals can be made for its use.
However, if a committee would like to request additional funds, it must be submitted by April 2016, for the RSS Board to discuss and the RSS Executive Committee to vote on. Then the vice-chair will submit it for consideration for the FY2016-2017 RUSA Budget. Please ask Qiana Johnson () for the proposal submission form. Keep in mind, this funding from this proposal will be available for the next year, in this case 2016-17.
During Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting, the ALA Office offers support services, including photocopying and computers. Photocopying for RSS committee business can be charged to the RUSA account number, which can be obtained at the RUSA table or directly from the RUSA Executive Director. This service usually takes about an hour.
RSS Executive Committee and RSS Board
RSS Executive Committee: (elected to positions noted):
o RSS Chair [elected]
o RSS Chair Elect/Vice Chair [elected]
o RSS Past Chair [elected]
o RSS Secretary [elected]
o RSS Members‐at‐Large (3) [elected]
o RSS Archivist [ex‐officio; non-voting]
o RSS Editor [ex‐officio; non-voting]
o RSS Scheduler [ex‐officio; non-voting]
o RSS Webmaster [ex‐officio; non-voting]
o RUSA Executive Director [ex‐officio; non-voting]
o RUSA President [ex‐officio; non-voting]
When an official vote is required, only the elected members of the RSS Executive Committee may vote.
RSS Board: The Board includes the members of the Executive Committee, Committee
Chairs, RSS Representatives to RUSA Committees, and other appointed positions (i.e.
RSS Archivist).
Member-at-Large Committee Liaisons
Each committee has a member-at-large liaison that is available to answer any questions throughout the year and will also maintain awareness of your committee’s goals and activities.
Committee / Committee Chair / LiaisonCommittee on Multilingual Library Services / Erin Hvizdak, and Margaret Bly, / Don Boozer,
Communication and Teaching at the Point of Need / Colleen Seale, / Ellen Keith,
Discovery Services / Anne Larrivee, / Cathay Keough,
Discussion Forums / Cathay Keough, / Cathay Keough,
Education and Professional Development for Reference / Bryna Coonin,
/ Don Boozer,
Evaluation of Reference and User Services / Rebecca Graff,
/ Ellen Keith,
Health and Medical Reference / Laura Haines, / Don Boozer,
Job and Career Reference / Arlene Weismantel, / Ellen Keith,
Library Services to an Aging Population / Fatima Perkins,
/ Cathay Keough,
Management of Reference / Rebecca Jackson, / Ellen Keith,
Marketing and Public Relations for Reference Services / Elizabeth DeCoster, / Ellen Keith,
Nominations Committee / Qiana Johnson, / RSS Chair, Crystal Lentz,
Recognition and Awards Committee / Ellen Keith, / Ellen Keith,
Research and Statistics / Elizabeth Kocevar-Weidinger, and Cynthia Levine, / Cathay Keough,
Virtual Reference Services (with MARS) / Qiana Johnson, / Don Boozer,
VR Tutorial Subcommittee / Laura Friesen,
and Neal Pomea, / Don Boozer,
Young AdultReferenceServices (YARS) / Margaret Portier, / Cathay Keough,
2015-2016 RSS Contacts