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Library Council Organizational Guidelines

I. The Library Council shall consist of the thirteen library directors and the library academic staff members with appointments of one-half time or more per academic year.

II. The purpose of the Library Council shall be to coordinate the development of library and information services and programs for the Colleges. The Council shall review and direct the expenditure of central funds designated for library-related automation and technology, acquisitions, and shared services. The Council shall recommend to the UWC administration library and information policy which promotes and enhances library and information access for the Colleges academic community and the local citizenry.

III.  Eligible Voters.  All members of the Council are eligible to vote on all questions, except those involving expenditures of centralized Colleges' DIN allocations for library resources.  Votes regarding DIN expenditures shall be by a simple majority vote of one vote per campus, excluding Library Support Services. 

IV.  Standing Committees

A.  Executive Committee

Membership:

Three members of the Council: the Library Council Chair elected for a three year term, plus two additional members elected for staggered two year terms.  The Library Council Chair shall be a library director and shall also serve as Chair of the Executive Committee.  At least one of the two additional members shall be a library director.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

  1. The Executive Committee Chair calls meetings of the Council and/or Executive Committee, solicits items for and sets the agenda for such meetings, and oversees the business of the Council and Executive Committee.

  2. The Executive Committee Chair serves as liaison for the Council with Colleges administrative personnel.

  3. The Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement to any office in which a vacancy occurs. Should a vacancy occur on the Executive Committee, the remaining member(s) shall nominate a replacement(s) and poll the Council. A Committee member so elected shall complete the vacated term and be eligible for election to a full term following, should they be nominated.

  4. The Executive Committee shall assist the Chair in determining the business of the Council and act as a clearinghouse for other library-related matters.

  5. The Committee shall appoint working subcommittees of the Council to conduct its business.

  6. The Committee, upon request from UWC administration and others, shall recommend members from among the Library Council to serve in various capacities.

  7. One of the members of the Executive Committee shall serve as recording secretary for the meetings of the Council and the Executive Committee and shall distribute minutes of meetings within two weeks of the meeting. Minutes from the previous Library Council meeting shall be reviewed for approval by the Council.

B.  Assessment Committee

Membership:

Three members of the Council: two serving staggered 2 year terms, plus one member of the Executive Committee, appointed for one year by the Executive Committee.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

  1. Develops and applies assessment measures to the selected goals set forth in the Council's strategic plan to determine how these goals are being met.

  2. Gathers and analyses data and reports their results annually, making recommendations as to how the Council might use these results to improve library services.

  3. Develops and maintains standard operating procedures that are consistent with its charge.

C.  DIN Committee

Membership: 

Three members of the Council: two elected by the Council for staggered two year terms, plus the Director of Library Support Services as an ex-officio voting member.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

  1. Reviews the Council's prior year DIN utilization plan.

  2. Collects and reviews individual UWC library assessments of how effectively prior year goals were met; issues a final report.

  3. Collects and reviews new plans and recommends modifications as necessary to meet DIN criteria and to ensure the plans incorporate assessment measures.

  4. Prepares a new utilization plan for the year ahead, recommending allocation of funds for purposes suitable to each of the DIN criteria, and incorporating the plans of individual campus libraries.

  5. Develops and maintains standard operating procedures that are consistent with its charge.   

D.  Electronic Resources:

Membership:

Six members of the Council: five elected for staggered two year terms, plus the Director of Library Support Services as a voting ex-officio member.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

  1. Evaluates subscription-based online resources shared by the Colleges libraries and makes recommendation to the Council.

  2. Identifies and reviews new online resources and makes purchase recommendations to the Council.

  3. Recommends to the Council procedures and policies to ensure that efficient, cost-effective, and judicious methods are employed in the selection and evaluation of shared electronic resources.

  4. Develops and maintains standard operating procedures that are consistent with its charge.

E.  Nominating Committee:

Membership:

Three members of the Council: two elected by the Council for staggered two year terms plus one member of the Executive Committee, appointed for one year by the Executive Committee.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

  1. Develops slates of candidates to serve on Library Council standing committees or as representatives to other organizations.  Examples include the following positions: Library Council Chair, Executive Committee, standing committees, Library Council representatives to Council of University of Wisconsin Libraries (CUWL),  CUWL Collection Development Coordinators (CDC), and any other elective positions that shall be created by vote of the Council.

  2. Develops slate of candidates from amongst all UWC library personnel to be nominated to the CUWL Executive Committee for service on the four CUWL Coordinating Committees (System-Wide Digital Initiatives, System-Wide Collections and Resource Sharing Initiatives, System-Wide Library Technology Initiatives, and System-Wide User Services Initiatives).

  3. Receives and counts votes for these elections and announces the names of the winning candidates.

  4. Develops and maintains standard operating procedures that are consistent with its charge.

F.  Professional Development Committee:

Membership:

Two or three members of the Council: two elected for staggered two year terms, plus the director of the hosting library as a voting ex-officio member, if a professional development event occurs on one of the Colleges campuses.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

  1. Ascertains the needs of Council members for professional development activities each year.

  2. Develops plans or programs to meet one or more of those needs, utilizing funds provided by UW Colleges and/or external sources.

  3. Develops and maintains standard operating procedures that are consistent with its charge.

V.  Representatives to CUWL and its Coordinating Committees:

  1. The CUWL representative shall be a library director elected by the Council. The term of office shall be for three years and commence on July 1. The election will take place every third year except when the incumbent has been additionally elected to a CUWL office. In those circumstances the term shall extend until service in the CUWL office is also fulfilled.

  2. One elected representative to serve on the CUWL Collection Development Committee.  (The Director of Library Support Services shall serve as an ex officio, non-voting representative to this resource group.)  The term of office shall be for three years and commence on July 1. Unexpired terms shall be filled for the remainder of the term, until the next scheduled election.

  3. Up to two nominees for each of the four CUWL Coordinating Committees (System-Wide Digital Initiatives, System-Wide Collections and Resource Sharing Initiatives, System-Wide Library Technology Initiatives, and System-Wide User Services Initiatives).  The Nominating Committee shall put out a call for nominees to all UWC library personnel simultaneously with the call for candidates for elective positions.  If more than two nominees for any Coordinating Committee are identified, the names of the candidates will be reduced to two per committee by the Executive Committee.  The names of the Colleges nominees for each committee will be forwarded to the CUWL Executive Committee annually upon request by the Library Council Executive Committee.  If appointed, the nominee will serve a term of up to three yeas on the Coordinating Committee, commencing on July 1.

VI.  Elections

  1. Elections shall occur in February, with terms to begin the following July 1.

  2. Terms shall run July 1 - June 30, unless otherwise specified in this document.

  3. Nominations will take place at the January meeting and/or by a written nomination (with acceptance by the nominee) to the Nominating Committee prior to the January meeting.

  4. Voting shall be by a simple majority vote of the entire membership.

  5. Balloting may be by voice, written, or email ballot, at the pleasure of the Council, with completed ballots being returned to the Nominating Committee.

VII. Conducting business and voting (non-elections) via email

  1. When a Library Council committee or any individual library council member feels that an issue should be discussed and voted on via electronic mail, the chair of that committee or the individual Library Council member shall contact the Library Council Chair to determine the need for an electronic ballot. 

  2. After receiving this request, the Library Council Chair shall contact the Library Council Executive Committee for a decision on holding an electronic vote.

  3. If the Executive Committee decides that an electronic vote is the best way to proceed, the Library Council Chair shall notify the requester that he/she shall define the issue and call for discussion via email.  This call for discussion shall include a discussion termination date set by the requester and the Library Council Executive Committee. 

  4. Following discussion, the Library Council Chair shall ask for a motion/second. 

  5. After receiving a motion, the Library Council Executive Committee shall compile a ballot and hold a vote via email.  The voting deadline shall be printed on the ballot. 

  6. Completed ballots shall be returned using Reply To All.

  7. The Library Council Chair shall tally and distribute the results to all Library Council members. If a ballot is cast using Reply instead of Reply To All, the Library Council Chair shall notify the voter to recast his/her ballot using Reply To All.

VIII.  All meetings of the Library Council are open to the public.

 

Revised 07/10/02

Revised 03/16/05: Section VII. added B.

Revised and approved by Library Council vote 05/16/06: Incorporating expanded committee structure and changing Section I to include appointments of one-half time or more per academic year.

Revised and approved by Library Council vote 3/20/07:  Incorporating changes to CUWL subgroups structure and new appointments procedure for CUWL Coordinating Committees.


Last updated 09/21/2007. Comments to Mary Rieder.

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