Policy Handbook
AFFILIATIONS
In
accordance with Article VIII of the Constitution, the Association will maintain
affiliations with ALA/AASL, NEEMA, NELA, MLA, MTA, MFT, MassCue
and other professional organizations that the board deems appropriate. The Association will pay any
membership dues required to establish and maintain these affiliations.
The
President with the advice and consent of the Executive Board shall appoint two
(2) members of the Association to serve as delegates to the AASL Affiliate
Assembly. No members shall be so
appointed unless they agree to serve and to attend the AASL Affiliate Assembly
meetings at the ALA Annual and Midwinter conferences.
AREA DIRECTORS
The
Association recognizes the following six areas of
Each of
these areas shall be represented by an Area Director or Area Co-directors. These Directors or Co-directors shall be
members of the Executive Board. Each
area shall have one vote on the Executive Board.
The Past
President and the President Elect shall serve in alternating years as
coordinator of the Area Directors.
The
responsibilities of the Area Directors shall include the following:
-
Referring constituents with professional concerns to people at the state level who have the
expertise to assist them;
- Providing legislative
updates to their constituents;
- Promoting membership in the
Association and encouraging participation in Association
activities;
Each Area
Director should endeavor to establish and maintain good professional
relationships with the Director and staff of the Area Director’s region of the
Massachusetts Regional Library System.
Each Area Director should also endeavor to attend all meetings of his or
her region of the Massachusetts Regional Library System.
Area
Directors shall deliver to the May Executive Board meeting a written report on
the activities in their area.
AWARDS
The MSLA Executive
Board hereby creates the Award Committee as a standing committee charged with
establishing policies and procedures for selecting and presenting the Awards to
for MSLA. The MSLA Awards are as
follows:
Administrator
Advocate for Excellence in School Library Programs Award
The purpose of this award is to:
Audrey
Friend Scholarship Award
This award honors Audrey’s dedication and selflessness by helping students
attain the degree and/or certification necessary to become a Library Teacher.
Ellen
Berne Award
This
award serves as a memorial to the leadership and inspiration of Ellen
Berne.
Joan
C. Gallagher Legislator Award
MSLA
established and shall award/grant the Joan C. Gallagher Legislator Award. The recipient of this award:
MSLA
Research Grant
The MSLA Research Grant is an annual $3,000 grant to aid researchers in their
attempts to add to the knowledge base of school library media programs in
COMMERCIAL ENDORSEMENTS
The
Association is an independent, non-profit professional organization operated in
the interest of school library media programs throughout the state. To insure
its credibility as a noncommercial organization, it must refrain from
permitting use of its name or the names of its members in their official
capacities for commercial purposes. The Association's policy, therefore, is not
to endorse commercial vendors, products, programs or services. At the same
time, the Association recognizes valid reasons for entering into some limited
relationships with business enterprises. For example,
Association
members do need information about and access to legitimate professional
resources which may be commercial in nature. To help satisfy this need, the
Association, at its discretion, may enter into limited relationships with
business enterprises that provide these resources. This does not necessarily
imply endorsement by the Association of any commercial product, program, or
service that may be involved. Committee chairs and officers of the organization
should seek approval of the Board before entering into any agreement with
vendors.
Examples
of practices that do not violate the Association's noncommercial policy are
given below:
1. Acceptance of paid advertisements
in MSLA publications for legitimate commercial
products, programs, or services which are in conformance with U.S. Post Office regulations for
non-profit mailing. (A disclaimer may be published
in Media Forum to the effect that the organization does not necessarily endorse the products which
advertise in its publication.)
2.
Opportunities
to enter into limited relationships with the Association must be open to all
vendors. As much as possible, however, the relationship should be reciprocal in
that there are mutual needs and a sharing of purposes.
There are
other situations in which the Association may appropriately acknowledge the
assistance of commercial enterprises without violating its noncommercial
policy, e.g., donations may be accepted to support the Association's programs
on a "no strings attached, no obligation"
basis. Often such donations are motivated by a desire for public service and
not merely for business aggrandizement. Due acknowledgment of the source of the
contribution should be made in simple and dignified terms in the publication,
conference program, or other work receiving support.
Commendations
honoring outstanding efforts to support the Association may be issued in the
name of the Association by the Board through a formal resolution.
Copies of
this policy shall be attached to applications for paid advertisements in Media
Forum and to applications for display space at occasions such as Association
conferences when vendors may participate.
This
commercial endorsement policy will be published in all issues of Media Forum
Online.
COMMITTEES
ARTICLE
VII of the MSLA Constitution provides for the establishment of Standing
Committees, the designation of Special Committees, and appointment and approval
of Committee Chairmen (possibly change to “Chairperson”). The Standing
Committees shall conduct the programs of the Association as determined by the
Executive Board. Each Standing Committee shall have a single vote on the
Executive Board. Standing Committee
Chairpersons are expected to attend regularly scheduled Executive Board
meetings. The Standing Committees for
2006-2007 are as follows:
·
PR/Advocacy
·
Conference
·
Awards
·
Constitution/Policy
·
Legislation
·
Media
Forum
·
Professional
Standards/Curriculum
·
Retiree
SIG
·
Student
SIG
·
Email
List
·
Webmaster
The Executive
Board has the authority to establish sub-committees when the Executive Board
finds this appropriate. The Chairs of
the sub-committees shall not be members of the Executive Board and shall have
no vote on the Executive Board.
Liaisons
will have no vote.
The Executive
Board has authority to establish Ad Hoc Committees when the Executive Board
finds this appropriate to deal with specific issues of the Association. Examples of Ad Hoc Committees are Media Task
Force, Research, and School Library Month.
The Chairs of the Ad Hoc Committees shall not be members of the Executive
Board and shall have no vote on the Executive Board.
COMMUNICATIONS
CONFERENCES
1. Conference Chair or Co-Chairs:
a. The Conference Chair will serve
from 1 January of one year to 31 January of
the following year.
b. Voting rights will pass to the
incoming Conference Chair on 1 January.
2. Conference Dates:
The Conference Chair will recommend to
the Executive Board dates for the Annual
Conference. Upon receiving the Executive
Board’s approval of dates, the
Conference Chair will reserve accommodations for the Conference.
3. Annual Meeting:
The annual membership meeting of the
Association will be held at the Annual Conference.
4. Conference Registration Rates:
a. There are single day rates and
whole conference rates; there are no part- day
rates. Therefore, a person who attends
any part of the Conference must pay
at least one full day's registration.
b. Individuals who cannot prove
membership in the Association will pay the non-member
conference fee, the difference will be
refunded upon proof of membership.
c. The
conference fee may be differentiated for members working full-time, part-time, and for students, retirees, and
unemployed. The fee(s) will be determined
by the Conference Committee and Treasurer
and presented to the Executive Board
for approval.
5. Refunds:
The cut-off date for refunds for conferences
and meetings is five calendar days
prior to the conference or meeting.
After this time, no refund will be made
to anyone who withdraws from the conference or meeting, provided, however, that the Executive Board may upon
request grant an exception due to
extraordinary circumstances.
6. Complementary Registrations:
a. The Executive Director shall
administer the complementary registrations.
b. The Executive Director will offer
one free Annual Conference registration and
Monday lunch to the President of each of the other five New England State school library media associations that
reciprocate.
c. The Executive Director will offer
to the President of NEEMA and to the Director
and Director-Elect of AASL Region a free Conference registration and Monday lunch.
7. Registration Waivers and Expenses Covered:
a.
The Association will cover the cost of Conference registration, meals
and two nights lodging at the
conference site (double occupancy unless conditions warrant otherwise) for the Conference Chair, the Conference
Coordinator, the Association
President and the Association Executive Director.
b. The Association will cover the cost
of Conference registration for Conference
chairs in training.
8. Speaker Fees:
a. Non-members who present a program
or a speech on one day of the Conference
will receive meals, travel expenses (unless the speaker’s employer pays for travel) and possibly a
negotiated honorarium.
b. Non-members who present a program
or a speech on two days will receive the
same as above plus a room for the night
between the two days.
c. Association members who present a
program or a speech will receive free conference
registration and a free meal on the day of the presentation but will not receive an honorarium.
9. Conference staffing:
a. The Association may hire a
Conference Coordinator whose function will include,
but not be limited to, attending the Conference meetings and sending out vendor contracts.
b. The Association may employ, from
temporary help services, up to two people
to handle tasks at the Association's Annual Conference. The tasks these
people perform may include, but are not limited to, registering conference attendees, helping with
Association membership matters, assisting exhibitors,
and helping set up for meetings and concurrent sessions.
10. Exhibits and Exhibitors:
a. Exhibits shall be as balanced and
representative as possible, including - books,
equipment, and software.
b. The cut-off date for refunds for
exhibitors is ten calendar days prior to the conference
or meeting. After this time, no refund
will be made to any exhibitor that
withdraws from the conference, provided, however, that the Executive Board may upon request grant an
exception due to extraordinary circumstances.
DEFINITIONS
The
“Association” means the Massachusetts School Library Media Association.
“Chair”
when referring to the chairperson of a committee means “Chair or Co-chairs.”
The
“Constitution” means the Constitution of the Association.
The
“Executive Board” means the “Executive Board” as defined in the Association’s
Constitution.
The “Administrative Council” means the
“Administrative council as defined in the Association’s Constitution.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
All
members of the Executive Board must be members of the Association. The
Executive Board may conduct business through mail vote, telephone conference
call or by electronic means. Members of
the Executive Board may only have 1 (one) vote, notwithstanding the number of
voting positions they may hold.
Under
extenuating circumstances the President may request a vote of the Executive
Board by telephone. The issue under consideration must have been previously
discussed by the entire Executive Board at a meeting called to order by the
President.
In the
event that the issue pending has not been discussed by the Executive Board, the
Administrative Council, as described under Article V of the Constitution, may
be convened to make the decision. Any decisions made by a telephone vote or by
the Administrative Council will be reported at the next Executive Board meeting
and will be entered into the minutes.
All
members of the Executive Board shall submit an Annual Report to the President
prior to the May meeting.
The
Executive Director will keep two (2) copies of all data pertaining to the
Association.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The
responsibilities of the Executive Director will include:
An
inventory of all equipment belonging to the Association will be created and
maintained by the Executive Director. The Secretary and Treasurer will review
this inventory in May of every year. To facilitate the updating of the MSLA
Inventory list, all invoices/receipts for office and other equipment/hardware
will include serial numbers and the signature of the person using it.
MSLA will
cover expenses (membership fee and registration costs) for the Executive
Director to attend the biannual AASL national conference.
FINANCES
The
President and Treasurer will be bonded.
Budget:
Each
committee requiring financial assistance shall submit a budget for approval by
the Executive Board. The time frame for budget submission is to be determined
by the President and Treasurer.
Accounting:
To
facilitate budget preparation and accounting, copies of bills and receipts will
be given to the person responsible for expenditures within an account.
Receipt
of funds:
All funds
for MSLA are to be received in the form of a check, purchase order, etc. made
payable to MSLA and sent directly to the Executive Director for posting. Any
funds in cash will be given directly to the MSLA Treasurer or Executive
Director who will issue a receipt and keep a copy for the Treasurer's records.
Purchase
approval:
Any
single item exceeding $300.00 in cost must be approved by the Executive Board.
Failure to get approval can result in personal liability for the officer of
committee chair who authorizes the expenditure.
Purchase
authority verification:
Any item
exceeding $300.00 approved by the Executive Board will have attached to the
expense voucher a copy of the minutes of the meeting at which the approval was
granted.
Check
signing authorization:
The
Treasurer is authorized to sign all checks. In the absence of the Treasurer,
the President is authorized to sign checks.
Original
invoices/receipts:
Original
invoices/receipts must be submitted with expense vouchers when requesting
payment or reimbursement. Copies of itemized telephone bills are the only
exception.
Treasurer
reimbursement:
Reimbursement
checks made out to the Treasurer will be signed by the President.
Reimbursement:
All
expenses by officers and committee chairpersons shall be presented to the
Treasurer on the approved expense voucher, prior to an Executive Board meeting,
Advances:
In
situations of extraordinary nature, the Treasurer may makes advances for
payment of expenses as necessary upon receiving approval from the
Administrative Council. This procedure is for implementation when the normal
procedure of advanced presentation to the Board for consideration is not
available.
Expense
voucher deadline:
All Board
members expense vouchers must be submitted to the Treasurer by 15 May of the
year that they hold office.
Mileage
Allowance:
MSLA will
reimburse mileage expenses at the rate of $.30 per mile (retroactive to June
2003).
Conference
Reimbursement:
Conference
reimbursements must be presented to the MSLA Executive Board for approval three
months in advance of travel. Reimbursable expenses include conference
registration fees and associated travel costs up to $800 per person.
Reimbursements will be provided upon presentation of receipts.
Conference
and ALA Midwinter Conference attendees may include:
- Two AASL Affiliate Assembly
representatives
- Current MSLA President
- Past President or President
Elect
- Executive Director
AASL
Conference (Biannual) attendees:
- President
- Past President or President
Elect
- Executive Director
- Two MSLA members on the
conference committee
MEMBERSHIP
MSLA
Membership Year:
The MSLA
membership year will begin on November 1st and end on October 31st.
Dues:
Dues
rates as of September 2006 shall be:
1.) $30.00 per year for Active
members;
2.) $15.00 per year
for Retirees, full-time Students*, and Library Media Support Staff.
Membership
categories shall be:
1. Active
2. Library Media Support Staff
3. Student*
4. Retiree
5. Honorary (at the discretion of the
Executive Board.)
*"Student" shall be defined
as anyone enrolled in a full-time college or university
program. "Students" do not
include anyone working in a full-time professional
school library media specialist position.
Membership
Directory, non-renewing member mailing:
When a
directory is issued, the members to be included shall be determined by:
1. Payment of dues prior to December
1st of that membership year.
2. Only members in good standing will
be listed.
3. Only members and reciprocating
non-profit organizations will have access to
the directory.
4. After December 1st, the e-mail list
will be available to members only.
5. The Membership Chairperson will
maintain a file of the non-members so that
membership forms can be mailed to them in September of the following year.
6. Upon payment of dues, individuals
will be reinstated to the Membership Directory
and E-Mail list.
Honorarium
for death of a MSLA Member:
When a
member of the Association dies, the Association will donate $25.00 to the
library of the Association's choice.
NEWSLETTERS
The
publication MSLA Forum will be published four (4) times a year. Advertising
which conforms to the regulations of the US Post Office will be accepted in all
issues. A variety of feature stories and news items will be included.
Newsletter
exchange:
MSLA may
exchange newsletters with other interested organizations. All such exchanged
newsletters will be sent to the current head of the organization.
Editorial
Control:
The
Executive Board gives full editorial control to the MSLA Forum Editor who will
uphold the philosophy and stated objectives of the Association as outlined in
the Constitution.
NOMINATIONS
President-Elect:
The
President-Elect shall be a Massachusetts DOE Licensed Library Teacher.
Any
individual nominated for the position of President-Elect shall have served on
the Association Executive Board during the year immediately preceding that in
which he or she is nominated for the position of President-Elect in order to
have familiarity with the workings of the Executive Board and to have
demonstrated a commitment to Association activities.
The
Nominating Committee members for the President-Elect cannot be themselves
nominated for office.
The
official slate of candidates recommended by the Nominating Committee of the
Association shall be presented to the Executive Board prior to being submitted
to the general membership for election.
If no
member of the Executive Board is willing to accept the position of
President-Elect, the Nominating Committee Chairperson will so notify the
Executive Board and select a candidate from the membership at-large.
POLICY STATEMENTS
Policy
Handbook:
Policy
statements will be codified into a policy handbook. This handbook will be made available to
each Executive Board member at the beginning of his or her term. The
Policy Handbook will be updated annually.
The MSLA Policy Handbook and Constitution will be available on the MSLA
WebPages.
Policy
proposals/changes:
New
policy proposals or suggested changes to established policies will be sent in
writing to the Constitution/Policy chair. This Chair will present these at the
next scheduled Executive Board meeting for discussion. A second reading
and vote will take place at the following scheduled Board meeting.
Minute’s
notation:
Policy
statements approved by the Executive Board will be included in the minutes
and marked by "POLICY" in the margin.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
Proactive
support:
MSLA will
vigorously protect the professional standing of its members.
Downgrading
of the profession:
Guidelines
affecting the Association's response to the downgrading of the profession are:
1. Upon notification of a situation
affecting the downgrading of professional level
positions, the Professional Standards Committee Chair will appoint one or more ad hoc committees to investigate the
circumstances surrounding the alleged
downgrading. The ad hoc committee will include tenured school library media specialists/library
teachers if the situation involves a school or school
system.
2. The ad hoc committee will interview
all concerned parties and read available
documents.
3. The ad hoc committee will make its
report, along with its recommendations,
to the Professional Standards Committee Chair and to the Executive Board.
4. After reviewing the report, the
Professional Standards Committee will recommend
to the Executive Board whether or not the findings and recommendations be published.
5. If the recommendation to publish
the findings is affirmed by the Executive Board,
the findings and reactions may be published in the next issue of Media Forum. The report will also be sent to the
Massachusetts Department of Education,
to the M.T.A. with the recommendation that it be published in MTA Today and/or Massachusetts Teacher, and to
other appropriate associations. If the
situation involves a secondary school, the Board will notify the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
of the downgrading.
Reaction
should focus on any attempt by a school administration to diminish its support
of the Association Standards or of the recommendations set forth in Information
Power. The Association will continue to reiterate its philosophy that the
school library media program be implemented by a full-time certified library
media specialist/library teacher and that professional duties should be carried
out only by personnel certified by the Massachusetts Department of Education.