ALAO Procedures Manual
Policies and Procedures
Mailing List Distribution Policy
The ALAO membership mailing list may be made available to library and nonlibrary groups and individuals after review by the Executive Board. A written proposal should be submitted to the ALAO President, Vice-President/President-Elect, or Past President before the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. A sample of the mailing should be included. If the request needs action and a Board meeting is not imminent, Board members may be polled individually by the President.
If the request is approved, written notification will be forwarded to the Ohio College Association representative for processing. The ALAO officer will notify the requesting group of the Board’s decision, and a representative from that organization will make arrangements with the OCA office. Requests that are not consistent with the ALAO’s purpose and goals will be denied.
Types of projects that will be considered include, but are not limited to: surveys and questionnaires for research studies; announcements of conferences, workshops, and other continuing education opportunities; invitations to social gatherings such as library receptions; and other organizations’ newsletters. Payment for the mailing list may be determined as follows:
- Reciprocal agreements with other library organization to receive mailing list labels may be provided free of charge.
- The list may be made available to nonlibrary groups, researchers, and nonprofit projects at a cost to be determined.
- If the project is a profit-making one, or if the request is for a section of the list (geographical area, liaisons, etc.) additional fees may be charged.
- Specific costs will be determined by the OCA office, in consultation with the Executive Board.
- Other requests will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
The mailing list is available on computer-generated labels organized by name and zip code in a list format arranged by name, zip code and institution.
Publications Policy
This policy covers handbooks, directories, articles, commentaries, monographs, and questionnaires that are or could be construed to be responsibilities of ALAO (or one it its units) due to content, scope, organization or presentation, credits, statements of affiliation, byline or signature using an ALAO officer title, or the use of the ALAO name, logo, or acronym.
All publications must receive prior approval of the ALAO Board for
contents
purpose
intended audience
method of presentation (format, appearance, etc.)
credits and bylines
manner of dissemination
The approval request must be accompanied by an ALAO Activity Proposed/Actual Expense Report. Use of the ALAO name, logo, and acronym is reserved to official ALAO publications which have received prior approval of the ALAO Board.
Official ALAO colors are cream and teal. The teal is further specified as Pantone color 327U for flat or uncoated paper and 328C for glossy or coated paper.
Implied approval is given for publications of the Program Committee, Public Relations Coordinator, Membership Chair, and for the ALAO Newsletter.
Sponsorship or Co-Sponsorship Policy
ALAO may sponsor or co-sponsor activities, publications, and continuing education opportunities in keeping with its purpose of advancing academic library service in Ohio.
ALAO may sponsor or co-sponsor other activities and publications that the Board believes will meet the ALAO purpose, priorities, and funding requirements.
A required presentation to the Board for approval of the activity would include information about objectives, audience, funding, and timeline.
Archives
Guidelines for Transfer of Records to Archives
ALAO creates the following types of records, and copies should be forwarded to the ALAO Secretary annually:
- President's files: Correspondence, memoranda, reports
- Financial reports
- Executive Board files: Minutes, Reports, Rosters
- Elections: Vitae, Ballots
- Conference and workshop files: Publicity, Committee meeting minutes, Flyers
- Committee and Interest Group Files: Minutes, Workshop flyers, Publications
- Membership lists
- Newsletters
- ALAO Website (screen print of front page should be included in the annual report)
- Conference memorabilia/PR giveaways
Interim, quarterly, etc. reports of the Executive Board are distributed during scheduled Board meetings and need not be archived. Only annual reports for each year need to be submitted to the Secretary.
President's files should be kept by the Past President for one year following the presidential term for reference. Relevant documents should be then forwarded to the ALAO Secretary. The Secretary, being on the ALAO Executive Board mailing list, should receive all mailings.
Committee and Interest Group Chairs should forward copies of minutes and workshop flyers, etc. to the Secretary. If the Secretary misses a Board meeting, the President should forward a copy of any handouts to the Secretary.
The ALAO Secretary reserves the right to determine what materials to retain, in consultation with the Executive Board.
Archival materials are housed at the Ohio Historical Society's Ohio Historical Center, 1982 Velma Ave. Columbus, OH 43211. A list of materials currently held is available.
Awards
Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award Nomination Form
The nomination criteria for the Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award include:
- Member of ALAO for a minimum of five years.
- Promotes academic libraries and librarianship not only on his/her campus but within the state as well, and/or
- Provides leadership in the promotion of the Academic Library Association of Ohio, e.g., committee service, interest group chair office on the Executive Board.
The form is available in PDF format at http://www.alaoweb.org/oldsite/manual/c31.pdf
A list of the previous award winners is available.
Budget
Budget Account Codes
The Ohio College Association (OCA) had approved prefix and suffix codes for ALAO accounts. OCA has determined that all ALAO accounts all begin with an S5 prefix. Changes in ALAO prefix codes need to be preapproved by OCA. Suffix codes are standardized for all OCA organizations.
The chart with the appropriate account codes is available as a PDF document at http://www.alaoweb.org/procmanual/budgetcodes.php.
Budget and Planning Process
Assumptions
- The strategic planning process should provide for input from members, board, committee chairs, interest group, and other ALAO constituencies.
- The result should be a four-year organizational strategic plan, adopted by the board, which would then be reviewed annually, with annual objectives written to carry out the plan. The standing committee for Budget and Planning will be responsible for drafting, reviewing and revising the plan, and will bring proposed revisions to the Annual Leadership Retreat.
- There should be a direct relationship between the budgeting process (allocation of resources) and the strategic plan, with its annual objectives.
- The budget cycle should correspond to the "official year," that is, July 1 through June 30.
- Spending proposals should be considered by the board at one time, in competition with each other and in the context of reliable estimates of income and expenditure. They should not be acted upon piecemeal over the course of the year. Spending proposals will be considered at the annual board retreat and formally approved at the September board meeting.
- Operating expenses of the organization, such as the newsletter, membership mailings, etc. should be funded from predictable income sources such as dues.
- Programs should be separately budgeted, with income used to support the programs themselves as well as allow for a moderate profit.
- The budgeting process should be reiterative, following an established cycle of planning, goal setting, and resource allocation.
- The organization should maintain a cash reserve in an amount deemed appropriate by the Board.
Regular Planning/Budget Cycle
- Every Four Years
- Spring
Budget and Planning Committee drafts strategic plan for the organization. They may survey the membership (with board approval) at the Committee's discretion. Completed strategic plan is submitted to the board for approval at the Annual Board retreat. - Retreat
Board reviews and approves draft strategic plan - Annually
- Spring
Board members submit budget proposals for the coming year to the Budget and Finance Committee. Outgoing board members should work with their incoming counterparts in preparing these proposals. - Retreat
Review budget proposals and annual objectives, based on four-year ALAO strategic plan; update as necessary. Treasurer and Budget committee present proposed annual budget to the board for review. - September
Annual budget and any revisions to the strategic plan are approved by the Board.
Drafted by Gary Hunt and Margy Kramer,
revised by the Executive Board,
and approved by the board on April 13, 1993.
Revised by Karen Wilhoit, Treasurer, November 16, 2004
Budget Request Form
ALAO Board and Interest group members should review their budgetary needs for their committees, and/or groups and submit the following form to the Treasurer by June 1 for the following fiscal year. The form is available as a PDF document at http://www.alaoweb.org/procmanual/forms/budget-request4fy.pdf.
Proposal Form for Project Funding
The form to use for requestion funding for special projects is available as a PDF document at http://www.alaoweb.org/procmanual/forms/project-funding-proposal.pdf.
Reimbursement Guidelines
ALAO Executive Board members, Program Committee members and others required or invited to attend Board meetings may request to be reimbursed for their mileage to meetings. The ALAO Budget expense for mileage reimbursement will not exceed $500 annually.
Reimbursement may be available for members who libraries can not support travel, or for extenuating circumstances that should be detailed in the Request for Reimbursement form [http://www.alaoweb.org/procmanual/forms/reimbursement-request.pdf].
Mileage reimbursement requests will be reviewed on a case by case basis. This fund is discretionary; the President and Treasurer will review and decide to approve or not approve each request.
Mileage will be reimbursed at the rate of $.25 per mile. Mileage reimbursement is dependent on the strength of the budget and may not be possible at all times.
Consideration of other types of reimbursement (e.g., mailings unrelated to conferences or workshops, long distance phone costs, photocopying, printing, etc.) may be made at the discretion of the Executive Board.
Request for Reimbursement
Note: All requests for reimbursement should be submitted to the Treasurer in the appropriate fiscal year (July - June), preferably within 30 days of the expense. June expenses may be submitted through July 30 of the subsequent fiscal year.
The reimbursement form is available as a PDF document at http://www.alaoweb.org/oldsite/manual/e51.pdf.
Continuing Education
Continuing Education Grant Program
- Purpose
- To facilitate participation of current ALAO members at continuing education events, such as conferences, workshops, seminars, etc., which are related to the member's current position or in pursuit of a professional library degree.
- Eligibility
- Applicant must be a current ALAO member
- Applicant may not have received this grant in the previous three award cycles.
- Selection Criteria
- Awarding of grants will be based on
- Rationale for requesting the grant.
- Extent of financial support provided by the employer to attend the event or educational opportunity
- Completeness of application – include all items requested on the application form.
- Preference will be given to Ohio residents or employees of Ohio libraries.
- Procedures
- The amount of money available for Continuing Education Grants is set forth in the ALAO budget, and the numbers and amounts of grants are determined by the Professional Development Committee (PDC). Currently, one award is set up to two thousand dollars.
- Recipients may use the grants to attend any library-related event or educational opportunity. If the event costs less than the amount of the grant, ALAO will not provide the excess money to the recipient. If the amount of the grant is less than the cost of the event, the recipient is responsible for the balance.
- Announcement of the program, application forms, and the deadline for submission to the Ohio College Association (OCA) will be printed in the December issue of the ALAO newsletter, and will be posted on appropriate listservs and on the ALAO web site.
- Shortly after the deadline date of January 15, OCA will forward applications to the chair of the PDC, who will determine eligibility. The entire PDC will review the eligible applications once a year. The committee has discretion to award any money not required by the primary grant recipient to other applicants, the combined awards not to exceed the total previously approved by the board for this purpose.
- The PDC will notify award recipient(s) by letter and will arrange payment.
- The PDC will announce the grant winner in the ALAO newsletter and on the ALAO web site, and the winner will be recognized at the annual conference.
- Within sixty days of the beginning of the event or educational opportunity, the recipient must submit a brief report signifying proof of attendance.
- The application form is available in PDF format at: http://www.alaoweb.org/committees/profdev/ce-grant08.pdf
Revised Nov. 2007
Diversity
Minority Student Scholarship
- Description
- The scholarship of $1,500.00 helps support a student enrolled in an ALA-accredited MLS program who exemplifies the qualities needed to ensure a diverse library workforce. The scholarship will be applied directly to the recipient's bursar account for tuition at his or her academic institution.
- Administration
- The ALAO Diversity Committee will review the continuation and administration of the scholarship annually.
- Early in the new fiscal year, after selection of the scholarship recipient is made, the chair of the ALAO Diversity Committee makes arrangements to receive a check from the Ohio College Association, drawn on ALAO funds. The Diversity Committee chair then sends the check to the director of the ALA-accredited MLS program with a cover letter signed by the president of ALAO on ALAO letterhead stationary. This should be accomplished well before the start of the institution's regular academic year.
- The ALAO Minority Student Scholarship recipient will be announced at the ALAO annual conference and will receive a complimentary registration for ALAO's Annual Conference, along with at least one year of mentorship from a selected ALAO Board Member.
Elections
Candidate Information Form
Elections are held each year for the open positions on the ALAO Board. Nominations are necessary to fill the slots for the election, either from the individual interesting in running for a position or from someone who is knowledgeable about another individuals willingness in and qualifications for running.
To nominate yourself or someone else, please fill out the Candidate information form and send it to the Chair of the Nominating Committee (who is the Past President for the year in which you are running). The form is available as a PDF document at http://www.alaoweb.org/oldsite/manual/c11.pdf .
Government Relations
Legislative Advocate Travel Award
- Purpose
- By extending the opportunity to attend ALA's Legislative Day in Washington, D.C. to members of the Legislative Advocate Network, this award rewards current involvement and promotes future interest in legislative matters among academic librarians.
- Amount of Award
- Up to $ 600 to be used for travel/lodging expenses incurred on a trip to ALA Legislative Day in Washington DC.
- Application Process
- A letter of application and interest will be sent to the Chair of the Government Relations Team via US Post or email. Applicants will supply details of their legislative activities. Examples include making phone calls or writing messages or letters to legislators, hosting visits by legislators to campus libraries, visiting legislators in their offices, and communicating information about legislative matters to colleagues. Expertise and leadership on specific issues would also be evidence of activity and commitment. Legislative advocates with limited experience but have the interest in learning more about legislative advocacy will be encouraged to apply.
- The Government Relations Team will also request the name and phone number of a reference who is familiar with the applicant's advocacy efforts and interest.
- Selection
- Members of the Government Relations Team will meet in February to review applications and nominate a recipient. The ALAO Executive Board will consider the nominee(s) at its February meeting and vote on the selection.
- Award Notification and Disbursement
- The recipient will be notified immediately and directed to the ALAO Treasurer to work out details of reimbursement. The winner's name will be announced at the annual conference.
- Report
- The winner will be asked to contribute an article for the June issue of the ALAO Newsletter about the Legislative Day experience.
Interest Groups
Statement of Purpose Guidelines for Potential Interest Groups
The following guidelines for a statement of purpose are intended for use by groups which desire affiliation with ALAO as interest groups.
The proposal statement to the ALAO board should address the following points:
- The group's purpose in forming, including a definition of success for the goal(s)
- The specific interest or focus of the group, the goals the group's activity and existence will meet
- Long- (beyond one year) and short- (within the year) term objectives for meeting its goals, including a definition for a successful objective
- Beneficiaries of the group's activity
- Potential members of the group
- How the group's interest related to the purpose of ALAO as stated in its constitution: "to advance academic library services in Ohio by defining, studying, and promoting the interests of academic librarianship and the personnel of academic libraries"
6/91 - approved by Board 5/88
Board Guidelines for Interest Groups
- Definition
- Interest groups organized for the purpose of discussing specific concerns and issues in the field of academic librarianship may affiliate with ALAO as deemed appropriate by both the interest group membership and the Executive Board.
- Interest groups shall govern themselves in accordance with these guidelines.
- Recognition Procedure
- Request for recognition as an ALAO Interest Group must be signed by ALAO members from at least six different libraries. A written request for recognition and statement of purpose of the Interest Group must be submitted to the ALAO Executive Board for review and approval.
- Membership
- Membership in ALAO is required for membership in an Interest Group.
- Continuation
- Affiliation of Interest Groups with ALAO will continue as long as deemed appropriate by both the Interest Group membership and the ALAO Executive Board.
- Organizational Structure
- Interest Groups are strongly encouraged to organize a coordinating committee to coordinate IG activities. The coordinating committee should consist of ALAO members who are interested in assisting with the formulation and organization of workshops and other meetings that will interest ALAO members. Ideally committee members should represent the diverse sizes and geographic locations of academic libraries in Ohio.
- The coordinating committee will decide who among them should chair the committee and the IG. This person will receive a formal appointment from the ALAO president, and their term will begin at the ALAO annual retreat and end at the retreat the following year. The IG chair will consult with the coordinating committee to find a "vice chair/chair-elect" who will automatically become chair at the next ALAO annual retreat. In the event that a vice chair cannot be identified, the existing chair will consult with the coordinating committee and the ALAO president to identify a person to chair the IG during the upcoming year. When an IG does not have a chair or a vice chair/chair-elect the ALAO president will appoint an ALAO member to chair the IG. In all cases IG chairs should be identified and recommended for appointment to the ALAO president by the Spring ALAO board meeting.
- Chairs will hold at least one meeting of the IG coordinating committee to plan IG goals and activities for the year. Also, at least a brief meeting of the committee and any interested ALAO members will be held at the ALAO Annual Conference if a program or discussion is also planned.
- Chairs will maintain communications among the IG coordinating committee members regarding all activities and attempt to include all members of the committee in the organization and planning of activities. Chairs will follow through on IG plans to ensure that activities are completed and that appropriate information is provided to appropriate ALAO Board Members as outlined under Interest Group Activities.
- The ALAO President may request that an IG coordinating committee recommend the replacement of an existing chair if the chair cannot or will not substantially fulfill their responsibilities.
- Each Interest Group Chair is strongly encouraged to attend all ALAO Executive Board meetings and update the Board concerning the Interest Group. A verbal report is given to the Board, with a written report furnished to the Secretary of the Board. If the Chair is unable to attend, and no substitute is available, the written report should be furnished to the Secretary of the Board.
- If an Interest Group Chair has questions, the following are some (but not all) helpful resources:
- ALAO Vice President/President-Elect; particularly regarding any programs/workshops
- ALAO Past President; regarding Interest Group goals/objectives
- ALAO Membership Chair; regarding participation/membership concerns
- ALAO Executive Board
- Former Chair(s) of the Interest Group
- Other Interest Group Chairs
- Interest Group Activities
- Frequency and location of Interest Group meetings other than that at the ALAO annual conference will be determined by the Interest Group.
- Interest Groups cannot plan or sponsor programs independently without ALAO authorization.
- Any outside fundraising activities conducted by Interest Groups (e.g. for sponsorship of programs) must be approved in advance by the ALAO Executive Board.
- Net income from programs sponsored by Interest Groups is transferred to the ALAO treasury.
- Information items from the Interest Group should be submitted regularly to the ALAO Newsletter Editor for communication to the ALAO membership.
- Interest Group goals and objectives should be updated as necessary and submitted to the ALAO Executive Board for approval.
- More information is available on workshop planning
Newsletter
Newsletter Editorial Policy
- Purpose
- The purpose of the ALAO Newsletter is to advance the goals of the organization and serve the membership. The most relevant goals of ALAO to the Newsletter are:
- To contribute to the professional development of all academic library personnel in Ohio.
- To promote and speak for the interests of Ohio academic libraries.
- To promote study, research, and publication relevant to academic libraries.
- Content
- The advancement of these goals shapes our editorial policy. The emphasis will be on ALAO activities, including but not limited to:
- Conference planning and conference reports
- Summary reports of the meetings of ALAO committees and interest groups
- Executive summary of Executive Board meetings
- People and Library News (limit of 50 words per item)
- ACRL news and legislative updates
- Other current topics in the profession as space permits.
- Membership liaisons are asked to provide timely news of personnel changes at members' libraries, along with notices of major library events, gifts, endowments, renovations, etc.
- Format
- Material submitted to the Newsletter editor should follow good journalistic style. Please limit submissions to 400 words. Be concise and clear, and use simple sentences and active voice. A byline must accompany each article, stating the author's name, ALAO office or position (if any), and institution. Submissions should be sent electronically; attachments to e-mail (such as Microsoft Word documents) are preferred. Contributed news and other reports may be edited due to space limitations or editorial decisions. Authors are asked to provide informative headlines for their articles.
Newsletter Information Request
We depend on you to help shape the content of our newsletter! We are very interested in notices of events concerning your library and staff, and other announcements or news pertinent to academic libraries in Ohio. E-mail submissions are preferred; all contributions may be edited for sake of brevity.
News Deadlines
| Issue | Deadline for Submissions | Publication Date |
|---|---|---|
| September | August 15 | September 15 |
| December | November 15 | December 15 |
| March | February 15 | March 15 |
| June | May 15 | June 15 |
An appropriate administrator should approve library and staff news prior to submission. Solicited material for the newsletter includes:
Staff News: personnel changes, significant awards and honors, publications, presentations, important campus committee assignments.
Library News: programs and events, significant acquisitions and major gifts, new buildings and renovations, grants received.
Other: meeting and conference announcements; conference and workshop reports; other statewide library events; current legislation relevant to academic libraries; research, publication and funding opportunities.
Include this information with your submission:
Sender's Name
Position Title
Institution
ALAO office (if any)
Date
Phone
E-mail
If items are time sensitive, indicate a date after which the item should not be used.
Send your contributions to the Newsletter Editor.
Newsletter Calendar
September Issue (Deadline August 15):
| News Article | Responsible Person |
|---|---|
| Annual Conference Update | President |
| Leadership Retreat Report | President |
| Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award: call for nominations | Past President |
| Preliminary Plans for next year's conference | VP/Pres. Elect |
| Interest Group Reports | ALL Interest Group Chairs |
| Membership Update and Form | Membership Chair |
| Annual Budget Report (past & current yrs.) | Treasurer |
| Executive Board Roster (complete) | Secretary |
| Legislative Reports | Legislative Team Members |
| ALA Annual Report (highlight ALAO members' contributions & activities) | ACRL Representative |
| ACRL Chapters Council Report (reference URL for Chapters Topics online) | ACRL Representative |
| People and Library News | Membership Liaisons |
| Research Funding opportunities; highlight ALAO members' research & publications | Research & Publications Comm. Chair |
| Calendar of Events, Deadlines | Editors |
December Issue (Deadline November 15):
| News Article | Responsible Person |
|---|---|
| Annual Conference Report | President |
| Conference Program Session Summaries (brief reference to Web site where summaries are posted) | Program Committee |
| Executive Board Meeting Report | President |
| Elections - Call for Nominations | Past President |
| Jay Ladd Award Recipient | Past President |
| Membership Survey (when needed) | Membership Chair, Past President |
| Call for Conference Proposals | VP/Pres. Elect |
| Program Committee Report | VP/Pres. Elect |
| Research Grant recipient | Research & Publications Comm. Chair |
| CE Grant Program - announcement & application | Professional Development Comm. Chair |
| Scholarship Award Recipient | Diversity Committee Chair |
| Membership Update and Form | Membership Chair |
| Legislative Reports | Legislative Team Members |
| Interest Group Reports | ALL Interest Group Chairs |
| People and Library News | Membership Liaisons |
| Board Roster (without full addresses) | Secretary notifies Editor of changes |
| Calendar of Events, Deadlines | Editors |
March Issue (Deadline February 15):
| News Article | Responsible Person |
|---|---|
| Board Meeting Report | President |
| Roster of Candidates for Election | Past President |
| Annual Conference Update | VP/Pres. Elect |
| Membership Survey Report (if relevant) | Membership Chair, Past President |
| ACRL Chapter's Council Report / ALA Midwinter Report | ACRL Representative |
| Research Grant: Call for proposals | Research & Publications Comm. Chair |
| Membership Update and Form (list new members) | Membership Chair |
| Legislative News | Legislative Team Members |
| Interest Group News; Workshop flyers | Interest Group Chairs |
| People and Library News | Membership Liaisons |
| Board Roster (without full addresses) | Secretary notifies Editor of changes |
| Calendar of Events, Deadlines | Editors |
June Issue (Deadline May 15):
| News Article | Responsible Person |
|---|---|
| Board Meeting Report | President |
| Election Results | Past President |
| Annual Conference Update | VP/Pres. Elect |
| ALAO Activities (if relevant) | Membership Chair |
| ACRL National Conference Report (if relevant) | ACRL Representative |
| Interest Group News; Workshop flyers | Interest Group Chairs |
| People and Library News | Membership Liaisons |
| CE Grant Program (announcement & application) | Professional Development Committee Chair |
| Board Roster (without full addresses) | Secretary notifies Editor of changes |
| Calendar of Events, Deadlines | Editors |
Other Information to be submitted at appropriate times during the year:
- Reports from OCLIS, OLF and OCA Representatives
- Notices regarding ALAO Web Site and Discussion List
ALAO/OCA Relationship
The Ohio College Association (OCA) and ALAO have agreed to the following terms in their formal operating agreement:
- OCA will provide an ex officio resource/staff person to participate on ALAO's Steering Committee to offer guidance, advice and assistance in the planning and execution of ALAO's activities.
- OCA will serve as the permanent address and phone contact for ALAO.
- OCA will set up and maintain a membership database (either MS Access or Excel) for ALAO not to exceed 700 entries.
- OCA will generate a membership report from that database, not to exceed one request per calendar quarter.
- OCA will serve as the bookkeeping and fiscal agent for ALAO, specifically including the following services:
- Receive, hold, and disburse ALAO funds;
- Generate a financial income and disbursement report not to exceed one per calendar quarter; and
- Include ALAO's Fund Report in the OCA Annual Audit.
- OCA will generate mailing labels from that database, not to exceed one request per calendar quarter, and at ALAO's supplemental supply cost per label.
- OCA will permit the use of the OCA bulk mailing privilege and tax exempt status by ALAO.
- OCA will provide occasional labor, mailing labels and postage, at ALAO's cost.
- ALAO will accept and welcome an OCA representative as an ex officio member of its Steering Committee.
- ALAO will plan, organize, offer and conduct its activities in a professional, legal, ethical and non-discriminatory manner consistent with the purposes of ALAO and the OCA
- ALAO will pay an annual overhead stipend to the OCA at the rate of $60 per month, $720 per year.
- ALAO will approve, in a timely manner, the transfer of funds mutually negotiated to cover any costs or out-of-pocket expenses.
- ALAO will provide at least a one-week notice to OCA in requesting any of the services listed above.
- ALAO will provide a brief annual report or summary of activities to the OCA.
- OCA and ALAO are independent entities. ALAO shall not be considered an agent or employee of OCA, and OCA shall not be considered an agent or employee of ALAO.
- Neither party shall use the other party's name, symbols, trademarks, nor service marks in advertising or promotional materials or otherwise without the express prior written consent of the other party.
- ALAO shall maintain membership of 25 or more active participants, at least a majority of whom are full-time employees of institutions belonging to OCA.
- ALAO shall remain representative of both public and private sectors of higher education.
- ALAO shall implement immediately a constitution, a chief officer, provide evidence of financial self-sufficiency to OCA, and meet in formal session at least once annually.
- ALAO shall not engage in profit-making ventures which would endanger OCA's tax exempt status nor engage in any activity inconsistent with OCA's stated purposes.
- The term of this agreement shall be for one year, renewed automatically on these same terms annually from the date of acceptance below for three years, unless one party declines renewal to the other in writing a month prior, without cause and in the party's sole discretion.
- OCA may otherwise disassociate with the ALAO for cause upon majority vote of the executive committee in its sole discretion.
- ALAO may resign at will, provided that all costs and expenses have been paid.
Approved May 25, 2004
Research Grant
Instructions for Research and Publications Grant Program
- General Information
- The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) seeks to promote research among its membership, and, to that end, the ALAO Executive Board, through the ALAO Research and Publications Committee, may award up to $500 annually to support and encourage research projects proposed by ALAO members. Multiple grants whose total funding does not exceed $500 may be awarded. Both ongoing and new research projects are considered. Grants are intended to help in funding such incremental research costs as the organization of data, the hiring of interviewers or other assistants, the purchase of specialized software, and modest travel costs associated with research. Grants may not be used for purchase of hardware. Grants are limited to investigations related to issues in libraries, librarianship, and information science and technology.
- Procedures
- During January and February of each year the Chair will put out announcements about the grant, including application information, deadlines, and contact information. Outlets will include the ALAO Newsletter, the ALAO listserv, and other venues deemed appropriate.
- Submissions will be directly to the Chair, in electronic format only. Applications must be received by May 1 for consideration.
- The Chair will remove identifying information from the submissions and send them to the Committee for a blind review.
- All applications will be reviewed as-is. No information will be requested from the applicants.
- Committee members will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the applications
- If, despite the blind review, a committee member knows that an application is from his/her institution, the committee member must let the committee chair know as soon as possible and that member shouldn't comment on that particular application.
- Each member will submit a ranked list of applicants to the chair. The chair will compile one ranked list and will send it to the committee. If there is a tie, the committee will repeat the procedure with just the tying applicants.
- The review and voting process will be completed within one month of the deadline.
- All applicants will be notified of the results by the Chair within one week of the voting.
- The Chair will contact the Treasurer with the information necessary to provide a check to the grant recipient(s).
- The Chair will announce the grant recipient(s) at the Annual Conference.
- The Committee will follow up with grant recipient(s) to produce an article for the ALAO Newsletter.
- The Research Grant Application is available at: http://www.alaoweb.org/comsigs/grantform.html
Web Site
Web Site Editorial Policy
The purpose of the ALAO Web site is to advance the goals of the organization and serve the membership. The most relevant goals of ALAO to the Web site are:
- To provide relevant information concerning upcoming activities supported and sponsored by ALAO.
- To provide a forum for information from related organizations that will benefit the membership and staff in all academic libraries in Ohio.
- To complement information contained in the ALAO Newsletter.
- To provide web resources and organizational information of benefit to the membership and staff in all academic libraries in Ohio.
The advancement of these goals shapes the editorial policy of the ALAO Web site. There is at present no limit on the length of material that may be submitted for inclusion on the web site. Emphasis will be placed on the following materials:
- ALAO information and activities;
- ALAO Newsletter;
- Annual conference activities;
- ALA/ACRL issues; and
- Legislative concerns of potential interest to the membership.
Information of a time-sensitive nature, such as positions available, elections within ALAO and ALA, and other library-related topics will also be considered for inclusion upon request.
In the event the co-webmasters question the appropriateness of any submitted item, the ALAO President will be the final authority in determining whether an item should be posted.
Material submitted for placement on the ALAO web site should be in electronic format, preferably as a marked up file in the current standard of HTML, as an ASCII text file, or within the body of email.
Submissions should be clear and concise, and follow good journalistic style appropriate for presentation on a web page. Each submission must include the name, phone number and email contact address of someone as appropriate to the content of the file. Contributors must clearly indicate material of a time-sensitive nature and submit it early enough for timely inclusion on the web site. Items submitted for posting should be placed on the ALAO web site within 5-6 days.
The co-webmasters reserve the right to modify the layout of any submission as needed to comply with accepted standards of good web design in terms of clarity of presentation and visual style. They support the concept of universal access in web design.
The co-webmasters reserve the right to refuse any submission deemed inappropriate to the mission of the web site.
Web Site Information Form
The success of the ALAO Web site depends upon the timely submissions from the membership, Board, committees, interest groups, and other ALAO members. We are very interested to receive news, notices of events concerning your library and staff, workshops, or other pertinent announcements that you would like to share via the web site. Please send us your information in one of these electronic formats: HTML marked up file; ASCII text file; or within email, along with the following information:
Sender's Name
Institution
Email Address
Phone number
Fax
Is the information for this web page item time sensitive?
Date after which item should not be posted
Date when item should be removed from the web site
Under what section of the web site does the information best fit?
File name
Please include any information that will help the co-webmasters put your file on the web site quickly!
Contributors and Responsibility for Monitoring Sections of the ALAO Web Site
It is important that the information contained in the web pages is kept up-to-date. Listed below are some of the responsibilities
| Person Responsible | Task |
|---|---|
| All Board Members | Relevant Calendar of Events items & Pertinent sections of the Procedures manual |
| Webmasters | Front page & Job announcements -- posted for two months or until closing date, if known |
| President | General Information |
| Vice President | Annual meeting & Programs |
| Past President | Election Information & Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award |
| Treasurer | Financial information |
| Membership Chair | Roster & Membership recruitment information |
| Secretary | Board roster |
| Committee Chairs | Committee information |
| Interest Group Chairs | Interest group information |
| Newsletter Editor | Newsletters |
| Manual Revision Coordinator | Updates to procedure manual |
| Liaisons/Representatives | Information of interest to the membership |
Updated 6/1/06