NASIG COMMITTEE GUIDELINES

The NASIG Executive Board (hereafter referred to as The Board) is committed to supporting its committees' activities and is most appreciative of the work done by committee members. Because NASIG is an all-volunteer organization, committee members are its mainstay. The following guidelines exist to assist committee members in the work of the committees and communication to the Board.

1.0 NASIG POSITION STATEMENT AND POLICY ON DONATIONS/CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP AND ASSISTANCE

The Board approved the following statement which was announced in V.3 N.3 (September 1988) of the NASIG newsletter:

"The North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG), Inc. is an independent organization established to provide for the exchange of information amongst participants of the serials information chain. The membership consists of publishers, librarians, subscription agents and others interested in being part of this open forum. It neither represents nor favors by its actions any segment of the information chain."

2.0 COMMITTEE CHARGES, APPOINTMENTS AND TERMS OF SERVICE

2.1 Committee Charge

Each committee shall have a formal, written charge from the Board which may be modified as the need arises. The charge shall be reviewed annually by the committee and the Board (Due date: April 1) . Copies of the charges can be found in the NASIG Membership Directory and on NASIGWeb.

2.2 Committee Appointments

Any NASIG member is eligible to serve on a committee. Anyone who would like to have a committee appointment is encouraged to submit the volunteer form published each winter in the NASIG newsletter. A copy of the form is also available on NASIGWeb and in the Membership Directory. In March, committee rosters are reviewed by committee chairs and Board liaisons to confirm members' term completions and continuances. Following this review, the Vice-President/President-Elect makes appointment recommendations prior to the conference, and formal letters of appointment are sent by the incoming President. Committee appointments are based on volunteer forms and/or outstanding prior service to NASIG. An attempt is also made to balance committees to reflect the organization's membership. Committee chairs are appointed by the incoming President with the approval of the Board.

2.3 Committee Terms

Per the NASIG Bylaws, Article VI, Section 3, committee members generally serve two year terms and are eligible for reappointment for a second two year term. They may not serve more than two consecutive terms on a committee without an intervening period of two years. There are two exceptions to the two year terms. Members of the Nominations & Elections Committee are appointed for terms of one year and may be reappointed once providing that at least fifty percent of the committee consists of new members. Also, when a new committee is established, half of the committee members are appointed for a one year term and half for a two year term in order to ensure continuity of service. After a one year term, appointments are made for two years.

2.4 Special Committees

The President, in consultation with the Board, may appoint special committees (task forces, working groups, etc.) for a specific purpose and term. Committee members will be solicited from the general NASIG membership. At the end of the assignment, special committees are dissolved.

3.0 COMMUNICATION

3.1 Liaison with the Board

A Board member is assigned to be the liaison between the committee and the Board. This Board member assists in drafting, interpreting, reviewing and modifying the committee's charge each year. S/he also assists in answering policy/procedural questions and conveying communications and problems to the Board. The liaison and committee chair should work closely and communicate at least once a month so that the liaison stays abreast of committee activities. The liaison is expected to make regular committee reports to the Board, and will notify the committee chair regarding the timetable for these reports. Also, the committee chair/Board liaison should report any resignations from the committee to the President/Board as they occur.

The NASIG Board meets three times each year, a fall meeting in October/November, at ALA Midwinter and at the annual NASIG Conference. Liaisons are expected to submit reports from each committee and present any action items to the Board at these meetings.

3.2 NASIGNET

NASIGNET, NASIG's electronic communications forum, is administered by the Electronic Communications Committee. It consists of two components, NASIGWeb, the organization's official website; and a family of electronic discussion lists, including NASIG-L. Each standing and special committee is entitled to a private (confidential) electronic discussion list in order to conduct committee work efficiently and effectively. Committees involved in sensitive discussions may elect not to use a NASIG discussion list. However, it is important to send communications to all committee members and the Board liaison. These discussion lists are set up each summer or as required by members of the ECC, after the organization's administration changes and new committees are in place. Annually, at the end of each administration, each list is reviewed by the outgoing chair and the Board liaison. In consultation with the incoming chair, they decide whether the list contents are to be purged, retained online or archived to disk.

3.3 Annual Reports

The committee chair is responsible for preparing an annual report. Copies are due May 1st to the President, Board liaison and Newsletter Editor in Chief. Reports should be succinct but include the current committee roster, a summary of activities undertaken in pursuit of goals and objectives of the committee, and an outline of goals for the coming year. In addition, the committee chair MAY be asked to give a brief oral report on the year's activities at the annual business meeting.

3.4 Newsletter and Ongoing Communication

Committee chairs should keep NASIG members informed of significant ongoing activities through the NASIG Newsletter, notices posted to NASIG-L, and NASIGWeb. Information to be shared outside of these official NASIG communication channels should be sent to the Publicist for wider distribution. It is highly recommended that you consult the Board liaison to review such communications before distribution through any channels (for style, content and accuracy).

3.5 Correspondence

All correspondence and reports should be done on NASIG letterhead. A supply will be sent annually to each committee chair from the NASIG secretary, who can also be contacted for additional supplies as needs arise. Copies of correspondence should be sent to the President and Board liaison.

3.6 Meetings

Each committee should arrange to meet in open forum during the committee meeting time slot at the annual conference. Committee members are encouraged to attend, as are NASIG members who attend the conference. Minutes of the meetings should be distributed to current and incoming Committee members and to the incoming Board liaison in a timely manner after the meeting. Minutes may also be posted to the committee's NASIGWeb region.

4.0 FINANCES

4.1 Budget Request

Each committee chair should submit a detailed budget request and justification for projects for the January-December fiscal year by October 1st. If necessary, budget requests may include working expenses such as phone, postage, student help, fax and photocopying. Copies of the budget requests are submitted to the Treasurer and Board liaison. The Board formally approves committee projects and votes on the budget at its Fall meeting. The committee chair is responsible for monitoring expenses and staying within budget.

The Treasurer will prepare a budget packet for each committee chair in September to assist with planning for the upcoming fiscal year. This packet will include a budget request form, a copy of last year's budget request, and a report of committee expenses to date.

4.2 Expense Vouchers

All expenses are to be submitted on official voucher forms. NASIG has a voucher form to cover travel expenses and another to cover other expenses. Vouchers must be signed by the committee chair and forwarded to the Treasurer for payment. Any extraordinary expenses not covered in the budget must be approved beforehand and submitted to the committee chair who then seeks approval from the Board. Questions about expenses should be forwarded to the Board liaison for clarification.

Expense voucher forms are normally included in the committee chair packet. Supplies of the voucher forms are kept by the Treasurer and may be requested from him/her as needed.

5.0 CALENDAR

The NASIG Working Calendar lists important dates and deadlines for the organization as a whole. This document provides a good overview of all the important dates of your committee's activities and how your committee fits in the working calendar. Available on NASIGWeb under Organization at NASIG Working Calendar.

6.0 ARCHIVES

The committee chair in consultation with the Board liaison submits relevant documents to the Archives at the end of each year. Copies of important documentation, for example, a committee manual, should be passed along to the incoming chair. Also, any relevant materials older than three years should routinely be forwarded to the Archivist.

7.0 ACCOMPANYING PACKET

Materials in committee appointment packets should include:

i) An appointment letter ii) A copy of the NASIG Committee Guidelines document iii) A list of NASIG Board members iv) Expense voucher forms (travel and non-travel) (committee chairs only) v) NASIG Board Master Calendar (committee chairs only)

Committee chairs should also be sure to reference the NASIG Bylaws, which are available in electronic form on NASIGWeb as well as in the NASIG Membership Directory. Another important document is the NASIG 2003 Strategic Plan, which is also available in electronic form on NASIGWeb.

revised April 2006