Chapter Manual - VI. Advisory Council - Nominations

Added by Karen Huffman, last edited by Sage Hulsebus on Nov 13, 2008  (view change)

Table of Contents

Nominations Chair Overview

Selection and Qualifications:

  • Chair will be the Past-Past President
  • If the Past-Past President is unable to serve then the chair is nominated by the Chapter President subject to the advice and consent of the Chapter's Executive Board which also confirms the appointment.
  • Must be a member of the Chapter.

Term: The appointment is for one year by action of the Executive Board at its September meeting, however with the approval of the Executive Board the appointment may be renewed and continued indefinitely. Appointment is effective upon approval of the Executive Board.

Committee: Nominations Committee

Roles and Responsibilities

The Nominations Committee is an impartial panel of Chapter members empowered to prepare a slate of candidates for Chapter offices expected to be vacant during the next Association year. These offices are identified to the Committee Chair by the Chapter President at the time of the Chair's appointment.

Policy

  • The Nominations Committee has the responsibility of providing a balanced slate of candidates for Chapter office from among active Chapter members. Participants should represent an unbiased and impartial panel of Chapter members.
  • Nominations for vacant Chapter offices may be received by the Chair or members of the Nominations Committee.

Procedures

Meetings of the Nominations Committee should begin not later than June for purposes of discussion and consideration of possible candidates.

At the time of appointment the Chair will receive from the Chapter President a list of offices for which candidates are needed. This is necessary due to the varying lengths of Chapter officers' terms. The President should also make Chapter ballots from the preceding five years available to the Committee to facilitate its work.

The Chapter Governance Document requires a slate with two candidates for each office.

Any Chapter member may be proposed for office provided the member is certified by the Membership Chair as a member in good standing of the Washington, D.C. Chapter with active status for a period of at least one year prior to the proposed nomination.

The Chapter Manual descriptions of the officer's responsibilities should be provided to each potential candidate. Candidates should also be encouraged to speak with current office-holders to better understand the obligations of the position before accepting a nomination.

In selecting nominees, consideration should be given to representation of various subject groups; previous experience in Chapter affairs; interest evidenced through Committee work; and participation in professional library activities. After a list of candidates has been drafted, the candidates must be approached for their consent to have their names placed in nomination and their willingness to serve if elected. Acceptances may be obtained by telephone or email, but written verification must be furnished by those nominated, confirming their acceptance and accompanied by a summary vita which is published with the ballot. The vita should include:

  1. current position title, organization, and length of employment;
  2. prior positions;
  3. degrees held, and honors and citations received;
  4. present and past activities in the Chapter and the Association.

The slate of candidates is presented to the Chapter Board at a meeting held in August.
The committee will make an effort to solicit names from the chapter-at-large.

Ballots

The Nominations Committee shall prepare a ballot to be sent to the membership with the activities summary information. The Nomination Committee should send the ballot text to the Chapter Notes editor for production. The Chapter Notes producer should be asked to handle the distribution through the USPS system. Include in the ballot text the address to which ballots should be sent by the voters, which is designated by the Elections Committee Chair. This should also be used as the return address when mailing the ballots. Once the ballots are distributed, the Elections Committee manages the remainder of the process.

The ballot will include:

  1. current position title, organization, and length of employment;
  2. prior positions;
  3. degrees held, and honors and citations received;
  4. present and past activities in the Chapter and Association. (Editing or condensing the activities summaries may be undertaken by the Committee Chair or the Chapter Notes editor.)

Ballots will be mailed to all members in good standing (except those in foreign countries) at least sixty days in advance of the Chapter's annual business meeting, although a target date of February is recommended. The ballot will announce the date by which the ballots must be received by the Corresponding Secretary, not later than noon of the day preceding the announced election date to be valid.

Ballots will be returned to the address below, or to the address in use by the Chapter at the time of the election:

Corresponding Secretary
Special Libraries Association
Washington, D.C. Chapter
P.O. Box 287, Benjamin Franklin Station
Washington, D.C. 20004

Reminders to Chapter members to return their ballots should be posted on the Chapter listserv and/or web page several times after the ballots have been published.

Meetings

The number of meetings the Nominations Committee holds will depend on the progress made in naming candidates and receiving their acceptances. Alternatively, meetings may be conducted by email or telephone. It is advised that the first meeting be held in June.

After acceptance by the candidates has been received, the Chair may call meetings to prepare the vitae of the candidates for publication.

The Nominations Chair should be present at any meeting of the Chapter Executive Board and Advisory Council in which Chapter Nominations will be discussed, or in which the Nominations Chair has requested a place on the agenda.

Files and materials for the Next Nominations Chair

  • Membership roster from the Membership Chair.
  • Printout of the Nominations Committee web page, which is an electronic copy of the Activities Summaries, and comments urging everyone to vote.
  • Sample Ballot and sample activities summary.
  • Nominations/Elections Schedule

Reports

  • The Chair presents the Nominations Committee report to the Executive Board no later than the August meeting. Copies of the ballot and activities summaries are provided to the Chapter Archivist.
  • Submits a written annual report to the Chapter President not later than November 5 of each year. This report is incorporated into the President's report that is submitted to SLA Headquarters, with highlights appearing in the December Chapter Notes.
  • Completed files, working papers, and correspondence of any specific year shall be transferred to the Chapter Archivist for review, selection and storage.

Expenses

Typical expenses of this office include stationery, printing and postage and other incidental expenses resulting from activities taken to prepare and mail ballots for the Chapter's annual election. Requests for reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenditures may be submitted to the Treasurer, and should be accompanied by receipts if available and brief statements concerning the nature of the expenditures. Unplanned expenses over $100 needs to be approved by the Treasurer and the President's approval.

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