Council membership must include: other representatives of providers
and users of library services in the school library system per Commissioner's
Regulations 90.18(b)(2)(i).
Councils work with the director to:
recommend policy;
do long-range and short-range planning; and
evaluate the system's services.
Committees -- either standing or ad hoc -- help assist in the planning, advising and organizing of council
priorities and projects, for example: automation, long-range planning, continuing education/professional development,
by-laws, nominating, etc. These committees not only create a structure to help the council's work get done, they
enlarge the pool of workers, idea-producers and subject specialists for each project because they can include membership
from the liaison group, member libraries and other users and providers of system services.
A council is a quasi-governing body and should be structured and run like a board of trustees, with
officers, by-laws, official minutes, etc.
Council meetings constitute official business and are subject to the provisions
of the Open Meetings
Law. The director and the council should review this information carefully
and, if necessary, be sure to adopt procedures to meet the requirements of
this law.
Don't forget the importance of the business conducted by the school library system council. This is
a public trust for which the school library system receives state taxpayer funding. It is therefore essential for
school library system councils to operate in a business-like way, demonstrating accountability by such means
as meeting the Education Department standards, operating under an approved plan of service, holding open meetings,
communicating with members, doing an annual evaluation, preparing an annual report and budget, etc.
Liaisons/Communication Coordinators are a separate group from the school library system council with
different roles and responsibilities. The main function of the liaisons (individually and as a group) is to provide
two-way communication between the member libraries and the school library system. This can be accomplished
through:
regular meetings in which the liaisons discuss how to implement the policies recommended by the council;
sharing information on system programs (e.g., training), procedures (e.g., interlibrary loan), data
collection (e.g., database development, statistics on interlibrary loan, etc.);
developing committees and/or interest groups (e.g., an elementary school librarians cluster group, automation
users group, etc.);
bringing the needs of school library system users (students, faculty and administrators) to the attention
of the school library system council and director;
identifying subject experts from among member librarians and others and recruiting them to participate
in SLS projects and committees; and
identifying and recruiting potential council members.
Last reviewed and modified on November 15, 2006 -- asm
For questions or comments contact Joseph
Mattie
URL: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/slssap/liaison.htm
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