Part II

[Part I.  Introduction and Duties of Chairperson]

II. Duties of Secretary
III. Duties of Executive Committee Members
IV. Duties of Faculty Representatives

Appendices

II. Duties of Secretary

As Secretary, your responsibilities are much cleaner, but no less important than those of the Chair. For all projects that have an elected (or appointed) Secretary, the responsibilities are to:

1. Attend all official meetings and record the minutes of meetings.
2. Submit draft to Chair and/or representative of CRL.
3. Insert any By-law amendments into the official copy of the By-laws

Best Practices:

1. Be aware of the deadlines set for the submission of minutes

   Where no deadline exists, assume that minutes should be completed within three months of the meeting. The sooner minutes are completed, the easier it will be to recall what occurred.

2. Make clear minutes

   Minutes usually serve as a reminder of what should be accomplished over the next year – be clear as to who is assigned to what responsibility and what deadlines and expectations were given at the meeting.

3. Include a copy of the Agenda with your minutes

   This will provide a clearer understanding of the minutes

4. Submit minutes to the Executive Committee for review

   Do this prior to submitting to the membership. This will most likely clear up any lingering confusion in the content.

5. Provide By-laws information to CRL

   "Official Copies" of the By-laws presumably rest with the Chair. However, please provide any information to CRL, who hosts the By-laws on the Web and keeps permanent files of such matters.

III. Duties of Executive Committee Members (At-Large and Ex Officio)

Members of the Executive Committee who are not appointed or elected Chair or Secretary have a variety of responsibilities for their project. Being elected to the Executive Committee bestows upon one a heightened level of responsibility in the Area Studies project. It is hoped that Executive Committee members will take the lead on projects and discussions and participate actively in project activities.

General members of the Executive Committee come in two varieties – elected and ex officio. The primary responsibilities for both are mostly the same. However, Ex Officio members often represent institutions that are not part of the regular membership of the group or that play a broader role in regional scholarship, so they may not vote on certain subjects.

In review, the duties of Executive Committee members are to:

1. Attend meetings of membership and Executive Committee
2. Carry out project activities between the meetings of the full committee
3. Discuss and decide issues as directed by the membership, and advise the Chairperson on the agenda and other matters
4. Determine the acquisitions of the project in accordance with the recommendations of the full committee
5. Assist in periodic membership drives
6. Select Chairperson from among the Executive Committee members (if appropriate)
7. Review and select discretionary proposals (where appropriate)
8. Make recommendations to the full committee concerning policy
9. Maintain close liaison with scholarly associations, other projects, etc.

Best Practices:

Many of the practices described in the earlier section on the Chair (being familiar with projects, reading By-laws, etc.) also apply to regular members of the Executive Committee, so we will not repeat them here and trust you to read the section above. However, a few points bear special mention:

1. Stay involved in discussions throughout the year

   It has been noticed that e-mail "discussions" are often anything but discussions. Issues or questions are frequently posted with no reaction from the membership. We encourage you to stay on top of issues and respond with your informed opinions.

2. Weigh in with common experiences

   Ex Officio members should weigh in with common experiences from their institutions, their unique perspectives, or opinions generated by their own constituents.

3. Generate ideas

   Do this either through your own contacts or with other project members. As the leadership body of the group, you have a unique opportunity to influence your AMP in its collection trends or project directions.

4. Challenge old habits.

   Just because something was done a certain way for decades, ask if it still makes sense today.

5. Assist your Chair.

   We all recognize that this responsibility comes in addition to everyone’s regular (i.e. paid) duties. However, we will accomplish much more through cooperation and sharing of the load.

 IV. Duties of Faculty Representatives

Faculty representatives have played a historical role in the development of the projects. As librarians, we are constantly grappling with the issue of preserving material that is considered useful to academia. The participation of faculty aids us in our mission to identify the most useful resources for future scholarship.

Faculty representatives are asked to:

1. Attend meetings of Executive Committee and annual membership
2. Provide input and guidance as to the intellectual worth of projects
3. Alert Executive Committee to trends in research and possible projects

Best Practices:

1. Communicate with your colleagues about the group and its projects

Discuss project resources available, and solicit opinions on potential projects.

2. Forward interesting articles or submit thoughts to the project membership.

Send items to the project Chair, Executive Committee or project listserv for discussion.

3. Refer your colleagues and students to the project resources.

4. Remember, use of the collection is the best measure of worth for the projects.

Proceed to Appendices for Guidelines

Return to Area Studies Council Homepage