Functions and Responsibilities of WESS Officers

CHAIR

• Serves as chief officer of section, and assists in advancing the goals and objectives of the section and ACRL.
• Chairs Executive Committee and membership meetings at Midwinter and Annual Conference.
• Attends all meetings of section committees, when possible.
• Oversees WESS Conference program at Annual Conference, as necessary in collaboration with the Program Committee.
• Responsible for section projects which the section will pursue during the year.
• Meets deadlines for budget requests for payment or reimbursement, according to the budget being submitted.
• Schedules all WESS committee meetings and programs for Midwinter and Annual conferences, after consulting committee chairs.
• Notifies ALA Conference Arrangements Office of meeting times and space needs for all section meetings and programs.
• Submits reports to ACRL Board on WESS activities, including the strategic planning inventory and the annual programs.
• Responds to inquiries from members and non-members regarding WESS interests and activities.
• Co-represents, with Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, WESS on ACRL Activities Section Council.
• Writes column for WESS Newsletter twice a year, if desired.
• The WESS chair shall make special appointments to fill such committee vacancies as occur during his/her term of office.
• Attends meeting of ACRL sections Council. Prepares oral report of section events/plans to be presented at Council meeting if requested to by ACRL Takes note of announcements and items of interest to be shared with WESS Executive Committee and membership.
• The WESS vice-chair/chair-elect or the delegate that he/she authorizes will act as the official WESS liaison to the ACRL board.

In addition to the functions and responsibilities listed above, the Chair should make note of the following checklist of reminders:

• Stay in touch with other officers between conferences.
• Six weeks before each conference:
• Prepare agenda for Executive Committee meeting. Review minutes from previous Executive Committee and contact WESS officers to help determine agenda items.
• Review activities of other WESS committees and contact chairs.
• Four weeks before Annual Conference:
• Send agendas and cover letter to all Executive Committee members and committee chairs.
• Be sure to include the schedule of all WESS committee meetings and their locations. This information is available from the Final Schedule of Meetings (on colored paper) sent by ALA Conference Arrangements Office about four weeks before the conference.
• During each conference:
• Chair Executive Committee meetings.
• Attend meeting of section's committees when possible.
• Draft schedule for all section committee meetings for next conference. Review schedule with Executive Committee to be sure there are no major conflicts with the section.
• During Midwinter conference:
  • Assist Conference Program Planning Committee in finalizing wording for section program at upcoming Annual conference. Be sure form is submitted to ALA Conference Arrangements Office by deadline in late January.
  • Prompt Vice-Chair to identify potential new committee chairs and members (Membership lists due to ACRL in March).
• During Annual conference:
• Oversee WESS program.
• Prompt newly-elected vice-chair/chair-elect to name: Conference Program Planning Committee for Annual Conference two years hence.
• Work with Vice-Chair and WESS Conference Program Planning Committee for next Annual conference to complete form requesting time slot and reporting title and/or subject of program. Form must be submitted to ALA Conference Arrangements Office by August deadline. Current vice-chair (or program committee chair) reports same information to ACRL vice-chair during ACRL Conference Program Planning Committee meeting.

VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT

• Serves as officer of section, and assists in advancing the goals and objectives of the section and ACRL.
• As a member of the Executive Committee, attends meetings of the committee at Annual and Midwinter conferences, including, if possible, those at the Annual conference immediately preceding the taking of office.
• In conjunction with the section chair, appoints a nominating committee and chair, which is responsible for producing a slate of candidates for section office.
• Appoints a conference program planning committee and chair, which is responsible for planning the section's program at the Annual conference during the year as chair. Serves as ex-officio member of the committee.
• Makes appointments including chairs to all other WESS committees for terms beginning when term as chair begins, or the chair may authorize committees to elect their own chairs. Chairs serve one-year terms but may be reappointed by the next vice-chair. Committee members will normally serve two-year terms.
• Submits section budget request by December 1 for year as chair. Participates in ACRL budget orientation. Meets deadlines for requests for payment or reimbursement, according to the budget submitted. In the event the Section is requesting support for pages of the Newsletter in excess of the two 8-page issues automatically granted to each ACRL Section, a separate request for this support for additIonal pages must be sent to the ACRL Budget and Finance Committee, as well as to the ACRL Publications Committee. Copies of all budget requests from the WESS Vice-Chair should be sent to the WESS Newsletter editor and to the Chair of the Newsletter subcommittee.
• Assists in planning the programs and projects which the section will pursue during year as chair.
• Responds to inquiries from members and non-members regarding section interests and activities.
• Serves on the ACRL Conference Program committee. Reports to ACRL vice-chair at meeting of the committee on WESS program being planned for Annual conference during year as chair.
• Co-represents (with WESS chair) WESS on the ACRL Activity Section Council.
• Requests new printings of the WESS brochure from ACRL according to the ACRL calendar, which requires such requests approximately 18 months before the new brochures are needed.

PAST CHAIR

• Serves as an officer of the section, and assists in advancing the goals and objectives of the section and ACRL.
• As a member of the Executive Committee, attends meetings of the Committee at Annual and Midwinter conferences.
• Serves as Chair of Martinus Nijhoff International West European Study Grant jury.
• Attends the meetings of the ACRL Board at Annual and Midwinter conferences.
• Performs other tasks as assigned by the Executive Committee.

SECRETARY

• The Secretary serves as the recording officer for the section, attends meetings of the section committees, compiles and distributes copies of the minutes of the Executives Committee to its members. A copy of the Annual and Midwinter Conferences Executive Committee minutes is forwarded to the WESS Newsletter editor for publication twice a year. The Secretary also compiles the minutes of the annual business meeting of the section and distributes those to the WESS Chair. Copies of these minutes are forwarded to the ACRL Deputy Executive Director and to the WESS Newsletter editor for publication twice a year.
• The Secretary is responsible for the collection of archival materials relating to WESS's activities during his/her tenure of office.
• The Secretary serves in an ex-officio capacity on the Publications Committee.
• The Secretary is elected by the section membership in a contested election to serve for a period of one year, the term of office to begin at the close of the ALA Annual Conference.

MEMBER-AT-LARGE

• Serves as an officer of the section, and assists in advancing the goals and objectives of the section and ACRL.
• As a member of the Executive Committee, attends meetings of the Committee at Annual and Midwinter conferences, including, if possible, those at the Annual conference immediately preceding the taking of office.
• Organizes the General membership discussion Group meetings at the Annual and Midwinter conferences. This entails choosing a topic for the discussion, publicizing it, if possible, in the WESS Newsletter, and leading the discussion. The first part of the two-hour meeting is devoted to the General Membership meeting and business, leaving about 1.5 hours for discussion.
• Performs other tasks as assigned by Executive Committee.

Last updated: September 16, 2003
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