CDS Manual

Table of Contents
1. Introduction

2. Calendar

3. Bylaws

4. Officers
A. Chair
B. Chair-Elect
C. Past Chair
D. Secretary-Treasurer
E. Section Council Representative/Representative-Elect
F. Nominee to MLA Nominating Committee

5. Committees
A. Appointment
B. Standing Committees
C. Duties of Committee Chairs
D. Committee Charges
E. Special Appointees
F. Special Committees

6. Annual Goals and Objectives

7. Midwinter and Annual Reports

8. Annual Meeting Schedule, Agendas, and Minutes
A. Executive Board Meetings
B. Annual Business Meeting

9. Communications
A. Electronic Listserv
B. Newsletter
C. Website

10. Appendices
A. CDS New Member Welcome Letter

SECTION MANUAL
1. Introduction

A. This manual serves as a guide to policies and procedures of the Collection Development Section (CDS) of the Medical Libraries Association. It complements the Association manuals for Section Chairs and Section Council, which are available on mlanet.org. Relevant documentation is also issued by the National Program Committee, the MLA Board of Directors, or other committees. The Section Chair distributes this documentation as appropriate. The Immediate Past Chair is responsible for maintaining the manual, as it serves as an important orientation and reference tool for incoming and current Officers and Committee Chairs of the section. Officers and Committee Chairs are accountable for notifying the Immediate Past Chair of any changes that need to be made in the Manual.

B. Background of Section

The Collection Development Section developed from roundtable discussions held by a nucleus of people interested in collection development. The Section was granted provisional status by MLA Board of Directors on May 24, 1986 and full Section status in 1988.

C. Purpose of Section

The section provides a forum for communication and cooperation among health sciences librarians charged with responsibility for selection, retention, and deselection of library materials; promotes the education of health sciences librarians in general and those responsible for collection development in particular in matters relating to the philosophy, design, conduct, and evaluation of collection development programs; and provides a resource group among the MLA membership that will be available to coordinate, propose, support, or study, alone or in conjunction with other related bodies, issues relevant to the development of library collections and practices in health sciences institutions.

2. Calendar

Section Chair and Section Council Representative Calendar

Exact dates for some Section Chair duties and the full Section Council Calendar containing the deadlines for all Section Council activities performed by the Council’s Representatives and Chair can be found at http://scouncil.mlanet.org/sccal.htm. Additional important duties and dates for the Chair and Section Council Representative are enumerated in Section 4.

Annual Meeting Calendar

This is a general list of deadline dates for Section Program Planners. More specific and up-to-date information will be sent out by the Section Council’s NPC Liaison over the course of the year, through the program planners’ listserv. The Section Council NPC calendar is located at (http://scouncil.mlanet.org/npccal.htm ).

Month Activity
June Submit title of program to Section Council NPC Liaison
August Formal call for contributed papers posted on MLANET; Members receive August MLA News with Call for Papers
November Deadline for submission of structured abstract proposals; Begin blinded abstracts review by Section reviewers
December Deadline for completion of abstract review process
January Acceptance or rejection letters to all who submitted articles; Final Program information to Headquarters
May MLA Annual meeting


3. Bylaws

The Sections Bylaws can be found at http://colldev.mlanet.org/bylaws.html. The Bylaws are reviewed each year by a Bylaws Committee chaired by the Sections Immedicate Past Chair.

4. Officers

A. Chair
1. July
a. Send MLA Directory information to MLA Headquarters.
b. Inform Officers and Committee Chairs of the calendar.
c. Communicate with whole Executive Board to assure that the year begins quickly.
d. Appoint Committee Chairs and members for coming year and assign charges.
e. Inform Committee Chairs of any actions taken by the Executive Board that affects their Committees.
f. Receive committee and officer objectives by designated date.
g. Submit Annual Goals and Objectives to Section Council Chair by date designated with copies to Executive Board.

2. August
a. Send agenda items to Section Council Chair, through Representative, for September MLA Board meeting.

3. October
a. Submit “Message from Chair” to Developments Editor by issue deadline.

4. November
a. Remind Executive Board about midwinter reports.

5. December
a. Submit Section Midwinter Report to MLA Headquarters, with copies to Section Council Chair and Executive Board.
b. Act on any committee resolutions contained in midwinter reports.
c. Assure that budget is approved for coming year.

6. January
a. Schedule business and board meetings at MLA Annual meeting.

7. February
a. Remind Executive Board of annual reports
b. Section elections completed by this month.

8. March
a. Send name of Program Chair (Chair-Elect) to Section Council Liaison to NPC.
b. Send biographical form and permission form for MLA Nominating Committee to Section Council Elections Committee Chair.
c. Notify Section Council Chair of election results.
d. Submit Annual Report for the Section to MLA Headquarters, with copies to Section Council Chair and Executive Board.
e. Prepare draft agenda items for Annual meeting and finalize meeting schedule.
f. Submit “Message from Chair” to Developments Editor by issue deadline.
g. Submit agenda items to Section Council Chair, through Representative, for preconference Board meeting.

9. April
a. Invite new Officers and Committee Chairs to attend all meetings of the Executive Board at the Annual Meeting.
b. Finalize agenda items for Annual meeting and Executive Board meeting.
c. Submit Declaration of Section Compliance Form by designated date in years that form is required (every 3 years).
d. Appoint Parliamentarian for Section Business meeting (optional).
e. Issue a call for committee volunteers.

10. May
a. Assure that orientation of new Officers and Committee Chairs takes place.
b. Attend Section Council Meetings, in absence of Section Council Representative and Section Council Representative-Elect.
c. Preside at the Section Business meeting. Thank this year’s officers, committee chairs, and committee members who worked on behalf of the section.
d. Hold an Executive Board transition meeting with old and new board members prior to the Section Business meeting to chart the course for the coming year, organize committees, and ensure a smooth transition for new officers.
e. Turn over files to new CDS Chair (or immediately after the meeting is over).
f. Assume duties of Past-Chair.
g. Organize a celebratory lunch or dinner for the winner of the Louise Darling Medal for Distinguished Achievement in Health Sciences Collection Development. In addition to the winner, invite the Executive Board and the Chair of the Darling Jury.

B. Chair-Elect
1. In absence of CDS Chair, act for that officer.
2. Serve as Chair of the Program Committee and appoint members to the committee to plan the annual meeting program.
3. Publicize Section programs to the membership by means of articles in Developments, posting on the Section web page, and posting on the Section’s listserv.
4. Submit midwinter and annual reports to Chair by due date.
5. Attend the orientation for Incoming Section Chairs at the Annual Meeting.

C. Past Chair
1. Serve as Chair of the Nominating and Bylaws Committees and appoint its members.
2. Assure that the Section Policies and Procedures Manual is maintained, updated, and is available for all new Officers and Committee Chairs.
3. Serve in an advisory capacity to the Chair.
4. Submit midwinter and annual reports to Chair by due dates.

D. Secretary-Treasurer
1. Maintains membership records of the Section. Forwards copy of Section membership sent from MLA Headquarters to the Section’s Chair and Chair of the Membership Committee.

2. Attends MLA Annual meeting and takes minutes of both the Executive Board and Business meetings.
a. Submit drafts of minutes for approval to the Chair and Executive Board by July 1.
b. Submit approved minutes to Developments Editor by the fall deadline set by the Editor.
c. At next MLA Annual meeting distribute copies of minutes at the Executive Board meeting and the Business meeting.

3. Maintains all the financial records of the Section. Follows MLA’s Section Finance Manual (on mlanet.org) regarding administrative and fiscal policies. Refer to this manual as all policies are not referred to below. The Director of Financial and Administrative Services at MLA Headquarters can assist with any questions.
4. Responsible for receipt and disbursement of all Section funds.
5. Complete Annual Financial Statement and return to MLA Headquarters by due date.
6. Attends MLA Annual meeting for Section Treasurers.
7. Submits annual Treasurer’s report for Section Business meeting.

E. Section Council Representative/Representative-Elect
1. Responsible for communicating the current business of the Section Council to the Executive Board at least twice a year and for notifying the Chair of matters of concern when appropriate.
2. Attend Section Council meetings at Annual meeting.
3. Notify Chair, Representative-Elect, and Section Council Chair of inability to attend any Section Council meetings.
4. Carry out duties as defined by Section Council.
5. Submit midwinter and annual reports to Chair by due date.

F. Nominee to MLA Nominating Committee
1. Complete biographical information form and written agreement to serve, and submit to Section Council for use in Section Council elections.
2. If elected by Section Council, become a candidate on the national ballot and respond to requests from Headquarters.
3. If elected by national ballot, serve on MLA Nominating Committee and attend meetings at Annual meeting.
4. Maintain an awareness of the interests and concerns of the Section.

5. Committees

A. Appointment
The Chair shall appoint chair and members of any new committees established during the year. The Committee Chair and members, in conjunction with the Section Chair, will develop the committee charge and goals and objectives. The Past Chair shall appoint Nominating Committee members.

B. Standing Committees
1. Standing Committees of the Section are:
a. Executive Board
b. Awards
c. Bylaws Committee
d. Continuing Education
e. Membership Committee
f. Nominating Committee
g. Program Committee
h. Web Site Content Committee

C. Duties of Committee Chairs
1. Assure appropriate transition occurs between new and old committees at Annual meeting.
2 Develop new committee rosters by July and submit updates for Section web page.
3. Communicate regularly with committee members as appropriate, copying Chair on all correspondence.
4. Submit committee objectives by due date.
5. Submit midwinter and annual reports to Chair by due dates.
6. Provide input to Chair-Elect on new committee members/replacements as requested.
7. Submit agenda items for Executive Board meeting to Chair.
8. Attend Executive Board meeting at Annual meeting.
9. Submit articles to Developments Editor as appropriate.
10. Transfer files to new Committee Chair at end of term.

D. Committee Charges
Each year the Executive Board sets the charge for the Committees in Consultation with the Committee Chair. Timetables are set for accomplishment
of charge.

1. Executive Board
a. Act for the Section and makes decisions on matters which require action before the next annual meeting of the Section or on matters that have been specifically delegated by the membership to the Executive Board.
b. Set objectives for the Section.
c. Review reports of the Committees and their committee charges.
d. Confirm ad-hoc committee charges and appointments by the
Chair
e. Develop policies and procedures for the Section.
f. Meets at the Annual meeting.

Members:
Chair
Chair-Elect
Past Chair
Secretary-Treasurer
Section Council Representative
Section Council Representative-Elect
Nominee to the MLA Nominating Committee
Standing Committee Chairs

2. Awards Committee
a. Membership of the committee shall consist of three members
appointed by the Section Chair who designates one member as
Chair.
b. Publicize and solicit nominations for the Daniel T. Richards Prize in the fall issue of Developments, on the Section’s listserv, and any other appropriate place.
c. Review nominations and coordinate selection of the winner with committee members.
d. Notify the winner (and nominator, if different) and thank other nominees.
e. Publicize the winner of the prize in the spring issue of Developments and on the Section’s listserv.
f. Make arrangements for the plaque and check for presentation of award at the Section’s Annual Business meeting.

3. Bylaws Committee
a. The Past Chair shall serve as Chair of the Bylaws Committee and appoint two to three members with the advice of the Section Chair.
b. Continually review the Bylaws and verify that they are in compliance with the current MLA Bylaws.
c. Recommend to the Executive Board any changes that are warranted for compliance with Association Bylaws and/or efficient Section operations.
d. Submit the proposed Bylaws changes to the MLA Bylaws Committee for comment and approval.
e. Submit MLA approved Bylaws to the membership prior to the Annual Meeting for a vote at the Section Business meeting.
f. Maintains an accurate and up-to-date copy of the Bylaws.

4. Continuing Education Committee
a. The charge of this committee is to develop continuing education opportunities related to health sciences collection development, including CE courses, online tutorials, and conference presentations.
b. Membership of the committee shall consist of two to four members appointed by the Section Chair, with one member named as committee chair.

5. Membership Committee
a. Membership of the committee shall consist of two to three members
appointed by the Section Chair, with one member named as committee chair.
b. Seek to increase CDS membership by targeting librarians involved or interested in collection management in libraries or other settings.
c. Send letters of welcome from the Section to new/rejoining members.
d. Recommends to the Executive Board concerns and expectations of
the Membership Committee.
e. Update the section brochure and display for the Section Council table at the MLA Annual Meeting.

6. Nominating Committee
a. The Past Chair shall serve as Chair and appoint two members with the advice of the Section Chair.
b. Develops a slate of candidates for offices to be vacated.
Chair-Elect: Elected annually
Secretary/Treasurer: Elected every 2 years
Section Council Representative-Elect: Elected every 2 years
Nominee to the MLA Nominating Committee: Elected annually
c. Solicit nominations for offices in the fall issue of Developments and on the Section’s listserv.
d. Contact possible candidates for their willingness to run for office.
e. Submit list of candidates and submit to Section Chair.
f. Send letter to candidates, confirming the nomination, thanking them for their willingness to run, and requesting biographical information.
g. Prepare the official ballot. Conduct the election by emailed ballot and complete by end of February.
i. Counts ballots and communicates the election results to candidates, Executive Board and CDS membership.

7. Program Committee
a. Committee shall consist of the Chair-Elect, who serves as Chair, and who appoints two to three additional members.
b. Develops and organizes an educational program and /or invited papers session to be presented in conjunction with the Annual Meeting.
c. The Chair serves as liaison to the MLA National Program Committee (NPC) for Section invited papers or contributed paper sessions.
d. Investigates and takes advantage of potential for cooperative programming with other MLA Sections in developing and offering of education to the membership.
e. Schedules audiovisual equipment and room arrangement for the program(s) at the Annual Meeting.
f. Publicize Section programs to the membership with articles in the spring issue of Developments, posting on the Section’s webpage and listserv.

8. Web Site Content Committee
a. The Committee shall be appointed by the Section Chair and will consist of three or four members, with one member serving as committee chair. The Website Editor will be an ex officio member of the committee.
b. The charge of the committee is to maintain, update, and improve the Collection Development Section's website as needed.
c. The Committee should also record and maintain agreements with other sections about linking to core lists, etc…

E. Special Appointees: The appointments will vary.

1. Newsletter Editor, Developments
a. Prepare and edit the Section’s biannual newsletter.
b. Solicit items for publication from Section officers, committee chairs and members.
c. Provide information about activities at the annual meeting for members who are unable to attend.
d. Provide a communication source about Section activities for the members that allow them to participate in the Section’s business.
e. Send copy of newsletter via email to Section Website Editor for posting on the Section’s webpage and announce it on the Section’s listserv.

2. Website Editor
a. Periodically update the Section webpage with items of interest to Section members.
b. Provide links to web resources of related interest to collection development issues.
c. Ex officio member of the Website Content Committee

3. MLA Governmental Relations Committee Liaison
a. Represent the Section as a non-voting member of the MLA Governmental Relations Committee.
b. Alert the membership of any legislative issues or information relevant to medical libraries and librarianship.

F. Special Committees

A. The Section Chair may appoint special committees to address specific issues or work on special activities or projects. The Chair will develop the charge as necessary with the advice and consent of the Executive Board.

1. Collection Development Symposium Committee
a. To plan and organize Collection Development Symposium in conjunction with the MLA Annual Meeting every three to five
years.
b. Coordinates arrangements with MLA Headquarters and the NPC for the year the Symposium is to take place.

6. Annual Goals and Objectives

A. Objectives for the coming year should be a “new business” item on the agenda at the Executive Board meeting at the Annual Meeting.

B. All Officers and Committee Chairs shall submit annual objectives to the Chair by the deadline.

C. A composite of these is submitted by the Section Chair to the Section Council Chair by the due date.

D. Identification of progress on the objectives should serve as the basis for midwinter and annual reports.

E. Annual objectives for the Section should further the goals identified in MLA’s Strategic Plan.

7. Midwinter and Annual Reports

A. Midwinter and annual reports are due from all Officers and Committee Chairs by the date specified by the Section Chair, usually around October 1 and March 1.

B. All reports should follow the format that is used by MLA for its reporting process.

C. The Chair complies the Section report and submits original to MLA Headquarters with copies to the Section Council Chair and the Executive Board. Abstracts of these reports should be submitted to the Section Newsletter for publication.

8. Annual Meeting Schedule, Agendas, and Minutes

A. Executive Board Meetings
The Chair submits to the MLA Planners a request for an Executive Board meeting, indicating room requirements and set-up.
1. Normally one meeting of the Executive Board is held during the
Annual Meeting prior to the CDS Business Meeting and chaired by the current Chair. A second meeting may be held after the Business Meeting if needed and is chaired by the Chair-Elect (incoming Chair).
2. Incoming and outgoing members of the Executive Board should
attend the meeting.
3. The Meeting should be scheduled for two hours in length.
4. Annual reports, distributed by the Section Chair prior to the meeting
should serve as the basis of information. Officers and Chairs should update the reports as well as bring action items for vote by the Executive Board.

B. Annual Business Meeting
1. The Section Chair may appoint a parliamentarian to serve for the
Business Meeting. This may be the Chair of the Bylaws Committee.
2. At least 45 minutes should be allocated at the annual Meeting for the Business Meeting.
3. Printed agendas should be distributed to those in attendance.
4. The Executive Board should be seated on the stage or near the
podium to facilitate presentation of reports to the members.

9. Communications

A. Newsletter
1. Developments is published two times annually, fall and spring, prior to the annual meeting.
2. The version is online on the website and members are notified of availability of a new online issue by the Editor via the Section’s listserv.

B. Electronic Listserv

The section maintains two listservs.

The first, mla-cds@colldev.mlanet.org is open to all members and serves as the discussion list for the section. Instructions on how to subscribe can be found at:
http://www.colldev.mlanet.org/newsite/newsletter/discussion_list.html

The second, mlacds-leaders@mlahq.org, is for the Executive Board of the Section. The Section Chair should be sure that all incoming officers subscribe to the listserv.

C. Website
The section’s website can be found at http://colldev.mlanet.org

10. Appendices

A. CDS New member Welcome Letter
Insert copy of letter

B. Section Brochure
Insert copy of section brochure

C. Agreements with other sections
Insert copy of agreements with Pediatric sig, Rehab core list if they can be located.

[last edited: August 23, 2005]

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