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New Information on Special Interest Groups and Working Groups!
Forming a Special Interest Group (SIG)
Procedures for establishing a SIG are simple and informal, to ensure that a group of individuals with a common interest may establish a forum in which to exchange ideas and experiences as well as undertake modest projects and prepare informal publications. To form a SIG, a group shall submit a written petition (DOC; PDF) to the HARLiC Board to establish. The petition shall include the title of the group, a function statement, the signatures of at least three individuals from two HARLiC member libraries, and designation of two of those individuals as chairperson and vice-chairperson, respectively. The group will exist as a unit of HARLiC, upon approval of the Board of Directors.
Form of Petition/Approval
To expedite the approval process, group discussion of required elements of a
petition may be conducted without a physical meeting, through telephone,
electronic mail, or other remote means. A petition to form a SIG may be
completed electronically, with keyed names serving as signatures. [Documenting
electronic mail messages from the founding individuals’ HARLiC institutional
accounts should be appended to the petition form (see Appendix, Sample
Electronic Mail Message Documenting SIG Interest ).] Any electronic petition
may be submitted electronically to the Board, through the Board representative
of the proposed SIG chair.
As in other Board actions, majority vote is sufficient for approval. The Board
may approve such petitions through electronic means. When conducting an electronic
approval process, the relevant Board representative shall forward the petition
to all its members. Under normal circumstances, 10 working days shall be allowed
for each Board member to respond electronically to the group.
A designate of the Board shall promptly inform the proposed chairperson of its
decision. When the process has been conducted electronically, notification is
normally also electronic.
The Board shall be responsible for maintaining hard copies of electronic petitions
and approvals as well as paper copies of petitions/approvals conducted originally
on paper.
Membership
All staff members of HARLiC member libraries are eligible for membership in any SIG. After a SIG has been formed, the chairperson shall contact the Communications Committee to arrange for 1) setup of an electronic forum for the SIG, and 2) appropriate publicity to staff in all HARLiC member libraries, for the purpose of soliciting additional members. Any interested staff member may join the SIG by notifying its chairperson or a designee (see Appendix, Sample electronic mail messages Documenting SIG Interest ), or by attending a meeting of the SIG and signing the membership list.
Officers
Each SIG shall have a chairperson and a vice-chairperson, who will be elected at the group’s
annual meeting for a term of one year.
The chairperson will coordinate activities of the SIG, preside at meetings, respond to
correspondence from the Board, serve as liaison with the Communications Committee, and
make an annual report to the Board in August of SIG activities.
The vice-chairperson will be responsible for maintaining documentation of the SIG and general
leadership of the SIG in the absences of the chairperson.
Meetings
SIGs are expected to meet face-to-face at least once a year. The meeting should include a business
meeting at which officers are selected and any necessary business is conducted.
A membership List/meeting sign-up sheet should be circulated at each meeting of the SIG for all
attendees to sign. The list is then forwarded to the Board with the annual report of activities.
Activities
SIGs function primarily as informal discussion forums, but may also conduct some projects and other initiatives such as informal surveys, development of tools/measures for operational areas, workshops, etc. If a project or initiative being considered would require significant investment of staff time or any consortium resources, the SIG should petition the Board for designation as a Working Group (WG). [See Working Groups]
Renewal or Demise
A SIG is required to resubmit a renewal petition to the Board every three years, using the Special
Interest Group Petition/Renewal Form. If a SIG’s petition is not resubmitted, the Board will dissolve
it.
Before submitting a renewal petition, a SIG should reconsider both its name and function statement
to be sure that they reflect the SIG's current composition and interests.
SIG establishment and renewal dates are published on an ongoing basis on the HARLiC web site. The
Secretary-Treasurer of the Board shall provide the Board with a written SIG status report at its
August meeting. The status report will include a summary of existing SIGs, as well as any pending
petitions for new groups and renewal petitions. Following the Board meeting, the President of the
Board or a designee will notify any SIG due for renewal that a SIG Petition/Renewal Form must be
resubmitted. Any such renewal petition for a SIG must normally be submitted to the Board before
its next meeting.
Working Groups
[From Bylaws Article XI, Section 5: A SIG wishing to pursue a one-time project or ongoing initiative
requiring investment of significant staff or consortium resources shall petition the Board for
designation as a Working Group (WG).]
In addition to the elements required in a SIG petition, a WG petition should include full details
of the project or initiative proposed, suggested time frame, and description of resources needed
to accomplish it.
A WG may occasionally be formed by a group without status as an existing SIG. Changes to the
membership of a WG are made in consultation with the Board. WG chairpersons and vice-chairpersons,
like those of SIGs, are elected annually at one of the group’s meetings.
In approving formation of a WG, the Board will also approve such resources as may be necessary to
support the proposed project or initiative, or approve the WG’s seeking out the resources through
specific means such as grants. If it deems necessary, the Board may appoint a liaison to the WG
from among its own membership.
WGs are reviewed annually by the Board, which may dissolve them or suggest they convert back to
SIGs as appropriate.