Title: Co-Chairs of Montana Library Association School Division

Vision: To enhance the professional learning for librarians, support efforts of the Every Student Succeeds Act and through retreats promote librarian growth and professional collaboration.

Mission Statement: The mission of the School Library Division of MLA is to develop, promote and improve school library and information services for students and staff that support information literacy in all available formats. School librarians promote the school library standards as well as the national library standards that ALA publishes. Professional library staff provides multi-type access to information for all.

Goals and Objectives:

• To promote communication about and among school libraries in Montana.
  1. SLD will hold a summer retreat yearly. The co-chairs will work together in planning and carrying out the workshops.
  2. We will request input of topics for the retreat through Wired and the School Librarian List Service.
  3. The registration will cover the cost of the retreat.
  4. School librarians will work with the communications committee to let Montana School Librarians know what is going on in the school library world.
  5. Wired Montana, Montana School Library Listserv and FOCUS will be used as an avenue to get the word out about Montana School Libraries.
• To provide its membership with continuing education in developments which may be utilized by librarians.
  1. The co-chair will work with the Executive Director and OPI for approval of OPI credits for the SLD Retreat
• To promote a cooperative use of materials and facilities and the exchange of information among its membership.
  1. We will use the MLA platform to support intellectual freedom in our libraries,
  2. We will promote the Montana School Library Digital Shared Collection through MLA, MEA-MFT, and SLD conferences and retreats.
  3. Wired Montana will be a vehicle for help through question and answer format.

Ongoing: Reports due for Board meetings on Committee activities.

Timeline:

June: Attend annual MLA Board retreat
July: MLA School Library Retreat or Early August
August: Input for FOCUS when possible
September: Input for FOCUS when possible
October: Attend Board of Directors Meeting and Retreat MLA Support MEA-MFT & plan the library focused portion of conference
November: Input for FOCUS when possible
December: Input for FOCUS when possible

January: Attend Quarterly Board Meeting
February: Input for FOCUS when possible
March: Input for FOCUS when possible
April: Attend annual MLA Conference
June: Input for FOCUS when possible

Job Description per Our School Division By-Laws:

The Senior/Junior Co- Chair: One co-chair, or designee, shall preside at all meetings of the Division and Executive Committee. The co-chairs may appoint a secretary at his/her discretion and shall appoint committee members. The co-chairs shall plan the annual Division meetings and other meetings deemed necessary. The senior co-chair shall make an annual report to the Division at the annual MLA conference and co-chairs will make regular reports news and information to the membership through the Focus, official publication of the Montana Library Association. The senior co-chair shall prepare a budget for his/her term of office to be submitted to the Montana Library Association Board of Directors. The Senior Co-Chair (Second Year of Term) shall be a member of the Montana Library Association Board of Directors and be responsible for liaison to other organizations, agencies, and associations. Upon approval of the Executive committee, the senior co-chair may appoint a proxy to represent him or her. Either the senior or junior co-chair shall serve as the Division’s representative to the Educators’ Conference planning committee and will continue with conference activities at the conference as the co-chair or designee. The junior co-chair shall conduct business meetings in the absence of the senior co-chair. The junior co chairperson shall succeed the senior co-chair at the end of the senior co-chairs elected two-year term, and shall immediately assume the office of senior co- chair if the chair is no longer able to perform the duties of such office, as determined by Article V, Section 4.

History:

SLD Chairs
2007-08 Jodi Teeple
2008-09 Teresa Marchant
2009-10 Bonnie Williamson
2010-11 Nancy Pensa
2011-12 Kari Eliason
2012-13 Kari Eliason & Lisa Lykins
2013-14 Lisa Lykins & Dana Carmichael
2014-15 Dana Carmichael & Niki Keuch
2015-16 Niki Keuch & Lynde Roberts
2016-17 Lynde Roberts & Dianne Mattila
2017-18 Dianne Mattila & Angela Archuleta

Updated November 2011
Updated January 2018