hackyourbylaws

THANK YOU

britakate — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:55:35 +0000

The new ALASC by-laws were ratified by a vote of the GSLIS student body on December 11, 2011. We are delighted, and eagerly awaiting the spring semester, when we will put the new by-laws (including our two newly-created leadership positions, which were filled during the same election) into action.

Thanks for all your support over the last four months. It’s been an interesting journey! We learned a lot, and hope you did, too.

If you have any further feedback, ideas for projects, or questions, don’t hesitate to link through to our wiki (right) and get in touch.

ELECTIONS

britakate — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:30:21 +0000

The time has come to approve our hacked by-laws. The polls opened this morning. You should have gotten a link in the weekly update e-mail from the LISSA President. Please click that link and help us with this final step … Continue reading →

draft: THE REST

britakate — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:36:17 +0000

Here are the last three Articles of the by-laws. We propose to cut the Parliamentary Procedures out entirely, since we don’t use them. Other changes are fairly minor. Hopefully, by insisting that amendments be made public before they’re voted on and ratification include the entire student body, we’ve made the Chapter somewhat more democratic. If you still have ideas about ways to increase transparency and involvement in the organization through the by-laws, now is your chance to let us know!

Thanks for reading these drafts. Check back soon for election details.

draft: ELECTIONS

britakate — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:35:48 +0000

Here is the edited text for election procedures. We have updated it to take electronic voting into account, and also to clarify what happens when there is a vacancy, as there was this year. Sorry the text is so small. Remember, you can see the proposed version with the changes fully incorporated by visiting our wiki. (The link is in this blog’s sidebar.)

draft: LEADERSHIP

britakate — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:40:11 +0000

Okay, here’s where it gets interesting. In the Article that addresses Leadership, we propose changing all the officers’ titles, redistributing their responsibilities, and adding the new position of “Projects Coordinator.” In the image below, you can see the changes to the first part of the Article. After that, we’ve given you only the proposed revision, since it’s completely new.

The Chapter Coordinator ensures communication among the officers and leadership group, recruits members, coordinates elections, and represents the chapter to the College. The C.C. is also the chapter’s liaison to the ALA, the GSLIS student association (LISSA), and other student groups and partners. Tasks include attending meetings, prioritizing projects, and working with chapter leaders at other LIS programs.
The Information Coordinator is responsible for the chapter’s print media presence and online identity (including social media accounts). The I.C. also serves as archivist for the chapter. Tasks include updating the chapter’s website(s), disseminating information received from ALA and its divisions, taking notes at meetings, and keeping a record of attendance at chapter events.
The Events Coordinator plans chapter events and activities in cooperation with the other officers, and in accordance with the parameters set forth in Article III. Tasks include scheduling and promoting events, reserving rooms or equipment, and working with outside speakers.
The Resources Coordinator manages the chapter’s finances, from initial allocation by LISSA to final reconciliation at the close of each fiscal year. Tasks include tracking expenditures, handling reimbursements, and paying speakers and vendors.
The Projects Coordinator is responsible for managing project managers (described in Article III, Part 5). Tasks include recruiting project managers, helping them translate ideas into projects, guiding them in designing their campaigns, and connecting them with other officers (the E.C. for event planning, the R.C. for budgeting) as needed.

Although this seems like a major overhaul, it actually does not alter the total number of officer positions (at the moment, we have a President, a Vice-President, a Treasurer, an Information Coordinator, and an Archivist). What we hope it will do is flatten the leadership structure somewhat and allow more students to get involved at the level that suits them.

draft: ACTIVITIES

britakate — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:26:44 +0000

Changes to look for in this Article: The old clause about the general membership meeting has been deleted in favor of more details about how activities are organized. In particular, please note the new opportunity to serve as an ad hoc “project manager,” which is intended to allow more students to get involved with ALASC without committing to a year as an officer. Also, we’ve inserted the recommendation that programs be recorded for asynchronous participation by students who aren’t on campus very often, including GSLIS West students.

draft: MEMBERSHIP

britakate — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:25:41 +0000

As discussed in previous posts, “membership” in our student chapter does not come with any quantifiable benefits (although being involved has all kinds of benefits!) or obligations. Therefore, we propose to do away with the Article on membership and include the entire GSLIS community in our Chapter.

~~ARTICLE III Membership Requirements~~
~~All members of this organization shall be:~~

~~Currently enrolled in the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science.~~
~~Members of the American Library Association.~~

draft: PURPOSE

britakate — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:36:26 +0000

After a lengthy hiatus, Hack Your By-Laws is back! The vote to approve the new by-laws will take place at the beginning of December. In the meantime, drafts of every article will be posted here on the blog to give you time to read and comment on them. The first two articles are pasted below as an image, in order to preserve the colors that make the changes visible. They’re also posted on the ALASC wiki without the color coding, in case you prefer to read the new version without looking at the old one.

when? THIS WEEK

britakate — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:05:36 +0000

The two in-person discussions for the Hack Your By-Laws project are coming up this week: Tuesday, October 18 at 12 pm and Wednesday, October 19 at 7 pm.

If you can’t make it to either session, but would still like to contribute (or at least listen), you can join us via Skype. Just RSVP by e-mailing Acting President Brita Zitin (zitin ‘at’ simmons ‘dot’ edu), and you’ll get instructions for virtual participation.

Can’t make it in person or via Skype? Give us your feedback by leaving a comment on the blog. Our blog contest runs for several more days.

why? OFFICERS

britakate — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:49:10 +0000

If we tried to draw an organizational chart showing the leadership of our ALA student chapter, it would be a mess.

In the section on Officers & Leadership, our 20-year-old ALASC by-laws call for a Chair, a Co-Chair, and a Program & Conference Coordinator. ALASC leadership currently consists of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Information Coordinator, and Archivist. Roles are ill-defined and overlapping.

The ALA suggests that student chapters have a Chair, who has “the ultimate responsibility for the functioning of the organization and its relationship with ALA headquarters,” an Assistant Chair, who “shall aid the Chair and coordinate membership recruitment,” and a Secretary-Treasurer, who “shall be responsible for correspondence, record keeping, and for financial matters pertaining to the organization.”

Want to help us draw a chart that’s clear and fair? Tell us what you think…

Which of these positions should be retained, which combined, which tossed out?
How important are titles, and how should they be determined?
What should the responsibilities of each officer be?
Should the vice-/assistant- be elected for a two-year term and move automatically into the “top” position, in an effort to foster continuity?
Does the very idea of a “top” position seem unnecessarily hierarchical?
Should there be a committee of three or four, instead, who decide for themselves how they divide the leadership responsibilities?