GUIDELINES

(for Student Groups and Student Group Faculty Advisors)

Student Group Guidelines

I.   Establishment of SLA Student Groups

1.1    Five or more student members of the Association at a recognized school of library or information science may petition the Association for establishment of an SLA Student Group. The petition should be addressed to the attention of the Association's Executive Director.

1.2    The petition must include (a) the name of the proposed Student Group (in the form: XYZ University/SLA Student Group), (b) a brief statement of the objectives of the proposed Student Group, (c) the name of the proposed Student Group's advisor and (d) the name and titles of the proposed Student Group's elected officers.

1.3    All petition signers must be Student Members of the Association. (The Association will consider as valid the signatures of students whose applications are submitted with the petition or whose applications are being processed at the time the petition is received.) The Student Group Advisor of the proposed Student Group must be a member of SLA.

1.4    Petitions will be reviewed by the Executive Director. The Student Group Advisors will be notified in writing upon acceptance of a petition. If the petition is incomplete, it will be returned to the Student Group Advisor with an explanation and request for additional information.

1.5    Questions or requests for information regarding the establishment of a Student Group should be addressed to the Membership Services Associate.

1.6    Student Groups are not official units of SLA Chapters, however, each student member may join the Chapter of his/her choice.

II.  Allotments

2.1  Upon establishment, each new Student Group will receive an initial allotment; the amount of Student Group allotments is determined by the Board of Directors.

2.2    Each February Student Groups that meet established reporting requirements will receive an annual allotment. The current allotment is $100.00 per year, however, this amount may vary at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

2.3    All Student Group allotment checks are made payable to the Student Group Advisors, since Student Groups do not normally have bank accounts.

III. Reporting Requirements

3.1    The chief officer of each student group must report to the Chair, Student and Academic Affairs Advisory Council by November 30 of each year. Reports must include:

(a) a brief statement of the Group's plan for programs and projects for the academic year (September-May),

(b) the names and titles of elected officers, and

(c) the name of the Student Group Advisor. The Student Group Advisor should be an SLA member. Student Groups who fail to comply with the reporting requirements will be declared inactive.

3.2    The chief officer of each Student Group must submit the following information to the Chair, Student and Academic Affairs Advisory Council, prior to April 30 of each year:

(a) a brief annual report on the Group's programs and projects during the academic year (September-May),

3.3    One copy of each report must be sent to the Association Office, to the attention of the Rebecca Ellis. You may also e-mail these reports to Rebecca Ellis, rellis@sla.org, if you prefer.

IV. Inactive Student Groups

4.1    Circumstances causing a Student Group to be declared inactive are presented in 3.1 of these Guidelines. Inactive Student Groups are not eligible to receive the annual allotment. An inactive Student Group may be reinstated by complying with the reporting requirements in subsection 3.1.

4.2    A Student Group that is inactive for more than 12 consecutive months will be dissolved, effective the first day of the 13th month of its inactivity. Student Groups may be re-established upon submission of a petition as outlined in Section 1.2 of these Guidelines.

Student Group Advisors Guidelines

I.  Policy

It is the policy of the Special Libraries Association to have Guidelines for Advisors of SLA Student Groups.

II. Purpose

The Guidelines for Advisors of SLA Student Groups are designed to compliment the Guidelines for SLA Student Groups and together provide a direction for the advisors on how to run an SLA Student Group. Advisors play an important role in managing student groups and provide a stable point of contact for the Association and the Student Group.

III. Practice/Procedure

Eligibility

• Advisors must be members of the Special Libraries Association.
  
  
• It is desirable that advisors have recognized affiliations, such as adjunct positions, with schools/departments wherein SLA Student Groups reside.

Suggested Responsibilities

• Encourages students to join SLA.
  
  
• Serves as liaison between the SLA Student Group and SLA Association Office. Forwards mail and provides information to and from the SLA Student Group President.
  
  
• Sustains the viability of the SLA Student Group through changes in Student Group Officers.
  
  
• In the event when a change occurs in the appointment of advisorship, the out-going advisor alerts SLA to prospective changes. If a replacement for an advisor has not been established, the out-going advisor petitions the dean/department head t o appoint a new advisor so the status of Student Group within SLA is not compromised.
  
  
• Monitors student group compliance with SLA Guidelines for Student Groups. Guidelines for student groups are available through the SLA office and on the website for the Student and Academic Affairs Advisory Council.
  
  
• Emphasizes, represents and promotes Special Libraries Association within the library and information sciences graduate programs.
  
  
• Markets the SLA Student Group to the SLA Chapter. Encourages the SLA Chapter and SLA Student Group to work together as units within SLA.
  
  
• Encourages SLA Student Groups and student members to seek out chapter officers and investigate opportunities within the chapter.
  
  
• Encourages SLA Chapters to include SLA Student Group members in chapter activities and to adopt a mentoring role with students. The advisor communicates the benefits of such actions to each chapter president-elect.
  
  
• Encourages Student Group Presidents and other faculty to alert students to opportunities within SLA.
  
  
• Encourages students to apply for scholarships and awards sponsored by SLA, its divisions, chapters and other organizations.
  
  
• Encourages Student Group Presidents to file reports to SLA, twice, yearly. The November 30 report includes: a brief statement of the groups programs; plans for the academic year; names and titles of the officers; address of the home page, if any; name of advisor(s). The April 30 report includes: a brief annual report on the groups' activities, a list of student members affiliated as of April 1. These reports may be submitted either by electroni c or postal mail to SLA headquarters. Upon completion of the annual reporting requirements, SLA distributes an annual allotment check (currently $100) each February to the advisor for the SLA Student Group. For more details on the reporting requirements, see the SLA Guidelines for Student Groups -- available through the SLA Office and the SARC website.
  
  
• Attends the Advisors Roundtable meeting at SLA Annual Conferences. At the roundtable meeting, advisors meet and discuss issues of concerns to SLA Student Groups and the academic community.
  
  
• Attends the session "What Works For Students And Faculty"--roundtable discussion where SLA leaders at national and local levels gather with students and faculty to discuss matters of concern and explore approaches to enrich programs for students.
  
  
• Encourages eligibility for "SLA's Certificates of Recognition for Promoting Student Group Activities." This is a merit program that acknowledges student groups, chapters and/or divisions demonstrating outstanding activity and/or continued com mitment to promoting professional development for students within their organizations. Certificates of merit are distributed at the President-elect's Reception for Students at SLA's annual meetings. Categories of merit include recognition to a: SLA stud ent group for outstanding leadership; SLA student group for innovative programs; SLA student group for electronic promotion of a student group and/or SLA on campus; chapter and/or division dedicated to serving student membership. Members, advisors, stude nt groups may submit nominations, with statements of recommendation, by April 15, to either the chair or the headquarters staff liaison of the SAAAC. While each year recognition of merit will be considered for all categories, tribute may not be made in one or more categories in any given year. The SAAAC encourages self-nominations.