Home >
Inside SLA
>
Governance
>
Policies and Practices
>
Practices for Formation of Provisional Divisions
Practices for Formation of Provisional Divisions
08(79)
GUIDELINES FOR THE FORMATION OF PROVISIONAL DIVISIONS
- A Provisional Division shall be a group of less than 100 members with a special subject interest who are working together to form a Division.
- Proposed Provisional Divisions will submit a written petition of 25 or more members with a scope note to the Division Cabinet Standing Committee on Division Formation and Scope. To insure the possibility of comments from all interested parties, the Division Cabinet Chairman will also announce it at the next Division Cabinet meeting and will forward a notice of the proposed formation to the editor of Information Outlook for inclusion in the next possible issue.
- The Standing Committee will make a recommendation on each petition at the next meting of the Division Cabinet except for those petitions received within five days of the Cabinet meeting. The exception allows a comment period to the membership.
- The Division Cabinet will discuss each petition and make a recommendation to be included with the petition when it is forwarded to the Board of Directors by the Division Cabinet Chair.
- A Provisional Division may be established by authorization of the Board of Directors upon receipt of a written petition, the scope note, and the recommendation of the Division Cabinet. The Board also has the right to dissolve a Provisional Division.
- Approval of a Provisional Division is limited to three years and may be extended by the Board only in extraordinary circumstances. Any requests for extensions should be sent to the Standing Committee for recommendation to the Division Cabinet and then back to the Board.
- Petitions may originate either by action of the interested members, or by action of the Board of Directors through recommendations by the Division Cabinet Chair.
- The following is the suggested form of the petition:
"We, the undersigned members of the Special Libraries Association, do hereby petition for the formation of the (name) Provisional Division of the Special Libraries Association.
The temporary Chair will be (name)." - One of the signatories must be a member who will assume the chair of the Provisional Division after approval by the Board of Directors. The temporary Chair must be named in the petition.
- The Division Cabinet Chair is responsible for guiding the Provisional Division toward the goal of becoming a regular Division or a Section in another Division. The Standing Committee will also be available for consultation in these matters.
- An annual allotment of $400 will be provided to a Provisional Division at the time of its establishment to cover the first year's costs of meetings, mailings and other expenses. The initial allotment will be prorated for the part of the year remaining after Board approval. After the first year of its existence, the Provisional Division shall receive an allotment on the same basis as a regular Division, or $400, whichever is the greater amount.
- Minimal administrative requirements shall consist of minutes of meetings, an annual financial report, an annual report, and a roster of officers, by the stated deadlines. The Provisional Division must also meet those deadlines established for Conference planning. Existing divisions and sections are urged to cosponsor activities of groups in the process of becoming a Provisional Division.
- Provisional Divisions shall be entitled to nonvoting representation on the Division Cabinet. (The Chair and Chair-Elect are invited to attend meetings of the Division Cabinet and of the informal Division officers meetings, but are not authorized to vote.)
- Formation of a new regular Division shall be accomplished through the procedures detailed in Guidelines for Divisions.
Approved: June 1979
RSS
Feedback form
