MERLIN Committee Communication Guidelines

MERLIN Standing Committees:

1. Communication Guidelines within MERLIN Committees. Chairs of MERLIN Committees have the following responsibilities:
1. Agendas: Committee chairs will solicit agenda items three weeks before meetings. Chairs will post drafted agendas one week before meetings.
2. Minutes: Drafted minutes of MERLIN Committee meetings will be posted to the appropriate MERLIN discussion list by the official recorder within two weeks following the meeting. Comments and corrections must be sent to the recorder and copied to the appropriate MERLIN discussion list within four weeks of the first posting. At the end of this period, the minutes will be considered official, and the committee chair will ensure that they are posted to the web.
3. Membership updates: Committee chairs will ensure that membership rosters are current and correct and will update and post them to the MERLIN web pages in a timely manner.
2. Guidelines between MERLIN Committees and Member MERLIN Libraries. MERLIN representatives from the MERLIN libraries will:
1. Forward to constituencies copies of MERLIN Committees’ meeting agendas upon receipt.
2. Notify respective constituencies that minutes of meetings are on the web pages within a few days of their posting.
3. Share email communication with members of other committees and with respective constituencies as needed, in a timely manner.
4. Bring any recommended changes in policy or procedures from the MERLIN committees to their respective constituency for local consideration.
5. Solicit input from their local libraries when matters of importance are addressed in MERLIN Committees.
6. Present any policy or procedures change recommendations from their local library to MERLIN committees.

Other Committees:

3. Guidelines for Ad Hoc Committees.
1. Agendas: Committee Chairs will solicit agenda items from committee members and appropriate MERLIN Committees three weeks before meetings. Chairs will post drafted agendas one week before meetings and forward them to the appropriate MERLIN committees.
2. Minutes: Drafted minutes of Ad hoc committee meetings will be sent to members and posted by the official recorder to the appropriate MERLIN discussion lists within two weeks following the meeting. Comments and corrections must be sent to the recorder and copied to the appropriate MERLIN discussion lists within four weeks of the first posting. At the end of this period, the minutes will be considered official, and the committee chair will ensure that they are posted to the web.
3. Representatives to ad hoc MERLIN committees will:
1. Share email communication with members of appropriate MERLIN committees and with respective constituencies as needed, in a timely manner.
2. Bring recommended changes in policies or procedures to the appropriate MERLIN Committees for consideration, and ensure adequate lead-time for consideration of the issues under deliberation by committees.
3. Solicit input from appropriate committees when matters of importance are addressed in the ad hoc committee.
4. Guidelines for MERLIN Representatives to MOBIUS Committees. Representatives will:
1. Forward copies of MOBIUS meeting agendas and minutes of meetings to their respective MERLIN committee discussion lists within a few days of their posting.
2. Share MOBIUS committee discussion list communications with respective MERLIN committee lists as needed, within a few days of their posting.
3. Bring recommended changes in policy or procedures to their respective MERLIN Committees for consideration.
4. Solicit input from their respective committees when matters of importance to all MERLIN institutions are addressed at the MOBIUS level.
5. Present any policy or procedures change recommendations from MERLIN committees to MOBIUS committees.

Drafted 03-01-02, Martha Alexander and Gary Harris
Approved 03-21-02, MERLIN Library Directors