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Council of University of Wisconsin Libraries

CUWL Operating Procedures, Revised, October 2010

REVISED, 10/2010

Council of University of Wisconsin Libraries
CUWL Operating Procedures
Draft for review at 7/22/08 CUWL Meeting, approved October 2010

I. INTRODUCTION

The Council of University of Wisconsin Libraries (CUWL) is established to provide a forum and structure for library and information planning within the University of Wisconsin System. The Council reports to the UW System Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The Council, to fulfill its responsibilities, has a number of purposes. These include, but are not limited to:

A. Planning, developing and implementing policies, procedures, and strategic directions for system-wide issues.

B. Providing counsel to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and the University of Wisconsin System on library and information technology issues.

C. Serving as the library and information resources advocate and counsel within the University of Wisconsin System for those issues that involve libraries relating to computing, telecommunications, media, and information resources structures.

D. Informing institutional administration(s) of System library issues which affect local institutions.

E. Participating in, as appropriate, state-wide library planning and initiatives.

II. ORGANIZATION AND MEMBERSHIP

A. The voting membership of CUWL consists of:

1. The chief executive officers representing the library/libraries at the eleven comprehensive and two doctoral universities, or his/her designee.

2. A designated library representative from the UW-Colleges, elected by the Colleges.

3. The State Archivist/Library Director of the Wisconsin Historical Society representing the Archives and Library.

4. A representative from the University of Wisconsin-Madison libraries other than Memorial Library, selected by the UW-Madison Chancellor's Library Coordinating Council.

5. Five faculty representatives: one from the doctoral campuses; two from the comprehensive universities; one from UW Colleges; and one from University Extension. Faculty will be appointed by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs for staggered three-year terms.

B. The non-voting membership of CUWL includes:

1. The Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs or his/her designee.

2. The UW-System Library Consultant.

3. A representative from the UW-System Office of Budget and Planning.

4. One representative each from the University of Wisconsin ITMC and the CIO’s Council, chosen by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs from a list of candidates nominated by these groups.

5. The Director of Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS).

6. A Vice Chancellor from the University of Wisconsin System appointed by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

7. The chairs of the standing CUWL coordinating committees.

C. Terms of office of elected and appointed members will begin on 1 July of each year.

III. OFFICERS, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, AND OTHER COMMITTEES

A. Officers and Executive Committee: composition and terms of office.

1. The officers of CUWL are: Chair, Chair-elect, and Secretary. They are elected from CUWL for one-year terms.

2. The Executive Committee is composed of the officers of CUWL plus the past-chair and two additional members, one of whom should be a faculty representative, elected from CUWL for two-year staggered terms.

3. Terms for officers and other executive committee members begin on 1 July of each year.

B. Officers and Executive Committee duties.
The duties of the officers include, but are not limited to:

1. Planning meetings and establishing the agenda.

2. Appointing members to CUWL coordinating committees, delegating issues or projects to the appropriate coordinating committee(s), or appointing ad hoc working groups as necessary.

3. Appointing CUWL representatives to membership in, or attending meetings of, appropriate groups and activities, e.g. UW campus CIO's, or WISCNET board of directors. However, CUWL representatives to WiLS are elected by CUWL, as specified in IV. B below.

4. Acting on behalf of CUWL in matters and issues that, because of time or other unusual constraints, cannot be considered by CUWL as a whole. Such action shall be reported to CUWL on a timely basis.

C. Role of officers and procedure for filling vacated officer positions.
The chair is the presiding officer, the convener of meetings of CUWL and the Executive Committee, and the official spokesperson for CUWL.

1. In the event that the chair of CUWL vacates the position, the unexpired term shall be completed by the chair-elect. The chair-elect will then serve the full term for which she/he was elected. In the event that a chair of CUWL does not fulfill the office responsibly, CUWL, upon recommendation of a simple majority of the group, may remove the chair from office.

2. In the event that the chair-elect vacates the position, for whatever reason, CUWL shall hold a special election to fill the vacancy.

3. In the event that the Secretary of CUWL shall be unable to serve, the Executive Committee will appoint a member of CUWL to fill the unexpired term.

4. The chair-elect will preside in the absence of the chair.

D. Coordinating committees.

1. CUWL shall establish standing coordinating committees as needed to fulfill its purposes.

2. Coordinating committees shall be established by vote of CUWL, and shall be accountable and report directly to CUWL.

3. CUWL shall develop charges for its coordinating committees. The CUWL Executive Committee shall review the charges annually and present any recommended changes to CUWL for approval at the summer meeting.

4. CUWL members make recommendations to the CUWL Executive Committee regarding coordinating committee membership; the CUWL Executive Committee makes the final appointments. Appointments are for a term of three years.

5. Chairs of coordinating committees are appointed by the CUWL Executive Committee to a one-year term, after a minimum of one year’s service on the committee, and may be re-appointed to a second one-year term.

6. Each campus will have at least one representative on at least one coordinating committee.

7. Each coordinating committee will have at least one member from a doctoral campus, with the remaining members from comprehensive universities and, when possible and appropriate, college and faculty representatives.

8. Ex officio members of coordinating committees shall include a CUWL representative, appointed to a three-year term, and a representative of UW System administration. Additional ex officio representatives may be appointed by the CUWL Executive Committee.

9. Coordinating committees will respond to requests for action from CUWL and may develop their own agendas. Coordinating committees may appoint task forces or working groups, either individually or in collaboration with other coordinating committees, to undertake particular projects.

10. The chair of CUWL will schedule items of business, including any recommendations, from a coordinating committee for decision or resolution at a CUWL meeting. Regular reports to CUWL from the coordinating committee chair will be written as well as oral, and shared prior to scheduled meetings. Each coordinating committee will provide an annual summary report.

11. The current CUWL coordinating committees are:
--Collections and Resource Sharing Initiatives Coordinating Committee
--Digital Initiatives Coordinating Committee
--Library Technology Initiatives Coordinating Committee
--User Services Initiatives Coordinating Committee

E. Resource Groups and Other Committees:

1. Library staff working throughout the UW System in similar functional positions shall be considered resource groups for the coordinating committees.

2. The Library Automation Managers shall serve as a resource group to the Library Technology Initiatives Coordinating Committee, and the Collection Development Committee shall serve as a resource group to the Collections and Resource Sharing Initiatives Coordinating Committee. Individuals working with archives and in Area Research Centers shall serve as resource persons to the Digital Initiatives Coordinating Committee, and individuals involved with user services shall serve as resource persons to the User Services Initiatives Coordinating Committee.

3. The Director of the Wisconsin Historical Society Library-Archives Division, or his/her designee, shall report regularly to CUWL regarding UW System Archives Council meetings, initiatives, and activities.

4. The CUWL Budget Committee is composed of the CUWL Vice-Chair, who chairs the committee, the past chair, the UW System library consultant, and one other CUWL voting member. The committee serves to develop the annual budget in alignment with strategic directions. The committee prepares the next year’s budget for presentation to CUWL at the spring meeting.

IV. ELECTIONS

A. Officers of CUWL shall be elected at the Spring Meeting of CUWL.

1. A nominating committee of three voting members of CUWL shall be appointed by the Executive Committee to prepare a slate of officers.

2. Elections shall be timed to coincide with the election of members to the Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS) board as well as to facilitate appointment of representatives through appropriate UW System offices.

B. CUWL will elect three eligible members of CUWL to serve on WiLS as specified by WiLS by-laws.

1. Members of CUWL to the WiLS board shall represent a doctoral, a comprehensive, and a college campus.

2. Terms shall be for three years. The terms shall be staggered to insure continuity

3. In the event that a CUWL representative, in the third year of a three-year term, is elected, or appointed, to the office of WiLS chairperson-elect, the term of that representative will automatically be extended one year.

4. If a CUWL representative's term on WiLS is extended by service on the WiLS Executive Committee, the term of service to be filled by the next election to this seat will be for two years, so as to insure continuity of service.

C. All voting members of CUWL will be eligible to vote for candidates for the offices and for the Executive Committee.

D. The CUWL chairperson will notify appropriate UW-system officials of election results immediately following the annual election.

V. MEETINGS

A. CUWL shall meet at least twice but not more than six times annually. CUWL will, through its Executive Committee, endeavor to group agenda items together, such that sessions containing matters likely to be of interest only to the library directors can be held separately from full CUWL sessions, at which broad issues of UW library policies and services are discussed.

B. The Executive Committee will meet as necessary but not less than three times annually.

C. The minutes of all meetings shall be broadly shared via posting on the CUWL web page. The Secretary of CUWL will send copies to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and all members of CUWL.

D. Robert’s Rules of Order shall serve as the official guide for conduct of meetings.

VI. OFFICIAL RECORDS

A. Official records of CUWL include minutes of CUWL, CUWL Executive Committee and CUWL coordinating committee meetings; reports presented to CUWL by committees, task forces, and working groups; CUWL strategic directions and annual reports of progress; and other such materials approved and/or accepted by CUWL that document the work of CUWL and its subgroups.

B. Official records shall be forwarded to the CUWL webmaster to be posted on the CUWL website.

VII. OPERATING PROCEDURES REVISION

A. Operating Procedures revisions may be voted upon at any meeting of CUWL provided that such written revisions will have been submitted to the membership no later than four weeks before the next regularly scheduled meeting of CUWL.

B. Operating Procedures may be revised by a simple majority of the CUWL voting members present at a regularly scheduled meeting of CUWL.

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