September - February
Members of section committees (ad hoc or standing) are appointed or reappointed by the vice-chair/chair-elect. The vice-chair seeks recommendations and advice on section members interested in serving on committees for terms during year when the vice-chair serves as chair.  Committee chairs do not make committee appointments, but are encouraged to make suggestions to the vice-chair/chair-elect.  The vice-chair should contact committee chairs for recommendations of members to be reappointed.

The vice-chair sends a letter of invitation to serve on/chair a committee to all potential appointees and reappointees; the Appointment Acceptance form is included.

The vice-chair will appoint a chair for each committee.

March
New appointees/reappointees:  Send Appointment Acceptance forms to the vice-chair.

April/May
Current and incoming chairs:  Arrange to discuss the work and direction of the committee and any specific responsibilities which have been assumed by committee members.

Contact incoming committee members, welcoming them and giving them the schedule for meetings at the Annual Conference.  Invite new members to attend the Annual Conference committee meeting as a visitor, to help make the transition a more effective one.  Mail copies of Midwinter Conference  minutes to incoming members as background.

May
Prepare agenda for meetings to be held at Annual Conference; send copies to current and incoming committee members, to the archivist, and to the DLS chair. Include the DLS conference schedule and room assignments.  Extra agenda copies should be available at the meeting.

June
Contact all current members to verify attendance.  Compile list of hotels where members are staying, in case you need to get in touch.  Tell committee members where you will  be staying.

Chair committee meetings (see "Checklist for Running a Committee Meeting", (DLS Section Manual,  page 4-16 ).

Keep minutes for the meeting, or assign committee member to act as secretary.

Ensure that each member is assigned committee work; let none go "taskless," including anyone absent from the meeting.

With committee members, review "Year-End Review"  form provided by the archivist, to insure that copies of all vital documents are in the section archives.

Determine whether any committee members should be considered for removal, as per policy:  "It is ALA policy that committee members are expected to attend all meetings.  Failure to attend two consecutive meetings or group of meetings (defined as all meetings of a committee that take place at one Midwinter or Annual Conference) without an explanation acceptable to the committee chair constitutes grounds for removal upon request by the chair and approval of the appropriate official or governing board."

Attend the DLS Executive Committee and section meetings. Chairs will report on the committee activities.  If any committee members are being  recommended for removal, the situation should be discussed at Executive Committee, as per ALA policy (see above).

If you have not done so already, discuss with incoming committee chair the work and direction of the committee and any specific responsibilities which have been assumed by committee members, .

Incoming chairs:  Attend new chair orientation, presented by the past chair.

Immediately following annual conference
Incoming committee chairs assume responsibility for the work of the committee immediately after the annual conference.  Committee appointments also take effect at that time.  The first required meeting for new committee chairs and members is the Midwinter Conference meetings following the appointment.  However, new as well as continuing members may be asked to assume committee tasks prior to Midwinter.

Outgoing/continuing chairs:  Submit expense reimbursement requests to the DLS chair by August 1.

Outgoing/continuing chairs:   Within one month of the conference, send copies of the minutes to current and outgoing committee members, and to the archivist.  Keep an  archival copy with the committee files and file a copy in the DLS Section Manual.

Outgoing chair:  Transfer committee materials and your copy of the DLS Section Manual  to the new chair and the inactive files to the section archivist for forwarding to ALA/ACRL official archives at the University of  Illinois.

Outgoing chair:  Advise past chair of any corrections, revisions or additions to the section manual.

Incoming/continuing committee chairs:  Prepare a roster of current names/addresses/phone numbers/fax numbers/e-mail addresses of all committee members and distribute the roster to all committee members.  If possible, set up an electronic listserv or distribution list for convenient communication between meetings.

Incoming/continuing chairs:  Call any committee members with unexcused absence(s) at annual conference, to encourage participation and to see if the person intends to be active.  Give committee assignment(s), as appropriate.  Follow up with boilerplate letter, on DLS committee expectations.  Let the chair know of anyone who does not respond to the letter.

September
Respond to budget information forwarded from the section chair.  It is up to the committee chair to anticipate the budget needs of the committee.  Requests made in December are for the following fiscal year - September 1 to August 31.

October
DLS chair notifies committee chairs of ACRL approved budget.

December
Prepare agenda for meetings to be held at Midwinter; send copies to committee members, to the archivist, and to the DLS chair.  Include the DLS section conference schedule and room assignments.  Extra agenda copies should be available at the meeting.

Just Prior to Midwinter
Contact all current members to verify attendance.  Compile list of hotels where members are staying, in case you need to get in touch.  Tell committee members where you will be staying.

Midwinter Meeting
Chair committee meetings (see "Checklist for Running a Committee Meeting",  DLS Section Manual, page 4-16 ).

Keep minutes for the meeting, or assign committee member to act as secretary.

Ensure that each member is assigned committee work; let none go "taskless,"  including anyone absent from the meeting.

Submit highlights form to the chair of the Planning Committee before leaving the meeting area.

Determine whether any committee members should be considered for removal, as per policy:  "It is ALA policy that committee members are expected to attend all meetings.  Failure to attend two consecutive meetings or group of meetings (defined as all meetings of a committee that take place at one Midwinter or Annual Conference) without an explanation acceptable to the committee chair constitutes grounds for removal upon request by the chair and approval of the appropriate official or governing board."

Attend the DLS Executive Committee and section meetings. Chairs will report on the committee activities.  If any committee members are being recommended for removal,  the situation should be discussed at Executive Committee, as per ALA policy (see above).

Immediately Following Midwinter
Within one month of the conference, send copies of the minutes to each committee member, and to the archivist.  Keep an archival copy with the committee files and file a copy in the DLS Section Manual.

Call any committee members with unexcused absence at annual conference, to encourage participation and to see if the person intends to be active.  Give committee assignment(s), as appropriate.  Follow up with boilerplate letter, on DLS committee expectations.  Let the chair know of anyone who does not respond to the letter.