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Operational Guidelines

Name

The official name of this consortium is the "American International Consortium of Academic Libraries" which is known as AMICAL.

Preamble

These Operational Guidelines are based upon the Membership Agreement and are intended to provide a governance structure for the consortium.

Article I: Mission

AMICAL is an international consortium of American-model, liberal arts institutions of higher learning. Our mission is to advance learning, teaching and research through the collaborative development of library and information services and curricular resources at member institutions. AMICAL is committed to sharing information and technologies across national and linguistic borders, using English as the primary language for consortial work.

Article II: Membership

  1. Membership is open to all institutions meeting the eligibility criteria outlined in the Membership Agreement.
  2. There are three categories of members:
    1. Full members have signed the Full Membership Agreement, paid the annual dues fee, and have been recommended by the Coordinating Committee and voted upon by the full Council of Members.
    2. Affiliate members are institutions that do not meet all of the eligibility requirements, but which nonetheless share an interest in AMICAL's mission and goals. They are invited to join AMICAL by signing an Affiliate Membership Agreement and paying annual dues.
    3. Consortial partners are institutions, organizations, vendors, and even individuals that share an interest in AMICAL's mission and that work closely with AMICAL on projects, programs, etc.
      Any fees and/or costs will be mutually agreed upon by both parties.
  3. A full member of the AMICAL consortium, after signing the Membership Agreement, will belong to the consortium as long as it remains a member in good standing or until the institution resigns its membership.
  4. Each member institution appoints a designated official representative to the consortium. The institutional representative serves as its voting member on the Council of Members.
  5. Only full members are eligible to vote on consortium matters and are eligible for certain member privileges (chairing Working Groups, sharing in grants received, etc.).
  6. Membership can be suspended by the Coordinating Committee (acting on behalf of the full Council of Members) if a member does not uphold its responsibilities as outlined by the Membership Agreement or regulated by these Operational Guidelines.
  7. Any member can withdraw from AMICAL. Notice of an institution's intent to withdraw must be submitted to the Chair of the Coordinating Committee six (6) months in advance. The consortium may charge costs caused by such withdrawal (such as modification of collective database agreements) to the withdrawing member.
  8. Individuals. AMICAL, as an institution-based consortium, does not have a category for individual membership. However, members recognize the important contributions individuals have already made to our success, and it is intended by members to welcome further contributions by those interested in our work and our mission.

Article III: Host Institution

  1. AMICAL's host institution (and primary mailing address) shall be The American University of Paris.
  2. Should the American University of Paris withdraw as host institution, the Coordinating Committee will recommend to the Council of Members (who will vote on same) the appointment of a new member institution as 'host.'

Article IV: Governance

  1. In the spirit of AMICAL, the organization attempts to operate through consensus and collaboration. In matters that require such, each full member shall be entitled to one vote in the Council of Members of AMICAL, which is the overall governing body of the consortium. The Council of Members: approves and amends the AMICAL Operational Guidelines, approves long-term planning and other fundamental decisions proposed by the Coordinating Committee, approves membership fees proposed by the Coordinating Committee, and elects the members of the Coordinating Committee.
  2. Operational oversight for AMICAL is provided by the Coordinating Committee (CC), which approves policies and directions for the consortium's activities throughout the year. The full CC is comprised of: the official representative from the host institution who acts as AMICAL's Treasurer and who shall be ex-officio and voting; four elected officers, being representatives from members in the "full member" category; and the chair of each working group. As the chairs of working groups are not elected by the entire Council of Members, they shall be consultative members of the CC, ex-officio and non-voting. In cases where the Coordinating Committee is voting on a question where a voting member stands to benefit from the outcome, that member should make the Committee aware of this and abstain from voting. No institution may be represented by more than one voting member on the Coordinating Committee.
  3. A Nominating Committee, appointed by the Chair of the CC, will present a slate of candidates for consideration and vote of the full Council of Members. The voting for Coordinating Committee members shall be immediately prior to the annual meeting. Newly elected officers take their positions immediately after the annual meeting. No one may serve more than two consecutive terms on the Coordinating Committee.
  4. Election of officers
    1. AMICAL members elect to the Coordinating Committee a Chair, a Vice-Chair, a Secretary, and a Member-at-Large. Elected officers normally serve two-year terms. In the first election only, however, in order to stagger the terms thereafter, the Chair and Vice-Chair will be elected for terms of 2 years, while the Secretary and At-large member will be elected for terms of 1 year.
  5. Duties of officers
    1. The Chair: convenes and presides over meetings of both the Council of Members and the Coordinating Committee; with CC members, creates an agenda for meetings; enters into agreements and authorizes expenditures on behalf of AMICAL; serves as the official representative of AMICAL to external groups (other consortia, etc.).
    2. The Vice-Chair: assists the Chair in the performance of her/his duties; serves as Chair when requested to do so by, or in the absence of, the Chair; serves as the CC representative on the committee to plan the annual meeting.
    3. The Secretary: is responsible for maintaining the records of meetings of the Council of Members and the Coordinating Committee (CC); oversees the distribution of AMICAL documents and communications, and provides for their availability on the AMICAL portal; maintains official lists of member institutions, designated institutional representatives and AMICAL committee memberships, as well as contact information for persons and institutions involved with AMICAL.
    4. The Member-at-Large: acts as a voice of membership, ensuring that interests of the general membership are represented in the Coordinating Committee; performs duties assigned by the Chair, such as convening committee meetings and seeking information needed by the CC and the membership as a whole.
    5. The Treasurer (host-institution representative): serves as AMICAL's fiscal officer; is responsible for oversight of AMICAL funds and makes periodic reports on same to the CC and annually to the Council of Members; with the authorization of the Chair, and in the absence of a Managing Coordinator (see Article V below), enters into contracts and makes payments on behalf of AMICAL; arranges for periodic audits of AMICAL's finances and financial records.

Article V: Administration

  1. As necessary for the effective development and management of consortial operations, and insofar as AMICAL's resources permit, the Coordinating Committee may select individuals to administer or assist with the consortium's operations. Such a position may be temporary for a fixed period as established, for example, by a grant to the consortium. Although normally employed via the institutional structure of the host institution, such an individual would report to the AMICAL Coordinating Committee, who may periodically review the individual's performance for purposes of goal-setting, remuneration decisions, dismissal or other related terms of employment.
  2. The duties of such staff may be determined according to need by the Coordinating Committee, and they may include: assisting project leaders and working groups with the administration of consortial projects, in particular as projects move from planning to execution; or administering, according to guidelines established by the Coordinating Committee, grants received by AMICAL.

Article VI: Annual Meeting

AMICAL will meet as a consortium at least once per year, at a site to be determined by the membership. At the annual meeting, the program will be a combination of consortium business, working group meetings, demonstrations of successful collaborative learning projects and techniques, and educational/professional development opportunities.

Article VII: Working Groups

  1. The AMICAL portal will provide members with an up-to-date list all of the working groups so that members can pursue similar interests and common goals. Working groups are intended to be fluid in that they can form and disband as needed and as interests arise.
  2. Working Groups will choose their own Chairs (chairs must be from a full-member institution). The Chair of each Working Group serves as a consultative member of the CC. Working group membership may be comprised of colleagues from full member institutions, affiliate member institutions, consortial partners and/or interested individuals.
  3. Working Groups will be supported by the consortium and should have:
    A listing of group members and an indication of the chair, published on the AMICAL portal;
    A written statement of purpose published on the portal;
    A general plan of action, including assessment; and,
    A plan for communicating their work to the consortium as a whole.

Article VIII: Ad Hoc or Other Committees

From time to time and as necessary, the Chair of the CC may establish a task force or committee to further the work of the consortium. Each such task force or committee established will have a charge, an end-date for its work, and members shall be appointed in consultation with the full CC. Because they are not elected by the Council of Members, task force chairs and/or committee chairs shall not serve on the CC.

Article IX: Annual Meeting Committee

As soon as possible after the designation of the annual-conference host institution, a conference planning committee shall be established, including members from the host institution as well as other AMICAL institutions.

Article X: Dues & Fees

  1. Dues and fees are proposed by the CC at each annual meeting and are voted upon by the full Council of Members at the annual meeting.
  2. The fiscal year for AMICAL is September 1 through August 31.

Article XII: Amendments

These Operational Guidelines may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the full Council of Members. Any changes to the Operational Guidelines must first be submitted to the Chair of the CC and then reviewed by the CC. Any proposed changes must be shared by the CC in writing (electronically) with the Council of Members at least one month before a vote can be taken. Only designated, official institutional members may propose and vote on changes to the Operational Guidelines.

This document drafted 11 November 2006; adopted by AMICAL 1 December 2006.
Amended 28 May 2007.