Policy on Standing Committees and Working or Interest Groups

Standing Committees

The MOBIUS Board of Directors establishes standing committees, and has established the following committees:

1. Circulation and Courier Committee (est. 2015)
   1. Charge:  Working in conjunction with the MOBIUS staff, this committee will provide input into the circulation and interlibrary loan functions of the MOBIUS Union Catalog.  This can include policies, functionality, and other areas related to the courier system and its ability to move physical materials effectively among MOBIUS Member and partner institutions.  
2. Digitization Committee (est. 2019)
   1. Charge: Working in conjunction with MOBIUS staff, this committee will be responsible for monitoring and researching current digitization and institutional repository (IR) software trends and related product offerings.  This committee will identify and apply for any appropriate grants. This committee will engage the membership and make recommendations benefiting the MOBIUS membership regarding product enhancements & service improvements.  This committee will be responsible for making formal recommendations to the MOBIUS Board for final consideration.
3. E-Resources Committee (est. 2015)
   1. Charge: Working in conjunction with the MOBIUS staff, this committee will provide input on products, subscriptions, and services that may be of interest to the membership. 
4. ILS Software and Services Committee (est. 2015)
   1. Charge: Working in conjunction with MOBIUS staff, this committee will be responsible for monitoring and researching current ILS library software trends and related product offerings.  This committee will engage the membership and make recommendations benefiting the membership regarding product enhancements, service improvements, and new options. This committee will be responsible for engaging and informing the entire MOBIUS membership about a broad range of ILS changes and possibilities.  This committee will be responsible for making formal recommendations to the MOBIUS Board for final consideration.
5. Professional Development/Training Committee (est. 2021)
   1. Charge: Working in conjunction with MOBIUS staff, the Professional Development and Training Committee will provide professional development, training, and networking opportunities to meet the needs of constituents; collaborate with other communities to identify specific needs for constituents; and engage members as experts and increase opportunities for all constituents.
6. Public Library Committee (est. 2019)
   1. Charge: Working in conjunction with MOBIUS staff, this committee will engage with and solicit feedback from MOBIUS public library members to promote the unique interests of those members and encourage public library participation in MOBIUS activities and governance.
7. User Experience and Metadata Committee (est. 2015)
   1. Charge: Working in conjunction with the MOBIUS staff, this committee will provide input into both the user services side of the catalog design and the supportive metadata structure.

Each committee should include:

• One Board member
• One MOBIUS Staff member (serving as the committee organizer)
• A minimum of 4 additional members from the broader membership, designated by the Board
• The MOBIUS Executive Director (Ex Officio)

Committee organizational details:

• Under non-profit law in Missouri, a Committee serves “at the pleasure of the Board,” and must include Board representation.  Therefore, each MOBIUS committee must have at least one Board member on its roster, serving as a liaison, providing a direct link to the work going on at the executive level. The Board representative will attend all committee meetings and provide committee reports at Board and membership meetings.
• Committees should be made up of at least 4 additional members, each serving for 2 years, with no more than 3 consecutive terms.  Committees do not require representation from every cluster.  Instead, the Board will draw on expertise, interest, and availability to build the committee membership. 
• The MOBIUS staff committee organizer is responsible for organizing the committee’s work, producing agendas, and taking meeting minutes and sharing or maintaining other documentation as required. 
• Each committee will have a Chair who will serve for one year. The Chair will be responsible for scheduling meetings, leading meetings, and working with the MOBIUS staff committee organizer to develop agendas.
• Each committee will have a Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, selected by the Board, who will serve as Vice-Chair the first year of appointment and Chair the following year. The Vice-Chair will serve in place of the Chair if needed.
• Upon formation of new committees, the Board will select a Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect from the pool of newly appointed members, and set their terms to ensure that the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect can assume the Chair role in the year after formation.
• Committee membership begins July 1. 
• Committees should meet, either in person or virtually, at least three times per year. 
• A discussion list will be established for each committee, open to the full MOBIUS membership; a committee email list will be maintained for business pertaining only to the current committee members. 
• Each committee is required to submit a brief written annual report before the June membership meeting and offer a session at the annual conference designed to inform the membership about trends and developments relating to their charge. The Board member serving on the committee, or a designated proxy, will deliver the annual report at the June membership meeting, as well as updates on recent activities at each membership and board meeting. The Chair and the Board representative will ensure that the annual report is written and submitted, and if needed will designate proxies to deliver reports at membership and board meetings.
• If an appointed member of a committee resigns from that committee before the end of the two-year term, the Board may appoint a new member to finish out the term. 
• Upon formation, committee members will serve staggered terms to ensure continuity of membership: half the members will be selected for a 1-year term, and half the members for a 2-year term. These staggered terms will continue throughout the duration of the committee as approximately half of the members will rotate off the committee each year. Should a committee’s members’ term expirations become very weighted to one year due to unplanned departures, the Board may adjust terms to ensure staggering.
• The Board will review the standing committees annually.

Board Committees

Board Committees consist of Board members, with the Executive Director serving as Ex Officio.  They do not require members from the MOBIUS staff or the wider membership.

1. Bylaws Committee (est. 2021): The Committee consists of the Board Secretary serving as Chair and two other Board members. It will meet a minimum of twice a year, reporting any needed changes to the By-Laws or any needed changes in procedures to the Board.
   1. Charge: The MOBIUS Bylaws Committee is responsible for reviewing and recommending changes to the bylaws to the Board of Directors for approval by the Membership.  The committee reviews and monitors any policies, procedures, or organizational rules to ensure consistency with the bylaws and to propose changes if necessary.  The committee is responsible for monitoring compliance with the bylaws. 
2. Finance Committee (est. 2015): The Committee consists of the Board Treasurer serving as Chair and at least two additional Board members.
   1. Charge: This committee is responsible for developing and reviewing fiscal procedures, creating an annual budget, ensuring that an external audit is conducted, and recommending appropriate action on services and fees or any other financial matter that the Board of Directors so directs it to address. 

Task Forces, Interest Groups, and Working Groups

Task forces and working groups will be formed by the Board or by the Executive Director in consultation with the Executive Committee to solve a particular problem or work on a short-term project.  Proposed task forces or working groups might include: Physical Storage WG, Digital Storage WG, Conference Door Prizes WG, etc.  A designated representative reports on the activities of the task force or working group at each Board meeting. The MOBIUS Board of Directors may form or dissolve a task force or working group at any time.

Interest groups may reflect the current interests or needs of the library community and may exist for any length of time, and will provide a shared location to share or find expertise in an area, to work on common goals, etc.  Proposed interest groups might include: Instruction IG, Marketing IG, Programming IG, etc.   Interest groups will be provided with a loosely moderated email listserv for communication, maintained by the MOBIUS office.  The MOBIUS Board of Directors may form or dissolve an interest group at any time.