Below is an example of the charge written for each Priority Committee.  The charge for each committee is essentially the same, with the names and priorities changed.

Committee Charge Example

The Board of the Boston Library Consortium charges the Resource Sharing Priority Committee to implement the priority The BLC will adopt a broader definition of Resource Sharing by selecting 1-2 projects to carry out in a year. 

Projects:  The projects selected by the committee should be ones that move the consortium forward in demonstrating its purpose and value proposition.  In recent Board discussions of the strategic plan implementation, the Board articulated three key elements for project selection:

• Select projects that advance the BLC as a consortium and leverage our strength to accomplish what we cannot as individual libraries
• Select a tangible project.  Although a project may require research and planning, it should either position the BLC for immediate action at a specific point in the near future or result in a prototype project.
• Focus on what our users want and what will move us to where our users expect us to be

As starting points for selecting projects, the committee can draw on

• Proposals for projects in the Boston Library Consortium Boston Library Consortium Strategic Plan:2010 – 2013, Key Result Areas with milestones, posted on BLC Web Site
• July 8 – Staff* Project Planning Session, staff at the planning session prioritized projects
• Discussions with Board Liaisons

Support: The Resource Sharing Priority Committee will have two Board liaisons who can provide feedback and direction as needed. The Executive Director and Assistant Director of the Boston Library Consortium will provide support for the committee and will work with the committee to implement these projects.  The Board supports training in areas that will help the committee to accomplish its objectives.

Process:  The committee will select co-chairs, if possible, to assure more continuity in leadership.  The committee will develop a project plan with deliverables and budget.  As it discusses, selects, and implements the projects, the committee can ask for other staff in the BLC to join it or to carry out a specific task.  The Board Liaisons and BLC staff will work with committee chairs to ensure that similar projects become joint projects.  The committee will also consider how it can link with an active COI to increase participation.  The first meeting of each committee will be an in-person meeting if we can arrange it.  Subsequent meetings can be virtual or in-person, or a combination of the two, depending upon what works for the group.  There will also be a few meetings that bring together all the committees. 

Communication throughout the BLC:  The committee will develop a schedule and means for communicating its work to its Board Liaisons, other committees and other library staff in the BLC.  If an institution does not have a member on a committee, the committee will identify a contact there that can keep the institution informed about the group’s work.    At its December 16, 2010 meeting, the Board would like a brief written report from each committee that has met.   The BLC staff will develop a shared space so that notes from meetings can be posted and shared within the consortium. 

Assessment:  Measures of success will depend upon the project plan of the committee. It will be important for the project and its implementation to engage the interest of the staff of member libraries and to advance the BLC as a consortium and leverage our strength to accomplish what we cannot as individual libraries.  Additional measures of success would be whether it demonstrates some financial savings for members, or improves a process that benefits all members.  The committee will provide quarterly reports to the Board, assessing progress on its projects, and the Board will invite one committee to report on its activities at each of its quarterly meetings, giving committee members an opportunity to communicate directly with the Board. At the end of the fiscal year, the committee will assess its progress and direction for any next phase. 

** As in the Strategic Plan, staff is used throughout the charge document to include all personnel in BLC member libraries. **