Medical Library Association | About MLA : MLA Leaders

MLA Leaders

Committee Information

Committee Appointment Process

Committee List

Committees' Roles

Orientation and Support

Task Force List

Committee Appointment Process

The association depends on members with a wide range of skills and expertise to serve on its committees. All MLA members are eligible for appointment to standing committees of the association. However, only Voting Members may be selected as committee chairs.

Members may apply for committees annually. An online committee application is available to members. The form also appears in the August and September issues of MLA News and is available through headquarters.

In making appointments, the association considers the background and skills of the applicants, as well as the responsibilities and needs of the committees. A history of active participation in committee work on the local, regional, or national level is an important qualification. Recommendations are sought from current committee chairs, members of the board of directors, and program staff. Some MLA committees require combinations of skills and knowledge found among few health sciences librarians. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to recruit certain members with unique experience and expertise to serve on specific committees. The president-elect makes final committee selections. During the president's term, he or she names members to committees as vacancies occur.

Committee Lists

Rosters and charges for the current year are part of the online member Directory.

Awards Committee and Juries
Benchmarking Network Editorial Board
Books Panel
Bylaws Committee
Continuing Education Committee
Credentialing Committee
Excutive and Nominating Committees (elected)
Governmental Relations Committee
Grants and Scholarship Committee
Journal of the Medical Library Association Editorial Board
Joseph Leiter NLM/MLA Lectureship Committee
Membership Committee
MLANET Editorial Board
National Program Committees
Oral History Committee
Professional Recruitment and Retention

Committees' Roles

Committees have varied roles in the association. The word committee includes committees required by the bylaws, committees of the Board of Directors, standing committees, subcommittees, ad hoc committees, juries, panels, and task forces.

Standing committees are continuing committees with ongoing responsibility for furthering the Medical Library Association's interests, programs, and projects.
The Executive and Nominating Committees are mandated by the bylaws.
Juries are constituted for the purpose of recommending recipients of awards, prizes, grants, and scholarships.
Panels are appointed to serve as peer-review and evaluation boards for MLA's publication and credentialing programs.
Ad hoc committees are appointed for a special purpose and are discharged when their tasks are completed.
From time to time, special task forces are appointed for a specific study.

Other committees have special tasks and advise the board of directors or the appointed officers. For descriptions of all unit activities for MLA, see the MLA Annual Report.

Orientation and Support

Incoming chairs receive orientation to committee work at the association's annual meeting. Committee chairs also consult a manual of established policies and procedures. The charges to committees are intended to be specific enough to guide the chair and committee members in a definition of their goals while being broad enough to allow for the varied tasks each committee undertakes. A member of the board of directors serves as liaison to each committee, and headquarters staff provide additional support.

Task Force List

Rosters and charges for active task forces are part of online member Directory.

Joint MLA/AAHSL Legislative Task Force
Scholarly Publishing Task Force
Task Force on Educational Policy Statement Revision
Task Force on Librarians Without Borders
Task Force on Research Policy Statement Revisions
Task Force on Vital Pathways for Hospital Librarians