UALC Professional Development Committee
Committee Charge
September 2022
Council Approved: September 2022
The UALC Professional Development Committee is charged with providing opportunities for member employees to develop professional skills and knowledge related to academic libraries.
The Professional Development Committee will accomplish this charge by:
- Planning an annual retreat hosted by a member institution, including hybrid and online options at the discretion of the committee
- Exploring and addressing new opportunities related to professional development in Utah
- Sharing professional development opportunities
- Working to improve accessibility to UALC professional development opportunities and resources for member employees
Membership and terms of service
The committee consists of one volunteer from each UALC member library to the extent practicable. New members join the committee in January, unless unanticipated circumstances require joining mid year.
A committee chair serves a one-year term beginning each January. The chair is a rotating position, determined by the rotation schedule established by the committee (addendum).
A member of the UALC Council serves as a liaison between the Professional Development Committee and the UALC Council.
Meetings
The committee meets virtually each month, or at a frequency determined necessary by its members. Committee members are encouraged to attend the annual professional development retreat when possible.
Roles and Responsibilities
The committee’s primary responsibility is organizing an annual Professional Development Retreat.
- All employees of UALC member libraries are invited to attend. Space and budget limitations may require placing a cap on registration. Persons who are not a non-student employee of a UALC member library may attend the retreat, per the “Non-UALC Member Policies for the Retreat” below.
- The retreat is typically held in late summer or early fall, with planning beginning soon after the new chair assumes office in January.
- The committee chair will submit a written general retreat plan and budget to the UALC Council for the spring council meeting.
- Retreats typically center on a primary theme, with the theme varying from year to year to engage different aspects of academic library work.
- Committee members will gather feedback from colleagues on professional development topics of interest, to help select retreat themes and avoid neglecting areas outside the expertise of committee members. They will also survey retreat participants to learn ways to improve.
Smaller professional development events may be planned at different times of the year, based on committee interest and unique opportunities that arise.
The committee chair is responsible for scheduling and facilitating committee meetings, setting agendas, and is the primary organizer of the annual retreat. The committee chair and council liaison will ensure the committee website is up-to-date, including committee membership, chair rotation schedule, and upcoming and past retreat information. The committee chair will use a committee Box folder to save meeting agendas and notes, and retreat planning documents, programs, and budgets.
Committee members are encouraged to share professional development opportunities with other members of the committee, for distribution to member libraries.
Non-UALC Member Policies for the Retreat
UALC invites non-UALC members who are librarians, who work in a library, or who are in library school to attend the annual Professional Development retreat, where registration for them will be held at a later deadline (at least one week) than employees at UALC member libraries as space allows. For in-person meetings, the cost for non-UALC members should be enough to cover food, venue, and other related costs. Online or hybrid options will also be open to non-UALC members, but shall be capped at 10 registrants or 10% (whichever is larger). The amount charged will be at the discretion of the UALC Professional Development Committee members and does not require approval from the UALC Council.