QSLA operates as an active state-wide network of professionals represented within the executive committee and subcommittees. The committee is QSLA’s main decision-making body and comprises the elected office bearers and committee members from across the state. The office bearers of QSLA are elected at the Annual General Meeting conducted in March of each year and all financial members are entitled to nominate for a position. The committee meets six times annually by teleconference or email. Any financial member may observe committee meetings, however, only elected committee members have voting powers. The QSLA committee is responsible for the association’s conduct and abides by a constitution and legislation outlined by the Office of Fair Trading.
Committee Role Descriptions
President
The President will:
chair all meetings of the QSLA Committee
nominate a Vice-President or other Committee member to chair a Committee meeting if necessary
be the public spokesperson on issues involving QSLA and represent the association at relevant forums and education sectors (or delegate to another Councillor)
provide leadership and direction in long term policy and planning for QSLA
liaise with the Secretary in the preparation of the agenda for any meetings called by the state association
collate all AGM information (confirm venue, notice of AGM, agenda, previous AGM minutes, audited accounts, president’s report, treasurer’s reports, appointed council members)
include Vice-Presidents in meeting management matters and all of Committee for succession planning considerations
oversee the changeover of any Committee members into new positions
monitor the role of the Secretariat; alert immediately of pertinent information and changes/decisions made during meetings
oversee revision of the Strategic plan of the association as required
interpret the Constitution with the support of Committee as required
facilitate the award process with nominated Awards Coordinator
report regularly to the membership through the newsletter and other communication formats
maintain liaison at an executive level with other related professional associations (QTU, JCQTA, Future Libraries Reference Group, FAIR - School Library Alliance)
be one of the legal signatories of the association
maintain current knowledge of issues facing Queensland Teacher Librarians and resource centre services at the school, district and state level
organise meeting dates for the following calendar year
Vice-president
The Vice-president will:
act for the president in their absence if requested / required
attend all meetings of council and report on matters relating to regional membership
be an official signatory to legal documents if required
liaise regularly (once / term) with individual members where there is no active regional Committee representative
advise members seeking to establish a subcommittee of QSLA
mentor new Committee members each year
Liaise with the Secretariat to:
send a personalised ‘Welcome’ email to new members and cc. their Regional Representative to promote connections.
Secretary
The Secretary will:
organise agendas for Committee meetings in consultations with the President and invite Committee input
send out meeting agenda one week prior to scheduled meeting
receive attendance and apologies for any meetings
after meetings, have minutes proof-read by President or other attending Committee member
finalise the minutes of Committee meetings and circulate to Committee members via email within 2 weeks of meeting
save minutes in Word and PDF formats – send a copy to Secretariat for archive
be an official signatory to legal documents if required
Treasurer
The Treasurer will:
be responsible for the financial management of QSLA
prepare an annual budget for Committee in consultation with the President and Secretariat
prepare and present a financial report at each state Committee meeting with Secretariat support
assist with questions related to finances as required
prepare and submit the quarterly Business Activity Statements of the association with secretariat support
in consultation with the Committee ‘s auditor and the Secretariat, initiate the preparation of QSLA’s annual audited report for presentation at the annual general meeting
liaise with, delegate duties to and supervise the work of the Secretariat in relation to the financial matters of QSLA
be one of the legal signatories of the association
In relation to the provision of funding for locally organised professional learning activities, the Treasurer will:
coordinate the periodic review of the policy document for financial support for professional learning activities
coordinate the approval or otherwise of subcommittee or group submissions for financial support
ensure that the professional learning activities subsidised by QSLA adhere to the current policy document
Regional Representative
The Regional Representative, as a member of the Committee will:
attend local QSLA subcommittee meetings and where there is no subcommittee maintain contact with local QSLA members
participate in QSLA Committee meetings and vote on behalf of subcommittee members or where there is no subcommittee the local members of QSLA
act as a two-way communication link between local members and the state association
promote QSLA activities, programs, objectives and policy to QSLA subcommittees, local Teacher Librarians and other library staff, the community
provide proxy vote when absent from QSLA Committee meetings
encourage local Teacher Librarians to become observers at teleconference meetings of council
seek nominations from QSLA members for awards such as the Brian Bahnisch Award and Queensland Teacher Librarian of the Year Award
Newsletter Editor
The Newsletter Editor will produce three newsletters per year, distributed at the beginning of Terms 2, 3, and 4:
maintain close liaison with QSLA members, subcommittees and the Committee to gather content
assist with Newsletter related questions as required
correspond with potential advertisers, organise suitable copy for the newsletter and forward details of costs to the Secretariat for invoicing
update Committee member information each Newsletter
edit material and prepare a hard copy of the initial draft of the newsletter for proofing by a nominated Committee member, before submitting to the desktop publisher
be responsible for the final copy
be responsible for organising printing and distribution of the newsletter if required in hard/print format
after distribution provide the Web Manager with an electronic copy in PDF format
be responsible for the annual review of newsletter editorial policy and procedures
report to the Committee on a regular basis
E-NEWSLETTER EDITOR
The eNewsletter Editor will create a concise overview of current and forthcoming events each month using the agreed digital platform:
maintain close liaison with QSLA members, subcommittees and the Committee to gather event information
post items of relevance / interest to members
embed hyperlinks to more detailed information or articles
encourage members to share future events through this media
organize for proof-reading and link testing prior to distribution
liaise with Secretariat in relation to current membership for eNewsletter distribution
assist with eNewsletter related questions as required
FACEBOOK ADMINISTRATOR
The Facebook administrator will coordinate the Queensland School Library Association Group Facebook page. Duties will include:
accept requests for access only from current QSLA members
maintain close liaison with QSLA members, subcommittees and the Committee to gather content
connect with Secretariat regularly to maintain an updated list of current membership
assist with Facebook related questions as required
post items of interest to members
encourage members to share events and discussions on the QSLA Group page
TWITTEr ADMINISTRATOR
The Twitter administrator will coordinate the Queensland School Library Association Group Twitter social networking service. Duties will include:
post items of interest to members using 140 character format
encourage members to share events and discussions that relate to QSLA activities
monitor usage for appropriate professional input
share hash tags for possible ‘virtual conference attendance’
follow related groups ie Trove, ALIA, Asia Education, SCIS, QCT
Name/#Tag: QSLALib
QSLA Web Manager
The Web Manager will:
work with QSLA subcommittees and Committee members to gather, review and edit material for the QSLA website
ensure currency of material and any hyperlinks
together with the President and other interested Committee members, be responsible for annual review of website editorial policy and procedures
maintain website using QSLA guidelines and procedures to ensure continuity throughout the site
report to the Committee on a regular basis
liaise with developer when required
Coordinator, Products
The Coordinator will:
identify materials appropriate for publication and liaise with the Treasurer to establish pricing of products
coordinate the preparation and production of publications for sale, including copyright permission
assist with product related questions and new ISBN numbers when required for new print runs
liaise with printers as required
promote published materials through appropriate channels
liaise with the Secretariat to organise the storage and distribution of the products and publications
report to the Committee on a regular basis
COORDINATOR, awards
The Coordinator will:
liaise with previous Awards coordinator for information from previous years (contacts, notes, nomination/letter samples)
create a timeline of tasks and dates to be followed in the process of awarding the recipients with their respective QSLA awards
liaise with President to include at least one other Committee member to be part of the Awards Selection Panel
assist with awards related questions as required
report to Committee meeting at least 6 months prior to planned presentation date, that the process has been initiated
initiate any written articles and advertising of the awards relevant to that year in the Term 2 & 3 Newsletters
update Committee at each meeting of progress to date
liaise with Secretariat in relation to certificates and plaques as required
after the presentation of the Awards, publicise recipients for advocacy purposes
QSLA representation on and liaison with other committees
From time to time a member may volunteer or be elected to act as a QSLA representative on an association or other committee.
The role of a QSLA representative is to:
attend all meetings of the ‘other’ association or group
provide Committee with reports following the association’s or group’s meetings
assist with related representative committee questions as required
keep the Committee informed of the outcomes of any actions that may affect QSLA objectives
respond on behalf of QSLA, as directed by Committee, to the association or group
seek out expertise from QSLA members in relation to any identified projects
facilitate relationships with the association or group that supports the objectives of QSLA.
regional Subcommittees
A subcommittee will support and implement QSLA’s objectives in the local area by:
organising local professional learning
providing a response, through its local Regional Representative, to national/state educational issues on which the association is providing comment
liaising with the local Regional Representative in promotional and advocacy activities at the local and district level
where viability has been established, instigate local PD events and apply for QSLA financial support if needed
keeping records of activities and reporting for the benefit of collegiate groups via newsletters or website
promote QSLA activities and programs; communicate objectives and policy to local Teacher Librarians and other library staff and the general community
taking responsibility for making available to Teacher Librarians outside a subcommittee area information about the availability of QSLA activities and planned professional learning
nominate a representative to the position of Councillor to communicate with the state council about the regional subcommittee’s activities
liaise regularly (once / term) with V-P (Regions) where there is no active Regional Representative making this connection
regional Subcommittee Treasurers
Regional Subcommittee Treasurers have a responsibility not only to the local subcommittee but also to the state association in relation to the keeping of records from which accurate figures can be obtained for the quarterly Business Activity Statement (BAS).
Regional Subcommittee Treasurers will:
operate the subcommittee bank account
maintain the records of all financial transactions in the format approved by the state association auditor
reconcile bank statements with records of financial transactions
provide to the Secretariat of QSLA the information required to complete the quarterly BAS by the 7th day of January, April, July, October in each year. (The submission of the BAS to the Australian Tax Office on time is a legal requirement and can only be achieved if the timeline given is adhered to)
return to Secretariat within 6 weeks of the end of the financial year, the complete statement of the receipts and payments for the year signed by the President and Treasurer of the subcommittee in the format provided.
SECRETARIAT
The Secretariat is responsible to and reports to the President in the first instance and to the Treasurer on all financial matters. The Secretariat carries out duties, as directed by the President and Treasurer to ensure the smooth operation of the association and will:
maintain membership records
update membership records for distribution of the QSLA Newsletter, eNewsletter and other information as required
assist the Vice-president as required in communicating with members and potential members
provide registration forms, tax invoices and other relevant materials for distribution if required by the region
maintain records containing evaluations of professional learning activities
arrange teleconferences, online forums, meetings and the annual general meeting as directed by the President
attend Committee teleconferences, online forums and face-to-face meetings as requested
monitor in-coming correspondence and distribute information and communications to relevant Committee members for their attention
keep custody of the financial records of QSLA for a period of five years to meet legislative requirements. Retain digital backup copies of all records
be responsible for the QSLA seal
Assist the Treasurer to manage the financial records on behalf of QSLA by:
operating the bank and investment account/s
ensuring payment deadlines are met by preparing payments to be co-signed by the Treasurer, or in their absence the other account signatories, upon receipt.
provide the Treasurer with the documentation required to maintain the financial records on a monthly basis
In relation to state conferences:
be responsible to the organising committee for the maintenance of the conference database; the receipt and banking of monies from participants; sponsors and trade exhibitors
prepare regular reports for the conference committee of all areas mentioned above and attend the state conference in a supporting role if required
ensure payment deadlines are met by preparing payments to be co-signed by the Treasurer, or in their absence the other account signatories, upon receipt
provide the Treasurer with the documentation required to maintain the financial records on a fortnightly basis
In relation to professional learning, provide support if required for the following:
accept and process all registrations and monies
acknowledge registrations by email with a confirmation letter for the school or participant
provide each coordinator, on request, with any information relating to their centre and update that information as required
ensure payment deadlines are met and authorised by the Treasurer, or in their absence the other account signatories
perform agreed tasks for the Vice-presidents: Professional Learning and Regions, as required