Hello Wonderful Members!
While my term on the Board of Directors has come to an end, I still have the pleasure of working with some amazing folks on a new Task Force that is focused on cleaning up and revising the Division’s Bylaws and Governance Policies. This work would not be possible without the guidance, support, and institutional knowledge of the task force members: Amy Koester, Katie Lawrence, Carol Phillips, and Julia Torres. Together, the group combines diverse experiences and perspectives from past-presidents, priority group consultants, directors of Boards, and process committee members, ensuring nuanced discussions around what to keep, what to remove, and what to revise within each of the Division’s guiding documents.
But what, you ask, is the difference between a bylaw and a policy? And does it really matter?
Great question! And yes, it does matter!
The foundational document for any organization is a strong set of Bylaws, which establishes the core legal framework, structure, and high-level rules such as the composition of the Board of Directors, rights of members of the organization, procedures for elections and meeting quorum requirements.
Policies, on the other hand, set out processes and procedures that guide the day-to-day operations and work of the organization. This can include procedures for running Board meetings, guidelines for the work of award committees, and policies and eligibility rules for committee appointments.
Sometimes these two types of documentation get conflated, and then an organization can get bogged down by restrictive rules that are difficult to change, or they can delay important work because changes to bylaws require full votes of the membership instead of just the Board.
How will this work affect the reunification of ALSC and YALSA?
Through the process of reunification, we’ve had to revisit the Bylaws for both divisions and assess what is similar, what is different, and what should remain in the new and updated Bylaws. Essentially, we are working to remove anything that should be policy, anything that is redundant or outdated, and anything that is contradictory.
We want the unified Division to have greater flexibility because we know the reunification process is still a bit messy and there are a lot of unknowns. But we can ensure the work moving forward has a solid foundation in the Bylaws, complemented by robust policies to guide and enhance the work of the Board and all of our committees.
Once we have the new Bylaws drafted and approved by the Board, all of you will have the opportunity to approve them as a part of the 2027 ALA Elections. It is important that we have these new Bylaws in place to reinforce the work of reunification and guide all of the continuing efforts of member leaders to follow-through on next steps, including rebranding.
So, you’ve talked about rebranding, but I still see “ALSC” in the Bylaws and policies. Why?
This is because we are still “ALSC” on the books and within the ALA organizational structure. Once ALA dissolved YALSA as a division, ALSC was still considered to be operational, and so the name has stayed as a placeholder. Once rebranding work is complete and we have a new name selected through member engagement, the Bylaws and Policies will all be updated to reflect that name.
In anticipation, we are making sure to reduce the number of references to a division name across all documents, which will make it easier for quick updates in the future. So you will likely see the following phrase at the beginning of the Bylaws and policy documents: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) hereafter referred to as “the Division.” This means that when we have a new name for the unified division, each instance of ALSC can be quickly updated without having to find instances all throughout various documents and manuals.
So what can I expect to see from the Task Force?
Next year, when the ALA Elections are underway, you will receive a document that has the new Bylaws, as well as a “rationale” for some of the more substantive updates. Once the members have voted and approved these new Bylaws, they will go into effect immediately. This will allow the Board and staff and others throughout the division to work from a solid, clean set of Bylaws that reinforce our new purpose and combined membership.
If you’ve read this far, congratulations! That means you appreciate the value and necessity of robust governance documentation. This Task Force is working hard with the Board to be proactive and make sure that current and future Boards and member leaders can focus on the important work and not get bogged down in policy confusion.
We will continue to keep you all informed of our work as we move forward, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to ALSC staff, the President, or myself.
Thanks for reading.
Onwards!
Rob Bittner
Chair, Bylaw and Governance Policy Revisions Task Force
The post What’s in a name? The differences, similarities, and uses for Bylaws and Policies appeared first on ALSC Blog.
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