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About
- Annual Reports
- Awards, Grants, and Scholarships
- Bylaws
- Executive Board
- FAQ for Committee Chairs and Forum Managers
- ILA and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- ILA Fiscal Policies
- ILA's Origins, Presidents, and Executive Directors
- ILA Store
- Remote Learning
- Strategic Plan
- Staff
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Advocacy
- Submit Legislative Proposals to the ILA Public Policy Committee
- Advocacy Policies and Procedures
- More Than a Building
- Census 2020 Resources
- Creating or Changing Illinois State Library Law
- Illinois Minimum Wage Resources
- Intro to Property Taxes for IL Libraries
- ILA Public Policy Principles
- Legislative Issues
- Making Your Case
- Ready, Set, Advocate
- TIFs and Public Library Districts in Illinois
- Top Ten Advocacy Tips
- Unite Against Book Bans in Illinois
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Committees
- Advocacy Committee
- Awards Committee
- Conference Program Committee, 2024
- Conference Program Committee, 2025
- Diversity Committee
- Finance Committee
- Fundraising Committee
- ILA Reporter Advisory Committee
- Intellectual Freedom Committee
- iREAD Committee
- Nominating Committee
- Public Policy Committee
- Reaching Forward North Committee
- Reaching Forward South Committee
- Serving Our Public Committee
- Events
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Forums
- Human Resources & Administration Forum (HRAF)
- Illinois Association of College & Research Libraries Forum (IACRL)
- Library Trustee Forum (LTF)
- Marketing Forum (MF)
- Resources & Technical Services Forum (RTSF)
- Small and Rural Libraries Forum (SARL)
- Students and New Professionals Forum (SANP)
- Young Adult Services Forum (YASF)
- Youth Services Forum (YSF)
- Initiatives
- Membership
- Publications
ILA Executive Board members are expected to:
1. Understand and support the association's mission.
2. Employ the executive director, work in cooperation with them, and participate in their evaluation.
3. Prepare for and attend board meetings regularly; actively participate, including service on committees, as an officer, and as a board liaison to assigned units within the association.
4. Engage in development of goals and plans for the association, review progress, and evaluate outcomes.
5. Act as trustees of the association’s finances, working to provide adequate resources and overseeing responsible expenditure of funds.
6. Participate in the ILA fundraising activities and personally support those activities.
7. Represent the association as a whole and communicate regularly with membership from various constituencies.
8. Set policies which further the association's mission, while ensuring legal and ethical integrity and accountability to membership.
9. Share expertise, contribute to decision-making, and support decisions of the board.
10. Complete assignments in a timely fashion.
11. Enhance the association's public standing.
Board Liaisons
Each ILA Executive Board member has a liaison relationship with several ILA committees and/or forums. The purpose of the liaison relationship is to facilitate communication and to give each ILA unit an informed voice at the board level to represent its activities, issues, and viewpoints. It is mutually beneficial that the liaison relationship be actively cultivated between the board member and the forum or committee leaders. The following suggestions are advanced to establish a strong relationship:
• Keep informed of ILA policies, goals, and financial guidelines to serve as a resource to units.
• Stay on top of ILA activities across-the-board to assist units in planning, avoiding overlap activities and date conflicts.
• Attend unit meetings (in person or electronically) if possible, but especially if the unit leader seeks the liaison’s assistance to work on a specific issue.
• Ensure that committee chair or forum manager submit the report of their activities in a timely manner (schedule is listed on the report form).
• Monitor, encourage, and assist the committee or forum to meet both its goals and those goals assigned within the ILA Strategic Plan.
• Be an informed voice for the committee or forum at ILA Executive Board meetings. Share board documents and news with committee chairs and forum managers.
Financial expectations
Board members are responsible for their own travel, meals, and lodging. Meetings are held in various cities around the state or virtually. A virtual option is available for all in-person meetings. Board meetings generally last from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. but may start earlier and last longer if there is an overly full agenda. The annual orientation is held virtually in July.
Directors who serve on non-profit boards are usually expected to contribute financially to the organization as a show of their support. As leaders of the association, ILA Executive Board members are encouraged, whenever financially able, to make an annual donation to the ILA Endowment Fund. Donations can be made directly, contributed from fundraisers or honoraria, or solicited from other sources.
Conflict of interest
All board members are required to sign a ‘Non-Conflict of Interest’ statement at the beginning of each year of their term.