Regional Automation Advisory Committee

The Regional Automation Advisory Committee is an Advisory Committee of the Capital District Library Council. Advisory committees are formed on behalf of specific programs administered by CDLC to enhance the operation of the Council and its programs and services.

Each advisory committee has a charge, approved by the Board, that addresses the committee's responsibilities, concerns, and composition of membership. Advisory committees may have a Board liaison who is a voting member of the committee, as well as a CDLC staff member liaison who is an ex-officio member of the committee.

The Regional Automation Advisory Committee (RAAC) is a Board appointed advisory committee. Committee responsibilities include the creation and continuing maintenance of the virtual online regional catalog, which provides links to regional library catalogs and the Union List of Serials; allocation of funds obtained from the State through the Regional Bibliographic Databases (RBDB) program; and ongoing development of automation and technological needs of the region as outlined in the CDLC Plan of Service.

In accordance with State Education guidelines, the RAAC shall serve as the Capital District Library Council's representative consultative body for regional library automation.

RAAC shall:

• Make recommendations to the CDLC Board of Trustees on matters pertaining to regional automation planning.
• Initiate the application process, review applications for funding to be distributed, and recommend to the Board applications and amounts to be funded through the Regional Bibliographic Data Bases/Interlibrary Resource Sharing Program (RBDB).
  • The recommendations for funding shall be based on adherence to the CDLC Five Year Plan for the RBDB Program.
  • A written statement should accompany any applications that are not recommended for funding by the Chair of RAAC, stating the reasons.
  • RAAC shall receive from the Board the result of Board actions on RAAC recommendations.
• Review the Five Year Plan annually to determine if it meets the needs of the region.
  • Update the statistical and other factual information as necessary.
  • Recommend to the Executive Director appropriate compliance and evaluation methodology that will provide RAAC and the Board with information in the effectiveness of the RBDB Annual Application in meeting regional goals and objectives.
  • Recommend to the Board changes in the Five Year Plan, as appropriate.
• Receive from the Board requests for information, data, and action relating to regional automation planning.
  • RAAC shall act as appropriate to comply with Board requests and timetables.
• Monitor regional library automation activities of other programs as they relate to the overall goals of regional automation as stated in the Five Year Plan.
  • Advise CDLC staff as necessary and coordinate the activities of other library automation programs administered by the New York State Library, including, but not limited to, the Library Services and Technology Act, the Electronic Doorway Library grants, and any other state, federal, or regional library automation grant administered by CDLC.

Membership

RAAC shall consist of 18 members:

• One representative from each of the public library systems
• Two representatives from school library systems
• Two representatives from school libraries
• Five representatives from academic libraries
• Two representatives from special libraries
• Three representatives from public libraries (one from each public library system)
• One representative from the research community​

Terms: The Board of Trustees shall appoint members for staggered three-year terms.

Liaisons: Liaison relationships shall be maintained with the automation committees of the public library and school library systems and the CDLC Coordinated Collection Development Committee and Committee on Interlibrary Loan (COIL), the Documentary Heritage Program Advisory Committee (DHPAC), and the Hospital Library Services Program Advisory Committee (HLSPAC). These liaisons shall be consulted or invited to RAAC meetings as appropriate to matters under consideration. Liaisons may not vote.

Ex officio members: The Executive Director, the Assistant Director, and other CDLC staff as appropriate, shall serve as ex officio members. A representative from the Division of Library Development (DLD) of the State Education Department shall serve as an ex officio member of the committee.

Chair: The Chair shall be elected by a majority vote of the committee for a two-year term. The Chair shall have prior service as a member of RAAC. The Chair shall serve no more than two consecutive terms.

Meetings

• Conduct of Meetings
• RAAC shall follow Robert's Rules of Order in its proceedings or other rules as may be agreed to by the committee.
• Substitutes for members may attend if the Chair, in advance of the meeting, approves the substitute. Substitutes need not be from the same organization but must represent the same type of institution. Substitutes may not vote.
• Ex officio members may not vote.
• A written agenda shall be distributed to members in advance of each meeting.
• RAAC meetings are open. Guests may contribute to discussions when recognized by the Chair.
• The Committee may meet in executive session at which time no uninvited guests may attend. If the proceedings of a specified executive session are to remain confidential, the Chair, at the outset of the session, shall state the provision. Formal minutes of this executive session are to be acted upon only at a subsequent executive session.
• Meeting Calendar
• RAAC shall meet as often as agenda items require, but not less than three times each year.
• At the meetings RAAC shall do the following: plan regional automation projects; initiate any annual application processes to the CDLC institutional members; review and recommend applications for funding; finalize the Annual Application for submission to the Division of Library Development
• CDLC shall provide RAAC members ample time and appropriate documentation to use in their review of applications.
• These meetings shall be scheduled so as to allow CDLC staff ample time to prepare the Annual Application, the Five Year Plan, the evaluation of the Five Year Plan, annual reports, and any other documents, by the deadlines imposed by DLD.

Quorum: A quorum for business shall be a simple majority (10) of the committee members.

Subcommittees

From time to time, as deemed necessary, the Chair may appoint subcommittees from among the membership of the Committee, and from the library community at large, to handle specific tasks that relate to the work of the Committee. Such tasks may include, but are not limited to: surveying libraries, managing grant application processes, evaluating the current and/or creating a new Five Year Plan, and assisting CDLC staff in analyzing vendor proposals.

Roles and Responsibilities

Relation of RAAC to the CDLC Board of Trustees:

• The Board of Trustees is the body which represents the needs of CDLC to the State Education Department.
• RAAC formulates goals and objectives for the CDLC Five Year Regional Automation Plan and forwards them to the Trustees for approval. The Trustees authorize CDLC to forward the approved plan to DLD.
• RAAC makes changes to the current Five Year Plan and forwards them to the Trustees for approval. The Trustees authorize CDLC to forward them to DLD.
• RAAC develops the annual plans based on the Five Year Plan and forwards them to the Trustees for approval. The Trustees authorize CDLC to forward them to DLD.
• RAAC approves applications for funding under the annual plans and forwards them to the Trustees for final approval.
• The Trustees receive recommendations and reports from RAAC on regional automation issues.

Relation of the Executive Director and Staff to RAAC:

• Advises and assists RAAC in the annual automation grant planning and funding process.
• Advises RAAC on Board policy.
• Advises RAAC on State Education Department guidelines and State Legislation.
• Gathers data from CDLC membership to use in planning and evaluation process.

Document History

• Approved by the CDLC Board of Trustees: D-03-32 - 02/14/2003
• Revised by RAAC - 01/24/2003
• Approved by the CDLC Board of Trustees: D-00-59 - 02/11/2000
• Revised by RAAC - 12/03/1999
• Approved by the CDLC Board of Trustees: D-87-34 - 09/04/1987
• Drafted by RAAC - 03/27/1987