STS Committees
91´«Ã½
Volunteer to join a committee!
STS committees are comprised of standing and ad hoc committees. Standing committees are established to consider matters of the Section that require continuity at attention by the members. Ad hoc committees may be established at any time for the performance of a particular assignment. Committee Procedures (Under Revision) and STS Meeting Planning (For All Chairs).
Volunteers will need to complete the volunteer form by February 15 for committee service that begins July 1. More information, including volunteer requirements, can be found on the ACRL volunteer site.
Executive Committee
Composition: The Executive Committee shall be the Officers of the Section.
Powers and Duties: The executive committee provides direction for the attainment of the objectives of the section. The Executive Committee conducts the business of the section during the period between Section meetings in accordance with the rules and guidelines of 91´«Ã½ and ACRL.
STS Council
Composition: All members of the Executive Committee as well as chairs of Committees, Discussion Groups and Taskforces shall serve on the STS Council.
Powers and Duties: The STS Council serves as an advisory body to the Chair and the Executive Committee, acting as a channel of information and discussion to the committees and membership at large. Matters of policy or operations requiring Council action shall normally be referred first to the Executive Committee.
Awards Committee
Charge: To solicit, collect and review applications for awards sponsored by the ACRL Science & Technology Section (STS), and to identify and recommend the most qualified individual(s) for these awards to the STS Executive Committee in accordance with criteria established by the STS Awards Committee. Awards include (but are not limited to) the Oberly Award, the Innovation in Science & Technology Librarianship Award, and the 91´«Ã½ Emerging Leaders Award.
College Science Librarians Committee
Charge: To provide a forum for discussion of issues of concern to college science librarians.
Conference Program Planning Committee
Charge: To plan the program and reception for the next conferences. Local representation required. Two committees are always at work so that plans are made well in advance.
Conference Program Planning--2024 Committee
Data Curation and Assessment Committee
Charge: To serve as a resource clearinghouse for survey, IRB, and data collection best practices for the Section and advise the membership and other committees on data management. In addition, the committee facilitates submissions from other STS committees producing research and assessment data and long-term storage of STS-created research data in the Open Science Framework.
Development Committee
Charge: To engage in fundraising activities and other development activities with vendors, publishers, or other relevant organizations that support STS budgetary needs and priorities, in consultation with the STS Executive Committee. In addition, the committee will develop and document procedures for successfully discharging its responsibilities, which include communicating with vendors and ACRL staff, and tracking donor and development fund information, as well as preserving data related to STS’s fundraising history.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee
Charge: Maintain current awareness of the EDI environment, establish formal and informal relationships with EDI working groups external to the Section, and assist other STS committees and discussion groups with best practices to implement STS' EDI values.
Future Modalities Task Force
Charge:
- Propose evidence-based modalities and best practices for STS to use for meetings, programs, and social events moving forward.
- • Gather information through research and intentional conversations to inform our proposal.
- • Determine if any new funding or infrastructure is needed to support our proposal
- • Interrogate benefits and drawbacks of virtual, such as accessibility, equitability
- • Interrogate benefits and drawbacks of in-person, such as networking and connections
- • Present our findings and ideas in a transparent fashion
- • Ultimate goal to propose a plan that creates space for all STS members and the broader STEM librarianship community
- • Share our findings broadly
Government Information Committee
Charge: To serve as a focus for STS member concerns about science and technology government issues and to cooperate with other ACRL and 91´«Ã½ legislative groups as appropriate.
Hot Topics Committee
Charge: To provide a forum for and facilitate a discussion of current issues of concern to science and technology librarians.
Information Literacy Committee
Charge: To provide, evaluate and/or develop resources for advancing information literacy in science and engineering (e.g. models for assessing student performance, teaching methods, instructional design, and tips for working with faculty on instruction-related issues); to serve as a liaison to other instruction-oriented groups as appropriate (e.g. IS, ILAC, etc.) The committee chair serves as liaison to the ACRL Information Literacy Advisory Committee and is a member of the STS Council.
New are now available!
Liaison Committee
Charge: To promote and coordinate the work of the STS Liaisons to different professional groups with which STS has established formal and informal relationships and to provide information sharing within the Section that may lead to collaboration and exchange. Liaisons will be chosen by the two committee co-chairs and a third member who is not currently acting as an STS liaison.
Many organizations are involved in science & technology librarianship. In an attempt to enhance the exchange of new ideas and shared concerns, STS has drawn from its membership to create a liaison program with other library and science organizations.
Membership & Recruitment Committee
Charge: To maintain a history of STS committee participation; publish committee rosters for the STS Council; update and distribute the membership brochure; actively recruit new members to STS.
Nominating Committee
Charge: Create a slate of candidates for the Executive Committee. Recruit the best possible nominees for section officers. ACRL states that this committee is "an important key to not only selecting qualified candidates, but also for informing potential candidates of responsibilities of the office."
Organization & Planning Committee
Charge: To provide long-range direction for the section by assessing implementation of strategic plan activities, reviewing suggestions from the membership, and proposing new activities for the section. Solicit ACRL strategic plan activity reports from STS committees and discussion groups. Members of the committee serve as liaisons to other STS committees and discussion groups for evaluation of strategic plan activity. In conjunction with the STS Chair, review strategic planning activities within STS and draft the annual Strategic Plan Activity Report to submit to ACRL. Provide a yearly report and recommendations on the section's strategic planning activities to STS Executive Committee and STS Council. Propose changes in governance procedures and revise the section manual as necessary.
Professional Development Committee
Charge: To coordinate, promote and encourage all continuing education efforts within the Science and Technology Section.
Interested in finding an experienced science/technology librarian who can provide advice, guidance or consultation? Are you willing to share your expertise, or serve as a mentor for a less experienced librarian? If so, contact the committee co-chairs for information about the STS Sci/Tech Library Mentors program. The Sci/Tech Library Mentors is a list of experienced sci/tech librarians who are willing to serve as mentors and/or resource persons to other librarians in need of assistance. Check out the STS Professional Development web site to get further information or to volunteer.
Publications Committee
Charge: To coordinate the section’s publishing activities. This includes writing, editing and publishing the section newsletter and other documents produced by the Section as a whole, regardless of their format. Serve as a resource for the publishing needs of STS committees.
The committee also manages the and the STS website.
Find out more about opportunities in the Publications Committee.
Publisher/Vendor Relations Committee
Charge: To provide a forum for exchanging information between science and technology publishers and vendors and science and technology librarians.
Research Committee
Charge: To plan forums for 91´«Ã½ meetings where science and technology librarians can share ideas about new directions in science librarianship, research in progress, and current topics of interest. Sponsor of the STS Forum for Science and Technology Library Research and the STS Poster Session at the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference.
Scholarly Communication Committee
Charge: To address ongoing, critical work in open access and scholarly communication, and will specifically address the following related areas: education, communication, advocacy, collaboration and other emerging areas.
Charge: To provide a forum for the exchange of information relating to science and technology librarianship. Serve as a channel/clearinghouse to identify concerns, problems, issues, trends, standards, and best practices. Propose projects and present them to the appropriate STS Committees.
Taskforce on Section Structure and Responsiblities
Charge: The STS Taskforce on Section Structure and Responsibilities will examine the current structure and responsibilities of STS, including committees, Council, and the Executive Committee, to make recommendations regarding section restructuring. These recommendations may include, but are not restricted to: combining, adding, or disbanding committees; changing the names or charges of committees to better reflect section needs or committee duties; changing the Executive or Council membership, title names, and/or responsibilities, structure, or duties; and any other changes that reflect the current needs of STS. These changes will reflect the current needs and values of STS, including a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity. The taskforce will seek input from STS members and any additional relevant data to make their recommendations.
Please send comments & questions to the STS Web Editor
Last updated July 23, 2021
STS IS A SECTION OF THE , A DIVISION OF THE .
