Going Virtual: PLA Plans Shift to Communities of Practice
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 2/4/2008
- Communities of Practice replace committees
- PLA Board downsized
- Executive Committee axed
The Public Library Association (PLA) Board of Directors, in an effort to create a more nimble and responsive organization, has proposed new bylaws to reshape PLA, which include a notable push into cyberspace. Virtual Communities of Practice, “interest-focused and member-driven,” according to PLA President-elect Carol Sheffer, would replace many PLA committees. “This will allow all 11,000+ members, many who are not able to travel to in-person committee meetings, to get involved with the organization and the public library issues they care about most,” she said.
Also, the PLA Board size would be reduced to facilitate decision-making, and would meet four times per year. The PLA Executive Committee would be disbanded, thus flattening the governance structure and empowering the Board to act more quickly. The changes must be approved via membership ballot distributed this spring. There will be an opportunity to discuss them at the PLA Conference in March in Minneapolis.
