Following Liza Vick’s message in Issue 210, we continue getting to know our board members and their roles with a word from Brian McMillan, MLA’s Parliamentarian.
The MLA Parliamentarian is, in a word, the Association’s rule-keeper. In this role, I provide guidance to the Board regarding the proper functioning of meetings as prescribed in the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised (now in its 12th edition!). I also keep the Administrative Handbook current, updating the text as necessary to reflect Board decisions, the creation and dissolution of committees, and other changes to the administrative structure of our Association. The largest revision currently facing the Parliamentarian is the division of the Administrative Officer (AO)/Assistant Administrative Officer positions into two new pairs of positions, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) /Assistant Chief Financial Officer and the Membership Management Officer (MMO)/Assistant Membership Management Officer. Lest that sound inconsequential, let me tell you — there are 142 mentions of the AO role in the Administrative Handbook!
The creation of the new MMO position will free up the Assistant Parliamentarian to help tackle this drafting and revision. For the past two years, first I, and now Kristi Bergland, have taken on Administrative Officer responsibilities, updating the rosters of MLA’s committees, task forces, and Board on MLA’s website, and generating appointment letters for incoming volunteers and thank-you letters for those who have completed their terms. These responsibilities will transfer over to the new Membership Management Officer position.
Some might say the Parliamentarian is a role librarians are born to fill: detail-oriented, rule-focused, meticulous. Certainly I draw upon the same skills I used in my pre-librarian days as a copy editor, but my musician side also derives a certain creative pleasure in the crafting of succinct, clear text that documents MLA’s structure and functioning. Delving into our Association’s written policies gives me a new appreciation of the broad scope of our collective work and its constant change. I am grateful for the support of the Assistant Parliamentarian and the other Board members, some of whom have also served as Parliamentarian.