Congratulations, and welcome to the world of LAMA Leaders!

As a new LAMA Committee Chair, it is easy to feel lost and unsure of your duties. This reference tool is intended to help you through the maze of information throughout your term(s) of office.

Getting started

If you do these 6 things, you will be ahead of the game:

  • Get a calendar or organizer just for LAMA tasks and dates
  • As soon as you receive an email or written material from LAMA or ALA, read it and note what needs to be done; don’t miss a deadline by putting something aside to deal with later
  • The LAMA Office will mail rosters in July. Rosters are also available on the LAMA web site; they are updated dynamically, so they always contain the most current available information. Verify the correct name(s) of your committee, and the names and email addresses of your committee members and your contacts in the LAMA office
  • Make sure you are subscribed to LEADS from LAMA ()
  • Bookmark the LAMA website ( and become familiar with the bylaws, the policy and procedure information, the governance information and the current strategic plan. It is helpful to look at the ‘About LAMA’ section
  • Establish a good working relationship with the current committee chair and learn all you can from that individual

Useful information about LAMA

LAMA is the Library Administration and Management Association, one of 11 divisions of the American Library Association. It is dedicated to working with librarians and library staff who serve in leadership and managerial roles in libraries and information centers or who see themselves in leadership or managerial roles in the future. LAMA includes librarians and others from all types of libraries.

Active membership involves serving on LAMA-wide or LAMA Section committees and discussion groups. There are opportunities for virtual committee membership. LAMA has the following sections:

  • Buildings and Equipment (BES)
  • Fund Raising and Financial Development (FRFDS)
  • Human Resources (HRS)
  • Library Organization and Management (LOMS)
  • Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation (MAES)
  • Public Relations and Marketing (PRMS)
  • Systems and Services (SASS)

In addition, there is the Council of LAMA Affiliates.

LAMA committees, task forces, discussion and interest groups are numerous. Information on them can be found on the LAMA website under “Committees.”

Your office and what it entails

As a LAMA committee chair, you have agreed to a 1-year term. Your term begins immediately following the annual conference. You may choose to sit in on the committee meetings during the annual conference prior to your term to familiarize yourself with issues. You should consult the LAMA Duties of Committee Chairs Web site for a full list of expectations:

1. (June immediately after your appointment andbefore your term starts) Attend the LAMA Orientation for New Officers and Chairs at the Annual conference. The orientation precedes the Saturday Board meeting. Although you may already know what your duties are, attending this orientation will help to put the information in perspective and give you an opportunity to meet or at least recognize those you will need to know later, and to ask questions.

2. (July/August) Plan and coordinate the committee's work for the year in accordance with the goals of ALA and LAMA.

  • Communicate with the past chair to determine ongoing projects and goals.
  • Organize how projects will be implemented, including timelines, deadlines, and resources.

3. (July/August)Contact your committee members and welcome them to the committee. This is the time to tell them about projects and expectations for the upcoming year.

4. (September/October) Make room reservations for Midwinter and Annual.

  • You will receive multiple email mailings concerning room reservations for Midwinter and Annual.
  • Make room reservations using the ALA online meeting room reservation web tool, and following the ALA master schedule contained therein.
  • Make your reservations as soon as you receive the information, well before the deadlines.
  • When the preliminary and final room assignment lists come out, check them very carefully, and contact LAMA with any corrections and questions.

5. (Prior to ALA Midwinter & Annual) Maintain ongoing communication with committee members and prepare for conference meetings. Set the agenda and organize the meeting.

6. (ALA Midwinter)

  • Attend the Leadership Development seminar on Friday afternoon at Midwinter.

7. (ALA Midwinter & Annual) Chair your committee’s meetings.

  • Get to the room early to make sure that it is set up the way you want and to troubleshoot any problems.
  • Return post-conference reports and minutes to the LAMA office as soon as possible after the Midwinter Meeting and the Annual Conference.
  • Complete two mid-stream progress reports each year on forms that will be sent by the LAMA office.

6. (January/February) Recommend reappointment of effective committee members and suggest names of potential committee members to the LAMA president-elect.You might recommend someone as the next chair of the committee to the LAMA president-elect.

7. (After ALAAnnual)Contact the new chair to discuss continuing projects and possible goals for the next year. Send the records of the committee to the new chair. Send archival records to the LAMA office.

Useful tips for the ALA conferences:

  • Find the ALA Offices and the LAMA table – forms and information are kept here that you may need during the conference. You can also leave messages here for Board members and LAMA staff.
  • Pick up a LAMA member ribbon from the LAMA table to attach to your badge, and take some for your committee chairs and executive committee members.
  • Pick up LAMA membership forms, activity interest forms, and other information to take to your meetings.

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