Withdrawal from National CLA Association

Up for discussion - please post:

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RESOLVED: That the Washington, DC/Maryland Chapter of the Catholic Library Association, Elementary Division will no longer be a chapter of the Catholic Library Association but an independent professional association within the Archdiocese of Washington.

Benefits of official chapter status:

• affiliation with the national organization

• occasional issues of Catholic Library World

Requirements for official chapter status:

• dues chapter pays $.50 per member to CLA
• all officers (president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer) must be individual members of CLA
• minutes submitted in June by secretary (general meetings/executive board)
• annual report submitted by May 1 by the president
• financial report submitted in June by the treasurer
• newsletter regular publication, submitted to CLA
• terms of office in line with CLA constitution (longer terms than ours currently)
• Advisory Council president attends at annual CLA convention
• Leadership Institute biennial in July of odd-numbered years
• president and vice-president attend

CLA convention chapter is expected to act as Local Arrangements Committee when

• the annual convention is held in their area

The national CLA asked our chapter to act as Local Arrangements Committee for the convention in Baltimore held the week of April 10-13 (Spring Break). Responsibilities included on-site registration, supplying welcome packets, liturgy arrangements, table decorations/name cards for award events and prayer breakfasts, and equipment and meeting room monitoring. The Executive Board decided that we would not participate.

We also investigated a request from CLA that we change our chapter name to bring it in line with other chapters nationally. Our choices were “Metropolitan Washington, DC” or “Greater Washington, DC”—neither one of which accurately described our membership. The Executive Board, in conjunction with the local high school chapter of CLA, voted against a name change. Discussion of these issues led us to examine the benefits of CLA affiliation and to recommend that the general membership vote to withdraw from CLA.

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