Communities of Interest (COIs) are groups of Arkansas Library Association (ArLA) members who choose to organize around a type of library, type of activity, a special interest, or geographic area in order to further the mission of the ArLA. These groups are subject to ArLA rules. COIs are a benefit of membership and all voting ArLA members may join and participate in as many COIs as they choose. All internal workings of the COI are at the discretion of the members. They decide how to select chair(s), govern themselves, etc. The only ongoing requirement of an ArLA Community of Interest is to submit an annual report and a current contact person. A group must have at least fifteen (15) ArLA members to form a COI. Bylaws are optional at the discretion of the group (a sample bylaws template will be provided on the ArLA website to assist COIs should they want to govern with bylaws). The contact person from each COI will attend board meetings as liaisons between the governing body and interest groups. Petitions to form COIs are to be emailed to Crystal Gates at crystal.gates@lamanlibrary.org, and will be reviewed by the ArLA Executive Committee for approval. Starting in 2021, the ArLA Executive Board will approve petitions to form. Here are the forms:
Petition to Form (interactive)
Bylaws Template (example only)
The current communities of interests are:
Arkansas Library Paraprofessionals
Community of School Librarians And Library Educators
Member Involvement