PROPOSAL

The library deans and directors of those institutions composing the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) and the University of Tennessee (UT) systems propose that the two systems form a collaborative of their respective libraries to be known as the Tennessee Academic Library Collaborative (TALC)

VISION

Tennessee's publicly-assisted post-secondary academic libraries will work collaboratively to increase access to library information, materials, and expertise in ways that are appropriate to meet the present and future information needs of their collective clientele while striving to reduce the rate of increase of costs.

MISSION

The Tennessee Academic Library Collaborative creates partnerships among Tennessee's publicly-assisted post-secondary academic libraries and works collaboratively with other groups and organizations to provide leadership to various library sectors in the state and region. TALC leads, creates and delivers programs and projects designed to increase and improve access to library services and resources for participating users' institutions. TALC strives to combat rising costs for library materials and resources through a number of group-based strategies.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1. Collaboration will improve access to library services and resources, increase efficiency and effectiveness of collective operations, and help mitigate the rate of increase in library costs.

2. Resource sharing activities will not decrease the obligation of institutions to provide adequate library funding.

3. Library resources are available for use by authorized users of all participants. We will lend our materials directly to each other's students, faculty and staff.

4. Technology enables library staff to work together more closely in areas of reference service, collection development, technical services, and library operations.

5. TBR and UT administrators should be willing and able to cooperate on joint library development and advancement.

6. Participation in TALC projects is determined by a library's parent institution or the institution's delegate.

7. UT library participation in TALC projects is determined by a library's representative.

8. Participation by all institutions is not required for a TALC project to proceed.

9. Viability of a TALC project is determined by the project having a sustaining number of participants.

10. Collaborations require compromise and commitment.

11. Collaboration will not be impeded by geographic distance.

1. TBR Representatives to TALC will be the Library Dean or Director from each institution, upon the approval of the institution. Such representatives will follow the policies and procedures of their parent institutions and systems.

2. UT representatives to TALC will follow UT practice.

3. A seven person board elected by the TBR and UT Library Deans and Directors will govern TALC. TBR representatives will elect five Board members from the TBR representatives. UT representatives will elect two Board members from the UT representatives

4. Governing Board members will be elected for three-year terms, except in the first year when three of the seven members (two TBR, one UT) will be elected for two-year terms.

5. The Governing Board will determine priorities and strategies and will undertake actions to accomplish the group's mission.

6. The Governing Board will establish task forces drawn from staff of members institutions as needed for planning and carrying out actions.

7. The Governing Board will elect officers appropriate to carry out its work.

8. The Governing Board will keep the representatives informed of TALC activities and seek representative approval when necessary. Representatives from the schools and the systems will perform the same function for their school or their system.

9. A representative from both the TBR and the UT systems will serve as ex-officio (non-voting) members on the Governing Board.

10 Representatives for the TBR and UT Systems will receive at the same time as other Board members all correspondence received by Board members. Such correspondence includes, but is not limited to: notification of Board meetings, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, directives to committees, committee reports, and Board proposals. This correspondence can be either in paper or electronic format.

11.Representatives for the TBR and UT Systems will represent TALC before the systems' governing bodies.

1. Improve Intellectual and Physical Access to our Collective Holdings

Unified electronic access to collective holdings

Common bibliographic/periodical databases (better pricing, coordinated training, collaborative technical solutions)

Common borrowers' cards

Document Delivery

2. Improve Library Support for Distance Education Programs and off-campus sites.

3. Prepare Users to be Information Competant

4. Share Expertise

5. Preserve digitally and improve access to materials unique to Tennessee's history and culture

6. Identify common interests areas (e.g., multi-site database licensing

Approval of the organization to be known as TALC will follow the procedure appropriate for the UT or TBR system.

January 20, 1999 Second edition

Approved by TBR Academic Council of Vice-Presidents on January 21, 1999.