Organization
As a "federation," DLF is a consortium intended to have
a limited central organization. DLF has a
structure with essentially five components: the Office of the Executive
Director, the Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee, DLF initiatives,
and the DLF Forum.
Office of the Executive Director
The office consists of the Executive Director, a small support staff, and
the various support structures that CLIR provides. It is
responsible for setting the goals and direction of the
Federation, managing the program activities and finances of the
DLF, supporting information sharing amongst the DLF members,
communicating about the DLF and its activities to the broader
community, establishing external alliances and recruiting new
partners.
The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the DLF. It
meets two times a year and provides oversight for the DLF
program activity and initiatives. The Board consists
of the Directors of those institutions participating as Strategic
Partners. It also includes the President of the Council on
Library and Information Resources and, ex officio, the Executive Director
of the DLF. Representatives of allied institutions participate in
the Board with a voice but no vote.
The Executive Committee of the DLF acts as a bridge between the Board, the DLF Executive Director, and CLIR, as appropriate. It drafts Bylaws when needed, for the consideration of the Board; it advises the Board on issues such as the strategic plan, DLF program direction, membership criteria and issues, and dues and fees; it has authority for setting meeting agendas for DLF, and for meetings of the Board; and it is responsible for DLF governance between meetings of the Board.
Advisory groups
Advisory groups may be convened by the Executive Director to advise on
program development in key areas. They comprise experts drawn
from DLF institutions and help to articulate and prioritize need
for research, development, and information sharing within those
areas. They may also take a role in initiating consulting on and
reviewing the work conducted by any DLF initiatives undertaken
within those areas and communicating their accomplishments to DLF
members and a wider audience. Advisory groups may be established
in areas that reflect the members' interests, for example,
in:
- Digital library architectures, systems, and services;
- Standards and best practices;
- Digital collections development;
- Digital preservation;
- Use, users, user support, and user services; and
- the digital library's changing institutional roles and
responsibilities.
DLF initiatives
DLF initiatives address the specific research, development, or
information-sharing needs that are identified by the advisory
groups or by the membership at large. Typically, they comprise a
small number of digital library practitioners who collaborate as
a means of addressing key challenges that each confronts within
his or her own institution. Although task forces are expected to
sustain their work financially, the DLF may support initial
planning activities and the effort that is required to review,
evaluate, and disseminate the results of their efforts.
Forums are convened periodically and include a number of
digital library practitioners from each of the member
institutions. They serve as meeting places, market places, and
congresses. As meeting places they provide an opportunity for the
DLF Board, advisory groups, initiatives to conduct their
business and to present their work to the broader membership. As
market places, they provide an opportunity for member
organizations to share experiences and practices with one another
and in this respect support a broader level of information
sharing between professional staff. As congresses, Forums provide
an opportunity for the DLF to continually review and assess its
programs and its progress with input from the broader membership
community.
For further information, please consult the following
pages:
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