Consortium of Church Libraries and Archives Cooperative Agreement

This is a cooperative agreement between the libraries and other units of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints listed below.

ARTICLE I—NAME

The name of the Consortium shall be Consortium of Church Libraries and Archives (hereafter “Consortium”).

ARTICLE II—STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The Consortium has been established in order to:

  • Serve the education needs of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in their quest for perfection.


  • Share in the delivery of collections and services to students, faculty, and other Church members engaged in teaching, learning, and research.


  • Save funds by reducing the cost of building collections and delivering services by sharing resources and leveraging expertise.

ARTICLE III—STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVE

In furtherance of the purposes described in Article II and in limitation thereof, the Consortium shall have the following powers:

  1. The objective of the Consortium is to cooperate in continually improving the availability and delivery of library and information services to the communities served by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Consortium is organized for non-profit purposes which shall include, but not be limited to the following:


    1. Collaborative collection development and management programs including licensing web accessible electronic resources, developing digital libraries, and following common preservation policies and practices.


    2. Cooperative acquisition programs for selected subject areas such as Mormonism.


    3. Shared technical service programs such as sharing cataloging records, authority files, and other indexing information.


    4. Cooperative public service programs including interlibrary loan, electronic reference, and other joint ventures that facilitate patron access to information.


    5. Collaborative human resource programs that facilitate hiring, training and sharing employees with critical expertise.


    6. Joint ventures to develop, enhance, and maintain the technological infrastructure necessary to support programs within member units of the Consortium.


    7. Strategic management from a consortium perspective of library facilities and other assets.


  2. The Consortium is organized and operated exclusively for the purposes stated in this Article and for other related non-profit purposes.


  3. This Agreement, the Consortium Statement of Purpose, meeting minutes, and other relevant Consortium documents will be made available on the Consortium Web site.

ARTICLE IV—OPERATIONS

In furtherance of the purposes described in Article II and in limitation thereof, the Consortium shall:

  1. Coordinate among its member units for the purpose of negotiating ventures and applications of networking or other technologies of mutual benefit to member units.


  2. Collaborate on entering into licensing arrangements and other contracts of mutual benefit to member units.


  3. Coordinate among its member units the application for and administration of public and private grants consistent with Consortium purposes.


  4. Conduct and promote professional development activities appropriate to the needs of the member units and their staff members.


  5. Conduct Consortium activities in any state, territory or possession of the United States or any country of the world.


  6. Advise participating member units in effective collaborative efforts to maximize the purposes of the Consortium.


  7. Make and amend resolutions for the administration or regulation of the affairs of the Consortium.


  8. Take any other action which is consistent with the purposes stated herein and which is not a violation of any state or federal law.

ARTICLE V—MEMBERSHIP

This Consortium is composed of the following member units of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

  • Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University (hereafter “Lee Library”),


  • Howard W. Hunter Law Library of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University,


  • Joseph F. Smith Library at BYU-Hawaii,


  • David O. McKay Library at BYU-Idaho,


  • LDS Business College Library,


  • Family History Library,


  • Church History Library,


  • Church Archives,


  • Church Education System Seminaries and Institutes,


  • And others as agreed upon by a majority of the Executive Council (see Article VII below).

ARTICLE VI—MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

  1. Each member unit may participate in all Consortium activities, and will be entitled access to all resources licensed for the Consortium.


  2. Each member unit shall have the right to participate in Consortium product purchase agreements.


  3. Patrons authorized to use member unit collections and services shall have the right to obtain, subject to local restrictions and lending policies, materials from other member units through interlibrary loan.


  4. Where possible, authorized patrons of each Consortium member unit will have check-out privileges at other Consortium member units.


  5. Each member unit may take advantage of Consortium human resource programs including those related to hiring, training, and staff exchanges.


  6. Each member unit shall have access to Consortium training resources necessary to stay abreast of all the latest materials and technological advances.

ARTICLE VII—GOVERNANCE

  1. The business and affairs of the Consortium shall be managed by an Executive Council (hereafter “the Council”) consisting of the director from each member unit or his/her appointed representative.


  2. Governance of the Council shall be by a simple majority of votes. All members of the Council will be voting members and each member shall have one vote.


  3. The Council reports to the Church Education System Presidents Advisory Council.


  4. The Chair of the Council will be appointed by the Church Education System Presidents Advisory Council.


  5. Each member unit of the Consortium will continue to report through its respective administrative line.


  6. The Lee Library Controller will act as the Fiscal Agent for the Consortium. The Lee Library Process Improvement Specialist will act as the Executive Secretary for the Consortium. The Lee Library Graphic Web Designer will act as the Web Master for the Consortium Web site. These individuals will handle day to day business and miscellaneous operations of the Consortium, as well as other duties and responsibilities as requested by the Chair.


  7. In the event any unresolved impasse occurs or issue arises beyond the intended scope of this document, each member unit shall refer such matter to their respective line of authority.

ARTICLE VIII—COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES

  1. Committees and task forces are formed at the discretion of the Council. These committees monitor the effectiveness of Consortium programs and activities, seek solutions to problems, and recommend initiatives for improving the Consortium to the Council.


  2. Membership in each committee is based on appointment by the Council and includes an individual from each Consortium member unit where possible.


  3. Terms of service for members in each committee will be for a period deemed appropriate by the Council but shall not exceed five (5) years.


  4. Committee charges and objectives will be established by the Council with input from each respective committee.

ARTICLE IX—FUNDS

  1. This Consortium is not intended as a profit-making organization, nor is it funded with the expectation of making a profit. This Consortium shall use its funds only for objects and purposes specified in this Cooperative Agreement.


  2. The Fiscal Agent shall be responsible for handling financial matters relating to the Consortium, shall keep an account of all moneys received and expended for use of the Consortium, and shall make disbursements authorized by the Council.


  3. The Fiscal Agent will present a periodic financial report to the Council with a final report at the end of each fiscal year.

ARTICLE X—INDEPENDENCE OF MEMBERS

  1. It is understood by member units of the Consortium that the collaborative programs and activities of the Consortium are subordinate to and may not contradict the policies and practices of any member unit with respect to the governance of relationships between the member units.


  2. It is also understood that the member units of the Consortium are not prohibited from entering into any other agreements or relationships with other agencies or entities pertaining to the purposes identified in this Cooperative Agreement.


  3. The member units agree that this Cooperative Agreement will remain effective until the parties agree to modify or terminate the agreement. It is recommended that this Cooperative Agreement be reviewed every five (5) years.


  4. Any member unit may elect to terminate its membership in this consortium at any time.


  5. Nothing in this Cooperative Agreement shall be construed to create an agency, partnership, or joint venture relationship between the member units.

ARTICLE XI—AMENDMENTS TO COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

This Cooperative Agreement may be amended or repealed, in whole or in part, by a majority vote of the Council at any duly organized meeting of the Council. Such amendments will also receive the necessary approval from the CES Presidents Advisory Council. Such amendments shall be binding on all members, including those who voted against them.

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