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PALNI Onboarding Manual: Participating in PALNI

Overview of the structure of the PALNI consortium, resources available to you, and how you can connect with support and colleagues

Participating In PALNI

The Advisory Groups, Admin Teams, Task Forces, and the Experts Program comprise the formal volunteer units in the PALNI strategic plan. Each unit type listed has several specific focus areas.  To learn more about each, reference the PALNI Groups and Committees page.

Advisory Groups

PALNI Advisory Groups are based around topical interest areas of the consortium that span beyond a single product.  The groups are voluntary and open to anyone with an interest in the topics.  The advisory groups are typically led by a 3 person steering committee.

  • What do they do?
    • Serving in an advisory capacity to provide input to the board on current issues and observations around each topic area, each group also has it’s own particular charge outlined within this document.  In addition, the groups serve to provide support options and provide a common framework for consortial advising and recommendations.
  • What is the advisory group steering committee and what do they do?
    • Each advisory group is led by a steering committee with a chair.  For detailed information about the roles and activities of the steering committees please reference the Steering Committee Manual
  • What issues can I have them address?
    • Groups primarily focus on aspects of enhancing services beyond what currently exist today.  Groups also focus on training, environmental scanning, product and process testing, defining and articulating issues to vendors, and developing policy proposals for board approval.  Other issues the groups would look to address are training needs, support documentation, and gathering workflow or procedure details from institutions.
  • Where do I fit in?
    • If you identify a group you wish to join, you should feel free to contact any one of the group members, steering committee members, or the Associate Director for contact information.  You may also serve on the steering committee, which operates with 1 year terms, if/when available slots need filled.
  • How often do they meet?
    • Groups typically set their own meeting schedules but on average meet virtually once every two months.  Groups will have in-person meetings when necessary which usually occur about 2 times per year, or more if needed.
  • Communication with and between members
    • Groups currently communicate via email, the Community, and Community Forums as well as reports which are created for the PALNI board.

Admin Teams

PALNI Admin teams revolve around a product or particular program and have a more narrow scope than groups do.  Admin teams are composed of individuals who have expressed interest in serving on the team during callouts for membership.  Their existence is on an ongoing basis.

  • What do they do?
    • The Admin teams work closely at a detail level to support, troubleshoot, and propose policy and functional recommendations to the board, vendors, and PALNI libraries.  Admin teams also work to develop best practices for utilizing a product or service.  
  • What issues can I have them address?
    • If a particular issue is of function or practice, or if there is a recommendation needed for a particular product or program for which there is an admin team.
  • Where do I fit in?
    • If you identify a group you wish to join, you should feel free to contact any one of the Admin team members, steering committee members, or the Assistant Director for contact information.  You may need to wait until another member moves out before joining.
  • How often do they meet?
    • Admin teams set their own meeting schedules but on average meet virtually once per month.
  • Communication with and between members
    • It is recommended to utilize the Community and Community Forums as well as reports to the PALNI board for communication.  Some groups prefer email to communicate, for that reason PALNI also has listserv capability and lists can be created for specific groups upon request.
  • Example: PDAT - PALNI Digital Admin Team
    • Charge: Administer PALNI digital asset platforms. Provide PALNI-wide support for the digital asset systems, and create and communicate system policies and best practices. Make recommendations on products for PALNI libraries from a digital asset perspective. At the direction of the ED, work with other advisory groups on specific projects and objectives particularly the Institutional Repository Group and the Collection Management Policy Group.
    • Structure: The Admin Team has a chair and a team of four or more from various libraries using the PALNI digital asset platform.

Task Forces

Task forces are specialized groups that exist for a specific purpose and limited time.  Calls for membership of task forces will go out via specific, individual emails or broadly on the Community.  Contacting a task force would be appropriate to make suggestions or ask questions about their work.

Experts

The PALNI community of experts exist to make the most of of the OCLC systems, innovate, and provide great services to our campuses.  From examining workflows, 1:1 consulting, and defining enhancement and service requests, this group provides a layer of common support between each of the PALNI institutions and the vendor OCLC.  The experts are available on-site, on the phone, or virtually.  They can also be turned to for workshops or providing insights into new product developments and releases.  Please email staff@palni.edu for more information on setting up a visit or session.