Definition
A statement or submission is a formal representation of BCLA’s official position or recommendation(s) on a particular issue and can only be issued by the Board. The Board may delegate the authority to issue a specific statement or submission to a relevant Section, Committee, or Interest Group.
A submission is generally written in response to a call for feedback or responses to a plan or strategy. Such a call most often comes from government (federal, provincial, or municipal) but may come from another organization or body. Submissions are more common that statements. Examples of submissions include the BCLA Submission to the Government of Canada Consultation on a Modern Copyright Framework for Online Intermediaries and the BCLA Submission to the Government of British Columbia Consultation on the Draft Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy.
In other circumstances, where the Board deems it is warranted, BCLA may proactively issue a position statement in reference to a particular value, circumstance or happening. An example of a position statement is the BCLA Statement of Intellectual Freedom.
Process
Statements/submissions can be initiated in 3 ways:
- The Board identifies that a statement or submission is required, and either strikes a task group of the Board to draft it or delegates the drafting to the Executive Director, who may strike a task group or reach out to an existing Section, Committee, or Interest Group.
- A relevant Section, Committee, or Interest Group proposes the issuing of a statement or submission by submitting a brief recommendation to the Executive Director, who consult with the Board Executive to determine whether the proposal should be brought forward to the Board.
- BCLA may be approached to endorse/co-sign a statement or submission initiated by another organization.
Once initiated, a statement or submission will be drafted and submitted to the Board for approval. The draft will be brought forward in the form of a recommendation from the Executive Director and will generally be accompanied by information on the background, research and consultation done to inform the draft, if drafted by non-Board members.
Whenever possible, drafts will be brought to regularly scheduled Board meetings for discussion; when not possible due to short timelines, drafts will be circulated digitally for feedback and comments. Statements/submissions circulated digitally will be brought to the next regularly scheduled Board meeting for formal recognition.
Statements/submissions will be shared publicly via one or more of the following avenues:
- Posted on the BCLA website, with links shared on social media as appropriate
- Shared via Branches: BCLA’s Online Forum
- Shared with the BC Public Library Partners (ABCPLD, BC Coop, BCLTA)
- Shared with national library groups and associations such as the Partnership (of Provincial Associations), CFLA, CULC
- Shared with other BCLA partners (BC Library Federations, BC GLAM, BC Publishers, BC ELN, CUPE, BCGEU)
Format and Content
Counteracting bias and racism
- All Board members should have an opportunity for input before BCLA endorses or issues formal statements. More voices and perspectives will allow us to better see the potential impacts and counteract biases.
- Focus our expressions of solidarity and support on issues related to libraries, culture and heritage in BC, reflecting our role as a provincial association and guided by our values. We will engage on national or international issues when they have a clear impact on libraries, culture or heritage in BC. We don’t have the capacity to comment on every issue, so having a focus allows us to be intentional, and our members to know what to expect of BCLA. Within that focus, we will strive to see beyond our biases.
- Welcome suggestions from members for issues on which they would like BCLA to express solidarity and support, within the focus outlined above. This can be done via the Resolution process, but that may not always be timely, in which case suggestions can be emailed to the Executive Director.
Ensuring accessibility
All drafts should be submitted as accessible Word documents (video tutorials on Microsoft Word; accessible Word document checklist from Accessible Document Solutions)
- San serif font, 12 point or larger, standard margins, space between paragraphs
- Use heading and paragraph options provided in Word to structure the document
- Provide alt text for any images
- Use descriptive hyperlinks rather than including URLs.
- Do not use tables unless necessary – if needed, format appropriately
- Check accessibility before submitting
All statements and submissions will be issued in accessible PDF (accessibility instructions for Acrobat Pro)
General
- All statements and submissions will also be made available as an accessible Word version upon request via email to Executive Director
- When describing BCLA and its role, use wording from BCLA’s Strategic Plan, Constitution, and Values Statement.
- Include references and citations as needed to support claims or facts. For submissions to government, use information provided by that government as supporting references whenever possible.
- As needed, final version will be issued on BCLA letterhead and signed by the President (copied to Chairs/Officers/Members of relevant Sections, Committees, or Interest Groups that contributed).
Established January 2023