ELUNA is committed to maintaining a welcoming, inclusive and professional experience for all our members. Please ensure your actions reflect well on you, your institution and the information profession. If you have concerns, please alert the Steering Committee by emailing [email protected].
ELUNA Committees Code of Conduct
Last revision: 2021-08-06
The ELUNA code of conduct is applicable wherever and whenever a committee member is conducting committee business. This specific document provides the values that guide behavior, the process for handling any code violations as well as participation and communication best practices.1 This code of conduct for committee members expands on the general ELUNA code of conduct for all ELUNA members.
Why a code of conduct?2
- It sets expectations as committee work begins. With the right “code of conduct” committee members will know exactly what is expected of them and can act accordingly.
- It demonstrates that ELUNA leadership is committed to creating and promoting a positive collaboration environment.
- It provides the basis for addressing the types of negative behaviors that serve to inhibit a positive committee environment.
- It improves the chances for committee success, serving to build credibility and confidence in committee actions.
ELUNA values
- Due diligence – having current and exhaustive knowledge of their charge and a current understanding of what is happening within the user organization.
- Loyalty – putting the broader user community interest over your own or home institution’s interests,
- Care – participating and actively engaging in ELUNA activities to the best of their ability
- Professionalism – demonstrating honesty, integrity, and self-regulation, even under times of personal stress or ethical conflict
- Collegiality/Cooperation – working cooperatively with working groups, the steering committee and communities of practice, not going it alone
- Inclusiveness – pursuing a diversity of opinions and perspectives, and actively recruiting under-represented perspectives within the organization
- Confidentiality – keeping discussions regarding Ex Libris products or initiatives private to facilitate a trustworthy relationship with the user organizations, even after leaving their position.
- Transparency – disclosing accurate and actionable information to other working groups and the community in a timely fashion.
Harassment and sexist, racist, ageist, or other exclusionary behavior are not acceptable.
Process for handling Code of Conduct violations
- There is a Code of Conduct group for reviewing reports of Code of Conduct violations. This group includes a coordinator from the Steering Committee and past-chairs of the ELUNA working groups and communities of practice. The coordinator will pull together at least 3 people from this roster to review a reported violation.
- If you believe someone is violating the Code of Conduct fill in this form which should include the following information:
- Your contact info (so we can get in touch with you if we need to follow up)
- Names (real, nicknames, or pseudonyms) of any individuals involved. If there were other witnesses besides you, please try to include them as well.
- When and where the incident occurred. Please be as specific as possible.
- Your account of what occurred. If there is a publicly available record (e.g. a mailing list archive) please include a link.
- Any extra context you believe existed for the incident.
- If you believe this incident is ongoing.
- Any other information you believe we should have
- After the committee has reviewed the case and made a decision, responses may include:
- Nothing (if we determine no violation occurred).
- A private reprimand from the committee to the individual(s) involved.
- A public reprimand.
- An imposed vacation (i.e. asking someone to “take a week off” from a mailing list)
- A permanent or temporary ban from some or all ELUNA spaces (mailing lists, IRC, etc.)
- A request for a public or private apology.
- Members have the right to appeal a decision to the committee.
- Issues that cannot be resolved by the Code of Conduct group will be escalated to the ELUNA chair.
- If the issue concerns the ELUNA chair, the Code of Conduct group will escalate to the ELUNA secretary.
- All reports will be kept confidential, unless there is a legal obligation to disclose (for example, mandatory reporting of a crime). In some cases, we may determine that a public statement will need to be made. If that’s the case, the identities of all victims and reporters will remain confidential unless those individuals instruct us otherwise.
Participation and communication best practices
In addition to using ELUNA values to guide behavior, here are some specific best practices for ELUNA work:
- Follow ELUNA’s by-laws
- Strive to attend all meetings, sending apologies to the chair for necessary absences.
- Prepare for meetings by reading the agenda, papers and any emails before the meeting.
- Participate fully in meetings and online discussions:
- Listen to what others have to say and keep an open mind.
- Contribute constructively to the discussions.
- Try to be concise.
- Focus on the success of all ELUNA members, not any particular institution
- Fulfill any responsibilities assigned to you at the meeting as a committee member and be prepared to report back on your progress.
- Abide by decisions which are taken, whether you agree with them or not.
- Respect the confidentiality appropriate to issues of a sensitive nature.
- Draw attention to any potential conflicts of interest that may arise and escalate if appropriate
- Use the provided committee e-mail lists to maintain an archive of ELUNA business
If there are performance issues related to a committee member, that issue can be escalated to the Steering Committee liaison.
Resources used
This draft code of conduct is based on a variety of online resources “Committees, Cooperation and a Working Code of Conduct“, “Basic committee member code of conduct” and the Basic Principles of the Workplace and Principles of Inclusivity and the Islandora Community Code of Conduct.