FIscal policies handbook

IV. Expenses

IV.A Honoraria and Reimbursements

Honoraria for Officers

The Board sets honoraria for special officers at the Spring Board meeting.

The Board voted to accept and implement the recommendations of the Special Officers and Editors Honoraria Policy Task Force, per their Honoraria Implementation II scheme at the 2014 Atlanta meeting. (Board minutes, 03/2014, 13.b) The recommendation eliminated most of the honoraria (except for four positions, specified below, “that are critical both internally and externally to MLA’s ongoing function”), and capped those remaining honoraria at $1,200 each. All positions [that receive or formerly received honoraria] are to receive gratis MLA regular membership and MLA annual meeting early-regular-member registration during years in which they serve. Travel support continues at current levels.

The new policy is to be phased in when current terms end. For the Administrative Officer and Convention Managers, the new policy is to be put into place after terms end in June 2016 for the incoming personnel. The rationale is that the assistant positions were filled with the expectation that they would then step into the leader positions. (See also term endings based on MLA’s current Administrative Structure)

For more information about the Implementation II scheme, see the See the MLA Special Officers and Editors Honoraria Policy Task Force Report for a listing of budget projections.

From revised Administrative Handbook (as of 05/2014):

No elected officer, member, or delegate of a member receives compensation as such. The Administrative Officer, Convention Manager, Notes Editor, and the Web Manager receive an honorarium, the amount determined by the Board. The Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, Advertising Manager, Archivist, Convention Manager, Assistant Convention Manager, Development Officer, Placement Officer, Publicity & Outreach Officer, Website Manager, Copyright Website Editor, Music Cataloging Bulletin Editor, Notes Editor, Notes Assistant Editors, Notes Book Review Editor, Notes Music Review Editor, and MLA Newsletter Editor receive gratis MLA regular membership and MLA annual meeting early-regular-member registration during years in which they serve. (rev. 6/2008) (rev. 3/2011) (rev. 5/2014)

Original honoraria policy from Administrative Handbook (predating 5/2014)

(This is still in effect for positions that have not turned over, and is retained for reference.)

No elected officer, member, or delegate of a member receives compensation as such. The Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, Convention Manager and Assistant Convention Manager, Development Officer, Placement Officer, Publicity Officer, Advertising Manager, and editors of Notes, the MLA Newsletter, the Music Cataloging Bulletin, and MLA Web sites receive an honorarium, the amount determined by the Board.

The Board reviewed the report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Honoraria, and made changes to policies regarding honoraria taking into account many of the Working Group’s recommendations. The following criteria for receipt of honoraria were established:

    • Number of hours per year spent on position responsibilities
    • Level of expertise required
    • Whether or not the position is appointed following the recommendation of a search committee
    • Whether or not the position involves editorial responsibilities
    • Impact of the position on MLA

The Board will set FY 2001/02 honoraria based on 10% of the total operating budget. For FY 2001/02, “total operating budget” will include the previous year’s honoraria; henceforth, it will not. The Board agreed to work expeditiously toward the Ad Hoc Working Group’s recommendation that honoraria be “returned to its 199[9?] level (13.85% of MLA’s total budget), with an eventual goal of 15%.” (Minutes, 06/2001, XVI.D)

A request to add an honorarium to a position requires Board approval. (Minutes, 06/2004, IX.C)

Honoraria for Authors and Editors

An honorarium of $500 will be provided to authors of the three series publications. (Minutes, 02/2008, IX.G) This honorarium will be paid by A-R Editions upon publication.

Editors of volumes in MLA’s monographic series will receive $350 for each completed, newly published title, to be paid by A-R Editions upon publication. (Minutes, 06/2004, IX.C and the October 3, 2011 addendum to the co-publishing agreement)

The Board establishes the total honoraria for Notes annually that will be distributed to the editorial staff by the Notes Editor (Finance Committee minutes, 09/2001, 4.B) Under the new honorarium policy (Board minutes, 03/2014, 13.b), all of these honoraria will end as positions turn over, and be replaced with gratis MLA regular membership and MLA annual meeting early-regular-member registration during years in which they serve.

IV.B Laptop Purchase for Assistant Administrative Officer

MLA purchases a laptop for each incoming Assistant Administrative Officer soon after the annual meeting in which they were appointed. Since AAO appointments occur in even numbered fiscal years, the estimated cost of a laptop should be included in the budget requests (in line 6.024–Assistant Administrative Officer – Other) for those years.

IV.C Subventions and support to other organizations

MLA provides support to several organizations and projects that help to fulfill aspects of MLA’s mission.

RISM

The US RISM project receives a subvention of $1000. (Minutes, 06/2001, XII.A; FY 2001/02 budget, approved 06/2001).

RILM

MLA provides a yearly subvention of $10,000 to the RILM project, which now also includes the amount formerly contributed by IAML-US before their merger with MLA in July 2011.

University of Maryland Archives processing subvention

Budget line 8.018 created as a processing subvention for MLA archival materials beginning FY 1998/99. (Minutes, 05/1998, XII.A)

Organizational Dues

MLA holds organization memberships in the following:

NISO (National Information Standards Organization (voting member)

ALA (American Library Association, Affiliate membership)

IV.D Travel Expenses for Officers and Representatives

(See section 8 for conference related expenses)

MLA will reimburse travel expenses under the following guidelines.

Members eligible for travel reimbursement include Board members, special officers, Cataloging & Metadata Committee (CMC, formerly BCC) representatives to crucial ALA committees, and sometimes other members traveling on behalf of the Association. All travel expenses are subject to Board approval and must be requested as part of the annual budgeting process. Requests for reimbursement, accompanied by receipts (except that receipts are not required for per diem) are submitted to the Administrative Officer on an RFP.

Every effort should be made to submit requests for reimbursement within 30 days of a travel event. Requests received after June 30th of the fiscal year in which travel occurred may be declined. For travel occurring in June, requests for reimbursement will be accepted through July of the new fiscal year.

RFPs for reimbursement to the Administrative Officer should be copied to the President, since the AO will be signing a check to him or herself.

Official MLA travelers (including CMC representatives and special officers) who wish to avoid bearing airline costs while waiting for reimbursement may choose to use MLA’s account with Associated Travel Concepts (ATC) to reserve airfare for official MLA travel. Those reservations would then be paid for by the Association up front. In this case charges are made on MLA’s corporate American Express card (rather than purchased by the traveler and reimbursed after the travel is completed). The Administrative Officer will need to add official travelers’ names to the ATC authorized list prior to booking; new travelers will subsequently receive an email invitation to set up an account in the online portal where reservations can be made. Submission of boarding passes is not necessary at this time. (Board minutes, 12/2014, 6).

Official MLA travelers attending conferences or meeting outside of the MLA meeting (e.g., CMC representatives formally representing MLA at ALA) may request reimbursement of registration costs prior to events. Non-attendance of a pre-paid attendee will be dealt with case-by-case; the attendee should work with chairs, the AO, and/or conference organizers regarding alternatives or refunds. (Board minutes, 12/2014, 6).
MLA will pay only expenses not covered by the member’s institution.

Travel from home to the airport, airport to meeting destination, meeting destination to the airport, and airport to home are eligible for reimbursement. (extrapolated from Minutes, 05/2006)

For reimbursement for travel by car, MLA will pay the cost of gas, tolls and parking, rather than the IRS mileage rates, not to exceed the cost of reasonable airfare (Board minutes, 05/2013, 09.g)

MLA reimburses no more than 50% of the U.S. General Services Administration per diem rate for meals and incidental costs for all association travel (Board minutes, 06/2012, 09.g). Receipts are not required for the per diem, and should not be submitted for meals and incidental expenses.

Board lodging and per diem for the winter Board meeting will only be funded for the days prior to the beginning of the conference (Board minutes, 06/2012, 09.g). MLA will not cover transportation to and from the meeting (Board minutes, 05/2013, 09.g)

Members of the Board must stay in the conference hotel at the annual meeting in order to receive reimbursement for lodging. (Minutes, 02/2004, X.C)

For incoming Board members, MLA will cover lodging and half per diem only for the days before the annual meeting. MLA will not cover transportation to and from the meeting (Board minutes, 05/2013, 09.g)

Expenses for the Vice-President’s travel to and from one chapter meeting per year (outside the Vice-President/Past President’s own chapter) may be approved by the Board. For reimbursement for travel by car, MLA will pay the cost of gas, tolls and parking, rather than the IRS mileage rates, not to exceed the cost of reasonable airfare (Board minutes, 05/2013, 09.g)

AMS/MLA Joint Committee on RISM: exceptions to standard travel policy

MLA members of the AMS/MLA Joint Committee on RISM are given a limited reimbursement (half of airfare) from AMS for travel to the AMS Annual Meeting, where the committee meeting is typically held. Reimbursement from MLA for other travel expenses related to attending this meeting, including the balance of transportation costs, up to two nights’ lodging, two days’ per diem (at 50% of the government rate for the location), and registration, is only for that part of the specified expenses not covered by committee members’ home institutions. See the section of this Handbook on Per diem. Requests for reimbursement accompanied by receipts are submitted to the Administrative Officer. (Finance Committee minutes, 02/2011).