See also the 2018 Charter signed version (PDF)
C H A R T E R
BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE
AUTHORITY
Required by 42 U.S.C. 286a, section 466 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended. The Board is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), which sets forth standards for the formation and use of advisory committees.
OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES
The Board will advise, assist, consult with, and make recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary); the Assistant Secretary for Health; the Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH); and the Director, National Library of Medicine (NLM), on matters related to the activities carried out by and through the Library and the policies respecting these activities. The Board also services as the National Medical Libraries Assistance Advisory Board, which advises and assists in the preparation of general regulations with respect to policy matters arising in the administration and review of applications for support of projects designed to develop facilities and techniques necessary to collect, preserve, store, process, retrieve, and facilitate the dissemination and utilization of widely expanded knowledge in health sciences and the biomedical information this support has generated.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
The Board will provide advice and recommendations on matters including the acquisition of materials for the Library, the scope, content, and organization of NLM’s services, and the rules under which its materials, publications, facilities, and services shall be made available to various kinds of users. The Board also may, on the basis of materials provided, make recommendations with respect to research conducted at the Library; review and make recommendations about applications for grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements for support of medical library resources and systems; research in medical informatics and in management of biotechnology information; training for research and for use of information management technology; biomedical publications; development and demonstration projects; educational technology; and related projects which show promise of making valuable contributions to the Library’s mission. The Board also advises on the development of a biomedical communications network through the support and maintenance of a national network of libraries of medicine throughout the country.
As needed, the Board and its subcommittees may seek advice from special consultants; assemble ad hoc working groups; and convene conferences, workshops, or other activities.
The Board may implement procedures for expediting en bloc Board concurrence of Scientific Review Group recommendations. A member or members may be selected by the Executive Secretary or Chair to provide en bloc concurrence on behalf of the Board. Only those applications that do not require individual consideration shall be included in this expedited process. A report of the en bloc recommendations will be presented at each Board meeting.
The Board may prepare for inclusion in the biennial report prepared by the Director, NIH, under section 407 of the PHS Act, as amended (1) comments reflecting the activities of the Board in the fiscal years in which the report is prepared; (2) comments on the progress of the NLM in meeting its objectives; and (3) recommendations respecting the future directions and program and policy emphasis of the NLM. The Board may prepare any additional reports as it may determine appropriate.
AGENCY OR OFFICIAL TO WHOM THE COMMITTEE REPORTS
The Board will advise the Secretary; the Assistant Secretary for Health; the Director, NIH; and the Director, NLM.
SUPPORT
Management and support services will be provided by the Office of the Director, NLM.
ESTIMATED ANNUAL OPERATING COST AND STAFF YEARS
The estimated annual cost for operating the Board, including compensation and travel expenses for members, but excluding staff support, is $116,899. The estimate of annual person-years of staff required is 0.6, at an estimated annual cost of $63,739.
DESIGNATED FEDERAL OFFICER
The Director, NLM, serves as the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) of the Board. In the event that the DFO cannot fulfill the assigned duties of the Board, one or more full-time or permanent part-time NLM employees will be assigned these duties on a temporary basis.
The DFO will approve all of the Board’s and subcommittees’ meetings, prepare and approve all meeting agendas, attend all Board and subcommittee meetings, adjourn any meeting when it is determined to be in the public interest, and chair meetings when directed by to do so by the Director, NIH.
ESTIMATED NUMBER AND FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS
Meetings of the full Board will be held at the call of the Chair (with the DFO’s approval) or upon request of the Director, NLM not less than three times within a fiscal year. Meetings will be open to the public except as determined otherwise by the Secretary in accordance with subsection (c) of section 552b of Title 5 U.S.C. Notice of all meetings will be given to the public. In the event a portion of the meeting is closed to the public, as determined by the Secretary, in accordance with the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b(c)) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, a report will be prepared which will contain, as a minimum, a list of members and their business addresses, the Board’s functions, dates and places of meetings, and a summary of the Board’s activities and recommendations made during the fiscal year. A copy of the report will be provided to the Department Committee Management Officer.
DURATION
Continuing.
TERMINATION
Unless renewed by appropriate action prior to its expiration, the Charter for the Board of Regents will expire two years from the date the Charter is filed.
MEMBERSHIP AND DESIGNATION
The Board will consist of 9 ex officio members: the Surgeons General of the PHS, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force; the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs; the Dean of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; the Assistant Director for Biological Sciences of the National Science Foundation; the Director of the National Agricultural Library; and the Librarian of Congress (or their designees); and 10 members appointed by the Secretary. The 10 appointed members shall be selected from leaders in the various fields of the fundamental sciences, medicine, dentistry, public health, hospital administration, pharmacology, health communications technology, scientific or medical library work, or in public affairs. At least six of the appointed members will be selected from leaders in the fields of medical, dental, public health research or education. All non-Federal members will serve as Special Government Employees. A member who has been appointed for a term of four years may not be reappointed to this Council before two years from the date of expiration of that member’s term of office. A quorum for the conduct of business by the full Board will consist of a majority of currently appointed members.
Members will be invited to serve for overlapping four-year terms, except that any member appointed to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term shall be appointed for the remainder of that term. A member may serve 180 days after the expiration of that member’s term if a successor has not taken office.
The Board shall annually elect one of the appointed members to serve as Chair until the next election.
SUBCOMMITTEES
As necessary, subcommittees and ad hoc working groups may be established by the DFO within the Board’s jurisdiction. The advice/recommendations of a subcommittee/working group must be deliberated by the parent advisory committee. A subcommittee/working group may not report directly to a Federal official unless there is statutory authority to do so.
Subcommittee membership may be drawn in whole or in part from the parent advisory committee. All subcommittee members may vote on subcommittee actions and all subcommittee members count towards the quorum for a subcommittee meeting. A quorum for a subcommittee will be three members. Ad hoc consultants do not count towards the quorum and may not vote. The Department Committee Management Officer will be notified upon establishment of each standing subcommittee and will be provided information on its name, membership, function, and estimated frequency of meetings.
RECORDKEEPING
Meetings of the Board and its subcommittees will be conducted according to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, other applicable laws and Departmental policies. Board and subcommittee records will be handled in accordance with General Records Schedule 6.2, Federal Advisory Committee Records, or other approved agency records disposition schedule. These records will be available for public inspection and copying, subject to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552.
FILING DATE
November 30, 2018
APPROVED:
________________ ______________________________
Date Director, NIH
N O T I C E O F R E N E W A L
BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE
This Board was established by statute and has functions that are of a continuing nature so that its duration is not governed by section 14(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act but is otherwise provided for by law. The Board is hereby renewed in accordance with section 14(b )(2) of that Act.
________________ ______________________________
Date Director, NIH
Last Reviewed: June 26, 2019