July 2001 By-laws
ARTICLE I. Name.
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Association of College and Research Libraries/Louisiana Chapter.
ARTICLE II. Objectives.
Section 1. The objectives of the Chapter shall be: A. To provide opportunities for professional growth through continuing education.
B. To sponsor workshops and programs throughout the state.
C. To encourage the exchange of ideas and information through collaboration with other
professional organizations in higher education.D. To conduct surveys and studies on topics of importance.
E. To promote and improve library service to the academic and research community.
F. To encourage participation in National ACRL.
G. To support and participate in programs with other regional and local organizations.
ARTICLE III. Relationship to the Association of College and Research Libraries.
Section 1. This body is an affiliate of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. It is subject to Article XV (Chapters) of the ACRL Bylaws as stated in Guidelines for the ACRL Chapters approved by the ACRL Board of Directors, June 1996.
ARTICLE IV. Representation.
Section 1. For nomination, appointments, and activities, every effort shall be made to represent broadly the academic and research library community of Louisiana.
ARTICLE V. Membership
Section 1. ACRL personal members. ACRL members residing in Louisiana or working in Louisiana libraries are considered to be Chapter members automatically and are not required to pay Chapter dues.
Section 2. Non-ACRL personal members. Any person interested in academic and research libraries and librarianship in Louisiana may become a member by paying Chapter dues.
Section 3. Students. Students enrolled in library schools in Louisiana may join the Chapter by paying dues established for student members.
Section 4. Dues and meeting charges. A. Dues shall be set by the Executive Committee.
B. Rates charged to members and non-members of ACRL/Louisiana Chapter
for attendance at programs shall be established by the Executive
Committee.
Section 5. Membership year. The membership year of the Chapter shall be July 1 – June 30.
ARTICLE VI. Officers.
Section 1. The executive officers of the Chapter shall constitute a President, Vice-President/President-Elect, and a Secretary/Treasurer. Officers shall be members of the State Chapter of the ACRL. The President and the Vice-President/President-Elect shall be members of the national association. (Per the ACRL Bylaws. Article XV, Section 3.) Section 2. Duties of officers.
A. The President shall conduct meetings, submit the budget request and other reports to the national ACRL, appoint standing or special committees, Chapter liaisons, Newsletter Editor, and Web-site Coordinator. All the above duties are contingent on the approval of the Executive Committee of the Chapter. The President is the official representative from the Chapter to the national ACRL and serves as ex-officio member of all Chapter committees except the Nominations and Elections Committee.
B. The Vice-President shall have the responsibility for coordinating the development of workshops and programs, conducting meetings in the President’s absence, and appointing the Nominations and Elections Committee.
C. The Secretary/Treasurer shall collect dues, compile the official membership roster, do mailings, take minutes at meetings, and make the financial report to the Chapter at the annual meeting.
Section 3. Terms of office. The officers shall be elected from the membership of the Chapter. The President and Vice President/President-Elect serve one year terms. The Secretary/Treasurer serves for two years.
Section 4. Elective and appointive year. The term of office for elective and appointive positions of the Chapter shall be July 1 – June 30.
Section 5. Vacancies. A vacancy in the presidency shall be filled by the Vice-President. Replacements for other vacant offices shall be appointed by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VII. Executive Committee.
Section 1. Members of the Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Chapter, the Past-President of the Chapter, chairpersons of the standing committees, Chapter liaisons, Newsletter Editor, and Web-site Coordinator.
Section 2. All members of the Executive Committee shall be voting members.
Section 3 The Executive Committee shall meet twice a year, and other times as deemed necessary by the President or a majority of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VIII. Committees.
Section 1. Standing committees and their chairpersons shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee. The size of the committee shall be determined by its needs. Standing committees are as follows:
A. Bylaws. This committee shall be responsible for proposing amendments to the Bylaws.
B. Membership. The Membership Committee shall be responsible for recruiting members.
C. Program. The Program Committee shall work with the Vice-President on program planning. The Vice-President shall serve as chair of the Program Committee.
D. Nominations and Elections. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall solicit nominations from the membership, prepare the slate of nominees, and conduct elections. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall have three members.
E. Publicity. The Publicity Committee shall work with the Executive Committee and the Program Committee to publicize the activities and meetings of the Chapter. The Newsletter Editor and the Web-site Coordinator shall be members of this committee.
F. Archives. The Archives Committee has the responsibility of maintaining the Chapter archives. All documentation (program flyers, letters, Chapter minutes, etc.) is to be retained through this committee. A permanent archive will be maintained.
G. Directory. The Directory Committee shall be responsible for publishing a directory of Louisiana Academic and Research Libraries and Librarians.
Section 2. Standing and special committees which shall be deemed necessary to carry on the work of the Chapter shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee. Committee appointments shall be made within six weeks of the new membership year. Appointments to committees created later in the year shall be made promptly after the committee is created.
Section 3. Terms of office. Members of standing and special committees shall serve for one year concurrent with the term of the President.
Section 4. Members of committees need not be ALA/ACRL members with the exception of the chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee.
Section 5. The President shall be a member ex-officio of all committees except the Nominations and Elections Committee.
Section 6. Committees shall submit to the Executive Committee a written annual report and such other reports as deemed necessary.
ARTICLE IX. Chapter Liaisons.
Section 1. Louisiana Library Association (LLA) Liaison. The President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint a member to act as a Liaison with the Louisiana Library Association. The duties of the LLA Liaison shall be to plan and coordinate jointly sponsored activities and programs and to facilitate communication between the two organizations. The LLA Liaison shall be a member of LLA.
Section 2. Legislative Liaison. The president,with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint a member to act as a legislative liaison for the Association. The duty of the Legislative Liaison shall be to keep membership aware of current legislation pertinent to the profession.
Section 3. School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) Liaison. The President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint a SLIS student to act as a Liaison between SLIS and ACRL/LA. The duties of the SLIS Liaison shall be to inform LSU Library Science students of ACRL/LA activities and programs and to encourage student membership.
ARTICLE X. Nominations and Elections.
Section 1. The Nominations and Elections Committee, appointed by the vice-President/President-Elect, shall present candidates for the position of Vice-President/President and Secretary/Treasurer. The slate of candidates shall be submitted to the Executive Committee at least six months prior to the installation of new officers. Additional candidates may also be nominated by petition bearing the signatures of at least ten Chapter members. Such petition should be filed with the Nominations and Elections Committee no later than 14 days after the initial nominations.
Section 2. The Committee shall endeavor to present at least two candidates for each office filled and shall also provide on the ballot a space for write-in candidates. Candidates shall be selected in such a manner as to insure as broad a representation as possible of Chapter constituencies and the geographic distribution of membership.
Section 3. Elections shall be conducted by mail ballot. Ballots shall be mailed two weeks after nominations have ceased, and the return ballots must be postmarked within one month after the ballots are mailed.
Section 4. All personal members of the Chapter are eligible to vote.
Section 5. A simple majority shall decide the winner in the election. In case of a tie, the decision shall be made by the Nominations and Elections Committee by lot. A written notice of those elected shall be announced in the Chapter Newsletter.
ARTICLE XI. Meetings.
Section 1. There will be an annual business meeting in the fall. Other Chapter meetings may be called by a majority of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE XII. Amendments.
Section 1. All proposals for amending the Bylaws shall be referred to the Bylaws Committee.
Section 2. Written notice of the text of the amendment shall be provided to members at least one month before consideration.
Section 3. All proposals for amending the Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the members: 1) at the annual meeting, or 2) by a majority vote of returned mail ballots.
ARTICLE XIII. Representation.
Section 1. The Chapter encourages the attendance of the Chapter President at the ACRL Chapter Council meetings held during the annual and midwinter American Library Association Conferences. The Chapter may contribute to the President’s expenses in attending these meetings. If the President cannot attend, an official delegate who is a member of ACRL may be sent at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE XIV. Official Publications.
Section 1. The official publication of this association shall be a newsletter to inform the membership of activities, meetings, and other news of the Chapter. Format may be print and/or electronic.
Section 2. The Chapter shall endeavor to publish on a regular basis a directory of Louisiana Academic & Research Libraries and Librarians.
Section 3. ACRL/LA maintains a web site. Information includes our bylaws, membership forms, Chapter newsletter, and other pertinent information.
ARTICLE XV. Parliamentary Authority.
Section 1. Robert’s Rules of Order (Revised), in the latest edition, shall govern all meetings of the membership and the Executive Board in all cases where it is not inconsistent with these bylaws.
Revised: 1982
Revised: 1984
Revised: 1997
Revised: 2001