Appendix B: Mississippi Library Association Bylaws
As amended October 2002 & October 2003 & October 2006
ARTICLE I. OFFICERS AND GOVERNMENT
Section 1.
A. The officers shall be elected by mail ballot prior to the
regular annual meeting of the Association. They shall take office on the
following January first and shall serve for a period of one calendar year or
until their successors are chosen.
B. In case of a vacancy in any office except that of
President, the Executive Board shall designate someone to discharge the
duties of the office for the duration of the unexpired term. When it becomes
necessary for the Vice President to assume the office of President, the
Executive Board shall designate someone to discharge the duties of the Vice
President. Prior to the annual meeting of the Association, the nominating
committee shall submit a nominee or nominees for President to be voted on in
the same manner as the other elective officers.
C. No elective officer, except the Treasurer, the ALA
Councilor and the SELA Representative, shall succeed himself unless he has
served less than one-half of a term.
D. No elective officer shall hold two voting positions on
the executive board at the same time. The Board member holding two such
positions shall be asked to vacate one position. The Board will promote the
vice chair, if the vacated position is from one of the Sections. The Board
shall call for special elections if the position being vacated is that of
Treasurer, Secretary, ALA Councilor, or SELA Representative.
Section 2. The President shall be the representative head of
the Association, shall appoint the Parliamentarian, all necessary
committees, and serve as chair of the Executive Board and shall preside at
all business meetings.
Section 3. The Vice President shall assist the President
with organizational planning and shall be responsible for incoming committee
appointments. The Vice President shall serve as program chair for the annual
meeting. In case of death, resignation or removal of the President, the Vice
President will become President for the remainder of the term. The Vice
President shall, at the request of the President, serve as representative
head of the Association.
Section 4. The Secretary shall keep a record of the
attendance and proceedings of each meeting of the Association and the
Executive Board.
Section 5. The Treasurer shall serve as the official fiscal
officer of the Association; shall oversee the collection of membership dues;
shall keep a full and accurate account of receipts and expenditures; shall
receive and review the monthly financial records and reconciliation reports
prepared by a commercial accounting firm; and in accordance with the budget
adopted by the Association, shall make disbursements as authorized by the
President or the Executive Board. The Treasurer may expend any unbudgeted
funds as approved by the President or the Executive Board. The Treasurer
shall present annually the financial report of the Association audited by a
Certified Public Accountant. Said report shall be published in the official
organ of the Association.
The Treasurer shall receive Round Table dues and disburse
Round Table funds as requested on vouchers approved by the Round Table
chair. The Treasurer will furnish a statement of the account upon the
request of the Round Table chair.
Section 6. The ALA Councilor shall be nominated and elected
in the manner prescribed by the American Library Association. The Councilor
shall serve as a voting member of the Executive Board of the Mississippi
Library Association and shall act as liaison between the American Library
Association and the Mississippi Library Association.
Section 7. The SELA Representative shall be nominated and
elected in the manner prescribed by the Southeastern Library Association.
The Representative shall serve as a voting member of the Executive Board of
the Mississippi Library Association and shall act as liaison between the
Southeastern Library Association and the Mississippi Library Association.
Section 8. The fiscal year of the Association shall begin
January first and end on December thirty-first of each year.
ARTICLE II. QUORUM
Ten percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum for
the transaction of the business of the Association.
ARTICLE III. EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1. The Executive Board shall consist of the elective
officers of the Association, the immediate past president, the chairs of MLA
sections, the ALA Councilor, and the SELA Representative. The business of
the Association shall be conducted by the Executive Board, but the
Association may by a majority vote of those members present and voting
override or reverse the action of the Executive Board, or give mandatory
instruction. A mail vote may be taken upon the written request of at least
ten percent of the membership.
Section 2. The Executive Board shall be responsible for the
programs for all meetings of the Association and shall supervise the
presentation and printing of papers and reports.
Section 3. Members of the Executive Board may be reimbursed
for actual expenses incurred in attending business sessions of the Executive
Board. The expenses of the Executive Board to the annual meeting will not be
paid by the Association.
Section 4. When, as provided in the library laws of the
state of Mississippi, it becomes necessary for the Mississippi Library
Association to recommend candidates for the Board of Commissioners of the
Mississippi Library Commission, recommendations shall be made by the
Executive Board in accordance with the library laws of the state of
Mississippi.
Section 5. The majority of its members shall constitute a
quorum for the Executive Board. Participation of a Board member in an
Executive Board meeting via a telephone conference call is authorized in
extraordinary cases and for no more than two members of the Executive Board
in attendance. Notice of a proposed meeting shall be provided to all
Executive Board members.
Section 6. The Executive Board shall be invested with the
authority to omit or postpone state meetings when an emergency arises.
Section 7. The Executive Board shall have the authority to
obtain the services of an Executive Secretary.
Section 8. The Executive Board shall have the authority to
conduct limited items of business via electronic means in cases where time
is a crucial factor in the decision-making process. A written record of the
action will be maintained and entered into the minutes of the next Executive
Board meeting, at which time any actions of the Executive Board previously
undertaken by electronic means shall be reaffirmed.
ARTICLE IV. COMMITTEES
Section 1. The members of all committees shall serve
concurrently with the administration.
Section 2. At the discretion of the executive board,
committee members may be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in
attending committee meetings, except when the meeting coincides with the
annual meeting of the Association.
Section 3. All committees shall make an annual report of
their activities at the annual meeting.
Section 4. The President shall establish such committees as
may be necessary, and shall report all appointments for publication in
Mississippi Libraries and on the Mississippi Library Association website.
ARTICLE V. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership shall be of four categories:
individual, institutional, life, and vendor.
Section 2. Individual members shall be those individuals who
have paid dues for the current year.
Section 3. Institutional members shall be those institutions
with paid dues for the current year. Institutional membership shall be a
non-voting membership.
Section 4. Life members shall be those individuals who have
paid the designated Life Membership dues, either in a single payment or in
divided payments spread over a period of up to five years.
Section 5. Vendor members shall be those vendors with paid
dues for the current year. Vendor membership shall be a non-voting
membership
Section 6. The membership year for individual members begins
January first and expires December thirty-first. This membership year
applies for dues paid from the beginning of the year through dues paid with
advance registration for annual conference. Dues paid at or after annual
conference apply to the following year.
ARTICLE VI. DUES
Section 1. The annual dues may be set or changed at any
annual meeting by a two-thirds vote of those members present and voting,
such change to take effect in the following calendar year, the amount
becoming due and payable in advance in January.
ARTICLE VII. SECTIONS
Section 1. The Executive Board may authorize, upon petition
of ten percent or 50 members of the Association, whichever is greater, the
organization of a new section, those petitioners being charter members of
the section. Members of a section shall be interested in the same general
field of library activity.
Section 2. Each section shall elect a chair, a vice chair, a
secretary and such other officers as it deems necessary. These officers
shall be elected according to the terms of the bylaws of each section. The
section chairs shall work with the Vice President/President-elect in
planning Section programs for the annual meeting. Names of section officers will be reported
for publication in the winter issue of Mississippi Libraries by the incoming
section chair.
Section 3. Section officers shall perform the duties
pertaining to their respective offices. A report of the annual meeting of
each section shall be filed with the secretary of the Association before the
end of the fiscal year. A progress report shall be made at the annual
meeting of the Association.
Section 4. Sections may adopt bylaws for their own use,
provided they are not in conflict with the Mississippi Library Association
Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 5. The Executive Board may discontinue a section
when in the opinion of the Executive Board the usefulness of that section
has ceased.
ARTICLE VIII. ROUND TABLES
Section 1. The Executive Board may authorize the
organization, as a new round table, of any group of not less than 10 members
of the Association upon petition of such group which shall include a
statement of purpose, such purpose being within the object of the
Association.
Section 2. The Executive Board may discontinue a round table
when in the opinion of the executive board the usefulness of that round
table has ceased.
Section 3. Each round table shall submit at least two
reports annually. One report shall be to the Executive Board and one shall
be provided to the members of the Association at the annual meeting.
Section 4. A representative from each round table may attend
meetings of the Executive Board so that the Board may be informed of the
activities of the round table throughout the year. There shall be no
reimbursement to these representatives from the Association for expenses to
attend these meetings.
Section 5. Round tables may adopt bylaws for their own use
provided they are not in conflict with the Mississippi Library Association
Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 6. Each round table may collect dues which will be
received by the Mississippi Library Association Treasurer who will disburse
round table funds on vouchers approved by round table chairs.
ARTICLE IX. VOTING
Section 1. The voting body of the Association shall be
composed of those individuals whose dues are paid for said current year or
who hold life memberships.
Section 2. A credentials committee shall be appointed to
serve during the annual meeting. The duties of this committee shall be:
- certifying membership and designating voting members;
- arranging for the seating of voting members and non-voting
participants at business meetings; - designating tellers to be in charge of counting votes;
- preparation of special ballots as needed.
ARTICLE X. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Section 1. The incoming President shall appoint the
nominating and official election committees which shall be approved by the
incoming Executive Board prior to or during the annual conference. Said
membership of the two committees shall be announced at the annual conference
and in the winter issue of Mississippi Libraries.
Section 2. At the December Executive Board meeting, the
nominating committee shall present the names of two (2) individuals from the
membership as candidates for each office to be filled; the consent to serve,
if elected, must be obtained from each person before the name can be
presented by the nominating committee. Any member may present a petition,
signed by not fewer than ten members, proposing additional nominations to
the chair of the nominating committee. Such nominations, if received by
March 15, shall be included on the official ballot. The approved slate of
nominees for officers shall be published, with biographical data, in the
spring issue of Mississippi Libraries.
Section 3. The election of officers shall be conducted under
the Official Election Procedure and shall be by mail ballot.
ARTICLE XI. OFFICIAL ELECTION PROCEDURE
Section 1. The Executive Board shall approve the incoming
President’s appointment of an election committee which shall have charge of
the conduct of the elections of the Association, and the counting and
tabulation of all votes.
Section 2. The election committee shall obtain from the
nominating committee the slate of nominees for office.
Section 3. Nominations shall be placed before the members of
the Association on a printed ballot which shall be prepared under the
direction of the election committee and which shall be known as the
"Official Ballot."
Section 4. The professional address of each nominee shall be
given on the Official Ballot.
Section 5. On April 1, the election committee shall mail a
copy of the ballot, with biographical data for each nominee, to each voting
member of the Association in good standing at the time of the mailing (based
upon a list prepared and furnished by the Executive Secretary). Ballots
shall be marked and returned to the election committee by May 1 in sealed
envelopes supplied by the committee. These envelopes shall bear on the
outside the words, "Official Ballot."
Section 6. For each office the candidate receiving the
largest number of votes shall be elected and shall be so reported to the
Association by the election committee. In the case of a tie vote the
successful candidate shall be determined by a lot conducted by the election
committee. Candidates involved in the tie should be given the opportunity to
be present or represented for the lot. The Executive Board and the
candidates should be notified of the results of the election by May 15. Said
results shall be reported to the general membership in the summer issue of
Mississippi Libraries.
ARTICLE XII. OFFICIAL ORGANS OF COMMUNICATION
The official organs of communication shall be the
Mississippi Library Association website and a printed publication with a
title designated by the Executive Board of the Mississippi Library
Association. Minutes of meetings of the Executive Board, including financial
reports, will be published in both of the official organs. Other official
business and reports will be published on the Mississippi Library
Association website.
ARTICLE XIII. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised shall be the parliamentary
authority of this organization.
ARTICLE XIV. AMENDMENTS OF BYLAWS
These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the
Association by a two-thirds vote of those members present and voting,
provided the proposed amendment shall have been published in the official
organ of the Association in an issue prior to the meeting and during the
same fiscal year, or provided that the proposed amendment shall have been
sent to each member of the Association at least one month before its
proposed adoption. The Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the
Association without prior notice by a three-fourths vote of those members
present and voting.
