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MASSACHUSETTS LIBRARY TRUSTEES ASSOCIATION
BYLAWS
ARTICLE 1
Section 1 The annual dues shall be set by the Board of Directors
in regular session.
Section 2 Dues shall be payable at any time during the
Massachusetts Library
Trustees Association fiscal year, which runs on a calendar year.
Membership will be for one full year from the month in which the
dues are paid
Section 3 Notice of renewal shall be sent one month prior to
expiration of the
membership.
Section 4 Membership in the association shall be terminated if
dues remain unpaid at the end of six (6) months.
Section 5 The Treasurer shall be empowered to appoint a
Membership Clerk at such salary and duties as shall be determined by
the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE II
Section 1 The association shall hold an annual meeting, on a date
determined by the Board of Directors in regular session, for the
election of officers, reports of the standing committees, and such
other business as may come before the meeting.
Section 2 Special meetings of the association may be called by
the Board of Directors or by twenty-five (25) members of the
association submitting such request in writing to the President, at
such times and in such places and for such purposes as may be
designated.
Section 3 Twenty-five (25) members of the association shall
constitute a quorum at any regular or special meeting.
Section 4 Notice of the meeting, specifying the time, date and
purpose of the meeting shall be given by the President or Secretary.
Such notice shall be sent not less than thirty (30) days in the case
of an annual meeting, and fourteen (14) days in the case of a
special meeting, prior to the date set for the meeting. Such notice
shall be addressed to each member at his/her address as it appears
in the records of the association.
Section 5
(a) The Board of Directors shall hold at least two (2) regular
meetings a year. Special meetings of the Board may be called at the
request of the President, or by a majority of the Board submitting
such request in writing to the President.
(b) Notice of all meetings of the Board of Directors shall be
sent no less than fourteen (14) days in advance of the date set for
the meeting.
(c) A majority of the members of the Board of Directors at the
time in office, including in such majority two (2) elective
officers, shall constitute a quorum of any meeting.
Section 6
(a) The Executive Committee of the Board shall hold such
additional meetings as may be determined by them to be necessary to
the orderly and effective transaction of the business of the
association.
(b) A majority of the officers shall constitute a quorum at such
meetings.
Section 7
There shall be the following classes of membership, current
directors excepted:
Class A Library Trustees
Voting Members; eligible to serve on committees and to hold
office
Class B Former Trustees
Voting members; eligible to serve on committees
Class C Others
May serve on committees
ARTICLE III
Roberts Rules of Order, current edition, shall serve as
parliamentary authority in all cases.
ARTICLE IV
Section 1 The election of officers and the members of the Board
of Directors shall be held at the annual meeting of the association.
Section 2
(a) Association Officers: The officers of the association shall
consist of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary and a
Treasurer.
(b) President. The President shall preside at the meetings of the
association and of the Board of Directors and shall appoint the
several standing committees.
(c) Vice President. The Vice President shall act in the absence
or disability of the President. The Board of Directors shall by vote
determine when such absence or disability exists. The Vice President
shall succeed to the Presidency and may act
as Conference Committee Chair. The Vice President shall have such
other duties as shall be assigned by the President or Executive
Committee or Board of Directors.
(d) Treasurer. The Treasurer, under the direction of the Board of
Directors, shall collect, take charge of and disburse all funds
belonging to the association. The Treasurer shall keep proper
accounts and, at the annual meeting and at other times when required
by the Board of directors, shall present a report of the financial
condition of the association.
(d) Secretary. The Secretary shall keep a record of all the
proceedings of the association and of the Board of Directors, shall
give notice to the members of the time and place of meetings of the
association, and shall prepare each year a report
of the annual meeting of the association. All records, officers'
reports, committee reports and minutes of all meetings of the
association and of the Board of
Directors shall be retained by the Secretary. The responsibility for
the
preservation and availability of such records of the association and
their
availability for future reference rests with the Secretary.
Section 3
In case of a vacancy in the office, the Vice President shall succeed
the President. Any other vacancies shall be filled for the remainder
of the term through appointment by the Board of Directors.
Section 4
Officers shall be elected for a term of two (2) years and serve
until their
successors are chosen. There shall be twelve (12) directors to
represent trustees
statewide. There shall be two directors representing each of the six
regions
established by the Board of Library Commissioners. Directors shall
be elected for
a term of three years and shall serve until their successors are
chosen. Any
vacancy in any term of any director, occurring prior to the
expiration of the term,
shall be filed for the remainder of the unexpired term by vote of
the Board of
Directors. If an officer or Director fails to attend three (3)
successive meetings of
the Board of Directors without contacting the President or Secretary
regarding
such absence, the Board may declare his/her tenure terminated and
may elect a
successor for the unexpired term.
Section 5
No officer, except the Treasurer and the Secretary, and no member of
the Board of Directors shall be elected to more than two (2)
consecutive terms.
Section 6
Former officers and members of the Board of Directors shall be
eligible for re- election to the Board after two (2) years out of
office.
Section 7
The election of the President and Secretary shall be held on the
alternate years
with those of the Vice President and Treasurer.
Section 8
Executive Committee. The President, the Vice President, the
Treasurer, the Secretary, and the Immediate Past President shall
constitute the Executive Committee of the Board, the function of
which shall be to plan for the
organization and to make recommendations for action to the full
Board of
Directors. The Executive Committee of the Board of the organization
shall have
full power and authority over the affairs of the association between
meetings. The
President of the Association shall be Chairman of the Executive
Committee.
ARTICLE V
Section 1.
All committees, both standing and special, shall be appointed by the
President,
with the approval of the Board of Directors.
Section 2.
The standing committees shall consist of the Legislative,
Membership, Program, and Policy and Planning Committees. Their
duties shall be as follows:
l. The Legislative Committee shall study ad keep the association
informed of the legislative aspect of library affairs. Any
contemplated or proposed state or federal legislation affecting
libraries shall be reviewed by he committee, which shall make
recommendations to the Board of Directors. The committee shall
see that public hearings and other meetings of a legislative nature
in
Massachusetts are attended and reported on to the Board of
Directors.
2.The Membership Committee shall seek to enlist a large and
active membership
in the association from library boards, Friends of the Library
associations and library staff, and other persons interested in
promoting Massachusetts public library service.
3. The Program Committee shall be responsible for program plans,
and presentation of same, at least three months before each annual
meeting of the association for the Board of Directors' approval.
4.The Policy and Planning Committee shall consist of the
Executive committee of the Board and the standing committee chairs.
It shall prepare recommendations for policy adoption and, as well,
long and short-range goals and objectives directed at strengthening
the association. The committee should address the following kinds of
issues: Legislative;' Leadership; Programming; Public Relations;
Publications; Finance.
Section 3.
The proposed activities of all standing and special committees shall
be presented
to the Executive Committee or Board of Directors, in regular
session, before
being implemented.
Section 4.
Special committees shall be established as the need arises and at
the discretion of
the Board of Directors.
Section 5.
The President shall be an ex officio member of all committees.
Section 6.
Nominations from the floor shall be requested. No one shall be
nominated without his/her consent.
Section 7.
The term of office for all committee members shall be for two (2)
years, with the possibility of re-election. No committee member
shall serve more than two (2) consecutive terms on any one
committee.
ARTICLE VI
The Board of Directors shall have, in addition to the duties
provided herein, final responsibility for the execution of the
policies of the association, including the right to overrule or
modify the action of any officer or committee. It shall designate a
bank or banks for deposit of funds of the association.
ARTICLE VII
Section 1.
All funds shall be deposited to the account of the Massachusetts
Library Trustees Association and shall be disbursed by the
Treasurer, as authorized by the Board of Directors.
Section 2.
No unbudgeted sum over three hundred dollars ($300) shall be
expended without approval of a majority of the Board of Directors in
a regular or special session. No sum over one hundred fifty ($150)
dollars shall be expended without the approval of the Executive
Committee of the Board in a regular or special session.
Section 3.
The Board of Directors shall cause an examination by an independent
public accountant of all accounts of the Association to be made
annually. The scope of
this examination and the selection of the accountant shall be
determined by the
Board of Directors upon the recommendation of the Executive
Committee.
Section 4.
The Vice President shall be the co-signer of any such bank accounts
as may
require a second signature. Both the Treasurer and the Vice
President shall be
bonded.
Section 5.
From time to time, the association may embark on such special fund
campaigns as shall be deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VIII
The Association shall be registered as a non-profit organization
under the charitable laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
eligible to receive tax-deductible gifts.
ARTICLE IX
These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Association by
a majority vote, provided notice of the proposal to amend has been
included in the notice of the meeting.
(Revised 11/3/01)
MASSACHUSETTS LIBRARY TRUSTEES ASSOCIATION
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE 1
The name of this association shall be the
MASSACHUSETTS LIBRARY TRUSTEES ASSOCIATION.
ARTICLE II
The purpose of this association shall be to:
1. Provide closer communications among all of the library boards
in the municipalities of the Commonwealth
2. Study the problems of organization, administration and operation
of libraries and to work for the adoption of the best methods,
practices and procedures in public library
administration
3. Encourage the enactment of legislation deemed beneficial to
public libraries and public library service to the citizens of the
Commonwealth
4. Sponsor, develop and encourage projects, programs and matters
deemed necessary or desirable to promote better public library
service in the Commonwealth
5. Interpret the missions, functions and needs of public libraries
to the public
6. Provide for the continuing education of trustees.
ARTICLE III
Membership in this association shall be open, upon payment of
dues, to any past or present library trustee and, without the right
to vote, to any other resident of Massachusetts who declares that
he/she has a sincere interest in libraries.
ARTICLE IV
The officers of the association shall be a President, a
Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer.
ARTICLE V
The governing body of this association shall be a Board of
Directors consisting o the four elected officers, the chairmen of
the standing committees, and twelve (12) directors to represent
trustees statewide. There shall be two directors representing each
of the six regions established by the Board of Library
Commissioners.
The four elected officers and the Immediate Past President shall
constitute the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VI
The association shall hold an annual meeting.
ARTICLE VII
This constitution may be amended only at an annual meeting, by a
two-thirds vote of those present and voting, provided due notice of
the proposed amendment(s) shall have been included in the notice of
the meeting.
ARTICLE VIII
In the event of dissolution of the Massachusetts Library trustees
Association, any funds remaining in the treasury shall be given to
the Massachusetts Library Association.
Revised November 1998
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