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Approved by the membership November 1, 1981.
Amended by the membership November 1983; November 1985; May 1986;
May 1988; June 1990; November 1991; November 1994; and June 1998.
Articles of the Constitution
Article I.—Name
The organization shall be called "The Rhode Island Library Association."
Article II.—Objective
The Rhode Island Library Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the
support and promotion of libraries and the development of library personnel.
Article III.—Members
Section 1.
The membership shall consist of Active, Institutional, Honorary, Life, and Affiliate members.
A. Active Member: Any person currently engaged in library and information work
or formerly engaged in library and information work, or any member (past or present) of a library and information center, governing or advisory body, or any
student in or graduate of a school of library and information science, may become an active member upon payment of dues as proved in Article VIII and shall have the right to vote and to hold office.
B. Institutional Member: Any institution or library active in library and
information service may become a member upon payment of dues as provided in Article VIII. An institutional member shall not have the right to vote.
C. Honorary Member: Any individual nominated by the Executive Board and
selected by the membership shall be an honorary member for a specified period of time to be determined by the Executive Board. An honorary member shall enjoy all
the privileges of an active member except the right to vote and hold office, and shall be exempt from the payment of dues.
D. Life Member: Any individual who has been a life member before October 20,
1966, shall continue to enjoy all privileges of an active member, and shall be exempt from the payment of dues.
E. Affiliate Member: Any person, firm, or institution interested in library and
information work, and not eligible under A. or B. as noted, may become an affiliate member upon payment of dues as provided in Article VIII, and is entitled to all the
privileges of the Association except the right to vote and to hold office.
ARTICLE IV. — OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1.
The officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice President/President
Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary. The duties of the officers shall be those which usually pertain to their offices.
Section 2. Executive Board
A. The Executive Board shall consist of the officers of the Association, the ALA
Councilor, the NELA Councilor, and two (2) Members-at-Large.
B. The Executive Board may employ staff to carry out the purposes, policies, and
programs of the Association.
C. The Executive Board shall meet at least 10 times each year at the call of the
President.
ARTICLE V. — NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1. Nominations
A. The Nominating Committee shall bi-annually (every two (2) years) submit to
the Executive Board a slate consisting of one (1) candidate for each of the offices of Vice President/President Elect, Secretary, Members-at-Large, Treasurer, and
New England Library Association Councilor. Every fourth year, the Nominating Committee shall submit one (1) candidate for the office of American Library Association Councilor.
B. The report of the Nominating Committee shall be submitted to the Executive
Board by the December Executive Board meeting.
C. Written nominations should be submitted to the Nominating Committee Chair at
least two (2) weeks prior to the annual business meeting.
D. Nominations may also be made from the floor at the annual business meeting
by the candidate or by a representative.
E. Nominees must be Association members in good standing.
F. Individuals may be nominated for reelection, but may serve no more than two
(2) consecutive terms.
Section 2. Election Procedures
A. The Nominating Committee shall submit the names of the Executive Board
nominees to the Association membership through the January/February issue of the RILA Bulletin.
B. Officers are elected by a simple majority vote at the annual business meeting.
C. Newly elected officers shall take office at the conclusion of the annual
business meeting.
Section 3. Vacancies
A. The Executive Board shall fill vacant offices by a majority vote using a secret
ballot.
B. The Vice-President/President-Elect shall complete the unexpired term of the
president in case of a vacancy in that office. If the Vice President/President-Elect is unable to serve in this capacity, the Nominating Committee shall present names
of candidates to the Executive Board, who shall elect a president to serve for the duration of the term of office.
C. For other vacancies in elective office the Nominating Committee shall present
names of candidates to the Executive Board, who shall elect officers to serve for the duration of the term except when the unexpired term exceeds one year. In
that case, the person elected will serve to the close of the next annual business meeting and the election procedures in Article V, Sections 1 and 2, shall be followed.
ARTICLE VI. — MEETINGS
Section 1.
The Association shall hold an Annual Business Meeting.
Section 2.
Ten (10) percent of the members eligible to vote shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at an Association meeting.
Section 3.
Meetings shall be conducted according to The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure by Alice Sturgis (current edition). A parliamentarian shall be appointed
by the president for all business meetings.
ARTICLE VII. — RIGHT OF PETITION
Section 1. Voting at the Annual Business Meeting
A. The membership of the Association may petition the Executive Board to place
an item of business before the membership at the annual business meeting. This petition must have 20 signatures of voting members of the Association and be
presented to the Executive Board at least 60 days before the annual business meeting.
B. The text of a petition and the signatories of the petition shall be published in
the RILA Bulletin or mailed to the membership prior to the annual business meeting.
C. For a petition to succeed a simple majority shall be required, provided that at
least 10 percent of the eligible members vote.
ARTICLE VIII. — DUES AND FINANCES
Section 1.
Dues shall be due and payable in January of each year and delinquent in March. If
dues are not received in March, the privileges of membership shall be forfeited.
Section 2. Changes in Dues Structure
A. Changes in the dues structure shall be recommended by the Executive Board
for approval by the membership at the annual business meeting or by mail ballot.
B. Proposed changes in the dues structure will be published in the RILA Bulletin
prior to the annual business meeting or included in a mail ballot.
C. A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote shall be required in order to change the dues
structure, provided that at least 10 percent of eligible members vote.
Section 3.
The fiscal year of the Association shall begin January 1 and end December 31 of
the year commencing on the January 1st following the annual business meeting.
ARTICLE IX. — COMMITTEES
Section 1.
The President, in consultation with the Executive Board, shall appoint standing
and other committees and designate the chair of each committee.
Section 2. Standing Committees
A. The following shall constitute the standing committees of the Association:
Budget and Finance, Conference, Membership, Nominating, Continuing Education, Legislative Action, Intellectual Freedom, Public Relations, Federal Relations, Personnel, and Publications.
B. The President, in consultation with the Executive Board, shall provide an annual
written statement delineating the responsibilities of each standing committee.
Section 3.
The President, in consultation with the Executive Board, shall appoint the chair
and fix the charge of other committees as needed to conduct the business and carry out the purpose of the Association.
Section 4.
In order to ensure good communication among its members, no committee shall
exceed 10 members unless approved by the Executive Board. The committee chair has the autonomy to select the members and to determine the size of the
committee with the exclusion of the Budget an Finance Committee and the Nominating Committee. An attempt shall be made to have committee composition be representative of the Association membership.
Section 5.
Appointments to committee, with the exception of the Budget and Finance
Committee, shall be for two (2) years unless otherwise specified by the Executive Board. No member may serve more than four (4) years on the same committee.
A. Membership of the Budget and Finance Committee shall include: the Treasurer
as Chair; the Vice President/President Elect; and six other members serving staggered three year terms. Each year the President shall appoint two (2) members.
B. Membership of the Nominating Committee shall include: the outgoing Past
President as Chair and four (4) other members serving staggered two (2) year terms. Each year the outgoing Past President shall select two (2) members to serve on the committee.
Section 6. Committee Chairs
A. Each committee chair shall submit minutes of the committee's meetings to the
President and/or another designated officer. Each chair shall also submit a written annual report to the Executive Board.
B. Committee chairs may participate in Executive Board meetings but shall not
have the right to vote.
Section 7.
The President and Vice President/President-Elect are ex officio members of all committees, but do not have the right to vote in committees.
ARTICLE X. — SECTIONS
Section 1. Organization
Fifteen (15) or more members of the Association interested in the same general
field of activity or same type of library may petition the Executive Board for approval to organize a section. The petition must state the purpose of and need
for the proposed section. Each section has autonomy over and responsibility for the conduct of its own affairs consistent with the Executive Board.
Section 2. Membership
Sectional membership shall be limited to personal members of the Association.
Sections shall appoint a representative to the Executive Board as a non-voting member who will attend Executive Board meetings at least four (4) times a year.
Section 3. Finances
Sections may charge dues, issue publications, and carry on activities consistent
with their own interests. All Section funds, regardless of source, shall be in the custody of the Treasurer and shall be disbursed by the Treasurer as directed by
the Executive Board upon recommendation of the Section officers. No Section may incur expenses without the approval of the Executive Board. Sections shall be self-supporting.
Section 4. Reports
Each section will submit an annual report of its activities to the President, when requested.
Section 5.
By vote of the Executive Board and the Association at an annual meeting a
Section may be discontinued when its usefulness ceases or upon the recommendation of the Section itself.
ARTICLE XI. — ROUND TABLES
Section 1.
The Executive Board may authorize the organization as a round table or assimilate
as a round table an existing group of not less than 20 members of the Association who are interested in the same field of librarianship not within the scope of any committee upon the petition by such a group.
Section 2.
Round tables may elect officers, charge annual dues, and limit their membership.
Any membership of the Association may become a member of any round table by complying with the requirements of membership.
Section 3.
The Executive Board may discontinue a round table when in the opinion of the
Executive Board the usefulness of that round table has ceased or upon the recommendation of the round table itself.
ARTICLE XII. — AFFILIATION WITH OTHER ASSOCIATIONS
Section 1.
ALA – The Rhode Island Library Association is a chapter of the American Library
Association and is entitled to one (1) councilor. The councilor shall be elected by members of the Association who are also members of the American Library
Association and shall serve for four (4) years, or until his/her successor is elected and qualified and shall automatically serve as a member of the Executive Board.
Section 2. NELA
The Rhode Island Library Association is a chapter of the New England Library
Association and is entitled to one (1) councilor. The councilor shall be elected by the Association and shall serve for two (2) years, or until his/her successor is
elected and qualified and shall automatically serve as a member of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE XIII. — PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the current edition of The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure by Alice Sturgis shall govern the Association in all cases to which they
are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with this constitution.
ARTICLE XIV. — AMENDMENTS
The constitution may be amended at any business meeting of the Association by
a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and voting, provided that the proposed amendment has been submitted to the membership at least 30 days prior to the meeting.
Last Updated: 5/12/03
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