Paralibrarians

a section of New Hampshire Library Association
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Bylaws

Bylaws of the Paralibrarian Section
of New Hampshire Library Association

Article I.  Name.

The name of this organization shall be the Paralibrarians Section of the New Hampshire Library Association.

Article II.  Objective

Through support and increased awareness of Paralibrarians, the Section promotes and provides a forum for networking and career development opportunities and provides voluntary professional certification for non-MLS degreed library personnel.

Article III.   Membership

Membership shall be open to all dues-paying members of the New Hampshire Library Association.

Article IV.  Officers

Section 1. The officers of the Paralibrarians Section shall be the President, Vice President/President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past President.

  1. The Past-President, President, Vice-President/President-Elect shall serve for one year.
  2. The Secretary and Treasurer shall serve for two years.

Section 2. Vice President/President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer shall be elected by ballot and shall begin their term at the first executive board meeting after the annual meeting. In the event that the position of President becomes vacant before the end of the term, the Vice President / President Elect shall fill the position for the remainder of the term. The nominating committee will seek nominations from the membership to fill the vacated Vice President/President Elect position. A special election to fill the vacancy will be held within 60 days.

Section 3. The duties of the officers shall be as follows:

  1. The President shall conduct all meetings and, with the advice of the Executive Board, shall appoint any special committees as necessary. The President shall be an ex-officio member of each committee, voting only in the case of a tie. The president shall represent the Paralibrarians Section to the NHLA Executive Board. The President shall ensure fiscal oversight of the annual budget in cooperation with the Executive Board.
  2. The Vice-President/President-Elect shall assume the responsibilities of the President in the absence of the President. Vice-President/President-Elect shall serve as parliamentarian and shall coordinate all bylaw revisions.
  3. The Secretary shall notify all Executive Board members of Board meetings, shall keep minutes of all general membership and Executive Board meetings and forward these to the section membership.
  4. The Treasurer shall keep and report all necessary and proper financial records, and shall work with the NHLA Treasurer to manage Paralibrarians finances. The Treasurer shall draft and submit an annual budget for approval to the Executive Board. The Treasurer will forward the approved budget to the NHLA Treasurer.

ARTICLE V. Executive Board.

Section 1. The Past-President, President, Vice-President/President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer,  Membership Coordinator and all Committee Chairs shall constitute the Executive Board.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall determine policies and changes therein within the limits of the bylaws of the section and shall take such actions it considers necessary to carry out the objectives of the section.

ARTICLE VI. Committees

Section 1. There shall be the following standing committees: Education, Certification, Nomination and Awards.

Section 2. Each committee shall appoint one designee to serve as a Chairperson and member of the Paralibrarians Executive Board for a period of two years. An exception is made for the Nominating and Award Selection Committees which shall be chaired by the immediate Past President.

Section 3. Vacant committee chair positions shall be appointed by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VII. Nominations and Elections.

Section 1. Nominations

  1. The Past President shall chair a Nominating Committee of three members appointed by the President to nominate candidates for each office. The President shall not be a member of the Nominating Committee.
  2. Nominations from the general membership shall also be accepted, provided they are accompanied by written acceptances of the nominees.
  3. Names of candidates (whether from the Nominating Committee or the general membership), together with their written acceptance, must be submitted to the President no later than August 15.
  4. The Secretary shall prepare an official ballot.
  5. All candidates must be members of the Paralibrarians. It shall be the responsibility of the nominator to verify such membership. The Secretary shall omit from the official ballot any names improperly submitted.

Section 2. Elections

  1. Not later than 60 days prior to the Annual Business Meeting, the Secretary shall deliver a copy of the ballot, using procedures approved by the Executive Board, to each voting member. Ballots shall be returned so that they are received by the Secretary at least two weeks prior to the Annual Business Meeting.
  2. The chair of the Nominating Committee shall certify the results of the election, which shall be determined by the tally of the Secretary, and shall notify each candidate and each member of the Committee of such results.
  3. New officers shall be announced at the Paralibrarians Annual Meeting and reported to the Executive Board of the New Hampshire Library Association.

ARTICLE VIII. Amendments.

Notices of proposed amendments to the by-laws must be appended to the call for a meeting. Amendments shall be passed upon affirmative vote of two-thirds of the membership present.

ARTICLE IX Meetings.

Section 1. General Membership.

  1. The annual business meeting and special meetings of the general membership shall be held at such time and place as the Executive Board shall designate.
  2. A quorum will consist of 10% of the section membership.

Section 2. Executive Board. Quarterly meetings of the Executive Board shall be held at such time and place as the President shall designate.

ARTICLE X. Parliamentary Authority.

The latest edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall govern all deliberations of this organization.